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Chapter 15 Hoover’s Triangle and King’s Machine Old Sourpuss gets a mention (WEB DuBois), Kennedy and Hoover battle, Mob and Sex Scandal, Shuttlesworth in jail, triple church bombing, King gives a negative speech, we learn more about who Jack O’Dell is, more on the tension and rivalry in the Civil Rights movement organizations, Who is Harry Wachtel, Wiretapping of Stanley Levison, NAACP Convention, a racist coroner acts as a psychiatrist, does King go back to jail? Intro Music: The Staple Singers “Freedom Highway” (1965).

Albany Georgia, mass arrests! Youth lead the charge, SNCC. We learn about the Albany Movement to end segregation, and it’s origin. Tension between King, SNCC, NAACP. We are introduced to a smart sophisticated police officer, Laurie Pritchett, non brutal. Is King a distraction to the Albany Movement? Does he help or hurt? And do we have victory or failure in Albany, and how does this compare to Montgomery? All that and more in another great episode, and several short musical breaks by original music by Paul!

Chapter 13 Moses in McComb, King in Kansas City We go deeper into the south, the deep deep south and try to do some voter registration. It does not go well. There is a debacle at the black National Baptist Convention which stains King’s reputation, and tragically there is violence in Mississippi resulting in a murder. Intro music by the Staple Singers “Freedom Highway” 1965.

Chapter 12 The Summer of Freedom Rides Maybe our best episode yet! More details on the Freedom rides, but thankfully less violent, back and forth contention between MLK and RFK!! Who says “they don’t even believe in the atom bomb,” we see a showdown between State Government and Federal Government, we learn about challenges to Martin Luther King from students, and maybe some disappointments, possibly the funniest line in the book about genitals, what liberal Republican rich white political figure lavishes King with praise and assistance, and makes a movie about King. Is Gabe sympathetic to Governor Patterson? No, he is not. Heroic effort from Fred Shuttlesworth, parting the crowd!

Chapter Eleven: Baptism on Wheels This is a sad and violent chapter, and exhibits both the best and worst of humanity. A chapter without King, but about SNCC activists and the Freedom Rides in May of 1961. Tidbits we learn in this chapter: Who used the excuse that he had to help a friend move furniture and avoid a major civil rights action (Freedom Ride)! What city has the worst hospital in the world at this time! Was there a conspiracy by a local government, Ku Klux Klan, to beat civil rights activists for 15 minutes. What does Japan think of white supremacy violence? What minor character could I see myself being. All that and more, and shout outs too John Seignthaler, James Farmer, James Bevel, John Lewis, Albert Bigelow, Simeon Booker, James Peck, Genevieve Hughes, Herbert Harris, Selyn McCollum, Susan Wilbur, Sue Harmon, Jim Zerg and and all the Freedom Riders and of course Diane Nash! Intro music by the Staples Singers “Freedom Highway” 1965.

JFK is the president. We start with a terrible fumigating incident to civil rights activists. King goes on TV to debate a segregationist dumb newsman. We learn about another great Pennsylvania civil rights leader, from Uniontown PA, what was the name Journey of Reconciliation’s name is changed too…(this is an easy one), why does Daddy King get booed, learn about the The Bathroom Incident, and a good discussion about why this highlights the lie of racism. John Lewis leadership. We go over more on John Doar and voting rights, and why it’s so difficult to prove legal discrimination, also what famous civil war’s grandson who fought for the union side, is not great on civil rights or as he would put it “Racial Matters.” MLK doing some organizing some jujitsu! All that and more on another great episode. Sorry no musical break this episode. Intro music by The Staples Singers “Freedom Highway” 1965.

Chapter 8 Shades of Politics Who almost get's blackmailed, who I think is a slimy, but on the right side of history, we meet DSA founder Michael Harrington, we are going to learn about another saint type figure who is not religious, but is spiritual, and another Robert Graetz type character, a man doesn’t know what he’s getting into, and some NBC corruption, not the TV network, the National Baptist Convention. Intro music by The Staples Singers “Freedom Highway” 1965.

Chapter Seven: The Quickening SNCC! Back to some action after the slog of chapter six. We are going to learn what is a “Sit in.” What is SNCC and who really started it?What Mayor in the South actually, comes across as good? King’s Legal Troubles. Who Paul thinks is the best looking civil rights activist, and who is also a fearless an unsung hero! What celebrity introduces JFK to MLK. All that and more and spend the year 1960 with us in this episode. Intro music by The Staples Singers “Freedom Highway” 1965.

Chapter Six: A Taste of the World The Montgomery Bus Boycott is over, and King is firmly a national figure. In our longest episode yet, we learn who says “I don’t mind your criticizing my ideas. But I don’t like your criticizing my words, because I’m better at words than you are,” where in the world did MLK meet Vice President Richard Nixon, and what his thoughts on Nixon where, what Civil Rights leader starts early on preaching to chickens and cries when they are dinner, who is my Septima Clark, what main character is attacked by a sharp object first, and who is attacked second and almost dies, and what song is playing in the background and why! All that some communist talk, a trip to India, and much more! Intro music by The Staples Singers “Freedom Highway” 1965.

Reading Parting the Waters Episode: 004 Chapter Five The Montgomery Bus Boycott Bus Boycott Part 2! We get more into the Bus Boycott and see how it ends, learn new characters like Bayard Rustin, learn who was asking for a better type of segregation, who is the first metro sexual in Montgomery Alabama, what FAKE NEWS incident almost ruins the Bus Boycott, and what character reminds me of the movie Forrest Gump, and more on who are the unsung hero’s of the boycott, who started it. That, some Ike talk, some of my music and much much more! Intro music by The Staples Singers “Freedom Highway” 1965.

Reading Parting the Waters Episode: 003 Chapter Four, The First Trombone Bus Boycott Part 1! Branch takes us down into Montgomery Alabama where King establishes himself as the pastor of Dexter Ave Church. Bus Boycott background, origins and start of it. Learn what MLK adopts from his dad to help his Church increase revenue, what character Branch describes as offsetting psychopaths a notch in humanity's balance sheet, who should get credit for initiating the Bus Boycott, and who is the greatest Lutheran of the 20th century. Your letters and much more in this richly packed episode. Intro music by The Staples Singers “Freedom Highway 1965.

Chapter 3: Neibuhr And the Pool Tables. Episode 002 Reading Taylor Branch’s Parting the Waters. Paul and Gabe go over chapter three, focusing on MLKs intellectual theological journey. We discuss the social gospel and Reinhold Niebuhr and King’s struggle with his own beliefs. Is Niebuhr a jerk? We remark on King’s time in Eastern Pennsylvania at Crozer. Our beloved old sourpuss comes back into the picture. That and some marxist talk and name changing and much much more! Intro music by The Staple Singers “Freedom Highway” 1965.

Episode 001 Reading Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch. A dive into the Civil Rights movement. Paul and Gabe discuss chapters one and two. A pre history to the civil rights movement. Find out what character throws themselves out of the window twice, who get’s criticized for selling vegetables in church, along with fish, what historical Black intellectual will be named Old Sourpuss, who we love and agree with...and an explanation on why some people have letters as first names, that and much much more.

Brief discussion about Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe. New songs I recorded, one electronic, one rock, instrumental of course. Update on upcoming series we'll be making.

Short mini episode. Dragon talk with a 5 year old. Can the 5 year old take the tough questions about dragons. Listen for under 4 minutes and find out!

Paul, Jake, Greg, and Liam are back from Iceland to discuss Radiohead's follow up album to their genre bending Kid A: Amnesiac. Is this just a bunch of B sides from Kid A or is this much much more? Greg talks louder, and there may actually be more insightful comments than past episodes. Enjoy track by track commentary for Amnesiac, along with some thoughts on Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin, and of course U2.

Paul and Jake and special guests Greg and Liam join us to talk about Kid A, Radiohead's best album? We talk about their change in direction and discuss if this is only headphone music. That and much more including two songs by me to open and end the show, along with my 3 year old son singing about dinosaurs.

Paul and Jake talk about Radiohead's landmark album OK Computer, along with the Radiohead's connection to Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, and a Radiohead cover song by Gillian Welch.

Paul and Chris discuss Mark Greif's article Against Exercise. Read it here: https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/3428-against-exercise-by-mark-greif Should we exercise? Do you want to live? Is spending our time exercising taking away from us thinking? Is exercise good or bad, yes that's what we talk about, seriously, this is a smart and funny talk. Thanks for listening. More "A Complete Idioteques Guide to Radiohead" episodes coming.

The PRC Show is hijacked again for episode 2 of "A Complete Idioteques Guide to Radiohead." Paul and Jake are back to talk about Radiohead and the band's second album, the Bends. Does Jake like Radiohead? Does Paul like every song they make? How different is The Bends from Pablo Honey? Much extemporaneous talk along with a track by track review of this highly acclaimed album.