The Sport of Life: Chats w/ Comedians, Filmmakers, Sports Figures, Musicians, & Intellectuals

New York Times bestselling author James Rickards chats with Trey Elling about SOLD OUT: HOW BROKEN SUPPLY CHAINS, SURGING INFLATION, AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY WILL SINK THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. Topics include: Book's goal (0:00) The magnitude of the supply chain (2:50) The new science of supply chain management (7:19) The start of an ongoing trade war between the US and China (11:39) How Covid 19 contributed to supply chain problems (15:34) Vaccine mandates and the supply chain (20:07) Cargo ships and the supply chain (25:56) A major truck driver shortage (29:24) Energy and supply chain management (32:00) China as the biggest loser in a global supply chain failure (34:35) Apple moving some semiconductor production out of Taiwan (44:08)

Standup comedian Gianmarco Soresi chats with Trey Elling, ahead of his shows at Cap City Comedy Club on January 6th & 7th. Get tickets HERE. Topics include: Performing in Austin (0:00) Suffering through the Whole 30 diet (1:47) Cutting his teeth in NYC at LOL Comedy Club in making it to the Comedy Cellar (3:45) Feedback (5:45) Taking a comedy class at Caroline's Comedy Club (7:49) How to pull off dark humor on stage (11:26) Receiving validation from other comedians (16:06) Working out a gun violence joke (18:26)

Heather Radke, a writer and contributing editor/reporter at Radiolab, chats with Trey Elling about BUTTS: A BACKSTORY. Topics include: Heather's goal with Butts (0:00) The gluteal cleft (2:13) Why humans evolved to have butts (3:31) How the butt is a Swiss Army Knife (5:26) Male peacocks and the female human butt (7:07) The modern objectification of the female butt beginning with Sarah Baartman 200+ years ago (10:56) Scientists' creating racial hierarchy with butts (and more) in the 1800s (14:44) The bustle in the late 1800s (17:16) The flapper of the 1920s (20:20) Josephine Baker's butt nearly ending European civilization (23:50) Attempting to define "normal" in the mid-1900s (26:08) The model responsible for how many clothing companies determine the fit for women's pants (29:23) Buns of Steel (32:29) The start of 'fat fitness' in the 1980s (35:53) Sir Mix-A-Lot and Baby Got Back (38:13) Why women's butts have been more openly discussed since around 2000 (42:59) Beyonce and "Bootylicious" (46:30) 2014 as the 'Year of the Butt' (49:20) The next big thing in butts (51:22)

Dr. Rick Johnson chats with Trey Elling about NATURE WANTS US TO BE FAT: THE SURPRISING SCIENCE BEHIND WHY WE GAIN WEIGHT AN HOW WE CAN PREVENT--AND REVERSE--IT. Listen to part one of their conversation HERE. Topics in part two include: Why sugar/fructose can fuel problems like ADHD (0:00) Drinking vs eating fructose (10:42) Fructose in vegetables and fruits (17:51) Dairy and the 'survival switch' (22:11) Exercise and the 'survival switch' (24:24) Obesity rates increasing while sugar consumption have decreased since 2000 (27:53) Rick finishing the book, and this chat, with 'An Ode to Sugar' (31:33)

Physician, researcher, and author Dr. Rick Johnson chats with Trey Elling about NATURE WANTS US TO BE FAT: THE SURPRISING SCIENCE BEHIND WHY WE GAIN WEIGHT AND HOW WE CAN PREVENT--AND REVERSE--IT. Topics include: The book's goal (0:00) When & why excess weight is beneficial to animals (2:32) Why humans evolved to be so sensitive to fructose (8:40) Uric acid's connection to fructose and weight gain (17:36) Negative health effects of fructose consumption beyond excess fat (26:17) The line where salt goes from good to bad (35:05)

Washington Post food expert Mary Beth Albright chats with Trey Elling about EAT & FLOURISH: HOW FOOD SUPPORTS EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING. Topics include: The book's inspiration (0:28) "How" we eat impacting mental health (2:09) The health benefits of eating together (4:32) How the nervous system connects food and emotions (7:47) Sound as the secret sensory ingredient to food (9:49) Celebrating accomplishments with food (15:25) The science of "hangry" (16:07) The benefits of switching from an ultra-processed to Mediterranean diet (18:30) How ultra-processed foods change our brains (21:33) Blood sugar spikes and accelerated food cravings (23:46) Comfort food (25:29) The sense of smell and mood (27:16) The gut microbiome and mood (29:27) "Diet" (34:21) Prebiotics (37:49) Chronic inflammation and emotional well-being (40:11) The microbiome's effect on excess weight (43:34) High-carb versus high-protein breakfasts and decision-making (44:21) The book's recipes (48:06)

Multi-platinum record producer-turned-neuroscientist Susan Rodgers chats with Trey Elling about THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE: WHAT THE MUSIC YOU LOVE SAYS ABOUT YOU. Susan is best known for her work with Prince during his peak creative years (1983-87).  Susan’s unique path from award-winning sounder engineer and record producer to neuroscientist (1:43) How Miles Davis changed her perspective on listening to music (3:40) The beauty of record pulls (7:36) The messy “brilliance” of The Shaggs (11:37) What we visualize when we listen to music (15:52) Why a preference for ‘real’ versus ‘abstract’ isn’t consistent across artistic mediums (19:34) The connection between novelty and an appetite for risk (22:21) A McGill study on the link between musical novelty and mental rewards (28:41) Why the melody is a record’s heart (29:55) Songs whose lyrics and instrumentation tell different stories (33:36) Ambiguity as a valuable lyrical tool (34:52) How the Barenaked Ladies fooled Susan’s brother with fictitious lyrics (37:06) Rhythm as Susan’s favorite musical dimension (38:29) Evidence that some animals can experience musical rhythm (41:25) Explaining timbre (45:48) How Susan received a lesson on the power of timbre from Prince with “When Doves Cry” (48:43) The importance of synthetic listening to music producers (53:18) What happens in the brain when we feel ‘love at first listen’ with a song (58:26)

New York Times Bestselling author Jeff Pearlman chats with Trey Elling about THE LAST FOLK HERO: THE LIFE AND MYTH OF BO JACKSON. Topics include: How he got the nickname "Bo" (0:26) Why young Bo cleaned his act (1:30) Bo the high school football player (3:16) Choosing college football over pro baseball and Auburn over Alabama (4:06) How Bo helped "kill" Bear Bryant (5:39) Bo's first season in college baseball (8:18) Bo showing his human side (11:56) Bo's The Natural moment in college (13:25) Bo's soap opera life when he won the Heisman (16:15) Bo's senior baseball season ending abruptly (17:52) Bo's terrible first impression with his future Royals teammates (19:40) How Bo ended up in pro football, despite insisting otherwise (20:34) Bo befuddling Matt Millen in his first practice with the Raiders (22:17) Bo killing The Boz (23:14) Why Bo was an a-hole when he returned to Royals spring training (24:42) The Kevin Seitzer incident (25:55) The "Bo Knows" ad campaign (27:18) Bo running up and down an outfield wall (29:52) The hip injury (31:59) Returning to baseball after the injury (33:22) Techmo Bo (34:03) Bo's enriching 1993 baseball season (35:17) Bo's penile legend (36:07) Bo's role in the Nolan Ryan-Robin Ventura brawl (37:06) The hardest part of writing a biography on Bo (38:38)

Humanitarian Nate Boyer chats with Trey Elling about MVP, a film Nate co-wrote, directed, and starred in. Topics include: The starting point for this project (:30) When it was decided he would play the lead AND direct (5:46) Relating to the most emotional moments in the film (12:12) One of the themes in the film that everyone is f-ed up. (17:25) Nate's thoughts on Longhorn football under Steve Sarkisian (27:45) Whether Nate is optimistic or pessimistic on America's direction (32:38)

Actor Frank Grillo chats with Trey Elling about LAMBORGHINI: THE MAN BEHIND THE MAN BEHIND LEGEND. The film tells the wild story of Ferruccio Lamborghini, played by Frank, and what it took to create one of the most recognizable luxury sports car brands on the planet. Topics include: Whether Frank broke his disciplined diet white shooting on location in Italy (1:11) How Frank pulled off the Italian accent (2:51) A surprising detail from Ferruccio Lamborghini's story (3:55) Riding in a $28-million-dollar Lambo (5:16) What Frank loves about the film (6:07)