Shows
Everything Is StoriesPodcast Preview: Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto RicoNarrated by Luis Guzmán, Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico pairs stories from some of the Island’s most exciting musicians, including Los Rivera Destino, Pachyman, and Andrea Cruz, with major artists outside of music, such as Hollywood film director Miguel Arteta, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jose Rivera, author Jaquira Diaz, and legendary EGOT Rita Moreno. Listeners will get to know Puerto Rico’s incredible towns, cities, beaches, rainforests, mountains, bars, and dance clubs that not only shaped their work but ultimately influenced global culture. Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico is a production of Ta...
2024-12-0502 min
Everything Is StoriesPodcast Preview: Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto RicoNarrated by Luis Guzmán, Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico pairs stories from some of the Island’s most exciting musicians, including Los Rivera Destino, Pachyman, and Andrea Cruz, with major artists outside of music, such as Hollywood film director Miguel Arteta, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jose Rivera, author Jaquira Diaz, and legendary EGOT Rita Moreno. Listeners will get to know Puerto Rico’s incredible towns, cities, beaches, rainforests, mountains, bars, and dance clubs that not only shaped their work but ultimately influenced global culture. Sound Influence: The Art and Soul of Puerto Rico is a production of Ta...
2024-12-0502 min
Everything Is StoriesThe Disorientation of Survival - Part 3*This episode contains strong descriptions of sexual situations and abuse, listener discretion is advised.As a closeted gay teenager, lying was familiar to Mark Olmsted. Concealing parts of his identity was just part of the deal–and he was good at it. But when the AIDS crisis threatened his life and left him with little to lose, the lying would turn so grandiose that no one who knew him could quite believe it. In our previous two episodes Mark Olmsted spoke on his upbringing and the complicated history with his...
2024-11-191h 19
Everything Is StoriesThe Disorientation of Survival - Part 2*This episode contains descriptions of sexual situations, listener discretion is advised.As a closeted gay teenager, lying was familiar to Mark Olmsted. Concealing parts of his identity was just part of the deal–and he was good at it. But when the AIDS crisis threatened his life and left him with little to lose, the lying would turn so grandiose that no one who knew him could quite believe it. In part two, Mark discusses his increased trajectory of deception in the immediate years after a death in the fam...
2024-10-221h 18
Everything Is StoriesThe Disorientation of Survival - Part 1*This episode contains descriptions of sexual situations, listener discretion is advised.As a closeted gay teenager, lying was familiar to Mark Olmsted. Concealing parts of his identity was just part of the deal–and he was good at it. But when the AIDS crisis threatened his life and left him with little to lose, the lying would turn so grandiose that no one who knew him could quite believe it. In part one of our three-part series, Mark vividly recounts his childhood upbringing and the complicated relationship with his brother that would ultimately transform in...
2024-09-241h 36
Everything Is StoriesWhere Two Lines MeetSince the year 2000, more than 3,500 border-crossers have met a gruesome fate throughout the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. With over 1,000-and-counting still missing, the numbers have only continued to rise as more attempt the trek each year in pursuit of a better life. This is the story of Alvaro Encisco, an immigrant who found his own version of the myth of the American dream, and with his art, has been on a mission giving a voice to the seekers who have died in search of theirs.---Produced by Mike Martinez, Tyler Wray, and Grace Heerman...
2024-07-2357 min
Everything Is StoriesHen’s Teeth*This episode contains strong descriptions of sexual abuse. Listener discretion is advised.Susan Pavlak is at work hospicing the Catholic Church, and after spending her youth in the crosshairs of a sexual predator, found solace in forgiveness and truth. Pavlak describes how she reconciles her history of abuse with her continued faith in the Catholic Church and the goodness it provides - and how that faith would lead her to Gil Gustafson. A former priest, Gustafson has become Susan’s unlikely partner in a quest to shine light on the church's darkest secrets. In th...
2024-06-181h 15
Everything Is StoriesDel From HellWhere do we go when we can’t make it in mainstream society? As someone who has often battled mental illness and rage, Del Hendrixson Jr. connects the dots between a violent mental breakdown and his struggle to find a sense of belonging as a child. In this episode, Del talks about a successful career in printing that would eventually turn criminal, hitting rock bottom, and fighting an insatiable urge to kill. Following a suicide attempt and a slow journey toward peace and acceptance of living outside the mainstream, life would eventually come full-circle to the place everything bottomed ou...
2024-05-211h 08
Everything Is StoriesA White Noise in Your Head - Part 2By the time her boyfriend became violent, Kim Dadou Brown was confident she could handle it. It was just one of those things the women in her family dealt with. It wasn’t until Kim found herself in prison that she realized how seriously the years of abuse had skewed her reality – and what little support the system offered women like her.Kims' story continues in part 02, where she shares what transpired in the wake of her boyfriends' death and how she came out on the other side into a career as an activist for domestic violence vict...
2024-04-161h 23
Everything Is StoriesThe Shores of AcheronForty years ago, military-backed death squads descended on Dora Rodriguez’ hometown as a civil war spiraled out of control in El Salvador. Forced to flee as a teenager and leave her family behind, Rodriguez began what she thought would be the only journey north through Mexico and into the harsh Sonoran Desert. In this episode, Dora recounts her harrowing start-stop passage across the desert, predatory smugglers that nearly cost her life, and an unlikely relationship with a man from the other side of the wall.*This episode has been edited from the original version for safety and ed...
2024-04-101h 40
Everything Is StoriesA White Noise in Your Head - Part 1By the time her boyfriend became violent, Kim Dadou Brown was confident she could handle it. It was just one of those things the women in her family dealt with. It wasn’t until Kim found herself in prison that she realized how seriously the years of abuse had skewed her reality – and what little support the system offered women like her. In Part 01, Kim meets us in her home in Rochester, New York, where she shares what ultimately led to a final act of violence and how much work she’s had to do in order to fre...
2024-03-191h 08
Everything Is StoriesAcross the Purple SageThey say stealing cattle in Texas can get a man hung by the neck until dead. From a young age Roddy Pippin was ready to take that risk, as he and his crew would take home close to a million dollars rustling cattle over the course of 3 years. In this episode Pippin speaks of his idyllic childhood and love for the ways of the old west, the precarious choices he made while chasing the steal that would lead to brushes with death, and how those few years on the run pushed him and his lifelong friendships to...
2024-01-161h 08
Everything Is StoriesLonewolfDeath, life’s ultimate closure, often casts a long shadow over the funeral that follows. These ceremonies rarely spark protest or public outcry, but in the spring of 2013 Lonewolf Smith was thrust into a national dilemma when he and his colleagues at Graham, Putney, & Mahoney Funeral Parlors were asked to tend to the body of one of America’s most reviled terrorists.In this story we hear from former mortician Lonewolf on his dedication to his often-misunderstood work, a personal moral dilemma following his own experience with a horrific act of terrorism, and how he answers the ques...
2023-12-191h 04
Everything Is StoriesThe Marble Faun - Part 2In part two of our episode we pick up with Jerry as he returns to New York City from Saudi Arabia. With money in his pocket he decides to indulge in a free lifestyle, immersing himself in the gay community at various bath houses and night clubs on a regular basis. After running a successful business and ultimately losing a loved one to the AIDS epidemic, he struggles with addiction in the rough and tumble 1980s East Village. From there we follow as he drives his taxi cab through a rapidly changing landscape, watching old haunts and the character of...
2023-12-0537 min
Everything Is StoriesThe Marble Faun - Part 1Part one of this two-part episode follows Jerry Torre – well known for his appearance in the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens. As a child he ran from his home in Brooklyn and began working as a gardener for the wealthy in East Hampton, NY. While there he stumbles upon the now-famous Grey Gardens property and begins regularly staying with the Beales, helping maintain the property and becoming friends with the two women. At the same time he begins to discover his own sexuality, traveling back to Manhattan and immersing himself in the gay community at various bath houses and late night club...
2023-12-0547 min
Everything Is StoriesMan DividedAt age 60, Jay Byrd lives by himself off the grid in northern Arizona where he often meditates and reads theology. However, his past tells a different story of biker clubs, violence, prison, and heroin addiction. In this episode, Jay Byrd recounts his experience with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and gun-toting girlfriends. Yet after escaping personal chaos, he’s now eager to describe his philosophies concerning beauty and nothingness.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by Jon Martinez.Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn mo...
2023-12-0552 min
Everything Is StoriesBut Not With SilverAbraham Bolden was the first black Secret Service agent on the White House detail. Serving under John F. Kennedy, Bolden cracked counterfeiting cases and provided security for the President. However, the segregated 60s led Bolden from the White House to prison. In this story, EIS finds Bolden inside his Chicago home as he recounts his experiences of racial tension and why he considers himself a tool of fate.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by Zachary Reid.Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more...
2023-12-0545 min
Everything Is StoriesSesquipedalianCharles Farrell could be labeled a number of things: pianist, writer, boxing manager, and hustler. As a teenager, Farrell lived in the streets of Boston, playing piano in mafia-owned clubs. With a love for boxing, he started gambling on high-profile matches while also managing fighters. He fixed an array of professional fights by using code-talk with trainers, foolproof matchmaking, and buying referees and judges. In this story, the highs and lows of gangster culture are explored as Charles Farrell describes the ease of taking advantage of society’s vulnerable parts.Sesquipedalian is a collaboration between Everything Is St...
2023-12-0550 min
Everything Is StoriesLa Retirada - Act IIIIn the final part of La Retirada, Rocío Gómez and her family enter the United States Federal Witness Security Program. The family must create new identities, while moving from state to state. But they soon realize that fabricated identities do not change their personal history.La Retirada is a collaboration between Everything Is Stories and Love and Radio.Produced by Brendan Baker, Nick Van Der Kolk, Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...
2023-11-2134 min
Everything Is StoriesLa Retirada - Act IIThe story continues as Rocío Gómez divorces her husband Rodrigo, a master drug trafficker in Colombia. Rocío and her children move to Miami where she begins a relationship with a new man, Carlos, whose dangerous past with the mafia catches up with Rocío’s familyLa Retirada is a collaboration between Everything Is Stories and Love and Radio.Produced by Brendan Baker, Nick Van Der Kolk, Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
2023-11-2143 min
Everything Is StoriesLa Retirada - Act IIn Colombia, Rocío Gómez marries into an empire of wealth and power. She is told the family operates a low-profile import/export business and finds comfort in her role as wife and mother. However, she soon learns the family business is not what it seems as Rocío becomes entangled with drugs, money, and mafioso.La Retirada is a collaboration between Everything Is Stories and Love and Radio.Produced by Brendan Baker, Nick Van Der Kolk, Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com
2023-11-2133 min
Everything Is StoriesThese ExecutionsMichelle Lyons witnessed over 270 executions carried out by the state of Texas. At age 22, Lyons started reporting for The Huntsville Item, which gave her the opportunity to see her first lethal injection. In 2001, she became the Director of Public Information for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), a spokesperson for 110 prisons across the state. Here, Lyons talks the politics of death row, the infamous Walls Unit execution chamber, and processing her emotions death after death.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by Silent Isle.Transcripts are available at...
2023-11-2148 min
Everything Is StoriesAfter InnocenceConvicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child, Greg Torti has spent the the last two decades in the shadow of a system that places a high priority on banishing sex offenders even after their release.Living in rural Texas with children of his own now, Torti would be the first to tell you he agrees with the system. Yet still, after years behind bars and now subject to the process a sex offender must go through each year, bitterness and anger remain after what he feels was no more than a...
2023-11-2154 min
Everything Is StoriesForce Begets ResistanceIn the Summer of 2016, members from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe began organizing demonstrations against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), an underground pipeline that would stretch over 1,300 miles. If completed, it would carry oil through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. Many believed DAPL’s route would destroy sacred Sioux grounds and affect the local water source. As Indigenous tribes from all over the world united against the pipeline, private security soon used guard dogs and pepper spray on demonstrators. Local police arrived in riot gear and armored vehicles.On the brink of halting the pipeline, vo...
2023-11-0733 min
Everything Is StoriesA Line Drawn In The Rez DirtFor over two decades, Duane “Chili” Yazzie has been an activist for Native American rights. Of the Navajo tribe, Chili has spent his life on the reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico, following tribal traditions and questioning the relationship between Native Peoples and Anglo-Americans. As a young man, he became a member of the influential Native American rock band, XIT, playing at political rallies across the United States. Chili would later become involved in Navajo politics, being sworn into the administration of the Shiprock Chapter House, where he now serves as president.In this story, Chil...
2023-11-071h 07
Everything Is StoriesBanished Veterans - Part 2In the final part of this series, EIS visits the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana. Commonly known as “The Bunker” by residents, the house hosts veterans released from the military and deported out of the United States. A number of veterans tell stories of hardships in Mexico, efforts to join military branches in other countries, and retaining American pride after banishment.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by Sontag Shogun.Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...
2023-11-0742 min
Everything Is StoriesBanished Veterans - Part 1At age seven, Hector Barajas crossed the Mexico border into United States as an illegal citizen. His family soon settled in Compton, California, where Hector encountered crime, gang violence, and racial division. Hector escaped the lifestyle by joining the United States Army as a non-citizen, becoming a medic for the 82nd Airborne Division. But personal problems soon led him to honorable discharge, prison, and deportation back to Mexico. In the first episode of this two-part series, Hector chronicles the humanity of being banished, and how he seeks to return to the country he once swore to protect....
2023-11-0731 min
Everything Is StoriesVanished StatusAfter anti-war protests at Washington University in 1970, Howard Mechanic became the first person arrested and charged under the Civil Obedience Act. Claiming innocence, Mechanic jumped bail to avoid prison time. He moved out West and created a new identity. For 28 years, he lived as Gary Tredway while raising a family and starting his own business. But what happens when Gary Tredway’s background is questioned? Can he continue under an assumed name or will his past finally be open to the public?Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by GOG (Mike Bj...
2023-11-0737 min
Everything Is StoriesSomething Can't Be EverythingRobin Baker dreamed of becoming a Hollywood starlet. As a teenager in the 60s, she became a Whisky a Go Go dancer, socializing with famous actors and musicians. After meeting and marrying Jim Baker, a World War II veteran, restaurant owner, and spiritual leader in Los Angeles, Robin’s life took a different path. With her husband, she established the Source Family, a commune with over 140 members. But when Jim changed his name to Father Yod and adopted strange rules for the commune, Robin’s role in the family changed forever.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and...
2023-10-2445 min
Everything Is StoriesThe Accidental OutlawsAn anonymous couple live in an undisclosed part of northern California. Spearheading the back-to-the-land hippie movement, the Husband moved to the area in the early 70s while the Wife traveled the world as part of the Peace Corps. Now, the couple’s home rests off the grid where they grow a very special garden. This garden provides a peaceful and private lifestyle for the marriage. But what happens when outsiders jeopardize the couple’s way of life? Will the garden be destroyed? Or can the couple preserve their land and everything that grows within it?Produced by Garre...
2023-10-2450 min
Everything Is StoriesThe Long Arm of CoincidenceJon Gerwitz’s son was born on April 20th, 1988 and kidnapped four hours later. In this story, Gerwitz describes the peculiar circumstances of the disappearance which includes his hometown, a lifelong friend, and the many corridors of Interstate 40. Gerwitz also explains his emotions at the time which ranged from paranoia to forgiveness. 20 years later, he wonders if the whole experience was a coincidence or miracle.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by J.S. Aurelius.Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad...
2023-10-2428 min
Everything Is StoriesSulomeFor the first seven years of her life, Sulome Anderson never met her father, journalist Terry Anderson. Three months before she was born, her father was kidnapped and imprisoned by Shiite Muslim militants in Lebanon. Through hostage videos and letters, Sulome began forming an image of a perfect parent. But after his release, she soon realized Terry Anderson was not the person she imagined.Years later, Sulome began investigating the events that led to her father’s kidnapping. In this episode, she tells her story of a personal journey into the Middle East and confronting the extremists re...
2023-10-2449 min
Everything Is StoriesI Saw My OwnAt age 15, novelist Vanessa Veselka ran away from home and began living life as a hitchhiker in the United States during the 1980s. From highway to highway, coast to coast, truck stop to truck stop, Veselka experienced poverty, perversion, and a showdown with a potential serial killer. She shares her story at the MacDowell Colony for Artists where she works on her second novel, Light the Lamp With the Last of the Whale Oil (Riverhead Books).Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by Dan Svizeny.Transcripts are available at...
2023-10-2433 min
Everything Is StoriesAlways Keep the Fire Going SomewhereB.B. St. Roman is the only staff member for the New Orleans Police Department Homeless Assistant Unit. Before helping the homeless, she traveled the world, recording sound for documentaries involving shamans, Buddhist monks, and Mother Teresa. And at one point, she became the tour manager for Dr. John, Louisiana musician and legend.Now, she works full-time with the homeless. She tells her stories of Hurricane Katrina, shelter issues in the city, as well as planning and dreaming of ways to help those living in the streets.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler...
2023-10-1049 min
Everything Is StoriesEyes Back on the HighwayScooter Tramp Scotty is a writer who’s lived on the road for over 20 years. Traveling across North America on an old Harley Davidson, Scotty never stays in a single place more than two months. In this episode, we find Scotty in New Orleans, Louisiana and Harlingen, Texas where he talks about becoming a drifter, finding places to stay, and the loneliness of the road.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by Destruction Unit.Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your ad ch...
2023-10-1032 min
Everything Is StoriesWater is WideFor over 30 years, Peter Willcox has been a sea captain for Greenpeace, an environmental organization based out of Amsterdam. Willcox helps international campaigns against whaling, anti-nuclear activities, and global warming. In this episode, he tells his experiences of growing up in an activist family, his first protest at sea, being attacked by the French government and jailed in Russia. He also shares the history of the Rainbow Warrior, the famous Greenpeace vessel that continues to sail today.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by Villages.Transcripts are available at...
2023-10-1051 min
Everything Is StoriesNo Duties Without RightsAs a young man growing up in the Dominican Republic, Miguel Vargas-Caba had an early interest in foreign language. With minimal resources in a country wrapped up in political turmoil and an eventual civil war, Cabas began writing to people overseas to request books and stamps for his collection. After teaching himself various languages from Latin to Russian, it was ultimately his curiosity in the latter that would land him in the United States after his mother feared for his life amongst an anti-communist culture.After adjusting to life in the U.S., Vargas-Caba would eventually earn his...
2023-10-1059 min
Everything Is StoriesAnything For A WitnessLois Gibson is considered by many to be the most successful forensic artist in the world. Using skills in art, witness interviewing, and facial reconstruction, Gibson has helped solve over 1,200 cases by sketching portraits of both victims and criminals all over the United States. In 2005, she was even placed in the Guinness Book of World Records because of her success in suspect identifications. EIS finds Gibson at her home in Spring, Texas where she tells stories of an early career in modeling, surviving a brutal attack, and her fascination with faces.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez...
2023-10-1038 min
Everything Is StoriesPractices of EnfreakmentMat Fraser is a performance artist who starred on the FX television show American Horror Story: Freak Show. Born with phocomelia, a condition that results in malformation of the limbs, Fraser embraces his disability through activism, art, and the carnie-sideshow experience. In this episode, Fraser tells the stories of his condition, his relationship with Coney Island, and how he entered show business with a physical deformity.Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.Music by PC Worship.Transcripts are available at everythingisstories.com Learn more about your...
2023-09-2639 min
Everything Is StoriesAs I Have Gone Alone In ThereAfter surviving cancer, Forrest Fenn, a dealer of antique luxuries, hid a treasure chest filled with gold coins, gold dust, gold nuggets, rubies, and other valuable things. The treasure is said to be worth over one million dollars, and he’s only given clues to where it may be in his poetry, prose, and the occasional television appearance.In this story, Forrest Fenn is interviewed at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he shares stories from his childhood, experiences of being a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War, and what exactly made him want to hi...
2023-09-2657 min
Everything Is StoriesCurrent With The PastOriginally released in 1969, Dave Bixby’s Ode to Quetzacoatl is considered an underground classic in the psychedelic folk genre. With tracks such as “Drug Song” and “666″, the album remains dark, revelatory, and spiritual even in the 21st century. For years, rumors of Bixby’s disappearance and death spread amongst listeners. No one knew his story or his whereabouts or what influenced him to create an album dedicated to a Mesoamerican deity. He was a mystery.In this episode Everything Is Stories finds Dave Bixby in Northern Arizona where he shares his incredible adventures with hallucinogens in the 60s, a Christi...
2023-09-2653 min
Everything Is StoriesOther WorldsDiego Palma is a healer. Kush is a shaman. Both are located in Peru.Their methods for spiritual discovery include medicine songs, mantras, icaros, tobacco smoke, and ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a brew made from the caapi vine and the chacruna shrub. Amazonas have used ayahuasca for centuries. When ingested, it opens the mind to cosmic possibilities.Peter Gersten is a retired lawyer. In 1987, he sued the United States Government for UFO information. Years later, Gersten began following visions and signs which led him to Sedona, Arizona. He began to believe reality was a simulation that could be...
2023-09-2646 min
Everything Is StoriesBurden of ProofTommy Cotter worked as a soundman for network television show COPS. For one year, Cotter experienced several forms of crime alongside officers in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Fort Wayne, Texas. He captured sound of prostitution stings, robberies, and domestic disputes. Ten years after leaving the job, Cotter reveals how this experience transformed him.****** **** is a photographer who spent time as a crime scene specialist in a southwestern state. He recounts the elaborate hiring process which included a lie detector test, a mock crime scene, and a trip to the morgue. Photographing evidence, suspects, and autopsies, the experience began...
2023-09-2646 min
Everything Is Stories030 After InnocenceA story of misplaced justice and the perils of innocence. Convicted and sentenced to 12 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault of a child, Greg Torti has spent the the last two decades in the shadow of a system that places a high priority on banishing sex offenders even after their release. Living in rural Texas with children of his own now, Torti would be the first to tell you he agrees with the system. Yet still, after years behind bars and now subject to the process a sex offender must go through each year, bitterness...
2018-12-1150 min
Everything Is Stories029 No Duties Without RightsA story of language, communism, and 9/11.
As a young man growing up in the Dominican Republic, Miguel Vargas-Caba ;had an early interest in foreign language. With minimal resources in a country wrapped up in political turmoil and an eventual civil war, Cabas began writing to people overseas to request books and stamps for his collection. After teaching himself various languages from Latin to Russian, it was ultimately his curiosity in the latter that would land him in the United States after his mother feared for his life amongst an anti-communist culture. After adjusting to life in the U...
2018-09-1158 min
Everything Is Stories028 The Marble Faun - Part 2A story of a runaway, sexual identity, and survival in the wake of loss. In part two of our episode we pick up with Jerry as he returns to New York City from Saudi Arabia. With money in his pocket he decides to indulge in a free lifestyle, immersing himself in the gay community at various bath houses and night clubs on a regular basis. After running a successful business and ultimately losing a loved one to the AIDS epidemic, he struggles with addiction in the rough and tumble 1980s East Village. From there we follow as...
2018-05-0335 min
Everything Is Stories027 The Marble Faun - Part 1A story of a runaway, sexual identity, and survival in the wake of loss.
Part one of this two-part episode follows Jerry Torre - well known for his appearance in the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens. As a child he ran from his home in Brooklyn and began working as a gardener for the wealthy in East Hampton, NY. While there he stumbles upon the now-famous Grey Gardens property and begins regularly staying with the Beales, helping maintain the property and becoming friends with the two women. At the same time he begins to discover his own sexuality, traveling back to the Manhat...
2018-04-1948 min
Everything Is Stories026 La Retirada - Act IIIA story of drug trafficking, deception, and family identity.
In the final part of La Retirada, Rocío Gómez and her family enter the United States Federal Witness Security Program. The family must create new identities, while moving from state to state. But they soon realize that fabricated identities do not change their personal history.
La Retirada is a collaboration between Everything Is Stories and Love and Radio
Love and Radio is produced by Nick van der Kolk
2017-03-2430 min
Everything Is Stories025 La Retirada - Act IIA story of drug trafficking, deception, and family identity.
The story continues as Rocío Gómez divorces her husband Rodrigo, a master drug trafficker in Colombia. Rocío and her children move to Miami where she begins a relationship with a new man, Carlos, whose dangerous past with the mafia catches up with Rocío’s family.
La Retirada is a collaboration between Everything Is Stories and Love and Radio
Love and Radio is produced by Nick van der Kolk
Photo by Justin Hollar
2017-03-1039 min
Everything Is Stories024 La Retirada - Act IA story of drug trafficking, deception, and family identity
In Colombia, Rocío Gómez marries into an empire of wealth and power. She is told the family operates a low-profile import/export business, and finds comfort in her role as wife and mother. However, she soon learns the family business is not what it seems as Rocío becomes entangled with drugs, money, and mafioso.
La Retirada is a collaboration between Everything Is Stories and Love and Radio
Love and Radio is produced by Nick van der Kolk
Photo by Justin Hollar
2017-03-0131 min
Everything Is Stories023 SulomeA story of terrorism, family, and forgiveness.
For the first seven years of her life, Sulome Anderson never met her father, journalist Terry Anderson. Three months before she was born, her father was kidnapped and imprisoned by Shiite Muslim militants in Lebanon. Through hostage videos and letters, Sulome began forming an image of a perfect parent. But after his release, she soon realized Terry Anderson was not the person she imagined.
Years later, Sulome began investigating the events the led to her father's kidnapping. In this episode, she tells her story of a personal journey into the Middle East and...
2017-02-0248 min
Everything Is Stories022 Force Begets ResistanceStories of protest from Standing Rock.
In the Summer of 2016, members from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe began organizing demonstrations against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), an underground pipeline that would stretch over 1,300 miles. If completed, it would carry oil through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. Many believed DAPL's route would destroy sacred Sioux grounds and affect the local water source. As Indigenous tribes from all over the world united against the pipeline, private security soon used guard dogs and pepper spray on demonstrators. Local police arrived in riot gear and armored vehicles.
On the brink of halting...
2016-12-1230 min
Everything Is Stories021 A Line Drawn In The Rez DirtA story of the Navajo reservation, native rock and roll, and action against a colonial government.
For over two decades, Duane “Chili” Yazzie has been an activist for Native American rights. Of the Navajo tribe, Chili has spent his life on the reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico, following tribal traditions and questioning the relationship between Native Peoples and Anglo-Americans. As a young man, he became a member of the influential Native American rock band, XIT, playing at political rallies across the United States. Chili would later become involved in Navajo politics, being sworn into the administration of the Shiprock Chapter Hous...
2016-11-171h 04
Everything Is Stories020 Banished Veterans - Part 2A story of military vets barred from the country they served.
In the final part of this series, EIS visits the Deported Veterans Support House in Tijuana. Commonly known as "The Bunker" by residents, the house hosts veterans released from the military and deported out of the United States. A number of veterans tell stories of hardships in Mexico, efforts to join military branches in other countries, and retaining American pride after banishment.
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray
Music by Sontag Shogun
Episode 020 is sponsored by Green Chef
Get four free meals with your first order...
2016-05-1641 min
Everything Is Stories019 Banished Veterans - Part 1A story of military vets barred from the country they served.
At age seven, Hector Barajas crossed the Mexico border into United States as an illegal citizen. His family soon settled in Compton, California, where Hector encountered crime, gang violence, and racial division. Hector escaped the lifestyle by joining the United States Army as a non-citizen, becoming a medic for the 82nd Airborne Division. But personal problems soon led him to honorable discharge, prison, and deportation back to Mexico. In the first episode of this two-part series, Hector chronicles the humanity of being banished, and how he seeks to return...
2016-04-2931 min
Everything Is Stories018 These ExecutionsA story of public relations and lethal injection.
Michelle Lyons witnessed over 270 executions carried out by the state of Texas. At age 22, Lyons started reporting for The Huntsville Item, which gave her the opportunity to see her first lethal injection. In 2001, she became the Director of Public Information for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), a spokesperson for 110 prisons across the state. Here, Lyons talks the politics of death row, the infamous Walls Unit execution chamber, and processing her emotions death after death.
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray
Music by Silent Isle
http://anastasiaclarke.info
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2015-12-2347 min
Everything Is Stories017 Anything For A WitnessA story of justice found within the shape of a face.
Lois Gibson is considered by many to be the most successful forensic artist in the world. Using skills in art, witness interviewing, and facial reconstruction, Gibson has helped solve over 1,200 cases by sketching portraits of both victims and criminals all over the United States. In 2005, she was even placed in the Guinness Book of World Records because of her success in suspect identifications. EIS finds Gibson at her home in Spring, Texas where she tells stories of an early career in modeling, surviving a brutal attack, and her fascination...
2015-10-3036 min
Everything Is Stories016 Water is WideA story of activism at sea.
For over 30 years, Peter Willcox has been a sea captain for Greenpeace, an environmental organization based out of Amsterdam. Willcox helps international campaigns against whaling, anti-nuclear activities, and global warming. In this episode, he tells his experiences of growing up in an activist family, his first protest at sea, being attacked by the French government and jailed in Russia. He also shares the history of the Rainbow Warrior, the famous Greenpeace vessel that continues to sail today.
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray
Music by Villages
http://villages1.bandcamp.com
2015-09-2148 min
Everything Is Stories015 Vanished StatusA story of protest and assumed identity.
After anti-war protests at Washington University in 1970, Howard Mechanic became the first person arrested and charged under the Civil Obedience Act. Claiming innocence, Mechanic jumped bail to avoid prison time. He moved out West and created a new identity. For 28 years, he lived as Gary Tredway while raising a family and starting his own business. But what happens when Gary Tredway's background is questioned? Can he continue under an assumed name or will his past finally be open to the public?
Music by GOG (Mike Bjella)
soundcloud.com/sobasc/
deepestgate.bandcamp.com/music
...
2015-07-3036 min
Everything Is Stories014 But Not With SilverA story of divine fate and segregation within the Secret Service.
Abraham Bolden was the first black Secret Service agent on the White House detail. Serving under John F. Kennedy, Bolden cracked counterfeiting cases and provided security for the President. However, the segregated 60s led Bolden from the White House to prison. In this story, EIS finds Bolden inside his Chicago home as he recounts his experiences of racial tension and why he considers himself a tool of fate.
Music by Zachary Reid
https://zacharyreid.bandcamp.com/
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray
2015-06-2544 min
Everything Is Stories013 Always Keep the Fire Going SomewhereA story of compassion and saintlike devotion in the streets of New Orleans.
B.B. St. Roman is the only staff member for the New Orleans Police Department Homeless Assistant Unit. Before helping the homeless, she traveled the world, recording sound for documentaries involving shamans, Buddhist monks, and Mother Teresa. And at one point, she became the tour manager for Dr. John, Louisiana musician and legend.
Now, she works full-time with the homeless. She tells her stories of Hurricane Katrina, shelter issues in the city, as well as planning and dreaming of ways to help those living in the streets.
Mu...
2015-05-2149 min
Everything Is Stories012 Eyes Back on the HighwayA story of travel without destination.
Scooter Tramp Scotty is a writer who’s lived on the road for over 20 years. Traveling across North America on an old Harley Davidson, Scotty never stays in a single place more than two months. In this episode, we find Scotty in New Orleans, Louisiana and Harlingen, Texas where he talks about becoming a drifter, finding places to stay, and the loneliness of the road.
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray
Music by Destruction Unit
ascetism.com/dunit
Episode 012 is sponsored by Audible.com.
Get a free audio book at audiblepodcast.co...
2015-04-0930 min
Everything Is Stories011 Something Can't Be EverythingA story of consciousness, love, and magick in vintage Hollywood.
Robin Baker dreamed of becoming a Hollywood starlet. As a teenager in the 60s, she became a Whisky a Go Go dancer, socializing with famous actors and musicians. After meeting and marrying Jim Baker, a World War II veteran, restaurant owner, and spiritual leader in Los Angeles, Robin’s life took a different path. With her husband, she established the Source Family, a commune with over 140 members. But when Jim changed his name to Father YoHoWha and adopted strange rules for the commune, Robin's role in the family changed forever.
Pro...
2015-02-1946 min
Everything Is Stories010 Man DividedA story of hot chrome motorcycles, leather, and a journey into the wilderness.
At age 60, Jay Byrd lives by himself off the grid in northern Arizona where he often meditates and reads theology. However, his past tells a different story of biker clubs, violence, prison, and heroin addiction. In this episode, Jay Byrd recounts his experience with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and gun-toting girlfriends. Yet after escaping personal chaos, he’s now eager to describe his philosophies concerning beauty and nothingness.
Music by Jon Martinez
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray
2015-01-1552 min
Everything Is Stories009 Practices of EnfreakmentA story of autonomous abnormality.
Mat Fraser is a performance artist who currently stars on the FX television show American Horror Story: Freak Show. Born with phocomelia, a condition that results in malformation of the limbs, Fraser embraces his disability through activism, art, and the carnie-sideshow experience. In this episode, Fraser tells the stories of his condition, his relationship with Coney Island, and how he entered show business with a physical deformity.
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray
For more information on Mat Fraser:
matfraser.co.uk
twitter.com/mat_fraser
Music by PC Worship
pcworship.blogspot.co...
2014-12-0837 min
Everything Is Stories008 The Accidental OutlawsA story of lawlessness while practicing organic methods.
An anonymous couple live in an undisclosed part of northern California. Spearheading the back-to-the-land hippie movement, the Husband moved to the area in the early 70s while the Wife travelled the world as part of the Peace Corps. Now, the couple’s home rests off the grid where they grow a very special garden. This garden provides a peaceful and private lifestyle for the marriage. But what happens when outsiders jeopardize the couple’s way of life? Will the garden be destroyed? Or can the couple preserve their land and everything that grow...
2014-10-3048 min
Everything Is Stories007 Current with the PastA story of seclusion, discovery, creation, and worship.
Originally released in 1969, Dave Bixby’s Ode to Quetzacoatl is considered an underground classic in the psychedelic folk genre. With tracks such as "Drug Song" and "666", the album remains dark, revelatory, and spiritual even in the 21st century. For years, rumors of Bixby's disappearance and death spread amongst listeners. No one knew his story or his whereabouts or what influenced him to create an album dedicated to a Mesoamerican deity. He was a mystery.
In Episode 007, Everything Is Stories finds Dave Bixby in Northern Arizona where he shares his incredible adventures with hallucinogens in the 60s...
2014-09-0551 min
Everything Is Stories006 SesquipedalianA story of hustles and gambles within lowlife culture.
Charles Farrell could be labeled a number of things: pianist, writer, boxing manager, and hustler. As a teenager, Farrell lived in the streets of Boston, playing piano in mafia-owned clubs. With a love for boxing, he started gambling on high-profile matches while also managing fighters. He fixed an array of professional fights by using code-talk with trainers, foolproof matchmaking, and buying referees and judges. In this story, the highs and lows of gangster culture are explored as Charles Farrell describes the ease of taking advantage of society’s vulnerable parts.
Produced by B...
2014-07-2948 min
Everything Is Stories005 I Saw My OwnA story of hitchhiking the interstate and highways in the 1980's.
At age 15, novelist Vanessa Veselka ran away from home and began living life as a hitchhiker in the United States during the 1980s. From highway to highway, coast to coast, truck stop to truck stop, Veselka experienced poverty, perversion, and a showdown with a potential serial killer. She shares her story at the MacDowell Colony for Artists where she works on her second novel, Light the Lamp With the Last of the Whale Oil (Riverhead Books).
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.
Music by Dan Svizeny
htt...
2014-05-3031 min
Everything Is Stories004 Highways of the Past Journeying: ...Where Our Son WasA story of vanishment and revelation on the road.
Jon Gerwitz's son was born on April 20th, 1988 and kidnapped four hours later. In this story, Gerwitz describes the peculiar circumstances of the disappearance which includes his hometown, a lifelong friend, and the many corridors of Interstate 40. Gerwitz also explains his emotions at the time which ranged from paranoia to forgiveness. 20 years later, he wonders if the whole experience was a coincidence or miracle.
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.
Music by J.S. Aurelius
ascetism.com/
www.acousmaticindustries.us/
2014-05-1026 min
Everything Is Stories003 As I Have Gone Alone In ThereA story from someone who creates adventure in the 21st century.
After surviving cancer, Forrest Fenn, a dealer of antique luxuries, hid a treasure chest filled with gold coins, gold dust, gold nuggets, rubies, and other valuable things. The treasure is said to be worth over one million dollars, and he’s only given clues to where it may be in his poetry, prose, and the occasional television appearance.
In this story, Forrest Fenn is interviewed at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he shares stories from his childhood, experiences of being a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War...
2014-04-0156 min
Everything Is Stories002 Other WorldsTwo stories from those who challenge reality by contacting other spirits, dimensions, portals, and voids. How? Ancient mind-altering ceremonies and leaps of faith.
Diego Palma is a healer. Kush is a shaman. Both are located in Peru.
Their methods for spiritual discovery include medicine songs, mantras, icaros, tobacco smoke, and ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is a brew made from the caapi vine and the chacruna shrub. Amazonas have used ayahuasca for centuries. When ingested, it opens the mind to cosmic possibilities.
Peter Gersten is a retired lawyer. In 1987, he sued the United States Government for UFO information. Years later, Gersten began following vi...
2014-02-1444 min
Everything Is Stories001 Burden of ProofTwo stories from individuals who collected evidence in different ways
Tommy Cotter worked as a soundman for network television show COPS. For one year, Cotter experienced several forms of crime alongside officers in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Fort Wayne, Texas. He captured sound of prostitution stings, robberies, and domestic disputes. Ten years after leaving the job, Cotter reveals how this experience transformed him.
****** **** is a photographer who spent time as a crime scene specialist in a southwestern state. He recounts the elaborate hiring process which included a lie detector test, a mock crime scene, and a trip to the morgue. Photographing evi...
2013-12-0844 min
Everything Is Stories000 Their Understanding of ThemselvesEverything is Stories is a podcast which explores narratives from the underground, the underdog, the outlaw, and the outcast. Created in 2013, the producers have traveled from New York to Tennessee, from Arizona to Peru, interviewing runaway writers, adventurists, shamans, UFO conspiracists, and other eccentric types. Using in-depth interviews and extensive production, Everything is Stories transcends conventional forms of storytelling by exposing both the darkness and light within the individual.
Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.
Music by William Cody Watson
pinkpriest.bandcamp.com
2013-08-2602 min
Everything Is Stories000 Their Understanding of ThemselvesEverything is Stories is a podcast which explores narratives from the underground, the underdog, the outlaw, and the outcast. Created in 2013, the producers have traveled from New York to Tennessee, from Arizona to Peru, interviewing runaway writers, adventurists, shamans, UFO conspiracists, and other eccentric types. Using in-depth interviews and extensive production, Everything is Stories transcends conventional forms of storytelling by exposing both the darkness and light within the individual. Produced by Garrett Crowe, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray. Music by William Cody Watson pinkpriest.bandcamp.com
2013-08-2600 min