This is a show I made a few years ago that very significantly involves Total Eclipse of the Heart, which is my favorite song. I am playing it again now because it is ECLIPSE WEEK. I hope you enjoy it. For many years I have privately loved the song Total Eclipse of the Heart, by Bonnie Tyler. I started to love it when it came out in 1983, when I was fourteen.This month I’m turning fifty. And for some reason, every time I think about turning fifty, I think about singing this song that I’ve loved for over over thirty years, and making other people listen to me sing it. I guess in a way it’s a k ..read more

Kasey Phipps is transgender. Kasey has always been transgender. But Kasey didn’t grow up in a place where the word ‘transgender’ was well understood. Or understood at all. It’s only in the last four years that Kasey’s put a name to this lifelong experience of living life in the wrong gender. This is Kasey’s story. And Kasey’s still figuring it out. Credits: Linda Young plays the harp in this show, for which I am eternally grateful. Here is a link to her excellent TRIO. There is also a song in the show from one of my favorite artists, Carla Kihlstedt and the Tin Hat Trio. Here is a link to th ..read more

Ashley Messier grew up in Essex, Vermont with an abusive father and with little money, and she found herself repeating the cycle in early adulthood. This is a story about multi-generational poverty and abuse, and the temporary relief of opiates. What Class Are You is a periodic series I make for Vermont Public. Thank you Vermont Public for letting me share the series on Rumble Strip ..read more

Ashton Allen runs a concrete business and in his free time he makes community meals at the American Legion in Hardwick. We sat down to talk about class, which then turned into a conversation about eating, and how eating together as a community seems to blur boundaries between people of different backgrounds. What Class Are You is a periodic series I make for Vermont Public. Thank you Vermont Public for letting me share the series on Rumble Strip ..read more

Vaughn Hood was a 118-pound barber when he was drafted into the Vietnam War, and in Vaughn’s war, most men didn’t survive their first three-month tour. In honor of Veteran's Day, here is the story of an extraordinary American life. This story is co-produced by Larry Massett and Erica Heilman. It first ran in 2015. To read the comments on this story from over the years, click here. An interview with Erica about the show, by the excellent people at The Third Coast 50 Best Podcasts of 2015, The Atlantic Monthly…#16 Music in this show: Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten--Arvo Part Tabula Rasa fo ..read more

Many of you got in touch with me after Isaac's story aired in the first week of What Class Are You. Isaac's on his way to Columbia in the fall on a full scholarship, and you came up with amazing ideas for how you might be helpful, so I went back up to Newport to discuss it all with Isaac. And it turned into a really interesting conversation on a number of fronts. If you would like to help Isaac in some way, here are some options: Isaac’s Culture Fund: Best way is to send him money via Venmo, at: @I-McDonald Contacts: If you know people you think Isaac should be in touch with, send names/numbe ..read more

When I met Ethan Perry, he was taking a break from his job at Family Dollar in Orleans VT. At the time he was 29. When I asked him what class he is, he said he grew up lower-middle class. His mother was a teacher and his father a carpenter. He said that now he considers himself lower class, but not impoverished. He’s had about ten million jobs but still there are days when he doesn’t have enough to eat. We chatted for a few minutes outside the store, and then I drove back up to Orleans, and we sat in my car up on the hill that overlooks the Ethan Allen Furniture mill and we talked. What Class ..read more

Mike Donofrio moved to Vermont with his family when he was two years old. He grew up, he left Vermont for college and law school, then he moved back and worked in the attorney general's office. Now he's in private practice in Montpelier. And he plays bass in a few bands. I asked him what class he is. Here is some of what he said. What Class Are You is a periodic series I make for Vermont Public. Thank you Vermont Public for letting me share the series on Rumble Strip ..read more

John Rodgers runs a construction business up in West Glover, Vermont most of the year. He runs a plow business in the winter. He rents properties, he runs a cannabis farm with his son, he's a stonemason. He's one of the busiest guys I know. And for sixteen years John served in the Vermont Legislature — eight years in the Senate and eight in the House. I met him on his farm, which has been in his family for about 200 years, and we talked about what it costs to be in the Vermont legislature, and some of the cultural tensions that he’s feeling in the state right now, as people with more money mo ..read more

In this episode I talk with one of my favorite poets and writers, Garret Keizer. Garret has written extensively on the history of labor unions and for this show we drove around and talked about the obscene class inequality in our country, the power of labor movements, and what happens when you address gender and race equity, but ignore income inequality. And we talk about other things. Like jazz. For more of Garret's work, visit his site here. One of my favorite poems by Garret Keizer here. One of my favorite articles he's written for Harper's is called Requiem for the Private Word. What Clas ..read more