The Play Typer Guy
"The Play Typer Guy” offers an engaging deep dive into politics and pop culture. Your host is Portland, Oregon-based playwright, columnist, and media critic Stephen Robinson. His son describes him as “play typer guy."
Episodes
48 episodes
#48 Taking a Trip Through The Kennedys’ New York with Author Tim English
In this episode, I interviewed author Tim English about his book, The Kennedys' New York: American Royalty in the Greatest City in the World, which I recommend even if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has permanently soured you on the Kennedy fam...
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Episode 48
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23:52
#47 ‘You’re About to Enter Another Dimension’: Celebrating Rod Serling with Writer Joe Dougherty (BONUS Episode)
Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling was born on Christmas Day, 1924. I had the great honor of speaking with Emmy-winning writer, Joseph Dougherty (Thirtysomething, Pretty Little Liars), about his new book, Rod Serling at 100: One Writer's Ack...
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Episode 47
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49:25
#46 How Did Democrats Get In This Mess and How Do We Get Out with Cliston Brown
In this episode, I am joined by previous guest and political analyst Cliston Brown for a post-election debrief to talk about what went wrong and what we need to do to get out of this situation going forward.You will hear:Demo...
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Episode 46
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37:56
#45 Trump’s Latino Vote: Fluke or The Future with Michael Mora
Writer Michael Mora joins me to discuss Donald Trump's historic performance among Latino voters in the 2024 election, which should not have come as a surprise to Democrats and pundits.You will hear:How the party bases are tre...
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Episode 45
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48:06
#44 Mrs. Peel, You're Still Needed: Discussing 'The Avengers' With Author Michael Scott Phillips
The Avengers (no, not those Avengers) remains my favorite TV show, so I'm thrilled to speak with author Michael Scott Phillips to discuss his book, Quite Quite Fantastic! The Avengers for Modern Viewers (The Grande Marque Ed...
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Episode 44
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41:08
#43 Taking a Much-Needed Wine Break with Mallory Smith
This week we are taking a break from natural disasters and political mayhem to have a pleasant conversation with Oregon’s Mallory Smith from Alt Wine Fest.You will hear:How Mallory got into wine thanks to the owner of a wine ...
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Episode 43
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28:00
#42 Tess Rafferty Knows Whodunit! (BONUS Episode)
On this week’s bonus episode, Stephen is joined by actor, writer, and comedian Tess Rafferty. They discuss her wonderful Kat Kelly mystery series and how mysteries can provide a much-needed escape and catharsis during America’s slow creep towar...
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Episode 42
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37:23
#41 AGATHA ALL ALONG Breakdown with Horror Writer Laramie Dean (Halloween Special)
Author and playwright Laramie Dean (Black Forest) joins me for The Play Typer Guy's second annual Halloween special! This time, we're celebrating the witchy women of the Marvel Cinematic Universe! (Spoiler Alerts for Agatha All Along
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Episode 41
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57:13
#40 Senator Shevrin Jones Thinks Florida is in Play
In this week’s episode, Florida state senator Shevrin Jones discusses the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, climate change, and the Democrats’ chances in this year’s elections.You will hear:Policy conversations that need to be h...
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Episode 40
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32:03
#39 Why It’s So Easy to Lie About Rashida Tlaib with Noah Berlatsky
This week, Noah Berlatsky from the Everything Is Horrible newsletter joins me to discuss CNN's misinformation campaign against Rep. Rashida Tlaib.You will hear:How CNN moved the news cycle focus away from Republican ...
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Episode 39
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36:20
#38 How Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman Continues Making History
Democrat Ruwa Romman made history in 2022 as the first known Muslim woman elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. The granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, she’s also the first Palestinian-American elected to any office in the state.&...
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Episode 38
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40:53
#37 Why Democrats Stopped Ridin’ with Biden with Cliston Brown
(Recorded before President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign on July 21)Democrats in tough races this year are asking the incumbent president and presumptive nominee Joe Biden to step aside. This is unprecedented, so poli...
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Episode 37
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52:34
#36 School’s In Session With Sailor St Claire, The Showgirl Scholar!
The showgirl scholar herself, Sailor St. Claire — also known as Stevi Costa, joins me to discuss her work at the Noveltease Theatre in Seattle and the state of theatre during what the government at least considers the post-covid period.Y...
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Episode 36
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39:12
#35 Will We Lose the Republic Because Democrats Couldn’t Bother Watching Fox News with Gabe Garbowit
In the previous episode, I chatted with Gabe Garbowit, former Senate staffer for Democrat Tina Smith, regarding the radicalized Supreme Court and how the party’s leadership has responded in ways not easily understood by the public. In this epis...
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Episode 35
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44:53
#34 Why Dick Durbin Won’t Confront a Radical Supreme Court With Gabe Garbowit
Gabe Garbowit, former Senate staffer for Tina Smith, joins me to help explain why Senate Democrats, especially in leadership, have responded to a radicalized Supreme Court and GOP in ways that don’t make a lot of sense to us common folk.
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Episode 34
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41:07
#33 - Talking Tonys and Theatre with Raven Snook
My friend Raven Snook is a writer, editor, performer, mom and all-around diva (in the positive sense of the word) who’s currently the Editor of Creative Content for TDF and a contributing theater critic for Time Out New York. She joins me to di...
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Episode 33
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1:00:34
#32 Breaking Down DOCTOR WHO’s ‘Dot and Bubble’ with Modupe H. Ayinde
In this episode, Sci-Fi/Fantasy author M.H. Ayinde and I discuss the racial politics at the core of Doctor Who’s “Dot and Bubble.” We also discuss Modupe’s debut novel, A Song of Legends Lost, launching in 2025, how it came to be, and ...
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Episode 32
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47:13
#31 Reclaiming The Constitution From 'Originalism' With Author Madiba Dennie
Lawyer, professor, and all-around whiz Madiba Dennie joins us for a lively discussion about her debut book, "The Originalism Trap, How Extremists Stole The Constitution And How We The People Can Take It Back."Dennie's legal and political...
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Episode 31
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45:12
#30 The Beautiful Life Of Julian Eltinge With Author Andrew Erdman
Friend of the podcast Dr. Andrew Erdman joins us to discuss Beautiful: The Story of Julian Eltinge, America's Greatest Female Impersonator. His book is a compelling read about a major figure on stage and screen who was sadly forgotten ...
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Episode 30
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50:33
#29 “Preachy Females” Are The Future with Tina Duryea
Artist and activist Tina Duryea joins us today to discuss Democratic politics and how "preachy females" will continue to play a key role in the party whether fossils like James Carville like it or not. You Will Hear:<...
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Episode 29
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58:17
#28 Why We Shouldn’t Abandon South Carolina To White Christian Nationalists with Emily Taylor
In this episode, I am joined by Emily Taylor, professor at Presbyterian College and the author of Hot Feminism: Letters from South Carolina. We had a great conversation about reproductive freedom, local politics, and a state we both lo...
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Episode 28
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1:05:50
#27 The Fight for Democracy Begins in Wisconsin with Jamie Lynn Crofts
Voting advocate Jamie Lynn Crofts joins me to discuss some promising developments in Wisconsin — goodbye forever gerrymandered maps! We also explore the outsized role Wisconsin plays in the presidential election and why we’re cautiously o...
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Episode 27
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59:16
#25 From Ronald to Donald: How the Myth of Reagan Became the Cult of Trump with Ed Oswald
In this episode, Ed Oswald and I look at the similarities and differences between the campaigns of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. Both ran on nostalgia with the idea of “making America great again,” both were Democrats for a large part of t...
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Episode 25
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43:54