Category: Interviews

Interview – College Huddle Collab for Rivalry Week

Because nothing says Rivalry Week like the last full week of September, it’s time to preview Duke-UNC! To get you all ready for what to expect on Saturday, I put together another collaboration with the folks over at Heel Brothers who you remember from an episode earlier this year. This episode starts with me previewing the Blue Devils’ season so far and discussing what Coach Diaz and the staff have been able to do. After that part wraps up, the episode transitions into a discussion about the Tar Heels and the aftermath of the loss to James Madison. It’s a strange time at Chapel Hill.

We also get in a few voicemails including a surprise call that was made at halftime from Keenan Memorial Stadium. I wonder what that’s all about. What does Richlandia think about this game? Stay tuned and you’ll find out.

Now, folks, I’m sure a lot of you don’t really like hearing so much from UNC podcasters, and I get that. But, if you stick around for the entire episode, you’ll find that there’s some common ground between our two fanbases when it comes to what most of us think about a certain team from Raleigh. Trust, as the kids say, trust.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – A Duke-MTSU College Huddle Collaboration Preview Episode

Duke takes to the road Saturday to face a Middle Tennessee Blue Raider team that is in the midst of an historic rebuild. The team had to fill around 60 roster spots this offseason in addition to getting a new coaching staff. What can we expect from the Blue Devils’ opponent on Saturday? Well, Jake from Blue Raider Pod stopped by to educate us on our opponent in Murfreesboro and get you ready for the game.

In addition to learning about Derek Mason and what he’s doing in his first season at MTSU, we learn a little bit about Blue Raider Nation. After you listen to this episode, stop by Jake’s pod and listen to me give my thoughts on Duke. This was another excellent College Huddle collaboration. I’m glad to be a small part of this new group.

There’s a few voicemails to start the episode which raise an important question – who is the biggest Blue Devil fan? Is it Cash Rogers or my dad? Let me know in the comments or by leaving a voice mail. Speaking of which …

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Sidequest 9 – Antiquity on Screen with Dr. Monica Cyrino

Dr. Monica Cyrino, a consultant for many TV and film projects, stopped by to talk about the opportunities streaming services created for stories from Antiquity. We cover a host of movies and TV shows including Troy: Fall of a City, STARZ’ Spartacus (which is an insanely over-the-top show), Those About to Die and a few gladiator films (I bet you can guess which ones we’re talking about). Somewhat unexpectedly, we talk a lot about Ridley Scott movies which isn’t a bad thing, I just didn’t see that coming.

We also cover the negatives associated with more Antiquity content which, in the case of Troy, turned out to be racist online trolls. It’s unfortunate that those trolls had such a negative effect on what is a very good show that I came across on Netflix. The fact that a Black person was cast as Achilles shouldn’t bother anyone and if you’re going to spend your efforts trolling the show on the internet, maybe you need to get a hobby.

But enough about Antiquity. Dr. Cyrino consulted on one of the best television shows ever made, Better Call Saul. During our interview, she discusses how she got involved in the first episode and what her work consisted of. It turns out there’s a reason behind Chuck McGill’s choice of Latin pronunciation.

If you want to read some of Dr. Cyrino’s work, check out her book “Big Screen Rome“.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/folk-round
License code: SHTJJRTVTRXQAID1

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode. Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments or on Twitter.

And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.

Interview – A Duke-UCONN Crossover Preview Episode

Last year, we had Graham Chamberlain come on to update us on UCONN and preview the game. This year, we decided to do a joint episode for both our podcasts, so the setup is a little different from what you’re used to. That said, it’s a pretty darned good episode with a lot of information.

Graham brings us up to speed on a UCONN team dealing with some injuries and a lot of unknowns after playing an FCS team and then Maryland. I do my best to give fair and honest takes about the struggles we’ve seen offensively from Duke and how the recent injuries may affect the team on Saturday. While the defense is solid, the kicking teams have had some issues and the offense hasn’t run the ball consistently yet. Oh, and I also learn that the kickoff time wasn’t at 1pm like I thought. Glad I learned that before the game. Overall, I like what we’ve seen from the Blue Devils, but I remained concerned about the struggles in the running game. It’s just too hard to win by just passing.

As far as a score prediction, while we both think Duke will win, I am not predicting a blowout. Until the Blue Devils kick the offense up a notch and get more balanced, I’m expecting close, or relatively close, games. We also have to see what the team can do when it’s shorthanded at RB and at TE.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – Get to Know the Northwestern Wildcats with Louie Vaccher

Our old friend Louie Vaccher returned to the podcast to bring us up to speed on the Wildcats. Both Duke and Northwestern are coming off slow starts in Week One. What will this mean for the Blue Devils on the road? Can they steal one on the road in Chicago? We’ll have to wait and see. If Duke can get a win, this will be a big, big victory for Manny Diaz. Getting to 2-0 after the all the turnover and transfers would be a statement that Coach Diaz has the Blue Devils moving in the right direction.

We also spend a few minutes talking about Chris Collins and the great things he’s been doing with the Wildcats.

Before the interview starts, we listen to a few voicemails and a text message. Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 8 – Trauma in The Aeneid with Dr. Helen Lovatt

The Aeneid is one of the most popular and significant works of literature. It is an amazing story that serves as the origin story for Rome, but, more than that, it tells a story of coping with trauma. In fact, trauma permeates practically every character from Aeneas, who may suffer from PTSD, dealing with the loss of his homeland and countrymen to Dido and her tragic life to the Italians who find themselves engulfed in war when the Trojans arrive. Through The Aeneid, Virgil attempts to make sense of the changing Roman society.

Our guide for our discussion is Dr. Helen Lovatt, a professor at University of Nottingham. Dr. Lovatt is an expert not only on The Aeneid, but also at communicating just how meaningful of a work it is. She brings the text during life during our discussion and serves as the perfect narrator to bring this ancient poem to life. While she may not agree with my “Dido is a redhead” theory, her expertise permeates this interview and is something we all benefit from. Further, listening to her recount how she became interested in trauma in The Aeneid ought to inspire us all. It’s a powerful story.

Our reading assignment after this episode includes The Epic Successors of Virgil and Oppian’s Halieutica.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/folk-round
License code: SHTJJRTVTRXQAID1

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode. Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments or on Twitter.

And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.

Interview – Season Prediction with Lee Rodio

Duke legend Lee Rodio returns to the podcast and provides us with his win-loss prediction for the Blue Devils this season. We go through each game and tell you who we think will win and why. We also check in with Richlandia to get an update on the status of the OG Optimistic Duke Football fan. You’ll like all our predictions as we’re very optimistic about what the Blue Devils can do this season.

One thing you’ll notice as we go through Duke’s schedule is how much time we spend discussing the differing degree of schedule difficulty the Blue Devils’ opponents have. This is one of the unfortunate side effects of conference restructuring – unbalanced schedules providing easier paths to a conference championship game. Sorry for an old man rant here, but there really is an upside to small conferences.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Classical Antiquity Sidequest 7 – Dr. David Walsh on the Cult of Mithras

In this Sidequest, we cover the ancient Cult of Mithras with the expert on the subject matter, Dr. David Walsh. This cult spread pretty widely throughout the Roman Empire and has remained a topic of interest for historians, archaeologists and people with passing interest in Roman history (like me!). During our talk, we cover many topics including the pronunciation of Mithras (no agreed way!), how the cult spread throughout the Empire, how widespread it became, the causes of its decline, what our sources of the cult’s information are and we dispel some myths about the cult including whether we should call it “Mithraism”. We also cover the locations where you can see the remains of Mithraic Temples. Turns out that Dr. Walsh is an expert not just on the Cult of Mithras, but the London Mithraeum itself! If you are ever in London, you have to stop by if it’s open. It’s such a cool place.

While I enjoyed the entire interview, I found the reasons for the Cult’s decline to be of particular interest. I think you will, too. And Rudyard Kipling wrote about Mithras. What else can you ask for? I mean, aside from me forgetting to mention the great John Huston movie, “The Man Who Would Be King“. That film has a John Huston ending (an ending in which all the characters get exactly what they deserve) that is arguably one of his best. And that’s saying something.

As for this episode’s reading assignment, check out “Pantheon” which covers ancient Roman religious practices.

On the opening theme music, for now it’s from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/kevin-macleod/folk-round
License code: SHTJJRTVTRXQAID1

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode. Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments or on Twitter.

And never forget that The Classical Antiquity Sidequest is a podcast without end.

Interview – Steve Wiseman Previews Duke’s 2024 Season

Our old friend Steve Wiseman stopped by the podcast to cover a few different topics. We start off by dissecting what all happened to Flip’s draft stock and discuss the strange family dynamic that may have played a role in him falling as far as he did. After a brief detour from there to The ACC’s fight for survival, we do a deep dive on what to expect from Duke this season. While the Blue Devils have some unknowns, there is a lot to be excited about. Steve brings us up to speed on the QB situation, talks about our four-game murder’s row stretch and tells us why we should be cautiously optimistic about this season. The offense is going to be a Power Spread and will apparently involve the TEs. How can you not be excited about that?!?!

Trigger warning – we discuss Duke’s recent history of underutilizing its TEs. Noah Gray is mentioned. Consider yourself forewarned. And it turns out that David Feeley is pretty darned important. Who knew? (That’s sarcasm, we all know it.)

We also take a few minutes to cover the upgrades at Wallace Wade and ask I why the official Blue Devils’ Twitter account isn’t following me on Twitter. Come on, folks, make it happen.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!

Interview – College Huddle Collab about … That Team

As you know, Bull City Coordinators is part of the College Huddle Network. As part of that, and as an attempt to try and bring our country together in these trying times, I reached out to my colleagues The Heel Brothers and asked them to come on and talk about the upcoming season for the Heels. You can follow them (if you want to) here.

Sorry for the audio not being normalized. I’m not sure what happened, but we had issues from the very start.

Please call the pod (540-632-0160), leave a message and you’ll get in an episode.

Let me know what you think about what we think in the comments, on Mastodon, on Reddit, on Post, on Instagram, Spoutible, Bluesky or on Twitter.

As always, Go Duke!