Skip to main content

Renegades: Born in the USA

In this episode - Renegades . . .

You may have guessed by now that I’m a podcast listener. Long ago I discovered that my preferred learning style is listening. Like many bloggers, producing podcasts is my attempt to find my voice.

However, I’ve discovered to delivering a weekly Podcast takes dedication, determination, patience, and inspiration . . . And you never know where that inspiration may come from.

Many of you may or may not know that this Podcast is hosted on Spotify. As a Spotify free subscriber recently we discovered a new original podcast series -  Renegades: Born in the USA.

Former President Barack Obama and celebrated rock musician Bruce Springsteen have launched this podcast exclusively on Spotify.

It’s a series of conversations between the former president and rock star, about their lives growing up, music influences, and enduring love of America - despite its challenges.

Renegades aired on Feb. 22, 2021 - according to an article posted on CNBC news, “it will span eight episodes.”

Spotify said the pair, who first met in 2008, will discuss in addition; race, fatherhood, marriage, and the future of America.

Obama said this in the first episode, “On the surface, Bruce and I don’t have a lot in common. But over the years, what we’ve found is that we’ve got a shared sensibility. About work, about family, and about America.”

“In our own ways, Bruce and I have been on parallel journeys trying to understand this country that’s given us both so much. Trying to chronicle the stories of its people. Looking for a way to connect our own individual searches for meaning and truth and community with the larger story of America.”

“What we discovered is we share a fundamental belief in the American ideal. And why we both felt like outsiders as kids.”

This production inspires me to do more on this podcast - possibly guest interviews. Is that something you would like to see?

Huh, maybe, in our own way, we are all Renegades? If you're so inclined check it out. How you ask?

The easiest way to listen is to download the Spotify app to your phone and subscribe, remember it's free. Or simply ask your smart device, “Hey Google play the podcast Renegades: Born in the USA on Spotify.”

As a Podcast listener, if you come across any compelling Podcasts let me know, email pball@sbcglobal.net.

Won’t you be my "virtual" neighbor? If you enjoy our weekly visits, please share them with a friend.

This is Patrick Ball, thanks so much for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

Anonymous said…
c6-5

Most Popular of All Time

The Compass of Cuba: Mom

🎄  Preview of this week's  On the Fly  blog: A Holiday Tribute to Mom. As the holidays hustle with pixels and beeps, the world scrolls along in a smartphone-y sleep. I log off for a moment—just one little minute— To breathe in the past and to sit myself in it. My mind doesn’t wander to faraway places, Or trips full of tickets and new airport faces. Instead, it drifts backward, as memories do, to Cuba, Illinois, where the best moments grew. To a home full of warmth, in the wintry Midwest, Where my mother—dear “Marcie”—put love to the test. With a smile that could melt the most frigid of dawns, and hugs that hung on you like shivering fawns. She came from La Rochelle in France, brave and bright, Across oceans and war shadows, into new light. A town full of strangers soon felt like her own, And her courage built up the foundation of home. “Oh yes, we know Marcie!” the locals would say— “It's Doc Ball’s French lady! She brightens the day!” She cleaned, and she cooked, and sh...

Feeling Human Again

In this episode, The Unexpected Thankfulness of Feeling Human Again I’ll be honest with you: My triumphant return from France was not the glamorous homecoming I had imagined. No graceful glide back into routine. No cinematic jet-setter moment where I lift my suitcase off the carousel and wink at life like we’re old pals. Instead? I came home and immediately launched into a two-week performance piece titled The Great American Couch Collapse. My days blurred together in a haze of soup, hot tea, tissues, and desperate negotiations with the universe for just one nostril—one!—to function properly. The living room sofa became my emotional support furniture. And any creative idea that dared tiptoe into my congested brain was gently shown the exit with a firm but courteous, “Not today, friend. Try again later.” When life hits the pause button like that—when you’re exhausted, sick, and mentally unplugged—how do you find your spark again? Somehow, today, I felt it. A tiny shift. A clearing of th...

A Holiday Reflection–Mother's Love

In this episode,  How a Mother’s Love Built My Memories– A Holiday Reflection As this holiday season approaches and the world buzzes with shopping, planning, and busy schedules, I find myself embracing something wonderfully simple: taking a moment to pause. Not to check off a list or recharge devices, but to breathe deeply, remember fondly, and honor the person and place that have shaped my sense of home long before I had the words for it. This year, after regaining my strength from a lingering post-travel fog, my mind didn’t wander to exotic destinations or future adventures. It drifted backward—across oceans and time—to Cuba, Illinois, in the early 1960s, and to the woman whose love built the foundation of my world: Mauricette Elaine (Bontemps) Ball. My Mom . We came to Cuba after leaving La Rochelle, France, in 1959—a transition so dramatic I only appreciate its enormity now. My mother, barely in her mid-twenties, stepped off that plane and into the Midwest with a courage that s...

Patience: the Only First-Class Ticket

In this episode, Patience: the Only First-Class Ticket They say travel broadens the mind. After eight days sailing the Rhône with 140 fellow luxury vacationers, I can confirm it also tests patience , calf strength, buffet strategy, and one's tolerance for people furious that France insists on being French. Don't get me wrong—I adored this trip. The river shimmered like liquid optimism. The villages looked hand-painted. The pastries could negotiate world peace. But somewhere between Ship Horn Hello and Bon Voyage, we'd inadvertently boarded a floating behavioral research study disguised as a holiday. Our ship was less a cruise and more a ferry for the Sailors of Status. Some passengers approached relaxation like yogis. Others treated leisure like a final exam with extra credit. I came to believe certain luxury watches emit ultrasonic signals that only their owners can detect. A frequency calibrated to trigger rapid movement toward any line forming for any reason. I saw more ...