Season Two of The Ampersand ... In post

Yes, this trailer for season two of The Ampersand is nine months late. But, like the Scotch that inspired Erika and Producer Tim to match the guests to their ideal labels, this one is worth the wait.

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Original music composed by Nelson Walker.

Recorded at Interplay Recording and Multimedia.

Written and produced by Erika Randall and Tim Grassley.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
[TYPEWRITER CLACKING]

NARRATOR (00:03):
A and S.

ERIKA (00:09):
Anders, Tim and I were sitting in my office
reading the best labels.
And it made us think about howour guests just totally belie
labels altogether.
But what if we wereto give them some?
I don't know, want to try?

TIM (00:23):
Let's do it.

ERIKA (00:24):
Let's do it.
June Gruber.
Fermented autumn and muskmelonwith an elastic brine finish.

JUNE GRUBER (00:33):
It's one of these things
you learn early on, that whenwe're in a group and something
happens, especially someone--
maybe they're beingrobbed on the street,
that people, if theydon't have to be involved,
they just turn aneye and walk away,
and that that's what we're toldto understand and believe humans
are about.
And I think thisexperience showed me
that that doesn'thave to be the case.

TIM (00:53):
Emmanuel David and Yumi Roth.

ERIKA (00:55):
Got to get them both.

TIM (00:57):
I am seeing bright spring cherry blossoms and dusty saddle
oil at the nose.

EMMANUEL DAVID: There were moments (01:07):
undefined
of pause in terms of sayingsomething just happened.
So I don't know ifit's a celebration,
but it's that feeling ofbeing in a moment together.

YUMI ROTH (01:21):
Yeah, exactly.
And I think what we also alwaysremember is that neither of us
are doing this alone.
We're always doing it withthat troupe of Filipinos.

ERIKA (01:30):
Next is Mikayla Huffman.
Ooh, a metal forward, likelicking a long, broad sword
with a heady effervescence kindof starlight on the tongue.

MIKAYLA HUFFMAN: That really sparked (01:46):
undefined
in me, I don't want this tohappen to other early career
women.
Because if you lose genderminorities, racial minorities
out of science, you alsolose the discoveries
they would have made.

TIM (01:57):
I like that steel.

ERIKA (01:59):
Yeah, super steely.

TIM (02:01):
Speaking of metal, next up is Mathias Nordvig.

ERIKA (02:05):
What do you got?

TIM (02:07):
Yeah, undertones of Danish peat moss and tobacco and sea
salt.

MATHIAS NORDVIG (02:14):
What you have right from that moment on
is this link between nationalidentity and the Viking age
and Nordic mythologyand all that stuff.
And that then becomes usefulin different groups that have
very distinct political aims.
And this is where you also seeit coming into the alt-right.

ERIKA (02:33):
OK, are you all tasting that one?
All right, next,Bernadette Stewart.
Oh, my gravy,Bernadette Stewart.
A kiss of smoke thatmeanders into honey.

BERNADETTE STEWART (02:49):
I will say--
oh, I have one for you.
I was working with this adultwho blah, blah, blah, blah,
and this was the response fromthe other adult, blah, blah,
blah.
And what do youthink about that?
And they will shake their head.
They don't understandthe conflict.
They don't understandhow small we become.

TIM (03:13):
Next up is Camden Sharkey and caramelized sugar
and espresso-- lots and lotsof espresso, just so flavorful,
so lush.

ERIKA (03:24):
So lush.
Yeah, that's totally Camden.

CAMDEN SHARKEY (03:27):
I think that there's too much identity
politics right now.
There's too much of associatingwith the candidate in yourself
or issues and yourself.
And there needs to be thatseparation of who I am
and who my ideas are.
There are not twooptions ever in life.

ERIKA (03:42):
Rachel Suter.
This one hits the olfactorylike a blue acrylic.

RACHEL SUTER (03:52):
I didn't start off combining science and art.
It was always, when Iwas younger, separate.
And then lastsemester I discovered
that medicalillustration is a career.
And so suddenly thesetwo things that I never
thought that I couldprofessionally combine, I can.
And I'm quite excited.

TIM (04:09):
I have the honor of having Lauren Lewis.
Immediately what comesto mind is cumin.

ERIKA (04:15):
Yes.

TIM (04:16):
But cumin at dusk, so cumin and dusk.
This sounds ridiculous, butlike a lilt of sapling sweat.

LAUREN LEWIS (04:25):
What happened, I think, in reflection,
was I understoodthat food really
meant love from a young age.
And so when I determined that Iwas maybe unlovable, rejected--
and so the reclamationof my self-worth
came through learninghow to feed first others

(04:47):
and then myselfwith healing food.

ERIKA (04:52):
All right, now it's our dear friend Reiland Rabaka.

TIM (04:55):
Who closes out season two.

ERIKA (04:58):
This is a long litany of delicious, peppery, delightful,
with layers of jazzand a clean brass.

REILAND RABAKA: How can you and I (05:13):
undefined
rescue to reclaim ourhumanity together?
Instead of avoiding myAfricanity, the fact that I'm
African American, what happensif we put that front and center
and do it in a way that's notantagonistic to you and I,
to the humanity, the sharedhumanity that we have?
That's what it meansto come out of Texas.

ERIKA (05:34):
Close your eyes.
Take in the anding.
This season deservesto be savored.

[LAUGHTER]

TIM (05:47):
OK.