July 18, 2025 • 11 mins
For Shop Talk, Coach Bill and Alex reflect on some of their favorite books. And want to hear about yours!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Everybody. It's but Courtney, welcome back to the shop. By
the way, how you doing, Alex? Everything all right with
you doing great? Bill? All right? Does anything new? Really?
That's your life? Nothing new? Okay? How about this? Are
you enjoying a new cigar? Old?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Actually, I got a weird cigar smort story from last night.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Tell it to me.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's actually kind of annoying. So I'm at my cigar shop, okay,
and I'm working there and the new manager comes up
to me and says, hey, can you have can we
have this other guy sit in your chair? And if
he's an older guy, like sit in your chair?
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, I'm like, I got here first.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
I gonna actually see you saying that.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
I actually did say because I was let just go there, vraid.
But this is previously one of the other employees kind
of gave me crap about sitting in this chair because
this other guy prefers sitting in this chair. It's a
both of our preferred chair this shop, and traditionally whoever, yeah,
it's and it's like the best view of everybody else.
It really is kind of the best chair, but it's
always just kind of ben whoever gets their first gets
(01:14):
it and the other person's a sucker, so it's like
that's just the right. But then they approached me yesterday
and asked me if i'll move into another chair. And
so the guy's uh seventies, so I get he's older.
We maybe give them a little respect, but still, I mean,
this guy still moves just fine, like it's not like
he's a you know. But anyway, so the like whatever,
and he tries to sweeten the deal by giving me
(01:37):
a free drink and a free cigar, so I still
at least got that, but it still kind of pisses
me off because like, now I can never sit in
that chair.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
So you've lost your chair, I've lost bringing a new one,
bring in your own chair.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
It's more the spot. Yeah, you know, boy, these are
really these are yeah, these are first world.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
These are first world issues when you don't have the
preferred chair and your cigar lounge.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Well the reason I sit there though, too, is I'm
still working like sixty seventy hours a week on the army,
So it's like that's why I'm there working at night.
This isn't like fun Alex having a grand old time,
Like the cigars helped me keep working I mean, do's
a little to do what I was doing for four
hours there last night.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I mean, well, at least you're putting in your time.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Okay, so hurting my own health to help the army.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Shop Talk number sixty one is about my favorite books,
and we'll hear it right after these brief messages from
our general sponsors. Now, why in the world on chopp
(02:45):
Talk are we talking about this? Well, here's why, because
I think reading is really important, and I think in
this age of cell phones and stuff, we're getting away
from reading. And so every once in a while, we're
going to talk about some of my favorite books. And
I want you to email me what your favorite books are.
(03:06):
We're not going to start a book club, but we
are going to have a shop talk slash army and
normal folks. Let's share good book ideas with everybody and
we'll just post them.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
How about that and why would have meant to you?
Reflections on it? Don't just say where your favorite book is,
like go deep.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Well, obviously, yeah, what's your book? And why and everything else?
And my book is called Against the Grain. It's available
wherever you get books, and you're welcome to buy my
book and read it, and it may be become one
of your favorites. Against the Grain by Bill Courtney.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
You can usually you hate promoting your own stuff, though.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I almost never promote my stuff. But we're talking about books.
But my book is actually pretty good. And the forward
was written by Phil Jackson.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Which is pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
That is pretty cool. All right. So that's that's my book.
But here's I'm going to give you two of my
favorite books this time, and we'll touch base on it.
I'm dead serious. Write me so I can read some
book books. One, A Confederacy of Dunces.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Wrong answer, It should have been the Bible.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Oh my god, keep going, Okay, see it's a complete setup,
all right. Number one the Bible. Number two? Do I
need to review the Bible for you? Or can we
just move on? I thought, I think it's been very
well reviewed. So number two, A Confederacy of Dunces. Why
it's hilarious. Two the way that it was actually brought
(04:30):
to publication. The story itself is phenomenal because the author
had committed suicide and been gone for many, many years
when his mother found the manuscript in a trunk and
read it and thought it was amazing and got it published.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Really.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yes, it has been optioned for a movie three or
four different times, and I wish to goodness they would
make a movie out of it because it would be hilarious.
But it's about it's a fictional story. But some think
it's kind of half fictional because some thinks that the protagonist,
Ignatius p Riley, is built into who the author was.
(05:13):
But it's about a guy who lives in New Orleans,
who is a corpulent, slovenly kind of fiasco, who thinks
he is far superior in intellect and political understanding than
(05:33):
anybody around him, who has failed job after failed job
after fail job, a socialist girlfriend, and frequents a brothel.
And it's just his comings and goings and interactions with
his mother's girlfriend and the people in New Orleans. And
(05:55):
it is hysterical. So you need to write. And there
is tons of social commentary weaved into the story.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Is there anything redeeming in this book? Or is it
just a joy ride?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
It's hilarious and it's uh, it's uh uh, I just
just read it.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
It's a cautionary tale.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
It is a cautionary tale a little, but it is
also threw his eyes. Uh, it's an interesting commentary on society.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Speaking of confederacy of Dunces. You use that line in
the that clip we featured on Instagram, okay about Max
and his cargetting stolen Yes, and the Confederacy of duns
has involved.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
It was a confederacy Dunces.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So for those who don't follows on Instagram, that's a
shameless plot. Go because watch this clip because it is
so funny.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Well, it really was. It was. It's so funny. I
haven't even seen it, but it is it really I
wasn't you know. Using the compederacy Dunce as the title
of the book, I think that is an interesting I mean,
how many times have you run into what you think
is a confederacy of Dunces operating in some place? It's
(07:08):
just yeah. So that's a second book, and it is
absolutely a book I might have read ten times, and
I know way too much about it because I've read
it over and over again. It is nothing. I mean,
everybody's going to know it. But To Kill a Mockingbird
to me is such an important book. And I use
(07:31):
the word to merity often because Atticus Finch, when defending
in his defense in the courtroom said that the only
sin of the defendant was having the temerity to feel
sorry for a white woman. And I just remember reading
(07:57):
that and getting chills that there that there could be
a social construct where having empathy could actually be a
negative thing. Harperly is often thought to be Scout Scout
(08:21):
in the book, or at least to have grown up
in a social setting like what Scout did. And there
are so many tales that that are woven to understand
(08:44):
that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, and
to kill a mockingbird stands for the degradation of so
many different thoughts, people, races, and creeds, and I just
think it's uh. I think it's just one of the
(09:06):
best best books ever written because of the story it
tells inside the story. So there you go, now gave
me one of yours.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
An interesting one that you probably haven't read is Coming Apart,
which is why this book for you. So Charles Murray
wrote this, and it talks about how the society is
coming apart. But one of the interesting examples that I
often cite with people is he talks about growing up
in Iowa in this like factory town and like the CEO,
(09:36):
and one of his regular workers whould live on the
same block and their kids would marry. And now that's
like furthest from the truth. The CEOs. You know, kids
are going off to Princeton and they're marrying other people
from Princeton. That's not true. There were, and they're driving
different cars, they're living in different neighborhoods. And the hyperpolarization
in terms of income where these people don't even interact
(09:58):
with each other, you know what I mean. More and
how it's you know, pulling the country apart.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I would love that book. Yeah, see how this works everybody.
So I know everybody has a favorite book or two.
Shoot him to us. We'll talk about them the next
time we do this. You know, these two books that
I've done are fiction. My next two books i'll talk
(10:23):
about on the next time we do this will be nonfiction.
And one of them is something one of them I
read recently. And the guys like Nostrodamus because what he
said five years ago when he wrote the book about
globalization is actually happening as we speak, and it's really interesting.
(10:46):
But we'll talk about that one later. What else that's
a goodbye so shot talk Number sixty one read to
Kill a Mockingbird. A Confederate Confederacy addounces read coming apart.
There you go and send us what you think are
your books, and we'll start playing with book titles every
(11:07):
once in a while. If you like this episode, rate
review it, Email me anytime at Bill at Normalfolks dot us.
If you have any ideas for shop Talk, subscribe to
the podcast.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
What else, rate and review us, become a prince and
reviewers you're being redund I'm just getting confused.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Okay, what else? Anything else? That's it? All right, chop
Talk number sixty one. That's our favorite books. What are yours?
We'll see you next week.
Everybody. It's but Courtney, welcome back to the shop. By
the way, how you doing, Alex? Everything all right with
you doing great? Bill? All right? Does anything new? Really?
That's your life? Nothing new? Okay? How about this? Are
you enjoying a new cigar? Old?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Actually, I got a weird cigar smort story from last night.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Tell it to me.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's actually kind of annoying. So I'm at my cigar shop, okay,
and I'm working there and the new manager comes up
to me and says, hey, can you have can we
have this other guy sit in your chair? And if
he's an older guy, like sit in your chair?
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Yeah, I'm like, I got here first.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
I gonna actually see you saying that.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
I actually did say because I was let just go there, vraid.
But this is previously one of the other employees kind
of gave me crap about sitting in this chair because
this other guy prefers sitting in this chair. It's a
both of our preferred chair this shop, and traditionally whoever, yeah,
it's and it's like the best view of everybody else.
It really is kind of the best chair, but it's
always just kind of ben whoever gets their first gets
(01:14):
it and the other person's a sucker, so it's like
that's just the right. But then they approached me yesterday
and asked me if i'll move into another chair. And
so the guy's uh seventies, so I get he's older.
We maybe give them a little respect, but still, I mean,
this guy still moves just fine, like it's not like
he's a you know. But anyway, so the like whatever,
and he tries to sweeten the deal by giving me
(01:37):
a free drink and a free cigar, so I still
at least got that, but it still kind of pisses
me off because like, now I can never sit in
that chair.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
So you've lost your chair, I've lost bringing a new one,
bring in your own chair.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
It's more the spot. Yeah, you know, boy, these are
really these are yeah, these are first world.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
These are first world issues when you don't have the
preferred chair and your cigar lounge.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
Well the reason I sit there though, too, is I'm
still working like sixty seventy hours a week on the army,
So it's like that's why I'm there working at night.
This isn't like fun Alex having a grand old time,
Like the cigars helped me keep working I mean, do's
a little to do what I was doing for four
hours there last night.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I mean, well, at least you're putting in your time.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Okay, so hurting my own health to help the army.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Shop Talk number sixty one is about my favorite books,
and we'll hear it right after these brief messages from
our general sponsors. Now, why in the world on chopp
(02:45):
Talk are we talking about this? Well, here's why, because
I think reading is really important, and I think in
this age of cell phones and stuff, we're getting away
from reading. And so every once in a while, we're
going to talk about some of my favorite books. And
I want you to email me what your favorite books are.
(03:06):
We're not going to start a book club, but we
are going to have a shop talk slash army and
normal folks. Let's share good book ideas with everybody and
we'll just post them.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
How about that and why would have meant to you?
Reflections on it? Don't just say where your favorite book is,
like go deep.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Well, obviously, yeah, what's your book? And why and everything else?
And my book is called Against the Grain. It's available
wherever you get books, and you're welcome to buy my
book and read it, and it may be become one
of your favorites. Against the Grain by Bill Courtney.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
You can usually you hate promoting your own stuff, though.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
I almost never promote my stuff. But we're talking about books.
But my book is actually pretty good. And the forward
was written by Phil Jackson.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Which is pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
That is pretty cool. All right. So that's that's my book.
But here's I'm going to give you two of my
favorite books this time, and we'll touch base on it.
I'm dead serious. Write me so I can read some
book books. One, A Confederacy of Dunces.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
Wrong answer, It should have been the Bible.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
Oh my god, keep going, Okay, see it's a complete setup,
all right. Number one the Bible. Number two? Do I
need to review the Bible for you? Or can we
just move on? I thought, I think it's been very
well reviewed. So number two, A Confederacy of Dunces. Why
it's hilarious. Two the way that it was actually brought
(04:30):
to publication. The story itself is phenomenal because the author
had committed suicide and been gone for many, many years
when his mother found the manuscript in a trunk and
read it and thought it was amazing and got it published.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Really.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yes, it has been optioned for a movie three or
four different times, and I wish to goodness they would
make a movie out of it because it would be hilarious.
But it's about it's a fictional story. But some think
it's kind of half fictional because some thinks that the protagonist,
Ignatius p Riley, is built into who the author was.
(05:13):
But it's about a guy who lives in New Orleans,
who is a corpulent, slovenly kind of fiasco, who thinks
he is far superior in intellect and political understanding than
(05:33):
anybody around him, who has failed job after failed job
after fail job, a socialist girlfriend, and frequents a brothel.
And it's just his comings and goings and interactions with
his mother's girlfriend and the people in New Orleans. And
(05:55):
it is hysterical. So you need to write. And there
is tons of social commentary weaved into the story.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Is there anything redeeming in this book? Or is it
just a joy ride?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
It's hilarious and it's uh, it's uh uh, I just
just read it.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
It's a cautionary tale.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
It is a cautionary tale a little, but it is
also threw his eyes. Uh, it's an interesting commentary on society.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Speaking of confederacy of Dunces. You use that line in
the that clip we featured on Instagram, okay about Max
and his cargetting stolen Yes, and the Confederacy of duns
has involved.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
It was a confederacy Dunces.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So for those who don't follows on Instagram, that's a
shameless plot. Go because watch this clip because it is
so funny.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
Well, it really was. It was. It's so funny. I
haven't even seen it, but it is it really I
wasn't you know. Using the compederacy Dunce as the title
of the book, I think that is an interesting I mean,
how many times have you run into what you think
is a confederacy of Dunces operating in some place? It's
(07:08):
just yeah. So that's a second book, and it is
absolutely a book I might have read ten times, and
I know way too much about it because I've read
it over and over again. It is nothing. I mean,
everybody's going to know it. But To Kill a Mockingbird
to me is such an important book. And I use
(07:31):
the word to merity often because Atticus Finch, when defending
in his defense in the courtroom said that the only
sin of the defendant was having the temerity to feel
sorry for a white woman. And I just remember reading
(07:57):
that and getting chills that there that there could be
a social construct where having empathy could actually be a
negative thing. Harperly is often thought to be Scout Scout
(08:21):
in the book, or at least to have grown up
in a social setting like what Scout did. And there
are so many tales that that are woven to understand
(08:44):
that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, and
to kill a mockingbird stands for the degradation of so
many different thoughts, people, races, and creeds, and I just
think it's uh. I think it's just one of the
(09:06):
best best books ever written because of the story it
tells inside the story. So there you go, now gave
me one of yours.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
An interesting one that you probably haven't read is Coming Apart,
which is why this book for you. So Charles Murray
wrote this, and it talks about how the society is
coming apart. But one of the interesting examples that I
often cite with people is he talks about growing up
in Iowa in this like factory town and like the CEO,
(09:36):
and one of his regular workers whould live on the
same block and their kids would marry. And now that's
like furthest from the truth. The CEOs. You know, kids
are going off to Princeton and they're marrying other people
from Princeton. That's not true. There were, and they're driving
different cars, they're living in different neighborhoods. And the hyperpolarization
in terms of income where these people don't even interact
(09:58):
with each other, you know what I mean. More and
how it's you know, pulling the country apart.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
I would love that book. Yeah, see how this works everybody.
So I know everybody has a favorite book or two.
Shoot him to us. We'll talk about them the next
time we do this. You know, these two books that
I've done are fiction. My next two books i'll talk
(10:23):
about on the next time we do this will be nonfiction.
And one of them is something one of them I
read recently. And the guys like Nostrodamus because what he
said five years ago when he wrote the book about
globalization is actually happening as we speak, and it's really interesting.
(10:46):
But we'll talk about that one later. What else that's
a goodbye so shot talk Number sixty one read to
Kill a Mockingbird. A Confederate Confederacy addounces read coming apart.
There you go and send us what you think are
your books, and we'll start playing with book titles every
(11:07):
once in a while. If you like this episode, rate
review it, Email me anytime at Bill at Normalfolks dot us.
If you have any ideas for shop Talk, subscribe to
the podcast.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
What else, rate and review us, become a prince and
reviewers you're being redund I'm just getting confused.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Okay, what else? Anything else? That's it? All right, chop
Talk number sixty one. That's our favorite books. What are yours?
We'll see you next week.
Host
Bill Courtney
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