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The Spaghetti Junction Podcast
by Rodney Harter
A weekly podcast exploring politics, art, and sports.
Episodes
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Episode #110
There were two adults in the congressional hearing room; and it mattered not a tinker’s damn to Republicans. Then, I am reminded of Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. Every one of the suspects on the train was guilty. Then, the spin on Koepernicks workout is truly an allegory for...
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Episode #109
Just exactly what does Partisan Witch-hunt mean? Is it a reasoned refutation, or is it a smoke screen used to cover what is factually all too clear? When the Nazis came to power the writer Charlotte Beradt began collecting dreams. What did she learn about our subconscious? The invincible luster…
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Episode #108
It’s time, America, for a heart to heart conversation. I’m not sure we deserve a democracy. A recent Atlantic article affirmed my fears: The goodly veneer of America is a lie. Despite amazing drama and missed calls, The Nationals triumph.
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Episode #107
I took a two week vacation; nothing changed. That's not true. It's worse. Republicans turned desperate. I found analogies to these times in The Tudors, and A Man For All Seasons. Finally the World Series clash is one of the old and new.
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Episode #106
Trump is the smoking gun. But, Let’s not confuse justice and revenge. There is more at stake. The entrenched nature of Trump’s support led me to look at the American Antihero: Life imitating art? Finally, California is challenging the NCAA - and it’s about time.
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Episode #105
Donald Trump has played the reactionary hack his entire life; he knows nothing, nor cares to know anything about a three-dimensional human being. Now he’s fully exposed. Laura Ingrahm compared Thornburg to a Steven King novel/movie: Children of the Corn, calling her speech chilling. Finally,...
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Episode #104
I have a conundrum: I’m not sure who to give more weight: Jon Meacham, or Shawn Rosenberg. I recall two non-fiction essays that lead me to think deeper, especially when in juxtaposition with a viral art work authored by a Kashmir female artist. The US was sent packing in the recent World...
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Episode #103
The Emperor may not have any clothes; but, the Republican Party is even more shabbily dressed. “The rarer action is / In virtue than in vengeance”. Prospero from Shakespeare’s Tempest. There are a couple of other works I recently discovered (non-literary) that suggest similarities to our…
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Episode #102
It’s time to forget about Trump, and focus on the agenda of the Republican Party! It’s fair to say that Tom Hiddleston is trending! His recent star-turn in Pinter’s Betrayal on Broadway is telling in the era of Trump. Both Andrew Luck and Rob Gronkowski have retired. Some have looked upon it as a...
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Episode #101
Everything changes while remaining the same. Perspective is a terrible thing to waste! This issue of perspective arose in a Netflix series The Tudors, too. Perspective is also an issue among sports: A number of old Hall of Famers claim they can no longer watch the game.
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Episode #100
What about the gun crisis in America? The reality is the horses are out of the barn!What are the real possibilities? I am finding seeds of our dilemma in western movies that have a Frontier justice theme. Why was Larry Nasser able to get away with it for so long? Medals and money over morals! In...
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Episode #99
Is this the new normal? Defying the constitution? Ignoring constitutional checks and balances? Creating divisive wedges between segments of our citizenry? In the shadow of this noise we mourn the passing of Toni Morrison. They called him the Left hand of God; why don’t we have leaders like this…
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Episode #98
The politics of purism makes people stupid and nasty, says Maureen Dowd. As my guest Dan Kohn opined: Once a pickle never a cucumber! Then: Ben Brantley and Jesse Green on a reclaimed Oklahoma: What’s so thrilling about this exposure of what lies beneath is that you feel it was always there,...
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Episode #97
American Politics is currently under the placebo effect. Then, Nathen Rabin writes: What once felt creaky and old-fashioned now burns bright with fresh outrage. Finally, it's been 25 years since A League of Their Own premiered. A lot has happened; a lot hasn't.
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Episode #96
Where is the off-ramp? Is there an off-ramp? There’s an art show in England, and one of the portraits is entitled The American Flag is Bleeding by Faith Ringgold. Finally, truthfully, I wish Wimbledon simply declared a tie!
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Episode #95
Great wealth insulates people from consequences. We are waging a pitched battle for who and what this country represents; and, money is winning the day! Next, What David Levinthal’s Photos of Toys Reveal About American Myth and Memory. Then, Kevin Durant’s messy exit from the Warriors seems all…
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Episode #94
Traditionally, we celebrate the birth of our nation invoking the non-partisan principals and purposes of our founding fathers; this year we celebrate Donald Trump, and bogus strength. Amid the squalor, squawking, and unspeakable atrocities at the border this week, John Leguizamo who is touring a...
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Episode #93
So, tell me: who is the basket of deplorables? The current revival of All My Sons ranks pretty high among revivals. Why is it so popular? Rockets respectfully disagree with NBA's MVP announcment. No, it's not respectful at all. It’s time for the Spaghetti Junction Podcast.
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Episode #92
An existential challenge? Our history is more nuanced than we admit. Integrity does seem in short supply. A revisiting of Scent of a Woman, reveals the vulnerability of integrity, while game six of the NBA Finals provided not only a thrilling matchup, but two commodities in short supply within…
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Episode #91
Impeachment is a form of mutiny; it is not a coup. John Dean lays out the entirety of Donald Trump’s corruption, but nobody seems to listen. Is Trump Captain Queeg? I’m reminded of the bitter political divide when Kevin Durant goes down with an Achilles heel injury and Raptor fans cheer! Next on...
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Episode #90
The high church of the low blow: I’ll explain what that is and how we got there. In the face of all this trauma, we need a little humour, and I have a recommendation, maybe two. Finally, there is humor in sports, too. Like a good story, movie, or novel, they show the humbling humanity of us all.
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Episode #89
Robert Mueller may be a straight arrow; but that straight arrow may only be an excuse to avoid tough decisions! Secondly, Does real life become a fictionalized narrative when you put a camera to it? Is MEDIUM COOL a cinematic Guerrnica? The recent deaths of Bart Starr and Bill Buckner reinforce...
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Episode #88
There is never a bad time to do the right thing. We feast on “Talking Points”that are at worst lies, and mostly distortion, At the root of all this is a drive to rewrite history! The movie American Beauty, tells the story of Lester Burnham’s disallusionment and fall. This disillusionment surfaces...
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Episode #87
What do Warriors/Rockets, the Kentucky Derby, William Barr, and American Idol all have in common? More than you think, and we’ll explain in this week’s episode #87!
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Episode #86
To the Republican Party leadership: Gentlemen, we need a kahuna! Consider then two movies, Scarface and The Wolf of Wall Street: empty, bullying and an overblown B movie. Finally, game one between the Rockets and Warriors was an insult to basketball and exposes a game gone awry in ways that…
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Episode #85
Abraham Lincoln persuaded me against impeachment, not the investigations, but against impeachment. Next, two films foreshadow troubling endgames, while baseball speaks to our mental health in Episode #85.
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Episode #84
For many Americans, Thursday of this week bore all the magical hope of Christmas in April -- don't hold your breath. Next, a new movie The Best of Enemies and new Broadway play through steely light on this era. Finally, sports exposes yet again the underbelly of this society -- greed.
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Episode #83
Why is it hard to admit incompetence, stupidity, and corruption when it stares us in the face? We also find parallels in this political sphere when looking at two films that chronicle Bonnie and Clyde. Finally, the echoes of this same dysfunction are found in sports — and the NCAA Tournament.…
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Episode #82
We refuse to see what stares us in the face: There is a paucity of ideas, especially on the right that must be called out. Next, we reference another flick from the dark side of a dream, Elia Kazan’s A Face In the Crowd. Finally, my dreams of a Duke/North Carolina Championship crashed. These are...
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Episode #81
It was a climactic weekend: the Mueller report and its potential squashing by the DOJ. I discuss my mixed emotions with Paul Kelley, we turn next to the media coverage of this event and a Frank Capra film of 1941 that resonates profoundly. Finally, allow me to wax sentimental about amateur sports...
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Episode #80
We explore three things: Freedom comes at great cost; but, what happened to real conservative courage? Second, Peter Sach’s triptych Amnesty reflects the conflict within our lives, while also echoing Elliot’s Wasteland. Finally, just humour me regarding my optimism for a Duke/Carolina NCAA...
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Episode #79
Thomas Friedman suggested this era be named “Anything Goes”. It’s actually much worse, and I’ll explain why. An Inspector Calls is an early twentieth-century British play I found quite relevant. twenty-nine-year-old Bryce Harper signs a thirteen-year contract for 300 million dollars. What would...
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Episode #78
Donald Trump is dangerous; but, there is an even greater con afoot that goes unchallenged? The Republican Party. The Oscars hummed along nicely without a host and with some very interesting results, but is this the beginning of the end? Finally, the NBA says “You can’t fix an NBA game. Not...
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Episode #77
“Truth with malice in it.” So wrote Herman Melville. Truth with malice in it is now at the heart of our compulsions and obsessions that defy logic, or any rational thought. I worry about fatigue. I viewed a movie recently that obliquely placed some of this in perspective -- In the Heart of the…
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Episode #76
We have a conundrum! Actually, we have multiple conundrums! One is called Immigration reform. Why can we not lose these conundrums? Untangle the issues? Simple, the conundrum or the Gordian knot is too lucrative! Sports are the perfect prototype, and I’ll share a story of entitlement rooted in...
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Episode #75
The Superbowl and SOTU address mirrored one another: they were seen by two different worlds! Paul Kelley joins me to discuss the SOTU, one I entitled Pablum Is a Terrible Thing to Waste.
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Episode #74
Three weeks and counting, Super Bowl weekend, and killing innocence: It’s time for the Spaghetti Junction Podcast.
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Episode #73
Outrage and moral indignation are fraying my emotions. This government shutdown betrays our entire democratic process. Two movies viewed this week offered political insights I never expected. And finally, the sports world mirrored our political frustrations.
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Episode #72
Perspective is now in short supply, our political climate is more like blood sport rabid fan arguments in a sports bar. Cacophony reigns!
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Episode #71
It’s a grand old Mexican standoff! Ross Douthat has suggested that Trump’s rhetoric worked in 2016, but the world has changed. Ann Coulter supports Ocasio-Cortez’s suggestion for a 70-80% income tax on the rich! And Tucker Carlson said what?
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Episode #70
In Episode #70 we explore a coincidence, a juxtaposition: a 14th Amendment analysis asking to remove "Born here", in the shadow of the movie "Vice", and the disappointing football semifinals and its finger pointing.
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Episode #69
In Episode #69 I seek to discuss one of the three elephants in the room as a Democrat with a Republican. It’s a dialogue with the other side that reveals we’re not that different.
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Episode #68
In Episode #68 I have prevailed upon a good friend with dual citizenship, a man born in England, but also an American educated citizen, for the purpose of a little perspective on these vaunting parallel issues.
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Episode #67
Episode #67: first, has partisanship become a business? Secondly, The backlash Bill Maher experienced over his comments about Stan Lee, *DO* they prove the point? Finally, I feel like the Greenbay Packers lately, and that’s not good.
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Episode #66
We look a little deeper into the fundamental issues of the American experience with Paul Kelley, who suggests in Episode #66 that some of our basic democratic tenants may be mutually exclusive.
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Episode #65
In Episode #65 we explore this thorny issue of toxicity with Jeremey Maguire… a writer, director, and retired editor. It’s time for The Spaghetti Junction Podcast.
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Episode #64
Join me for an interesting interview with Dr Paul Kelley on "How we got here", and political parallels in the World Series.
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Episode #63
Episode #63 explores these questions: First, is there really an exhausted middle? Second, in fiction and life, what kind of truth really matters? Finally, George Orwell suggested that violence in sports is a war without shooting?
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Episode #62
Episode #61 poses these questions: First If it wasn’t about partisanship, what was it about? Second, What is the difference between EM Forster’s aristocracy, and the so-called elites? Finally, What? The World Series hasn’t begun? Oh, Lord!
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Episode #61
Episode #61 poses these questions. First, will we know the outcome is reliable and appropriate? Second, Did you know Ancient Greek has an expression for ‘barefoot and pregnant’? Finally, The Seahawks Earl Thomas; is he a parallel for Kavanaugh?
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Spaghetti Junction Podcast have?
The Spaghetti Junction Podcast currently has 99 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Spaghetti Junction Podcast about?
A weekly podcast exploring politics, art, and sports.
How often does The Spaghetti Junction Podcast release new episodes?
The Spaghetti Junction Podcast has 99 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Spaghetti Junction Podcast?
You can listen to The Spaghetti Junction Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Spaghetti Junction Podcast?
The Spaghetti Junction Podcast is created and hosted by Rodney Harter.
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