The Lowdown Slowdown

Christian and Kurt sit down with Andre Hyland, who plays Officer Shickford in The Lowdown. The three discuss his iconic moments in Season 1. They dive into Andre's career from visual artist, to his Jesse Miller alter ego, to recent features like Bad Man and The Death of Dick Long.Awesome conversation with a hilarious and very gracious human being.

Christian and Kurt sit down with The Lowdown and Reservation Dogs camera operator Charles Elmore. The three have a post-Oscars conversation about the movies, the awards, and, of course, Ethan Hawke's performance in Blue Moon.They discuss the growing film & TV community in Tulsa, including Charles' work with the Tulsa Film Collective, which has exciting new events on the horizon. Christian and Kurt talk photography and Charles' must-have annual calendar.This is a fun celebration of the movies and a great way to kick off The Lowdown Season 2 production.

Christian and Kurt discuss Jim Thompson and Bob Dylan with poet, biographer, and writer Robert Polito. The conversation kicks off with Jim Thompson, who is such a presence in season 1 of The Lowdown. The three discuss the impact of Thompson overall and the surprising encounters readers have in a Jim Thompson novel. Robert discusses his view of Thompson since his biography in 1995 vs. the new Library of America collection releasing on March 10th. Then Robert discusses his new book After the Flood: Inside Bob Dylan's Memory Palace with Kurt and Christian. The three talk about Rough and Rowdy Ways and the depth of Dylan's collage style work since 1991.

Kurt and Christian sit down with Dr. Brian Hosmer, Board Member with the Center of Public Secrets. The Center was founded by Lee Roy Chapman, who provided some of the inspiration for Ethan Hawke's Lee Raybon. This was a wide-ranging conversation and it provides so much extra texture on the richness behind the land, culture, history, and music of Tulsa. You'll definitely get some of the lowdown on The Lowdown. You can learn more about The Center's projects and status of the book "Lee Roy Chapman's Tulsa" at centerforpublicsecrets.org

Christian and Kurt talk with Rachel Crowl, who plays the role of Sally, the nexus of Sweet Emily's diner. They talk about pancakes, her big monologue, and the magic of working with Sterlin Harjo. Rachel shares her work with the legendary 1491s comedy group, which featured Sterlin. Everyone is stoked for Season 2 and Christian and Kurt have one request: more Sally.

In this episode of The Lowdown Slowdown, hosts Christian and Kurt sit down with Oklahoma singer-songwriter Beau Jennings, whose song "Cimarron River" is featured in Episode 3 of The Lowdown. Beau shares how his college friendship with creator Sterlin Harjo at OU led to the song's placement, and discusses his upcoming 20th anniversary show for his debut album I'm Haunted, I'm Alive. The conversation winds through musical influences—Dylan's chaotic genius, Tom Petty's flawless setlists, JJ Cale's laid-back grooves—and the art of grounding songs in specific places, from Lake Keystone to a Sooner Superette. Beau reflects on revisiting his younger artistic self, the joy of covers (including a ripping Woody Guthrie track), and the deep Tulsa Easter eggs that make The Lowdown so special.

We talked with the insanely funny Siena East about her role in The Lowdown as Deidre, Hoot Owl Bookstore manager extraordinaire. It was so great talking to her about her role, the show, and being in some of the most iconic scenes in the series. We dug into being on a show with Sterlin Harjo, sharing a scene with Ethan Hawke and Peter Dinklage, and the story behind Deidre's iconic tattoo. Siena has written on multiple shows (not The Lowdown) and does stand up. This episode was a blast to do and we hope you laugh in this one as much we did.

With Season 1 complete, what are we to do? Well, we talked with the legendary Eric Edelstein, who got to kidnap Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke) as Blackie in Episode 1 and Blackie's story never quite gets resolved until the very end. Honestly, we never really slowed down in this one as we covered topics from David Lynch to the new Tulsa music scene. And of course we obsess over just how great Sterlin Harjo is as a director and Ethan Hawke is as an actor. This one is for all the "Tulsa Sickos" out there in withdrawals from getting new episodes of The Lowdown.

The big finish we've been waiting for so long. We loved so much about the episode from the veterinary drugs to the high-emotion moments Lee experiences. We have needle drops and gogole maps estimates, caviar call backs and we slowdown to appreciate the beautiful symmetry of this episode.

We are not gonna lie, this episode was great, but it got bleak some times. We get so many moments of high conflict with lots of emotional weight. Most importantly, we get to Lee Raybon's big moment of his Citizen's Arrest!More great needle drops were delivered and now we just can't wait for the season finale.

Kurt and Christian follow up on Lee's descent into hell, or maybe a boxing ring. Another drop in at the Hoot Owl (Whooo?). Deidre is Lee's tour through the world of Native Tulsa with a wonderful cast of characters and cameos, but most importantly we get to see Graham Greene's final performance. We have the dark story of Indian Head Hills, both past and present, and really, what a world we wade into. Great needle drops again, including perfect Cale consumption.

In Episode 5, Peter Dinklage delivers a standout performance as Wendell, Lee's old frenemy who returns for their annual ritual honoring their deceased friend Jesus. Their dynamic—fighting over bookshelf organization, tracking down mysterious land deals, and ultimately reconciling with a "stay greasy" farewell—provides the emotional heart of an otherwise intense episode.Later, after one of our favorite cameos, Lee descends into literal hell. This visually stunning sequence , harking back to Babylon or Apocalypse Now follows Lee through a nightmarish gauntlet of corrupt politicians, police, skinheads, and criminals.We dive deep into the episode's possible use of Robert Johnson's "Hellhound on My Trail"—a reference connecting, for us anyway, Delta blues mythology, ancient hellhound legends, and even Jim Thompson's Oklahoma noir tradition. The episode also features meta-commentary through David Foster Wallace quotes about how clichés contain "overwhelming truth," perfectly highlighting Harjo's use of classic noir tropes with a Tulsa point of view..

In this episode, Christian and Kurt break down the midpoint of The Lowdown's season, diving into Lee Raybon's wild night with Betty Jo that changes everything. After his ex-wife drops the bombshell about her engagement, Lee goes full truthstorian mode and follows Betty Jo, leading to an unexpected day of bonding over drinks, karaoke, and revealing family secrets. The duo uncovers the real meaning behind Dale Washberg's "vile provocation."Christian and Kurt also celebrate the show's incredible needle drops (JD McPherson's "Sunshine Getaway" is a standout), discuss the significance of Tulsa Driller appearing in an unexpected way, and appreciate Ethan Hawke's commitment to keeping it real - scraggly hair, tighty-whities, and all. The episode careens perfectly through humor, heart, and high stakes as all the storylines hurtle forward.

Christian and Kurt, the self-proclaimed "Beluga Brothers," recap episode 3 of Sterling Harjo's "The Lowdown," titled "Dinosaur Memories." This Francis-heavy episode follows Lee and Francis as they track down stolen Jim Thompson novels, leading them to Lake Keystone, where Lee gets kidnapped by the real "Beluga Brothers"— Marlon and Hook who poach an ancient fish. Meanwhile, Francis proves her detective skills in her encounter with the mysterious Catalina. While other plot points simmer, we get great local needle drops and Ethan Hawke once again taking a beating.

In Episode 2 of "The Lowdown Slowdown," Christian and Kurt dive into The Lowdown's "The Devil's Mama" with newly stoked enthusiasm for all things J.J. Cale and Tulsa. We're particularly fired up about the continued musical choices, calling out two more J.J. Cale needle drops. The brothers bring their insider Tulsa perspective to scenes like the gas station and draw from their very real experiences at Tulsa's Center of the Universe. We analyze Ethan Hawke's increasingly battered appearance, celebrate Dale Dickey's performance as the "Devil's Mama," and geek out over Ken Pomeroy's casting as Dale's daughter. We dig into craft details like "Lee Raybon-core," Jesse Ed Davis's "Keep Me Comin'" and the show's immaculate dialogue and constant sources of pure comedy.

In our recap of "The Lowdown's" first episode, hosts Christian and Kurt dive deep into both the plot and craft of Sterlin Harjo and Ethan Hawke's new Tulsa noir series. While covering the main storyline - Lee Raybon investigating the Washberg family conspiracy that leads to neo-Nazi beatdowns and real estate murder - we spend significant time analyzing the show's exceptional musical choices, from the opening J.J. Cale "Sensitive Kind" to Leon Russell's "Stranger in a Strange Land" finale, plus needle drops of Chet Baker, Gap Band, and Lee Hazlewood that perfectly capture Tulsa's sleazy, funky atmosphere. We appreciate the authentic local details like filming at Magic City Books and references to Leon Russell's "Sweet Emily's," while noting visual callbacks to "The Big Lebowski" and "No Country for Old Men." We discuss Ethan Hawke's layered performance as the constantly-beaten "Truthstorian," the excellent supporting cast including Killer Mike as sleazy newspaper editor Cyrus, and production design details like Lee's conspiracy wall. Throughout, we track what we call the show's perfect balance of comedy and violence, celebrating how Harjo captures both Tulsa's magic and darkness in this "shaggy dog crime show."

Welcome to The Lowdown Slowdown. In this preview episode, we explore Sterlin Harjo's new crime series starring Ethan Hawke, set in our beloved Tulsa, Oklahoma. We break down the creative partnership, dive into the city’s role as a character, and explore why this "Tulsa noir" has us so excited.Release Date: September 18, 2025Runtime: Approximately 28 minutes