RAG RADIO / Thorne Dreyer : Musician/Author Bobby Bridger & 'Lost Gonzo' Guitarist John Inmon

Musician and author Bobby Bridger with guitarist John Inmon at the KOOP studios in Austin, Texas, August 23, 2013. Photo by Roger Baker / The Rag Blog.

Rag Radio podcast:
Singer-songwriter and author Bobby Bridger
with 'Lost Gonzo' guitarist John Inmon

Houston-based musician Bobby Bridger, also a chronicler of the old west and American indigenous culture, was joined by signature Austin guitarist John Inman.

By Rag Radio / The Rag Blog / September 3, 2013

Bobby Bridger, singer-songwriter, author, and noted historian of the old west, and virtuoso guitarist John Inman, original member of the Lost Gonzo Band, joined host Thorne Dreyer, Friday, August 23, 2013, in discussion and live performance on Rag Radio.

Rag Radio is a syndicated radio program produced at the studios of KOOP 91.7-FM, a cooperatively-run all-volunteer community radio station in Austin, Texas.

Listen to or download our August 24 interview show with Bobby Bridger and John Inmon here:


Legendary Texas musician Bobby Bridger, who is also a noted historian of the old west and of indigenous American culture, was our guest for the third time on Rag Radio. Virtuoso guitarist and original 'Lost Gonzo' John Inmon joined Bridger on the show. Bridger and Inmon have worked together for over 40 years and are currently co-producing an album which they are developing through Kickstarter. It is Bridger’s first studio album in 12 years.

Houston-based singer-songwriter Bobby Bridger is also an author, playwright, painter, and historian. He has recorded numerous albums and is the author of four books including A Ballad of the West, Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull: Inventing the Wild West, and Where the Tall Grass Grows: Becoming Indigenous and the Mythological Legacy of the American West, and the epic theatrical trilogy, A Ballad of the West. Bobby has appeared on PBS’s Austin City Limits, PBS’s American Experience, and CBS' Good Morning America.

Also listen to our November 18, 2011 and September 3, 2012 Rag Radio shows with Bobby Bridger at the Internet Archive.

From left, Bobby Bridger and John Inmon with Rag Radio's Thorne Dreyer and Tracey Schulz. Photo by Roger Baker / The Rag Blog.

Austin musician John Inmon is considered one of Texas’ signature guitarists. He was an original member of the famed Lost Gonzo Band, founded in 1973, which toured with Jerry Jeff Walker and appeared three times on Austin City Limits. He also toured with Michael Murphey (now known as Michael Martin Murphey) as part of  the Cosmic Cowboy Orchestra. Inmon has also played with Townes van Zandt, Jimmy LaFave, Eliza Gilkyson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, Delbert Mcclinton, Marcia Ball, Omar and the Howlers, and many more.

John Inmon was honored as the 2012 Texas Music Awards Producer of the Year.

Rag Radio is hosted and produced by Rag Blog editor and long-time alternative journalist Thorne Dreyer, a pioneer of the Sixties underground press movement. Tracey Schulz is the show's engineer and co-producer.

Rag Radio has aired since September 2009 on KOOP 91.7-FM, an all-volunteer cooperatively-run community radio station in Austin, Texas. Rag Radio is broadcast live every Friday from 2-3 p.m. (CDT) on KOOP and is rebroadcast on Sundays at 10 a.m. (EDT) on WFTE, 90.3-FM in Mt. Cobb, PA, and 105.7-FM in Scranton, PA. Rag Radio is now also aired and streamed on KPFT-HD3 90.1 -- Pacifica radio in Houston -- on Wednesdays at 1 p.m.

The show is streamed live on the web and, after broadcast, all Rag Radio shows are posted as podcasts at the Internet Archive.

Rag Radio is produced in association with The Rag Blog, a progressive Internet newsmagazine, and the New Journalism Project, a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Rag Radio can be contacted at ragradio@koop.org.

Coming up on Rag Radio:
Friday, September 6, 2013: Award-winning novelist and screenwriter Stephen Harrigan, author of The Gates of the Alamo and Challenger Park.
Friday, September 13, 2013: Populist author and commentator Jim Hightower.
Friday, September 20, 2013: Long-time activist Michael James, founder of Rising Up Angry and Chicago's Heartland Cafe.

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RAG RADIO / Thorne Dreyer : Bobby Bridger on the Lasting Impact of Native American Culture

Singer/songwriter and author Bobby Bridger at the KOOP studios in Austin, March 9, 2012. Photo by Ken McKenzie-Grant / The Rag Blog.
Rag Radio:
Bobby Bridger discusses the lasting impact
of Native American culture on our society

By Rag Radio / The Rag Blog / March 15, 2012

Author, historian, singer/songwriter, playwright, artist, actor, and theatrical producer Bobby Bridger was Thorne Dreyer's guest on Rag Radio, Friday, March 9, 2012, on Austin community radio station KOOP-FM.

You can listen to the show here.

Bobby Bridger Discusses the Lasting Impact of Native American
Culture on Rag Radio with Thorne Dreyer, Friday, March 9, 2012

On the show, Bridger discusses the issues raised in his most recent book, Where the Tall Grass Grows: Becoming Indigenous and the Mythological Legacy of the American West, which "explores the impact of Native American culture on the American psyche... and examines the impact of indigenous American mythology on contemporary identity and the development of modern popular entertainment, particularly the Hollywood film industry."

On the show, Bridger contrasts the roles played by iconic figures like Sitting Bull and John Wayne in depicting Indian culture, and the impact of Lakota holy man Black Elk and his book, "Black Elk Speaks." Ken McKenzie-Grant participated in this interview and the show includes live performance by Bridger.

This is our second Rag Radio interview with Bobby Bridger; the first occurred on Nov. 18, 2011, and you can listen to it here.

Bobby Bridger, who lives in Houston, is also the author of A Ballad of the West, and other books about native American culture and the American West. A descendant of legendary "mountain man" Jim Bridger, Bobby was featured in an entire chapter of Jan Reid's classic book, The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock.

Bridger, who is also a trained sculptor, painter, and art educator, has appeared twice on PBS' Austin City Limits, on PBS’s American Experience, and on Good Morning America and other major national media. He is the composer of the anthem of the Kerrville Folk Festival, "Heal in the Wisdom," and London-based Qube Pictures released a boxed set DVD collection of his highly-acclaimed epic theatrical trilogy, A Ballad of the West.


Rag Radio, which has aired since September 2009 on KOOP 91.7-FM, a cooperatively-run all-volunteer community radio station in Austin, Texas, features hour-long in-depth interviews and discussion about issues of progressive politics, culture, and history.

Hosted and produced by Rag Blog editor and long-time alternative journalist Thorne Dreyer, a pioneer of the Sixties underground press movement, Rag Radio is broadcast every Friday from 2-3 p.m. (CST) on KOOP and streamed live on the web. After broadcast, all episodes are posted as podcasts and can be downloaded at the Internet Archive.

Rag Radio is also rebroadcast on Sundays at 10 a.m. (EST) on WFTE, 90.3-FM in Mt. Cobb, PA, and 105.7-FM in Scranton, PA. Rag Radio is produced in the KOOP studios, in association with The Rag Blog, a progressive internet newsmagazine, and the New Journalism Project, a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Tracey Schulz is the show's engineer and co-producer.

Coming up on Rag Radio:

THIS FRIDAY, March 16, 2012: Journalist and labor activist David Bacon on how U.S. policies fueled Mexico's great migration.

The Rag Blog

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Rag Radio : Singer/Songwriter, Author, and Actor Bobby Bridger

Bobby Bridger performs live on Rag Radio, Friday, November 18, 2011, at the KOOP studios in Austin. Photos by Carlos Lowry / The Rag Blog.
Singer/Songwriter, Author, Actor, and Artist Bobby Bridger
on Rag Radio with Thorne Dreyer. Listen to it here:

Also listen to Author and Sustainabilty Advocate Ellen LaConte on Rag Radio, Below.

Bobby Bridger, who was our guest on Rag Radio Friday, November 18, 2011, has recorded with Monument, RCA, and Golden Egg Records. He is the composer of the anthem of the Kerrville Folk Festival -- "Heal in the Wisdom" -- which was Number 3 in a group of 100 Austin songs placed in a time capsule at City Hall.

His newest book is Where the Tall Grass Grows: Becoming Indigenous and the Mythological Legacy of the American West, which "explores the impact of Native American culture on the American psyche..." and on "the development of modern popular entertainment."

He is also the author of A Ballad of the West, Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull: Inventing the Wild West, and a biography, Bridger, which famed singer/songwriter Eliza Gilkyson said "reads like an epic poem... as he crosses paths with the icons of modern American music, art, literature, family, and culture," while "sculpting his own unique artistic expression via the winds of fate, desire, synchronicity, and a large dose of providence."

(Eliza Gilkyson will be Thorne Dreyer's guest on Rag Radio, Friday, December 16, 2011 from 2-3 p.m. CST on KOOP 91.7-FM in Austin and streamed live on the Internet.)

Bobby Bridger has traveled the globe performing his historical epic trilogy, A Ballad of the West, as a one-man show. London-based Qube Pictures released a boxed set DVD collection of A Ballad of the West and a 90-minute documentary, Quest of an Epic Balladeer, based on Bridger’s life and work. He has appeared twice on PBS’s Austin City Limits, on PBS’s American Experience, on C-SPAN/Booknotes, CNN, Good Morning America, A&E, NPR, and the Australian Broadcasting Company.

In 1988 Bridger was invited to Oxford University to perform "Heal in the Wisdom" for closing ceremonies of the First Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival where featured presenters included Nobel Prize winners the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and astronomer Carl Sagan.

Bridger also is a trained artist and art educator who has painted since age 12; his best known works were inspired by Australian aboriginal "dot" or "dreamtime" paintings.

From left, Rag Radio's Tracey Schulz and Thorne Dreyer with singer/songwriter and author Bobby Bridger at the KOOP studios in Austin, November 18, 2011. Photo by Carlos Lowry / The Rag Blog.

Also listen to Author and Sustainability Advocate Ellen LaConte
on Rag Radio with Thorne Dreyer. Listen to it here:

Ellen LaConte, who was our guest on November 11, 2011, refers to herself as an “independent scholar, organic gardener, gregarious recluse, and freelance writer living in the Yadkin River watershed of the Piedmont bioregion of North Carolina.”

A contributor to The Rag Blog, LaConte is the author of a controversial, widely-endorsed “meta-synthesis” book, Life Rules: Why so much is going wrong everywhere at once and how Life teaches us to fix it. A summary of her philosophy: “The global economy has gone viral. It is ravaging Earth’s immune system, triggering a Critical Mass of mutually reinforcing environmental, economic, social, cultural, and political crises that are compromising the ability of Earth’s human and natural communities to provide for, protect, and heal themselves.”


Rag Radio -- hosted and produced by Rag Blog editor Thorne Dreyer -- is broadcast every Friday from 2-3 p.m. (CST) on KOOP 91.7-FM in Austin, and streamed live on the web. KOOP is an all-volunteer cooperatively-run community radio station in Austin, Texas.
Rag Radio, which has been aired since September 2009, features hour-long in-depth interviews and discussion about issues of progressive politics, culture, and history. After broadcast, all episodes are posted as podcasts and can be downloaded at the Internet Archive. Tracey Schulz is the show's engineer and co-producer.

Rag Radio is also rebroadcast on Sundays at 10 a.m. (Eastern) on WFTE, 90.3-FM in Mt. Cobb, PA, and 105.7-FM in Scranton, PA. Rag Radio is produced in the KOOP studios, in association with The Rag Blog, a progressive internet newsmagazine, and the New Journalism Project, a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

Coming up on Rag Radio:

• Dec. 2, 2011: Author, Economist & NY Times Columnist Robert H. Frank.
• Dec. 9, 2011: Nonviolent Activist Val Liveoak, of Peacebuilding en las Americas.
  
• Dec. 16, 2011: Texas Music Hall of Fame Singer/Songwriter & Activist Eliza Gilkyson.

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