George Franklin takes us into the hallways of Washington in his new book

Let’s face it: politics is pretty nuts. And who better to capture that wild, sometimes insane nature than George Franklin, a longtime lobbyist in Washington, D.C., Congressional candidate, and author. In his new book, “A Feeding Frenzy in Washington,” this former Fortune 500 corporate executive and Capitol Hill staffer pokes fun at DC and the politicians who comprise the circus we call Congress.

But don’t let the characters fool you—this is entirely a work of fiction. No, really, it is.

In this episode, Curtis and I talk with George about what went into writing this book, his fourth to date. He talks about the characters and some real-life inspiration that worked its way into their creation.

George has worked in Washington longer than some of us have been alive, and shares some of the people that he’s met that resonated with him. He defines just what a lobbyist is (surprisingly, the movies and shows have it wrong!) and the work he did over the years.

Of course, this interview wouldn’t be complete without asking George the all-important question. When it comes to democracy in 2023, are we going to be OK?

Beasty talks dance styles and being part of Red Bull Dance Your Style

I'm probably the least qualified person I know to talk dance—fortunately, my next guest, New York native Tomoe ”Beasty” Carr is an expert on the subject. Recently, Beasty was crowned winner of the Red Bull Dance Your Style qualifier in Boston and will head to the U.S. Red Bull Dance Your Style National Finals taking place in Washington, D.C from Oct. 22-23.

For this episode, Beasty talks all about the world of battling in the dance world and some of the competitions she's taken part in. We also look at her background and building a career in dance, which includes training in Japan at Next Generation Dance Studio under the tutelage of Cebo for 10 years. She is well versed in hip hop, house, waacking, locking, popping, breaking, and ballet & modern.

Taking the stage in Boston

In this episode, Washington D.C.-based Grammy-nominated songwriter Carolyn Malachi joins me to talk about her upcoming show in Boston as part of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum's Thursdays LIVE series. We also look at her forthcoming album, her work as an education advocate, and work with the GRITS & GARRI podcast.

Following this, enjoy her song, “Beautiful Dreamer.”