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The BADASS RECORDS PODCAST

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Episode 65: Jason Buice
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 65: Jason Buice

Hopefully this week's guest has already forgiven me for butchering both the pronunciation and spelling of his last name, even though I had them written in front of me.

His name is Jason Buice and he's a son, a brother, a husband, a musician, a bandmate, and a heck of a nice guy.

He was kind enough to drive in from LFK to record Episode #65 with me, and boy was our conversation a fascinating one.

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Episode 64: Billy Brady
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 64: Billy Brady

Billy Brady is a son, a brother, a fiancé, a musician, and a guy -- if you're reading this at the time of release (Thursday morning, May 4, 2023) -- you might be able to catch on 90.1, KKFI FM this morning at 10:00 Central Standard. If you're catching this on Thursday or Friday, you can catch him and the Whiskey Mash Band playing live at Lemonade Park in the West Bottoms of Kansas City (tickets available here).

If you didn't catch that in time, you can check out the Whiskey Mash Band's stuff here, or you can find their stuff on places like Facebook, Spotify, etc.

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Episode 63: Rob Davis
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 63: Rob Davis

Rob Davis is a son, a sibling, a father, a fiancé, a chef, a baseball aficionado, and a brethren in Phish of the truest kind. I was thrilled and honored that he carved out a slice of time for me so that we could sit down together and record Episode #63 of the podcast.

We swapped stories of our partying days and our musical journeys that ultimately led to our discoveries of the greatest band in American rock history.

The albums that Rob tabbed for his episode are as follows…

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Episode 62: Sean Harris
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 62: Sean Harris

Sean Harris is a son and a brother and a husband and a father. He's also the brains behind Counter Clockwise KC, a Lee's Summit-based online radio station.

I was fortunate enough to have him join me for Episode #62 of the podcast, in which we talked music, family, travel, and -- of course -- a few of Sean's favorite records.

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Episode 61: The De La Soul & A Tribe Called Quest Discographies, featuring Elwyn M. Grimes, Jr.
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 61: The De La Soul & A Tribe Called Quest Discographies, featuring Elwyn M. Grimes, Jr.

Hey, hi, and hello!

Episode #61 of the Badass Records Podcast was a very special one, in that the one and only Elwyn M. Grimes, Jr. made a return appearance to the show, and he did so under the guise of tackling two of the most important discographies in hip-hop history, De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest.

Twas no small feat, but we got after it and had a good time doing so, especially considering that -- as of March 3, 2023 -- the De La catalog is finally available via streaming services. 'Bout. Damn. Time.

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Episode 60: Wu-Tang 101 (featuring the Jett Pakk)
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 60: Wu-Tang 101 (featuring the Jett Pakk)

Only a few folks that I know could do me such a solid as diving in to the Wu-Tang library, and it pleases me more than you know to welcome the J.P.G. back to Badass Records Podcast.

The Jett Pakk was kind enough to indulge me on my Wu-Tang exploration, and we sat down to have a brief chat about the group's studio discography, which looks like this…

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Episode 59: Ian "The Cheeto Flow" Hallowell
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 59: Ian "The Cheeto Flow" Hallowell

Ian "The Cheeto Flow" Hallowell is more things than I could possibly list here in one of these bio-type thingys, but I can for sure say that he is a saxophonist, a son, a brother, a nephew, and one heckuva badass dude.

I mean...wow.

Amazing hang.

Glad we got to chat about a few of his favorite records, which are these…

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Episode 58: Gay Joey
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 58: Gay Joey

Gay Joey is an absolute badass for swinging by the Badass Records Podcast studio to record Episode #58 with me, and it was an absolute pleasure chatting with him.

He is a son and a brother and an uncle and a server and a friend to many and an all-around fantastic guy.

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Episode 57: Brett Batliner
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 57: Brett Batliner

Brett Batliner.

Whew. It's even a mouthful to type.

I kid, I kid.

Brett Batliner cooked for me a dozen years ago, and we've somehow managed to stay in quasi-contact since. What fun times those were, too. Me. The fearless leader amongst a dozenish 19-year-olds. Yikes.

Anyway...Brett's a great guy. He's a son and a brother and a boyfriend and a pet lover and a guitarist and a rapper. And unfortunately for Brett, he's also a service-industry guy. Run, Brett! Run far and fast!

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Episode 56: Jon Brick
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 56: Jon Brick

            I met Jon Brick about 37 years ago, which is pretty bananas to think about. We were fresh off of not only a Royals World Series parade, but also having watched Space Shuttle Challenger explode on that television screen atop the wheeled-in A/V cart of our fifth-grade classrooms, which -- one might say -- was a little ways away from hosting a podcast and creating award-winning feature documentary films, the latter of which the guest of Episode #56 can say.

            Jon's a fascinating dude. He's seen a handful of the world's parts and had some incredible-sounding experiences along his journey's path. And what a place he's in now professionally <cues the closing moments to Chicago's "Beginnings">.

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Episode 55: Leah Twibell
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 55: Leah Twibell

Being blessed with three amazing sisters is literally the gift that never stops giving. I am lucky to not only have each of them in my life, but also thankful to be exposed to some of the great things in each of their lives.

Since today's guest is something of an introvert, I was surprised when she agreed to join me for for Episode #55, and thrilled at how fun our conversation turned out to be.

She's a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a great friend, an impressive-seeming professional, a fantastic person with whom to sit down and visit, and my middle sister Megan's homegirl, Leah Twibell.

Leah tabbed Green Day's Dookie (1994), Weezer's The Blue Album (1994), and Crash by Dave Matthews Band (1996) as three of her favorite records, and this proved to be a trio that did not disappoint.

My chat with Leah was a blast. Thank you for checking it out.

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Episode 54: Dr. Stephen A. Woods, Esquire
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 54: Dr. Stephen A. Woods, Esquire

Steve Woods is a son, a brother, a husband, a father, a handyman, a fine, fine golfer, a funny dude, and a friend. He's also a chef at heart, a valuable employee to his bosses, and an all-around good guy.

I'm still trippin' out over the fact that we've known each other for longer than two decades, and I couldn't have been happier than I was to see him on my front porch for Episode #54 of Badass Records Podcast.

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Episode 53: James Inman
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 53: James Inman

James Inman is a son, a brother, a boyfriend, a formerish standup comedian, a computer whiz, and a collector of both vintage speakers and sundry Elvis Costello albums.

He's a hoot, and a trip, and a man that's wise beyond his years (Note: Shouts out to the local public library.), and he did -- for the record -- say (once we'd wrapped) that it was cool to leave everything in.

As usual I was part of the conversation when we taped and a different part of it during edits, and normally I'm ready to move on once I've played both roles. This time, though, I think maybe I'm still processing everything that I learned. In fact, I'm not sure of all that I didn't know before we had our conversation. And trust me -- it was a good one.

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Episode 52: Ashleigh Blackwell
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 52: Ashleigh Blackwell

Ashleigh Blackwell gets the honors for the official official-official one-year anniversary of Badass Records Podcast. That is, some spacing occurred between the recordings and airings of the first two episodes, but -- from the third installment on -- I've managed to get one up per week. This being #52 means a year's worth now lives on the Internet, and -- you know -- that's kinda cool.

Anyway, Ashleigh's wise and witty. She's bold and beautiful (Wasn't there a TV show with a similar name?). She's a daughter and a sister and an aunt and a dog lover and a marketplace force, and she's also a great person to know, even if only a little.

So, I'm very thankful that she stopped by and rapped music and life with me. Our conversation went a bunch of different directions, and I tip my hat to her for her fearless engagement and rawness from start to finish.

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Episode 51: Eva Saviano
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 51: Eva Saviano

This week's installment of Badass Records Podcast is Episode #51, and I'm pleased as punch to announce that my guest is the one, the only -- Eva Saviano.

I know we touched on it in our conversation, but -- to be sure -- I wanted to peek in a few spots to make sure I had her professional title correct, and while I didn't find conviction within my search, I did find one of the best bios I've ever seen in my life, so I'll share how she has described her self and add a few details after:

Uncommonly frank and, frankly, uncommon. 

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Episode 50: Steph Rupp
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 50: Steph Rupp

Sound your funky horns...it's Episode #50 of Badass Records Podcast, and what a ride it's been so far!

I hope there're many more episodes to come and that you'll keep tuning in to see the latest and greatest conversations with all of my amazing guests.

But, now -- without any further ado...let me tell you about how excited I am to share this week's episode with you.

Sometimes, as we make our way through our days, we stumble upon opportunities for new connections. I could be sitting here typing these words, preparing to drop my 50th podcast episode, and the road to today could've looked different. That difference could've been tiny; it might've been huge. And who knows. Maybe everything'd be just fine.

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Episode 49: MABkc
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 49: MABkc

It's Episode #49, party people!

I can't properly express how excited I was to sit down and talk life and tunes with MABkc.

Hoo boy! I am so excited for him and all that he lovingly has on his plate: wife and child(ren), new location(s) for Industry Soundz, paused recording projects calling him back, and perhaps a podcast in the near future. It's all real fantastic stuff, and I hope that each of those things continue to bring him joy and prosperity.

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Episode 48: Cole Welch
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 48: Cole Welch

When I opened the door to welcome Cole Welch into my home, one of the first thoughts I had was that he looked familiar, and it turns out that we not only went to high school together, but were on swim team together for a season as well.

Great start to meeting a perfect stranger.

Anyway, for Episode #48 of Badass Records Podcast, we waxed philosophic and touched on a few of Cole's favorite records. And they are these…

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Episode 47: Tabitha Jurgensmeyer
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 47: Tabitha Jurgensmeyer

Tabitha Jurgensmeyer is a daughter, a sister, a wife, a pro's pro, an adventurer, and an absolute joy with whom to talk.

All things considered, Tabby J. said, "Yes" to doing an episode (no. 47) of Badass Records Podcast where many might've declined in haste.

For that -- and for all of her admirable qualities -- I have a ton of respect for her.

We chatted Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the phenomenon that was the duo of Dave Matthews/Tim Reynolds, Boyz II Men, So So Def Bass All-Stars, and Dr. Dre. Specifically and respectively, we covered some P.J.fandom, Californication (1999), Live at Luther College (1999), II (1994), Vol. II, and 2001 (1999).

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Episode 46: Tony Berrios
Blair Johnson Blair Johnson

Episode 46: Tony Berrios

This is a weird one.

For me.

Tony Berrios and I have played hockey together for about five years.

I'm not sure if the number's actually five. It might be seven or it might be three and-a-half.

I just don't know anymore.

Point being: I have come to know Tony pretty well, and -- if you'll pardon the cliche -- they certainly broke the mold when Tony was born.

He is -- without question -- one of the super-fantasticist human beings I've ever met.

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