Episode 498

with Matthew Gavin Frank, Davy Rothbart & Cheryl Sanford, and Andrew Bird & Jimbo Mathus

Host Luke Burbank and announcer Elena Passarello talk birds of all kinds this week; writer Matthew Gavin Frank discusses the controversial world of diamond-smuggling pigeons; filmmaker Davy Rothbart and his subject Cheryl Sanford unpack 20 years of filming her family in their documentary 17 Blocks; and musicians Andrew Bird & Jimbo Mathus, former bandmates of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, perform "Sweet Oblivion" from their collaborative album These 13.

Matthew Gavin Frank

Writer and Poet

Matthew Gavin Frank is an American non-fiction writer and poet. His most recent book, Flight of the Diamond Smugglers, chronicles the use of carrier pigeons by diamond smuggling rings in coastal South Africa. His previous books include The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through America’s Food; Preparing the Ghost: An Essay Concerning the Giant Squid and Its First Photographer; Pot Farm; and Barolo. His poetry collections include The Morrow Plots, Warranty in Zulu, and Sagittarius Agitprop. Website • Twitter

Davy Rothbart & Cheryl Sanford

Author & Filmmaker, Producer & Activist

Davy Rothbart is a bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker. He his also the editor/publisher of Found Magazine, and has contributed stories to This American Life. His most recent documentary film is 17 Blocks, which focuses on four generations of the Sanford Family—including mother, activist, and executive producer Cheryl Sanford—over a span of 20 years as they struggle with addiction and gun violence in America’s most dangerous neighborhood, just seventeen blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Twitter • Website

Andrew Bird & Jimbo Mathus

Americana Duo

Andrew Bird is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter who has been steadily releasing critically-acclaimed albums since 1996. His genre-spanning music is known for its wistful melodies, hyper-literate lyrics, and virtuosic violin-playing and whistling. His 2019 release, My Finest Work Yet, earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. In the 90s, Bird sang and played violin in several jazz ensembles, including swing revival band Squirrel Nut Zippers, where he met frontman and guitarist Jimbo Mathus. The old friends recently reunited to collaborate on their new album These 13, which came out in March 2021. Listen • Andrew Bird Website • Jimbo Mathus Website