Triple Take

Triple Take is officially on hiatus as the guys make some changes after my departure from the show. But surprise! Sometimes the mic is live even when we’re not supposed to be recording, and that means our ridiculous between-segment arguments are preserved for posterity (or until I hit delete). John’s episode got us talking about Disney movies, and that … Continue reading Triple Take bonus: Is ‘The Little Mermaid’ appropriate for young girls?

Triple Take is officially on hiatus as the guys make some changes after my departure from the show. But surprise! Sometimes the mic is live even when we’re not supposed to be recording, and that means our ridiculous between-segment arguments are preserved for posterity (or until I hit delete). When Matthew Mayfield joined us to talk about Guns N’ Roses, … Continue reading Triple Take bonus: Are Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana classic rock?

What’s your favorite book? Is it also the book that’s had the greatest influence on you? That’s a question guests must consider before appearing on Triple Take, the podcast where we discuss how books, albums and films shape us. Each of our hosts has contemplated this question, as well, and we’ve learned firsthand what a difficult … Continue reading Triple Take 30: Carla Jean Whitley

He’s spent most of his career in sports journalism, but Matt Scalici’s passion is film. He loves sports, don’t get me wrong, but if he’s going to strike up a debate or look for some down-time viewing, you better believe it’ll be movie related. You get a taste of that on each episode of Triple Take, of … Continue reading Triple Take 29: Matt Scalici

If you’ve met John Hammontree, you probably know at least these three facts: He loves Kanye West. He’s a huge Disney fan. He’s really into politics. Then it won’t be a surprise when you hear what Hammontree selected as the album, film and book that most shaped him. Hammontree, who is in charge of opinions … Continue reading Triple Take 28: John Hammontree

The end of a year prompts personal reflection and cultural best-of lists, and Triple Take is no exception. On each episode of the podcast, my cohosts John Hammontree, Matt Scalici and I explore how movies, music and literature affect our lives. Naturally, we had to wrap 2016 by reflecting on the new media that affected us this year. … Continue reading Triple Take 27: 2016 in review

It’s easy to make the case that Matthew Mayfield is a darling of the Birmingham music scene. He’s certainly paid his dues, with The Stewart Mayfield Project, Moses Mayfield, on his own and with his side project, Blue Cut Robbery. The decade-plus he’s spent as part of and a champion of the local music scene has seen Mayfield … Continue reading Triple Take 26: Matthew Mayfield

You might recognize her from Little Red Rocket. Or Azure Ray. Or Now It’s Overhead. Or Bright Eyes. Birmingham-raised Maria Taylor has already lived many musical lives. With Friday’s release of “In the Next Life,” she has seven solo albums to her credit, in addition to the many bands and collaborations she’s been part of over … Continue reading Triple Take 25: Maria Taylor

Lights are up. Mall traffic is sure to increase. You’ll spot Salvation Army volunteers on many corners, and hear jingle bells everywhere. It’s Christmastime, and that means a special Christmas episode of Triple Take. Normally we interview someone about the book, album and film that shaped them. But this week, my cohosts Matt Scalici, John Hammontree and I … Continue reading Triple Take 24: These are a few of our favorite (Christmas) things

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … and a pair of Alabama songbirds will help fans celebrate during their Christmas tour. Sisters Laura and Lydia Rogers perform as The Secret Sisters. The duo, raised in Greenhill, near Muscle Shoals, will perform Friday in Montgomery for the city’s Christmas tree lighting and Saturday in Florence, … Continue reading Triple Take 23: Secret Sisters

We’ve amassed quite a few recommendations since this podcast launched in April. Triple Take is a podcast about the books, albums and films that shape us, and we’ve had little repetition of picks. Save for “To Kill A Mockingbird,” which has shown up three times, each guest has selected art different from his or her … Continue reading 21: Some of our favorite segments about racial identity and civil rights

Yaa Gyasi’s upbringing made her curious about the relationship between a country from which slaves came and the place to which they were brought. She’s a Ghana native, but Gyasi spent most of her life in America. Her family left Ghana when she was a small child, and she lived in Huntsville from age 9 through high … Continue reading Triple Take 20: ‘Homegoing’ author Yaa Gyasi

Yaa Gyasi has called many places home: Her native Ghana. Ohio. Illinois. Tennessee. California. Iowa. But she spent her formative years, from age 9 through high school, in Alabama. On Nov. 1, Gyasi returns to Huntsville to read from “Homegoing,” the debut novel that earned her a spot on the National Book Foundation’s 2016 “5 Under 35” … Continue reading BONUS: Novelist Yaa Gyasi

Imagine moving to a city renowned in your industry. While there, you work at well-known places and refine your craft. Then you have the opportunity to move home and open your own place. For John Hall, that was the dream. Hall is owner-operator of Post Office Pies, a pizza place with locations in the Avondale neighborhood of Birmingham, … Continue reading Triple Take 19: Post Office Pies’ John Hall

Andrea Taylor’s path to Birmingham may not have been obvious. But her passion for and connection to civil rights? That’s another story. Taylor, the CEO and president of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, marked her one-year anniversary in the city in September. Prior to taking the museum’s helm, the West Virginia native worked in a variety of roles … Continue reading Triple Take 17: Birmingham Civil Rights Institute CEO and President Andrea Taylor

Colson Whitehead, Donald Glover and the Drive-By Truckers have something to say–and America is taking notice. In this week’s episode of Triple Take, we discuss a book, television show and album that are making headlines. “The Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead was recently named an Oprah Book Club pick. The novel imagines the network of safe houses … Continue reading Triple Take 16: ‘Underground Railroad,’ ‘Atlanta’ and ‘American Band’

William Thornton’s name is familiar to readers in East Alabama, where he works as a reporter for AL.com and The Birmingham News. His name is increasingly recognizable among fiction fans, too. He’s the author most recently of “Set Your Fields on Fire,” the 2015 winner of the Aspiring Authors Award. The comedic novel’s central character is Alex Alterman, a … Continue reading Triple Take episode 15: Novelist William Thornton

I became a passionate advocate for mental healthcare in 2011, after I was finally diagnosed with depression. (I had self identified as depressed since age 14.) I’m comfortable sharing my experience, and I hope it’ll encourage others to seek the help they need. It’s unsurprising, then, that I’m a fan of To Write Love on … Continue reading Triple Take episode 13: To Write Love on Her Arms Founder Jamie Tworkowski

Reed and Will Lochamy must be on a mission to dominate Birmingham media. Or maybe they really, really like to work a lot. Whatever the case, the brothers show up all over the place: Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. on Birmingham Mountain Radio; the SEC Network; monthly “Right You Are!” events at the BJCC … and who knows … Continue reading Triple Take episode 12: The Lochamy Brothers

This week, Birmingham magazine Managing Editor Julia Sayers joined us on Triple Take. The magazine’s September issue, which celebrates the best of Birmingham, is on newsstands now. Julia’s specialties are food and travel writing, and it’s easy to see how the book, film and album she picked influenced her. They are “What I Was Doing While You Were Breeding” … Continue reading Triple Take episode 11: Birmingham magazine’s Julia Sayers