Troubled Men Podcast

He’s the baritone and bass saxophone ace with Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Roger Lewis’ Baritone Bliss, and the N.O. Klezmer Allstars. An in-demand session man (Mark Ronson, Eric Clapton, CeeLo Green), he’s also involved in the free jazz/improvised music scene with performances in the Open Ears series and the Instigation Festival. Dan’s always interested in going low, so when he joins the Troubled Men, it’s a race to the bottom. Topics include birthday rituals, a bad dinner, a microwave mishap, the dirtiest old man, a homeless conversation, a last name, Pittsburgh, a school band director, a record store, sax choirs, failed auditions, Tony Dagradi, the School for Improvisational Music, a turning point, N.O. Jazz Orchestra, image, a new band, an age cap, an oligarch party, Saxodrone, bari vs. tenor sax, Tim Green, overtones, the low A key, modern vs. vintage horns, Joe Cabral, being Jewish, playing music as prayer, an ongoing tour, an Art Neville story, sage advice, a dire p

The Grammy-nominated Big Chief of the Golden Eagles recorded with the Wild Magnolias on their landmark records, electrifying Mardi Gras Indian chants with Willie Tee and Snooks Eaglin’s funk and creating a mind-blowing hybrid of New Orleans music. From neighborhood barrooms to Carnegie Hall, Monk has spent a lifetime masking and performing around the world with his group and in collaboration with artists like Dr John, Galactic, Anders Osborne, Papa Mali, and John Papa Gros. Tonight he enters the Feral Zone with John Gros in advance of their tour of Spain supporting his latest record, “Bloodstains and Teardrops.” Topics include a mixed neighborhood, the White Eagles, a Chief Scout, Indian practice, a hidden culture, speaking French, initiation, recording, Quint Davis, Bo Dollis, the Elder of Elders, becoming Big Chief, sewing, the power of the suit, outside gangs, respect for the chief, Indians vs. the police, tribal positions, Super Sunday, the prettiest Indian, a lifestyle, work with blues

The costume designer, stylist, figure skater, and activist has been the coordinator for New Orleans Rock the Vote since its establishment. Her new Acushla Local Art organization is shining a spotlight on local artists. Bridget initially plays coy, but ultimately gets into the swing of things with the Troubled Men. Topics include a cooling-off period, an illegal Airbnb, juvenile offenders, a new favorite band, a voter PSA, the Jerry Lewis Telethon, Tony Orlando, a Valley Girl, Culver City, figure skating sabotage, the swing revival, the film biz, wardrobe malfunctions, a Lenny Kravitz video shoot, Nicolas Cage, Harry Dean Stanton, “Sonny,” “Runaway Jury,” Gene Hackman, Bono, intimacy coordination, a porn shoot, white jeans, and much more. Intro music: "Just Keeps Raining" by Styler/Coman Break Music: "Gasoline And Matches" from "Heavy Lifting" by Loose Cattle Outro Music: "Factory For Stars" from "Hope Is Not For The Weak" by the Geraniums Support the podcast: Paypal or Venmo Join the P

The Grammy-nominated drummer has worked with artists including Neil Young, Beck, Daniel Lanois, Sam Morrow, and Manny’s Hollywood party band, Too Free Stooges. He was also the house drummer for the “Echo in the Canyon” film and tour revisiting the heyday of the Laurel Canyon music scene with Jakob Dylan, Brian Wilson, Cat Power, and Fiona Apple. Matt hasn’t spoken to Manny in 25 years, but he knows from experience what he’s in for. Some things never change. Topics include the Carlo Nuccio tribute, a prank, the rest of the story, Wadzilla’s passing, Tito Puente Day, meeting by accident, long odds, airport access, a reunion, a last meeting, a successful career, Silver Lake, a mountain lion, Zander Schloss, St. Louis, a Miles Davis gig, little criminals, a hippie boarding school, an acid trip, the Unconscious, an opening gig, a backstage video, Dick Rude, Alvarado St., a Club Lingerie show, a rockstar audience, a downward spiral, Mr. Hollywood, the Circle Jerks, Doug Belote, s

The visionary performance artist, musician, filmmaker, visual artist, and author behind the legendary Unapproachable Panther Burns founded with Alex Chilton in 1979 just completed the whirlwind “Rouge Male” U.S. tour. He joins René inside the Feral Zone to discuss the trip, his relocation to Bangkok, his current recording and film projects, and Rene’s early tenure in the band. Tav shares pearls of wisdom concerning the “secret eye of the artist” from his mentor, the great photographer William Eggleston. Topics include a first Tupelo’s gig, a Club Lingerie birthday, a first tour, a blowout, the 40Watt Club, an aberrant orbit, the Lore of the Panther Burns, an infamous performance action, Televista, Marge Thrasher’s Straight Talk, artistic output, starting in the middle, R.L. Burnside, Eugene Baffle, a college riot, “Mondo Memphis Vol. 1,” a time traveler, the American South, learning Thai and Italian, poetic gradients, a photo book, a Memphis archive

The Memphis multi-instrumentalist, composer, and leader of the Rolling Head Orchestra is a veteran of the Reigning Sound, Alex Chilton, and Tav Falco’s Panther Burns. He’s created and performed original scores for a number of classic silent films including a recent commission for the Indie Memphis Film Festival of the 1921 Swedish witch documentary “Haxan.” Alex also has a PhD in anthropology, so he might have some insights about the Troubled Men. Topics include a cool day, a sex toy spill, an X-ray, an eyewitness, camera time, a long brushing, a city on the verge, Jan. 6 re-enactors, a theremin player, Jim Spake, Tom Lonardo, Jim Duckworth, moving to Memphis, computer music, Ardent Studios, the Farelight sampler, Lorette Velvette, the Kropotkins, Mo Tucker, Greg Cartwright, Booker T, a swan song, a whirlwind tour, Mario Monterosso, Bruce Watson, Bible & Tire Recording, Goner Fest, Rev. Fred Lane, Wadzilla RIP, and much more.   Intro music: "Just Keeps Raining" by Styler/Coman

The Grammy-winning guitarist, singer, and producer with the New Orleans Suspects is also a Dirty Dozen Brass Band alum and owner/engineer of Rhythm Shack Studio where he’s recorded blues legend Bobby Rush and hoodoo slide guitar master John Mooney. Jake spent years playing the mountain music of Doc Watson and making L.A. sessions with studio giants like Larry Carlton before landing in the Crescent City. Tonight he submits to an interrogation as the Troubled Men play a little good cop/bad cop. Topics include a hearing date, early invitations, self help, the mayor’s debt, NOPD incentives, lawlessness, the royal family, a stalker update, a long hospital stay, a Covid honeymoon, a musical family, vaudeville, Appalachian State University, Eric Clapton, the Music Institute, Kirk Joseph, a post-Katrina relocation, Terrence Higgins, an extended tour, Roger Lewis, Liberace and Fats Domino, Sammy Davis, Las Vegas, Hollywood, Son House, Trina Shoemaker, Sheryl Crow, porno merchandise, Cedric Burnside, health

The now 93-year-old author and conservationist returns to the Feral Zone with his lifelong friend and drinking buddy Eddie Young to reminisce about the French Quarter in the ‘50s, the march to Selma with M.L.K., a kinky D.A., and other highlights of their 65-year friendship. Night nurse Nicole Pavy assists with the delivery. Topics include a 19th-century cottage, a birthday party, a smart ass, a competitive relationship, military service, encounter groups, a Mexican car crash, nightclubbing, Jim Garrison, hypocrisy, Clay Shaw, a sham trial, fake IDs, aging, Dr. John, Catholic school dances, the current climate, voting, arguments, the Place, Berkeley, “Five Days At Memorial,” a whistleblower, PTSD, Katrina, the kindness of strangers, a bush fire, survival, environmental predictions, future trends, and much more. Intro music: "The Trucker Takes A Wife" by Styler/Coman Outro music: "These New Dreams" from "Hope Is Not For The Weak" by the Geraniums Support the podcast: Paypal or Venmo Join the

The modern jazz saxophone player, composer, and bandleader has recorded with his own trio as well as the Klezmer Allstars and Iris May Tango. His latest project with Anthony Cuccia, Klaas Hubner, and Kate Becker combines music, meditation, and breathwork. Tonight Rob joins the Troubled Men as they drag a few skeletons out of the closet. Topics include a recall effort, another speed camera ticket, Moon Landrieu RIP, nicknames, the Stalker Files revisited, a stabbing spree, R.J., Chris Walken, Michigan, music training, a miserable childhood, college, Robert Black, classical saxophone, French masters, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, the Cubs, Andy Wolf, leaving Chicago, the Little People’s Place, Kevin O’Day, composition, Benjamin Lyons, killing time, a bad pet, a new project, Andrei Codrescu, a terminal record, an honest man, TikTok, and much more. Intro music: "Just Keeps Raining" by Styler/Coman Break Music: "20.05.22" by Rob Wagner and Klaas Hubner Outro music: "Sax_Bells" by Rob Wagner Support the po

Her tenure dates back to the earliest days of the Circle Bar. In fact, she likes to say that she came with the building. The former tennis pro and dentist-turned-bartender encountered everyone from Lee Circle winos and touring hipsters to counterculture royalty like Keith Richards and Hunter Thompson. After her time in Austin hanging out with Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bill Hicks, and Sam Kinison and her years as den mother for the circular clubhouse for wayward adults, Caroline is well acquainted with barfly foolishness. It’s just like old times as she joins the Troubled Men. Topics include a hiatus, celebrity spectators, a mayoral recall, Noonie Man, juvenile crime solutions, failing school zones, the Mission District, 2 dominatrices and a priest, Austin in the 1970s, common interests, an Antone’s jam session, Rank & File, a moveable feast, special catering, babysitting Roky Erickson, the Fleur de Lis restaurant, Ben Ellman, a Hank Williams III gig, Kelly Keller, absinthe parties, Jim “the Hou

The Americana-noir recording artist comes in on a wave of stellar reviews for her latest, “Wallowing In The Night,” the follow-up to 2020’s acclaimed “Fear of Living, Fear of Loving” recorded entirely on her phone. No stranger to adversity, she’s endured a carjacking, RV breakdowns, and the collapse of her touring band, and that’s just this summer. Undeterred, Shawn enters the Feral Zone to tell the tale as we react to the tragic loss of our dear comrade Carlo Nuccio and recount a few treasured memories of good times with the larger-than-life drummer. Topics include Jeff Treffinger, Swiss recording sessions, the Glyn Styler band, banned from the Red Room, one last gig, Carlo Fest, working for the Nooch, a cover story, prolific output, early songwriting, local roots, a radio career, a New York move, Dick Clark, back to new Orleans, a nonsense memory, a first meeting, Tom Stern, Blue Velvet Studio, an innocent approach, a first record, solo touring, a fortune cookie, a

The multi-instrumentalist behind the Night Janitor and the Other Planets has also played with Rotary Downs, the Iguanas, and Glyn Styler Presents the Clergy. Having survived his own season in hell, he now counsels other troubled souls as a mental health professional by day, while producing new music on the night shift. Anthony’s been there and back again, and he’s here to tell the story. Topics include an Iguanas tour recap, a secret show, Fitzgerald’s, Camille Boudin, Michael Tisserand, John Magnie, the Continental Club, Hunt Sales, Mike Buck, Bridge House, a marathon gig, a laptop break-in, Linda Gail Lewis, name confusion, playing bongos, studying with Hector Gallardo, Lafayette music peers, Tim McFadden, CC Adcock, the Other Planets, Rob Wagner’s New Thing, Playtex Living Gloves, Rotary Downs, Zack Smith, modular synths, Scott Campbell, Mr. Show, Sinking City Records, psychic shows, Tim Robertson, kamikaze practice, one bad decision, clinical mental health, relapse, vivid memories,

The screenwriter (“Sid and Nancy”) and director (“Roadside Prophets”) started her career in the hotbed of the L.A. indy scene making “Repo Man” with Alex Cox. She’s known Manny since his earliest days in the movie biz and Too Free Stooges. Abbe has survived both independent filmmaking and a near-fatal fall. Tonight she tests her luck with the Troubled Men. Topics include a jury deliberation, local politics, a trip to France, dental charts, mystery travel, Roy Cohn, Paul Sorvino RIP, “Goodfellas,” a fist bumper, a correction, UCLA film school, a student film, Dick Rude, Ramón Menéndez, “Repo Man,” Sunset Strip, the Circle Jerks at Tipitina’s, Zander Schloss, a blended family, a big hit, writing “Sid and Nancy,” Gary Oldman, Courtney Love, criticism, Dan Wool, AFI, Brant Reiter, “Roadside Prophets,” a union job, a fall, moving home, smoking, a Vegas trip, Nick Ratner, “Mad God,” Mody Frank,

The versatile guitarist with fiddle dynamo Amanda Shaw has had his orchestral compositions performed by symphonies around the country. All this is in addition to his day job as one of the hardest working guys playing Bourbon Street. Tim’s work ethic, forged as a high school track star, serves him well as a musician and tonight as he stays a step ahead of the Troubled Men. Topics include a world on fire, a Taco Bell attack, a prison story, the D.A. on trial, John Hinckley on the loose, “Taxi Driver II,” Hanson live, a stalker returns, Istanbul, redheads, judo practice, Arch Manning, Bethlehem Steel, an elevator escort, a track star, starting late, a realization, a pivot to music, the cusp of greatness, Mike Sklar, Mike Darby, learning songs, a Bowie tribute, being Mick Ronson, the Iguanas at the North Star, Mike Barras, stage acumen, differing perspectives, studying composition, Daron Hagen, a tuba glissando, orchestration, and much more. Intro music: "Just Keeps Raining" by Styler/Coman Brea

The award-winning commercial photographer and drummer with acclaimed alt-rock band Rotary Downs shot his first music festival as a teen at the Festivals Acadiens in his hometown of Lafayette, La. His current exhibition, “Exit Stage Right,” at the N.O. Jazz Museum is a collection of stage-side portraits taken everywhere from Bonnaroo to Chaz Fest. His two decades playing with the sublime Rotary Downs is icing on the cake. Zack is used to flying by the seat of his pants in less-than-ideal conditions. That comes in handy as he wings it with the Troubled Men. Topics include the #1 dive bar, a pickup line, the #1 murder rate, the navy base, a Tic Tac obsession, Bastille Day, an all-purpose band, Zachary Richard, a French language renaissance, a vision quest, a bathroom darkroom, trial and error, the zone system, intellectual property rights, a portfolio, meeting bands, assisting Herman Leonard, a visual tradition, disposable images, a heckler, a photo booth, a move to Granada, band dynamics, the writin

The powerhouse guitarist from the Wild Magnolias and Papa Grows Funk spent 20 years as a star of the Japanese blues and soul music world before finding a new home in New Orleans. A longtime devotee of Mardi Gras Indian music and the Meters, he quickly found his way into the very bands he’d studied from afar. After nearly three decades at the apex of the funk scene in his adopted city, June tips into an old haunt to rendezvous with the Troubled Men. They decide to do it in English, as Manny and René’s Japanese is atrocious. Topics include gunplay, a murder bet, Carlo Fest, donuts, the 4th of July, Japan, Susan Cowsill, Abe Simpson, fireworks, Tic Tacs, Theryl “the Houseman” DeClouet, that hometown smell, an athlete, American TV and radio, the Ventures, electric guitars, fake hippies, the West Road Blues Band, opening for B.B. King, funk bands, a record deal, Korean cultural dominance, Pink Lady, Chickenshack, Band of Pleasure, David T. Walker, James Gadson, the Sunset Strip, the

King James and the Special Men’s hold on the Monday night old-school r&b scene at BJ’s, Sidney’s Saloon, and the Saturn Bar lasted over a decade, leaving behind an LP and a handful of singles featuring the Lost Bayou Ramblers’ Louis Michot, Layla McCalla, and Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff. Now mastermind Jimmy Horn heads Special Man Industries, producing perfumes, incense, and other sundries for his discriminating clientele worldwide. Listen in as the Special Man joins the Troubled Men to contemplate the state of civilization. Topics include an inside job, Roe v. Wade, the coat hanger business, Twitter, Dominicans, a debutante party, white suits, Rotary Downs, Midnight Oil, dry cleaning, a dog park, cottage core, a road trip to New Orleans, pioneer stock, Mormon wives, a word problem, Seattle, the LeDale Hotel, a pimp, a dancer, Washboard Lisa, the Quarter scene, Chris “Showtime” Davis, Rashid Akbar, Dave Clements, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Ernie and Antoinette

The writer, translator, and WWOZ DJ discusses his new book of poetry, “Far Flung,” his early life in New Jersey, and the ocean trek that sparked his love of Brazil and its culture. Dean’s years of on-air radio experience and easygoing nature serve him well as he mixes it up with the Troubled Men on the eve of another epic trip abroad. Topics include illegible handwriting, hobosexuals, the heat, a Julee Cruise correction, Father’s Day, a birthday breakfast, a Zoom meeting, senior dating, civil rights work, a New Jersey childhood, college in Boston, radio shows, a lumber freighter, a co-conspirator, Martha Mitchell, a Kingston close call, love letters, a change of plans, visa issues, learning Portuguese, the favelas, drumming, a lost bet, bartending, fine dining, getting published, John Travis, “My Favorite Things,” McCoy Tyner, a flight to Lisbon, and much more. Intro music: Styler/Coman Break music: "Brazil" from "Stone Flower" by Antonio Carlos Jobim Outro music: "Berimbau

The virtuoso guitarist and composer with Woodenhead and the New Orleans Guitar Masters has spent a lifetime exploring the possibilities of the instrument. He’s scaled the heights of instrumental jazz/rock with Woodenhead and luxuriated in the introspection of his solo acoustic work, all while swimming against the pop music tide. Tonight Jimmy paddles as fast as he can to keep his head above the turbulent waters of the Troubled Men Podcast. Topics include Esai Morales, a staycation, airfares, random gunplay, a fan encounter, Julee Cruise RIP, David Lynch, wigging out, Ejaculation at the Celebration of Life, a lost guitar, Lake Terrace, the Beatles, Yoko Ono, the Greek Fountains, Audubon Park concerts, Black River, Cranston and Dave Clements, music school, Sex Dog, Rick Wigginton, Layla Musslewhite, Keith Keller, a live recording, L’li Queenie, Ford’s Place, Ron Cuccia’s Jazz Poetry, Peter Holsapple, Susan Cowsill, the White Album, Lenny Breau, the Police, Ole Man River’s, the Lafi

Saxophone great Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. joins the Iguanas and Emmy-winning Hawaiian filmmaker and festival producer Kenny Martinez-Burgmaier to reflect on the triumphant return of the Big Island Jazz and Blues Festival after a 2-year hiatus. Donald discusses his mentoring a teenage Notorious B.I.G. and hanging out at home with Miles Davis. Kenny recounts his rise from child cook to impresario. The star-studded lineup and spectacular locale stand in contrast to a persistent ennui for which there is no geographic solution. Troubled in Paradise? You could put it like that. Topics include the Mauna Kea Beach Resort, caloric intake, Eric Marienthal, Wayne Toups, supplements, Skip Martin, positivity, a Mexican restaurant, car sales, Jazz Alley TV, film school, video production, Pancho Sanchez, 2nd lines, a unified musical approach, Clifford Brown, artistic longevity, boxing acuity, Mike Tyson, an extended stay, Aloha spirit, royal lineage, a canoe, and much more. Intro music: "The Trucker Takes A Wife" by Sty