A few months ago, Rebecca McKean and I spoke with India Thusi about her study of the interaction of sex workers and the police in Johannesburg, South Africa. That conversation explored the current state of prostitution – and -- our attitudes and feelings about sexual intercourse as work. For this BCR conversation, we sat down at one of favorite bars with Dr. Samantha Majic – a professor in Political Science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Prof. Majic studies the links between gender and...
Jul 29, 2022•41 min•Season 7Ep. 174
Douglas Hostetter – Mennonite and Conscientious Objector -- served in the middle of a hot zone during the VietNam War supporting the people who lived there. His is an amazing story. Rebecca McKean and I spoke with Mr Hostetter at Gebhard’s Beer Culture Bar in Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Juneteenth and Father’s day, 2022. We will post our conversation with Douglas in two parts. In the second part of our conversation, Douglas Hostetter describes his daily activities in and around the Tam Ky bat...
Jul 15, 2022•47 min•Season 7Ep. 173
Douglas Hostetter – Mennonite and Conscientious Objector [CO] -- served in the middle of a hot zone during the VietNam War supporting the people who lived there. His is an amazing story. Rebecca McKean and I spoke with Mr Hostetter at Gebhard’s Beer Culture Bar in Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Juneteenth and Father’s day, 2022. We will post our conversation with Douglas in two parts. This is part one: During the Viet Nam War from 1966 – 1969 -- rather than carrying a gun, Douglas Hostetter orga...
Jul 08, 2022•50 min•Season 7Ep. 172
Rebecca McKean and I were out on a delightfully comfortable summer eve in the West Side Community Garden to listen to the jazz compositions of Scott Munson -- vibraphonist -- performed by his quintet: Dmitri Kolesnik on bass / Scott Neumann on drums / Joe Magnarelli on trumpet / Emma Larsson singing. Before the concert we talked about informal T-shirt wear and straight thighs, messed-up signs, Yankee Stadium, bugs, and the Upper West Side. After the concert we talked with Scott about his career ...
Jul 01, 2022•43 min•Season 7Ep. 171
Rebecca McKean and I – Alan Winson – were out on a late Sunday summer afternoon at the West Side Community Garden on the UWS of Manhattan -- waiting to take a musical tour through Argentina with guitarist Frederico Diaz and vocalist Juana Luna. And we will talked to these two amazing artists after the concert. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jun 24, 2022•43 min•Season 7Ep. 170
Rebecca Mckean and I were out on a late Sunday afternoon in June at the West Side Community Garden on the Upper West Side of Manhattan -- waiting to listen to Sweet Plantain – a string quartet -- with occasional trombone and mandalino – playing “a complex mix of Latin American music that artfully fuses western classical traditions” – according to the program. The mic was open to talk with our neighbors about their super powers. After the concert we spoke with Eddie Venegas leader of Sweet Planta...
Jun 10, 2022•50 min•Season 7Ep. 169
BCR is talking about Sex Work. We spoke with a knowledgeable scholar whose recently published book “Policing Bodies” details her ethnographic study of the interaction of sex workers – the police – and the justice system of Johannesburg, South Africa. Prof. Thusi teaches in Bloomington at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law and at the Kinsey Institute. India has worked with the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Constitutional Rights and The Opportunity Agenda. Early in her career –...
Jun 03, 2022•42 min•Season 7Ep. 167
Back at the West Side Community Garden -- between W. 89th and 90th Streets – Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues -- and we opened this Bar Crawl Radio podcast with the sounds of "Inti and the Moon" – an Andean / Latin / World Fusion band. It was the second concert of the 2022 summer series in the Garden – organized by Randa Kirschbaum. Rebecca McKean and I were out on a beautiful late spring afternoon to settle an argument about whether it is rude to point – AND – to enjoy some delightful music. At t...
Jun 03, 2022•38 min•Season 7Ep. 168
Rebecca and I arrived early to The West Side Community Garden -- a verdant neighborhood oasis – to record the jazz offerings of Sabu Adeyola's Spiritual Reunion Band and to talk to its leader about his career and memories of his teacher Charles Mingus. By the end of the concert Randa Kirshbaum who produces these summer musical repasts -- renamed the band "Miracle" because halfway through the concert Mr. Adeyola’s bass collapsed – well the bridge of his bass collapsed. And since this is the UWS, ...
May 27, 2022•41 min•Season 7Ep. 166
We are back recording at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar on the UWS -- taking a deep dive into Brownsville Brooklyn and the amazing work being done by its community organizations working to establish a good life for its citizens. We talked with Genese Morgan, community organizer and Chair of Community Board 16 which advocates for Brownsville, Brooklyn in the New York City Council. And Ms. Morgan is the founder of the Ocean Hill-Brownsville Neighborhood Improvement Association, INC. And, La’Shawn Alle...
Apr 29, 2022•53 min•Season 7Ep. 165
Catholic Workers – students of peace activism – knowers of Father Berrigan and the Plowshares movement – are already aware that this week was the fourth anniversary of the Kings Bay Plowshares action protesting the U.S. military’s nuclear stockpile. It is also the week that Martin Luther King was assassinated, over three decades ago. Less than a year before he was murdered, Dr. King addressed the National Conference of New Politics and argued that the American society was spoiled by 3 evils – Ra...
Apr 08, 2022•52 min•Season 7Ep. 164
For this BCR episode, we were privileged to talk with a woman who a few days prior to the recording escaped the war in Ukraine. I teach at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and recently one of my students missed several classes. This was unusual as Mishelle is the sort of student any teacher would welcome – attentive – actively participating – interested in most topics I bring up – and always prepared. In one class -- I had noted a sticker on the back of her laptop -- "F*** Putin" -- and she ...
Apr 05, 2022•34 min•Season 7Ep. 163
BCR co-hosts Rebecca McKean and Alan Winson and producer. Alina Larson spoke with Ukrainians living, working and protesting in NYC. Andrew Fessak is the president of the Board of Trustees of the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Volodymyr located on Manhattan's Upper West Side; Sam and Natasha are owners of the Blintz Box located in the underground Turnstyle Market next to the 59th Street subway station; Aleksandra Pryymak is a yoga instructor at a local Montessori school and a former Soviet a...
Apr 01, 2022•55 min•Season 7Ep. 162
BCR is back podcasting at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We talked with brave people who decided to start a new business during a pandemic – Dan Auld and David Fullner of Kekoa Foods – making forward thinking and tasty natural baby foods. And Adam Simon – a grand master – maybe not at chess – but bread making. He recently started Sourdough Gambit supplying UWS residents with amazing artisanal breads. CONTACT Rebecca, Alan and Alina -- barcrawlradio@gmail.com Host...
Mar 11, 2022•1 hr•Season 7Ep. 161
BCR usually records out of a favorite neighborhood bars on the UWS of Manhattan – but for this conversation we Zoomed it with a guest on the other side of this Great North American Continent. Teacher and fellow podcaster and advocator for a kinder world – Canadian – Morgane Michael. She resides and works in Victoria, British Columbia -- and this lady wears a bunch of hats. Morgane is a wife with two young children -- a teacher – speaker -- she produces and is the host of a prodigious podcast on ...
Feb 18, 2022•57 min•Season 7Ep. 160
This is a special edition of BCR - not in a bar but on the streets with a Catholic Worker activist. I recently talked with Brian Terrell in Union Square in NYC on a blistering, cold, sun-bright day in January 2022. He was in the city to give a talk at the recently installed, life-size, white, military drone statue by Sam Durant, above W. 30th Street on the High Line. Brian Terrell is a world-traveling peace activist who has been incarcerated in American prisons for protesting U.S.A. nuclear arma...
Jan 24, 2022•41 min•Season 6Ep. 159
Recently, Rebecca McKean was on the scene when our second grandchild was born. She lied her way into the birthing room pretending to be a doula or obstetrician -- it is not clear. In any case it was a life-changing experience as she watched Zeva enter the world headfirst from the left leg side of our amazing daughter. Learn some little known facts about bringing out bebe as Alan and Rebecca celebrate at the UWS 5Napkin Bar. Contact: barcrawlradio@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy ...
Dec 17, 2021•28 min•Season 6Ep. 159
I visited with American actor Kathleen Chalfant back when we first hunkered down due to COVID19 for our Hunkered Down Podcast. At the time, I expressed my gratitude to Joel Bernstein for inviting Ms. Chalfant to the podcast. A celebrated and honored stage, film and television actor, Ms Chalfont debuted on Broadway in Dance With Me followed by M. Butterfly. She has won numerous awards for her varied, powerful performances – in original Broadway productions. In Wit she played a scholar battling ca...
Dec 10, 2021•38 min•Season 6Ep. 158
This BCR episode was recorded at Bar Hygge in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia. Becky and Alan have a fun-filled evening talking with Catherine Price about her newest book "The Power of Fun" How to feel Alive Again." Ms. Price describes herself as a “recovering tech addict”; she is the author of How to Break Up With Your Phone (2018) which has been published in 30 countries and featured on NPR – The NY Times – The Los Angeles Times – Time Magazine – Wired – Vox – BBC World News – a...
Dec 05, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 6Ep. 157
Sometime in the 1890s – a young, tall, deeply handsome, light-skinned African American woman, and her mother, left the Jim Crow south and settled in New York City. She quickly became a sought-after artist’s model. Her form represented -- in statuary and coins, created by the most accomplished sculptors of the time – the ideal of the American Gilded Age – victorious, perfect, strong -- the Classic Greek idea of the female form –for a country in which some had became ridiculously rich during the I...
Nov 27, 2021•43 min•Season 6Ep. 156
Park Bench Chats -- back in Riverside Park in Manhattan -- talking with our Upper West Side neighbors about their unusual jobs. And there were several. Join Rebecca and Alan as they talk with: Sam who was a motion picture projectionist for senior citizen homes and was in charge of painting the lines on NYC street - Al Gorgoni, guitarist, who was involved with most of the big hits that came out of New York City in the 60s including the opening riff of Van Morrison's "Brown Eye'd Girl" which he co...
Nov 12, 2021•40 min•Season 6Ep. 155
ALERT! Garden lovers! This episode is for you. We’ve lived in NYC’s Upper West Side neighborhood for decades, and it was not until BCR producer Alina Larson connected us with the people in charge of The Lotus Garden , that we were aware a verdant urban oasis existed a few blocks from our apartment. Near Broadway—floating twenty feet above W. 97th street -- on the roof of a garage -- dwells a garden that has been tenderly cultivated -- for over 30 years. Three avid gardeners who are in charge of ...
Nov 05, 2021•37 min•Season 6Ep. 154
Alan Winson here -- co-host of Bar Crawl Radio podcast. I had just lost an important Lawn Bowling competition -- by a "squeaker" -- to my former bowling student and friend -- Joe Kelly. I was happy for Joe, but -- hey -- I lost. It got me thinking about the experience of winning the game. Rebecca McKean and I invited Joe and his life partner, Ryan Hastu, to meet us on a Riverside Park bench below the crumbling Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument to talk with us and our neighbors about the importance...
Oct 29, 2021•42 min•Season 6Ep. 154
We met Mike Vogel at a BCR Park Bench Chat episode in which we asked our neighbors on an afternoon stroll along the Riverside Park Promenade below the crumbing Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument: Do you like your job? After a bit of cajoling, Mike joined us and told his his job was writing about what annoyed him -- we knew we wanted to learn more. This author of "New York Attitude" [2020] joined us at Gebhard's Beer Culture Bar to talk about his love-affair with misunderstood New York City and NYer...
Oct 22, 2021•45 min•Season 6Ep. 153
It's early Fall and the night comes quickly in Riverside Park in Manhattan's Upper West Side. For this BCR Park Bench Chat, Becky and Alan talked with neighbors out for their afternoon stroll about their "best" friend. Some had issues with that description and preferred "close." We spoke with Layla (& Nidra, her mother), Grant, and John. Who's your best friend? Share at barcrawlradio@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 16, 2021•42 min•Season 6Ep. 152
This conversation was first posted on the Hunkered Down Podcast on June 5, 2020. J.T. Rogers urge to move is reflected in the dynamism of his Tony Award-winning play "Oslo" and in the way he perambulated around his office during our conversation. Clearly, this artist thinks on his feet. “Oslo” -- first produced on Broadway in 2017 -- is a heart-wrenching telling of the back-channel meetings started by a Norwegian couple to bring Palestinian and Israeli leaders together to talk about peace—person...
Oct 08, 2021•46 min•Season 6Ep. 151
You might think that many do not like what they do to earn a living -- but that was not the case with the four Manhattan Upper West Side neighbors on an afternoon stroll through the Riverside Park Promenade below a crumbling Civil War monument. For this BCR Park Bench Chat we talked with four of our neighbors about whether they "loved" their jobs and for the most part -- they did. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Oct 01, 2021•37 min•Season 6Ep. 150
This is a re-dux of the Hunkered Down Podcast --conversations with creatives who stopped creating during the COVID19 pandemic: For eleven successful seasons -- Kathryn Erbe played Detective Alexandra Eames to Vincent D’Onofrio’s Det. Robert Goren on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Prior to Criminal Intent – Ms. Erbe appeared as a death row inmate on the award-winning TV series OZ . This talented actor has worked steadily in television, film, and theatre since she graduated from NYU in 1989 and m...
Sep 24, 2021•48 min•Season 6Ep. 149
Is it important to be happy? Are you happy? How do you really know? A credible, scientific answer to these questions would require a deeper dive with experts for a future BCR episode. For now – we just asked our Upper West Side Manhattan neighbors out for a stroll in Riverside Park below a crumbling Civil War edifice – “Are you happy?” It was the end of summer -- a couple of days before the Jewish New Year – the world was filling with CO2 – Texas women could no longer control their health choice...
Sep 17, 2021•40 min•Season 6Ep. 148
The Poetry Foundation editors write: “When major parts of our lives seem to change in a flash, we are reminded that poetry can help us to cope with new realities and to assess the unknowns ahead. When we are stepping out into uncharted terrain, alone or together, poetry can capture our emotions. It can share our vulnerabilities and scars, along with our strengths.” Today. we are sharing the first program of our new podcast co-produced with Chris Brandt -- “Poetry. What is it good for?” For this ...
Sep 08, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 6Ep. 147
