The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals

Legendary race car driver and marijuana smuggler Randy Lanier chats with Trey Elling about SURVIVAL OF THE FASTEST: WEED, SPEED, AND THE 1980s DRUG SCANDAL THAT SHOCKED THE SPORTS WORLD . The book details how Randy became one of the most lucrative international marijuana traffickers in US history during the 1980s, part of which coincided with his rapid ascent in professional auto racing, before it...

Comedian, actor, and radio host Earthquake chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his shows at Cap City Comedy Club . Topics include: Today's kids being bored by the childhood entertainment of the past (0:44) Cancel culture (4:21) Why Washington DC cranks out so many funny comedians (5:17) How he was shaped by serving 11 years in the Air Force (6:41) Audience members attacking comedians (9:00) Will Smit...

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach, aka "the Bill Murray of College Football", chats with Trey Elling ahead of the 2022 season. Topics include: The collective impact of conference realignment, NIL, and possible playoff expansion on the sport (1:52) Wanting to chat with Elon Musk (20:13) Mike's offseason (23:33) Pikes Peak & Buffalo Bill trivia (28:33) Craziness in the Florida Keys (35:16)...

Dolphin social cognition expert and science writer Justin Gregg chats with Trey Elling about IF NIETZSCHE WERE A NARWHAL: WHAT ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE REVEALS ABOUT HUMAN STUPIDITY .

Super Bowl champion and US Rugby Olympian Nate Ebner chats with Trey Elling about FINISH STRONG: A FATHER'S CODE AND A SON'S PATH . The book tells the story of Nate's special relationship with his father growing up, his dad's tragic murder, and how Nate used the lessons learned from his dad to walk on at Ohio State Buckeyes football, win three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, and represe...

Comedian Jeff Ross, aka the Roastmaster General , chats with Trey Elling, prior to his shows at Cap City Comedy Club on August 4 - 6 . Topics include: Jeff's status as an elder statesman in standup (1:59) Performing bits that have nothing to do with trash-talking (3:04) How losing Bob Saget and Gilbert Gottfried affected his comedy (3:45) Disappearing airport etiquette (4:43) Jeff growing to love...

Comedian, podcaster, writer, and actor Bryan Callen chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his standup shows at Cap City Comedy Club on July 28, 29, & 30 . Topics include: Performing in Austin (4:12) Pronoun- & trans-politics (6:58) Interviewing Sammy "the Bull" Gravano (15:16) Upcoming standup special & cranking out new material (17:36) Standup in the 'cancel culture' era (18:54) Getting ba...

Speech pathologist, writer, and Harvard lecturer Rebecca Rolland chats with Trey Elling about THE ART OF TALKING WITH CHILDREN: THE SIMPLE KEYS TO NURTURING KINDNESS, CREATIVITY, AND CONFIDENCE IN KIDS .

Legendary filmmaker Ron Shelton chats with Trey Elling about THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL: THE MAKING OF BULL DURHAM: HOME RUNS, BAD CALLS, CRAZY FIGHTS, BIG SWINGS, AND A HIT. The book is part memoir, part screenwriting/directing masterclass, and part oral history of one of the best sports movies ever made.

Molecular biologist Nicklas Brendborg chats with Trey Elling about JELLYFISH AGE BACKWARDS: NATURE'S SECRETS TO LONGEVITY . Topics include: Why we age (:51) How a certain jellyfish ages backwards (1:29) The unique aging of salmon (2:26) Large animals outliving small ones (3:17) The curious case of the naked mole rat (4:19) Genetics and lifespan (6:49) Why eradicating major diseases wouldn't extend...

Investigative journalists Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins chats with Trey Elling about SALMON WARS: THE DARK UNDERBELLY OF OUR FAVORITE FISH . Topics include: The genesis of this book (0:49) How the farmed salmon industry is like Big Tobacco and Big Ag rolled into one (3:04) How embedded farmed salmon is in our food supply (5:27) Properly labelling seafood (7:16) The evolution of commercial s...

Actress, comedian, and writer Mary Lynn Rajskub chats with Trey Elling about FAME-ISH: MY LIFE AT THE EDGE OF STARDOM . Topics include: Covid as the inspiration to write this book (1:10) Making the ranch dressing at Denny's (2:32) Find a home as a young performer in LA (8:15) The evolution of her standup (13:36) The key to acting dead (20:37) Her million-dollar mansion that housed a women's commun...

Comedian Hans Kim chats with Trey Elling, prior to the standup showcase he's hosting at Vulcan Gas Company on July 10th. Topics include: Kill Tony discovering him (2:19) Life changing massively in the last year-plus (3:33) Moving to Austin (5:28) His standup experience in NYC (6:41) Getting comfortable on stage (8:44) Being funny as a kid (11:20) Layers of being funny (13:06) Continually honing hi...

Bestselling author and screenwriter Jerry Stahl chats with Trey Elling about NEIN, NEIN, NEIN: ONE MAN'S TALE OF DEPRESSION, PSYCHIC TORMENT, AND A BUS TOUR OF THE HOLOCAUST. Topics include: Why he decided to go on a Concentration Camp bus tour a few years ago (0:25) Coming to terms with his own depression many years ago (1:12) The added challenge of placating Hollywood while on the bus tour (3:23...

Retired four-star Admiral James Stavridis chats with Trey Elling about TO RISK IT ALL: NINE CONFLICTS AND THE CRUCIBLE OF DECISION . Topics include: John Paul Jones continuing to fight a battle that was seemingly lost (1:43) Lieutenant Stephen Decatur 'cutting out' in Tripoli Harbor (3:08) An amazing example of risk-taking from the US Civil War (4:46) Gut instinct as an element of good decision ma...

One of Hollywood's brightest, young filmmakers Cooper Raiff chats with Trey Elling about CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH . Raiff wrote, directed and starred in the film, which is available now on Apple+ . Topics include: Having a hamster as a costar in the film (1:23) How his sister serves as an inspiration in CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (1:45) Directing actors of a variety of ages (2:47) "Brown Eyed Girl" (4:09)

Legendary musician Don McLean chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his show at the Paramount Theatre in Austin , celebrating the release of "American Pie" 50 years ago . Topics include: What the show consists of (2:33) The key to a good story (4:03) How he handled the success of "American Pie" poorly (8:24) Exploring a variety of themes and styles with his music over the past 50 years (13:55) Bob Dyla...

Actor, writer, producer, and standup comedian Marlon Wayans chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his live shows in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio . Topics include: Whether he has a preferred type of venue to perform standup (1:39) What he loves about standup that is unique from making movies and tv shows (2:58) Has his brother Damon helped him evolve as a standup (5:26) What it'll take to get Eddie...

Following their conversation on Dr. Rolle's new book, THE 2% WAY , Dr. Rolle and Trey Elling discussed several social issues that have been swirling around the world of college and pro sports. Topics include: Is the school song for the University of Texas racist? (1:49) Should Florida State University consider replacing the Seminoles mascot? (7:28) The "Redskins" nickname and high schools flying t...

Former NFL player and current pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Myron Rolle chats with Trey Elling about THE 2% WAY: HOW A PHILOSOPHY OF SMALL IMPROVEMENTS TOOK ME TO OXFORD, THE NFL, AND NEUROSURGERY . Topics include: An explanation of the 2% way (0:45) Why examining one's foundations is important for fulfilling potential (2:26) What his mummy was like during his childhood (4:13) His dad's response to M...

Multiple Sclerosis ambassador and motivational speaker Tyler Campbell chats with Trey Elling about THE BALL CAME OUT: LIFE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FIELD . Topics include: Tyler's goal with the book (3:00) The thing that caused him to let his guard down a bit as a kid (4:36) Growing up as an African American in an affluent, predominantly white community (7:13) How the discovery of football helpe...

Former world champion debater Bo Seo chats with Trey Elling about GOOD ARGUMENTS: HOW DEBATE TEACHES US TO LISTEN AND BE HEARD . Topics include: Bo's goal with the book (0:27) Why disagreement is valuable in human interaction (2:30) Bo's outright avoidance of conflict changing in 2005 (4:52) The importance of topic analysis for debate (10:38) Why 'truth' and 'importance' are debate's two burdens o...

Everybody Loves Raymond creator and Somebody Feed Phil creator/host Phil Rosenthal chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his appearance at the ATX TV Festival . The fifth season of Somebody Feed Phil is out now on Netflix!

Actor Briga Heelan chats with Trey Elling, ahead of her appearance at the ATX Television Festival for a GREAT NEWS cast/crew reunion and table read. Briga shares what she loved about the show, lessons learned from working around some legends, where her natural comedic sense comes from, the joys of parenting, and more!

John Gleeson was lead counsel in the successful racketeering-murder trials of John Gotti and Vic Orena, which he talks about with Trey Elling, as detailed in the new book, THE GOTTI WARS: TAKING DOWN AMERICA'S MOST NOTORIOUS MOBSTER. Topics include: The allure of working for the Eastern District of New York in the mid-1980s (1:28) How he became involved in the first Gotti case (3:15) Why his offic...