Snakes & Otters Podcast
256 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsA pointless discussion of eternal questions, with Martin, Robert, Francis, Cajun and Marcus Aurelius. Join us as we tackle everything from English history to comic books. More on www.snakesandotters.com.
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Episodes
Episode 053 "Hoopajoob! Interview with an Emperor: Our Friend Marcus"
May 29, 2020 16:00 - 2 hours - 73.3 MBListeners, pardon the exceptional length of this episode, but it features our first guest ever, our good friend Marcus Aurelius. He claims to be of exceptional length as well. We tell stories and celebrate friendship. Welcome to the Brotherhood of Snakes & Otters Marcus.
Episode 052 "3 Ronin: Snakes & Otters Talks Samurai Movies"
May 22, 2020 16:00 - 49 minutes - 30 MBPop culture episode and Francis takes the reins to talk Samurai Cinema and what it meant in Japan, both pre and post WWII. The guys salute famed director Akira Kurosawa, and talk the way the Samurai movies became the basis for revisionist Westerns, Clint Eastwood and antiheroes.
Episode 051 "Our Heroes: P. J. O'Rourke"
May 15, 2020 16:00 - 48 minutes - 28.6 MBMartin captains and the gang talks about gonzo journalist, satirist and general ne'er do well P. J. O'Rourke. Martin reveals the number 1 item on his bucket list is to have a drink with PJ. That's how big a deal this heroes episode is. P. J.'s books are too numerous to list here, but head to his website, www.pjorourke.com. His publisher, Grove Atlantic, has a full bio and a list of his stuff. If you take the plunge and buy a PJ, be sure it is one that includes his seminal article "How to D...
Covid 19 Quarantine Special
May 13, 2020 00:40 - 22 minutes - 12.7 MB"In the dark days during the spread of the Covid 19 virus, three brave men decided to risk everything by talking about it . . . Well, we're not quite THAT brave, but we do talk a lot about the Great Covid Quarantine of 2020. Join the guys as we talk about how things are going, and some of the important things they've learned so far in what the old Chinese curse called "interesting times". And you can see a special video version with the guys in their quarantine getup on our YouTube channe...
Episode 050 "Code of Honor for May 2020"
May 08, 2020 16:00 - 53 minutes - 32.3 MBMartin captains our 50th episode and the guys rise to the special occasion. Francis kicks off with words of wisdom from Leo Tolstoy. Martin jumps back in with the Chairman of the Board, Francis Albert Sinatra, and Robert hammers it all home with Lao Tzu. Yes you read that right, Tolstoy, Sinatra and Lao Tzu. All to give hope and purpose during COVID-19 isolation. Bonus, Chef's parents and the Loch Ness monster make a surprise appearance. Our quotes this time: Francis – “A man on a thousan...
Episode 049 "Burnside's Folly: The Battle of Fredricksburg"
May 01, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 39.5 MBRobert captains the first of 4 Civil War episodes, discussing the pivotal battles that led from the dismissal of George McClellan to the rise of US Grant. In today's episode we talk Ambrose Burnside and the disaster that was Fredricksburg. Some sources we use include The Civil War by Geoffrey Ward with Ric and Ken Burns, and we heartily applaud Jeff Shaara's Gods and Generals.
Episode 048 "Who Loves You Baby? Classic Cop Shows"
April 24, 2020 16:10 - 1 hour - 61.2 MBThe guys look back with nostalgia at the old classic TV cop shows and what they meant.
Episode 047 "Our Heroes: Winston Churchill"
April 17, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 61.4 MBWant a challenge? Try talking about Winston Churchill in less than an hour. The guys examine the life of British statesman Winston Churchill. There's a lot to unpack. Martin doesn't mention it, but he's read what's considered the sine qua non of modern Churchill bios, Martin Gilbert's 1 volume Churchill: A Life.
Episode 046 "Code of Honor for April 2020"
April 10, 2020 16:00 - 48 minutes - 49.1 MBBenjamin Disraeli, Helmuth von Moltke (the Elder) and Ronnie James Dio. Yep. The guys take quotes from a British statesman, a German field marshal and a rock n roll singer to give you April's words to live by. And like always, it works. Our quotes this time: Francis – “Don’t complain, don’t explain.” (Benjamin Disraeli) Martin – “If you listen to fools, the mob rules.” (Ronnie James Dio) Robert – “No plan survives contact with the enemy.” (Helmut Von Moltke the Elder)
Episode 045 "Dirtiest Elections: The Story of 1824 and 1828"
April 03, 2020 16:00 - 1 hour - 62 MBMartin captains an episode on the pivotal elections of 1824 and 1828. The guys then turn it into a character study of Old Hickory, Andrew Jackson.
Episode 044 "Bond, James Bond"
March 27, 2020 15:49 - 56 minutes - 55.5 MBThat's right listeners, pop culture time and Francis is thrilled that we put this one on the schedule. We talk about the appeal and cultural impact of the James Bond Franchise, including the original Ian Fleming novels and the Eon Productions films. "Do you expect us to talk?" "No, Snakes & Otters, I expect you to die."
Episode 043 "Our Heroes: William Tecumseh Sherman"
March 20, 2020 16:00 - 42 minutes - 41.1 MBMartin leads the way in an exploration of General W. T. Sherman. Prickly, irascible, narcissistic, yet devoted to Grant and Lincoln. Political connections all over, but no interest in a political career. Yet he was key to saving the Union in the Civil War. Martin focuses on Lee Kennett's Sherman: A Soldier's Life and Victor Davis Hanson's The Savior Generals to get the guys started.
Episode 042 "Code of Honor for March 2020"
March 13, 2020 16:00 - 44 minutes - 44.3 MBRobert captains and lets Martin start off linking some Clint Eastwood (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) words with Huey Newton. Francis moves from there to David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia to eviscerate tribalism and Robert hones in on sinfulness and selfishness. And it all connects. In other words, same thing we always do. Our quotes this time: Martin – “There are two people in this world, those with loaded guns and those who dig.” – (Sergio Leone) Francis – “So long as the(y) fight tribe ...
Episode 041 "1972 Election: Just How Bad a Candidate was George McGovern"
March 06, 2020 17:00 - 56 minutes - 55.5 MBMartin captains an episode examining the 1972 election. We dig into the Watergate timeline, Nixon's strengths and McGovern's weaknesses. And of course it all ties back to our "What If" episode on Robert Kennedy. G. Gordon Liddy's autobiography Will features in the discussion.
Episode 040 "The Wisdom of Jean Luc Picard"
February 28, 2020 17:00 - 1 hour - 92.6 MBFrancis takes the big chair and we talk life lessons from Jean Luc Picard. Includes some hat tips to the writers and show runners who made these words meaningful to us. We even have kind words for Wil Wheaton. Bonus: Much love for Marina Sirtis too.
Episode 039 "Our Heroes: Charlton Heston"
February 21, 2020 17:00 - 46 minutes - 67.6 MB"Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!" Martin, Robert and Francis dig in a major appreciation of Chuck Heston. We talk his craft, his life and the way he stood firm for what he believed in. "Ideals not causes" indeed. Pick up Heston's terrific autobiography In The Arena to get what the guys are on about.
Episode 038 All About "Strength And Honor"
February 14, 2020 17:00 - 42 minutes - 62.1 MBThe episode you have been waiting for. In this special code of honor episode, the guys talk about what "Strength and Honor" really means.
Episode 037 "The Legacy of Rome"
February 07, 2020 17:00 - 50 minutes - 74.2 MBMartin, Robert and Francis dive in to the long term legacy of Rome in the last of the 4 part series. There's also a glass raised to Terry Jones of Monty Python.
Episode 036 "Hoopajoob Time! Let's Talk Bourbon"
January 31, 2020 17:00 - 53 minutes - 76.1 MBFifth Friday and that means we do a Hoopajoob! Martin captains a *lengthy* discussion on our favorite fuel, good Kentucky bourbon. Freewheeling, hard drinking, all manly bourbon talk. In other words, perfect hoopajoob.
Episode 035 "Pop Culture: Movies We Always Have to Watch"
January 24, 2020 16:00 - 46 minutes - 46.7 MBFrancis takes the captain's chair and we do a fun episode on some great old movies that always grab our attention.
Episode 034 "Our Heroes: Vincent Van Gogh"
January 17, 2020 16:00 - 38 minutes - 37.8 MBRobert takes the captain's chair to lead the guys through an appreciation of the groundbreaking art of Vincent Van Gogh. An exploration of a tragic genius and his amazing legacy.
Episode 033 "Code of Honor: Quotes to Live by for January 2020"
January 10, 2020 17:00 - 41 minutes - 42.3 MBCode of Honor time again listeners and Francis captains us through Spock, William F. Buckley and the Gospel of Matthew. Bonus, we get to hear all about why Robert despises the ST:OS episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield." And there are glasses raised to writer DC Fontana, RIP. Our quotes this time: Robert – “Change is the essential process of all existence.” (Spock) Martin – “Don’t immanentize the eschcaton.” (William F. Buckley) Francis – “Whatsoever you do to the least of these, y...
Episode 032 "Christian Rome Through the Fall of the West"
January 03, 2020 16:00 - 43 minutes - 43.8 MBRobert captains our third Rome episode with an exploration of the Christian era of the Roman Empire. He challenges Martin and Francis with the question, did the adoption of Christianity hasten the demise of the Empire in the West? Robert takes a contrary position starting with Mike Aquilina's The Church and the Roman Empire and Martin concurs using Peter Heather's The Restoration of Rome.
Episode 031 "Merry Christmas from Snakes & Otters"
December 27, 2019 17:00 - 48 minutes - 69.7 MBFourth week so that means a pop culture episode! The guys wax nostalgic about all the great Christmas TV specials from The Grinch to A Charlie Brown Christmas. The guys drink a toast to all the great creators and voices of these shows, from Charles Shultz to Thurl Ravenscroft. Merry Freaking Christmas All!
Episode 030 "Our Heroes: Thomas Aquinas"
December 20, 2019 17:00 - 46 minutes - 64.4 MBRobert captains a seriously deep episode on the father of Scholasticism, Doctor of the Church Thomas Aquinas. Francis is in awe and Martin works hard to keep up. Reading much of Thomas Aquinas is a magnum opus unto itself, but his great masterwork, the Summa Theologica (often just called the Summa) is available online for free and in its entirety on the New Advent website. And believe it or not, his Wikipedia page does a very good free biography of him and of his many great contributions ...
Episode 029 "Code of Honor: Quotes To Live By for December 2019"
December 13, 2019 17:00 - 31 minutes - 43.6 MBSecond Friday once again so time for another "words to live by" episode. Robert starts us off this time, and we consider the nature of freedom and humanity through the words of Shakespeare, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and J. Michael Straczynski. Yes, we're serious. Our quotes this time: Robert – “Respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church) Martin – “Men at sometimes are master of their fates, the fault, my dear Brutus, is not in o...
Episode 028 "Rome: As Empires Go, This is the Big One"
December 06, 2019 17:00 - 44 minutes - 62.3 MBIn the second episode of our planned 4 part series on all things Rome, Martin puts the guys through their paces on the Roman Empire. He hones in on the idea of the Pax Romana, the Roman peace. Was it real? Martin brings in Adrian Goldsworthy's Pax Romana to start, and Francis counters with Edward Luttwak's The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire.
Episode 027 "Hoopajoob! Gratitude in the Modern World"
November 29, 2019 17:00 - 38 minutes - 52.1 MBNovember has 5 Fridays and you know what that means! That's right listeners . . . HOOPAJOOB! Say it with us, HOOPAJOOB! That means anything goes! In this hoopajoob episode, Martin wants the guys to examine gratitude in the modern world. We've got much to be thankful for in this life. Why don't we show it more?
Tonight on a Very Special Snakes & Otters
November 24, 2019 15:15 - 8 minutes - 11.7 MBRemember when the networks would advertise sitcom episodes with "Tonight on a very special 'Blossom'" or "Tonight on a very special 'Facts of Life'" and it meant a character was going to smoke weed or lose her virginity? Yeah, well we aren't doing that. What we are doing is staking a claim to our podcast ground. Give a listen. This is who we are and what we're about.
Episode 026 "The Klingon Empire Will Never Yield!"
November 22, 2019 17:00 - 28 minutes - 42.1 MBThat's right, 4th Friday means a pop culture episode. Francis leads the guys with enthusiasm for a fun and insightful look at Star Trek's complex bad guys, the Klingons. Bad guys? Well, OK, to quote Trevor Slattery, "hey, it's complicated". There are so many Star Trek moments that the guys recommend in this episode, but if you're looking for a really cool resource in print-kindle format, try The Klingon Dictionary by linguist Marc Okrand from 1992 where the entire Klingon Language is laid ...
Episode 025 "Our Heroes: Ulysses S. Grant"
November 15, 2019 17:00 - 41 minutes - 58 MBThird Friday of the month means another "Our Heroes" episode. We started with Thomas More, went through film director and writer John Milius, and now we tackle general and president Ulysses S. Grant. Martin starts with some of the newer biographies such as Grant by Ron Chernow from 2018, Ulysses S. Grant: Soldier & President by Geoffrey Perrett from 1998 and Grant by Jean Edward Smith from 2002 to lead the guys through why Grant is a hero and should be thought of as a great figure in US his...
Episode 024 "Code of Honor: Quotes To Live By for November 2019"
November 08, 2019 17:00 - 32 minutes - 45.8 MBIn the first of a recurring series publishing every second Friday, the guys discuss some 'words to live by'. Martin kicks it off with a great PJ O'Rourke line that has become his motto. Francis goes Star Trek, and Robert of course brings it full circle with humanism and faith. Our quotes this time are: "It's one thing to burn down the outhouse, its another to install plumbing" by P. J. O'Rourke in his book Holidays In Hell; "It has always been easier to destroy than to create", spoken by...
Episode 023 "Our Debt to the Roman Republic"
November 01, 2019 16:00 - 46 minutes - 62.4 MBIn Part 1 of our planned four-part series on Rome, Robert kicks us off with an exploration of the virtues and vices of the Roman Republic. It becomes a cautionary tale on the 21st century with help from Francis and Martin. Tom Holland's Rubicon from 2005 and Adrian Goldsworthy's Caesar: Life of a Colossus from 2007 and The Punic Wars from 2001 serve as launching points.
Episode 022 "Film Noir is Some Depressing Shit"
October 25, 2019 16:00 - 40 minutes - 59.4 MBMartin leads the guys through a consideration of the cinematic genre of Film Noir and what it says about the duality and desolation of the human soul, justice and redemption. Yeah, it gets that deep. Robert and Francis provide some optimism for humanity though. Martin figures, eh, why bother? While there are literally tons of books on the subject of film noir, the guys recommend starting with The Film Noir Encyclopedia by Alain Silver and others from 2010. Also they highly endorse watching...
Episode 022 "Film Noir is Some Depressing Stuff"
October 25, 2019 16:00 - 40 minutes - 59.4 MBMartin leads the guys through a consideration the cinematic genre of Film Noir and what it says about the duality and desolation of the human soul, justice and redemption. Yeah, it gets that deep. Robert and Francis provide some optimism for humanity though. Martin figures, eh, why bother? While there are literally tons of books on the subject of film noir, the guys recommend starting with The Film Noir Encyclopedia by Alain Silver and others from 2010. Also they highly endorse watching Do...
Episode 021 "Our Heroes: John Milius"
October 18, 2019 16:00 - 35 minutes - 51.3 MBConan, what is best in life? To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women! We take on the life and career of one of our heroes, the rugged individualist and Zen anarchist, John Milius. And Martin loves the smell of napalm in the morning. And for further reading (although it is a little pricey) the guys recommend The Cinema of John Milius by Alfio Leotta from 2018 which goes deep into Milius' many contributions to modern American Cinema.
Episode 020 "What If? . . . Frederick III Lives and Transforms the Late 19th Century?"
October 11, 2019 16:00 - 40 minutes - 59 MBMartin captains an episode examining the life and reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II's father, Frederick III. He reigned only 99 days, but if he had lived, could he have transformed the nascent German empire from Prussian militarism to a model constitutional monarchy? Would that have transformed Europe and prevented (or mitigated) the cataclysm of World War I? Although they don't mention it in the episode, the guys highly recommend Our Fritz: Emperor Frederick III and the Political Culture of Impe...
Episode 019 "Kaiser Wilhelm II: Douche or Unjustly Vilified?"
October 04, 2019 16:00 - 48 minutes - 70 MBFrancis wants us to consider Christina Croft's The Innocence of Kaiser Wilhelm II: and the First World War and exonerate the Kaiser of his exclusive historical blame for WWI. Martin says "well the damn Russians were to blame anyway". Robert reminds us that history is always complicated.
Episode 018 "James Madison: Paragon of the Enlightenment"
September 27, 2019 16:00 - 39 minutes - 51.6 MBMartin reaches back to our Voltaire discussion to highlight another key figure, James Madison. We talk through Madison's formation and career as an Enlightenment figure and a giant among the Founding Fathers. Although the guys didn't mention a particular book about James Madison in the episode proper, they all agree that perhaps the newest book on him, The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President by Noah Feldman from 2017 is well worth reading. Martin further recommends Ri...
Episode 017 "Our Heroes: Thomas More"
September 20, 2019 16:00 - 38 minutes - 51.2 MBFrancis leads the guys through a personal reflection on the life of St. Thomas More and why he's a hero worth emulating. Get out some tissues everybody. And while there are tons and tons of works out there, both about and by Thomas More, Francis recommends grabbing first A Thomas More Source Book by renowned More scholar Gerard Wegemer from the University of Dallas, written in 2004.
Episode 016 "Monitor Vs. Merrimack and British Intervention in the Civil War"
September 13, 2019 16:00 - 37 minutes - 49.3 MBMartin challenges the guys to think beyond the politics and explore the strategic options for British intervention in the American Civil War in 1862. Robert's up to the challenge and gives Martin all the argument he can handle. For a good resource on the Civil War Battle of Hampton Roads and all the related materials that the guys discuss in this episode, check out Reign of Iron: The Story of the First Battling Ironclads, the Monitor and the Merrimack by James L. Nelson from 2004.
Episode 015 "Queen Elizabeth II: Give The Old Gal A Break"
September 06, 2019 16:00 - 35 minutes - 48.2 MBThe Snakes & Otters guys dive into an appreciation of the life of Queen Elizabeth II. All you tabloid types out there, be warned, Martin wants you to ease up. And Martin likes to get his way. There are tons and tons of books about Queen Elizabeth II, but the guys really loved watching the Netflix series The Crown, which has three seasons available as of November 2019. It's really worth checking out and Claire Foys won a well-deserved Best Actress Emmy Award for her work in Season 2.
Episode 014 "What If? . . . Robert Kennedy Was Not Assassinated?"
August 23, 2019 16:00 - 45 minutes - 66.1 MBRobert suggests a new kind of discussion for us, an "alternative history". We wrestle with the question: what if Robert Kennedy isn't killed in June 1968? Does that alter America's trajectory through the 1970s and 1980s? Bonus feature, we have to edit out our first "f bomb". Francis, watch your mouth next time. Once again, the guys did not mention it here, but still one of the better biographies of Robert Kennedy is one of the earliest, Robert Kennedy and His Times by Arthur M. Schlesinger...
Episode 013 "What Makes A Good History Book?"
August 16, 2019 16:00 - 38 minutes - 53.6 MBWe mean, it is obviously our favorite pastime, but what makes for a good read in history? Martin needs to get over his disappointment in Juliet Barker's Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle That Made England so Francis advocates for a fictionalized approach such as Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt to help. Unsatisfied, Robert gets existential on both their asses.
Episode 012 "Franz Ferdinand: Martyr, Visionary, or Doofus?"
August 09, 2019 16:00 - 41 minutes - 58.6 MBMartin leads a "reach back" episode about Franz Ferdinand and why the Serbs thought he was worth shooting. Shoot a guy in a funny hat, start a war. Damn 1914 was weird. The story includes a juicy sex scandal, so be sure to download and give a listen. Although the guys don't mention it by name, perhaps the best and most recent works about Franz Ferdinand is The Assassination of the Archduke: Sarajevo 1914 and the Romance That Changed the World by Greg King and Sue Woolmans from 2014. It's w...
Episode 011 "KY Shakespeare + Snakes & Otters = Fun"
August 02, 2019 16:00 - 38 minutes - 57.1 MBRobert, Martin and Francis talk about the nation's oldest continuous Shakespeare festival, right here in River City. We relish and review the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival's Summer 2019 productions of King Lear, Henry IV Part 2 and As You Like It. Robert, as our resident theater buff, leads the way with some help from Francis as the resident Shakespeare expert.
Episode 010 "Jack 'King' Kirby: Thanks for the MCU"
July 26, 2019 16:00 - 40 minutes - 58.4 MBMartin, Robert and Francis reach back to Episodes 5 and 6 and dig more into the legacy of the one and only Jack 'King' Kirby. He means everything to the visual appeal of the MCU. Jack Kirby's output is so prolific that no one book could possible cover all the massive work that he did in his decades of comic book illustration. check out his Amazon Search Page for some great starting points!
Episode 009 "Woodrow Wilson Screws the Pooch"
July 19, 2019 16:00 - 34 minutes - 50.4 MBFrancis has us digging into Ronald Pestritto's Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism. Martin, Robert and Francis all agree, Wilson made a huge mess. So much for all those great American Ideals from Franklin and Voltaire. Wilson don't need them.
Episode 008 "Voltaire and His Influence On America"
July 12, 2019 16:00 - 33 minutes - 48.1 MBThe Voltaire discussion continues! Francis is sticking with Voltaire: A Life by Ian Davidson, but Martin brings in Walter Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin to help Robert show Francis how wrong he is.
Episode 007 "Voltaire: Epitome of the Enlightenment"
July 05, 2019 16:00 - 31 minutes - 45.8 MBFrancis leads the discussion on that paragon of the Enlightenment, Voltaire. Francis thinks Americans owe him a lot. Martin and Robert say not so fast homey. Check out Voltaire: A Life by Ian Davidson, if, you know, you want to side with Francis.