Deviate

“Social capital is as important as formal training when it comes to disaster response. We see in every event people who have never had emergency training playing critical roles.” – Daniel Neely Daniel Neely is the Manager of Community Resilience and Regional Recovery Manager at the Wellington (New Zealand) Region Emergency Management Office. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Daniel discuss the importance of community relationships when it comes to responding to a disaster (4:00); emergency preparedness tips (8:00); disaster response strategies (13:00); and preparing for a disaster from both a personal and business perspective (19:00). For more disaster preparedness information, check out https://www.ready.gov/ and https://getprepared.nz/ Notable Links: “Teen who rescued 17 in Harvey flooding wins national Citizen Hero award” Federal Emergency Preparedness Resources FEMA (US Agency) National Flood Insurance Program (FEMA program) 100 Resilient Cities (Rockefeller program) “How to Step Up in the Face of Disaster” (TED Talk) “How to survive a disaster” (BBC article) “Recovering from disasters” (Conversation article) Neighborhood Empowerment Network (community resilience alliance) Cajun Navy (volunteer group) John Leach (survival psychologist) Laurie Johnson (survival consultant) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“There’s nothing that will stop white people from trying to do some black shit. It’s fundamentally baked into every aspect of American popular culture. It is the first thing that we invented that was entirely ours — white people dressing as black people and entertaining other people.” — Wesley Morris Wesley Morris (@Wesley_Morris) the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic at large for the New York Times. Formerly the co-host of the Grantland podcast “Do You Like Prince Movies?”, he now co-hosts the “Still Processing” podcast with Times colleague Jenna Wortham. In this episode of Deviate Rolf and Wesley discuss the nature of podcast celebrity and how it differs from traditional celebrity (2:45); the stories that sports uniforms tell to the people who watch sports (23:00); the unique task of cultural criticism in the 21st century (30:00); the challenge of being seen as racially representational as a journalist and critic (40:15); and Wesley’s upcoming book about the invention of the performance of blackness in America (51:00). Media personalities mentioned Jenna Wortham (technology reporter and podcaster) Roger Ebert (film critic) Ta-Nehisi Coates (journalist and public intellectual) Bill Simmons (sports columnist and podcaster) Ira Glass (This American Life host) Angelo Moore (lead-singer of Fishbone) Lilly Singh (YouTube star) Rebecca Black (YouTube star) Emily Bazelon (journalist and podcaster) Jordan Peele (film director and actor) Ian MacKaye (DIY punk pioneer) Rany Jazayerli (sports writer) Roxane Gay (writer and commentator) Spike Lee (filmmaker) Sidney Poitier (actor and diplomat) Books and articles mentioned “The Misunderstood Genius of Russell Westbrook,” by Sam Anderson “Bagginess, baseball bodies, and the post-steroid era,” by Wesley Morris “Treme’s Big Problem: Authenticity,” by Rolf Potts “The Frustrating Unlikeability of Treme,” by Alex Pappademas “‘Whitney,’ a Pop Music Tragedy, Is Sad, Strange and Dismaying,” By Wesley Morris The Geto Boys (33 1/3), by Rolf Potts To the Break of Dawn, by Jelani Cobb “The Hug Heard Round the World,” (Malcolm Gladwell podcast episode) Other notable links Slate Political Gabfest (podcast) UniWatch (sports uniform website) Court tennis (archaic sport) ABA/NBA merger (basketball league realignment) Free Spirits (30 for 30 episode about the ABA) Blaxploitation (1970s film subgenre) Blackface minstrelsy (American entertainment form) Stephen Foster (19th century songwriter) Post Malone (rapper) Chromeo (electro-funk duo) Teena Marie (singer-songwriter) Hall & Oates (pop-music duo) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“There are the actual facts of what was happening in popular culture in the 1980s — and then there was this tantalizing notion that music played backwards was going to seed our minds with evil. Which was scary, but also kind of cool to a certain kid-like way of thinking. You can almost see a book like Backward Masking Unmasked as young-adult literature.” — Rolf Potts In this episode of Deviate Rolf delves into another musical mystery — the idea of “backward masking” in rock music, and how it came to influence notions of “Satanic Panic” in America over the course of the 1980s. Returning to the show for this musical deep-dive are Jedd Beaudoin (@JeddBeaudoin), who hosts the syndicated music show “Strange Currency,” and Michael Carmody (@Carmody68), a musician, record collector, and donut shop entrepreneur. Together they discuss preacher Jacob Aranza’s underground-classic 1983 anti-rock book Backward Masking Unmasked and its idiosyncratic take on popular music (4:00); the history of rock and roll and American culture that led up to Satanic Panic in the 1980s (31:10); how rock acts exploited the idea of Satanism to sell records just as preachers, politicians, and pop-journalists fixated on its supposed dangers to attract followers (42:10); and the legacy of Satanic Panic and the seeming lack of evil in today’s popular music (1:05:45). Rock and roll curiosities mentioned Backmasking (audio technique) Gene Simmons’ Tongue (Snopes article) Blood in KISS Comic Book (Snopes article) Paul is Dead (Beatles urban legend) Aleister Crowley (English occultist) Robert Johnson sold soul to the devil (blues myth) Sign of the horns (rock hand gesture) Eddie (zombie-like Iron Maiden mascot) Dark Side of the Rainbow (movie/album mashup) Acid rock (psychedelic rock subgenre) Judas Priest suicide lawsuit Ozzy Osbourne suicide lawsuit Norwegian black metal (extreme metal genre) Classic rock is not dead. Classic rock is undead (podcast episode) Hammer of the Gods (controversial book about Led Zeppelin) Movies and TV shows mentioned CHIPs “Rock Devil Rock” episode (1982) The Decline of Western Civilization (Penelope Spheeris documentary) Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (documentary) Rosemary’s Baby (horror movie) The Exorcist (horror movie) Trick or Treat (horror movie) Manic Pixie Dream Girl (stock movie character) Dream Deceivers (Judas Priest suicide trial documentary) Other people, institutions, and events mentioned Satanic Ritual Abuse (moral panic) Day-care sex-abuse hysteria (moral panic) James Vicary (subliminal advertising researcher) James Watt (Interior secretary under Reagan) Tipper Gore (senator’s wife and anti-rock crusader) Captain & Tennille (soft-rock artists) Bette Midler (singer-songwriter) Church of Satan (religious organization) Transcendental Meditation (spiritual practice) Dada (avant-garde art movement) 1 Samuel 15:3 (genocidal Bible verse) West Memphis Three (wrongfully convicted ritual-murder suspects) Shout at the Devil (Motley Crue album) Columbine High School massacre (mass shooting) The weird history of America’s national anthem (podcast episode) Manson murders (cult killings) Rock Devil Rock CHiPs TV clip Quincy punk-rock episode clip This episode was engineered by Torin Andersen of KMUW studios in Wichita. The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“We all have different priorities in life, and there is a place for each of us where we can live according to what those priorities are.” – Winona Dimeo Winona Dimeo (@winona_rose) is the managing editor of Livability.com, a website that ranks America’s most livable small and mid-sized cities. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Winona discuss what people are looking for in a place to live (2:00) and Livability.com’s latest rankings for America’s most livable cities (23:00). Then, Rolf takes recommendations from listeners on their favorite places to live in America (53:00). For more livability tips, check out 2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live. Livability also publishes its methodology. Cities mentioned in the main interview include: Portland, OR; Austin, TX; Minneapolis, MN; Pittsburgh, PA; Manhattan, KS; Lawrence, KS; Overland Park, KS; Lindsborg, KS; Ottawa, KS; Wichita, KS; Buffalo, NY; Rochester, MN; Kingsport, TN; Sevierville, TN; Fargo, ND; Savannah, GA; New Orleans, LA; Cincinnati, OH; Yellow Springs, OH; Athens, OH; Astoria, OR; Lincoln City, OR; Nashville, TN; Asheville, NC; Black Mountain, NC; Brevard, NC; Traverse City, MI; Marfa, TX; Charleston, SC; Bend, OR; and Hood River, OR. Notable Links: Konza Prairie (biological preserve) Tallgrass National Prairie Preserve Kanopolis State Park Stiefel Theater “One of the Coolest Cities in America Doesn’t Even Realize It Yet” (Thrillist article) Dollywood (theme park) Alicia Underlee Nelson (travel writer) Gooding (band) 1,000 Places to See Before You Die, by Patricia Shultz (book) Oregon Shakespeare Festival Transcendental Meditation Wollowa Mountains (mountain range) Terminal Gravity (brewery) Maharishi Vastu Architecture Audio contributors: Adam Karlin (Staunton, VA) Alicia Ard (Bend, OR) Sarah Bell (Phoenixville, Pennsylvania) Gooding (Kingston Springs, TN) Steven Gray (Pensacola, FL) Avery Gunns (Truth or Consequences, NM) Max Hartshorne (Northampton, MA) Michele Hermann (Buffalo, NY) Karen Hugg (Ashland, OR) Jamie-Lee Josselyn (Galena, IL) Brian Kevin (Joseph, OR and Enterprise, OR) Tim Leffel (Chattanooga, TN) Deborah Lewis (Middlebury, VT) Dinty W. Moore (Athens, OH) Chrystine Olson (Graham, NC) Patricia Schultz (Beacon, NY) Jessica Voigts (Traverse City, MI) Jason Wisdom (Fairfield, IA) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“The traditional black experience is not the traditional white experience, so until we recognize that I don’t think it’s going change. But I think that is the first hurdle—compassion and consciousness.” – Candacy Taylor Candacy Taylor (@candacytaylor) is a writer, photographer and cultural critic. She is the founder of Taylor Made Culture. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Candacy discuss the African American experience along Route 66 (2:30); the history of The Negro Motorist Green Book (15:00); and the current travel issues facing African Americans (27:30). Notable Links: The Negro Motorist Green Book (guidebook) Victor Hugo Green (founder of The Green Book) Sundown Town Fantastic Caverns (show cave) John A. Williams (author) The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson (book) Esso (oil company) Harlem Riot of 1935 Laura Spelman Rockefeller (abolitionist and philanthropist) Sammy Davis Jr. (musician) Duke Ellington (musician) Pearl Bailey (actress and singer) Jackie Robinson (baseball player) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“Once again road trips are becoming more about the journey rather than the destination and I see that as a very encouraging sign that maybe people are realizing the merit of enjoying the journey.” – Richard Ratay Richard Ratay (@RichRatay) is the author of Don’t Make Me Pull Over!, an informal history of the family road trip. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Richard discuss the history of long-haul automobile travel and the interstate highway system (6:00); the effects of interstate highways on American travel culture (19:00); the station wagon and the evolution of the road trip car (35:00); and the decline of the road trip Golden Age (48:00). Notable Links: Henry Ford (founder of Ford Motor Company) Horatio Nelson Jackson (automobile pioneer) Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey (book) Howard Deering Johnson (entrepreneur and businessman) Motel 6 (hotel chain) Ralph Teeter (inventor of cruise control) I Can’t Drive 55 (song by Sammy Hagar) Citizens Band Radio (short distance radio communications) Convoy (song) Convoy (movie) Wooly Willy (toy) Handheld electronic games Mattel (toy manufacturing company) The Sears Christmas Wish Book was (truly) great American literature (Deviate podcast episode) 8-track tape (sound recording technology) Bill Lear (inventor and businessman) Barry Manilow (musician) M*A*S*H (TV series) MacArthur Park (song) Duran Duran (band) Herb Kelleher (founder of Southwest Airlines) Airline Deregulation Act The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“Travel should not be a checklist; it should be about having new experiences” – Catherine Price Catherine Price (@Catherine_Price) is a journalist and author of How to Break Up with Your Phone and 101 Places Not to See Before You Die. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Catherine discuss digital distractions and their effects on our brains (2:00); reframing the way we think about our smartphones (9:30); being deliberate with our attention (12:30); setting ourselves up for success and creating the necessary “speed-bumps” (17:00); paying attention to our body (21:30); developing a technology-separation practice-trial, and using technology to protect ourselves from technology (29:00); and getting existential about how we think of time management (42:00). For more from Catherine, check out her website at phonebreakup.com Notable Links: “What Would It Take for You to Be Still?” by Catherine Price (article) “How to Break Up With Your Phone” by Catherine Price (article) Edward Tronick and the “Still Face Experiment” University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness The Craving Mind, by Judson Brewer (book) Freedom (computer program and app) Inbox When Ready (computer program) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“Compared to the pop music that I was listening to at the time, there just seemed to be something deep and mysterious and enigmatic and sexy and scary about classic rock” – Steven Hyden Steven Hyden (@Steven_Hyden) is a music critic. He currently works as a culture critic for UPROXX where he writes about all things music and hosts the Celebration Rock podcast. His book, Twilight of the Gods, is out now. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Steven discuss the genesis of Classic Rock (2:00); the experience of interacting with music and how that interaction has changed over the years (12:00); Rock & Roll as an aging art (25:00); and how we reckon with the transience of music (36:00). For more from Steven, check out his UPROXX article archive at https://uproxx.com/author/steven-hyden/ Notable links: Hammer of the Gods, by Stephen Davis (book) Hype! (documentary film) Ship of Theseus (thought experiment) Appetite for Destruction (music album) The Joshua Tree (music album) The Dark Side of the Moon (music album) Pet Sounds (music album) Ram (music album) Alternative rock (genre of Rock & Roll) Red Rocks Amphitheatre (concert venue) Notable music bands / music artists mentioned: Eagles Pink Floyd The Rolling Stones Led Zeppelin Fleetwood Mac Pearl Jam Nirvana The White Stripes The Strokes Smashing Pumpkins Metallica Jane’s Addiction AC/DC Aerosmith Van Halen Beyoncé Frank Ocean Bob Marley Journey REO Speedwagon Boston Kansas Styx Paul McCartney The Beatles Bob Dylan Kanye West Cream Queen Grateful Dead John Mayer Joe Russo’s Almost Dead Dead & Company Greta Van Fleet The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Original episode art by Alicia Ard (whose services include branding, illustration, web design, and social media management). Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“Every good story is two stories: the story of the place and the story of what happened to you as a result of being in that place” – Alden Jones Eddy Harris (@EddyLHarris) is a writer, filmmaker, and author of Mississippi Solo, Native Stranger, and Still Life in Harlem. Alden Jones (@jones_alden) is an author and writer of The Blind Masseuse. Thomas Swick (@roostertie) is an author and writer of The Joys of Travel, A Way to See the World, and Unquiet Days. In this episode of Deviate, Rolf, Eddy, Alden, and Thomas reflect on the legacy of Anthony Bourdain and the state of travel writing at large (3:00); common criticisms of travel writing (22:00); the notion of authenticity in travel and travel writing (34:00); what constitutes good travel writing, and the future of the genre (46:00). Books mentioned: Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain A Cook’s Tour, by Anthony Bourdain In Patagonia, by Bruce Chatwin Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert Wild, by Cheryl Strayed Abroad, by Paul Fussell The Pillars of Hercules, by Paul Theroux Go Tell the Crocodiles, by Rowan Moore Gerety White Man’s Game, by Stephanie Hanes Flaubert in Egypt, by Gustave Flaubert Video Night in Kathmandu, by Pico Iyer Figures in a Landscape, by Paul Theroux What Belongs to You, by Garth Greenwell (novel) Authors, articles, and other notable links “Anthony Bourdain Did Not Speak Travelese,” by Rolf Potts “Around the World in 80 Hours (of Travel TV),” by Rolf Potts “Is Travel Writing Dead?” Granta essay by Colin Thubron “The danger of a single story,” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (TED Talk) Key West Literary Seminar (writing conference) Jan Morris (writer) Pico Iyer (writer) Tim Cahill (writer) Paul Theroux (writer) Ryszard Kapuściński (journalist) Bill Bryson (author) Gerald Brenan (writer) Gertrude Bell (author) Mary Kingsley (writer and explorer) Jeffrey Tayler (journalist) Granta (literary journal) Panorama: The Journal of Intelligent Travel Best American Travel Writing (book series) Jason Wilson (writer and editor) Amy Gigi Alexander (writer and editor) Cochabamba Water War U.S. bombing of Cambodia  Cambodian genocide Gorongosa National Park (preserve in Mozambique) The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.

“John Hughes, and really all of best 1980s teen movies, were saying that the stories of teenagers are the stories of all of us. They have the same human need and longing that the stories of adults have.” —Kevin Smokler In this episode of Deviate, Rolf discusses classic coming-of-age films with Kevin Smokler (@Weegee), author of Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to ’80s Teen Movies. The discussion themes, cultural references, and time-codes that outline this expansive conversation are as follows: Kids having adult adventures movies [2:30 – 17:00] Links: Stand By Me (1986 film) Different Seasons, by Stephen King (book) Rob Reiner (film director) Season 4 of The Wire (TV season) David Simon (TV writer-producer) Boyz in the Hood (1991 film) John Singleton (film director) “12 Great Coming-Of-Age Movie Final-Scene Songs,” by Rolf Potts Emblematic teen movies [17:00 -45:10] Links: Breakfast Club (1985 film) John Hughes (filmmaker) Sixteen Candles (1984 film) Long Duk Dong (Sixteen Candles character) Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (Simpsons character) Hari Kondabolu (standup comic) How to American, by Jimmy O. Yang (memoir) Fresh Off the Boat (TV show) Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982 film) Say Anything (1989 film) Cameron Crowe (writer-director) John Mahoney (actor) Ione Skye (actress) Heathers (1989 film) Daniel Waters (screenwriter) Riot grrrl (feminist punk movement) Dead Poets Society (1989 film) Dylan Kussman (actor) Norman Lloyd (actor) Carpe Diem (Dead Poets Society Latin aphorism) Quirky teen fantasy movies [45:10 -1:06:10] Links: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986 film) Matthew Broderick (actor) John Hughes director’s commentary on Ferris Bueller Ferris Bueller’s Day Off screenplay Home Alone (1990 film) Back to the Future (1985 film) Life Moves Pretty Fast, by Hadley Freeman (book) Risky Business (1983 film) Tangerine Dream (electronic music band) Paul Brickman (writer-director) One crazy night movies [1:06:10 -1:19:00] Links: Dazed and Confused (1993 film) Richard Linklater (writer-director) Quentin Tarantino (writer-director) American Graffiti (1973 film) Everybody Wants Some!! (2016 film) Slacker (1991 film) Boyhood (2014 film) Before Sunrise (1995 film) Before Sunset (2004 film) Before Midnight (2013 film) Dark teen movies [1:19:00 – 1:25:00] Links: River’s Edge (1986 film) Murder of Marcy Renee Conrad (inspiration for River’s Edge) Dennis Hopper (actor) Keanu Reeves (actor) Satanic panic (1980s moral panic) Over the Edge (1979 film) The Legend of Bill Jean (1985 film) Teen sports movies with strong sense of place [1:25:00 -1:32:40] Links: Breaking Away (1979 film) Friday Night Lights, by Buzz Bissinger (book) Friday Night Lights (2004 film) Friday Night Lights (TV series) All the Right Moves (1983 film) Hoosiers (1986 film) Remember the Titans (2000 film) Autobiographical coming-of-age movies [1:32:40 -1:51:30] Links: Almost Famous (2000 film) “Tiny Dancer” scene from Almost Famous Freaks and Geeks (TV series) Paul Feig (TV writer) Judd Apatow (TV producer) Jason Segel (actor) Bob Seger (singer-songwriter) My So-Called Life (TV series) 21st century coming-of-age movies and TV shows [1:51:30 – 2:01:00] Links: Stranger Things (TV series) Everything Sucks! (TV series) Lady Bird (2017 film) Greta Gerwig (writer-director) Real Women Have Curves (2002 film) Dope (2015 film) Love, Simon (2018 film) “Stranger Things: 5 Differences Between the Pilot Script and the First Episode,” by Rolf Potts The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber. Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.