Books Shows Tunes & Mad Acts

Episode 285: The Garden Album from Musica Sierra

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Emerging from the soil of Sierra County is the new album, Garden, ostensibly for children as part of an early education program about science, but its...

Episode 284: The Knuckleball with Chris Nowlin

04 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Enter the world of the knuckleball and its specialized lingo: drag crisis, loop de loop, and dreaded forward roll. The knuckleball pitch is dying out ...

Episode 283: David LeBrun and His Memoir, Delirium Vitae

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Available today! Meet Canadian author, David LeBrun, whose first book, a travel memoir, is being published today by Tortoise Books. Delirium Vitae is ...

Episode 282: South of the Yangtze with Flora Qian

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome Flora Qian with her first novel "South of the Yangtze," a coming-of-age story of a thoughtful and curious Chinese girl, born and raised in Sha...

Episode 281: Melinda Blau and Her Wisdom Whisperers

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Relationship expert Melinda Blau is back with her new book, "The Wisdom Whisperers: Golden Guides to a Long Life of Grit, Grace, and Laughter." Melind...

Episode 280: Oilfield Mysteries with Malvina Lerma

01 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join petroleum engineer Malvina Lerma as she talks about her cozy mystery series, Oilfield Mysteries, and her amateur sleuth, Charlie, a woman working...

Episode 279: Talking Music with The Tattletale Saints

17 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The two parts of the Americana duo Tattletale Saints, Simon Stanley and Vanessa McGowen, join us today to talk about tons of music stuff: their format...

Episode 278: Two Novels with Christina Hoag

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join us to talk about "Law of the Jungle" and "Skin of Tattoos," two of Christina's novels, both replete with interesting characters and quite absorbi...

Episode 277: Sarah Langan and her Novel "A Better World"

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Langan, author of "A Better World" and "Good Neighbors," talks about her new dystopian novel and its frightening similarities to our current rea...

Episode 276: Campus Protests and Free Speech

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joining us to talk about the recent campus protests and their ramifications for free speech is Kristen Shahverdian of PEN America. Kristen discusses t...

Episode 275: Sam Hinton, Folk Singer, Scientist, and Amazing Person

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Sam Hinton Folk Heritage Festival at Old Poway Park in San Diego will be held June 1! We're delighted in this episode to share Sam's history throu...

Episode 274: How To Write Better About Drugs

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join us as pharmacist Miffie Seideman talks about her new book from Indiana University Press, "The Grim Reader: A Pharmacist's Guide to Putting Your C...

Episode 273: An Appraisal of "Splinters"

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Okay, so the new memoir "Splinters" wasn't our favorite book ever, and sometimes it downright irritated us, but our investigation into what worked (an...

Episode 272: The Use of AI in Screenwriting

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join Craig Erpelding, Director of the BFA in Cinematic Arts at Indiana University, to discuss the ways AI can be used effectively and ethically in the...

Episode 271: April 27 Is Indie Bookstore Day!

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join us  as we talk with Teri Den Herder, longtime bookseller at the UCSD Bookstore, about Independent Bookstore Day, the annual celebration of indie...

Episode 270: The Magic of Debi Derryberry

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join the charming Debi Derryberry as we explore her long career as a voice-over artist, including voicing Jimmy Neutron, as well as her various projec...

Episode 269: Plea Bargains with Prof. Dripps

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

University of San Diego law professor Donald Dripps joins us to educate us on the plea bargain system which has essentially replaced what we think of ...

Episode 268: Billy Galewood FKA Bushwalla

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

San Diego's own wild & crazy guy, Billy Galewood, recounts his quest for fun from Cleveland to Bushwalla and beyond. An original showman from the ...

Episode 267: Talking Trash with Rafi Kohan

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rafi Kohan's new book, "Trash Talk: The Only Book About Destroying Your Rivals That Isn't Total Garbage," covers sh*t talking and its relatives: bench...

Episode 266: Having a Ball with Hullabaloo

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join Steve Denyes, of Hullabaloo, the best kids' music band in these parts (and maybe the universe!), as he chats about songwriting, kids and parents,...

Episode 265: The Story of Botox with Dr. Eugene Helveston

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Helveston's new book tells the history of the Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that was discovered and researched as a poison and how it came to...

Episode 264: The Guest Book with Sarah Blake

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Please join us for a wonderful conversation with author Sarah Blake about her latest novel, The Guest Book, a book described by the Washington Post as...

Episode 263: Book Bans and the PEN America Lawsuit

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly 6,000 instances of book banning have been recorded since 2021, and the book censorship movement is growing, accelerated by new laws in some sta...

Episode 262: Siskel and Ebert: Opposable Thumbs

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Singer, author of Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel and Ebert Changed Movies Forever, joins us to discuss two TV guys who argued passionately about mo...

Episode 261: Our Deadly Streets with Jeff Speck

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

American streets killed more than 7500 pedestrians in 2023, a 40-year high and climbing every year. Why? City planner and walkable cities advocate Jef...

Episode 260: Jennifer Jenkins Takes Us Into the Public Domain

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Duke copyright law professor Jennifer Jenkins joins us to celebrate and explain Public Domain Day.  After a twenty-year hiatus, copyrighted works beg...

Episode 259: Censorship and Obscenities with Michael Adams

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Indiana University English professor Michael Adams returns to talk about taboo language and historical attempts to document it and suppress it. He bra...

Episode 258: News of Tom Lehrer with Jeff Morris

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The great Tom Lehrer has a new album! Put out by Needlejuice records and mixed by our guest, Jeff Morris, from the original reel-to-reel tapes, it's a...

Episode 257: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

16 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal to discuss his third novel, Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club, a celebration of food and drink across...

Episode 256: The Mean Reds with Dale Bridges

08 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Author Dale Bridges joins us to discuss his first novel, The Mean Reds, a fun mystery novel featuring Sam, the self-deluded, weed-addled, but utterly ...

Episode 255: Shipwrecks! with Charles Beeker

01 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Charles Beeker, Indiana University professor and director of the IU Center for Underwater Science, to talk about shipwrecks, underwater treasures...

Episode 254: Brendan Ballou and "Plunder," His Book about Private Equity

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

DOJ Attorney Brendan Ballou discusses his new book, "Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America." Ever wonder why we seem to have fewer airline...

Episode 253: "Carefully Taught" by Cary Ginell

11 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Musicologist Cary Ginell joins us to talk about his new book, "Carefully Taught: American History through Broadway Musicals." Cary is a wealth of info...

Episode 252: John Julius Reel with My Half Orange

04 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John Julius Reel's new memoir, My Half Orange, is a sweet story of John moving to Seville, Spain and meeting his better half and starting a family. J...

Episode 251: Scary Songs

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bill and Jennifer cover over 40 songs in this fun fast-moving discussion of scary songs, ranging from creepy-sounding songs to songs that are especial...

Episode 250: The Mix Tape with Ben Vaughn

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for a fun episode as we chat with Ben Vaughn about the art and pitfalls of the Mix Tape, a passion of Bill's and mine. We talk about why we do...

Episode 249: Family Circus and Jeff Keane

08 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join us as we welcome Jeff Keane, the current cartoonist of Family Circus, the incredibly successful one-panel cartoon, now over 60 years old and feat...

Episode 248: Animation Resources with Stephen Worth

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Animation Resources is a non-profit with a terrific website where a wealth of creative material awaits you! Members also receive a monthly packet of i...

Episode 247: Books Shows Tunes & Mad Acts with Steve Boyle & Webb Wilder, Last of the Full Grown Men

17 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Steve Boyle and Webb Wilder join us to present a project that has been in the works for decades and will emerge this year, we hope, on a radio near yo...

Episode 246: Going Analog with David Sax

10 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join us as author David Sax returns to talk about two books, "The Revenge of Analog" and "The Future Is Analog," one written in 2016 and the recent on...

Episode 245: Education in Prison with Peter Fulks

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Peter Fulks, a Cerro Coso Community College professor and  a leading faculty in the development of the College's Incarcerated Students Education...

Episode 244: Rockin' with Jerry Williams, Jr., aka Swamp Dogg

01 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for a rollicking conversation with Swamp Dogg, hard-working soul and R&B singer, who has been performing since the 50s and is still going ...

Episode 243: Getting Educated with IU Dean Van Kooten

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Indiana University College of Arts & Sciences Executive Dean Rick Van Kooten for a terrific conversation, ranging from capitalism to fruit fl...

Episode 242: Lauren Leigh Martin, San Diego Songbird

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join San Diego native Lauren Leigh Martin, as she talks about her singing career and upcoming second album. She talks about her musical influences: he...

Episode 241: Thinking Together with Alex Chambers

24 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Podcaster, poet, and educator Alex Chambers and Jennifer talk about—well, a lot of stuff. We start with "Inner States," Alex's radio show on WFIU fr...

Episode 240: On the Trail of the Jackalope with Michael Branch

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Author and humorist Michael Branch joins us to talk about his new book, "On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World's Imagination ...

Episode 239: How Exercise Helps Your Brain with Dr. Christiane Wrann

02 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Christiane Wrann, researcher at MGH and associate professor at Harvard, has published some exciting new discoveries about the effect of exercise o...

Episode 238: Trina Robbins, Cartoonist, Fashion Designer, and Author

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Trina Robbins was memorialized as the first of Joni Mitchell's Ladies of the Canyon with her sketches and second-hand clothes, but, don't be fooled, T...

Episode 237: The Walking Dead with Oleg Livits

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join The Walking Dead co-producer and entrepreneur Oleg Livits to talk about this phenomenal show whose eleventh and final season is airing now. The W...

Episode 236: People from Bloomington with Tiffany Tsao

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Translator Tiffany Tsao joins us to discuss her recent project, the first publication in English of Indonesian writer Budi Darma's collection of short...

Episode 235: Jeff Berkley Is Back!

06 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Berkley, musician, producer, and go-to guy for all things music in San Diego, talks about the current climate for musicians, as well as the old d...

Episode 234: Sarah Blake and Her Novel, Clean Air

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Poet and novelist Sarah Blake joins us to talk about her new genre-bending novel, Clean Air, a post-apocalyptic narrative centered on one small famil...

Episode 233: Vampr with Josh Simons

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

CEO and co-founder, Josh Simons, joins us to talk about Vampr, the world's premier social network for musicians. Founded by two sympathetic Australian...

Episode 232: Free Speech with Suzanne Nossel

02 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Something that makes the United States special is our constitutional protection of free speech. CEO of Pen America, Suzanne Nossel, joins us to talk a...

Episode 231: Levi Vonk and "Border Hacker"

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Author and anthropologist Levi Vonk joins us to discuss his book Border Hacker, co-narrated with Axel Kirschner, a fascinating character caught betwee...

Episode 230: Danny Nielsen and his New Book, Straight Flossin' and Other Stories of the American West

18 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the occasion of the publication of his new book, join scientist and author, Danny Nielsen, to talk about writing, reading, and other matters. The n...

Episode 229: How To Publish Your Book (If You're Not Famous)

07 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

An irreverent, saying-the-quiet-part-out-loud look at the publishing industry from the Big Five of traditional publishers to self-publishing—particu...

Episode 228: The Opus of William Stout

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join William Stout, artist and illustrator, with a specialization in paleontological art, to talk about his long career and getting famous slowly. The...

Episode 227: Raising the Roof with The Wild Honey Foundation

23 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join Paul Rock and David Jenkins of The Wild Honey Foundation, a non-profit that raises money for charitable causes through cultural events, passing o...

Episode 226: Enlightened with Dan Stalcup - Part 2

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and podcaster, Dan Stalcup, is back to talk more about Enlightened, the HBO show about Amy Jellicoe, who returns from rehab determined to chang...

Episode 225: Enlightened with Dan Stalcup - Part I

09 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Returning guest, writer and podcaster, Dan Stalcup, is back to talk about the HBO show Enlightened, written and produced by the great Mike White and s...

Episode 224: Nerding Out with Michael Adams about Dictionaries

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join Indiana University English Department Chairman and word nerd Michael Adams to talk about a recent acquisition of an enormous collection of dictio...

Episode 223: Catching Up with Lisa Sanders

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today we sit down with Lisa Sanders, longtime San Diego musician and recent Hall of Fame inductee, and hear about her many projects, from new songs to...

Episode 222: How To Not Be Mad

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Life coach and author Corrinn Davis joins us in the midst of the current crisis when so many of us seem to be on edge or full-blown mad, as reflected ...

Episode 221: Reacher: The Book and the Series

12 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

English writer, classics teacher, and former police officer, Mark Knowles, joins us to talk about Reacher, the Amazon series; Killing Floor, the book ...

Episode 220: Getting Creative with Curio and Co

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the world of Curio and Co where founders, Cesare Asaro and Kirstie Shepherd use their flair for nostalgic design to create souvenirs from a...

Episode 219: Understanding Cast Iron with Ned Adams

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Dutch Oven Daddy, Ned Adams, joins us to talk about all things cast iron: what it's good for, how to evaluate it, how to maintain it (especially t...

Episode 218: Eleni Austin, Music Reviewer and Walking Encyclopedia

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After working in record stores for over 30 years, Eleni has heard it all—and knows a lot! She shares her approach to providing information to those ...

Episode 217: Ray Bradbury and The Center for Ray Bradbury Studies

12 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join Professor Jason Aukerman, Director of the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies, to learn about Bradbury's life and work, the creation of the center, a...

Episode 216: Reflections with Amy Rigby

05 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Singer/songwriter, blogger, and memoirist Amy Rigby joins us today for a wise and fun conversation about her 30-year career, including her CBGB days, ...

Episode 215: Paddington Bear and Michael Bond

29 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join author Rosanne Tolin to discuss her book More Than Marmalade, the only biography of Michael Bond, the author of the beloved Paddington stories. D...

Episode 214: Hanging Out with Ben Vaughn

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join singer/songwriter, musician, producer, composer and radio host Ben Vaughn talking about his many hats, how he got started in music and his gypsy ...

Episode 213: Belle Gunness: Getting Away with Murder

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A Norwegian pig farmer may not sound like a femme fatale, but Belle Gunness lured dozens of men to their death and became Indiana's most notorious ser...

Episode 212: Rogue Dogs and their Wildlife Detection Work

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join Jennifer Hartman, director of Rogue Detection Teams, to talk about using rescue dogs in scientific work to locate and analyze threatened animal s...

Episode 211: Consequential Strangers with Melinda Blau

01 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Join relationship expert Melinda Blau while she discusses her book about the importance of acquaintances and weak ties in building networks, expanding...

Episode 210: Christmas Music: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Christmas music seems to be unstoppable with new songs and albums coming out every year, so Bill and Jennifer have a lot to talk about from traditiona...

Episode 209: Michael Nesmith: We'll Remember You

18 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Nesmith, the cap-wearing Monkee, passed away last week. Jennifer and Bill talk about Michael's life and legacy in depth, from fleeing Texas to...

Episode 208: Vinyl!

11 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jon Teichman and Geoff Walker join Bill and Jennifer to talk about the allure and resilience of vinyl LP records. Jon and Geoff are experts about viny...

Episode 207: LuLaRoe with LolaGeek

04 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Join LolaGeek, a former sales consultant for LuLaRoe, for the lowdown on that business and other multi-level marketing schemes. Get the insider's view...

Episode 206: The Wild World of Music Promotion with Elliot Kendall

27 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A galloping mile-a-minute ride through the career of Elliot Kendall, from his early days as a struggling musician in the Bay Area to waiter days in LA...

Episode 205: Myths about Poverty with Mark Rank

20 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Join social scientist and poverty expert Mark Rank to discuss his recent book, "Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong about Poverty," and common ...

Episode 204: Prankster Alan Abel

13 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Join Jenny and Jeanne Abel as they discuss the life work of hoaxer Alan Abel, the genius behind such pranks as The Society for Indecency to Nude Anima...

Episode 203: Music with the Michiganders

07 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

 Music with the MichigandersJennifer, Bill, and Doug discuss their first memories of music and early influences that turned them into giant life-long...

Episode 202: Announcement of Name Change for the Show

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year, everybody. Ta-da! The new show will be called "Books, Shows, Tunes & Mad Acts." It will be classified on Podomatic under Art: Book...

Episode 201: How to Make IT—and Work in General—Better

30 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Brown is back! Former IT guy and now psychologist, Nick talks about some counter-intuitive policy changes for improving the efficiency and loweri...

A Wolf at the Schoolhouse Door

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Upon the launch of their new book, Jack Schneider and Jennifer Berkshire, join us to talk about what forces have been at work undermining public educa...

Was Robert Ludlum Consumed by his Own Brand?

15 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Hades Factor, a bad-guys-with-a-virus story, was written by Gayle Lynds based on a treatment by Ludlum and published in 2000 shortly before his de...

Teacher Pay for Performance

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

University of Virginia professor and director of EdPolicyWorks Jim Wycoff joins us to discuss efforts to tie teacher pay to performance. Following on ...

All About Charter Schools

03 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Education researcher and Indiana University professor Chris Lubienski joins us to talk about what charter schools are, how they were and are created, ...

The Great Believers: A Great Book

01 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rebecca Makkai's 2018 book The Great Believers was a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, for good reasons. It is t...

Samuel Paty: A Teacher Killed for Doing his Job

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On October 16, 2020, a French history teacher was beheaded by an Islamic terrorist while walking home from school. Controversy had arisen around the t...

The Red Lotus and the Joy of Editing

25 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We review a virus-related thriller published in March 2020 and written by Chris Bohjalian. A beautiful cover and an intriguing beginning set in Vietna...

School Assessments: A Rigorous Look

20 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Indiana University education professor David Rutkowski joins us to talk about school assessment tools and outcomes inside the state of Indiana, across...

The End of October by Lawrence Wright

18 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Published in April 2020, the book has been acclaimed for its ability to predict what would happen during a pandemic. Well, kinda, Wright got some thin...

Teacher Supply, Qualifications, Impact and Pay

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Labor economist Dan Goldhaber joins us to talk about research findings regarding teacher scarcity and the correlations between teacher qualifications ...

The Book of M or Good Writing Is Hard

11 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Peng Shepherd's first book, The Book of M, received some accolades when it was published in 2018 though it doesn't quite fit in the post-apocalyptic g...

Public School District Financing

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

USC School of Ed professor Larry Picus talks us through the nuts and bolts of local, state, and federal financing of school districts in California, i...

A Couple of Contagions

04 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We discuss both Contagions, one, a medical thriller by Robin Cook, that turns out to have nothing to do with the 2011 Steven Soderburgh movie with the...

Teaching with Doug McKee

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We take on the toughest topics in teaching today with Doug McKee who teaches or has taught economics at Cornell and Yale: what makes a good teacher, t...

Greg Bear: Blood Music and Darwin's Radio

27 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

American sci fi writer Greg Bear has written over 50 books during a career that has spanned 50 years. Blood Music was an early prize-winning novel abo...