July 29, 2025 • 8 mins
Bassist Bob Crawford delights everyone as a member of the beloved Avett Brothers - but he's also an excellent interviewer and podcaster. His latest is AMERICAN HISTORY HOTLINE. Bob called Bret to talk Red Rocks and seeking the truth behind American myths.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi, world, it's the Brett Sonders Podcast time. My guest
this week is Bob Crawford. You know him as basis
for the acclaimed band The Avid Brothers, but he's also
an excellent interviewer and podcaster. His new podcast is American
History Hotline. Bob Crawford's on the Brett Sanders Podcast. How
are you, Bob Good?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
How are you good? As secret you today?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Tell me about the experience of Red Rocks this year.
You know, people, they're just insane for the Avid Brothers
at Red Rocks, it's definitely one of the top five
things you have to do in Colorado every year.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Oh it is. I tell people, they say, where's the
best venue in the world. Red Rocks is, without a doubt,
hands down. And I tell them it doesn't matter who
you go see, right, go see anybody. Go see your
least favorite band at Red Rocks, and you'll probably come
away feeling differently about them because the venue is a
(00:56):
member of the band. It's the venue is like, we're
gonna hang banners at Red Rocks. Now, you're gonna hate
banners at red Rocks because the venue is the Becks
is the is the stage show, Right, I mean they
ever present. The rocks are ever present. I always heard
a story of Van Morrison playing Red Rocks and walking
off stage in a huff saying, I'll never do that again.
(01:18):
Those rocks are so intimidating.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
My understanding is by the way, because we're going to
talk a little bit about myths here, that was not
a myth. He really did say that.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
I heard this, and maybe you can confirm this for me.
The nineteen sixty four Beatles tour, the only venue they
didn't sell out was Red Rocks.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Absolutely correct, Bob Crawford, Yes, all right. This podcast is
the American History Hotline, and you do clear up myths
about American history. Why is that important? I think it's important.
But you tell me why you think so.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Bob, Well, I think understanding our history will make us
better citizens. And it doesn't mean we're gonna vote a
certain way. There's no agenda behind it. Look, good things
have happened in this nation. Terrible things have happened in
this nation. We've had good leaders, we've had bad leaders.
But we need to hold it all together right in ourselves. Like, Look,
(02:14):
I've gone to therapy. You know what the therapist tells you.
I can boil years of decades of therapy down to
one one technique when you have to sit with your feelings. Basically,
sit with your feelings, be with that uncomfortable feeling. And
so with our history, we need to be with the
uncomfortable stuff. Don't cancel, don't elevate, put it all together
(02:38):
and just let's be with it and just that's what
it is. What it is, So American History Hotline, if
you have a question about history, I want you to
send it to me American Historyhotline at gmail dot com,
record it on your voice memo on your phone, Email
it American Historyhotline at gmail dot com, and we will
(02:58):
get an expert and we will get the answer. And
because you asked your and you will be on our episode.
We will have you asking your question, we will answer
your question, and at the end of thirty minutes, we
will all be smarter and all be better for your question.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I like the idea of sitting with your feelings. If
we all did that, America would be a very different place.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
And it's hard and the reason why we we why,
the reason why it's so hard to do is because
it's hard to do. Like we we are trained to
take action, right, We're trained to take action always, and
we can't correct something that happened hundreds of years ago
by by just not talking about it, like that's not
(03:43):
going to fix it. We can do better. This is
what this is what our our our ancestors did. Maybe
our grandparents, maybe our great great grandparents did horrible things.
Maybe we know that, right, but that's not us. That's
not us. And we have the benefit of all the
time that's passed since, and we can just do better.
(04:05):
We just do better. Ken Burns I saw him a
couple of weeks ago. He came to Raleigh to preview
his big American Revolution series that is coming out in
November of this year, and he said, you know, Ecclesiastes
in the Bible, nothing new under the sun. It's an Ecclesiastes,
He said. Ecclesiastes is right there, there's nothing new under
(04:29):
the sun. However, there was one time when when that
was not true. That was July fourth, seventeen seventy six.
We became a nation. We went from being human beings,
went from being subjects to being citizens, right to having
a say. All the upheople we see today and more
(04:52):
than ever, is a result of people having a say,
right with social media and blogging and Facebook and and Instagram
and X and it's like people, we all have a say,
and that's making things very chaotic, right And and you know,
we're gonna we're gonna figure this out, but it's gonna
take some time, and it's it's probably gonna hurt a
(05:13):
little bit.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I'm glad that we didn't have X back in seventeen
seventy six, Bob, we wouldn't have.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Got to seventies seventeen seventy seven.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
There are little things too that are always entertaining. Like
people say that George Washington had wooden teeth, sure or false.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
According to alexis Co on the episode that aired last
week on American History Hotline, that is false, right, that
is false. He had the teeth of enslaved persons and
he paid for them. He literally bought them because he
had the money to do it. And how they came out,
and if whether those people were willing. They may have
(05:49):
people that are that don't have money, they're desperate. They
sell what other people sell their blood plasma these days.
So I mean people sold their teeth well, and that's
where those teeth came.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
From I'm thinking, implants are looking much better to me
now than they were a minute ago.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Right, And so look, Washington's the perfect example. That is,
it's horrifying, right to know that about Washington. Washington had
an enslaved woman who escaped. He used the power of
his office to try to get it back. He literally
obstructed the future the Fugitive Slave Act of his that
he signed in the law. He tried to obstruct it
(06:29):
to get back an enslaved person. That's terrible. Yes, Washington
also gave up power after two terms as president. No
one had ever given up power willingly before in the
history of not only this nation but other nations. People
don't lay down like all all encompassing power over a nation.
(06:53):
Washington was not. Power was a burden to him, and
so he set the precedent that you are not a
president for life. You have terms. He set two terms
after dr tried to change that, you know, and then
we realized that two terms is probably good. And so
so there's every time there was a crisis, a national
(07:14):
crisis in these these are the years of the nation's infancy. Right.
The nation could not have survived but for Washington, because
every time there was a crisis before he was president,
during his he was president, and even after his presidency,
Washington was the unifying force that brought everyone back together.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
In spite of the fact that he had those those.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Teeth, those teeth, that's right, it's teeth, all.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Right, Bob Crawford, It's the American History Hotline. Is an
excellent podcast. In all honesty, it's a podcast we need
right now. So thank you for doing it.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
And thank you for saying that.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
It's always nice to talk with you, and I'll talk
with you again soon.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Thanks Bob, my best to you, take care.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
And my best to you. Thanks for listening, See you
next time.
Hi, world, it's the Brett Sonders Podcast time. My guest
this week is Bob Crawford. You know him as basis
for the acclaimed band The Avid Brothers, but he's also
an excellent interviewer and podcaster. His new podcast is American
History Hotline. Bob Crawford's on the Brett Sanders Podcast. How
are you, Bob Good?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
How are you good? As secret you today?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Tell me about the experience of Red Rocks this year.
You know, people, they're just insane for the Avid Brothers
at Red Rocks, it's definitely one of the top five
things you have to do in Colorado every year.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Oh it is. I tell people, they say, where's the
best venue in the world. Red Rocks is, without a doubt,
hands down. And I tell them it doesn't matter who
you go see, right, go see anybody. Go see your
least favorite band at Red Rocks, and you'll probably come
away feeling differently about them because the venue is a
(00:56):
member of the band. It's the venue is like, we're
gonna hang banners at Red Rocks. Now, you're gonna hate
banners at red Rocks because the venue is the Becks
is the is the stage show, Right, I mean they
ever present. The rocks are ever present. I always heard
a story of Van Morrison playing Red Rocks and walking
off stage in a huff saying, I'll never do that again.
(01:18):
Those rocks are so intimidating.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
My understanding is by the way, because we're going to
talk a little bit about myths here, that was not
a myth. He really did say that.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
I heard this, and maybe you can confirm this for me.
The nineteen sixty four Beatles tour, the only venue they
didn't sell out was Red Rocks.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
Absolutely correct, Bob Crawford, Yes, all right. This podcast is
the American History Hotline, and you do clear up myths
about American history. Why is that important? I think it's important.
But you tell me why you think so.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Bob, Well, I think understanding our history will make us
better citizens. And it doesn't mean we're gonna vote a
certain way. There's no agenda behind it. Look, good things
have happened in this nation. Terrible things have happened in
this nation. We've had good leaders, we've had bad leaders.
But we need to hold it all together right in ourselves. Like, Look,
(02:14):
I've gone to therapy. You know what the therapist tells you.
I can boil years of decades of therapy down to
one one technique when you have to sit with your feelings. Basically,
sit with your feelings, be with that uncomfortable feeling. And
so with our history, we need to be with the
uncomfortable stuff. Don't cancel, don't elevate, put it all together
(02:38):
and just let's be with it and just that's what
it is. What it is, So American History Hotline, if
you have a question about history, I want you to
send it to me American Historyhotline at gmail dot com,
record it on your voice memo on your phone, Email
it American Historyhotline at gmail dot com, and we will
(02:58):
get an expert and we will get the answer. And
because you asked your and you will be on our episode.
We will have you asking your question, we will answer
your question, and at the end of thirty minutes, we
will all be smarter and all be better for your question.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
I like the idea of sitting with your feelings. If
we all did that, America would be a very different place.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
And it's hard and the reason why we we why,
the reason why it's so hard to do is because
it's hard to do. Like we we are trained to
take action, right, We're trained to take action always, and
we can't correct something that happened hundreds of years ago
by by just not talking about it, like that's not
(03:43):
going to fix it. We can do better. This is
what this is what our our our ancestors did. Maybe
our grandparents, maybe our great great grandparents did horrible things.
Maybe we know that, right, but that's not us. That's
not us. And we have the benefit of all the
time that's passed since, and we can just do better.
(04:05):
We just do better. Ken Burns I saw him a
couple of weeks ago. He came to Raleigh to preview
his big American Revolution series that is coming out in
November of this year, and he said, you know, Ecclesiastes
in the Bible, nothing new under the sun. It's an Ecclesiastes,
He said. Ecclesiastes is right there, there's nothing new under
(04:29):
the sun. However, there was one time when when that
was not true. That was July fourth, seventeen seventy six.
We became a nation. We went from being human beings,
went from being subjects to being citizens, right to having
a say. All the upheople we see today and more
(04:52):
than ever, is a result of people having a say,
right with social media and blogging and Facebook and and Instagram
and X and it's like people, we all have a say,
and that's making things very chaotic, right And and you know,
we're gonna we're gonna figure this out, but it's gonna
take some time, and it's it's probably gonna hurt a
(05:13):
little bit.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I'm glad that we didn't have X back in seventeen
seventy six, Bob, we wouldn't have.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Got to seventies seventeen seventy seven.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
There are little things too that are always entertaining. Like
people say that George Washington had wooden teeth, sure or false.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
According to alexis Co on the episode that aired last
week on American History Hotline, that is false, right, that
is false. He had the teeth of enslaved persons and
he paid for them. He literally bought them because he
had the money to do it. And how they came out,
and if whether those people were willing. They may have
(05:49):
people that are that don't have money, they're desperate. They
sell what other people sell their blood plasma these days.
So I mean people sold their teeth well, and that's
where those teeth came.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
From I'm thinking, implants are looking much better to me
now than they were a minute ago.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Right, And so look, Washington's the perfect example. That is,
it's horrifying, right to know that about Washington. Washington had
an enslaved woman who escaped. He used the power of
his office to try to get it back. He literally
obstructed the future the Fugitive Slave Act of his that
he signed in the law. He tried to obstruct it
(06:29):
to get back an enslaved person. That's terrible. Yes, Washington
also gave up power after two terms as president. No
one had ever given up power willingly before in the
history of not only this nation but other nations. People
don't lay down like all all encompassing power over a nation.
(06:53):
Washington was not. Power was a burden to him, and
so he set the precedent that you are not a
president for life. You have terms. He set two terms
after dr tried to change that, you know, and then
we realized that two terms is probably good. And so
so there's every time there was a crisis, a national
(07:14):
crisis in these these are the years of the nation's infancy. Right.
The nation could not have survived but for Washington, because
every time there was a crisis before he was president,
during his he was president, and even after his presidency,
Washington was the unifying force that brought everyone back together.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
In spite of the fact that he had those those.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Teeth, those teeth, that's right, it's teeth, all.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
Right, Bob Crawford, It's the American History Hotline. Is an
excellent podcast. In all honesty, it's a podcast we need
right now. So thank you for doing it.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
And thank you for saying that.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
It's always nice to talk with you, and I'll talk
with you again soon.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Thanks Bob, my best to you, take care.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
And my best to you. Thanks for listening, See you
next time.
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