4717: Recent Episodes
Richard Murff
In honor of Harper Lee's birthday this week in 1926, we discuss the lost art of leaving well enough alone, walking away while on top, and peacefull retirement from the spotlight. Things neither of your hosts will likely need to personally contemplate.
Death & Taxes: No point in getting too worked up about it... although Murff still is. On the podcast we discuss taxes, transperancy, Marsha Blackburns big hair and empty suitcase, and a modest democracy sucess story.
"Only two elements remain undefeated, they are Mother Nature and Father Time." On the podcast we have a sober discussion about the preservation of small Southern towns in the wake of the tornado that tore through Faunsdale, Alabama - ironically just before a festival to raise money for its revitalization.
For more information visit:www.faunsdalefoundation.org.
Richard Murff has never willing watched an awards show in his life. David Seale can no longer be bothered to care. To wit, the 4717 Oscars episode. Where we discuss vote rigging, Meryl Streep's power of levitation, movies we've never heard of, much less seen, celebrities thrown’ hands and the future of the Oscars beyond Thunderdome.
Robots are here. Do they mean a laborless utopia or the world becoming the Terminator franchise? C3PO or R2D2? Or the sex-bot from the Finlandia vodka ads? Murff3PO and the Daviac5000 take a deep dive into the world of You, Robot.
A Shred of a Chance: Be honest, is there anything that you wished you'd shredded that came back to haunt you? A cunning and devious plan? Sentiments to an old flame? A promise you had no intention of keeping?
More crucially, is that sort of privacy a relic of the past?
The 4717 is back for Season 3! The topic: Vaccines - no we aren't wading into that one. If you could innoculate yourself (or others) from anything, what would it be? And how Hilter's flatulence medicine may have hastend the end of World War II. So, choose carefully.
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Any activity that, by design, makes you take leave of your senses needs to have some established, external ground rules before everything goes sideways. That third cocktail will always whisper something a little too clever. Tread lightly here.
A wine snob, a liquor snob and a beer snob walk into a bar... who sends you screaming to the bathroom? All booze snobs are tedious, but not all created equal - the wine bore has a historical precedent, but aficionados of craft beer and cocktails are making great strides in turning happy hour into an insufferable contest of insecurities. So... progress...
Ernest Hemingway & Scott Fitzgerlad were two of the most iconic writers of their generation - even their century. They celebrated getting absolutely blotto, gassed and pie-eyed. But how did the sauce affect their work?Was it a muse or a coffin nail? Was it a fuel that ultimately got out of control, or do the young 'uns just have faster metabolisms?
Beer has evolved over thousands of years - from watery porridge with intent to last night's ESB. If you're at an age where, in college, Rolling Rock seemed exotic, then it feels like most of that evolution has been in the last 30 years.
On the podcast we discuss craft beers, dull beers and the ultimate glory that is Murffbrau...
On the 4717's holiday gift list - Drunk As Lords: The World in Its Cups is now available at Amazon, B&N and Indiebound! If shipping can sort itself out, at your local bookstore.
On the podcast we discuss the book, its evolution, Bob Newhart's eyes, essays that shouldn't get published and how drinking got hardwired into human society.
The holiday's are here - we aren't entirely through the plague, but we're pretty much ignoring it these days. Gatherings mean food, and that means wine. Maybe something thing stronger, you know how families can be. On the podcast we discuss beer, big wines for big flavors and, of course, whisky.
It happens to all closet bartenders and covert mixologist; that desire to put your spin on a classic ocktail, make it yours and create something new. Or you just don't know what Crème de Mûre is. On the podcast we discuss inspiration and bloody failures in Creative Mixology #1.
Was there a single snort that made you reassess your bar? Opened a door? Sent you down a rabbit hole? Infuriated your spouse? A rum that made you see beyond Jimmy Buffet, a tequila that was fine without a worm, or a whisky that made you say, "where have you been all my life."
Today we discuss the Libation Revelation.
Most red-blodded Americans will drink a beer when they man the fiery grill: it's tasty, refreshing and doesn't produce a eyebrow scorching flambé. What do you do when your beer hates you? Liquor is too much, and wine doesn't strike the right vide. The 4717 ponders...
The man is known for his vodka martinis - shaken not stirred - but everyone's favorite super spy was so much more than a signature cocktail. In the podcast, we crawl through James Bond's tortured liver to discuss his cocktails, whisky, champagne and brandy. In addition, the proper way to outfit your lifeboat if love is in the air, and how you too can sound like Jimmy B at the bar with a little practice.
According to Drinks International, it's the No. 2 cocktail in the world, five years running. It's the Negroni, and it had better explain itself! Supposedly the brianchild of an Italian count having a bad day, the cocktail is ideally suited for instagram cocktail porn it is visually stunning, bitter and has just the right touch of Eurosleaze. But how does it taste?
In honor of Leif Ericsson Day (9 Oct), we raise a mead-horn to the first honkies to set foot in North America on purpose. Well... it was new to them. Refreshing, yes, but what does mead taste like? Is it a hair raiser, or any more manly than a watermelon Truley? Let's find out and raise Grendal's left arm to nature's first happy hour.
On mediocre sailing, Lower Alabama whiskey bars, two must bottles and a great lost story of whiskey lore - Uncle Nearest Green.
Timelessness isn't always a good thing. Today we discuss classic tipples that - no matter how popular, stories, or even expensive - we just can't bring ourselves to like.
... well, to be clear, we mean grown, perfectly legal adults. Is it a rite of passage? That moment when your child is no longer a child.
Rum is liquor’s switch-hitter - coming in both dark and light versions. One may be the I drink of island paradises - and the other prison colonies, slave revolts and drunken sailors. It was rum that brought down Lord Sydney’s envisioned utopia of a country with neither booze nor money when an entire colony mutinied against its governor William Bligh who was, quite frankly used to mutiny.
In which we raise a sazerac to beleaguered New Orleans and discuss Game Day, the profane smuggling routes of the SEC undergrad, flasks on inner thighs, cheap domestic beer, and non-craft cocktails.
In which we discuss your go-to cocktail, the drinking seasons, and how far you can tweak a classic recipe before you’ve created a fresh new drink… or an abomination.
In which Murff covers the plausible theory that early hominids came out of the trees in search of nothing less than happy hour. It’s literally called the “Drunken Monkey Theory”, and suggests that a ‘nose’ for sugary alcohol triggered overeating in a way that causes us to keep our caloric savings account well-padded. It still does. And man has yet to devise a more efficent way to break down barriers that for several people to get less sober at roughly the same rate in pleasant surroundings.
On the anniversary of Williams Faulkner’s 1961 death, we discuss the hangover. To say the man triumphed over the hangover is overselling it, but he did manage to work through a number of the head-splitters. On the podcast, we discuss hangover cures, avoidance and how, at our age, simple embarrassment.
In which we discuss the King of Rock n' Roll, his movies and fans that have gone weapons grade.
"The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing." Which is better, which are you, which am I? History is often driven by hedgehogs, but understood, even saved, by foxes.
In which we discuss procrastination - unlike alcohol or adultery, that provided some fun before the wheel of fate crushes you - we all agree that there is no up side to procrastination and we all seem to do it without making a conscious choice. Is our Little Man trying to tell us something - or is our Little Man an idiot?
In which we discuss wrapping up large jobs - from the relief to the grief. Whether it is a very weird school year or finishing a book that’s taken the better part of a decade. It does something big to both heart and mind, but what? And how do you cope?
Spring is here, COVID is leaving... and big weddings are coming back like Jay Gatsby in love. You, sir, will have to give a toast. Today Murff explores the history of toasts, the rules a good saludand most importantly, how not to give a toast.
In which we discuss some of our (formerly) favorite things that haven't aged well. From movies to musicians to writers - our youthful heroes go from cool icons to cringing douche-baggery. If the work hasn't changed, that means it's us. Egad.
In which we discuss Walker Percy’s Theory fo Hurricanes. Why do we seem happier in foul weather than in fair? Are modern humans more grounded in crisis than in peace? And Why? Are we crazy, or just bored?
In which we discuss Napoleon’s exile to Elba and what it means. Not much, actually, although he did clean the place up before heading back to reconquer France. Historical lessons include: Why packing a competent meglomaniac off to Mediterranean resort Island is not long-term solution, and how it feels to be the only man in history to face a literal Waterloo.
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In which we discuss “no time”, meditations and for the congenitally hyper, Winston Churchill’s advice that “a change is as good as a rest.” It is a great strategy for both mental health and productivity - but be warned, staying on your horse takes focus.
In which we discuss the lost art of the long, lingering lunch with an open bar. Is a day drink any worse than the prescriptions we’re all on these days? Does it trigger a nap, and if so, is that a bad thing?
In which we discuss our comfy delusions. We've all got a few or more of them, mostly harmless and get us through an uncertain world. But when do those "soft spots" in harsh reality become a full on divorce from reality? And exactly how obligated are we too indulge someone else's comfy delusion.
In which we discuss the grim topic of the logic of poverty - in poor areas and in conflict zones - and how it changes the way people react to the world around them, even when opportunity knocks.
The default logic is that more choices are better - but is this true? We buy more channels, but rarely watched them. Easy choices are easy because we make them all the time - grocery shopping, getting dressed - little on the line, and plenty of practice. But choosing a college, career, spouse, or house is a different kettle of fish. High stakes and almost no practice.
Do too many choices lead to inertia in an animal that clearly can’t handle anymore than three options at a time?
In which we pose the question: If we already know that something is bad for our health, why does it take some regrettable bloodwork, or the doctor giving us a scowling, to make the changes we already knew we needed to make?
We know what to do - so why do we wait until it’s a matter of life or death? Or at least fashionable?
In which we discuss Dolly Parton’s request that the state of Tennessessee not honor her with a statue in the capital - and wait until after she’s gone. Is it wise to to put up monuments to the living when the dead can barely survive posterity? Per usual, we go a little wide, but what to do when your statue of Dolly, so to speak, turns into a Jolene?
In which we discuss the ill-received advice of our elders - and the even more galling realization that, for all their flaws, our parents might have been on to something. Do we turn into our parents or is this just what the wisdom that comes with age looks like?
A growing body of research shows that the most impacting factor on a person’s ability to succeed is their belief in themselves and the belief others have in them.
How do we increase our own self-efficacy, and what impact do we and could we have on the progress of others?
In which we discuss Neil Gaiman’s “Make Good Art” Speech, fantastic mistakes, and moving ever closer to your life’s goals. Are the things you do today, even the detours, bringing you closer to your life’s goals or further away? Are your sidesteps strategic maneuvers? Or are they just detours?
In which we discuss the hype around ancestry - why it matters, and more importantly, why is doesn't. Earls in the family tree, or just a lot of salt on the earth - what difference does it make?
In which we discuss the joys and frustrations of the creative process - from music, writing, accounting and simply muddling through yesterday.
Well, which is it? It's hard to argue with the artistic and technical mastery into the Beatles evolved - but where does that leave the Fab Four in their "power pop" days? Naive and youthful, even the Beatles long time producer, George Martin, described their early music as "forgettable, but not quite." But we all grow up.
Murff and David discuss the Beatles: early or late.
In which Murff and David discuss America's most underrated presidents - this august figures who went from the leader of the free world to historical footnote.
In which Richard Murff and David Seale discuss re-entry into some sort of normalcy after the long, annus horribilis that was 2020, and (hopefully) the beginning of the end of COVID, from Foreign Policy to getting the kids back to school.