D Magazine's Earburner

Alex is the guy behind D Magazine’s new daily newsletter, LeadingOff. We had him on the podcast to promote that, a conversation that led us to his deep-seated animosity toward Axios and all who work for it. But then we started talking about what scares Alex, and things got — REAL. Who knew that Tim and Zac both have their own (very valid) reasons for fearing rats? And garbage disposals!

D Magazine’s new sports editor explains what the heck a "sports vertical" is and why StrongSide is going to be the best version of such a thing that Dallas has ever seen. Also, he performs a Cowboys-related feat that will blow your mind. And collegiate meat judging. We get into some of that, too.

Rejoice, cinephiles! The Oak Cliff Film Festival makes its triumphant return June 24 – 27. Barak is one of the organizers. He stopped by to break down some of the 23 feature-length films on the program. We also discussed some exciting news about the Texas Theatre and why Barak's home theater setup is trash. If you would, hop into Apple's podcast app and write a short review of EarBurner. We'll be your best friend. Thank you. 

The new top cop in Dallas just announced how he'll get after the bad guys in this town. Matt and Zac fired fastball questions at him on that topic and others, including his taste in hip-hop and his allegiance to the Cowboys (he was a fan before he even learned to speak English). 

The mayor of Dallas is an interesting fellow. He hoisted himself out of poverty, went on to earn Ivy League degrees, and got elected, it seems, without really trying all that hard. Two years into his first term, he is involving himself in City Council elections, undermining incumbents who've butted heads with him. So what exactly is at work here? D Magazine’s Peter Simek went looking for answers, even as the mayor declined to provide any.

Our staff photographer, Elizabeth Lavin, talks about her work for the August issue of D Magazine. She donned PPE to go inside UTSW's Clements hospital to document what doctors and nurses are doing to save lives in Dallas. 

Jim worked at the Dallas Observer for 24 years. Now he works for us. How long will this arrangement last? God only knows. But for the time being, the most revered and reviled city columnist in Dallas will do his best for your favorite city magazine. Here's what he has to say about that transition, whether the police chief should be fired, how Backpage.com took over the Observer, and everything else that you should care about. Listen up. 

The former mayor of Dallas invited us into his backyard to talk about sheltering in place; the people he'd pick to marry, eff, and kill; how he worked with County Judge Clay Jenkins through the Ebola crisis and the lessons from that experience that our current mayor might want to heed; and which sports arena in the land is the most hostile to visiting teams. Plus there was gin. So much gin that even a dog drank some. Fourteen stars.

Mike is a beloved radio legend and not a young man, so to avoid killing him, we recorded this podcast in a park within eyesight of the friendly Mercantile Tower and not too far from his downtown Dallas apartment. We stood 6 feet apart and controlled our sneezes. The studies so far have been inconclusive about whether the virus can be spread via flatulence, so that was fair game.

The councilwoman from District 9 now co-chairs a task force to help the city recover from the economic fallout of the virus. To make sure we followed all city rules and kept each other safe, we recorded this podcast in the parking lot in front of Lakewood Growler, with our cars forming a protective circle around us. It got personal. And that's a good thing.

What is a CIA spy who hunts terrorists supposed to look like? Well, maybe she's supposed to look just like Tracy. Straight out of school at USC, she went to work for the agency. Then she worked for the FBI. THEN she became a teacher at Hockaday, an elite Dallas private school for girls. If you think that's enough to write a book about, you're right. Special note: this podcast ended in a way that no other EarBurner episode has ever ended. Hopefully it will never happen again. Listen!

This episode ran a bit long. You know why? Because Dave is a dang funny dude who has a lot of good stories. You'll learn the following: why he hates the Astros, how he once got traded for a blind guy, what he thinks of the Rangers' new ballpark, what happened to Cookie Talk, where he likes to party in Flower Mound, and so much more! Like, for example, he answers a hypothetical that involves baseball, knee surgery, the World Series, and oxycodone. Make the time. Have a listen.

Rosin is D Magazine’s new online dining editor, in charge of our SideDish blog. She comes to us from Seattle, where, apparently, she learned to hate enchiladas and flip-flops. This podcast is shocking. Don't listen to it with small children around.

The novelist and travel writer started a quarterly author's panel series in Dallas because she was starved for LitTalk. Also, she was a star high school basketball player and had a surprising answer when Tim asked her who would win in a game of one-on-one. Note: there is swearing in this episode, both in English and Spanish. Ear muffs on! Twelve stars!

The president of the Dallas Police Association stopped by the Old Monk to talk about how much he enjoys his gig, whether Police Chief Renee Hall needs the boot, and what the hell is happening in Dallas to cause violent crimes to spike. Also, we learn that Zac obviously knows what an 8 ball of cocaine looks like. Seventeen stars.

The Dallas Morning News’ architecture critic has some strong words for the designers employed by the Mavericks. He also doesn't much care for the Klyde Warren Park expansion plans. And, if you can believe it, he has never seen the ’80s classic movie Highlander. This one is definitely 4.56 stars.

Evelyn is a grad student at UTA's architecture school. She also works for Legal Aid of Northwest Texas as an environmental activist and community organizer. After the illegal dump known as Shingle Mountain made headlines, Evelyn undertook a first-of-its-kind land use and zoning study of southern Dallas. The resulting "toolkit," as it's called, can help elected officials and city staff clean up a long-neglected part of Dallas. In this episode, we talk about all that AND Evelyn's brief roller derby career.

Cora has a new book out, "Ferocious Warrior." Where'd she get the sword she posed with for the cover photo? What are the dangers of using fat cream? How'd she make money as a kid growing up in the megachurch Potter's House? And, most important, who is her favorite Braxton sister? This one is worth at least eight stars.

Abtahi explains why he REALLY stepped down from his post and what his next political move is. Oh, also, he reveals what is the most expensive portable item in his house.

Not only do we have the Griggs-Johnson battle, but there's Moore and Blackmon, Young and Bazaldua, Kingston and Blewett, and Arnold and Blair. That right there is five runoffs. Celeste, the Nate Silver of Dallas politics, reveals his picks just days before the day that is the big day.