Adult Education

Most of the time when I ask artists about albums that inspired them they will reference an artist or album that came out when they were younger. Or, maybe one that came out when they were learning how to play music. They tend to be choices that had a major impact on their growth with music. In today's episode, country artist Sheyna Gee and I will talk about Tyler Childers' 2017 release "Purgatory....

It's been a long hiatus but my series called The Unskippables is back. I speak with a musician about an album they think is perfect from start to finish. An album with no skips. This week I caught up with my old friend Payton Smith. I say "old" because I met him 7 years ago, but he's still 26. I've been following his career since he was a teenager. Payton is such an impressive songwriter and guita...

I'm excited to welcome country singer Taylor Austin Dye to the show. If you're not familiar with her work, I hope you'll check it out (after you're done listening to the podcast). I know you'll be very happy with what you hear. Taylor is poised to make some big waves in the country world over the next year as she's out there with her first radio single, "Man For That." In this episode we discuss w...

The man behind so many of the incredible promos and branding of 90's WWE (and WWF), David Sahadi, takes some time to talk about his history and time in the world of wrestling. We discuss his new memoir, "Backstage Pass: Tales From Beyond The Squared Circle." His story is great. He literally was the reason the WWF went from an entity that was kind of a joke in the sports world to a massive organiza...

It brings me so much joy to have an opportunity to speak with the founders of the Eastbay catalog. The days that the catalog appeared in the mailbox were the best days. I spent so much time looking through each sneaker, reading all of the descriptions, and circling the shoes I wanted the most. Art Juedes and Rick Gering founded Eastbay and they are sharing their story in the new book, "The Book of...

For a certain generation of people the movie Labyrinth, originally released in 1986, still holds a very special place in their hearts. Taken at face value the film is a fun (maybe fun isn't the right word) romp through an imaginary world filled with goblins, fairies, smelly bogs, and other interesting creatures. But, maybe there's a lot more to this film that has helped it stand the test of time....

My feed on Tiktok is filled with music, some politics and horny national parks. You can look that last one up yourself. The music content has been giving me so much joy. I love discussing music with people, and reminiscing about the songs, and artists, that I've loved over the years. Recently my algorithm started showing me videos from Professor T. I've really enjoyed his content. Not only is it a...

Back in December my fyp on TikTok started showing me these videos of a guy talking about a new clothing brand he was designing and launching. The brand is called Smallside. His goal was to sell the clothing and use the proceeds to give back to the community by turning small forgotten spaces into soccer fields. I became very interested in his progress. Eventually I wanted to find out more about who...

If you watched any of the Olympic snowboarding competitions you may have noticed the same thing I did. These elite athletes, the best in the world, were struggling to land their signature tricks and runs. One could take that as they were trying to go big for the gold and just didn't have "it" that day. But, you could also take a look at the conditions on the mountain in Italy and realize maybe it...

There's a magic and intrigue about rock music and radio from the mid to late 70's into the 80's. I'm talking Foreigner, Boston, Journey, Genesis and so many more in the genre known as AOR. That stands for Album Oriented Rock. Paul Rees has published an incredible oral history of those years with his new book, "Raised On Radio: Power Ballads, Cocaine and Payola - The AOR Glory Years." I'm a bit of...

I'm joined this week by comedian Jordan Carlos. He discusses his new book Choreplay: The Marriage Saving Magic Of Getting Your Head Out Of Your Ass. In it he shares his personal story of how he realized if he didn't step up more around the house he might just lose his family. Jordan's brutal honesty, and comedic timing, make this a true joy to read. I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Between the years of 1999-2004 there was no bigger rivalry in sports than that of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. These two storied baseball teams have always had a bitter rivalry, but it hit new levels during this five year period. A group of guys from Boston's vibrant punk rock scene decided to take advantage of this by selling shirts and stickers with the slogan "Yankees Suck." It was...

The word 'disruptor' has a distinct connotation. It tends to be tied to Silicon Valley and the tech world. It's the whole 'move fast and break things' mantra. But, there have been disruptors throughout history. Any time something new comes along and throws the world, and culture, into a frenzy, that's a disruptor. Things like the printing press, iPhone and even things like the disposable diaper ar...

Authenticity was the word of the year in 2023. Everyone wants to be their authentic, or true, selves. But, does there come a time when that isn't beneficial to you? The workplace is a great example. This week I'm joined by Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. He recently published a book called "Don't Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated And What To Do Instead." I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this...

You may have heard a conversation growing about changing the standard workweek from 5 days down to 4. 32 hours a week instead of 40. In just about every test, or trial, companies have found that a shorter workweek has benefitted them. As did their employees. But the 4 day workweek hasn't quite caught on yet. Maybe that's going to change. Jared Lindzon teamed up with Joe O'Connor to write a book ca...

I did not see this one coming. When I came up with the idea for this show, I knew I'd be surprised by some of the album picks made by my guests. But in no world did I expect to have a discussion about Foxy Shazam. I'm so glad we did! Joining me today is Chad Michael Jervis. Chad spent a few years as a member of the country group King Callaway. Prior to that he was in the band The House On The Clif...

Please enjoy my conversation with Barry Hertz, author of the new book "Welcome To The Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast and Furious, the Blockbusters That Supercharged The World."

Welcome to the first episode of The Unskippables Podcast. This show is all about our favorite albums. The albums that have no skips. In this first episode I'm joined by Josh Partington from Something Corporate and our good friend Matt Burnett. We are discussing the album 'August and Everything After' by Counting Crows. I hope you enjoy the show! I'd love to hear your feedback. Please feel free to...

I'd like to invite you to check out my new show, The Unskippables, part of the Adult Education Podcast Network. The premiere episode is launching 11/24/25

I still remember the promo ads for The Vampire Diaries. It came out at a time when Vampires were all the rage. But did the world really need more vampire entertainment? Turns out the answer was yes. The Vampire Diaries premiered on The CW in 2009 and became an almost instant success. Entertainment Weekly's Samantha Highfill just released a fantstic book taking all of us fans on a nostalgic look ba...

In 2006 Taylor Swift officially entered the conversation with the release of her debut album. It would take a little time (very little) but she soon would be dominating the music landscape. It started out as a domination of country music. Then it expanded as her songs crossed over to pop radio and MTV success. And now she's arguably the biggest star on the planet. There are legions of fans that di...

The NFL is king in America. And it's starting to spread its wings even further with multiple international games in multiple countries around the world. But it wasn't always this massive juggernaut. A series of smart decisions, and a lot of luck, thrust the league into the spotlight in a major way. Journalist Ken Belson has been following the league for many years and has taken a deep dive into th...

Over the summer my family and I went on a vacation to Europe. We spent about 7 days in Spain before wrapping up in Portugal. During my time there I wanted to get a t-shirt for a soccer team from each city we stopped in. I got something in Valencia and Seville. But it's the shirt I got in Lisbon that has been creating a bit of an issue for me. I got a shirt for the team Benfica. Every time I wear t...

There have been a lot of inventions over the last couple of decades that have changed the world. I could spend countless words describing them. But there is one that may fly under the radar, and may not grab your attention. I'm talking about the Like button. Maybe it's a thumbs up, or a heart or some other apparatus to show your approval. But it doesn't stop there. What maybe was created as a way...

When I was 18 years old I found myself, accidentally, at a Christian music festival in New Hampshire. It was called the Inside Out Soul Festival. I was invited to a weekend music festival and thought it would be fun. It wasn't until I got there that I realized what I was getting myself into. It was a learning experience for me. It was the first time I had really experienced Christian pop culture a...