Pete Brown Says

Pete Brown Says

Pretty good stories. Told by Pete. This podcast features creative nonfiction audio stories written by Pete Brown. They're pretty good stories, solidly GenX, works of memoir steeped in nostalgia. From a suburban Cleveland childhood in the 1970s and 80s up through today's modern parenting dilemmas, these stories are funny, poignant and a great listen.

Episodes

Episode 29: Hey! Cut-off Man!

June 19, 2020 • 44 mins
A collection of vignettes written while sitting with my Dad over his last few months. Happy Father's Day, everyone.
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A knit cap with a ball on top

January 2, 2020 • 23 mins
A years-long ebay quest for a specific cap has me wondering why we hang on to negative stories. Plus, a mini-history of the long defunct Cleveland Barons and the kind of shit that went down on school buses in the 1970s and 80s. Ebay Auction Listing (now expired): https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-1970s-NHL-Cleveland-Barons-Winter-Knit-Hat-Hockey/323966571446 Music and SFX Credits - Intro and interstitials by Brian Hake - Additional ...
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Introducing This is Ohio 2020

October 23, 2019 • 8 mins
Hi! I’m Pete. I’m a middle-class father of two who lives in the comfortable ‘burbs of Central Ohio. Most of my life takes place within this suburban bubble, a fact that I’m never more aware of than when a Presidential election rolls around and Ohio is overrun with candidates and pundits all speaking about an electorate that I don't recognize. And I want to change that. This is Ohio 2020 is a both a podcast and a documentary fil...
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S2 Finale: Stinky On You!

October 6, 2019 • 23 mins
Pete welcomes a guest storyteller for the final Season 2 episode...you'll learn how to tell good biker gangs from bad biker gangs, how to gouge a guy's eye out and buy cigarettes at age 10, the greatest Christmas card in history and the secret meaning of the phrase "stinky on you." Plus, Pete shares some insights on Season 2, his plans for Season 3 and a whole new podcast project that's launching soon. Links: Th...
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The Song Remains the Same

September 2, 2019 • 81 mins
Pete goes in search of a song he heard a local band play on a rainy Thursday night in 1993 at a bar called Ruby Tuesday. And, dropping his son off at college for the first time sparks Pete's memories of his first few months away at college in 1989 in all of his be-mulleted, hacky sack playing glory. Plus, an extended rant on the spelling of band names.
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Not Invited to the Party

July 9, 2019 • 71 mins
A Meditation on Posterity...One of Pete's old friends is not invited to a party. Dusting off his investigative reporting skills, Pete traces this back to a pair of a purple socks, a flood and an old chair. This episode heads down to Central Texas, where I drive my editor crazy as a budding sportswriter, take umbrage with a publicity stunt from the local university, learn first-hand how flooding impacts a community, before re...
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Love in an Elevator

May 30, 2019 • 31 mins
In the fall of 1989, new radio DJ Pete inexplicably and uncharacteristically turns against Aerosmith's song "Love in an Elevator." Here's the whole story, and it's as ludicrous as late 80's hair metal lyrics can be. Read the original essay here (https://medium.com/@petebrownsays/love-in-an-elevator-9be1c7734db0?source=friends_link&sk=4af25ae535da089af716d55e4fd9fb6c). Visit ColumbusCalling.co...
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The Big Lie: or, Millennials are killing this episode

May 6, 2019 • 33 mins
Millenial bashing is popular among the grouchy old white guy set, and Pete says it's complete and utter bullshit, laying out the argument that those who are bashing Millenials as the everybody-gets-a-trophy generation are hypocrites at best and unloveable assholes at worst. A Gen-Xer stands up for his Millenial colleagues, even as they stand accused of killing everything from breakfast cereal and divorce to car ownership and wi...
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How to Like It

April 4, 2019 • 38 mins
Pete explores his fears around his son's imminent departure for college, reflecting on teaching, teenagers, oil changes, work ethics, shitty rakes and cheap tacos along the way. Read the original essay here: https://medium.com/@petebrownsays *Music and SFX in this episode includes * "I'm Not Myself" by Delicious (feat. Brian Hake and Kevin Davison) Selections from the website audionautix.com Selections licensed ...
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Timbuktu

March 4, 2019 • 33 mins
We were already full-up on dogs when my wife and kids asked if we could adopt a disabled labrador retriever. When we did, my daughter asked if we could make a movie about him, and over the past ten years, we shot footage and interviews every few months or so. This episode draws from all of that material, and we used it to create a short companion video for this episode: I did not foresee how much our lives would be impacted by Timb...
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Sleeping Late and Speaking French

February 27, 2019 • 62 mins
I revisit some of the dicey decisions I made in my early 20s, and as my son prepares to head off to college, I wonder how I can help him not do the same. Along the way I touch on the burrito buggy, selling plasma, drink-and-drown, quad night at the Junction, French class, spring training, hoodoos at the Grand Canyon, taco eating contests, getting lost,saying cool beans, 8 am classes, Whoppers, Ogre and Mrs. Ogre, the London tube, ...
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Whoomp! There it is!

February 14, 2019 • 23 mins
From the 1978 Chevy El Camino to Popeye's 'roid rage to Barack Obama to Notting Hill: I walk you through a series of phrases that I struggle to understand, ending, inevitably, at Whoomp! There it is! Along the way, an almost-selfie teaches me something weighty about myself. You won't believe what it is. Read the essay on Medium: https://medium.com/@petebrownsays/whoomp-there-it-is-f90ca0389f46 Risk! Live Show, Cin...
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WTH vs. WTF

February 1, 2019 • 36 mins
What's missing between WTH and WTF? The answer involves death metal, the Super Bowl Shuffle and an actual telegram from Western Union. Read the original essay: https://medium.com/@petebrownsays/wth-vs-wtf-5bb19e5097e5 Risk! Live Show, Cincinnati: http://risk-show.com/tour/ Cleveland Scene, "Bad Apples" 2002: https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/bad-apples/Content?oid=1483545 Music and SFX in this episode include...
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The Context Crisis

January 17, 2019 • 40 mins
I explore the connection between social media, my teenagers and my blood pressure. Along the way, I discover what connects J. Alfred Prufock, Snapchat, Instagram, beastiality, cat-eating aliens, blue monkeys, spam and ferrets. Believe it or not, the answer is Bon Jovi. Read the original essay here: https://medium.com/@petebrownsays/the-context-crisis-4846e734d713 Music and SFX in this episode includes "I'm Not Mysefl&#...
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Flippin' the Bird

January 3, 2019 • 30 mins
When was the last time you flipped someone off? Or were on the receiving end of the bird? From Improv class to creative writing workshops to parking lots to bossy drivers and hammer-wielding tweens, I explore my evolving relationship with this most basic form of communication. Read the original essay here: https://medium.com/@petebrownsays/flippin-the-bird-84276282aa3d Episode Photo "126/365 F You (but with a smile)" by...
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S2 Preview: From unholy doggos to the windy coast of Ireland to outlaw dirt track racing

December 21, 2018 • 9 mins
Everything from unholy doggos to the windy coast of Ireland to outlaw dirt track racing...Get a sneak preview of Season 2 in this trailer.
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[Bonus] Stop Hittin' Yourself

December 28, 2017 • 31 mins
As promised, it's a bonus Season One episode! Pete faces his greatest challenge yet: buying a set of tires at Costco. Can he do it, or will it devolve into an absurdist folly? I think you know the answer to that. Plus: Some reflections on Season 1 and a peek at Season 2.
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Cut to the Chase

December 18, 2017 • 30 mins
Did you ever have a ready-to-retire teacher who was pretty much done with the bullshit? In this episode, I tell four quick, funny stories about some weird assignments I was given during seventh and eighth-grade religion class, my equally odd responses to them, and whether they were due to a poorly conceived curriculum, or just because the teacher was wrapping up her career. Read an essay version of this show over on Medium.com (ht...
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Vote for Pedro

December 12, 2017 • 25 mins
This episode features a connect-the-dots of pop culture essay that runs from Napoleon Dynamite to David Puddy to Buckwheat to Brooklyn Nets power forward Luis Scola, to the Superfriends to Chief Wahoo. I step through the logic that connects each of these things to arrive at a relatively unpopular conclusion, at least among the denizens of the 2-1-6. Read an essay version of this show over on Medium.com (https://medium.com/@pet...
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Three Drinks at the Turn

December 3, 2017 • 24 mins
Do you remember your first job? I've been telling a pretty lame joke about golf for years. In this episode, I trace it back to the summer I spent caddying at a country club. In the process, I dig up some strong feelings about hazing, bullies, wealth, learning to curse and standing up to one's father. Read an essay version of today's episode over on Medium (https://medium.com/@petebrownsays). *Music and SFX Credits *...
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