Ep. 32 - Bobby Miller

This is my second podcast with Bobby Miller, who maintains dual citizenship in the worlds of media and that of the spirit.

This is my second podcast with author and columnist Eric Alterman. Eric Alterman is best known as a columnist for The Nation and author of ten books about politics and culture including the bestselling (and prophetic) What Liberal Media? However, Eric’s role in Rock and Roles is to be a voice of Judaism from a perspective of deep reverence for ancient texts; a love of the “conversation” among Jewish scholars that has been going on for hundreds of years and a great ethical clarity. In this discussion, he explains several traditions of Jewish thought. Eric insists that he does not have a mystical bone in his body but he did recently admit to me that when he saw the new documentary about the Grateful Dead he felt an ineffable connection to the Dead community.

Writer and director, David Silver, is one of my oldest and best friends is well known to Be Here Now Network listeners for more than one hundred episodes he has done with Raghu Markus on the Mindrolling podcast. David joins me in exploring the challenge of remembering spiritual teachings and a belief that God is inside everyone, with attempts at social responsibility at a time in America of much dissension and anguish. We did not “solve” the problem but it was one of my favorite podcasts nonetheless.

Paul Krassner, best known as the long-time editor of the legendary alternative culture publication The Realist; an extraordinary archive. Paul is also the author of more than a dozen books, most recently The Realist Cartoons. A cultural hero of mine since I was a teenager, Paul Krassner was the subject of my first podcast a couple of years ago. For this one, I wanted to get his reflections on the first few months of the Donald Trump administration and Paul holds forth with passion and intensity. How to integrate spirituality and politics views rooted in a moral world-view remains an inward struggle for me.

Ben Lee returns to the show to talk about his newest album "Ben Lee Sings Songs about Islam for the Whole Family". Singer and songwriter, Ben Lee, introduces his new project which aims to draw attention back to the peaceful, spiritual and philosophic concepts at the heart of Islam. Ben shares tracks from "Ben Lee Sings Songs about Islam for the Whole Family" as well as his thoughts on the relationship between Islam and the world.