Live Wire with Luke Burbank Ep. 271 Encore: "You Think You're So Smart" with Martin Starr, David Shields & Caleb Powell & Martin Sexton
May 24, 2015
A lively mix of reminiscences about a teacher-student quarrel turned cabin debate and a book-and-film project. Personal anecdotes and staff mishaps add humor. A heartfelt musical set of road-themed songs brings emotional depth. An actor reflects on career choices, Buddhism, and a playful brain-testing segment that sparks myths-versus-facts banter.
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Host's Diastema Confession
- Luke Burbank jokes about his lifelong diastema and attempts at home dentistry with paperclip 'braces' and gum to close the gap.
- He researched cultural views: diastema is attractive in parts of Africa and called 'dent de bonheur' in France, turning insecurity into humor.
Quarrel As Creative Form
- David Shields and Caleb Powell explored disagreements by isolating themselves in a cabin to argue and record the process as a book and documentary.
- Shields framed the quarrel as a tradition from Plato's dialogues to modern film, aiming to generate art from argumentative exchange.
Teacher Student Clash That Sparked The Book
- Caleb Powell recalls entering Shields' class with long hair and a plastic gun, clashing with Shields' critical teaching style.
- Shields remembers excoriating Caleb's early certainty-filled work and urging focus on craft over polemics.
