Lamar Alexander: Former Senator and Tennessee Governor

Lamar Alexander: Former Senator and Tennessee Governor

Lamar Alexander once walked more than 1,000 miles from one end of Tennessee to the other, won election as governor as a Republican when Democrats ruled the statehouse, and served in Congress in a period of relative bipartisanship. Throw in time served as U.S. secretary of education and president of the University of Tennessee and you've got the makings of a new memoir: The Education of a Senator. Those with a longer memory might remember a slimmer volume by the same author: The Little Plaid Book: 311 Rules, Reminders, and Lessons About Running for Office and Making a Difference. Trading on Alexander's signature red-and-black plaid shirt, it's a compendium of truisms and, one might say, homespun wisdom. Guest: Lamar Alexander, former U.S. senator and Tennessee governor Host: Demetria Kalodimos Producer: Steve Haruch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Bonus: The Bills and the Beef on Data Centers

Banner reporters Steven Hale and Stephen Elliott and intern Anna Blubaugh sit down to discuss — what else? — data centers. Anna and Stephen talk about what they saw and heard at this week’s Metro Council meeting, where hundreds of Nashvillians weighed in on legislation about the controversial facilities. Anna shares what she learned from conversations with people getting engaged in local politics for the first time because of the issue and Stephen breaks down the bills and the beef between Mayor Freddie O’Connell and DC Blox. They agree not to use the term “bio break.” Produced by Andrea Tudhope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

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]