Snakes & Otters Podcast

Francis takes charge and the guys spend a LOT of time discussing an excellent Mark Twain quote and what it means for personal goals. 

Martin takes the conn on this inaugural episode of the guys highlighting some of history's worst - and yet not well remembered - doucebags. (Martin came up with the phrase with his usual directness.) This go-around the guys talk about some guys that caused a whole lot of trouble back in their day, Serbian Dragutin Dimitrijević and Frenchman Phillipe Petain. 

The guys take a moment to update everyone on their various writing projects before diving into a series of Robert's quotations, all linked to one from David Foster Wallace about depression, sarcasm, humor and helping those in need. Powerful stuff indeed!

Martin brings the boys back into the arena of philosophy and the intriguing person of French philosopher and writer Albert Camus and his reactionary philosophy of absurdism. It gives Martin the warm fuzzies.  The guys have to decide between Doors 1, 2 or 3 and there is plenty of debate all around.

Andre sits in the Captain's Chair and throws down an amazing quotation from the English poet Robert Browning and the guys bat it around all over the board, discussing Pelagianism, the nature of heaven and all sort of eternal things.

Martin takes the Captain's Chair as the fellas all discuss the films of the great director Michael Mann. Martin has a particular penchant for Heat, whereas Francis and Cajun are definitely Last of the Mohicans fans.

Martin takes the guys into a discussion on a Max Weber quote. Weber is credited as essentially the world's first sociologist, and the discussion gets pretty heated. 

The guys discuss the landmark career of the first American film director to be considered an auteur and artist. Blemishes and all. 

Robert delivers an on-the-spot interview of Master Distiller Joyce Nethery at Kentucky Bourbon Festival. She was super gracious and we're big fans. 

Francis brings in artist and activist Keith Haring and we talk propaganda vs art. Martin antagonizes the captain a bit. 

Francis mans the barricades and guys examine the second half of the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror and beyond.

Cajun takes the helm to drop an amazing quotation for the boys to bat around from Lieutenant General Hal Moore of "We Were Soldiers" fame.

The guys rave over their second annual trip to Bourbon Fest and relate all sorts of great anecdotes of "the many wonders they have seen" . . . 

Martin decides to go back to basics with a timely quotation from the great Ronald Reagan himself.

They guys take on the roots of the French Revolution and how it began to devolve into both murder and madness. (And yes, a good time was had by all.)

Brother Andre is up for captain on this one, he's got some favorite food and recipes he pitches as a starting point for a gastronomy Snakes & Otters style. And yes, it involves how to properly prepare a steak. 

Martin throws the guys an Albert Camus quote to pick apart and profundity promptly ensues.

Francis leads the guys in a talk of all things Terminator and what eventually happened with this groundbreaking sci-fi franchise. 

Andre once again proves his command fitness as he brings not one but three amazing quotations for the guys to chew on! Join us as we play around with some wise words from Seneca, Carl Jung, Pythagoras and maybe even a few more! Once again we prove why Snakes And Otters is the best podcast out there for deeps discussion and intellectual repartee par excellence!

Cajun takes the Captain's Chair and takes us on our fourth episode exploring the history of the United States westward expansion. This time we go deep with perhaps the biggest reasons for why things happened as they did . . . technological innovations in the area of transportation. Join the guys as they pick this one apart and discuss the western historical legacy and how it informs our world even...

Andre takes command for the very first time and takes us all back to school. Remembering "brevity is the soul of wit" (which Francis is notorious for constantly forgetting) the guys take rapid fire questions one after another about our favorite things and why  . . . in just a few sentences! Hold on to your hats Otterites! Brother Andre is putting the boys through their paces!

Robert nearly gives Martin constipation with his choice of Clarence Darrow for this edition of Code of Honor. \As usual, though, things work out splendidly as the guys discuss patriotism's specific approach to injustice, and whether Darrow was spot on  (or not) in calling out what he saw as a dangerous blindness.

Robert gets to play in his favorite sandbox as he leads us through a discussion of the current state of the once mighty Star Wars franchise, including how we got here, what we once (and still do) love so much, along with a heaping helping (naturally) of what we find bloody awful and deserving of our our eternal ire . . . 

Cajun captains the Brotherhood through an examination of a poignant speech by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce.

Cajun takes the guys through a discussion of culture clashes and human decency (or lack thereof) with a talk about the post-Civil War western expansion and its effects on the Native American Tribes.