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'...

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 importanc...

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. T...

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 tim...

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 Nat...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ab...

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 cent...

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 histor...

Rev. Rodney Williams is a diversity, equity, and inclusion warrior, serving on about as many different committees, commissions, and task forces as he has teeth. Much of our chat revolved around things happening in the town I teach in (and he lives in), but it's all sadly universal.

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 t...

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 epi...

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...

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.

I interviewed Hillsborough High School freshman Sanjana Bhatta and senior Azinwi Numfor about Covid, second-chance learning, peer pressure, and much more. Although I've been teaching for 29 years -- and maybe BECAUSE I've been teaching that long -- I'm no expert on what it's like to be a student in 2022.

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.