Bob's Just Asking

Musician, producer, and label owner Peele Wimberley played drums with the Raleigh, North Carolina band The Connells for 15 years before departing for other musical adventures. We talked about his upbringing, how race played and plays a role in his life, and the subjects of Black agency and resilience.

Mike Connell is the principal songwriter, rhythm guitarist, and occasional singer for the band The Connells. They are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of their landmark fifth album "Ring" this year. I'd been wanting to interview him for quite some time, so I was super excited to get this opportunity to sit down with the most humble, self-effacing rock musician you'll ever meet.

The first of a series of episodes about Black agency, resistance, and resilience features an interview with Clemson history professor J. Brent Morris, author of Dismal Freedom: A History of the Maroons of the Great Dismal Swamp.

After an unexpected and lengthy hiatus, we're back with an interview of Saugus, Massachusetts educator Rick Lavoie, who is doing some amazing work in place-based education in the town best known for its witch trials, but has far more important and interesting history to learn about. Rick talks about his involvement with the National Park Service Teacher Ranger Teacher program and the importance of educators being life-long learners.

Joseph Postell is a professor of political science at Hillsdale College. He is an expert on the history of the United States Congress. Who better to ask about the recent drama over the election of the 55th Speaker of the House? Dr. Postell puts Speaker McCarthy's experience into historical context and shares some compelling and amusing anecdotes about the history of the House of Representatives. This interview is both for Congress nerds and those who don't quite understand the inner workings of the House.

The story of David Ruggles' brief life is nothing short of incredible. The fact that he's not a household name should be considered a crime. Graham Russell Hodges, the director of the National Endowment for the Humanities summer seminar Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad takes his turn at the mic to discuss his book. It's likely the final interview in a seven-part series, and the second time I've had the privilege of talking to this distinguished historian.

Nearly 20 years ago, Kate Clifford Larson blew up what everyone knew -- or thought they knew -- about Harriet Tubman. She discovered a trove of documents helping illuminate Tubman's life, thereby debunking many myths... and ultimately providing an even more incredible story about this indomitable woman. This interview is part of a multi-part series of interviews with historians involved in the National Endowment for the Humanities program on Abolition and the Underground Railroad. 

Marcus Rediker writes "history from below," focusing on the stories of the marginalized and oppressed. His forthcoming book is about freedom seekers who sought liberation by sea. The excerpt of his book and his subsequent talk to the National Endowment for the Humanities program on Abolition and the Underground Railroad will change the way I teach. This is one in a 7- or 8-part series borne out of that program.

I had my handy dandy digital recorder with me, so right after Leigh Fought addressed the National Endowment for the Humanities participants, we sat down and chatted. It was my first time using the device and I made sure it was on, pressed record, and started the interview. About 25 minutes into the interview I thought to check the recorder... and yep, it wasn't actually recording. Running short on time, we rescheduled for the following week. Leigh's book on the women in Frederick Douglass's life serves as a critical reminder that no one is an island and those who achieve greatness are usually supported by a network of incredible people who all make their own contributions. 

Alice L. Baumgartner's South to Freedom simultaneously opens its readers eyes up to the largely unknown south-bound Underground Railroad to Mexico and the pivotal role tensions in Texas and Mexico played in exploding sectionalism and leading us into the Civil War. This interview is part 3 of a mulit-part series for the National Endowment for the Humanities program on Abolition and the Underground Railroad.

Richard Blackett spent 18 years researching his book The Captive's Quest for Freedom: Fugitive Slaves, the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, and the Politics of Slavery. His work was revelatory for me. This interview is the second part of a multi-part series derived from the National Endowment for the Humanities program on Abolition and the Underground Railroad.

Manisha Sinha is the author of The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition. After presenting to the National Endowment for the Humanities Abolition and the Underground Railroad program, I was able to spend some time with her. What was intended to be a 20-minute interview ultimately expanded to 35 minutes, and we just scratched the surface of her astounding research. This is the first of a series of at least seven interviews.

Gary Gallagher is one of the foremost scholars on the American Civil War. I was lucky enough to take a one-week professional development class for educators with him at the Nau Center at the University of Virginia. This podcast was recorded the day after the class ended and focused on many of the themes that Dr. Gallagher touched upon during the week. No matter how much you think you might know about the Civil War, you'll learn something just about every time he opens his mouth.

John Garrison Marks book "Black Freedom in the Age of Slavery: Race, Status, and Identity in the Urban Americas (Carolina Lowcountry and the Atlantic World)" compares and contrasts Charleston, South Carolina and Cartagena, Colombia, focusing primarily on the lives of free Black people. We talked misperceptions people have about the lives of Black people -- free and enslaved -- during the 19th century. Unless you're Graham Russell Hodges or Leslie Harris, I guarantee you'll learn something from this episode.

Season 4 of the podcast will features interviews with people who I have significant political disagreements with. However, I believe instead of increasing polarization by retreating into our bubbles, a lot more is to be gained by an exchange of ideas.

Keith Knight is the managing editor of the Libertarian Institute and the host of the "Don't Tread on Anyone" podcast. He interviewed me about history education (airing June 1, 2022), and I interviewed him about Libertarianism. We share a desire to promote civil discourse between people who may have fundamental disagreements. As Keith said, if his neighbor loves Godfather III, the guy is wrong, but isn't his mortal enemy. On that we found common ground.

Two firsts in this episode: my first two-time guest in Nina Jankowicz, whose new book How To Be a Woman Online: Surviving Abuse and Harassment, and How to Fight Back comes out this week, and my first guest interviewer, Hillsborough High School senior, HHS Debate officer, and Prejudice & Pride mover and shaker, Gowri Nair. As I read Nina's book I was struck by a lot of things, but none bigger than the realization that women have to constantly create alliances with one another to protect themselves against toxic men, and there are way more of them than most of us imagine. In fact, I think most men have been guilty of pretty awful behavior at one time or another, sometimes knowingly, sometimes obviously. I could have interviewed Nina and I'm sure it would have been a great conversation, but I was more interested in hearing what questions Gowri would ask, and perhaps give her the first in her many connections to women in the political sphere who will have her back when she needs it.

Season 3 of Bob's Just Asking will focus on the theme of marginalized people in the United States. 

Graham Russell Hodges is a preeminent historian on all things related to slavery in the northern United States and New York City. His Root & Branch: African Americans in New York and East Jersey, 1613-1863, is one of the most important books in the study of slavery. Unlike some previous episodes of this podcast, I know a fair amount about the subject matter -- enough to ask some good questions, I'd like to think -- leading to some incredible analysis and anecdotes from Professor Hodges.

SONGS BY HONEYBIRD is the second novel by Peter McDade. Peter is a jack of many trades -- drummer in Uncle Green/3 Lb. Thrill, Paul Melancon and the Insecurities, The Good Graces, and Bob Fenster & The Windows to name a few, a college history professor, and a brilliant writer. THE WEIGHT OF SOUND is one of the best first novels I've ever read and I think it's better than the music-based novels of Tom Perrotta and Jonathan Tropper, my favorite authors. Professor McDade is also a first-class mensch and a favorite person of virtually everyone who knows him. We dug deep into HONEYBIRD in this interview... a book which just so happens to come out TODAY!

The sum total of my knowledge about New Zealand comes from movies, so I asked Sam Fisher to take part in number three of my 194-part series about the countries of the world. A few more decades and I won't feel guilty about being the Ugly American high school social studies teacher.

Campaign finance is confusing with its ever-changing Byzantine laws. I interview Liz Pedraja who works for political campaigns focusing on compliance with those laws.

Human Resources... not exactly the sexiest sounding topic on my list at first glance, but Cliff Mansfield truly gave me insight into what HR does with every answer in this interview. Our discussion ranged far and wide and was filled with laughs.

Mike C tells us where it's at in the DJ world playing in clubs, at weddings, and streaming online. No one I know has a better ear for music than Mike and it was fascinating listening to him talk about how he approaches a set, the adjustments he makes on the fly, and how he's found his people on Twitch.

Elizabeth Weber is an equine veterinarian who answered an array of questions about veterinary work and horses in general. Although I am, of course, a world-renowned expert on these subjects, but I suppose I had a thing or too to learn.

An unexpected transportation two-fer: this episode focuses on the integral job of trucking, something I think most of us take for granted and think we know more about than we actually do. Ray Nicholas is a Hillsborough High School alumnus who I met during my first year of teaching way back in 1793.

Matt Newman is a pilot for a major airline. He answers all of my ignorant questions about being an airline pilot. Some really eye-opening stuff here.

Daniel Lazar is a high school social studies teacher at the JFK School in Berlin, Germany. Down the road we'll talk about what it's like to teach abroad, but today's focus is on his multiple forays into podcasting, most notably his soon-to-be-retitled exploration of working, currently called Studs (after Studs Terkel). Daniel is an incredibly introspective, thoughtful guy who has a lot to say about what he's learned in his role of exploring people's attitudes about work.

Sebastian Goncerz is a sixth-year medical student in Poland who is at the forefront of a political movement to address a health care crisis in Poland. We discussed Polish government and politics in general before segueing into his area of focus. 

In 2020, Nina Jankowicz published her first book, How to Lose the Disinformation War: Russia, Fake News, and the Future of Conflict. We talked about Russia, the election of 2016, and the subsequent developments in this disturbing area of our domestic security. Nina is a 2007 Hillsborough High School alumna.

Some of the most marginalized and endangered students in our schools are those in the LGBTQ+ community. Zach Lowe is an educator who trains other educators to support these students and LGBTQ peers. Our freewheeling conversation starts and ends there but covers a variety of topics along the way.

I know less than the average fourth grader about geology, so I thought having an expert on the subject give me an overview of subjects like plate tectonics and seismology, as well as the geology of New Jersey, would be a great use of this podcast. I met Maggie Benoit in my first year teaching at Hillsborough High School back in 1993. It was great catching up and learning from her.

Adam Mamawala is a 2005 graduate from Hillsborough High School who has been working in standup comedy for the past fifteen years. Going beyond the generic questions, we take apart a few of his jokes to see what makes them tick.

Joe Choroszewski is a 1998 graduate of Hillsborough High School and a professional drummer whose resume includes drumming for Broadway shows like Wicked, Promises Promises, Newsies, and Frozen. I asked him about the challenges of being a professional musician.

My lack of knowledge about India's government and politics is frankly embarrassing. So I thought I'd ask my former student Aman Thakker to help a brother out. Now don't ask me about Canada, okay?

I like coffee. You probably like coffee. But how much do you know about growing it and roasting it? What makes a coffee exquisite, good, or something relegated to commodity coffee? I interviewed Zakiya Mason, Hillsborough High School alumnus, and the director of coffee for Go Get 'Em Tiger, a specialty coffee company in Los Angeles, California.

Eytan Mirsky is best known for the songs he contributed to the films "American Splendor," "The Tao of Steve" and "Happiness." He has released seven albums of his original music and is simply one of the finest songwriting craftsmen out there. We spent an hour exploring some of the finer points of his approach to songwriting.

What better way to start an interviewing podcast than to interview someone about podcasting? Thom Bowers is the co-host of Spoon Radio and Superenthusiast Radio, two long-running podcasts, as well as a personal friend. He also happens to be a voiceover actor, audiobook reader, and my Constant Bassist (apologies to Stephen King) in our band The Windows. With limited knowledge of the world of podcasting, I thought he'd be the perfect starting point.