At Sea with Justin McRoberts

The ways we move into and out of one another’s lives… the modality of relationship, is a matter of art. In fact, I resonate with Seth Godin’s definition of art as anything that facilitates human connection… including, in my own iteration of the definition, a relationship with one’s self. For nearly two decades Sandra McCracken has been making music that not only facilitates human connection, but has done so with a particularly thoughtful attentiveness. In our conversation, we consider whether or not it is that connection that makes art sacred… rather than a particular setting or use. Check it out. Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

Welcome to episode 1 of season 3 of the @ Sea Podcast. My guest is Dominique DuBois Gilliard. Dominique is the director of racial righteousness and reconciliation for the Love Mercy Do Justice Initiative of Evangelical Covenant Church. He is also the author of Rethinking Incarceration, which is the focus of my conversation with him. We pick up as I’m finishing setup (full disclosure: we were both late to the interview site and I had to start before I was completely ready. Regardless, from the outset and throughout this unedited conversation, we cover some vital and rarely trod ground in the areas of race, justice and a redemptive view of both political and religious power. Check it out. Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

in 1981, in Yorkshire, England, Peter William Sutcliffe was convicted of the murder of 13 women over a span of about 5 years. Police were criticized for there slowness of the investigation, the pace of which which appeared to pick up only after one of Suttcliffe’s victims turn out *not* to be a prostitute. Among those leveling criticism was Julie Bindel, who is my guest on this episode of the podcast. A teenager at the time, Julie took part in a series of protests, including one in which the public suggestion was made my that, instead of women staying off the streets for their own defense, as was suggested by the police, men should stay off the streets in order to ensure the safety of women. That kind of insightful and poignant expression continues to mark Julie Bindel’s work as a journalist and as a political activist. She is also the author of two books, “Straight Expectations” and, more recently, “The Pimping of Prostitution: Abolishing the Myth of Sex Work.” This episode was recorded during a live @ Sea Event hosted in Concord, CA earlier this year. It was part of a series of events, planned in partnership with The Center For Bioethics and Culture. You’ll hear CBC founder Jennifer Lahl describe the work and focus of the CBC during the presentation. Check it out. Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

I’m going go out on a limb and suggest that almost every music listener, even more casual fans, has been privy a conversation revolving around the idea of “selling out.” A conversation focused on what is happening or might happen to a band who is suddenly faced with the seemingly intractable dilemma…  of making money. A conversation often highlighted by expressions and declarations of how much we liked their early work and how so and so might dig this band now, but doesn’t really get what they’re actually about. For an artists on the other side of that conversation, what once were joyful and highly motivating dreams of doing what she loves and paying for her life are now thoughts weighed down by the possibility that many of those who helped her get there might leave… because she’d made it. Art, like charity or justice work, has an odd public relationship with money. For many onlookers, the moment a creator turns even slightly one way or another towards a paycheck, the whole of their work is thrown into question; a kind of “purity” is threatened, if not lost. Whether or not a work like music or hunger relief is less valuable or less pure if it is at least partially motivated by the desire to pay for bread is, perhaps, an unanswerable question on the cultural level. But when examined case-by-case, the motives and intentions of culture makers tell fascinating stories… sometimes stories more vital and apocalyptic than the works those makers have applied themselves to. My guest on this episode is music historian Adam Caress. Having spent the better part of two decades around the music industry (as a performer, writer, booking agent, and so on) Adam now teaches in the music business program at Montreat college in NC. My conversation with him focuses primarily on his book, entitled (and I love this title…) “The Day Alternative Music Died: Dylan, Zeppelin, Punk, Alt, Glam, Majors, Indies and The Struggle Between Art and Money for the Soul of Rock” Check it out. Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

Artists and critics have a famously contentious relationship. It can seem, at least, that the discipline of critiquing stands at odds  to the discipline of creating it. Yet, I can’t think of really any professional artist who doesn’t hold some very pointed opinions about the work they consume (as well as their own. And I’ve yet to meet a professional critic whose attention to an art form didn’t at least begin in a sincere admiration for… if not love for… that same art form. My guest on this episode is poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib. In our brief conversation, I think you’ll find a vision of art, pop culture, industry and creativity in which there aren’t hard lines between diagnosis or analysis and a long, loving gaze and what human hands have made. Our conversation actually begins with him reflecting on a grammy moment in which Adele used time during her acceptance speech to suggest that Beyonce was perhaps, more deserving of the award. Check it out. Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

Some of my guests make national news. They win Grammys or national book awards. But this will never be a podcast about what’s most popular or what’s trending, per se. My interest is in connecting you with great culture makers, because I believe what they do deepens and enriches our lives. My guest on this episode is Civil Rights professor and cultural curator Dr. Todd Allen. Since 2002, Dr. Todd has not only taught in the classroom on the history of the Civil Rights movement, but has led a bus tour to many of the sites vital to that movement. In doing so, he connects dots that might otherwise live in desperate parts of his guests hearts and minds. I caught up with him briefly in Pittsburgh, PA and I think our short conversation might help us connect some of those same dots. Check it out. Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

This Friday, June 16, the Tupac Shakur Biopic “All Eyez on Me” hits theaters. The film is  named after the rapper’s remarkable 1996 release “All Eyes On Me.” Since his death in September of that same year, conversation around and engagement with Tupac and his work has never really gone away. He’s one of those artists whose impact on his genre and culture is so deep that it still bears noting, two decades after his last contribution. For many of his listeners, the connection wasn’t just Tupac’s incredible talent, but the unapologetic way he granted the world access to his story; a story in which millions of people recognized a bit of themselves and their own story. The “All Eyes On Me” album reached the very rare sales status known as “Diamond Status,” denoting the sale of over 10 million copies in the United States. Tupac’s depiction of life within his own home and hometown is regularly recognized as not just important, but in many eyes, prophetic. My guest on this episode of the podcast is one such person. Daniel White Hodge is an author, a scholar and a Hip Hop Theologian whose dissertation is focused on the life, theology and spiritual message of Tupac Shakur. I highly recommend checking out the book after listening in on my conversation with Professor Daniel White Hodge. Check it out.  Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

My guest on this episode of the podcast is actually my first 2-time guest, Michael Wear.  During season 1, Michael shared his unique angle on not just the idea of politics, but the human practice of politics.  As someone who has lived and worked in Washington DC with the women and men who often end up characterized as either heroes or demons, Micheal sees the human interplay and the redemptive arc of American politics. His book, aptly entitled “Reclaiming Hope,” had not hit shelves last time we talked and I think it possesses a very intriguing corner of the public conversation this side of the 2016 election. For that reason and many more, I figured it was time for something of a check-in with Michael Wear. Check it out. Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

My guest on this episode is Mark Labberton. Mark is the author of three deeply insightful books and is most likely better known as the President of Fuller Theological Seminary. Mark’s work and friendship have often been, for me, a lifeline to hope when it comes to the communal, institutional practice of faith. When it comes to a particular group of human beings, practicing religious faith together, and the economic, political, vocational, racial soup that often is, there’s nothing I’ve seen that he hasn’t seen, nothing I know that he doesn’t know. And he not only continues to hope for, but joyfully work towards the enrichment, growth and flourishing of The Church in its many forms, including its more traditional manifestations. This podcast seeks to highlight great culture makers because what they do deepens and enriches our lives.  My conversation with Mark Labberton ranges from excavating key words in western religious culture to early musical loves and first purchases to what it looks like to faithfully engage in political conversation. Check it out. Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble

A few nights ago, I took my newborn daughter, who was crying, into the small office space where I do most of my work, including recording and editing this podcast. I deftly navigated my laptop while holding her in the other arm… and started playing through some of my favorite songs. We listened to… Sigur Ros Jonsi and Alex Josh Ritter Kendrick Lamar and some older stuff from Tribe Called Quest. I could feel her breathing change with the music. She was captured, are are most people, by this incredible gift we’ve been given. She’’s only 12 days old at the time of this recording and won’t remember this moment… but put my face close to hers and whispered “This is music. It might be the best thing we’ve done as humans.” There’s something physical, emotional as well as spiritual about the human connection to song. My guest on this episode is Ryan O’Neil whose work bears the name “Sleeping At Last.” Ryan is an artist who is keenly and intentionally aware of that unique connection between listeners and the music they love. Truth is, not all artists share that awareness. I think you’ll enjoy hearing about his process, his vocational journey and the way he considers those for whom he’s making music. Check it out… Links For Justin:Read Justin's SubstackOrder In The Low - NEW Book with Scott EricksonCoaching with JustinOrder In Rest - New Book of PoemsOrder Sacred StridesJustinMcRoberts.comSupport this podcastNEW Single - Let GoNEW Music - Sliver of HopeNEW Music - The Dood and The BirdThe Book - It Is What You Make itHearts and Minds Amazon Barnes and Noble