Snakes & Otters Podcast
Episodes
Friday Jun 19, 2020
Episode 056 "Our Heroes: The Duke, John Wayne"
Friday Jun 19, 2020
Friday Jun 19, 2020
Francis captains an episode on that great American Icon, John Wayne, the man Emperor Hirohito wanted to meet on his trip to the United States in the 1960s. A rugged individualist, a man with a code, a man who believed in American Exceptionalism, but a man with flaws too.
Friday Jun 12, 2020
Episode 055 "Code of Honor for June 2020"
Friday Jun 12, 2020
Friday Jun 12, 2020
Second week of June and time for a Code of Honor boys and girls. Martin, Robert and Francis draw from all kinds of sources and use some great words of wisdom to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Draw nigh and learn. And like always, there's caution but also optimism.
Our quotes this time around:
Martin – “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” ( J. O’Rourke)
Francis – “In Luckenbach Texas, ain’t nobody feeling no pain.” (Waylon Jennings)
Robert – “Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.” (Anonymous)
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Episode 054 "Lee's Masterpiece: The Battle of Chancellorsville"
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Friday Jun 05, 2020
First Friday means a history episode and this is part 2 of our 4 part Civil War series on the crucial battles of 1862-1863 that lead to Grant coming East. This week we talk Chancellorsville, Lee's greatest tactical victory, and along the way of course there's an examination of the personalities, like "Fighting" Joe Hooker and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
Robert specifically mentions Chancellorsville by John Bigelow, Jr during the episode, but the guys also recommend an article on American Heritage, The Destruction of Fighting Joe Hooker by Gene Smith and Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend by James I. Robertson, Jr.
Friday May 29, 2020
Episode 053 "Hoopajoob! Interview with an Emperor: Our Friend Marcus"
Friday May 29, 2020
Friday May 29, 2020
Listeners, pardon the exceptional length of this episode, but it features our first guest ever, our good friend Marcus Aurelius. He claims to be of exceptional length as well. We tell stories and celebrate friendship. Welcome to the Brotherhood of Snakes & Otters Marcus.
Friday May 22, 2020
Episode 052 "3 Ronin: Snakes & Otters Talks Samurai Movies"
Friday May 22, 2020
Friday May 22, 2020
Pop culture episode and Francis takes the reins to talk Samurai Cinema and what it meant in Japan, both pre and post WWII. The guys salute famed director Akira Kurosawa, and talk the way the Samurai movies became the basis for revisionist Westerns, Clint Eastwood and antiheroes.
Friday May 15, 2020
Episode 051 "Our Heroes: P. J. O'Rourke"
Friday May 15, 2020
Friday May 15, 2020
Martin captains and the gang talks about gonzo journalist, satirist and general ne'er do well P. J. O'Rourke. Martin reveals the number 1 item on his bucket list is to have a drink with PJ. That's how big a deal this heroes episode is.
P. J.'s books are too numerous to list here, but head to his website, www.pjorourke.com. His publisher, Grove Atlantic, has a full bio and a list of his stuff. If you take the plunge and buy a PJ, be sure it is one that includes his seminal article "How to Drive Fast on Drugs While Getting Your Wing-Wang Squeezed And Not Spill Your Drink".
Friday May 08, 2020
Episode 050 "Code of Honor for May 2020"
Friday May 08, 2020
Friday May 08, 2020
Martin captains our 50th episode and the guys rise to the special occasion. Francis kicks off with words of wisdom from Leo Tolstoy. Martin jumps back in with the Chairman of the Board, Francis Albert Sinatra, and Robert hammers it all home with Lao Tzu. Yes you read that right, Tolstoy, Sinatra and Lao Tzu. All to give hope and purpose during COVID-19 isolation. Bonus, Chef's parents and the Loch Ness monster make a surprise appearance.
Our quotes this time:
Francis – “A man on a thousand-mile walk has to forget his goal and say to himself every morning, 'Today I'm going to cover twenty-five miles and then rest up and sleep.” (Leo Tolstoy)
Martin – “You gotta love living, cause dying’s a pain in the ass.” (Frank Sinatra)
Robert – “Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” (Lao Tzu)
Friday May 01, 2020
Episode 049 "Burnside's Folly: The Battle of Fredricksburg"
Friday May 01, 2020
Friday May 01, 2020
Robert captains the first of 4 Civil War episodes, discussing the pivotal battles that led from the dismissal of George McClellan to the rise of US Grant. In today's episode we talk Ambrose Burnside and the disaster that was Fredricksburg. Some sources we use include The Civil War by Geoffrey Ward with Ric and Ken Burns, and we heartily applaud Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals.