Episode 3.8 – Any Given Sunday

podcast Episode 3.8Any Given Sunday“In life, just like in football, sometimes a play will be called for you. Maybe it’ll be the best play; maybe it’ll earn you a few inches. Maybe a first-down and the chance to try again. Or maybe not. Either way, patience and vision is the key to reaching your goal. And along the way, you have to take the time …

Episode 3.7 – First and Goal

podcast Episode 3.7first and goal“There were only a handful of people out on the terrace, drinking and conversing, despite the venue’s effort to heat the area with those decorative outdoor lamps. I tried to tell myself that “fresh air” was the reason I’d gone out there, but that was just a rehearsed excuse if I was asked. I was really trying to low-key look for …

Episode 3.6 – Uncharted Territory

podcast Episode 3.6uncharted territory“There are some parts of the general DC area where I seldom venture. Not that I have anything personal against them, I just never have any business in those parts. Germantown, Maryland is one of those places.”After Lucas’ decision to go off-script, Kenya is left trying to find a way to get him back in the game. Meanwhile, Tk’s off-book plays for …

Episode 3.5 – If You Build It

podcast Episode 3.5if you build it, will they come?“She had spent over a week passive aggressively applying for this job. But sometimes when you pass—even when it’s aggressively—you get intercepted.”Ty’s privileged life has left her unable to fight for what she wants since it’s always been given to her. But after missing out on her dream job, she seeks the insight of her father to …

Episode 3.4 – Xs and Os

podcast Episode 3.4The xs and os“It’s about you, the woman, taking your place as the true leader. You have to show them the way, or they will be lost and you will never have the life, the love… the pleasure that you want and deserve!”J’s career as a journalist has had its ups and down, but it’s one of the most rewarding aspects of her …

Episode 3.3 – Fourth and Long

podcast Episode 3.3fourth and long”I wasted very little time calling Kenneth Gold. And after about five minutes on the phone, he requested that we meet in person, which had me thinking: “Gee, am I really that bad?”Kenya meets Kenneth Gold, a renowned dating coach, to help her understand the rules of the game and give some insider perspective into why she’s having problems scoring. CreditsNarration:Episode …

Episode 3.2 -Hate the Game

podcast Episode 3.2Hate the Game“But you were saying—about January and the guy?” Ty reminded me. “Yeah. She suddenly had game. I mean… she was almost as good as…” And I looked at J. And then Ty looked at her too. J was in mid-sip, with the disposable hot/cold cup still at her mouth, when she looked over it realizing that I was comparing the new …

Episode 3.1 – Don’t Hate the Player

podcast Episode 3.1Don’t Hate the Player”In basketball, each team plays two guards, a center, and two forwards. In baseball, it’s three outfielders, four infielders, a catcher, and a pitcher. In football, there’re 11 on offense, 11 on defense, and 11 on special teams. In music, the team is made up quite similarly. And the only difference between the teams in sports and those in music …

Episode 2.7 – Life is What Happens

podcast Episode 2.7Life is what Happens “It was John Lennon who wrote: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” He was 20 when he sang that. Now that I think about it, I wonder if he was talking about all the plans we’re allegedly supposed to make in order to become a proper grownup—business plans, or family plans, or career …

Episode 2.6 – Of Age yet?

podcast Episode 2.6Of Age Yet? “As he slept now and I stood there preparing to trek back to Capitol Hill from Columbia Heights at this God forsaken hour of the morning, I had learned a valuable lesson—although I felt like I needed to take care of Lucas, I wouldn’t be able to do it for the rest of his life.”As Kenya helps nurse Lucas back …

Episode 2.5 – The Great Compromise

podcast Episode 2.5The Great Compromise “‘Act your age, not your shoe size.’ Now, of course, Prince didn’t make up this phrase, but maybe he did make it popular. I know it might be sacrilegious to go against the almighty Prince, but I actually think he was stirring us wrong. I think we should actually act our shoe size, not our age. “Kenya’s date with the …

Episode 2.4 – When Do You Start?

podcast Episode 2.4When do you start? “Here’s the thing: every biopic, biography and ‘Unsung’ story about musicians have a common denominator—ignorant artists who either didn’t know or didn’t bother to educate themselves about how their business should work… I didn’t want stupid artists who would later question whether I had anything to do with their financial situation, if of course, it was a bad situation.”Kenya’s …

Episode 2.3 – Men of a Certain Age

podcast Episode 2.3Men of a Certain age “When I turned 18, I finally got my first car—an already sixteen-year-old Nissan Altima. It was taupe inside, aubergine on the outside, and before I’d been the owner a full year, all four hubcaps had already mysteriously vanished, seemingly all at once. But the cool thing was: when I was really feeling nostalgic, I could pop in a …

Episode 2.2 – Where to Draw the Timeline?

podcast Episode 2.2Where to Draw the Timeline? “Much like the music industry, DC is changing. The perception that everything is old and gray—the buildings, the streets, the men—is being challenged. We had survived the country’s economic slump and was undergoing an entire social renovation. Things that were once old were now new again. And no longer was age a prerequisite for dominance.”While hanging out with …

Episode 2.1 – No Time for Biding

podcast Episode 2.1No time for biding “I was barely a teenager when I decided what I wanted to be when I became a grown-up: the owner of my very own business. But what I didn’t know was that it would require doing a whole lot of things I don’t particularly want to do, and even more things I’m not particularly good at—and that’s just the …

(Recap) Episode 1

Recap Episode 1rewind look at 1Let’s take a look back at what you hear over the last eight episodes. This is a recap of episode one (first eight podcast episodes). Of Music and Men was created to be a television series. Still working toward that, this project continues to grow. I decided to turn each of the those television episodes into its own novella. For …

Q&A Episode 1

Q&A Episode 1all the answers Of Music and Men was created to be a television series. Still working toward that, this project continues to grow.I decided to turn each of the those television episodes into its own novella. For this podcast, you’re hearing those novellas broken up into sub-episodes that you get each week. The last eight podcast-episodes that you’ve heard make up the pilot …

Episode 1.8 – Little Miss Nobody

Episode 1.8little miss nobody If given a choice, would you rather be second-class or first-class? Now before you answer, please, let me at least lay out the differences for you so that you know exactly how to answer this.LaKiesha Mitchell was born and raised in Barry Farm 28 years ago, a place where the people expect nothing more than to be treated like the second …

Episode 1.7 – Never Say Never

Episode 1.7never say never If you ask an 8-year-old kid what they want to be when they grow up, you’ll get a bevy of answers: basketball player, doctor, firefighter, pilot… Very few of them, if any, will say that they don’t know. Now, of course, those desires almost inevitably change when we realize that we’re not that great of an athlete, schooling to be a …

Episode 1.6 – Fair Weather

Episode 1.6fair weather Have you ever thought about your level of comfort–I mean in life? To live–comfortably, that is–in Washington, DC, let’s face it: you need… money. Lots and lots of money. In fact, according to some very reputable sources, only four other cities in this country will cost you more to make a decent, comfortable life for yourself.See, when we talk about existing in relative …

Episode 1.5 – That Brown Box

Episode 1.5that brown box When you see a box, it’s natural to start assuming you know what’s inside it. A robin egg color blue Tiffany box would lead you to believe inside there’s expensive jewelry; a black and red Nike box with a jump man logo might make you conclude there’s a pair of Jordan sneakers inside. In fact, when it comes to most consumer …

Episode 1.4 – Take Taj Kamal

Episode 1.4take taj kamal Life doesn’t come with an owner’s manual. For example, here’s what we’ve come up with in America as the formula to a happy life: 1. go to college (and of course, graduate), because 2. that’s how you get a great job 3. Gotta get nice stuff: like a car (basically add to the debt that college probably caused) 4. Oh, of …

Episode 1.3 – And Men?

Episode 1.3and men?As of today, there are roughly 7 yoga studios on or in walking distance of the H Street corridor in North East DC. This very same strip of road now also boasts a Whole Foods, is the first (and currently the only) road for DC’s streetcar, and hosts more luxury condos and apartments per square block than probably any other artery in the …

Episode 1.2 – Victims, Perps, and Me

Episode 1.2victims. perps. and meIn 1979, the SuperSonics of Seattle captured its first and its last National Basketball Association championship. Nearly 30 years later, the team was packing up and leaving the idyllic Pacific Northwest for the often forgotten great plains of Oklahoma and its capital city. Until then, the city we now call OKC, thanks to the team, was perhaps best known for the …

Episode 1.1 – Funny stories blueprint

Episode 1.1Funny Stories BlueprintWhen most 8-year-olds were playing with their cars and dolls and video games, I was toying around with computers and maps—authentic, parchment, hand drawn maps. But while my method of play was quite unorthodox for an inner city kid at the time, the same might have been said for the rural kid, James Nightengale.But although cream rises, it takes a lot to …