The Herle Burly

Amanda is the co-founder of the incredibly vital Political Action Committee, “Run for Something” whose mission is to get young, progressive-thinking candidates from non-traditional backgrounds to run for, and win, state and local office. And to create a next generation slate of candidates to seek higher office in the future. When she began “Run for Something”, Amanda hoped to recruit about 100 can...

My guest is sportswriter, blogger, podcaster, and New York Times best-selling author, Jeff Pearlman. THE Jeff Pearlman. Formerly of Sports Illustrated. Formerly of ESPN. Formerly of Newsweek. Currently of The Athletic. And host of the podcast: Two Writers Slinging Yang. Join us as we nerd out on his new book “Football for a Buck” about pre-president Trump and the insanity that was the United State...

Paul Martin’s public life has been marked by a willingness to confront the challenges we face with solutions bold enough to meet them. On this episode we’ll look back on a range of policy files during his tenure as Prime Minister—from the Kelowna Accord and his work with Indigenous Peoples to healthcare and child care, as well as multilateralism and the G20—but we’ll also discuss the sources weake...

The Rt. Hon. Paul Martin, Canada’s 21st Prime Minister, joins the podcast for a frank exchange about his time in public office and an in-depth discussion about some of the biggest issues facing our country and the world today. On this episode our conversation will focus on his formative years as a young man, as an entrepreneur, and an honest debate about the critical public policy files during his...

Jerry Dias is the national president of one of Canada’s largest unions. I sat down with Jerry to talk about the changing world and what it means for working class Canadians. Jerry opens up about his fight for good jobs in the face of growing inequality—particularly with General Motors—as well as the place for unions in our political arena. 

Few understand conservatism in Canada as much as Hugh Segal. His public service includes serving as Chief of Staff to Ontario Premier Bill Davis and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Mr. Segal is also an author, former senator, and current principal at Massey College. This episode is the flip side to my earlier discussion with Bob Rae. Whereas the conversation with Mr. Rae examined politics...

Bob Rae has been a pillar of Canadian politics for over 40 years. Easily one of the most important Canadians of his generation, Ontario’s 21st Premier and former interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada joins The Herle Burly for a discussion about progressive politics, but also to give his insights in to the forces changing society today. This episode is part one of a two-part discussion abou...

Nine months after three of us gathered on The Herle Burly, Scott Reid and Jaime Watt join me on the podcast for a raucous discussion about the most significant political events of the year. We’ll look back at the 2018 Ontario election and the first months of the Ford government, as well as how the political parties are positioned federally, and finally a review of Trump’s America. Join us for that...

The morning after the midterm elections I sat down with veteran political pollster, Ruth Bernstein in Oakland, California. Ruth works out of the San Francisco Bay Area for clients across California, as well as Governors and Senators throughout the United States. Like me, Ruth got her start in polling because of her love for politics, but what’s clear is that Ruth Bernstein a fierce champion for se...

Anthropocene is a new documentary about the planet and our indelible human signature. The brilliant trio behind it—Nicholas de Pencier, Edward Burtynsky and Jennifer Baichwal—join me on the podcast to discuss their alarm sounding project.

Chantal Hébert is one of the most trusted voices in Canadian journalism. Her observations on politics give both governments and voters clarity in what seems chaotic. Today, Chantal Hébert joins The Herle Burly podcast to share her insights on the recent Quebec election and the state of politics in Canada. 

Averell "Ace" Smith is one of the great American political strategists for Democratic Party candidates, including Hillary Clinton, Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris. Ace is best known for his work as an opposition researcher, but today he joins us to discuss his new book on Satchel Paige, The Pitcher and the Dictator, and of course, to reflect on the state of politics and what...

Christy Clark joined David Herle on the podcast to talk about her time as the 35th Premier of British Columbia, including conversations about pipelines, Prime Minister Trudeau, foreign interference in our democracy, and what it means to be a woman in politics.

Dave Bidini—acclaimed journalist, author, and musician—joins The Herle Burly to explore his take on the rise of right-wing populism, local democracy, and the shifts in our culture today. Bidini, better known as a founding member of the Rheostatics, recently created a new, local, print newspaper in Toronto's West End called the West End Phoenix. A new book will also be released from Bidini lat...

In a world where right-wing populism is reborn and classic rock is dying, a Canadian man rises so that Canadian stories might rise with him… an acclaimed journalist, an acclaimed author, a Gemini award winner. Dave Bidini of the Rheostatics and the West End Phoenix, speaks openly about democracy, local communities, and the roots of Canadian music. Coming to The Herle Burly podcast in just a few da...

Today we had the great opportunity to talk with Kory Teneycke. He has been on the ground floor of many Conservative campaigns and most recently ran the successful PC party campaign under Doug Ford. 

Thomas Frank is the author of two of the most important books on American politics in the last decade. “What's the Matter with Kansas” explored why lower socioeconomic voters vote reliably Republican in certain jurisdictions in the United States and the role that culture plays in that decision. And then “Listen Liberal” released in 2016 outlines the issues with the Democratic Party and why—if...

We’re back! Welcome to season two of The Herle Burly, and boy, what a time to pick things up. On our first episode back we’re talking about… what else, the Ontario PC leadership race. In our first ever panel discussion, my dear friends Jaime Watt and Scott Reid join me to offer their insight on what could be the most bizarre story in Canadian politics today (if not ever).

Welcome to part 2 of the conversation with New York Times bestselling author, Chuck Klosterman. From sports to music, Chuck is one of the most influential pop culture critics in North America today. On this episode, Chuck debates a point Rob Bowman made on a previous episode of The Herle Burly. Chuck gives us his take on how many rock bands will ultimately be remembered and who those musicians wil...

Chuck Klosterman is the New York Times bestselling author who is known for his focus on American culture, sports and music. His books include Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs ; Eating the Dinosaur ; Killing Yourself to Live ; The Visible Man ; and Fargo Rock City. Chuck’s essays and columns have been featured in GQ, The New York Times, Spin, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Grantland . Part 1 of...

Back again with Grammy award winner and world renowned musicologist, Rob Bowman. On this episode, we will discuss The Rock and Rock Hall of Fame—who belongs and who doesn’t—and who will matter when the history of music is written 100 years from now. But most of what we discuss on part 2 is the intersection of music and politics. Drawing from Rob’s expertise we’ll explore protest music from the six...

If you’ve seen the movie Almost Famous, my guest Rob Bowman lived the life of that teenage journalist. Rob would take days off during high school to interview band’s like Jefferson Airplane and Pink Floyd, then would return to class with stories for all his friends. Rob Bowman is one of the world’s most recognized experts in popular music, travelling with bands, writing their liner notes, and bein...

In my conversation with Robbie Robertson, we talked about a lot of different things – the history of The Band, politics and the Trump era, his indigenous background, music and discrimination in the US south in the 60’s – but it is when we were talking about music that he most came alive.  You can just tell that music still has the power to move and amaze him.  In Part 2, we are going to talk about...

Music legend Robbie Robertson from The Band is my very special guest on The Herle Burly. If you grew up listening to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Van Morrison, then you know Robbie Robertson and The Band’s music. You know their hits like The Weight and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. But on part 1 of our conversation, what you’ll hear from Robbie is how a bunch of Canadians came together to wri...

Our guest today is Sarada Peri, former senior speechwriter to President Barack Obama and Visiting Global Fellow at the Ryerson Leadership Lab. Sarada will give us ringside seats to Obama, his thinking and how the greatest orator of our time formulates arguments. We’ll also touch on the state of American politics. But what we’ll hear most strongly, is the point of view of a person who thinks that t...