Strung Out

Send us Fan Mail Sandeep and Martin talk about the topics of the day, including how the ministers of Ireland, England and Scotland are either Indian or Pakistani.  An interesting development.  Oh, and we have a theory why Biden would not sleep in the same bed the late Queen slept in, and it's not having anything to do with being Irish.  Tune in.  Support the show We are always grateful to hav...

Send us Fan Mail The work being done on the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral's-stained glass has a great metaphor for our podcast.  The people cleaning the glass mentioned that now was the opportunity for them to remove over 200 years of people's breath residue, smoke from candles and the fire itself.  Our own homes and our very selves have such residue, especially from a long winter....

Send us Fan Mail Just as the Abrahamic religions celebrate the significant festivals of Passover, Ramadan and Easter, we get into that age old discussion on whether or not God exists.  What is it about Atheists that irk believers?  And what is it about people of faith that irk Atheists?  On some deeper level perhaps, those groups think the other group has it all wrong.  But still live and let live...

Send us Fan Mail I never knew that I would learn a valuable lesson at the Potawatomi Park's "Dog Friend Zone" or what people call a dog park.   The dog park was tucked away in a corner near the railroad tracks.  And at my first visit,  I noticed that a lot of the park looked like it had been built by hand, from ramps and benches and even the home-made box for poop bags.  It wasn&apo...

Send us Fan Mail Perry Miller is a singer-songwriter journeyman.  Living in Waterloo, Iowa, Miller has had to wear a lot of hats to pursue his passion.  He has hosted a long-running open mic at Jameson's in downtown Waterloo and has been the go-to man for creating and managing festivals and events in the region, most notably the College Hill Arts Festival.  All this while holding down a job a...

Send us Fan Mail Sandeep and Marty finally get that second round of testing Irish whiskeys in the $30 range.  Slane, Eire Gold are tried out against the choice of the first round, John Powers.  All three are similar in alcohol content, two are blended and one, Eire Gold is a single malt.  There are some surprising results in this tasting for the lads.  Saint Patrick's Day is not over yet on S...

Send us Fan Mail The song Danny Boy is considered an Irish Song.  Like a lot of Irish songs and the Irish themselves, it is complicated.  The melody being an ancient bardic tune, it was collected by well-meaning publishers of Irish Airs back in the 17th and 18th Century.   However the words came from Fred Weatherly, a lawyer who lived in Bath, England in the county of Somerset.  Those words were w...

Send us Fan Mail Our series continues with an interview with Arik Mendelevitz.  Arik represents the face of independent entertainment:  He wears not only a performer's hat, but an agent's hat as well.  To succeed in a world still recovering from the pandemic, it takes a lot more effort to create success and usually that means by handling everything that comes with performing.  Mendelevit...

Send us Fan Mail We are now a year into the fight for the main territory of Ukraine by the forces of Vladimir Putin.  Putin, a dictator, ruined what little democracy was trying to take root in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union.  His decision to invade Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 was met with what appeared to be a tepid response by the West.   At the time, the West, especially Europe had...

Send us Fan Mail We are approaching the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  This past week, the Berlinale Film Festival opened in Germany.  This attempt at normalcy in Europe is sort of like having a garden party happening while acknowledging that the house is on fire.  President Volodymir Zelensky of Ukraine was invited to give the opening remarks. He challenged his audience, a...

Send us Fan Mail Robert Smith raised four sons, worked in IT to support his family and after they were grown adults, made a decision.  It was during the pandemic when Robert decided to make a difference in his community by become an early childhood development teacher.   Smith, an African American man, became an outlier in a field that is predominantly women, understaffed and underpaid.  Yet, rese...

Send us Fan Mail A lot to discuss on the Roundup with Martin and Sandeep.  Chinese Balloons-War in Ukraine-Chicago politics and the killing of Tyree Nichols and what that means for urban policing.   Support the show We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links: SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK MARTIN'S WEBSITE: http://w...

Send us Fan Mail What do you think of when you hear the word labyrinth?   Perhaps the confusing lair where the minotaur dwelled?  That was actually a maze, which was constructed to keep the minotaur confused and confined.  Actually, a labyrinth is something that is meant to set one free.   According to the Labyrinth Society : A labyrinth is a meandering path, often unicursal, with a singular path...

Send us Fan Mail While we've been busy with our lives, little did we know that a shadowy group of people, living among us, have been busy carving up North America and other parts of the world into Medieval Kingdoms and Baronies.  Welcome to the amazing world of the Society for Creative Anachronism, an organization that boasts thousands of members and endeavors to celebrate and accurately repr...

Send us Fan Mail People living in the Midwest have an opportunity to see and hear Dorothy Scott perform in her adopted state of Wisconsin, up in beautiful and art-filled Door County. It is really no coincidence that Dorothy would make her home here.  Like the spectacular scenery, the art shops, restaurants with goats grazing on grass roofs, open air concerts under stars and a variety of interestin...

Send us Fan Mail Sandeep and Marty talk a little about resolutions versus setting goals before getting down to the business of predicting what is going to happen to the world in 2023.   Support the show We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links: SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/MartyfineaK MARTIN'S WEBSITE: http://www. MARTINMcC...

Send us Fan Mail Martin sits down again with famous painter Walter Palmer Burrows and together they start to delve into some of the more nagging questions that surround the quest of being an artist.  a) How do I know I have a calling? b) How do I get into being an artist? c) Am I an artist if I work professionally in some other job? d) What is vision?   e) Is being important the same as success? W...

Send us Fan Mail Martin is down and out with Covid.  But like Santa on his sleigh, that doesn't stop him from sending all the listeners a fun holiday gift of his Christmas songs that have aired on the Mr. Marty Show.   Aine McCormack guests along with Martin and talks about her time in the Evanston (Illinois) Christmas Choir, what she wants for Christmas and Minty her Christmas Elf.    The Ch...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to a new series of STRUNG OUT, called The Philosophy of Art.  Martin interviews Chicago artist Walter Palmer Burrows about his background and inspiration to create art.  The son of Dr. Samuel Jacobs Burrows, MD FACS and Margaret Palmer Burrows, a poet, writer, and illustrator. Dr. Sam was born on December 3, 1895, in Ottowa, IL, and died Nov. 7, 1971. He was the owner and...

Send us Fan Mail It's been a couple of busy weeks for Martin with being in the studio with Switchback, touring from Michigan to Missouri and back to Chicago.   Martin brings us up to speed on what's been happening and then treats us to four selections from the four albums that have been released in the last couple of years.   You can download the entire albums for yourself by going to  M...

Send us Fan Mail Sandeep and Martin start on a journey to discover the finest whiskey that is affordable and yet dignified in its flower and flavor.  The first step of this journey is taking on the "Blessed Trinity of Irish Whiskeys", otherwise at Bushmills, Jameson and John Powers.  These Irish whiskeys, triple distilled blends are all under $30 a bottle and perfect for those of us who...

Send us Fan Mail The holidays are upon us, but don't despair.  Sandeep and Marty, with the help of their new PhD students, led by the Swedish exchange student and intern, Sven Ragnolderson, have researched three amazing gift giving sites that have just the right gifts for your budget and taste.  Especially if the taste is a bit depraved.   All the worry taken away, it's our holiday gift...

Send us Fan Mail The latest solo album is out from Martin, called A Million Roses.   Produced with Mike Hagler and featuring the work of famous stringmaster Lloyd Maines, the album punches hard into some Americana and touches on some pretty serious subject matter at the same time from sexual abuse to the far-right Christian nationalist groups.  There are also some light-hearted songs and a few mem...

Send us Fan Mail Brian FitzGerald and Martin talk about the band's work in the studio, the new online video offering of the Colorado Concert (available at WayGoodmusic.com) and our fan tour to Costa Rica (November 18 deadline, so check out the information at WayGoodmusic.com.) Support the show We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links: SUPPOR...

Send us Fan Mail Political expert and pundit Sandeep Gopal joins Martin to talk about how to figure out your local election, how to navigate the national midterms and what to do about all the international self-appointed kings.  Listen in! Support the show We are always grateful to have you listening to STRUNG OUT.    Here are some important links: SUPPORT THE SHOW: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Ma...