Everything is a Primary Source

S3E23:  "These Go to 11" Deremy joins the show again, but this time with his Pop Culture Five podcast cohost, Thomas.  Thomas has another show,  SNL Hall of Fame , and I couldn't think of a better pair of guys to help break down the 1984 Rockumentary/Mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap."

S3E22: "A Great Migration of Culture" My drop-in guest, Gloria wished to talk about music related to the Great Migration of the 20th century, and we did, but we also found ourselves covering a great many other topics related to the mass movement of African Americans from the Southeast to points North and West between 1910 and 1970.

S3E21: "Heal the World" CeCe from History Co:Lab and their Ambie Award -nominated podcast, UnTextBooked stopped by to talk about "We Are the World" the 1985 fundraising single organized by Harry Belafonte, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie to respond to the devastating famine affecting millions in Ethiopia in the time period.  What can this song featuring over two dozen musicians tel...

S3E20: "The Ballad of Adam and Eve" Jeremy of the Society for Commercial Archeology joins the show again, this time to dissect the 1999 comedy, "Blast from the Past" as a document of its era.

S3E19: "Usher-ing in a New Era" Katarina, a fellow social studies educator with whom I spoke in her home city of Nashville, Tennessee this past fall, chose to talk about Usher’s 2004 hit with Ludacris and Lil John, “Yeah,” when she stopped by my booth,  and see what it can tell us about the time period. Perfect timing because I’m releasing this episode on Super Bowl Sunday 2024, where Usher is goi...

S3E18: "A Little Wilder" Mel Brooks's "Blazing Saddles" just turned 50 and what better time to look at it as a document of its time period.  I was joined by Caroline in Nashville back in December to get her take on the Western Comedy, and comedy movies in general.

S3E17:  "When Dookie H it the Fans" My guest for this episode, New England punk rocker Dave Strong , points to Green Day's  Dookie as a touchstone record as it opened up a new world of music for him. Add me and countless others to the list of teenagers of the time period who changed direction in musical tastes thanks to Green Day showing up in the mainstream.

S3E16: "Not Worrying, 1964 Edition" I met JF at Strawbery Banke Museum this past summer and he was more than happy to use 1964's "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" as a jumping off point to discuss the Cold War, historiography and how the world has taken shape over the last 60 years.

S3E15:  "It's a Bicentennial, Man" Segment 1: Disney Yearbook 1988 with Nicki of GBH Segment 2: American Friends of Lafayette looks forward to bicentennial of the Marquis's Grand Tour of the United States

S3E14: "So if you really love Christmas..." My wife, Erin the Tie Dye Libraryn , and I talk about 2003's Love Actually as a document of two decades ago.

S3E13: "A Charlie Brown Die Hard Hook Christmas" This episode is comprised of three interviews held over the course of three different podcast karaoke events. Segment 1: Noella and I talk "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965) at the NCSS Conference in Nashville Segment 2: Adam settles the "Die Hard" (1988) debate at the NHCSS Conference in Concord, NH Segment 3: I speak to Danny about "Hook" (1991) j...

S3E12: "Hail to the Chiefs" Analyzing pop culture artifacts connected to presidents as documents of their respective time periods First segment:  Jade discusses the 1905 Treaty of Portsmouth and its legacy Segment two: Dr. Stephen Carney on JFK's funeral and its pop culture impact Final segment: Allison and I use George and Martha Washington salt and pepper shakers to ascertain ideas of the recent...

S3E11: "Parks and Education" On this Giving Tuesday I present to you conversations with and/or about three non-profits in the Seacoast of NH region. Prescott Park Arts Festival American Independence Museum The Moffatt-Ladd House Museum Enjoy the dialogue, and consider supporting these or similar organizations near you.

Pop Music of the 20th Century This episode is made up of podcast karaoke segments about pop music Steve and I spoke about John Philip Sousa Nigh discussed the evolution of the Beach Boys Fred and I talked about rock n roll and the Civil Rights movement Musician Tom elaborated on how music drew him to Portsmouth, NH in the 1990s

S3E9: "Ingrid, Victor, and Joan" 1948's Joan of Arc as a primary source with Johan of Edutainment Daily. Plus, a look at a previous Victor Fleming movie, The Wizard of Oz

S3E8: "Sing Us a Song" 1973's Piano Man album by Billy Joel as a document of its times

S3E7:  "Saying Boo" 1938's "The War of the Worlds" radio drama with Taylor Cormier Plus Logan from WOKQ's Kira and Logan in the Morning talks country music radio in New England

S3E6: "Doc's Appointment" Analyzing 1989's "Back to the Future Part II" as a primary source of the late 1980s with Dustin Regec of Recycled Architecture . Also, An interview with Professor Kevin of the SCA about Kinzua State Park in Western Pennsylvania 

S3E5 ; "What's This?" Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas as a document of 1993 with Nick Vincent Barbera. Plus An oral essay about two real Halloween Towns, Salem, Massachusetts and Sleepy Hollow, NY

S3E4: "California Pipeline" Treating 1963's "Checkered Flag" by Dick Dale & His Del-Tones as a primary source with surf guitarist Laramie Dean .

S3E3: "Our Wrongs and Our Rights" Charles in Charge as a document of its era with Amy and Jay of The Sitcom Study Podcast . Plus A conversation with Andrew about his portrayal of Seymour in this summer's production of Little Shop of Horrors at Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH

S3E2: "En Fuego" More of ESPN's SportsCenter as a document of history with Deremy of the Bigger than the Game Podcast , plus an impromptu "Ted Talk" about Apollo 13 from Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH.

S3E1: "Back Back Back Back Back! -Chris Berman" Season 3 Premiere! ESPN's SportsCenter as a document of history with Deremy of the Bigger than the Game Podcast (Part 1 of 2).

It was such an honor to have a Laurie Halse Anderson, an authority on finding and analyzing historical documents, join the Everything is a Primary Source so the two of us could discuss the power of primary sources. Laurie has made a career out of working with primary sources.  Her bibliography of nearly 30 books for children and young adults includes several historical fiction titles, and she is a...

"In My Life"  Dr. Kitty Oliver's life and career as a reflection of the Beatles era Dr. Kitty Oliver cites her experience seeing The Beatles at the Gator Bowl in the 1960s as the event that changed everything for her. The Fab Four from Liverpool’s arrival to the Sunshine State during their famous 1964 US tour marked a momentous change not only for her, but for the state of Florida as well. The Bea...