CyRhen Smith | Finding Beauty in the Dark (and Making It Wearable)

Jonathan Harms | Skateboarding Before It Was Cool (Again)

Jonathan Harms gives us a full history lesson on skateboarding — from its earliest days in the 1960s, riding clay wheels while barefoot, to the revolution sparked by surf culture, drained swimming pools, and backyard halfpipes. We talk about how skateboarding exploded in the ’70s, nearly disappeared in the early ’80s, and found new life through DIY culture, magazines like Thrasher, and later mainstream moments that helped push it back into public view. Jonathan walks us through the early skateparks in the St. Louis area and shares what cities get right (and wrong) when building skateparks today. Decades after first stepping on a board, Jonathan reinvented himself as an elite slalom racer, competing nationally and internationally against some of the best in the discipline. Along the way, he’s documented the culture he loves, with his skate photography appearing in print magazines. He’s still in it, racing through cones, traveling to competitions, and preserving the scene through his lens. This episode is local history, skate history, and cultural history all rolled into one. Click here for the full version on YouTube. [https://youtu.be/LiEp_7_7KSE] --- For more information: https://www.instagram.com/jbh_stl https://www.instagram.com/khvt.official --- Mentioned in this episode: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059725 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6794450 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362487 https://www.instagram.com/alteredskatesofamerica https://www.facebook.com/dsmskatepark https://www.konaskatepark.com https://skateboardinghalloffame.org https://www.facebook.com/TonyHawk/videos/1015605357631469 https://www.pbs.org/video/living-st-louis-skate-park This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sunkenpress.substack.com [https://sunkenpress.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Kaylin Gauthier | Turning Nature’s Strangest Things into Something Beautiful

Barber, artist, and bug lady Kaylin Gauthier (River City Oddities) joins us to talk about how she builds her intricate dioramas using ethical insect sourcing, antique glass, and locally foraged materials. She’s also a barber at Anderson’s Classic Barbershop in Alton, which somehow leads to stories about a monkey’s haircut and why exotic animals should absolutely not be in salons. We also get into the founding of Bluff City Bazaar, remembrance jewelry, mushroom foraging, driftwood baking, and the strange and supportive world of oddities artists. Also, Cory eats dog ashes. This one goes everywhere, but at its core, it’s about creativity, community, and carving out space for weird art in Southern Illinois. Find Kaylin’s work at Bluff City Bazaar (Alton), Grafton Art Gallery, Grumpy Grizzly (Grafton), Mother Murphy’s (Normal, IL), It’s Raining Zen (Alton), and lots of pop-ups at vendor markets. Click here for the full version on YouTube. [https://youtu.be/YWy78f8aNcc] --- For more information: https://www.facebook.com/river.city.oddities https://www.instagram.com/river.city.oddities https://www.andersonsclassicbarbershop.com https://www.instagram.com/andersonsclassic https://www.facebook.com/andersonsclassicalton https://www.facebook.com/andersonsonstate --- Mentioned in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/bluffcitybazaar https://www.facebook.com/hypeoftype https://www.facebook.com/growcreateinspire https://www.facebook.com/radcliffsradthrifts https://www.facebook.com/ShakeRagStudio https://www.youtube.com/@HamiltonMorris https://www.youtube.com/@grant_harting https://www.facebook.com/audubonriverlands https://www.facebook.com/miltonschoolhouse photo credit to https://www.facebook.com/helloimtoriii --- https://ko-fi.com/sunkenpress https://sunkenpress.threadless.com https://sunkenpresspodcast.com https://www.facebook.com/sunkenpresspodcast https://www.youtube.com/@sunkenpresspodcast https://www.patreon.com/sunkenpress This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sunkenpress.substack.com [https://sunkenpress.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

CyRhen Smith | Finding Beauty in the Dark (and Making It Wearable)

CyRhen Smith (Glam Trash Zodiac) has been part of Alton’s art scene for over a decade, moving through mediums like painting and wire-wrap jewelry pieces while building an aesthetic that's as beautiful as it is weird. We talk about what “goth” really means to her and what is and isn't goth. We discuss how intersectionality affects the Alton art scene, the ebb and flow of creativity, and her life as a surprise parent in a polycule. Click here for the full version on YouTube. [https://youtu.be/Zld-4FuPzd8] --- For more information: https://www.glamtrashzodiac.com https://www.facebook.com/glamtrashzodiac https://www.instagram.com/glamtrashzodiac https://www.facebook.com/bluffcitybazaar --- Mentioned in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/warmsodamagazine https://www.facebook.com/jacobyarts --- https://ko-fi.com/sunkenpress https://sunkenpress.threadless.com https://sunkenpresspodcast.com https://www.facebook.com/sunkenpresspodcast https://www.youtube.com/@sunkenpresspodcast https://www.patreon.com/sunkenpress This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sunkenpress.substack.com [https://sunkenpress.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Chelsa Pruden & Kelley Hatlee | Rural Resistance, an Indivisible Community

Part of the growing Indivisible movement, veteran organizer Kelley Hatlee has joined with Macoupin native and blossoming activist Chelsa Pruden to create a Macoupin County chapter. Despite the county's deep red government and voting record, the pair has inspired a growing community dedicated to changing the way rural America does politics. It was progressive politics that helped rural farmers at the height of famines, depressions, and droughts, and coal mining unions that gave their ancestors a better quality of life for dangerous work. This one is important for anyone who feels like they're an island of blue in a sea of red. Click here for the full version on YouTube. [https://youtu.be/rtE6O7gCQOE] --- For more information: https://www.facebook.com/MacoupinIndivisible https://www.instagram.com/macoupincountyindivisible https://bsky.app/profile/macindivisible.bsky.social https://www.tiktok.com/@macoupinindivisible https://www.youtube.com/@MacoupinCounty50501Indivisible https://indivisible.org --- Mentioned in this episode: https://www.macart.org https://www.blackbirdbakeryandcafe.com https://www.mississippiculturebeer.com https://sunkenpress.substack.com/p/emma-deserved-better-than-to-be-eulogized https://www.aclu.org https://www.facebook.com/events/1410563607086520 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586046996616 simplysellarsphotography.mypixieset.com --- photos courtesy of: Steph Wilderman Photography - https://www.facebook.com/stephwildermanphoto We The People Pixels - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61576160813865&sk Steady shot 246 - Steadyshot246@gmail.com --- https://ko-fi.com/sunkenpress https://sunkenpress.threadless.com https://sunkenpresspodcast.com https://www.facebook.com/sunkenpresspodcast https://www.youtube.com/@sunkenpresspodcast https://www.patreon.com/sunkenpress This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sunkenpress.substack.com [https://sunkenpress.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Jason Harrison | Schools, Community Leadership, and Using Our Skills for Service

We go deep into the intricate work of serving one’s community while also maintaining a family at home with Jason Harrison. Jason has served in multiple roles in the community, most recently becoming a member of the Alton Board of Education. We hold nothing back when discussing the hardships faced through community service, race, and having a family. And, because Jason’s business, LaMay’s Catering, catered Cory’s wedding with some of the best catfish anyone has ever tasted, we of course talked about food. Click here for the full version on YouTube. [https://youtu.be/1REO6asRo5c] For more information: https://www.facebook.com/jason.harrison.129357 https://www.instagram.com/jharrisonrestaurateur/ https://www.tiktok.com/@jasonharrisonmotivator https://lamayscatering.com/ https://www.facebook.com/LamaysCatering/ Mentioned in this episode: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DcCmZnzEU/ https://www.lc.edu/academic-programs/high-school-diploma/youthbuild.html https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-18-258 https://madison-historical.siue.edu/encyclopedia/alton-school-district-integration/ https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/altons-black-history-a-push-for-integration-pt-2-26484.cfm https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/fights-prompt-alton-high-school-limit-friday-18340656.php https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-brown-protests_n_5672163 https://www.lc.edu/news/2024/08/blazer-bites-cafe-brings-oncampus-dining-back-to-lewis-and-clark.html https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-tills-funeral/ https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-16/ice-agent-los-angeles-shooting-court-records https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Bost-visits-Alton-on-healthcare-checkup-12565172.php https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/js-market-grill-welcomed-with-open-arms-to-alton-13952.cfm https://madison-historical.siue.edu/encyclopedia/standard-oils-company-housing-in-wood-river-illinois/ https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/free-food-everyone-is-invited-community-feast-at-post-commons-oct-5-30596.cfm https://a.co/d/3WRe1ed Threadless merch store [https://sunkenpress.threadless.com] Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/sunkenpress] Website [https://sunkenpresspodcast.com] Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/sunkenpresspodcast] Youtube [https://www.youtube.com/@sunkenpresspodcast] This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sunkenpress.substack.com [https://sunkenpress.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]