D Magazine's EarBurner

EarBurner is a weekly conversation about North Texas issues (and a lot of other stuff). It is hosted by the editors of D Magazine, the city magazine of Dallas.

180: Mark Melton fights illegal evictions 05/16/2024

180: Mark Melton fights illegal evictions In the May issue of D Magazine, Matt Goodman wrote a story titled "." That would be Mark. Sort of by accident, he started the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, which now employs 18 people. On a per capita basis, A LOT of people get evicted in Dallas. That's because the justice of the peace courts where eviction hearings happen are a little wildass. So we talked about all that and about why you should care about people getting evicted. And we explored Mark's personal story, how he lost a job in Oklahoma and, without a college education or any real prospects, loaded up his family in a car and drove to Dallas. Why Dallas? It had a lot of highways so he figured it must have jobs. (He wound up as a bouncer at Cowboys in Arlington before eventually making partner at Holland & Knight.) to D Magazine. Print makes the podcast possible. Come on! It's like the price of three coffees! Or one coffee and one beer! Or a sandwich at Eatzi's! /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/31339372

179: James Faust loves movies more than you do 04/19/2024

179: James Faust loves movies more than you do James is the artistic director of the , which runs from April 25 through May 2. We talked about how many movies he had to watch to pick the 145 (so far) that will screen this year. We talked about how much he cries and why his back is giving him so much trouble and whether Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn get back together at the end of . But James also made us talk about this year's DIFF lineup, which features a bunch of world premieres, including a "30 for 30" documentary about—ugh—Dude Perfect. (Not to be confused with Dude, Sweet.) Get in here and get your ears all over it. Right now: rate and review the podcast. Then to D Magazine. Seriously. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/30904178

178: Megan Kimble on why highways kill cities 04/12/2024

178: Megan Kimble on why highways kill cities Megan spent four years researching and writing her new book, . Here's what said about it: "City Limits is a triumph. Megan Kimble echoes Robert Caro exposing how powerful groups like TxDOT are able to take away people’s homes, destroy their neighborhoods, and run roughshod over communities with virtually no accountability.” So yeah. We talked about highways and I-345. And about how Megan went on a fishing trip to the Eisenhower Library and discovered something amazing. Oh, also, we talked about her high school basketball career. Consider to D Magazine. Print makes the podcast possible. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/30798403

177: Mike Mooney's sex-trafficking podcast 04/10/2024

177: Mike Mooney's sex-trafficking podcast Mike used to work at D Magazine. Now he doesn't. But he's got a new podcast that dropped April 11 on Audible. It is titled . Over nine episodes, Mike and two other journalists ( and ) chronicle the rise and fall of Backpage.com, the Dallas-born classified ad site that a federal prosecutor "the world’s largest sex trafficking operation." Mike spent three days interviewing Mike Lacey, the founder of the New Times chain of alt weeklies and the man the feds say ran a criminal operation with Backpage.com. In addition to all that, we talked about why Mike escaped Oak Cliff for the suburbs. Consider to D Magazine. Print makes the podcast work. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/30765938

176: Greg Brownderville starts a literary festival 04/08/2024

176: Greg Brownderville starts a literary festival Greg is an who hails from Pumpkin Bend, Arkansas. He's also the lead singer for and the editor of the . It is under the auspices of the latter that he is launching a new literary festival. runs April 12 and 13 in three Oak Cliff venues (Wild Detectives, the Texas Theatre, and the Kessler Theater). So we talked with Greg about how you stage a lit fest that feels less like homework and more like a party. And we talked about one of the most amazing physical feats ever performed in the city of Arkadelphia (by him). If you have a minute, throw us some stars and write a review of the podcast. Then to D Magazine. Print makes the podcast possible. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/30730308

175: Joel Klatt on the new UFL 03/28/2024

175: Joel Klatt on the new UFL You probably know from his appearances on the Ticket and his Fox Sports work on college football. Along with Curt Menefee, he'll be calling the first-ever United Football League game, at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, March 30, at noon. We got the breakdown on the game, but we also talked with him about why specialization in youth sports is lousy and the fact that he's so cheap that he listens to Spotify with commercials. You should to D Magazine. At the very least, rate and review this podcast. Do it. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/30586193

174: Troy Aikman's many slights 03/20/2024

174: Troy Aikman's many slights Over the years, starting in 1992, D Magazine has unintentionally caused the man grief. In this episode, Tim and Zac run through the slights—but only to properly apologize. Also to give Zac a moment to humble-brag. For reference, here is what Eric Celeste's profile of Aikman looked like with the dumb "Troy Aikman Won't Dance" headline. Here's Aikman on our cover in , when Wick made up a cover blurb that suggested Troy had talked to us about his divorce. And, finally, here's the that made it look as if Tim and Troy were lovers. Again, we're sorry. to the magazine so we can keep telling you these silly stories. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/30450888

173: World Cup and Arlington mess 02/08/2024

173: World Cup and Arlington mess Right here you've got another chat recorded on the shady side of White Rock Lake, at Goodfriend. The boys tackle the goofiness of what one local official said about transportation to World Cup matches in Arlington. E.g.: "[W]e wish to have an aggressive travel demand management program to encourage our residents to participate in FIFA." Also they talked about tattoos. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/29852208

172: A giraffe death and the mayor's shoes 01/25/2024

172: A giraffe death and the mayor's shoes We're doing a thing. Sometimes we'll have a guest on the pod, sure. But sometimes (if we stick with it), Tim and Zac will simply go to a bar near their houses (Goodfriend) and chop it up as a duo, like Simon and Garfunkel. The hatred for each other will still be there, but they'll make beautiful music together. In this episode, the boys talk about a recent giraffe death at the Dallas Zoo (and whether there are animals smart enough to kill themselves), the proposed ban on horse-drawn carriages (Zac hates them, Tim is right), and Mayor Eric Johnson's footwear at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Allbirds ain't all that). The podcast is made possible by our print pub. Consider . And give this dang podcast a rating. And write a review. One sentence. You can do it! /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/29639123

171: Casey Gerald on Erykah Badu 01/06/2024

171: Casey Gerald on Erykah Badu Casey is one of the most committed magazine writers working today. When he profiled Leon Bridges for , he rented a house and bought a crazy-expensive shirt to establish a connection with the recording artist. For his that ran in the January issue of D Magazine, he hired a team of researchers to help him understand the icon. More than a podcast about magazine journalism, though, this one is about striving to become the best possible version of yourself. And South Oak Cliff football. Make this podcast (and all of Casey's dreams) possible by . /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/29364288

170: Tim DeLaughter Broke His Depression With a New Album 11/15/2023

170: Tim DeLaughter Broke His Depression With a New Album Tim is a Lakewood dad with four kids and a wife who runs a restaurant () to which he is sometimes summoned to do handyman work. He's also a rockstar, making his name first with and now serving as frontman for . The latter is dropping a new album, Salvage Enterprise, on November 17. We talked with Tim about how recording that album broke him out of a years-long depression and why kids today can't seem to listen to a song that lasts longer than a minute thirty. Also, we talked about whether Jesus ever rode a triceratops and the Dallas-based Institute for Creation Research. If you dig this podcast, consider to D Magazine. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/28647423

169: Joshua Ray Walker Almost Could Have Died 10/28/2023

169: Joshua Ray Walker Almost Could Have Died Start if you don't know who Joshua Ray Walker is. Short version: said of Josh: "country's most fascinating young songwriter is a baby-faced, 6XL guitar hero with a Dwight Yoakam voice and songs about suicide and boat-show models." We began our conversation at the Old Monk with Josh telling the story about how he wound up in the hospital, for the first time in his life, with a roommate named Dick who was a mob enforcer. We also talk about F1 and helicopters. And the best Tex-Mex in Dallas. And East Dallas dive bars! If you do dig this episode, consider . Cheers. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/28448384

168: A Spy Novel by a Former CIA Officer 10/10/2023

168: A Spy Novel by a Former CIA Officer David McCloskey used to work in the CIA. Now he's a novelist and does most of his writing in coffee shops on Greenville Avenue. Which ones? He wouldn't say. Even after Zac and Tim subjected him to extraordinary rendition, he wouldn't break. He also declined to read a sex scene from his new novel, , so Tim did the honors, which was gross. For more about David and his wife, Abby, check out of the couple in which we wondered if they might be the most interesting couple in Lakewood. (They are.) If you enjoy the podcast, consider . Cheers. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/28276214

167: A Drunken Conversation Over a Long Meal 09/13/2023

167: A Drunken Conversation Over a Long Meal This one is a bit of an experiment. When we learned that Catbird, a fancy "Best of Big D" award-winning joint in downtown Dallas' , was launching a 10-course tasting menu where each course was accompanied by a cocktail and that Catbird would let us preview the experience before the unwashed masses could get their unwashed mouths on it, we were like: "Yes." The idea was that four D Magazine staffers would journalistically investigate this important situation. Our Serious Food People (Brian Reinhart and Nataly Keomoungkhoun) would eat and take notes, while our Seriously Drunk People (Tim Rogers and Zac Crain) would record a podcast as the meal unfolded. A couple of points to bear in mind: Tim served as the (mostly) sober inquisitor and podcast recorder, and the meal wound up falling a bit short of 10 courses. Nonetheless, some strange stuff went down, not least of which was Tim's admission that his parents let him do a birthday shot starting at about age 8. If you enjoy the podcast, consider . Cheers. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/28023360

166: The Forest Theater and Sunny South Dallas 08/10/2023

166: The Forest Theater and Sunny South Dallas OK, first Zac and Tim talked a bit about how to pronounce Lionel Messi's name and whether (which Zac witnessed in person) is one of the top five sports moments in the history of North Texas. THEN the lads turned their attention to the wonderful Elizabeth Wattley, president and CEO of , the group working to save the historic Forest Theater in South Dallas and rejuvenate the ZIP code with the lowest life expectancy in all of Dallas County. Elizabeth's deep, intimate knowledge of the history of the neighborhood made for a fascinating conversation. As did Zac's deep, intimate knowledge of early ’90s Black fashion. Two notes: first, we were wrong about the etymology of the phrase "rule of thumb." has it right, if you're curious. Second, if you like the podcast, you should . /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/27714447

165: Life and Death and Basketball 06/27/2023

165: Life and Death and Basketball Michael Sorrell is the president of Paul Quinn, the oldest historically Black college west of the Mississippi. He died in 2008. True story. The man's heart stopped, and his girlfriend Natalie (now wife) performed CPR until medics could arrive and shock him back to life. So we talked about the fact that he's our first undead guest on EarBurner. And we talked about how the pandemic changed people and why those changes have made it harder to run an instution of higher learning. But the main reason we invited Michael onto the podcast was to talk about basketball. He played in college. And after law school at Duke, he played on the courts at the downtown Dallas T. Boone Pickens YMCA—which is about to be sold and torn down. If it weren't for those pickup games, Michael says, he wouldn't today be the president of Paul Quinn. How can Dallas be a great city without a downtown Y? Some links for you: The Morning News that the Y, after being downtown since 1885, plans to abandon the city's core. Zac Michael in 2021 for our sister publication D CEO. In 2017, Tim ran Kelly Oubre Jr. off the Y's courts when he interfered with the lunchtime pickup game. The Washington Post . And here's how you can to D Magazine and help keep the podcast going. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/27296889

164: Nick Badovinus, Dallas Restaurants, and Radio 05/26/2023

164: Nick Badovinus, Dallas Restaurants, and Radio Nick is in the pantheon of Dallas chefs. His new(ish) joint, the Brass Ram, in the East Quarter of downtown Dallas, occupies a space that once housed the broadcast studio for KLIF, one of the most important stations in the history of American radio. The space, called the Triangle Point Building, also once housed the Dallas Observer. So we bellied up to the Brass Ram bar with Nick and two former Observer staffers, Eric Celeste and our own Zac Crain, to talk about Gordon McLendon, the parrot he trained to say the station's call letters, Zac's previous life as an alt-weekly music editor, the supposed coup Eric orchestrated, and the time a certain editor thought the Observer had been the target of an anthrax attack. Oh! And we talk about restaurants and how Nick names them. We covered a lot of ground. You'll want to listen twice. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/26957166

163: Oak Cliff Film Festival 2023 05/21/2023

163: Oak Cliff Film Festival 2023 Barak Epstein from the historic joins us to preview the 2023 edition of the Oak Cliff Film Festival, which runs June 22–25. Movies discussed (some with confusing sound from their trailers!): Going Varsity in Mariachi, The Lost World, Quantum Cowboys, Walker, Stand By for Failure, Don't Fall in Love With Yourself, The Adults, and Earth Mama. Also, we talk about Barak's resurgent baseball career. REMEMBER: print makes the podcast possible. Consider to D Magazine. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/26904027

162: Dallas Noir Film Fest 05/12/2023

162: Dallas Noir Film Fest Once upon a time, Tim was a schoolmate at K.B. Polk Elementary with a guy named David Hale Smith. That fellow wound up becoming , even though DHS wouldn't tell us how much he earned last year. Be that as it may, DHS is part of a cabal responsible for the , which runs May 17–20 ("cabal" is a joke you'll get after listening to the podcast). We talked about books and movies and and why Dallas City Council three-time losing candidate Candy Evans blocked Tim on Twitter. to D Magazine. Do it now! /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/26817840

161: Abraham Alexander is the next big thing 04/26/2023

161: Abraham Alexander is the next big thing is buds with Leon Bridges, a connection that helped him get into the studio to record his debut album, SEA/SONS, which dropped April 14. Zac profiled Abraham for the June issue of D Magazine. In this episode, Zac and Tim talk about the profile-writing process, why more than a few musicians have wanted to punch Zac, and how much (or little) recording artists make from Spotify. Oh, also, we play a few songs from Abraham's new album and talk about them. Help us keep this podcast going by . Cheers. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/26655975

160: The most expensive bed in Dallas 04/14/2023

160: The most expensive bed in Dallas Would you spend $500,000 on a bed? The Swedish company thinks some of you in town will. They just opened a new store in Dallas. Tim and Zac talk about that and about why Tim sleeps on his couch. BUT WAIT. You're more interested in the Stars' chances in the playoffs? editor Mike "The Looch" Piellucci joins us at 17:00 to talk hockey and get you ready for what might (maybe) be a special run. (If you dig this free podcast, consider to D Magazine. That's how we stay in business.) /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/26539662

159: The allure of Western snap shirts 03/23/2023

159: The allure of Western snap shirts Y'all, get ready. Tim and Zac are about to become proper influencers. For the first time, they are reviewing a product, a Western pearl-snap shirt made by a Dallas outfit called . They talk about the 1978 movie that allegedly launched the Western snap shirt, why Zac's parents made fun of him for wearing snap shirts as a kid, and what the hell the deal is with the magazine . Get out a can of dip, and dig in. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/26313972

158: A Vaughan bros doc and the word "bruh" 03/02/2023

158: A Vaughan bros doc and the word "bruh" EarBurner is still trying to find its sea legs, even after 157 episodes. In this one, Tim and Zac make a long-distance call to Kirby Warnock, out in Big Bend, to talk about his new documentary on Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It screens March 23 at the Texas Theatre. Jimmie will be there. Get your now. THEN the lads talk amongst themselves about the Dallas Morning News reporter who was fired for calling the mayor "bruh" on Twitter. Tim broke that , and now it's all over the internet, even on Fox News and the New York Post. Ack. A note: here is the that Columbia linguist John McWhorter wrote about White people using the word "bruh." Tim refers to it, and it's worth your time. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/26112594

157: Tim and Zac on Mayor Johnson's BDE 02/23/2023

157: Tim and Zac on Mayor Johnson's BDE This episode is an experiment we're calling an EarBurner Quickie. No guest. It's just Tim and Zac in the podcast kitchen, cooking up a special dish together. For an amuse-bouche, they discuss monster pickup trucks that don't belong in the Whole Foods parking lot. Then the main course: why the mayor of Dallas approaches Twitter like a fifth-round draft pick with a chip on his shoulder. He picks fights. He roasts his "haters." And he makes a fair number of sophomoric references to "Big Dallas Energy." (P.S.: Tim mentions a Cowboys player who tattooed a potato chip on his shoulder, but he couldn't recall his name. It was cornerback .) /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/26018601

156: Jay Jerrier knows dough 02/11/2023

156: Jay Jerrier knows dough Jay started with his first restaurant in Deep Ellum 12 years ago. Now the dude employs 520 people in his pizza empire. He's got a salty mouth. He loves dogs. And his two daughters force him to spend a lot of time in airports. Fun connection: the EarBurner guest from the previous episode, Frank Campagna, has done some mural work for Jay. It's almost like we planned it. In terms of show notes, Tim was right about . Please know that. In terms of everything else, this was a banger. Five stars. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/25895922

155: Frank Campagna is the Godfather of Deep Ellum 02/08/2023

155: Frank Campagna is the Godfather of Deep Ellum If you've lived in Dallas for any length of time, chances are you've encoutered Frank's art. He estimates that he has done more than 1,000 murals in Deep Ellum (many of them to promote performances at the old Gypsy Tea Room). On February 11, he'll have his annual "For the Love of Kettle" show at his Deep Ellum gallery, , with works from dozens of artists, each of which is 9 by 12 inches and priced at $50. Doors open at 7 p.m. for what Frank calls "competitive shopping." We also talked with Frank about the 150th anniversary of Deep Ellum and about the time the South Korean pop group BTS created worldwide headlines when a few of its members dropped in to the gallery. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/25870353

154: Jonathan GNO White breaks up 02/02/2023

154: Jonathan GNO White breaks up GNO is a poet who not long ago put out a collection titled "." In this EarBurner, he explains why he nicknamed himself GNO (pronounced "Gino"), what happened when he told his mom Prince wasn't a girl, and how poetry can save young people's lives. Oh, also, he tells the story about how he wound up doing a McDonald's commercial for the Filet-O-Fish. (If you're reading these words in time for it, you can catch GNO at a poetry-and-cocktails on 2/10/23 at the Dallas Institute, where he'll read a selection of his break-up poems.) /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/25815993

153: Peter Johnson makes good trouble 01/12/2023

153: Peter Johnson makes good trouble Rev. Peter Johnson came to Dallas in 1969 on a mission: to secure distribution for a documentary about Martin Luther King Jr., the proceeds from which would provide for his widow and family. Of the 800 cities around the world where organizers hoped to show the movie, Dallas was the only place that said no—initially. We started our conversation with Peter explaining why he took the assignment so personally and telling the story about the magic moment, with only three days left to spare, when a beneficent stranger walked into his office and brought him to tears. After that, Peter told us about dragging a sack of snakes to Dallas City Hall, cussing out the rapper D.O.C., and getting arrested at a protest just a few years ago. This man is a leader and a legend. WARNING: In describing historical events, the Reverend at a couple points uses the N-word in this podcast. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/25586835

152: Victor Vescovo goes deep 12/20/2022

152: Victor Vescovo goes deep Victor's bio sounds like a fabrication: he has summitted the seven tallest mountains on earth, and he built his own submersible to dive solo to the bottom of all five oceans. Oh, and he has traveled to space. We talk about why James Cameron has a beef with him, how bumping into the Titanic got him dragged into federal court, and what we possibly need with a genetically reincarnated wooly mammoth that talks like Ray Romano. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/25389594

151: Hawkeye has sensitive nipples 12/01/2022

151: Hawkeye has sensitive nipples Mark "Hawkeye" Louis has done the morning show on 96.3 KSCS for more than 30 years. He is radio royalty in North Texas. He's also a runner who has been involved with the BMW Dallas Marathon (this year on December 11) for more than a decade, which is how we got to talking about his nipples and the best way to protect them on long runs. We also talked about jeans, stand-up comedy, why radio stations still broadcast traffic news, and the ship of Theseus paradox. Be forewarned: he swears exactly once in this episode of EarBurner. If you have children, consider abandoning them at a fire station. /episode/index/show/dmagazine/id/25193667

D Magazine's EarBurner

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