John Hodgman and China Forbes

Summary

Live Wire with Luke Burbank
Episode: John Hodgman and China Forbes
Date: March 6, 2026
Podcast Host: PRX (Host: Luke Burbank)

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Live Wire artfully blends comedy, music, literary discussion, and personal reflection, bringing together the witty author and podcaster John Hodgman and acclaimed Pink Martini vocalist China Forbes. Hodgman dives into his celebrated judge persona, his Substack adventures, and his love affair with Maine, while Forbes reflects on her sabbatical, solo music, and life changes. As always, the show delivers a warm, funny, and insightful look at contemporary culture, relationships, and creativity, recorded before a lively Portland audience.

---

Key Segments and Highlights

1. Opening Banter and "Best News We Heard All Week"

[00:02 – 07:53]

• Hosts: Luke Burbank and Announcer Elaina Passarello set the tone with playful rapport.

• Elaina’s Best News:
  — The side part hairstyle and trends like skinny jeans, no-show socks, and lasagna are “back in” after being dismissed as “cheugy” (MM:02:37). — Quote:

  • Elaina: “The side part is coming back, so people are cheering. Did you hear the cheering?” (02:37)
  • Luke: “Shine, sweet freedom. The freedom of no longer even being in the conversation.” (04:44)

• Luke’s Best News:
  — English Heritage Sites now feature "bonding benches," targeted to ease parental loneliness, equipped with signs for “up for a chat” or “craving quiet.” — Quote:

  • Luke: “It is a bench where if you are a parent and you would kind of like to maybe strike up a conversation... you can sit on the bench. You can have a chat. Here’s what they did, though... there is a little sign that you can slide on the bonding bench, and it goes from ‘up for a chat’ to ‘craving quiet’.” (05:59–06:28)

---

2. Interview: John Hodgman

[09:04 – 35:57]

Judge John Hodgman and Podcast Origins

• Background: Hodgman discusses how his judgmental persona, honed on The Daily Show and other platforms, led to the long-running Judge John Hodgman podcast with Jesse Thorne.
• Quote:
  • Hodgman: “I've waited for this call my whole life.” (09:52)

The Art of Comedy and "Settled Law"

• Philosophy:
  — Hodgman’s comedic disputes often reveal underlying emotional truths about relationships. — Foundational rule: “Be mindful of the work that you leave for others.”
• Memorable Examples:
  — “Is a hot dog a sandwich?”; “Could you beat up a great white shark?”; dad jokes in restaurants; argument over French toast with ketchup (“could have been worse, but don’t ever do it again”) (13:46–14:45).
• Quote:
  • Hodgman: "We're looking for the emotional crux, the reality behind them." (12:46)

Cheese Mongering and "Shooting the Breeze"

• Cheese Show: Once-a-year cheese podcast, “Shooting the Breeze” (breeze/Brie pun) with Jordan Morris.
• Hodgman’s cheese shop experience in London.
• Quote:
  • Burbank: “These hands have never mongered. No, my friend. These are the soft hands of a public radio host.” (17:36)

Substack and ‘Moby Dick’ Readings in a Maine Accent

• Hodgman’s Secret Society Substack: Channel for event updates and literary musings.
• Moby Dick Marathon:
  — Reading Moby Dick aloud, in a faux Maine accent.
  — Entertaining, unscripted reading with endearing digressions. — Reads iconic opening passage and summarizes: “Anyway, I went to sea. There was a big whale named Moby Dick, and we tried to kill it. The end. That’s it, the whole book.” (22:53)
• Quote:
  • Hodgman (Maine accent): “Whenever it is a damp and drizzly November in my soul… I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can...” (21:01–22:53)

Love Letter (and Cautionary Tale) to Maine

• Origins of Affection:
  — Maine’s remoteness, rugged climate, and “end of the road” vibe appeal to Hodgman’s introverted nature.
• Relationship Paradox:
  — Feels deep affection but senses the state’s “negging”/aloofness toward outsiders. — “There is an allure to feeling accepted by a place that acts as though it wants to reject you.” (26:14–27:45)
• Maine Trivia Lightning Round:
  — Discusses quirky state laws (“illegal to blow one’s nose in public”) and customs such as the flower that isn’t a flower, billboards being illegal, the rumored holiday decoration fine, and the tickling law. — Judge John Hodgman “settled law”: “If it’s not fun for everyone, it’s not fun at all.” (33:37)
• On Growing a Beard:
  — Grew it as a “signifier” of no longer being sexually available; recently shaved for a secret project. — “When I shaved it off, I was like, oh, it’s you again. That weird baby man.” (35:31)

---

3. Interview: China Forbes

[37:59 – 46:14]

Sabbatical and Parenting

• Why the Break?
  — After 30 years fronting Pink Martini, Forbes wanted to reclaim time with her teenage son. — Noted an immediate increase in closeness and communication at home.
• On Parenting Approach:
  — Cites “potted plant” advice: simply be present and available without trying too hard—“But don’t be a cactus. Like a fern. I’m just a fern.” (39:46)

Solo Album vs. Pink Martini Albums

• Pink Martini: Created “in a swirling chaos of many people.”
• Solo Work:
  — “Like being alone in a room most of the time.”
  — Album is emotionally open: covers divorce, motherhood, mental health, and middle age.
• Quote:
  • China Forbes: “My album is more just like my personal stories. And my heart is in that album in a way that’s different.” (40:13)

Musical Superpower and Early Influences

• Innate Performer:
  — Knew from age 8 she’d be a singer; learned by imitating Donna Summer. — Recalls vivid childhood imagination and stage aspirations.
• Quote:
  • China Forbes: “I idolized Donna Summer, and that’s how I learned to sing, by imitating her.” (41:41)

Discussing 'Infinitely Polar Bear'

• Family in Film:
  — Her sister’s movie about their childhood included events from Chyna’s life, written for her sister’s character for narrative purposes, which still “upsets” Chyna. — Quote: “I think I found out in the movie theater because I feel like I would have said something, but maybe I was just... I was also so supportive…” (45:33)

Forbes on Livewire

• Warmly acknowledges her appreciation for the show. “We love Livewire. What can you say?” (46:05)

---

4. Performance: "Full Circle" by China Forbes

[46:14 – 51:10]

• Song Context:
  — Forbes notes it’s “for everybody”—a heartfelt, accessible ballad about resilience, heartbreak, motherhood, and the cycles of life.
• Lyrics Highlight:
  — “We come full circle, we go round robin, we go up, we burn out, we come down…”
• Memorable Moment:
  — The audience is captivated as Forbes’ emotive voice fills the club, closing her segment on an uplifting note.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• John Hodgman, on his persona:
  "It's pretty clear that I am judgmental and I had already been on the Daily Show as a fake resident expert and self made deranged authority on all things." (09:52)
• Luke Burbank, on trend cycles:
  “Shine, sweet freedom. The freedom of no longer even being in the conversation.” (04:44)
• Elaina Passarello, on lasagna being out of fashion:
  “Poor Garfield.” (04:12)
• John Hodgman, on Maine:
  "There is an allure to feeling accepted by a place that acts as though it wants to reject you." (27:45)
• China Forbes, on career change:
  "I didn't want to look up and find that he had gone to college and I had missed the whole thing." (38:17)
• China Forbes, on solo music:
  “My album is more just like my personal stories. And my heart is in that album in a way that’s different.” (40:13)

---

Important Timestamps

• 00:02: Show intro and guest preview
• 02:37: Elaina's "side part" good news
• 04:44: Luke's "best news" from England
• 09:04: John Hodgman interview begins
• 21:01–22:53: Hodgman reads Moby Dick in Maine accent
• 35:57: Hodgman segment concludes
• 37:59: China Forbes interview begins
• 39:46: "Potted plant" parenting analogy
• 41:41: Forbes' early singing influences
• 46:14–51:10: Forbes performs "Full Circle"

---

Episode Tone and Style

The episode is lighthearted and witty, mixing Hodgman’s dry, self-deprecating humor with Forbes’ warmth and candor. The hosts foster a spontaneous yet intimate atmosphere where guests feel comfortable sharing personal stories and creative journeys. The playful banter, cultural references, and musical interludes keep the show lively and accessible.

---

Takeaways for New Listeners

• Get a behind-the-scenes look at how beloved podcasts and albums are made.
• Enjoy stories about unlikely Maine obsessions, family quirks, and music’s power to connect.
• Leave with memorable quotes and practical wisdom wrapped in humor—plus a strong urge to subscribe to John Hodgman’s Substack or add China Forbes’ solo album to your playlist.
• Don’t miss the signature performance of “Full Circle,” distilling the seasonality and hopefulness at the heart of Forbes’ music.

---

Transcript

[Luke Burbank]

Hey there. Welcome to Livewire. I'm your host, Luke Burbank. All right, this week on the show we have two all stars. First, friend of the program, John Hodgman, of course, he's a humorist and an actor and the author of many books you've read like Vacation Land and Medallion Status. And of course, he's also a podcaster. You might know him from his show, Judge John Hodgman. He's gonna talk about that, also his time as a cheesemonger and why he is obsessed with his sort of adopted home state of Maine. Then our second star of the hour, Chyna Forbes will stop by. Of course, Chyna has been the lead singer of Pink Martini for the last 30 years, though as of late, she's doing something new for herself. She took a little time off from touring and we're going to talk about that. Plus she's going to play us a song. This is Livewire where we are about to shoot the breeze. Get it? Cheesemonger joke. It gets started right after this.

[Elaina Passarello]

From prx, it's live wire. This week. Humorous John Hodgman.

[John Hodgman]

We have many people come up to Maine every summer saying, I just read Moby Dick. Shall we go? A whaling

[Elaina Passarello]

with music from, from China Forbes.

[China Forbes]

Well, a Pink Martini record is created in more of sort of a swirling chaos of many people. And my album was like being alone in a room most of the time.

[Elaina Passarello]

That sounds like Boundaries and our fabulous house band. I'm your announcer, Elaina Passarello. And now the host of Livewire, Luke Burbank.

[Luke Burbank]

Thank you everyone for coming out for Livewire here in Portland, Oregon. We have a phenomenal show in store for you this week. I can't wait to get to it. Of course, though, we got to kick things off the way that we always like to with a little segment we call the Best News We Heard All Week. It's sort of right there in the title. Okay, the best news we heard all week. But just in case you need an explanation, I a lot of the news is not the best news. And so we, we search far and wide. Yes, somebody in the audience said, no, I can't disagree with that analysis, sir. So we go find some actually decent news and we tell you about it just to try to keep everybody's spirits a little bit up. Elena, what's the best news you heard all week?

[Elaina Passarello]

So there was an article in, of all places, the New York Times recently. They were very, yeah, very busy doing some hard nosed reporting and they came back with some information that we can all the side part is coming back, so people are cheering. Did you hear the cheering?

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[Elaina Passarello]

So I didn't know this, but during the pandemic on TikTok and places like that, there was an all out assault on the side part as being like millennial. Cheugy. Cheugy, yeah. Which I had to learn how to pronounce that in order to say this. And middle parts were just all you could do if you wanted to be au courant. And it was like what a millennial would do to part their hair on the side. Also, things that were not okuran anymore. Skinny jeans.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay.

[Elaina Passarello]

No show socks.

[Luke Burbank]

No show socks being the kind of like little short ones so you can wear your shoes, but it doesn't look like you have socks on, but you have socks.

[Elaina Passarello]

Totally didn't know that. Using the. The laughing so hard you're crying emoji.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, no.

[Elaina Passarello]

Which is my love language.

[Luke Burbank]

That's basically. I literally wore that emoji out. Like, that is.

[John Hodgman]

I.

[Elaina Passarello]

You're the reason it went out of style.

[Luke Burbank]

I. Anybody who knows me that I probably punctuate almost every. And also not just punctuate, but add that into the middle of every text message that I sent.

[Elaina Passarello]

You're like, the test results came back.

[Luke Burbank]

They're not good. Laughy cry emoji.

[Elaina Passarello]

This is my favorite thing that apparently was as unfashionable as the side part for the past six years. Lasagna.

[Luke Burbank]

What?

[Elaina Passarello]

Poor Garfield. I mean, so the good news, I think, is not just that the side part is coming back and I am apparently back in fashion, but the real good news is I don't give a crap. Like, I had no idea. I was like, I reached the age they didn't even talk about my generation. I've been tossed overboard to do whatever I want with my pants and my lasagna. And that, yes, that is the best news I've heard all week.

[Luke Burbank]

Shine, sweet freedom. The freedom of no longer even being in the conversation. The best news that I heard all week takes us over to England, where they have this, the English Heritage Society. And, like, they run a lot of these English Heritage Sites, you know, castles and gardens and things. And they were noticing that a lot of the people that were using these English Heritage sites tended to be families and tended to be, in particular, parents with kind of younger children. And a number of the people who kind of worked for the English Heritage Society were also themselves parents with kind of younger children. And they were having this feeling of like, sort of parental loneliness.

[John Hodgman]

Oh, yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Like, it's A weird thing, because you have these small humans that need you so much, and yet in that, you can also feel kind of, like, lonely. They were looking at this one study over there that found that two thirds of new parents said they felt lonely or isolated at least some of the time. And. And almost 90% said they felt overwhelmed some of the time, which sounds low.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

Like, that should be, like, 130%.

[Elaina Passarello]

Like, new parents and their neighbors.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, exactly. And anyone in their orbit. So they sort of hit upon this idea which they're now putting at all of the English Heritage Sites, which they're calling them bonding benches.

[John Hodgman]

Whoa.

[Luke Burbank]

And they're putting these in the areas where people were hanging out, like, and, like, watching their kids play on the, like, you know, the playground or the whatever stuff. And so it is a bench where if you are a parent and you would kind of like to maybe strike up a conversation or just whatever, you can sit on the bench. You can have a chat. Here's what they did, though, because I heard a little bit of hesitance in your voice. Elena. There is a little sign that you can slide on the bonding bench. And it goes from up for a chat to craving quiet.

[Elaina Passarello]

Oh, nice.

[Luke Burbank]

So they're factoring in that maybe not everybody on the bonding bench wants to have a conversation with strangers. I'm hoping that people avail themselves of the up for a chat function a little bit, because I totally identify with that feeling of, like, getting into an elevator or getting on the airplane and sitting with someone, and that feeling of, like, dread about opening up a conversation with someone younger.

[Elaina Passarello]

Do they want to talk? Do they not?

[Luke Burbank]

Do you want to talk to them? Is this going to be torture? Have you noticed, Selena? I feel like the Germans, if they don't have a word for it, they should. It's the sound on the airplane when the airplane has landed and is taxiing, because everybody starts talking to the person next to them. Because worst case scenario, you're with them for eight more minutes, this massive anxiety fever breaks, and everybody wants to talk to everybody on the plane. Cause you're not, like, rolling the dice on the next five hours of your life. Yeah.

[Elaina Passarello]

And it's always terrible when you're getting into a good conversation with someone, but it kind of naturally peters out, and then, you know, you have four more hours of flying, and it's like, how do you break up with this person so that you can watch below deck?

[Luke Burbank]

This is why AirPods were designed.

[John Hodgman]

Yes.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, anyway, I. I just do think what I can say is that when I engage in conversations with people. The vast majority of the time I am feel enriched by the, by the experience. It's like so many things in life where you kind of don't want to do it and then after it happens, you're like, I'm glad that that happened.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

So the idea that some parents in England are having their loneliness at least moderately sort of improved is for me that's the best news I heard all week. You're listening to Livewire Radio. Let's get our first guest on out here. He's an author, actor and comedian whose work has appeared everywhere from the New Yorker to Mad Magazine. He's also the author of wonderful books like Vacation Land and Medallion Status where he detailed his exploits talking a struggling public radio show into purchasing him a first class ticket all the way across the country as part of his all consuming pursuit of airline miles. That radio show was this one, LiveWire, but it's fine. He's also co host, along with Jesse Thorne of the hit podcast Judge John Hodgman. And we're so thrilled to have him back. Please welcome John Hodgman to Livewire. John, welcome back to livewire.

[John Hodgman]

It's so nice to be here, to have flown here again.

[Luke Burbank]

I know, I know. We've dined out on this story too many times. In fact, I made it a goal to not bring it up, this interview because we've talked about it at length. But then they put it in the intro and I thought it was kind of funny.

[John Hodgman]

They put it in the intro?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[John Hodgman]

A wise NPR host who blames his staff.

[Luke Burbank]

You think this show's on npr? We're prx.

[John Hodgman]

Oh, excuse me. Well, I have to fly home now.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. John Hodgman, everyone, a lot of folks know you from your Judge John Hodgman show that you do with Jesse Thorne and also in the pages of the New York Times. How did you get into that role? It was something you were doing on a different maximum fun show, a character. And like, did you have an air of judginess and authority about you that cast you in the role?

[John Hodgman]

Well, I think it's pretty clear that I am judgmental and I had already been on the Daily show as a fake resident expert and self made deranged authority on all things. So my friend Jesse Thorne, who has a number of wonderful podcasts and radio shows including Bullseye on NPR and as well the podcast on Maximum Fund called Jordan Jesse Go said, would you ever consider being a judge like Judge Judy or the People's Court where you hear disputes from Real people. And I said, I've waited for this call my whole life.

[Luke Burbank]

Here's what I think is so funny, though, is that you are, as far as my knowing of you, one of the nicest people in the business. This morning, we were trying to locate a candle that's related to the Judge John Hodgman store. Yes, it's. The scent is what again? Of this candle?

[John Hodgman]

Well, it's our holiday scented candle, and the smell is justice.

[Luke Burbank]

And you were like, I sent you this email really early in the morning and said, like, hey, do you have. Do you travel with the candle? And you said, no. But then I look, and you're on Instagram, where you have hundreds of thousands of followers. You're trying to locate the candle. My point is, you're a very nice, very thoughtful person, and yet your Persona is kind of being someone who's a bit imperious and kind of judgy. I don't find you to be that way in real life, though.

[John Hodgman]

Forgive my pause there, Luke. I was looking into the eyes of my lover. It was such a kind. A kind thing for you to say, and I just wanted to savor it for a moment.

[Luke Burbank]

Are you feeling. I'm feeling radically unstable right now.

[John Hodgman]

The Judge John Hodgman podcast is judgmental. True. We have real people calling in with real and sometimes surreal disputes. Friends, roommates, a lot of couples, some siblings and so forth. And they're asking the hard questions, like, is a hot dog a sandwich right?

[Luke Burbank]

Or could you beat up a great white shark? Which happened during. What was that show? Probable Jaws.

[John Hodgman]

That was our show. Probable Jaws, it was called. Yeah, we had.

[Luke Burbank]

What did you decide?

[John Hodgman]

Well, it was two women who were friends, Jessica and Natasha. Natasha wanted me to rule that her friend Jessica could not, as she claimed, beat up a great white shark. And we did not put it to the test.

[Luke Burbank]

No.

[John Hodgman]

Because I didn't have to. It turned out Jessica cannot swim, which is a something of a disadvantage when fighting a great white shark. And I did examine, and Jessica has only one row of teeth, so I figured that it was unlikely that she could.

[Luke Burbank]

Her teeth do not replace. She doesn't have another row that comes out and replaces the broken ones as soon as it happens.

[John Hodgman]

Exactly so.

[Luke Burbank]

Like a shark would.

[John Hodgman]

Exactly so. But you know what we're looking for? Even though some of these disputes seem silly, we're looking for the emotional crux, the reality behind them. So, you know, we had a father and son on, and the son was very upset with the dad because he would always tell the exact same joke, or I should say, inflict the exact same joke on any server in any restaurant he might go to. And he would say, whatever it was, I'll have the Kung Pao chicken. And it didn't matter whether it was an Italian restaurant, actually. It didn't matter if it might be a manned toll booth. They would say, I'll have the Kung Pao chicken. And we have settled law in the court of Judge John Hodgman, which is be mindful of the work that you leave for others. So if you make a joke, no matter how funny you think it is, that joke causes your server confusion. And they are a trapped audience. And you are making more work for them as they try to figure out what's wrong with this weird dad.

[Luke Burbank]

Right.

[John Hodgman]

You shouldn't do this to people who are just trying to help you, you know, and, and, and similarly, you know, like, if you, if your husband is doing the laundry and folding it, you shouldn't pretend to be a cat and knock the laundry over. You can save that kind of role play for a different room in the house.

[Luke Burbank]

So you, I mean, the show is built around this idea of these kind of somewhat silly disagreements, but you're also trying to get to the emotional core of just what it is to share life with people, basically.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah, exactly. And, you know, another piece of settled law is that, you know, people like what they like. You can't force your loved one to love your favorite movie or even like it. You can't force your husband, as one woman in Ontario wanted to do, to like your favorite topping on French toast, which was ketchup.

[Luke Burbank]

I believe you. You sort of experimented with this with Nick Offerman.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah, Nick Offerman was a guest on the show, and I made him eat French toast with ketchup. I ate it as well. And, you know, could have been worse. Could have been worse. But don't ever do it again. I do want to say that we did have one of our listeners, Pam up in Seattle, suggested some years ago a different flavor combination, which is eggnog mixed with orange soda. And I tried it, and it's damn delicious.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[John Hodgman]

And in fact, we have it every year on our holiday episode. We call it the Fanta Clause.

[Luke Burbank]

You and Jordan Morris have been doing something on a yearly basis that I just can't stop thinking about. And I want to ask you about it right after this quick break. We're talking to John Hodgman here on livewire. Much more coming your way in just a moment. Foreign

[Kelly Dunham]

I'm Kelly Dunham. I'm a nurse educator, comedian and ex nun. I served under Mother Teresa. That Mother Teresa. I believe that care is best when it's done in community. And on my podcast, Cared For, I'd really like for us to build that community together. Cared for is a show about caregiving, but in its fullest sense. So we're going to talk about the big stuff like aging and death. Oh, and all that stuff that feels big when we don't have support. Our first episode of Cared for drops on Monday, February 16th with me, Kelly Dunham, Cared for from PRX and Good Get Productions.

[Luke Burbank]

Welcome back to Livewire from prx. We're at Revolution hall in Portland. This week we are talking to the great John Hodgman. You have been doing this once a year podcast with Jordan Morris, who's also part of the Maximum Fun universe.

[John Hodgman]

That's correct.

[Luke Burbank]

And it's a yearly podcast about cheese.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah. And it is called Shooting the Breeze.

[Luke Burbank]

Breeze as in B R I E S. Yeah.

[John Hodgman]

And I think that might be another Jesse Thorne idea. I don't know what weird spell he put me under that I have to do everything he says, including doing cheese shows based on terrible wordplay. But I'm happy to talk about cheese at any time. I've monged cheese professionally in my time.

[China Forbes]

You were a monger.

[Luke Burbank]

I've mongered.

[John Hodgman]

Would you mind?

[Luke Burbank]

I once did a TV story about the International cheesemongering Championship in San Francisco.

[John Hodgman]

Oh, you. But you, you, you've never sold cheese. You've never cut cheese.

[Luke Burbank]

These hands have never mongered. No, no, my friend. These are the soft hands of a public radio host. You've actually, you've actually cheese mongered.

[John Hodgman]

I worked in a fine cheese and wine shop in London when I took a semester off from college to go on a drink abroad program that I had devised for myself.

[Luke Burbank]

The something that you've been creating for a while now is this secret society. It's a substack. But how do you describe it? It's sort of great. It's your, you know, your musings on life. It's all kinds of interesting information you put in little video clips and things.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah. So, you know, like everyone on earth, I have a substack now. And I started it as an opportunity to just sort of let people know where I was appearing. Like, I'm going to be on Live Wire, for example. And then, and then I started like, and I would muse and so forth. Then I started to lose faith in my musings and I was like, what am I going to Give to the people who belong to this secret society. And you know, I had a couple of years ago, I had joined an online book group with our friend Christopher Frizzell. He is an his substack. And his book literary substack is called Frizzlet. And he would host these zoom meetings. And I was reading Middlemarch, which is a wonderful novel by George Eliot. I don't know if you've ever heard of it. I read the whole thing, thanks to the friends in this group who kept me honest. And I was like, oh, I love this book so much. What will I read next? What piece of English language literature classic that I had never read will I read next? And it came to my mind, I'm a weird, withered New Englander. Why not Moby Dick? And then I'm like, well, if I'm reading Moby Dick, why don't I read it out loud to the people who subscribe to my newsletter? And if I'm reading Moby Dick out loud to the people who subscribe to my newsletter, why don't I do it in a fake Maine accent?

[Luke Burbank]

Right.

[John Hodgman]

Because I spend part of my life in Maine. I don't like to reveal where it is. I'll just simply say that it's a coastal town that shares the name with a borough of New York City. Now, some of you are going to get very smart and look at a map and realize Hodgman lives in Staten Island, Maine. But the point is, I love the Maine accent. And I love it so much that I occasionally murder it for other people's amusement.

[Luke Burbank]

Because you're from Brookline, Massachusetts.

[John Hodgman]

I'm from Brookline, Massachusetts. So I don't think this is the Brookline accent. You probably can tell.

[Luke Burbank]

The famous Brookline accent.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah, the famous down home Brookline accent.

[Luke Burbank]

I love listening to you reading Moby Dick, though, through this secret society substack.

[John Hodgman]

Thank you.

[Luke Burbank]

In your main accent. And I was wondering, even though the folks here at Revolution hall and the folks listening on the radio may have not actually paid their $7 a month to subscribe to the substack, could you favor us with a little bit of your.

[John Hodgman]

Well, there just happens to be a copy of Moby Dick here. Now, when I say that this is my main accent, this is my interpretation of a main accent. That is, it's about half an homage to the non main Maine humorous Marshall Dodge, who released records under the label Burton Eye and also to Pepperidge Farm.

[Luke Burbank]

That's my main. That's my North Star. When it comes to you Remember, if I was going to switch into a Maine accent, I would be quoting a guy from the Pepperidge Farm commercial.

[John Hodgman]

And so, you know, if you've ever read Moby Dick, it's quite wordy. I find that reading in a main accent gives it. It's a little bit more parsable, let's say I'm going to read from the very beginning. It's got a famous, very famous opening line. This is chapter one, called Loomings. Call me Ishmael. Some years ago, never mind how long precisely, having little or no money in my purse and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I'd sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. Tis a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth, whenever it is a damp and drizzly November in my soul, whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet, and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me that requires strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street and methodically knocking people's hats off. Well, then I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish that were my reference to self harm. With a philosophical flourish, Cato throws himself upon his sword. I quietly take to ship. There is nothing surprising in this if they but knew it all. Men in their degree sometime or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me. Anyway, I went to sea. There was a big whale named Moby Dick, and we tried to kill it. The end. That's it, the whole book.

[Elaina Passarello]

Wow, it just flew by.

[John Hodgman]

I mean, I mean, when you read it in a Maine accent, it's much more readable. Just like, oh, there we go. That's it.

[Luke Burbank]

Incredible. John Hodgman reading from Moby Dick here on Livewire. I do actually genuinely enjoy hearing you read it in that accent. And I feel like I could listen to you read the whole book, which is sort of the point, right? You're on chapter 50 or something at last.

[John Hodgman]

Check. Let's see, I just finished. I was just looking at a chapter 49. Oh, yeah, so I just finished chapter 49, the gam, which refers to when whaling ships tie up to each other to exchange letters and news when they meet each other in the far ocean. Something I learned about boats. And then my next chapter, if you're interested, is I'm very excited to read. It's called the Town Hoes Story. I'm reading it cold as we go.

[China Forbes]

You are?

[John Hodgman]

Yeah. I've never read it before. Yeah.

[Elaina Passarello]

So you get surprised.

[John Hodgman]

Oftentimes I get surprised and very confused. There are long portions of the recording of me reading where you just hear me typing things into Google to find out what they're talking about. The various whaling terminologies.

[Elaina Passarello]

There's so much information about whaling in Moby Dick. It's really almost a manual of how to do it, which is sort of surprising when you think of a novel.

[John Hodgman]

Well, good luck to you. We have many people come up to Maine every summer saying, I just read Moby Dick. Shall we go? A whaling.

[Luke Burbank]

What is it about Maine? I mean, you've written about it so much. You obviously have really, really taken to the place.

[John Hodgman]

I tell you, it's all I can think about. And it's hard to stop talking in this accident.

[Luke Burbank]

What do you love about it so much up there?

[John Hodgman]

Well, you know, I spend time on the coast of Maine, but even on the inland portion of Maine, it's. It's quite remote. There are many remote parts of our country in this world, but Maine is literally the end of the road. I95 terminates in Maine. The oldest highway in the United States runs from Fort Kent, Maine, to Key West. And both of those places share a marginality, like a very end of the earth type place where people who have difficulty with other people thrive.

[Luke Burbank]

Do you think that describes you?

[John Hodgman]

Yes. I mean, I'm reaching that point of my life when it's probably. It's certainly better for me and probably better for anybody that I simply stand silently and contemplate the abyss, whether that is the darkness of the woods in winter or the ocean that wants to kill me in summer.

[Luke Burbank]

It suits you there.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah, I mean, it's just like. It's full of eccentric and strange characters. And if I had time and didn't care about continuing to live, I would tell you the gossip of the town and you would be shocked. But they would hear me and then I would be put in a wicker man or something.

[Luke Burbank]

I have a feeling, you know, I've

[John Hodgman]

already said too much.

[Luke Burbank]

Portland magazine, that is Portland, Maine, the original one, our arrival. Portland Magazine named you as one of the ten most intriguing Mainers. How big of an honor was that for you?

[John Hodgman]

Well, There are only 12 intriguing Mainers, And I'm not even from there, so. Oh. I mean, you know, the other thing about Maine is, you know, it's a little bit wary of people from Away, if not a lot of. Bit wary of people from away until you spend enough time there, proving that you're not a complete. And then slowly, over time, you know, I remember when we would go into the post office, the then postmaster would not speak two words to us for year after year after year. And then one day she said, good to see you again. How was your winter? Or whatever? And I'm like, what happened? And the answer is we just stuck around. So, yeah, there is an allure to feeling accepted by a place that acts as though it wants to reject you.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. That's been negging you.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah, exactly. It is the negging state. Yeah. You know, I was just going to say, have you ever been in a terrible relationship where someone treated you awfully and you just wanted to be near them all the time? Well, that's me in Maine. And it's not just the people, it's the whole. It's the landscape as well, you know, and in my book Vacation Land, I talk about, you know, they called it vacation land in the 19th and early 20th century before people knew what a vacation was. You know, like people didn't. Hadn't yet discovered that there were beaches of soft sand and waters that were warm to swim in instead of the pebbles like knives and the water that just wants to kill you. You know what I mean? So it's a love of, it's an, you know, going to Maine is not a pleasant vacation. It's rather an existential test.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, you as a. As a sort of, I guess, maybe somewhat conflicted booster of Maine.

[John Hodgman]

I'm not conflicted. I love it and I want to share it with everyone, but you all have to stay away at the same time.

[Luke Burbank]

Right? Okay. Definitely not conflicted. We wanted to ask you some questions about Maine in this little exercise we're calling our main man. By the way, just for clarification, we are on the radio on Maine Public

[John Hodgman]

wmeh, yes, Bangor, Maine, and the entire Maine Public Radio System.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes.

[John Hodgman]

Plays Livewire at 10pm on Friday nights.

[Luke Burbank]

We did the prime time.

[John Hodgman]

That's right.

[Luke Burbank]

That's just right. During everyone's Friday night commute. 10:00pm that's right. Some questions about Maine for John Hodgman. The state flower is a pine cone. The white pine cone and tassel. It was adopted in 1895. We're wondering, is it time to revisit that selection for your beloved state of Maine? Considering a pine cone is not a flower, it's the state flower and it's

[John Hodgman]

not a flower, is it not a Flower, though. I mean, botanically speaking, I'm going to.

[Luke Burbank]

Let's see, for science minds, it's not a flower. A reproductive structure for a gymnosperm. Does that clear it up at all? I'm just reading what's in the notes.

[John Hodgman]

A rose by any other name.

[Elaina Passarello]

A gymnosperm.

[John Hodgman]

What? Gymnosperm. As sweets. I mean, one thing I learned on this stage earlier this year when Judge John Hodgman performed live here, is that an asparagus, botanically speaking, is a flower. That does not mean that your wife wants you to give you a bouquet of asparagus on your anniversary.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes. How about the fact that. Well, this is kind of calling on sort of your legal scholarship.

[John Hodgman]

We'll see.

[Luke Burbank]

Apparently, in Waterville, Maine, it is illegal.

[John Hodgman]

By the way, I have a degree in literary theory, not in law.

[Luke Burbank]

But I like how when you're talking about Judge John Hotchman, you're talking about settled law. In other words, things that have been discussed on the program and then now have become foundational to the sort of jurisprudence of your show.

[John Hodgman]

Absolutely.

[Luke Burbank]

Which I think is cool. I would take it over some of the actual jurisprudence that is going on in America currently.

[John Hodgman]

Oh, is there some.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, calling on your.

[John Hodgman]

I wish there were.

[Luke Burbank]

Your legal scholarship. In Waterville, Maine, it is illegal to blow one's nose in public. Should this law be expanded statewide?

[John Hodgman]

Well, there's very little public in Maine. Most of it's private. Even in gatherings, no one is looking at you or thinking of you. That's one of the great lessons of Maine, too, is all the time you worry about what other people think of you. They're not thinking of you at all. But, no, I think people should blow their nose wherever they like.

[Luke Burbank]

Really?

[John Hodgman]

Yeah. Especially in Waterville.

[Luke Burbank]

There is an online rumor that the state of Maine requires homeowners to remove holiday decorations by January 14th or face a fine. While this is technically not true, should it be?

[John Hodgman]

It is not true.

[Luke Burbank]

It is not true. It's a rumor. But I don't know, with enough, you know, legal maneuvering, maybe it could become the law. And would you like to see that in your beloved state of Maine?

[John Hodgman]

Well, I mean, I understand why the rumor. Honestly, I understand why the rumor exists, because Maine is one of, if not the only state where billboards are illegal.

[Luke Burbank]

Wow.

[John Hodgman]

People don't even think about when they drive through Maine. Why? They're like, why is this so beautiful? Like, I mean, it's basically New Hampshire with a coast. Why is this so pretty? Well, it's because there are no advertisements

[Luke Burbank]

how will I know which casino to go to for a giant prime rib dinner?

[John Hodgman]

Yeah. And, you know, the other thing is, and I've learned this recently, like, on your private property, you can keep political signs up, but there are no political signs allowed in non. Like, after electoral season, all political signs have to come down on your private property. Not so. But like in median strips and other sorts of things. And honestly, for a long time, there were no political signs at all, because the people in Maine really don't care what anyone else thinks. So it's like. And that's the way it should be. Like, everyone's just themselves, and they let everyone else be, and they're not trying to. Now that's a little bit less so. But for a long time, it's like, you do your thing and I'll do my thing, and if you get stuck in a ditch, I'll help you out, but otherwise, let's not talk about it, you know? So that's good. But in terms of bringing down holiday decorations. Yeah. January 14th. Yeah, get them down.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay. In Portland, Maine.

[John Hodgman]

Portland, Maine.

[Luke Burbank]

Original 1. It is unlawful to tickle a woman's chin with a feather duster. What do you think the minimum sentencing guidelines should be on this? Mandatory minimums?

[John Hodgman]

Well, I know from personal experience that this is enforced very strictly. No, I would never. I would never. That's an interesting. That's an interesting one.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah. I mean, honestly, I can agree with that law. We shouldn't be tickling anyone with a feather duster who did not request.

[John Hodgman]

Well, you know, one of the pieces of settled law of the court of Judge Sean Hodgman is if it's not fun for everyone, it's not fun at all. So. Yeah. You should not be violating other people's space. Forget tickling chins. Yeah.

[Elaina Passarello]

And it's a feathered duster. It's not a feather. Like you just had a loose feather.

[Luke Burbank]

It's.

[Elaina Passarello]

It's the cleaning implement.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Elaina Passarello]

That you're not allowed to tickle a woman under the chin with.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah.

[Elaina Passarello]

Okay.

[John Hodgman]

Where. I mean, look, I don't care for feather dusters, but if you wanted to take Adobe sponge and scrub my face all over to me, that's very erotic. But that's not you, necessarily.

[Luke Burbank]

Speaking of your face, you've been keeping us all updated on the Internet about your beard that you've been growing.

[John Hodgman]

Yet.

[Luke Burbank]

How's it going?

[John Hodgman]

Well, I grew a beard some years ago in order to make sure the world knew that I was no longer ever going to procreate, that I was no longer sexually available. That I was a dad. My children are grown, my genetic role in life is over, and everyone can leave me alone.

[Luke Burbank]

Throw a Hartford Whalers hat on and call it good.

[John Hodgman]

Exactly. But then I recently had to shave it off for a super secret project that I can't tell you about. But you know, when I grew my beard, you know, every. I wrote about this in vacation land, that every person who can grow a beard needs to do it at least once because they want to see the secret person who's lurking follicularly inside their face. Who's going to come out? Who do you become when you grow that beard? And I realized, well, obviously lurking inside of me is the human resources manager for the Church of Satan. And when I shaved it, it had been so long since I had been clean shaven. When I shaved it off, I was like, oh, it's you again. That weird baby man.

[Luke Burbank]

So anyway, so you're returning to Church of Satan status?

[John Hodgman]

I'm trying, I'm trying.

[Luke Burbank]

One day at a time.

[John Hodgman]

As for fast as I am able to, I mean, everyone can tell this beard is horribly patchy and terrible.

[Luke Burbank]

I think it looks lustrous and full and luxurious.

[John Hodgman]

Hey, you know what? This is radio. We can say whatever we want.

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, we can.

[Elaina Passarello]

It looks like your chin is being tickled by a feather duster.

[John Hodgman]

It does.

[Luke Burbank]

That's right.

[John Hodgman]

They call it the feather duster. My beard is called the feather duster.

[Luke Burbank]

All right, that's John Hodgman here on Livewire, everybody. John, thank you so much.

[John Hodgman]

Thank you very much.

[Luke Burbank]

That was the one and only John Hodgman right here on Livewire. You can find John, of course, over at his hit podcast, Judge John Hodgman. Or you can follow him on Substack Like I Am, where he is continuing to read the book Moby Dick, chapter by chapter. And again, it's oddly mesmerizing with his main accent. So check him out over there. Hey, special thanks this week to Jane Blakemore of Austin, Texas, and Joy Rothschild of Portland, Oregon. Jane and Joy are part of the Livewire member community and they are generously supporting us with a donation each month. And that is huge, because without those kinds of donations, this little radio show and podcast would not exist, my friends. So a very big thanks to Joy and Jane for keeping Livewire going. You're tuned to Livewire. Let's get our musical guest on over here this week, shall we? She is the lead singer of a world renowned little orchestra you might have heard of called Pink Martini. She's also the Winner of the Ella Fitzgerald Prize at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, which is a high honor, and she's released albums as a solo artist. Now, of late, she's been taking a little sabbatical from her touring schedule with Pink Martini, and she's been enjoying life at home after years of globetrotting. This is China Forbes, who joined us for a little chat and then some music. This all happened at the Laurelhurst Club in Portland, Oregon. Take a listen. Tryna, thank you so much for doing this. It's a big honor for us to have you here.

[John Hodgman]

Thank you.

[China Forbes]

I'm so touched that you asked.

[Luke Burbank]

Well, because I know that you are technically supposed to be on sabbatical right now.

[China Forbes]

I am. My sabbatical is so busy.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Elaina Passarello]

It's crazy.

[Luke Burbank]

What went into the kind of thought process on that to take a little step away from Pink Martini?

[China Forbes]

It was sort of a round number. I'd been doing it for 30 years, and my son is now 16. He's about to turn 17. And I just felt like the years were slipping by. I was missing half of my time with him, and I didn't want to look up and find that he had gone to college and I had missed the whole thing.

[Luke Burbank]

So, see, that was my plan with my daughter. Look up one day and find out she'd gone to college. Pretty good outcome.

[China Forbes]

It was so easy.

[John Hodgman]

How did that happen?

[China Forbes]

So, yeah, I made the decision. I'm so glad I made the decision because it's already working out so well. We have dinner together, and he opens up to me about his life in a way that he never did before.

[Luke Burbank]

So do you think that's based on knowing that you're not jetting off to somewhere to have to perform?

[China Forbes]

Kind of. I think we were always, you know, in like, alert mode. Like, I'm just coming back or I'm about to leave. And there was always something coming. And now I'm. It's very. It's very calm now. I'm just always there. I'm doing the potted plant thing that they say you're supposed to do.

[Luke Burbank]

Which is what? Because I've had zero success historically.

[China Forbes]

Not with your. Like, if you don't have to have a green thumb with your plants, but you're supposed to act like a potted plant and just plop yourself down there, really.

[Elaina Passarello]

In order to be a good parent.

[China Forbes]

I think so. Like, one way to be a parent for teenagers.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah.

[Elaina Passarello]

Just be a license.

[China Forbes]

That's what they say.

[Luke Burbank]

Be in the room. They just get in a corner.

[Elaina Passarello]

Corner.

[China Forbes]

Say it and wait.

[Luke Burbank]

Just oxygen until they approach you.

[China Forbes]

And. But don't be a cactus.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, okay. Maybe. Maybe that was my problem.

[China Forbes]

Like a fern. I'm a fern. I'm just a fern.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, let's talk about this solo album that you released. What was it like to create that album versus the way that, like, a Pink Martini record gets created?

[China Forbes]

Well, a Pink Martini record is created in more of sort of a swirling chaos of many people. And my album was like being alone in a room most of the time.

[Luke Burbank]

That sounds like boundaries. You were ready to just do your thing.

[China Forbes]

I needed some alone time. But a Pink Martini album is sort of in that swirling chaos. There's swirling harps, there's lots of orchestration. There's just so much beauty, you know? And my album is more just like my personal stories. And my heart is in that album in a way that's different. And it's very open album. I talk about divorce. You can relate, right?

[Luke Burbank]

Yes, I can. We weren't recording that part where I talked about my divorces, but now America knows.

[China Forbes]

Sorry, America?

[John Hodgman]

Yeah.

[China Forbes]

I mean, so my divorces, I talk about. I talk about motherhood. I talk about mental health and middle age, and it's just like, I got to talk about everything.

[Luke Burbank]

Before anybody was here at the Lower Horse Club today, you got here and you were, I think, maybe just warming up and testing out the piano and stuff like that. And you were just playing, kind of singing along, and people just started coming to the foot of the stage. Like cartoon characters from a Disney movie,

[Elaina Passarello]

like little forest animals coming to.

[Luke Burbank]

There was a chipmunk sitting on that speaker right there. Like, you were, you know, I don't know, Snow White or something?

[China Forbes]

Like what?

[Luke Burbank]

Like, is that, like, a superpower for you that you. I mean, do you, like, are you just used to being able to sort of make music in that way that it really draws people in? Like, not everybody has that ability.

[China Forbes]

I definitely. I've always done it. I mean, I really. When I was eight years old, I knew that I was going to be a singer. And I didn't go about becoming a child performer, but I just knew that one day I would be a singer. And I idolized Donna Summer, and that's how I learned to sing, by imitating her. And I wish I didn't quite make it to, like, perfectly imitating her, but, you know, it was helpful to get started, you know, and just to sort of look at her. I mean, back when you looked at the jacket of the LP and you fantasized about wearing those dresses and the glittery eyeshadow and everything. So I had a whole, you know, fantasy life around that.

[Luke Burbank]

This is Livewire. We're talking to China Forbes, the vocalist and lead singer of Pink Martini. We've got to take a very short break, but do not go anywhere. When we come back, you are going to hear an original song from China Forbes that you do not want to miss. I've already heard it and I can tell you it's incredible. So stay with us. More Livewire in a moment. Welcome back to Livewire from prx. I'm Luke Burbank. Okay, before we get to our musical performance from China Forbes, from Pink Martini, a little preview of what we are doing on the show. Next week we're going to be talking to best selling author and beloved misfit. That's her term, Lidia Yukonovich, about her latest book. It's called Reading the Waves. It's kind of a memoir, but it's also kind of not. She describes it as more of a sort of exploration of memory, which she'll explain exactly what she means by that. Then we're gonna hear from TV writer Felipe Torres Medina about his book Let Me In A Choose youe Immigration Story. It kind of peels back the layers of how insanely complicated the US Immigration system is. It's all told through this choose your own adventure format. Remember those books from when you were a kid. Then we're going to round things out with a performance from Seattleite and indie rocker royalty Dave Bazan, AKA Pedro the Lion. So we're going to have quite the show next week. Do not miss it. In the meantime, this week we're in the midst of listening to a chat with Chyna Forbes, lead singer of Pink Martini and solo artist of great renown in her own right. We're gonna jump back into that conversation and then we are gonna hear some music from Chyna. This was all recorded live at the Laurelhurst Club in Portland, Oregon. Another, like, interesting element of your life is that you know, your sister made a whole movie about your childhood. Yes, infinitely Polar Bear, which is an incredible film, by the way. But of course, with movies there's always the cinematic aspect of it. There's the part that is if it's a movie, that's a biopic. There's the parts that resemble real life and the parts that resemble something that works better for the film. I'm wondering what that was like for you to sort of be portrayed on film that way.

[China Forbes]

That's so funny that you should ask because I'm still Upset about that.

[Luke Burbank]

I didn't know that. But I'm not mad that there's a little drama happening here on the show.

[China Forbes]

Well, there's a scene. My sister wrote and directed the movie, and her character has something happen in a scene that actually happened to me. But it worked better for the screenplay for it to be her character.

[Luke Burbank]

So in other words, she knew that it didn't happen to her. Yes, but for the filmmaking aspect of it, it made more sense for it to be her character.

[John Hodgman]

Yeah.

[Luke Burbank]

What was that conversation like? Or did you know in advance or did you find out in the movie theater like everybody else?

[China Forbes]

I think I found out in the movie theater because I feel like I would have said something, but maybe I was just. I was also so supportive of her that I may have just been like, oh, it's hard to write a screenplay. You gotta just let her do what she's doing, you know?

[Elaina Passarello]

Welch solo album next. Just throw a verse in there that

[Luke Burbank]

involves her prom date, Chyna Forbes, correcting the record. Actually, that would be a good name, correcting the record. Get it. Well, again, thank you so much for being here, and thank you for being so, like, just generous and gracious with our show over the years.

[China Forbes]

We love Livewire. What can you say?

[Luke Burbank]

Chyna Forbes, right here on Livewire.

[China Forbes]

I released a solo album a couple of years ago, and I'm gonna play a song from that album. This is a song that is really for everybody. I think everybody can relate to these words.

[China Forbes (singing)]

Anybody tell you this will be so easy Stay inside the lines and the blue horizon all I can tell you heartbreak is worth it and there's nothing you can't get through like you do but you gotta wait wonder what you're really made of when you're falling under some spell you don't understand so you get back up now make a new beginning suddenly you're back where you started again we come for full circle we go round robin we go up we burn out we come down I go hail Mary, you go half nelson never know when this place come back around anybody hurt you like it doesn't matter when the love is over was it just a dream? And you thought you'd left those lonesome days behind you they came back around they came back around they're coming round we come full circle we go round robin we go up we burn out we come down I go hail Mary, you go half nelson never know when this place come back around. Don't let go of the witch

[Elaina Passarello]

give

[China Forbes (singing)]

it up you'll fall down because no, nobody else can turn Turn your world around and life will sweep you off your feet Knock you off and drag you down Someday you'll find yourself back here again and you won't believe how far you've come and you won't believe how much you've done and you won't believe that you keep coming round keep coming round we come full circle we go round robin we go up we burn out we come down I go hail Mary you go half nelson Never know when this place come back around we come full circle we come we go round robin we go up we burn out we come down I go hail Mary you go half nelson Never know when this place come back around but you know this place will come back when around back around.

[Luke Burbank]

That was China Forbes here on Livewire performing her song Full Circle that was recorded live at the Laurel Hirst Club in Portland, Oregon. All right, that is going to do it for this week's episode of Livewire. A huge thanks to our guests John Hodgman and Shaina Forbes, as well as many thank yous to the wonderful folks over at the Laurelhurst Club in Portland.

[Elaina Passarello]

Lara Haddon is our executive producer, Heather D. Michel is our executive director, and Melanie Sevchenko is our producer and editor. Eben Hoffer is our technical director, Trey Hester is our assistant editor, Valentine Keck is our operations manager, and Ashley park is our Marketing manager.

[Luke Burbank]

Our house sound is by Dee Neal Blake and our house band is Sam Pinkerton, Eyal Alves, Ethan Fox Tucker, and A. Walker Spring, who also composes our music. This show was mixed by Eben Hoffer and Trey Hester.

[Elaina Passarello]

Additional funding provided by the James F. And Marion L. Miller Foundation. Livewire was created by Robin Tenenbaum and Kate Sokoloff.

[Luke Burbank]

This week we'd like to thank members Jane Blakemore of Austin, Texas and Joy Rothschild of Portland, Oregon. For more information about our show or how you can listen to our podcast, head on over to livewireradio.org I'm Luke Burbank for Elena Passarello and the whole Livewire team. Thank you for listening and we will see you next week. Hey, if you want to experience the real Seattle, take it from me. A born and bred Seattleite, the Arctic Club Hotel has been a downtown landmark since 1916 and you can still experience all its early 20th century grandeur. Of course, it wouldn't be true Seattle if it weren't pet friendly too. So bring your pup, sleep in and then fuel up with their complimentary breakfast buffet before you step out the door to Pike Place, Market T Mobile Park, Lumen Field. Basically everything worth seeing with zero rental car headaches. Book your Seattle story right [e-mail].

[China Forbes]

From prx.