Host Josh Colvin interviews former schoolmate Adrian Alvi about the subversive high school newspaper Grimme Tidings and its controversial history.
28 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT
Basketball, Poverty, and Fame: Sherman Alexie Interview
In this episode, host Josh Colvin interviews writer Sherman Alexie (https://shermanalexie.substack.com/), exploring his writing, upbringing, and the cultural significance of basketball in Native American life. They discuss poverty, college, nostalgia, and fame.
Also in this episode, Josh calls Trucker Andy to ask about his love of the open road, and then Josh reads his story "The Right Kind of Dog." Later in the show Sherman reads his essay "Blue Light Special."
Finally the show closes with a great song, "Snowed In" by the Droptines.
02:30 —Trucker Andy
05:40— Storytelling: The Right Kind of Dog
10:50 —Song: "Soon" by Big Hands Colvin
13:00 —Sherman Alexie Interview
15:00 —Sick Dog Story from Book
23:00 —Leaving the Reservation School
25:40 —Poverty
27:55 —Words and Violence
29:30 —Basketball
42:00 —College These Days
50:00 —Fame
54:00 —His Favorite Towns and Most Memorable Road Trip
58:30 —"Blue Light Special" by Sherman Alexie
1:02:50 —"Snowed In" by The Droptines
• Sherman Alexie: https://shermanalexie.substack.com/
• The Droptines: https://www.thedroptines.com/
9 Apr 2026
Payphone Diary
In this episode, host Josh Colvin explores the nostalgic world of payphones, sharing personal stories, calling strangers across the country, and reflecting on the cultural significance and decline of payphones in America. The episode also features interviews with phone prankster Brad Carter, a call to Texas cowboy hat expert, an essay called "I Made My Mom a Clay Ashtry in School" by Todd Kashdan, and a musical performance by Rambler Kane.
02:17 Trucker Andy: 1980s Billboard Felines
06:27 Storytelling: Moving Furniture and Other Crimes
13:50 Payphone Diary: Calling Strangers Across America
20:17 Interview with Brad Carter: Phone Pranks and Red Boxing
30:23 Todd Kashdan "I Made My Mom a Clay Ashtray in School"
37:48 Visit to McKinney, Texas: Cowboy Hats and Local Culture
42:30 Musical Performance by Rambler Kane: Gone
Brad Carter's Snowplow Show (https://www.snowplowshow.com/)
Todd Kashdan's Provoked Substack (https://toddkashdan.substack.com/)
Rambler Kane's Music (https://ramblerkane.com/)
McKinney Hat Company (https://mckinneyhatcompany.com/)
Inside a recent episode
Grimme Tidings: A Notorious High School Newspaper
Published 19 Aug 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Thank you, Josh. It's awesome to see you again after 30 years here, 30 plus years here after high school. I know I was doing the math on it and I thought it could be closer to 40, but we don't have to talk about it. Actually, it is closer to 40. Actually, next year it's 40. So yeah, let's edit that out. Exactly. Well, so this is a little bit unusual. I talk a lot or I write a lot about growing up, high school, junior high, grade school, and the things that we did as kids, some of the crazy stuff that happened. And as I'm writing about this and I'm recollecting different things, something came to mind, this underground school newspaper called Grim Tidings. […]
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