It’s official.
I’ve launched Conversation from the Crossroads of Southern Music, History, and Culture, a podcast that is really me talking with the fascinating people that I encounter in my life.
Here is the inaugural episode, a live event with my longtime pal, historian Kevin M. Levin of Civil War Memory.
Here’s something interesting…
The whole genesis of this was the conversations that I have with y’all on a regular basis about the interesting things you see based on the interesting things I’m pointing out here at LONGLIVETHEABB.COM.
I realized I have a really cool community of people that I have worked with and have made friends with across my life. The kind of people who think about the world in interesting ways and are thoughtful about the ways they share that with other people.
As y’all know, I’m a historian. I have a Ph.D. in history, but my career has been spent in history organizations like museums and archives and historic sites.
It’s in that work that I recognized the myriad ways people interact with and see the world.
And there are billions of lenses to use here, but often for me, it boils down to something my old man used to say.
He would sit there with the newspaper and he’d go, “Here’s something interesting…” and he would share it.
Now most of my life it annoyed me because he made everybody stop and listen to him. (Most of us can probably relate to something similar with an adult in our lives.)
But the fact of the matter is my dad found the world interesting and shared that with us. With me. My mom was the same way and my grandparents regularly sent news clippings and stuff through the mail.
And that’s what this whole thing is about.
I always consider my work here to be that.
“Hey! Here’s something I find interesting. You might too.”
Writing and interpreting stories around Southern music, history, and culture is my jam.
The crossroads theme is very intentional. It’s a blues theme. Robert Johnson. Carries from the deep in the American South, but it has African roots to it. (See https://www.longlivetheabb.com/p/southern-gothic2.)
Crossroads are the intersections of our lives. Where we intersect within ourselves and with other people.
I hope you’ll join me in exploring these concepts in podcast form.
There’ll be several elements to the show, but this series that I’m about to launch will be interviews. Edited some, but for the most part, I let them do their thing.
I hope that it’ll spur conversation for you in your own world.
Also to seek community. That’s my ulterior motive is community.
‘Cause that’s what the solution’s gonna be outta all this mess.
All of it.
Community is finding common cause.
Music is a great common denominator.
Art is a wonderful common denominator. It’s also there to challenge us and our understanding, as is a deeper look at history.
Don’t be afraid to look at the bad parts of history. There’s nothing scary about it, the bad parts of history in my own family’s past.
All I can do is atone for that as, as best I can.
So welcome to the Crossroads.
I’ll be releasing things as the spirit moves.
I look forward to having you here.
And here’s the deal.
If you’ve been enjoying this for a while, it’s time to throw some money in for a paid membership to longlivetheabb.com. I’m cranking here and I certainly appreciate throwing some bones my way if you’re been appreciating what I’ve been throwing down.
Either way, I’m gonna be doing what I’m doing.
I appreciate having you here.
