Rob Morgan Is A Curious Person

Nate Ryan is the staff photographer for 89.3 The Current. An award winning photographer, Nate has captured countless studio performances with bands that visit the station as well as many live performance. Why is balancing creativity and commerce so hard? What’s a career in photography look like? Do you get hired for things you’ve done, or can you get hired for things you want to do in the future?...

Jon Reine and Mike Smith are members of the band Greycoats. What leads a band to write a concept album [Carisma!] about that all-American icon, the televangelist? What would it sound like if Jimmy Swaggart fronted Joy Division? Why should I stop thinking about ’should’ when it comes to creating art and only pay attention to what I’m COMPELLED to make? In this special edition episode of the podcast...

Derrick Keith Rollins Jr is a singer-songwriter best known by his stage name, “Reverend Doctor." What should white people do about systemic racism? What’s it like to be the ’token black friend’? What does the transition from adorable black child to intimidating black in adult look like when growing up in the midwest? What is racial tourism? This week, Keith sits down with Rob over drinks to answer...

Justin Sharbono is best known for his work as electric guitarist for the band Soul Asylum. What’s it like to have an honest and meaningful conversation about our own race and identity? How does travel change the way you view your place in the world?  What led to Justin’s belief that you can’t hate people you know or love? This week, Justin Sharbono sits down with Rob over drinks at The Lowry in Up...

Getting your first tattoo can be intimidating. How bad does it hurt? How do you book an appointment or pick an artist? What can you expect from the moment you step into the tattoo parlor to leaving with your fresh new ink?  Join Rob & Sarah Morgan and special guests Jorge & Janelle Figueroa as Janelle gets her first tattoo. While doing so, Rob will explain “The Five P’s Of Getting Your First Tatto...

Jordan Srock (@jordandsrock on instagram) is an electric guitarist and a friend of Rob’s who he met while on fly dates (gigs performing with an artist that you fly in-and out of and get to be home with your family within a few days) a few years ago. Is there such thing as a creative or non-creative job? How has technology minimized the value of knowledge? What’s the difference between skill and ta...

Peter Himmelman is a "man of many talents and accomplishments who is known to those who have heard of him, but haven’t heard him, as Bob Dylan’s son-in-law.” That said, Peter first got on Rob’s radar not because of his acclaimed song-writing career or the fact that he was the musical composer on FOX’s American Drama Series: Bones, but as an author. In 2015, when Rob returned home from a dizzying w...

Josh Olson is a director, videographer and master storyteller based out of Minneapolis. What are the components of a great story? Why should everyone, from a CEO to a cello player, know how story telling plays a critical role in what they do for a living? How can the art of storytelling teach us to live more in the moment? This week, Josh sits down with Rob over drinks to answer these questions an...

Amanda Nephew is a licensed marriage and family therapist that just so happens to be married to one of my closest friends, Jasper Nephew. What advice does she have for anyone in a relationship with someone who functions differently than you do? Why is trust the most important thing for an abstract thinking person? Does vagueness in a relationship always produce anxiety? This week, Amanda sits down...

Mike Michel is a award-winning songwriter, guitarist, and music educator who, in 2013, developed a severe case of tinnitus (auditory cortex inflammation) and hyperacusis (extreme sound sensitivity), which threatened to take away his livelihood and everyday functioning. What’s it like when you're a prolific artist and everyday sounds become excruciatingly painful? What causes tinnitus, hyperacusis...

Eric Pierson is a television, film, voice and commercial actor who recently started showing his prowess in the directing world. He recently worked with the Green Bay Packers, voiced the latest Winfield United campaign, & did his first wire stunt but that said, he’s most notably known as THE FIRST RETURN GUEST ON THE PODCAST! This week, Eric sits down with Rob over drinks to talk about their love o...

Dan Smith is a producer, engineer, musician and songwriter. What does it mean to ‘deliver’ as a musician in a studio session? What is the arch of confidence in the creative journey? Can you be inspired by other artists without comparing yourself to them? This week, Dan sits downs over drinks with Rob to answer these questions and more.  Recording Location:  Wirth Lake Dock, North Minneapolis     ...

Jordan Walker is a photographer, entrepreneur, musician, creative thinker, and a close friend of mine. He’s the CEO of Narrate Studios and if you’ve been following the podcast, you’ve seen his work because he took all the press and artwork photos for the podcast.  This episode is specifically for anyone who finds themselves thinking that being creative and being intentional seem like binary opposi...

Leslee Miller is a certified Sommelier and owner of wine consulting firm, Amusée. She's also the co-founder and owner of one of the first wine clubs in America, Sip Better. In this terroir  packed episode we uncork way more than just my curiosity about the world of wine and what it takes to become a Sommelier. It’s a conversation about cultivating a curiosity about the world around you and having...

Paul Crilly owns one of my favorite Irish pubs in Minneapolis, Morrissey’s. If you know me, you know I love Ireland and Irish culture. I set out to have a fun conversation about St. Patrick’s Day and ended up having a far deeper convo than I was expecting. What’s it REALLY like to grow up in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles”? What’s it like to move to America when you’re 19? And what make’s I...

A year and a half ago, I saw a documentary called “Bronies: The extremely unexpected adult fans of My Little Pony” and ever since I started this podcast, I knew I wanted to sit down someone who considered themselves a Brony. When three of Minnesota’s experts on the topic agreed to indulge my curiosity over some of Minneapolis’ best cider, I thought I was in for a crash course about the fandom. Ins...

Brett is an electric guitar slinging friend of mine who, every time we play together, at some moment we find ourselves laughing and having a convo that goes deep. In this episode I convince Brett to sneak into a backstage storage closet between sets to record a conversation that ended up being one of my most personal, introspective ones yet.  Ever leave hanging out with someone and getting frustra...

Kevin Welch is is the owner and head brewer of Minneapolis’ Boom Island Brewing Company. Sound familiar? I interviewed his wife Qiuxia. (Question 26 // Does Craft Beer Belong To White Men?) As a professional french horn player for the Minnesota Orchestra turned brewery owner, Kevin is passionate about both beer and music, however, the real reason I sat down with him is because of his passion to ma...

My research for this episode began months ago when I heard a statistic saying that the Super Bowl is one of the single largest events where human trafficking happens in the U.S. each year. With the Super Bowl happening [this year] just a few miles from where Sarah and I live, my original title was going to be “What is Minneapolis doing to fight against human trafficking during Super Bowl LII?” In...

My thoughts in response to this week's City Pages article encouraging more diversity on this podcast and my answer to the most frequent question I get in regards to this podcast: "How do you find and select your guests that you have on the show?"  The Podcast Hotline:  (612) 584-9330 Write in with your thoughts, comments or suggestions HERE: thecuriouspod.com/contact

Qiuxia Welch, with her husband Kevin, owns Boom Island Brewing Co in Minneapolis, MN. I sat down over beers (her beers in fact) to hear her tell her life story and to find out what it’s been like to be a female minority in multiple industries. From China to America; from being a professional classical musician to owning a brewery, this ended up being an eye-opening conversation that I hope encoura...

There’s a lot of noise out there when it comes to people talking about their political opinions right now, and rightfully so! This has been a crazy year. Unfortunately, half the time (especially when it comes to Facebook and Social Media) it seems like people aren’t  trying to have a healthy conversation or debate and more trying to figure out if you agree with them so they can decide to keep you...

Cory Wong is a “Rhythmic Stratocaster Guitar Player” - The Current called him “The most famous Minnesota musician you’ve probably never heard of” and I call him a professional. I sat down with Cory in this music heavy episode to see if I could get past WHAT it is he does to learn HOW he processes some of the issues we all deal with on a day to tay basis. Stick around to the end to hear a special b...

I get asked quite a bit about a story some of you have heard me allude to in parts of these interviews about a life “freak out” I had last year when it came to my career in music. Exactly one year later, I’ve decided to sit down and tell the story about a bucket list made in a Smurf-blue house; The 2 times I turned 30; the secret to my landing a gig flying in private jets and a New Years Day that...

Danny Hoyt (@dannyhoyt) is a writer, producer and network television host for the likes of National Geographic, Fox, CBS, NFL, while still finding time to make it back home to LA each weekend to live host for the LA Chargers. At least, that’s what anyone with an internet connection sees… Anyone that knows Danny personally knows that his passion is far greater than just becoming a famous face on TV...