Download the first 100 episodes here

I've uploaded the first 100 episodes in one 6.75 GB folder on my Google Drive account, which you can download by clicking here.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Ep. 8 - Melanie Samay

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.
On this, our eighth episode, our guest is Melanie Samay.
Melanie studied literature at Fordham University in the Bronx and received her Masters in English literature from San Francisco State University. Her thesis was on The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie and how he creates a literary version of the history of rock & roll by writing his own version of the Orpheus myth. Other favorite authors are: Irvine Welsh, Vladimir Nabokov, Anne Rice, Bret Easton Ellis, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Arturo Perez-Reverte, J. K. Rowling, Charles Bukowski, Zadie Smith, and Chuck Palahniuk.
She sometimes spends too much time reading; other times too little. Samay owns too many books but can't stop acquiring them. She's forever pro-physical books and anti-eReaders. She has a shy, skinny black boy cat named Hermione. She is a staunch defender of the serial comma. Currently she works in marketing for The Contemporary Jewish Museum. When she's not reading, she's walking around the city, sitting in parks with friends, and hanging around dark spaces at night listening to loud music. Read more on her blog about books and book-nerdom at soifollowjulian.com.
Please rate, review and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes at tinyurl.com/therobburgessshow. Once you're signed in to iTunes, hit "Subscribe." Click the tab on the iTunes page near the top that says "Ratings and Reviews." From there, please leave a star rating (hopefully five stars) and click "Write a Review" to leave a review. Thanks again for the support!
You can now also find The Rob Burgess Show on:
You can also subscribe directly to the RSS feed at tinyurl.com/therobburgessshowrss.
If you're an Android user and you're still not sure how to listen, you can also visit the website subscribeonandroid.com/tinyurl.com/therobburgessshowrss and if you have a one click supported app on your Android device, the app will load automatically.
You can find more about me by visiting my website, www.thisburgess.com.
The official website for The Rob Burgess Show is www.therobburgessshow.com.
Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/robburgessshow.
Like the page on Facebook at facebook.com/therobburgessshow.
Follow on SoundCloud at soundcloud.com/the-rob-burgess-show.
The email for the show is: therobburgessshow@gmail.com.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Ep. 7 - Mallory Willits

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.
On this, our seventh episode, our guest is Mallory Willits. Mallory is a student at the Indiana University School of Social Work who is currently pursing her master's degree. Mallory has spent the past two years as a Beginning Social Worker at Fairbanks Substance Abuse Hospital and Adult and Child Mental Health Center. Mallory chose her journey in social work due to her natural ability to talk to people therapeutically and her love for helping others. She thoroughly believes in the power of traveling and lives by the saying, "Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul." She has traveled quite a bit of the world, which gave her the opportunity to go to Ghana, where she met her husband, Wisdom.
April 3, Mallory started a GoFundMe page titled, “Who said love doesn't cost a thing?” Here's her description:
“As many of you know, and have been following, I fell in love with a man from another country and the immigration process is nothing short of a financial commitment. Wisdom is worth every penny, but between graduate school and a number of other financial commitments the money just doesn't flow in as quickly as the bills come in. It has been just shy of a year since I last saw the love of my life. My dream is to be able to afford another trip to Ghana after graduation as well as submitting the $1,600 for the next immigration [stage] as quickly as possible so that there is no lapse in the process. At this point, we can commit to one, but not the other due to finances. Immigration is our priority so that there will be permanency with being with one another, but we are hopeful to see each other again soon as well. Many people have individually reached out to me and asked how they can help. It was recommended that I get up a GoFundMe page to help with our journey. Please know that we do not expect you to donate, but that some people have requested a way for them to do so. Every penny helps and is deeply, wholeheartedly appreciated. Thank you for your unwavering support and consideration.”
So far, 17 people have contributed a total of $600 of the $1,000 goal over the past 18 days. If you would like to contribute, visit gofundme.com/malloryandwisdom
Thank you to everyone who went to iTunes and subscribed to, rated and reviewed The Rob Burgess Show. If you haven't subscribed to, rated and reviewed the podcast on iTunes yet, please do so now. Every little bit helps the podcast to reach an even wider audience. You can find it at tinyurl.com/therobburgessshow and once you're signed in to iTunes, hit "Subscribe." Click the tab on the iTunes page near the top that says "Ratings and Reviews." From there, please leave a star rating (hopefully five stars) and click "Write a Review" to leave a review. Thanks again for the support!
You can now also find The Rob Burgess Show on:
You can also subscribe directly to the RSS feed at tinyurl.com/therobburgessshowrss.
If you're an Android user and you're still not sure how to listen, you can also visit the website subscribeonandroid.com/tinyurl.com/therobburgessshowrss and if you have a one click supported app on your Android device, the app will load automatically.
You can find more about me by visiting my website, www.thisburgess.com.
The official website for The Rob Burgess Show is www.therobburgessshow.com.
Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/robburgessshow.
Like the page on Facebook at facebook.com/therobburgessshow.
Follow on SoundCloud at soundcloud.com/the-rob-burgess-show.
The email for the show is: therobburgessshow@gmail.com.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Ep. 6 - The Kingdom of Sweden

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.
On this, our sixth episode, our guest is The Kingdom of Sweden. Sweden sits between Norway and Finland and is the third largest nation in the European Union by area. This Scandinavian country is home to nearly 10 million people.
Allow me to explain:
A week ago, I stumbled upon an article by Leslie Horn on Vocativ (later in the podcast I wrongly call it “Vo-active”) with the headline, “I Spent My Morning Calling Random Swedes (And They Loved It.)” Here are the first few paragraphs of that story:
“I spent my morning in an an unexpected way: on the phone with several Swedish strangers. Thanks to the the Swedish Tourist Association, there is a phone number, called the Swedish Number, that will connect you with random Swedes. So I called it. It’s a little bit odd to hop on the phone with someone you’ve never met before. But that’s exactly the point. “Calling Sweden. Soon you will be connected with a random Swede,” is the automated message you hear when you dial the number. It’s either +46 771 793 336 internationally or 301-276-0600 for local rates if you’re calling from the U.S. The hotline brings to mind Sweden’s Twitter strategy. Each week, a new Swedish citizen is given control of the country’s Twitter account, and they can use it however they please. This week it appears to be a registered nurse named Cicci. It’s another way to connect Swedes to the rest of the world, and what it has in common with the Swedish Number is that it’s also just delightfully weird.”
I then visited the official website for the project, theswedishnumber.com, where I found this introduction:

"250 years ago, in 1766, Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce a constitutional law to abolish censorship. To honour this anniversary, Sweden is now the first country in the world to introduce its own phone number. Call today and get connected to a random Swede, anywhere in Sweden and talk about anything you want.”


The site also included a Frequently Asked Questions section, which reads as follows:

Who is behind The Swedish Number?

Sweden’s Tourist Association. We want to spark people’s curiosity about Sweden - our culture, nature and mind set. To help us do this, we have the people of Sweden.

Who answers when I call?

Everyone who lives in Sweden is able to register as an ambassador. When you call you will be connected to a random Swede. The chances that you are connected to the same Swede twice are small - so you get a new side of Sweden every time you call.

How much does it cost?

The call will be charged as an international call. You have to check with your phone operator what your calling rate for Sweden is. It depends on your communication provider and a number of factors such as individual calling plans and time of day. Your call will start getting charged when you are connected to Sweden. If you are calling from one of the local numbers (see if your country is on the list) the call will be charged as a local call.

Is my phone number shared?

You are completely anonymous and your private number is never shared. All calls are routed through a switchboard.

Are the calls recorded?

Calls via The Swedish Number may be recorded for security reasons. If someone reports a specific call, we can listen to the call and unregister any user who violates Swedish law.

Why is no Swede answering when I'm calling?

1. Lots of people are calling and there is no Swede available. 2. Sweden is sleeping. We are in the GMT+2 time zone. 3. If the first Swede you are connected to is not able to answer, you will automatically be connected to another Swede and another until someone answers. 4. It’s the last day of April at 8 p.m., and all Swedes are busy watching bonfires all around the country.

What time zone is Sweden in?

Sweden is in the GMT+2 time zone, you are welcome to call at anytime, but we might be asleep.

How does it work?

When someone outside of Sweden calls The Swedish Number, a telephone switchboard randomly connects the call to a Swede somewhere in Sweden.

How do I say Hello in Swedish?

Simply say "HallÄ!" or "Hej!"

How do I enter the “+” before the number?

Either access the additional symbols on your phone and find the + sign, or dial 0046 instead of +46.
According to the most current statistics on the website, more than 82,271 calls from 173 countries have come in since the line opened April 6, and callers have spent more than 161 days total on the phone, with two minutes and 50 seconds being the average call time. Almost a third of the calls are from America, while the United Kingdom, Turkey, The Netherlands, China, Australia and Russia round out the top seven calling countries.

On a personal note, I want to thank all the Swedes who took the time to speak with with me. I would highly suggest calling The Swedish Number to anyone.
You'll hear one of the Swedes ask if I have a YouTube channel, and at the time I said “no.” Since then I've started one, which you can like and subscribe to at: tinyurl.com/therobburgessshowyoutube.
Thank you to everyone who went to iTunes and subscribed to, rated and reviewed The Rob Burgess Show. The initial results are in, and the average rating so far is five out of five stars. It doesn't get any better than that! If you haven't subscribed to, rated and reviewed the podcast on iTunes yet, please do so now, so we can keep the momentum going. Every little bit helps the podcast to reach an even wider audience. You can find it at tinyurl.com/therobburgessshow and once you're signed in to iTunes, hit "Subscribe." Click the tab on the iTunes page near the top that says "Ratings and Reviews." From there, please leave a star rating (hopefully five stars) and click "Write a Review" to leave a review. Thanks again for the support!
You can now also find The Rob Burgess Show on:
You can also subscribe directly to the RSS feed at tinyurl.com/therobburgessshowrss.
If you're an Android user and you're still not sure how to listen, you can also visit the website subscribeonandroid.com/tinyurl.com/therobburgessshowrss and if you have a one click supported app on your Android device, the app will load automatically.
At this point, The Rob Burgess Show should now be listed on most of the major podcast directories, but if you're still having trouble finding it or know of a directory I've missed, please let me know.
You can find more about me by visiting my website, www.thisburgess.com.
The official website for The Rob Burgess Show is www.therobburgessshow.com.
Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/robburgessshow.
Like the page on Facebook at facebook.com/therobburgessshow.
Follow on SoundCloud at soundcloud.com/the-rob-burgess-show.
The email for the show is: therobburgessshow@gmail.com.

Friday, April 8, 2016

Ep. 5 - Mat Alano-Martin


On this, our fifth episode, our guest is Mat Alano-Martin. Mat is a stand-up comedian who comes to comedy from the world of rock 'n' roll, where he spent 10 years touring North America as a member of several unknown bands and as a tour manager for much more successful, well known bands. With a comedic style that bridges the social and political views of his indie-rock background with the attitude and sensibilities of his rural and blue collar youth, Alano-Martin has appeared at comedy clubs, theaters, punk rock dives, redneck roadhouses, casinos, colleges, living rooms and everywhere in between. Alano-Martin’s debut album “Profiled as Such” can be heard on the Sirius/XM Raw Dog comedy channel, and he has appeared on the nationally syndicated The Bob & Tom Show, Laughs on Fox TV and at several festivals and prominent showcases across the country. He is also the co-founder of the Limestone Comedy Festival, which runs from June 2 to 4, 2016 in Bloomington, Indiana, and the Arch City Comedy Festival, which runs from August 25 to 27, 2016 in Columbus, Ohio, and the host of the Strangers On This Road podcast. He has worked for Funny Business Agency, Comedy Zone, Tribble Run and many clubs around the country.
You can find Mat's official website at mat-alano-martin-comedy.com and you can follow him on Twitter.
You can find the Limestone Comedy Festival on Twitter and on Facebook.
You can find the Arch City Comedy Festival on Twitter and on Facebook.

Thank you to everyone who went to iTunes and subscribed to, rated and reviewed The Rob Burgess Show. The initial results are in, and the average rating so far is five out of five stars. It doesn't get any better than that! If you haven't subscribed to, rated and reviewed the podcast on iTunes yet, please do so now, so we can keep the momentum going. Every little bit helps the podcast to reach an even wider audience. You can find it at tinyurl.com/therobburgessshow and once you're signed in to iTunes, hit "Subscribe." Click the tab on the iTunes page near the top that says "Ratings and Reviews." From there, please leave a star rating (hopefully five stars) and click "Write a Review" to leave a review. Thanks again for the support!
This week, I also had a question from an Android user asking how they could subscribe to the podcast. So, you can now find The Rob Burgess Show on:
You can also subscribe directly to the RSS feed at tinyurl.com/therobburgessshowrss.
If you're an Android user and you're still not sure how to listen, you can also visit the website subscribeonandroid.com/tinyurl.com/therobburgessshowrss and if you have a one click supported app on your Android device, the app will load automatically.
At this point, The Rob Burgess Show should now be listed on most of the major podcast directories, but if you're still having trouble finding it or know of a directory I've missed, please let me know.
You can find more about me by visiting my website, www.thisburgess.com.
The official website for The Rob Burgess Show is www.therobburgessshow.com.
Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/robburgessshow.
Like the page on Facebook at facebook.com/therobburgessshow.
Follow on SoundCloud at soundcloud.com/the-rob-burgess-show.
The email for the show is: therobburgessshow@gmail.com.

Friday, April 1, 2016

Ep. 4 - Michael A. Wood Jr.

Before we start this week's episode, I have some exciting news to share: The Rob Burgess Show is now listed on iTunes! Once you're signed in to iTunes, hit "Subscribe." Click the tab on the iTunes page near the top that says "Ratings and Reviews." From there, please leave a star rating (hopefully five stars) and click "Write a Review" to leave a review. Thanks for the support!
You can find more about me by visiting my website, www.thisburgess.com.
The official website for The Rob Burgess Show is www.therobburgessshow.com.
Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/robburgessshow.
Like the page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/therobburgessshow.
Follow on SoundCloud at
the-rob-burgess-show.
The email for the show is:
therobburgessshow@gmail.com.

On this, our fourth episode, our guest is Michael A. Wood Jr.
Michael is a Baltimore-based police reform activist who, after spending a career in the United States Marine Corps and Baltimore Police Department, has torn down the blue wall of silence. He has become a vocal advocate of a new era of civilian-led policing. While completing his doctorate studies, Michael works as much as possible with grassroots activism on the streets of Baltimore, where his most valuable lessons were learned, and makes media and speaking appearances to further the discussion on police reform and the needs of the people.
You can find him on Facebook and Twitter. You can find his website at michaelawoodjr.net. He is also a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Their website can be found at leap.cc.

The first time I became aware of Michael was June 26, 2015. That day, he took to his Twitter account, and shared the following:


So here we go. I'm going to start tweeting the things I've seen and participated in, in policing that is corrupt, intentional or not: A detective slapping a completely innocent female in the face for bumping into him, coming out of a corner chicken store. Punting a handcuffed, face down suspect in the face, after a foot chase. My handcuffs, not my boot or suspect. [Closed Circuit Television] cameras turning as soon as a suspect is close to caught. [Defecating] inside suspects' homes during raids, on their beds and clothes. Swearing in court and [probable cause documents] that suspect dropped [a Controlled Dangerous Substance] during unbroken visual pursuit when neither was true. Jacking up and illegally searching thousands of people with no legal justification. Having other people write [probable cause] statements, who were never there because they could twist it into legality. Summonsing officers who weren't there so they could collect the overtime. Targeting 16- to 24-year-old black males essentially because we arrest them more, perpetuating the circle of arresting them more. If internal investigations were transparent, you would be able to see it all. The records are there. What's really hard to convey is that some things are so commonplace, they didn't register until I was on the other side. I don't remember details of any particular person getting illegally searched, it was every day. I'm one person relying on a flawed memory system. This is an indictment on the culture of the profession, not a witch-hunt. Sorry.”

A quick programming note: The first two minutes or so of this episode were severely damaged by a technical glitch on my end, rendering them of too poor quality to be broadcast. Here is a transcript of what Michael said to kick off the episode:
I am a Marine Corps veteran. I served 11 years in the police department in Baltimore until I was forced to retire from a line of duty injury. And with the movement growing post Michael Brown, the Black Lives Matter movement, I kept hearing a lot of defense of things that were completely indefensible for police to do. And I decided I was going to … talk about these things whether we wanted to talk about them or not or whether it was going to going to get me in trouble or not or whether it was breaking the code … this has to be addressed, and that got a lot of sensationalism.”

We'll pick it up right there. And now, on to the show...


Also, you can find the Joe Rogan Experience podcast episode with Michael I mentioned in the episode here: