Live Wire with Luke Burbank (PRX)
Episode: R. Eric Thomas, Reverend Billy & Savitri D, and The Brudi Brothers
Date: January 23, 2026
Overview
This energetic episode of Live Wire blends wit, activism, and music in classic late-night-for-radio style. Host Luke Burbank guides listeners through engaging interviews with advice columnist R. Eric Thomas, the irreverently spiritual duo Reverend Billy and Savitri D of the Church of Stop Shopping, and a live musical set from Seattle buskers-turned-TikTok-sensations, The Broody Brothers. The episode explores being your best self, confronting societal norms, and finding joy (and meaning) in community—whether through wise words, climate protest, or a rollicking country song.
Key Segments & Insights
"Best News All Week"
⏰ 03:21 – 09:42
- Elena Passarello shares a story about a student in Snohomish, Washington, successfully campaigning for high school varsity letters in skilled trades:
- “Elizabeth Bogan already has a job lined up after she graduates...she's going straight to Boeing in the spring.” (05:18, Elena Passarello)
- Letters used to go only to athletes, but now craftsmanship like welding is recognized too.
- Luke Burbank tells the tale of the “Tuneless Choir” — singing clubs in British Columbia for people who love to sing but may be tone-deaf:
- “There are no rehearsals, Elena. And also no auditions.” (08:14, Luke Burbank)
Interview: R. Eric Thomas – Advice Columnist & Playwright
⏰ 10:18 – 29:26
Becoming an Advice Columnist
- Eric recounts how he became "America's advice columnist," stepping into a legacy role following Amy Dickinson and Ann Landers:
- “Anne's column became Amy's column, which is now mine. So I tell people that I'm Grand Lander.” (14:05, Eric Thomas)
His Approach to Advice
- Eric stresses empathy over judgment:
- "There is just so many ways to be told that you're wrong and you're bad in this world... What I can say is, I see you person to person, and here's a path out of the situation that you're in." (21:24, Eric Thomas)
- Advice isn't just about being right or wrong, but nurturing understanding between people.
- “Sometimes empathy says... you're in the wrong a little bit here or you're right and it’s still unfortunate, and you’re going to have to just sort of accept it.” (20:10, Eric Thomas)
Taking on Family Conflict & Modern Values
- Eric discusses navigating generational divides and shifting social values in advice:
- He references answers to thorny family issues ("uneasy Grandma, still married, grandson wants to bring new girlfriend") and standing by inclusive, reality-based viewpoints even when readers disagree.
- "When you’re giving advice, you’re also reflecting your relationship to the world and to morals and values." (25:44, Eric Thomas)
- Eric’s experience as an out gay man informs his approach—he positions empathy as a superpower forged by being on the margins:
- “You’re always working with an empathetic mind, you know, and so it isn’t that I have lived the same life as somebody, you know, a Mormon mom in Utah... I am a person and the person in me sees the person in them.” (29:00, Eric Thomas)
Sermon: Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping
⏰ 31:26 – 34:37
- Reverend Billy’s anti-consumerist, earth-centered “sermon” delivers a passionate plea for radical change in the face of climate catastrophe:
- "We've been shouting that kind of message for over 20 years in our church and... The Earth is Now in the 29th month of record global heat wave." (31:50, Reverend Billy)
- “Now is the time to be radical Americans again. We’ve done it before. We could do it now. Somebody give me an Earthalujah!” (33:17, Reverend Billy)
Interview: Reverend Billy & Savitri D — Church of Stop Shopping
⏰ 34:37 – 45:13
Origins & Activism
- The duo describes their acts of civil disobedience, including being arrested “maybe a hundred times” (35:30, Savitri D), often outside the Disney Store or at Starbucks.
- They reflect on the privilege that allows them to risk arrest and the protections (and limitations) of the First Amendment.
What Is the Church of Stop Shopping?
- The movement is broader than personal virtue; it’s about accountability for corporations and systems:
- “Consumerism is a broad term ... including militarism, including the way we support our shopping with violence overseas. We want to drive a wedge in between people and their shopping, just get people to stop for a second.” (37:50, Savitri D)
- The corrosive effects of advertising and corporate political power are called out (38:27, Reverend Billy).
Blending Performance Art and Activism
- Their unpredictable, musical protests and services aim for “radical instability”—disrupting assumptions, jarring spectators out of consumer complacency:
- “We know we're doing well when for the first 20 or 30 minutes of one of our services, people don't know what we are.” (40:28, Reverend Billy)
- “Performance art is a way to get out of a situation. Though we do pull that card sometimes, like, it's just an art project.” (40:40, Savitri D)
Living Their Values—Imperfectly
- On personal practice: “We’re all compromised... We're all living in this impossible situation, all of us. ...I just try to take my values and integrate them with action.” (41:49, Savitri D)
How Ordinary People Can Begin
- “Go outside, go to the earth… be there with the earth and slow down.” (44:10, Reverend Billy)
- “Turn away from the advertising, turn away from the screens... Do the thing that grounds you in life with another person, with the earth. Let the earth guide you.” (44:25, Savitri D)
Notable/Lighthearted Moments
- Banned from every Starbucks in the world: “They sent us a letter banning me from all the Starbucks in the world.” (42:53, Reverend Billy)
- Workarounds for their Starbucks ban lead to comic impossibilities: “The only way to get to the courthouse was a hot air balloon and then a canoe down the LA river.” (43:14, Savitri D)
Musical Performance: The Broody Brothers
⏰ 49:55 – 55:56
Their Sound and Story
- Seattle Americana band—three real brothers, once Ballard Market buskers, discovered on TikTok.
- Their viral hit “Me More Cowboy Than You” pokes fun at authenticity in country culture and the gentrification of "working class" identity:
- “Any controversy sparks conversation, and then the AI algorithm just thinks, oh, people like it. So the more controversy, the more gigs we get to play.” (50:58, Broody Brothers)
Memorable Banter
- Kicked out of Ballard Market “for driving through in a pedicab too many times” (51:26).
- Joke about being mistaken for Mormon missionaries and “the guy we’re trying to convert” (49:55).
Performance
- Song lyrics humorously skewer performative working-class style among city-dwellers:
- “Pretending they're cowboys and welders and such / Buying old work gear from the exchange but you can tell their hands don't do very much” (52:33–54:34, Broody Brothers)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
Eric Thomas on Polarizing Advice:
“If you’re actually writing responses that are useful, they will be polarizing. Because the alternative is to write something that’s just so kind of milquetoast that nobody’s mad about it.” (19:04, Luke Burbank) -
Reverend Billy on Earth-Centered Faith:
“We want to give to our children and to our loved ones a healthy Earth. ... Now is the time to be radical Americans again.” (33:11, Reverend Billy) -
Broody Brothers on Going Viral:
“Any controversy sparks conversation, and then the AI algorithm just thinks, oh, people like it. So the more controversy, the more gigs we get to play.” (50:58, Broody Brothers)
Key Timestamps
- 03:21 – Best news: high school letters for skilled trades; Tuneless Choir
- 10:18 – R. Eric Thomas on becoming America’s advice columnist
- 21:24 – Eric on empathy, giving advice, and public response
- 31:26 – Reverend Billy’s sermon: anti-consumerism, climate urgency
- 34:37 – Billy & Savitri D on activism, performance, and system change
- 44:10 – Advice for listeners: reconnecting with earth and community
- 49:55 – Broody Brothers introduction & backstory
- 52:33 – Performance: “Me More Cowboy Than You”
Tone & Style
The episode is sharp, playful, and earnest in all the right places. Burbank and Passarello riff humorously while treating their guests’ perspectives with genuine curiosity and respect. Eric Thomas retains his signature warmth and wit; Reverend Billy and Savitri D oscillate between righteous fury, satire, and sincerity; The Broody Brothers, meanwhile, offer both old-timey musical chops and sly social commentary.
Summary Takeaway
Live Wire delivers an episode as eclectic as America itself: tradition meets reinvention, activism courts whimsy, and “being your best self” proves to be as much about community as about individual growth. Whether you’re seeking practical advice, inspiration for resistance, or just a rollicking tune, this episode delivers with smarts, heart, and humor.
For further listening: