Trillbilly Worker's Party

Appalachia: exceptional or nah? We attempt to tackle this burning question, along with providing some analysis on the recent loss of coal baron Don Blankenship and what it ~means~. But before we get started on all that, we take a little dive into our local newspaper's most famous segment: Speak Your Piece.

New premium Patreon episode up: https://www.patreon.com/posts/alan-smithee-18640298

On our 50th episode, we're joined by journalist Sylvia Ryerson and Eastern Kentucky University professor Judah Schept, to discuss the federal prison that has been slated for construction in our home of Letcher County, Kentucky. We also talk about rural prison expansion and the carceral state more generally, and about how prisons are sold as economic development for deindustrialized regions. Check out their recent article here: http://bostonreview.net/law-justice/sylvia-ryerson-judah-schept-building-prisons-appalachia And check out Sylvia's Restorative Radio project here: http://www.restorativeradio.org/audio-postcards-2/

Tanya regales us with stories of her travels. Tarence has a good new TV show. Tom's not touching any of it.

Take a trip with us to the Hazard Pavilion, where we discuss the police state, creative placemaking, and our new reality TV show called Pimp My Side by Side

Today we're joined by Claire Lobenfeld and Jonny Coleman of NOlympics LA, a campaign launched by members of the Los Angeles chapter of Democratic Socialists of America to stop the 2028 Olympics games from coming to Los Angeles. We talk about how large shiny development projects get forced onto small tax bases in order to squeeze as much money out of constituents as possible. We also talk about how Little Giants should be interpreted as a product and statement of the proletariat.

We're unlocking this week's premium Patreon episode, after technical difficulties thwarted our plan to release a new free episode this week. We're really sorry about that, we're trying our best, please don't be mad at us!! We'll have a new episode to you by the end of the weekend. This is still a good episode though, mostly because we discover that Tom has some serious acting chops.

This week we're joined by Tyler Mahan Coe of Cocaine and Rhinestones, a podcast about the history of country music. We talk about some popular songs, such as Merle Haggard's "Okie From Muskogee" and Loretta Lynn's "The Pill," as well as other miscellaneous country music stuff. The song at the end of this episode is "Winter's End" by Michael Howard.

We recorded this before the infamous last minute teachers' pension vote in the Kentucky General Assembly. But it's probably pretty good context for what's going on in the state overall.

New post up on Patreon. This is just a preview. Like and subscribe: https://www.patreon.com/posts/17822310

This week's episode is brought to you by Ira Glass and the good libs over at Buffalo Wild Wings.

This episode is like a vulgar noirish video game. It ends with me and Matt starting a new religion that has its own theme song and everything. But you've gotta listen through the first hour of the show just to find out about it!! Good luck!!

The original trio holes up in a log cabin in the woods to plot their next move.

Scott Benson (@bombsfall) drops in to answer a burning question: what was it like to be straight edge in medieval times? Jk this episode is mostly about his killer video game, Night in the Woods. Enjoy!

Special Trillbillies West Virginia correspondent and folklorist Emily Hilliard and Jacobin Magazine contributor Cathy Kunkel got some great interviews with striking teachers in West Virginia, and so we present them to you here as a demonstration of what organized labor and direct action looks like in the Mountain State.

For our latest episode, we welcome back Sarah Jones (@onesarahjones) of the New Republic to talk about her recent piece on the legacy of Billy Graham (the preacher, not the wrestler) in light of his recent death. We also talk about how the paranoid style of American Evangelicalism brought us to this current moment, and how Graham helped usher that in and bring it into the mainstream.

The kentucky wildcats won last night so this episode makes a lot more sense in hindsight. Like, the themes and shit.

Tarence and Tom are super professional, with the absolute best internet connection speed in the podcasting game. Elizabeth Catte (@elizabethcatte) stops by to tell them about her new book, What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia. Happy Valentines.

We're back. It's a new semester. Nick Offerman was in town shooting a documentary so he stopped by to ask us some questions while we pitched him on some great and brilliant tv ideas. Don't steal them please.

Season finale featuring R.L. Stephens. Enjoy.

If you can make it through the first 20 minutes of our mindless rambling about the Reformation and Nonprofit-Speak, Elizabeth Catte has some good insights on a recent Reuters article about miners and coding. Check out the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/15198253 Here are the articles discussed on today's show: -- http://iasc-culture.org/THR/THR_article_2017_Fall_McCarraher.php -- https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trump-effect-coal-retraining-insight/awaiting-trumps-coal-comeback-miners-reject-retraining-idUSKBN1D14G0

Scary stories from special guests: Felix Biederman, Elizabeth Catte & Josh Howard, Emily Hilliard, Drew Nutter, and Sally Sexton. The second part to our two part Halloween special. Tracklisting (Start Time): Intro "Sexual Hauntings" by Emily Hilliard (3:29) "Bullseye" by Drew Nutter (10:29) "The Gathright Phantom of Lake Moomaw" by Elizabeth Catte + Josh Howard (11:58) "Virginia Haint Tales" by Tom + Tarence (15:47) "Adactilydium" by Tarence (26:12) "The Great Chicago Potted Plant Caper of 2006, a Psychological Thriller" by Felix Biederman (32:55) "The Big Toe" by Sally Sexton (Tom's Grandmother) (50:26) Outro: "Halloween Town 2012" by Dog Layer

In part one of our two part Halloween special, we talk about the real life horrors like cutting meat for minimum wage in Pikeville, Kentucky and rabies that should scare us more than the supernatural this Halloween.

Tanya makes a solo run to build up women and share feminist wisdom in the days of #metoo.

Friend and author Willie Davis stops by the show to shoot the shit and burn some books. Except the one he wrote, we didn't burn that one.

In episode 29 we talk with journalist Bill Estep of the Lexington Herald-Leader about Mr. Social Security himself, Eric C. Conn. This is a premium damn episode, so make sure you subscribe to our Patreon so you can check it out: https://www.patreon.com/posts/14806928

Stand up comedian and friend of the show Brandie Posey (@brandazzle)stops by the studio to talk Hungarian villains, wi-fi networks in spy neighborhoods, and of course pet psychics.

In episode 27, the gang talks about the eventful week in sports with the FBI's probe into NCAA basketball and the NFL protests. Tom also has to reckon with the fact that the coach of his beloved Kentucky Wildcats, John Calipari, is coaching the Congressional Republicans in a charity basketball game, and is beholden to the evil coal industry.

The gang travels to Bristol for a music festival. On the way there, Tanya unveils her magnum opus about Tiddy Roosevelt, America's first female president. Other items: Thrillbillies, kittens, and stealing Texas valor.

It's the definitive guide to Eastern Kentucky street festivals yall. Also we write like a dozen scary movies. We're a movie production studio now. Features special guests Mikie Burke and Jaydon Tolliver. Premium subscribers can hear the full episode at our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/14491273 and patreon.com/trillbillyworkersparty

A special guest appearance falls through and the Trillbillies turn on one another. Friends become enemies, enemies become friends. Chaos is a ladder or whatever.

We're unlocking our Labor Day special with Michelle Miller, co-founder of coworker.org, because it's a Monday and we had to work today and work sucks. If it's not obvious at this point the topic of discussion is WORK.

It's a new season folks. Who's ready to get SAD. We talk about the related topics of poo, Peggy Noonan, and death.

In episode 23, the gang discusses TV preacher Joel Osteen's Harvey scandal, as well as who the biggest player haters were in the scriptures among other topics.

With the boys out of town it's real mf'in socialist feminist hours here on the Trillbillies. In this all-femme episode we talk media representations of Appalachian women, book recommendations, doctor face-offs, and more.

In this rather somber and factually inaccurate episode, we say a lot of things we'll probably take back in a week.

In episode 20, we welcome our friend and professional folklorist, Emily Hilliard to discuss labor and capital's roles in the creation of folklore, West Virginia's Mothman legend, and why so many whites think they're directly descended from brown people (i.e. Cherokee Indians, Melungeons, Pocahontas, etc.), among other topics.

In Episode 19, Tom signs the gang up for a debate tournament with the big dawg JD Vance. Tarence forces everyone into a problematic leadership exercise. John Popper doxxes some poor soul.

Our friend Sammy G talks the do's and dont's of being a flight attendant. For the full episode, visit: https://www.patreon.com/trillbillyworkersparty

In Episode 18, the Trillbillies report for duty for the upcoming race war, and talk southern socialist politics with Cazembe Jackson, national organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and activist with Black Lives Matter Atlanta.

In episode 17, there's no substance folks. We talk about how the Mandela effect/Berenstain Bears parallel universe theory has affected us personally, and Tarence details the law of the universe that bears his last name.

Tom is MIA, so Tarence and Tanya write a short film about Tanya's vacation. Includes cameos from John Cougar Mellancamp, busted dolphins, Patch Adams, and an army of normie A.I. clown doctors.

In episode 15, we welcome the homie @DrewNutter in to help us analyze the red state/blue state divide, as well as how that divide mirrors the the death row/bad boy records feud of the 90's. Also we talk about the new Tupac movie and the California travel ban among other topics.

In episode 14, we welcome the southern correspondent for the New York Times, Campbell Robertson (@campbellnyt), to talk about the movement to remove confederate monuments in New Orleans and elsewhere in the south. Tom and Tarence then do a dramatic reading (sort of) of Brad Paisley and LL Cool J's 2013 song, "Accidental Racist."

B-roll from one of our earliest episodes that we found and thought was kind of funny. You probably won't agree. Listen here (for free): https://www.patreon.com/posts/11866450

In episode 13, we welcome historian, author, and all around G, Elizabeth Catte to talk about author Joan Williams's attempts to cash in on the current fascination of the so-called 'White Working Class' with her recent articles and new book of the same title. We also talk about Elizabeth's forthcoming book "What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia" among other topics, including whether Harry Caudill's* dick ever graced the pages of Time-Life. *If you're wondering who Harry Caudill is, he was basically JD Vance before JD Vance was JD Vance, but more progressive on environmental issues. More here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_M._Caudill

A meandering, lost episode we recorded shortly after our appearance on the Katie Halper show. Tarence has a meltdown about class. Tom considers the excellent PR strategies of bad people. Tanya's just walkin' 'ere. Listen here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/b-side-is-class-11687581

In episode 12, our favorite Hazardian Jenny Williams stops by the show with a bomb-ass quiche and chats with us about peppermint swirls, the Hands of God, and 3-way (or 15-way) phone sex.

In episode 11, we welcome our good friends Matt + Carrie Carter to talk sentient snuggies, cd-r consciousness, and the great Sears catalog dick conspiracy of '73 among other topics.

In Episode 10, we interview Aaron Petcoff about his recent Jacobin article, 'The Problem with Saul Alinsky,' and how it applies to leftist organizing in Appalachia and beyond.