21 episodes
Two Brothers, One Dad (Dead) RockyJ, J-Bear
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- Kids & Family
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5.0 • 10 Ratings
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Take a dash of honesty, knead it with some dark humor, and sprinkle with bittersweet memories. Let it sit for a while, and then you've got the Two Brothers, One Dad (Dead) podcast (a limited series). Email us at: twobrothersrockyjbear@gmail.com
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Speak Memory: BP Edition
The emotional experience of truth is also the emotional experience of youth: It's the satisfaction of connections growing between disparate things, and the excitement of discovering reality, of seeing the world click into place right in front of you. Telling the truth about a person or situation is the easiest thing in the world--if you see what's in front of you. But, seeing what's in front of you is one of the very hardest things to do, and that's why another perspective is always needed. We welcome our longtime friend, and one of the first listeners of this very podcast, onto the show. As Nabokov once wrote: Speak, memory.
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The Canon: All That Jazz
This was on one Krazy Bill's very favorite movies, and we have to give it to him: The man had taste. A meditation of how art imitates life imitating art, the film is painfully self-aware, almost masochistic. As far as swan songs go, we're not aware of another movie that's done it better.
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The Canon: Blade Runner
Sometimes you need a good cry. For some of us, we might put on Old Yeller or read the last chapter of Charlotte's Web. Our dad, Krazy Bill, put on Blade Runner. "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die." Join us, you biological machine, for a meditation on your own existence.
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The Canon: The Blues Brothers
Sometimes there's a movie that just does it for you. For Krazy Bill, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd's rock and roll fantasy was that film. Rewatching it for the umpteenth time, we finally understand why this movie loomed so large in our dad's imagination.
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Just Jim
If you're a jerk most of your life and then somehow find it in your heart to be nice to two cute kids (spontaneously nicknamed "the cutie-pie brothers" by a number of separate people), where does that leave your balance sheet? And, for the final accounting, who deigns to run the numbers? When working in the underwater world of memory, every addition is still lacking something, and every division leaves a trace. All we can say is that for the two brothers, he was Jim. Just Jim.
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Family Tree: Grandma
Some people suffer quietly, and some, not so quietly. Our grandma complained about everything she did for us. Or so we thought. Only as adults do we see that she didn't even mention 90 percent of what she gave. Love, stability, and the threat of "a good lickin'" kept us in line, and keep her in our hearts.
Customer Reviews
A Wild Ride, Told With Empathy, Humor and Wit
If I had ever wondered what it was like to grow up with gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, I’m pretty sure it might sound something like the Two Brothers, One Dad (Dead) podcast. From the first episode about the hoarding tendencies of the two brothers’ late father, the podcast explored the complexities of humans and their relationships, sprinkled throughout with astounding details, plot twists, unexpected humor and humanity. A vivid retelling of their father’s life first arrives like a freight train, and it quickly fills the listener’s imagination with the brothers’ childhood and adolescence.
two brothers conjure a life well lived
These brothers are throwing down some real talk about their upbringing, and it is a rare treat to be allowed to eavesdrop on the conversation. They manage to conjure their dead dad in stories, impressions and memory snippets that get at the heart of a unique, eccentric, yet deeply loving, father-son relationship. The narrative voice that comes through in this podcast is what makes great writing. Save this one for a walk where you can really enjoy the kismet, contagious laughter and frankly, some pretty shocking details of a life well lived.
Poignant and Intense
This is a courageous podcast in its honesty and reflection on self and family. It is a tribute of love often told through difficulty. I literally was laughing out loud at some points while on the verge of tears at others - sometimes truth is stranger, better, and more complicated than fiction. While the stories the two brother share are from their own lived experience, the specificity makes it universal as there are many entry points in to relate in some way to our own lives or of those near us. Rocky J and J-Bear are great storytellers, navigating listeners through the worlds they inhabit. The brothers cover some heavy topics with grace. Time is an uncredited character as this vantage on the past only comes with years in the rear view mirror that makes me thing about my own successes and struggles. I’m addicted to this podcast and would only hope to have a beer one day with these brothers.