Episode 380
with Colin O'Brady, Dani Shapiro, Chris Garcia, and Casey Neill & The Norway Rats
Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello discuss not-so-classic “Ice Breakers;” endurance athlete and adventurer Colin O’Brady recounts his world record-breaking trek across Antarctica; author Dani Shapiro explains how a mail-in DNA test revealed a deep-seeded family secret; comedian Chris Garcia pokes fun at his life choices by channeling his hard-working Cuban father; and Casey Neill & The Norway Rats perform “Savages” from their album “Subterrene.”
Colin O’Brady
Adventurer & Author
Portland native Colin O’Brady quite literally goes the distance - in a world record-breaking way. He holds the world record for the fastest to climb the tallest peak on all seven continents and in 2018 became the first person ever to cross the continent of Antarctica alone and without the aid of resupplies or wind/kite power. Since then, he's published a book about that experience, The Impossible First, and returned to Antarctica to set yet another record. When he’s not traversing continents solo or speedily mountaineering, O’Brady champions his community impact through his nonprofit, Beyond 7/2, which encourages kids and communities to live active, healthy lives and pursue their dreams. Website • Twitter
Dani Shapiro
Author
Best-selling author Dani Shapiro is a literary truth teller. The author of five novels, four memoirs, and a plethora of essays, short fiction, and journalism, Shapiro’s latest memoir, Inheritance, deals with the aftermath of finding out through a genealogy website that her father was not her biological father. The captivating book details how she grappled with this discovery as a writer who has examined identity and family for years. Shapiro also encourages truth as a renowned writing teacher at various institutions as well as at her own writing conference in Positano, Italy. Website • Twitter
Chris Garcia
Comedian
Veteran comedian Chris Garcia has always incorporated stories about his Cuban-American family into his standup sets. Following his father’s death from Alzheimer’s, he began using humor as a vehicle to process his grief and remember his dad. His willingness to find laughs in life’s hard stuff has brought him solace from connecting with others – as well as a Comedy Central special, a new audio project with WNYC about death, family and comedy, and a pilot based on his life in process at FOX Television. For this funny guy, allowing in the darkness let his work and perspective shine the brightest. Website • Twitter
Casey Neill & The Norway Rats
Band
Even in a world with a dystopic tinge, Casey Neill remains strangely hopeful about the future. That contrasting mix of hope and chaos, looking to both the past and future, fuels Subterrene, his magical new album with his band The Norway Rats. The Portland supergroup has convened on their first album in almost five years, fusing Neill’s evocative storytelling with alt-rock abandon and punk grit. Neill describes Subterrene as a “dystopian romance,” and it follows a distinct story arc inspired by vintage sci-fi novels, our current political climate, and Neill’s worldly travels. It’s a definitely optimistic, sonically bold album that also serves to illuminate the most strangely hopeful thing of all - truly finding connection with others. Listen • Twitter
