The Herle Burly

Chuck Klosterman is the New York Times bestselling author who is known for his focus on American culture, sports and music. His books include Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs; Eating the Dinosaur; Killing Yourself to Live; The Visible Man; and Fargo Rock City. Chuck’s essays and columns have been featured in GQ, The New York Times, Spin, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Grantland.Part 1 of our conversation is about the future of the NFL, Trump and American culture today, and the state of journalism in society.I'm thrilled Chuck could join The Herle Burly via telephone from his home in Portland.

Back again with Grammy award winner and world renowned musicologist, Rob Bowman.On this episode, we will discuss The Rock and Rock Hall of Fame—who belongs and who doesn’t—and who will matter when the history of music is written 100 years from now.But most of what we discuss on part 2 is the intersection of music and politics. Drawing from Rob’s expertise we’ll explore protest music from the sixties and seventies and what today’s sometimes ugly culture will mean for contemporary popular music.

If you’ve seen the movie Almost Famous, my guest Rob Bowman lived the life of that teenage journalist. Rob would take days off during high school to interview band’s like Jefferson Airplane and Pink Floyd, then would return to class with stories for all his friends.Rob Bowman is one of the world’s most recognized experts in popular music, travelling with bands, writing their liner notes, and being nominated for multiple Grammy awards.Join us for part one where we’ll talk about the Beatles, the Stones, the Band, Elton John, and everything in between.

In my conversation with Robbie Robertson, we talked about a lot of different things – the history of The Band, politics and the Trump era, his indigenous background, music and discrimination in the US south in the 60’s – but it is when we were talking about music that he most came alive.  You can just tell that music still has the power to move and amaze him.  In Part 2, we are going to talk about how “somewhere down The Crazy River” came together, the connection to New Orleans that inspired Storyville, and what music and artists he is listening to now.  Join me for another 40 minutes under the spell of this genius.

Music legend Robbie Robertson from The Band is my very special guest on The Herle Burly. If you grew up listening to Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Van Morrison, then you know Robbie Robertson and The Band’s music. You know their hits like The Weight and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. But on part 1 of our conversation, what you’ll hear from Robbie is how a bunch of Canadians came together to write some the most important Americana rock of the 70s.

Our guest today is Sarada Peri, former senior speechwriter to President Barack Obama and Visiting Global Fellow at the Ryerson Leadership Lab. Sarada will give us ringside seats to Obama, his thinking and how the greatest orator of our time formulates arguments. We’ll also touch on the state of American politics. But what we’ll hear most strongly, is the point of view of a person who thinks that the deck is stacked against women from the very beginning, revealing itself in every aspect of life, including politics.

This is going to shock a lot of Liberals and New Democrats, but political consultant Nick Kouvalis is a smart and thoughtful guy. Nick achieved notoriety for his work with Rob and Doug Ford in Toronto and Kellie Leitch in the federal Conservative leadership race. He is also a successful advisor to more mainstream politicians, such as Toronto Mayor John Tory and former British Columbia Premier Christy Clark. I had a chance to sit down with Nick shortly after Andrew Scheer won the federal Conservative Leadership race to discuss what motivates him in politics, why he chooses the candidates that he does, and what he thinks about Doug Ford as he gears up to lead John Tory in the next municipal election.

Welcome back to the second half of my conversation with the legendary Ken Dryden. If you’re over 45 then you know that Ken Dryden is the greatest goalie in hockey. Less well known perhaps is his work in chronicling this nation and his thoughtful approach to make Canada a better place. Part 2 of my discussion with Ken Dryden is about his take on Canada 150, head injuries in sports—particularly hockey—and what can be done about it today.

Ken Dryden was my first hockey hero and remained that way as he helped deliver six Stanley Cups for the Montreal Canadiens. He has a unique perspective not only about hockey, but also about the world, politics, and Canadian culture. Part 1 of my discussion with Ken Dryden is about his unusual route to the NHL.

Welcome back to The Herle Burly for part 2 of my conversation with special guest Denise Donlon. She was one of the creators of Much Music. She was the president of Sony Records Canada. And she was the vice-president of the CBC. On this episode we’ll discuss Denise’s experience as a female executive in the male-dominated music industry, and the importance of the CBC as a cultural institution and force for national unity.