Banner & Company

Shane Caldwell: Comedian

Shane Caldwell got his start on public access television as "kind of a goof," after watching a comedy show and thinking he and his fellow bartender friends could do much better. What they came up with, The Sylvan Brothers, became an underground sensation. That led to a local sketch comedy show called Cuts that aired right after Saturday Night Live. The first musical guest? Vince Gill. The child of performers, Shane hails from Savannah, Tenn. — fishing worm capital of the world — where some of the off-kilter residents he observed growing up informed the characters he eventually created for his shows. Clips of one of those characters, the indelible "Rehab Guy," still get shared on social media. Since those days, Shane has worked with a long roster of collaborators, including Jeff Foxworthy and professional wrestler Dusty "The American Dream" Rhodes. This episode was first broadcast in September 2025. Guest: Shane Caldwell, comedian Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producer: Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Jill Biden: Former First Lady and Author, 'View From the East Wing'

Former first lady Jill Biden's new book View From the East Wing [https://parnassusbooks.net/book/9781668222881] looks back at her time in the White House and her relationship with former President Joe Biden — including the infamous debate night where, she says, she thought her husband was having a stroke. Dr. Biden discussed her book with the Banner's Demetria Kalodimos in front of a live audience at Vanderbilt University's Langford Auditorium on June 8. This is a lightly edited recording of that conversation. Special thanks to Elyse Adler at Parnassus Books and Susan Grider at Vanderbilt University. Guest: Jill Biden, author, View From the East Wing Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producer: Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Matt Wiltshire: Affordable Housing Investor

Even if everyone can't agree on what "affordable housing" means, one thing is for sure: Nashville needs more of it. Matt Wiltshire has been working on this problem for years (it was a big part of his campaign for mayor) and while he may not have all the answers, he has been part of one innovative solution: investing in housing that's affordable now and keeping it that way. The $30 million Pathway Housing Fund that Matt manages recently made a big acquisition: the Mayflower apartments in Hillsboro Village. In making the purchase, Matt discovered a web of personal connections that, in his words, make for "the most Nashville story ever." With his experience in both investment banking and city government, he's hoping that the story of Nashville doesn't begin and end with an economic boom pushing working people out of the city. Guest: , president, Pathway Housing Fund Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producer: Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Lucas L. Johnson II: Author, 'Remembering Roots'

Few Tennesseans have had the cultural impact of Alex Haley, whose landmark 1976 book and subsequent television mini-series Roots: The Saga of an American Family captivated readers and viewers like few other works before or since. Even so, Roots was recently banned by a Knoxville school district (a decision that was subsequently reversed) despite being an official state book. In Revisiting Roots: How an American Classic Transformed the World, writer and former Associated Press reporter Lucas L. Johnson II marks the 50th anniversary of Haley's breakthrough epic with essays and interviews — including Levar Burton, who was not initally cast in the lead role — illuminating the enduring legacy of this landmark work. Guest: Lucas L. Johnson II, author, Revisiting Roots: How an American Classic Transformed the World Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producer: Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Bonus: Nashville Debates Data Centers

reporters Steven Hale and Sarah Grace Taylor sit down to discuss data centers. Sarah Grace talks about her reporting on the data center planned for the Fisk University campus, which preceded the massive backlash to one planned next to the Nashville Zoo. They discuss the health and environmental concerns around data centers as well as why this issue has attracted much attention. Steven also asks about childhood zoo memories. Produced by Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]