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 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bar Crawl Radio

Best "human" Friend

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 to person. Of course, in the end, the resulting Oslo Accords failed to bring peace to the region.J. T. Rogers' works include: One Giant Leap, Blood and Gifts, The Overwhelming, White People, and Madagascar. “Oslo” was his first Broadway play.Alan Winson, interviewer. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

J.T. Rogers: American Playwright

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. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Love Your Job?

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 most recently appeared in Sam Levinson’s teen slasher film – “Assassination Nation.”For this episode, Ms. Erbe talks about her early work in television with Lynn Redgrave on “Chicken Soup,” her experiences of working on “Criminal Intent,” and her work in theatre. At the end of conversation, Ms Erbe reads from Arthur Miller’s “The American Clock” -- a “radio show” being produced by the Steppenwolf Theatre.CONTACT: Alan Winson -- barcrawlradio@gmail.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kathryn Erbe during the lockdown

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 choices -- COVID-19 infections were on the rise--  and our guests were “happy.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

R U Happy?

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 first episode, we explored the 20-year social and emotional after-tremors of the attack by Saudi Arabian terrorists on the United States through the powerful tool of poetry with J. Chester Johnson and Cornelius Eady. J. Chester Johnson is a poet, playwright, essayist, translator, speaker and teacher. He visited Bar Crawl Radio a couple of months ago to talk about his book – “Damaged Heritage” -- on the history and his family’s connection with the 1919 Elaine, Arkansas Massacre, one of many human crimes against humanity in which U. S. White citizens killed over 100 U.S. Black citizens and then prosecuted the survivors for their act of murder. Though Cornelius Eady, an American poet, focuses on issues of race and society, his verse accomplishes a lot more as indicated in his deeply felt reactions to the 9/11 attack on this country. Cornelius is also a musician whose verse is performed as song by The Cornelius Eady Trio. His poetry is simple and accessible, centering on jazz and blues, family life, violence, and society from a racial and class-based POV. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

9/11: 2001 - 2021

For this BCR "Park Bench Chats" episode -- once again, recording in Riverside Park, beneath the majestic and crumbling Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument -- Rebecca and Alan challenged Upper West Side, Manhattan neighbors to match wits with "Dear Abby" - "Ask Ann Landers" - and, "Ask Amy." These "amateurs" came up some amazing and insightful advice on several real-life, personal traumas. And -- in our estimation -- exceeded the professionals. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Wanna be an Advice Columnist?

BCR was on road trip to the Eastern Shore of Virginia and came upon a magical room in the small town of Onancock – an art gallery with bright yellow walls and bold, color-filled, paintings that held a singular theme, reflecting the artist’s visionary connection to the African American women who inhabited his youth. Danny Doughty calls himself a visionary folk artist. According to Eastern Virginia shore writer Ted Shockley: “[Doughty] paints scenes of the uncomplicated, quiet life he wishes for himself if he could be born again. He paints the proud but voiceless African American women of his youth who were so kind and hardworking and nurturing, and he paints them in the brilliant colors of respect and royalty, not the faded field clothes they wore then. He points scenes of celebration and love as a contrast to his own broken upbringing.” Danny’s is an authentic voice of an isolated aspect of the American South.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Danny Doughty: Visionary Folk Artist

Bar Crawl Radio travelled to Henderson County, in western North Carolina to talk with author and apple grower, Evan Williams, whose family has resided in the Blue Ridge Mountains since before the Revolutionary War. His writing abides within the people and culture of small town Appalachia. From Evan’s website -- “Surrounded by orchard, and writing from within a former apple storage shed, converted to dwelling, Evan inhabits the family compound along with a smattering of his adult, married children, several rescue pets, and a growing number of grandchildren.”This conversation was recorded in the Triskelion Brewing Company in Hendersonville North Carolina. We talked about southern-style, small town religion, the mysteries of apple-growing, the "new" south, and Evan's recently published book "Ripples." See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Evan Williams: Appalachian author

Like something out of the 1956 film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” –-- Donald Trump has invaded our psyches as we sleep. We live in an irrational nation – and we work out our roiling emotions in our dreams.  Dreaming about the Trumpster is a thing -- according to a study done by a NYC psycho-therapist – Martha M. Crawford.For this BCR episode -- Park Bench Chat series -- we asked our neighbors promenading in Riverside Park – if the former president had made an appearance in their dreams.  Along the way we hooked an Obama dream and some political gab – and at the very end of the day  -- just as we were finishing up our cocktails -- a man named “Walker” walked into our podcast and told us an amazing story – so be sure to listen to the end of this one -- We also give a shout-out to UWS Open Hearts led by Corinne Lowe – working to secure homes for NYC’s homeless. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump Invaded My Dreams

Here's a Bar Crawl Radio’s "Park Bench Chat" episode – Rebecca and Alan set up our portable studio in Manhattan’s Riverside Park on the Promenade and we talk to our UWS neighbors about a topic of -- hopefully -- interest. Rebecca went into this question thinking it would be silly and fun. I was expecting vociferous pushback from our neighbors – neither happened. Rather – the idea of a man gestating a fetus within his body -- generated serious – thoughtful – affective responses from four UWS neighbors – out for an afternoon walk in the park: A 30-something man on a bike – a middle-aged, fit woman, also on a bike – and two married couples – one young with a baby – the other old and fit. These four conversations were serious – both personally and socially. Email us at barcrawlradio@gmail.com with your perspective on being pregnant. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey Men! Let's get pregnant!!

Rebecca and Alan talk with two Catholic Workers who have been in prison for protesting U.S. Navy submarines armed with world-ending numbers of nuclear missiles. We first talked with Carmen Trotta and Martha Hennessy on the porch of Gebhard’s Beer Culture Bar in Manhattan in June 2019 – a bit over two years ago. At the time, Martha and Carmen and other members of the anti-war Plowshares movement were under house arrest for trespassing onto the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Georgia, the previous year. They both wore ankle bracelets. Since then -- they were found guilty and have spent many months in Federal Prisons – Martha in Danbury, Connecticut and Carmen in Otisville, NY. Recently they were released with some very serious restrictions – which require that we speak with them separately – co-conspirators cannot communicate.Contact Rebecca and Alan at barcrawlradio@gmail.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Martha and Carmen are free. Well ... sort of

I met Nita Renfrew feeding her "friends" in an isolated section of the Central Park Rambles. She is a fascinating person -- iconographer, Reiki master, practitioner of Craniosacral Massage Therapy, journalist, and lover of the wildlife existing in our natural cityscape. Becky and I talked about my conversation with Nita recorded in the Rambles. And we talked with our Upper West Side neighbors as they strolled along the Promenade in Riverside Park about their thoughts on hands-on--Reiki-style healing. Stick around for the end of this episode for an interesting reveal.Contact Rebecca McKean and Alan Winson at barcrawlradio@gmail.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nita Renfrew: Hands-on Healer. Lover of Central Park wildlife. And a bit more.

This BCR episode is produced for Manhattanites voting in the 2021 city-wide elections. We spoke with four of the candidates for the Manhattan Borough President position being vacated by Gale Brewer. We spoke with each candidate for about 20 minutes -- featuring person over policy.00:03:10 -- Brad Hoylman00:22:20 -- Lindsey Boylan00:43:40 -- Kim Watkins01:05:10 -- Ben Kallos01:26:50 -- Louis Puliafito See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Meet your Manhattan Borough President candidates.

Geof Burke-Saxophonist, band leader and recently toured with Harry Connick Jr. / Steven Feifke-Pianist, band leader, arranger and composer / Dave Pietro--Saxophonist and Director of Jazz Studies at NYU -- joined me to talk about how their music is continuing in the city despite the fact that all of the great NYC Jazz venues are now closed. Social distancing can become an opportunity of all sorts as revealed in this most interesting conversation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jazz Under the Covers

Did you ever have a really interesting conversation at a bar -- sharing ideas over a couple of martinis -- and wish you could've bottled it? That's Bar Crawl Radio. Rebecca McKean and Alan Winson invite amazing people to Manhattan bars -- make a toast -- and then talk about about whatever inspires them -- makes their lives worth living. We talk to bar owners & bartenders -- actors -- musicians -- writers & poets -- journalists -- politicians -- social activists -- community organizers & NGOs -- brewers & mead makers -- businesspersons -- podcasters -- and sometimes -- lawyers. Who knows? BCR might be at a bar -- near you.Tell us what you think of our programming. CONTACT: barcrawlradio@gmail.comSee what's going on with the BCR Team -- BCR BLOG SITE

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