Author: Matthew Ussia

Ep 105: An Oral History of Bob & the Dangerous Brothers in 10 Questions

Obviously, you’re probably thinking that everything can be said about all of the shining constellations in the musical universe that is Bob and the Dangerous Brothers has already been said. However, after months of tense negotiations with their legal team, we were given the opportunity to ask the members of the post-Bob and the Dangerous Brothers band B.U.F.L.O. ten agreed upon questions that explore the aura of the musical oeuvre that is all things Bob. The upcoming April first release of the live album Free, Bob! and the highly anticipated rarities collection The Bobthology on May Day gave us the opportunity to explore the emotionally raw history of one of the most storied bands in all of American musical history. We here at We’re All Gonna Die (And Other Fun Facts) want to thank the members of B.U.F.L.O for their courage and candidness. We look forward the fruits of the upcoming B.U.F.L.O. recording sessions as they cascade down over us all.

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Ep. 104 The Slingshot Vignettes

Tony Burfield’s new collection of haibun poetry is a vivid recollection of a Northern Appalachian childhood. Burfield’s haibun poems capture two aspects of memory: the stories we tell and the emotional responses we feel. During our conversation we do a deep dive into the world of poetic form, the role of wilderness in his poetry, and why it’s good to have a little taste of primal fear in daily life. (And don’t worry, Tony explains what haibun is.) Buy Slingshot Vignettes from the big Borg book site, or contact Tony Burfield through his Twitter or Tony’s Instagram account, where you can see the Rockies.

And we swear.

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Ep. 103: Tethered to the Unexpected

Dr. Roxana Cazan is a poet and professor who engages with the beauty and sadness of our human frailty. Her new collection of poems entitled Tethered to the Unexpected: Poetry about Illness explores death, birth, illness, motherhood, and what it means to be connected to people across continents. She reads some of her fabulous poems, and I find out what it feels like to give birth. Be sure to buy Tethered to the Unexpected, on Alien Buddha Press, and check out the stunning cover art by the Romanian artist AURA etc as well as AURA etc’s Instagram.

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Ep. 102: Jason Baldinger’s KTel Record

Our most frequent guest has released his KTel record of the greatest hits and unreleased poems. A History of Backroads Misplaced is a retrospective of the last decade of his work. During this episode we look back at Jason Baldinger‘s evolution as a poet, what it means to revise old work, and there are some special surprises at the end.

And sooo much swearing

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Ep. 101: Spiff Wiegand is a Bookend

For our very special 101 episode, we we go back to the beginning with our guest for our first ever episode! Spiff Wiegand is a musician, actor, aspiring producer, and all around interesting human. He joins the podcast from a McDonald’s Parking Lot in Georgia. During the course of our sprawling conversation we discuss: Spiff’s Patron songwriting project, Spiff’s music, Spiff’s love for making old fashioned radio dramas, and Spiff’s life in the theater, including The Spiffemol Industries Radio Hour!

And it’s not a podcast if I don’t swear.

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Ep. 100: Ghost Mother

For our 100th episode we didn’t do a cheesy clip show. Instead, poet Valerie Bacharach stopped by for a deep discussion on memory, grief, and poetry as a tool for healing. Valerie reads from her new excellent book Ghost Mother, which you should buy Ghost Mother from Finishing Line Press or buy it from the big borg book retailer.

On October 7, 2021 at 7 PM Valerie and a host of other great Pittsburgh Poets will be reading at the official book launch for Ghost Mother, through the White Whale Bookstore, and you can sign up to watch the reading from the comfort of your own home through White Whale’s website.

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Ep. 99: The Afterlife is a Hangover

Jason Baldinger is one of the folks who has made this podcast what it is, and who better to have on for our last show in the double digits but him. However, this was perhaps the most difficult podcast I have ever recorded, because it is about his split poetry and art book co-authored by Nell Hendricks called The Afterlife is a Hangover. The book is about the death of someone who meant a lot to a lot of people Pittsburgh musician, writer, professor, and record store owner Karl Hendricks.

We miss Karl, we love Karl, and unfortunately sometimes we have to meet the grief head on as we do for this extensive conversation about poetry, death, and record stores.

We swear a lot, and well . . . f*ck cancer anyway.

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Ep 98: Chris Q Murphy has a Livestream Now

We intended to discuss Season 1 of Chris Q Murphy’s livestream where he performs his songs and discusses songwriting craft with guests. However, CQM is the person I have been close friends with the longest, and well . . . things got off track. Join us for our intimate conversation about music, young people, and creativity.

Do check out past episodes of the Chris Q. Murphy Tuesday night livestream on his YouTube channel. Listen to CQM through his Bandcamp Page.

Most importantly, recognize that two guys from Jersey cannot not swear.

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Ep 97: Just Brook, Anyway Here’s Wonderwall

Brook Pridemore and I set out to talk about noise and music, and immediately we got sidetracked into an intimate conversation about the death of monoculture, protective identities, and what it means to revisit places that mean a lot to our (often painful) personal memories. During the conversation we kinda forgot to talk about why you should check out Brook Pridemore’s music on Bandcamp, but we did briefly touch on BP’s Patreon all request livestreams.

There is a moment of low bandwidth issue Zoom autotune about 10 minutes in, but it clears up quickly and what follows is one of my favorite conversations I have ever had on this podcast. And of course, we swear.

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Ep. 96 Uprooted

Nina Padolf is a poet who writes about family history, trauma, and memory. Her poems exist at the intersection of personal history and that which we often prefer not to discuss. Thankfully, during our podcast we were able to have a deep and meaningful conversation about poetics, identity, and Dr. Padolf reads for us.

You can buy Uprooted from the big Borg Online Retailer, OR you could contact Nina at ninapoet[at]gmail[dot]com. You can also check out her readings at Riverstone Books in Pittsburgh on September 30th at 7 PM and at the Uprooted Book Launch Reading at White Whale Books in Pittsburgh on November 9th at 7.

As always, a little bit of swearing spices things up.

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