This White House means death. This “pro-life” administration continues to kill people at an astounding clip. ICE took two lives in one week while the DOGE-cut death toll continues to rise. The boys talk about how everything feels impossibly heavy right now and where they’re finding any silver linings.
Music can cure what ails us with BONNIE MONTGOMERY
Bonnie Montgomery joins us from Texas to discuss what it’s like to create art as society crumbles, the imbecility of the billionaire class trading AI for funding the arts, and how music is one of the things that can actually bring us together.
More about Bonnie:
Raised in rural Arkansas, Bonnie first trained as an opera singer before finding her voice in country music. That unusual path has shaped a career that moves comfortably between traditions, blending the storytelling of classic country, the emotional weight of folk music, and the dramatic power of opera into something that feels entirely her own.
Over the past decade, she's become one of the most distinctive voices in Americana and outlaw country, earning the Ameripolitan Award for Outlaw Female Artist of the Year and multiple Arkansas Country Music Awards, including Entertainer of the Year. Critics have praised her timeless songwriting, while fellow artists like Dale Watson have celebrated both the strength of her voice and the authenticity of her music.
Her catalog reflects that restless creativity. Following the EPs Cruel and Joy, she released her self-titled debut album in 2014, followed by Forever in 2018, Boat Songs 2002 in 2021, and most recently River in 2023—a deeply personal record that draws together the many musical threads she's spent a lifetime exploring.
But Bonnie's work extends well beyond the recording studio. She's also the composer of Billy Blythe, a folk opera exploring the childhood of President Bill Clinton, a work that earned attention from publications including The New Yorker and The Economist and further demonstrated her refusal to recognize boundaries between musical genres or artistic disciplines.
Today, Bonnie Montgomery continues to build a body of work that's deeply rooted in Arkansas while reaching far beyond it—music that's equal parts country, classical, folk, and personal history.
What happens when the shoe is on the other foot?
The boys are back to talk about the disastrous run of Supreme Court decisions and what they might hold for the future. They also talk about Trump’s turd of a state fair, what Dems might do if they can grab some power, and the healing qualities of live music and community events.
The feedback is almost all negative!
The boys take some time to read some listener feedback. Surprise, it’s almost all negative! Then they discuss why JD Vance is (hopefully) unelectable, why you should watch Song Sung Blue, and what makes Pizzeria Ruby so good.
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MMA at the White House, male loneliness in DTF St. Louis, and we cannot agree on good TV
This week the boys talk about the absolute shit show that was the big UFC fight on the White House lawn. Then a deep-dive on HBO’s DTF ST. LOUIS and how the show deals with the male loneliness epidemic and other mid-life crises. Then John and Gerard argue over whether or not SUCCESSSION was actually good. Recommendations for food and music too.
We're back baby!
The boys are back to talk about Sleepy Don at the Knicks game, their hopes for the Mamdani era, the mental benefits of checking out of social media, and what they’ve been watching to escape the onslaught of bad news.
We don't know where to start
The boys wade through the mountain of BS we all find ourselves mired in. There’s a lot going on. The No Kings protests, more ICE raids, political assassinations, public lands are up for sale. But don’t worry - the American flag at the White House is BIGGER now.
The one and only SHINYRIBS!
John and Gerard welcome Kevin Russell, aka Shinyribs, in the middle of a two-night stint at the legendary White Water Tavern. The boys talk about Kevin’s career, home-grown tomatoes, and how clean air and water are now WOKE!
Feedback? Send us an email at podofthesouth@gmail.com. If you want to support the show, you can do that here.
ICE raids, Qatari jets, and where is Trump support coming from?
This week the boys are back (with new microphones!) to talk about the most corrupt president in American history, how in the hell people could possibly support him, and the growing anxiety over detentions and deportations. Yay!
The politics of testosterone, Wes Anderson, and RIP Dwight David Honeycutt
Gerard is back from France. The boys talk about the macho dip-shits in Washington, the Wes Anderson exhibit at the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris, and how Arkansas lost a giant this week in Dave Parker (best known as the actor who portrayed the wayward Conway School Board candidate Dwight David Honeycutt.
Elon Musk straight-up sucks, and other fresh hell
John is back! The boys talk about selling cars from the south lawn of the White House, Elon possibly being on his way out, and a couple of books you should read, including the graphic novel Berlin by Jason Lutes.
Sen. Clarke Tucker talks documentaries, music, and politics
Gerard sits down with Sen. Clarke Tucker. They talk about sausage-making at the state legislature and what it was like for Clarke to be in Gerard's 2022 documentary "A Good Campaign." Said documentary is now available for streaming on Gumroad.
This legislation sucks
Gerard welcomes special co-host Aliah Rowe, digital media director at For AR People. They talk about not-great legislation, some defensive wins at the Capitol, and how to create good social content.
"I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"
Gerard is overwhelmed. John did a deep dive on Steve Bannon. The boys talk about the serenity prayer, how USAID cuts will hurt farmers, and their choices for death row last meals.
Food of the South: catfish, sake, and duck
Gerard and John talk about the best places to eat catfish in Arkansas. Plus, Origami Sake is the real deal and cooking duck ain't easy.
Now we're all in very big trouble
John and Gerard talk about the beginning of Trump's second term and the trouble that's likely coming, Sarah Huckabee Sanders's State of the State address (including a thing or two she may have got right), and films new and old that you might want to check out.
Episode 1
John and Gerard talk about Luigi Mangione, a recent George Saunders article in The New Yorker, and the new book “The Barn” by Wright Thompson.