The Lowdown Slowdown

Kurt and Christian are as happy as a dog with two tails and even got some breaky before recording. Lee Raybon is out of jail and we get the return of "Big D." Some important pieces of the puzzle come together for Lee, including the lanky, but imposing Judge Jed Sallsman (played by the masterful John Hawkes). We get some western energy at Sallsman's 1,600-acre ranch. The two analyze t...

In Season 2, Episode 4 of The Lowdown, directed by Scott Teems and written by Liz Blood, Lee’s night ride through Tulsa picks up right where the last episode left off, with a cop in the trunk and Cyrus, the fixer, on the phone. Christian and Kurt follow Lee from the dentist’s chair to Woodrell County for a hog contest, with a raw milk taste test along the way. They break down the Spiro dig, Martha...

Is the truth easy? The Oracle of Boontill says it is, and he sends Lee off with a mug to prove it. Christian and Kurt spend the episode testing that claim. Kurt starts to suspect that Ginger, who is all over the place and barely mourns Chili Franks, might not be telling Lee the whole truth, even as Lee tries to convince himself she is. Along the way, Kurt calls the hitchhiking opener some of the b...

The Lowdown Slowdown celebrates Tom Petty’s birthday this October 20th. Beau Jennings is marking it with an album of Petty covers, recorded solo, guitar and voice into a single mic. In this special "Beau-nus" episode of The Lowdown Slowdown, Christian sits down with Beau to talk about how a joke about a Petty tribute night called “Damn the Tigers” turned into 30 songs learned, a binder f...

In their recap of The Lowdown’s S2E2, “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound,” hosts Christian and Kurt dig into what feels like na lighter, jokier season where the supporting cast gets to let loose. They follow Lee’s two-front persistence, from a sexy prison guard calendar and that “Legs and eggs” sign to a long night with Chili Franks, an ex-prison guard with bleached tips played by newly minted Oil Man o...

In their recap of The Lowdown’s Season 2 premiere, hosts Christian and Kurt slow down for a rainy night at Cain’s Ballroom, the arrival of Tommy Lee Jones as Lee Raybon Sr., and a father-son dynamic with a whole lot of Oedipal energy. Along the way they cover Betty Gilpin’s arrival as Ginger, a veteran public defender, Austin Amelio’s neck tattoo, a prison visit with PJ Vegas, and a tarot reading...

Most people meet Jim Thompson through The Killer Inside Me and Lou Ford, the deputy whose mild manner hides a killer. Five years later, in 1957, Thompson brought Lou back in Wild Town , set 20 years earlier. Is this the same man planted in a different place or just a killer in another time? To find out, Christian talks with David Tromblay, author of the memoir As You Were (named to Kirkus’s best n...

Christian talks with Colin Asher, author of The Midnight Special: The Secret Prison History of American Music , recently longlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction. Colin is also the author of Never a Lovely So Real , the biography of Nelson Algren, Thompson's contemporary and fellow Federal Writers' Project alumnus. They get into why Algren hated the film version of The Man wit...

The series journey into Thompson's world goes through Iowa City, where Christian talks with Harry Stecopoulos, Professor of English at the University of Iowa. Harry recently wrote "Red Noir" for The Baffler, a review of the new Library of America collection Jim Thompson: Five Noir Novels of the 1950s & 60s, edited, by the previous episode's guest, Robert Polito. From there it...

Christian sits down with Robert Polito, the man who wrote the book on Jim Thompson, quite literally, Savage Art . Polito also edited the new Library of America collection. If anyone can explain why a dime-store paperback writer keeps being relevant, it's him. They spend most of the conversation inside Thompson's memoir Roughneck , which is full of great stories that may or may not have hap...

Christian kicks off Only One Plot , a new Jim Thompson-focused series, with actor, comedian, and noir enthusiast Josh Fadem. Josh belongs to a small club: actors who've worked with both Sterlin Harjo and David Lynch — and he helps Christian connect some dots From there, they take a tour through some noir deep cuts (not borin!), sharp takes on Thompson's most unreliable narrators, and a det...

Kurt and Christian look back on Season 1 of The Lowdown Slowdown, look ahead to the new season of The Lowdown, and announce a new series, ONLY ONE PLOT, a series exploring the work and influence of legendary author Jim Thompson. Thompson was integral to elements of The Lowdown and Christian had to learn more. He's going on a journey, maybe even a spiritual journey, to understand why Thompson&#...

Christian and Kurt sit down with Andre Hyland, who plays Officer Shickford in The Lowdown. The three discuss his iconic moments in Season 1. They dive into Andre's career from visual artist, to his Jesse Miller alter ego, to recent features like Bad Man and The Death of Dick Long. Awesome conversation with a hilarious and very gracious human being.

Christian and Kurt sit down with The Lowdown and Reservation Dogs camera operator Charles Elmore. The three have a post-Oscars conversation about the movies, the awards, and, of course, Ethan Hawke's performance in Blue Moon. They discuss the growing film & TV community in Tulsa, including Charles' work with the Tulsa Film Collective, which has exciting new events on the horizon. Chris...

Christian and Kurt discuss Jim Thompson and Bob Dylan with poet, biographer, and writer Robert Polito. The conversation kicks off with Jim Thompson, who is such a presence in season 1 of The Lowdown. The three discuss the impact of Thompson overall and the surprising encounters readers have in a Jim Thompson novel. Robert discusses his view of Thompson since his biography in 1995 vs. the new Libra...

Kurt and Christian sit down with Dr. Brian Hosmer, Board Member with the Center of Public Secrets. The Center was founded by Lee Roy Chapman, who provided some of the inspiration for Ethan Hawke's Lee Raybon. This was a wide-ranging conversation and it provides so much extra texture on the richness behind the land, culture, history, and music of Tulsa. You'll definitely get some of the low...

Christian and Kurt talk with Rachel Crowl, who plays the role of Sally, the nexus of Sweet Emily's diner. They talk about pancakes, her big monologue, and the magic of working with Sterlin Harjo. Rachel shares her work with the legendary 1491s comedy group, which featured Sterlin. Everyone is stoked for Season 2 and Christian and Kurt have one request: more Sally.

In this episode of The Lowdown Slowdown, hosts Christian and Kurt sit down with Oklahoma singer-songwriter Beau Jennings, whose song "Cimarron River" is featured in Episode 3 of The Lowdown . Beau shares how his college friendship with creator Sterlin Harjo at OU led to the song's placement, and discusses his upcoming 20th anniversary show for his debut album I'm Haunted, I'm...

We talked with the insanely funny Siena East about her role in The Lowdown as Deidre, Hoot Owl Bookstore manager extraordinaire. It was so great talking to her about her role, the show, and being in some of the most iconic scenes in the series. We dug into being on a show with Sterlin Harjo, sharing a scene with Ethan Hawke and Peter Dinklage, and the story behind Deidre's iconic tattoo. Siena...

With Season 1 complete, what are we to do? Well, we talked with the legendary Eric Edelstein, who got to kidnap Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke) as Blackie in Episode 1 and Blackie's story never quite gets resolved until the very end. Honestly, we never really slowed down in this one as we covered topics from David Lynch to the new Tulsa music scene. And of course we obsess over just how great Sterlin...

The big finish we've been waiting for so long. We loved so much about the episode from the veterinary drugs to the high-emotion moments Lee experiences. We have needle drops and gogole maps estimates, caviar call backs and we slowdown to appreciate the beautiful symmetry of this episode.

We are not gonna lie, this episode was great, but it got bleak some times. We get so many moments of high conflict with lots of emotional weight. Most importantly, we get to Lee Raybon's big moment of his Citizen's Arrest! More great needle drops were delivered and now we just can't wait for the season finale.

Kurt and Christian follow up on Lee's descent into hell, or maybe a boxing ring. Another drop in at the Hoot Owl (Whooo?). Deidre is Lee's tour through the world of Native Tulsa with a wonderful cast of characters and cameos, but most importantly we get to see Graham Greene's final performance. We have the dark story of Indian Head Hills, both past and present, and really, what a world...

In Episode 5, Peter Dinklage delivers a standout performance as Wendell, Lee's old frenemy who returns for their annual ritual honoring their deceased friend Jesus. Their dynamic—fighting over bookshelf organization, tracking down mysterious land deals, and ultimately reconciling with a "stay greasy" farewell—provides the emotional heart of an otherwise intense episode. Later, after...

In this episode, Christian and Kurt break down the midpoint of The Lowdown's season, diving into Lee Raybon's wild night with Betty Jo that changes everything. After his ex-wife drops the bombshell about her engagement, Lee goes full truthstorian mode and follows Betty Jo, leading to an unexpected day of bonding over drinks, karaoke, and revealing family secrets. The duo uncovers the real...