Podcast Episodes Interviews, Show Notes, and Transcripts

Singer-Songwriter Justin Townes Earle was a Nashville, Tennessee native who understood Flint, Michigan perfectly. Justin never played a gig in Flint, but he was eager to find his way to a stage in the Flint area. He died before he had his opportunity. Townes-Earle penned the song “Flint City Shake” that encapsulates the history and importance of Flint, Michigan to America. The people of the City of Flint lost a great advocate in Justin Townes Earle. He stood up for working-class America and for...

Safetyville, Flint Michigan has a very special place in the hearts of many baby boomers in the Flint Area. This podcast narrative by Arthur Busch recalls the Safetyville of the 1960s in Flint, Michigan. The podcast episode has a brief interview with powered car expert, Lee Exline, on the cars driven by Safetyville. He was the man who bought the cars we drove in our youth. STOP-LOOK-LISTEN remember that lesson? Many Flint children growing up in Flint received their first driver's license at Saf...

Mark Parsells' stories of the history of radio and television advertising in Mid-Michigan are full of humor. Mark's late father, Vern Parsell, was a pioneering Flint area automobile dealer. Mark Parsell got the grit and determination in Flint that he needed to launch a second career in the recording business in Memphis, TN. Parsell, a Flint-area native, operates South Main Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. His studio attracts recording artists from across the globe. He is also known as the "Mayor" ...

Sgt. Phillip R. Wise, a Flint, Michigan native, has been on a decades-long quest to find the answers about the crash of a C 5-A transport plane in which he was a crew member trying to save orphan Vietnamese-American babies. Sgt. Wise has an eternal bond with the surviving children, now adults of his mission, and the few other adults who survived the flight. He has sought to honor the fallen, and come to terms with why God let him live. In the spring of 1975, the US government decided to save as...

The Radio Free Flint Camper Truck Tour Podcast continues with a visit to the mighty Mackinac Bridge. With a total span of approximately 5 miles, the Mackinac Bridge connects the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan uniting the communities of Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, Michigan. The engineering of the Mackinac Bridge was designed to accommodate the high winds, temperature changes and constant changes of weight. Mackinaw City is a village on the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Ma...

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her life in service to the cause of women's rights and equality. She was a giant in history even while still alive to millions of Americans. She will long be remembered as one of the greatest justices to ever serve on our nation's high court. Arthur Busch appeared in front of Justice Ginsburg as a Prosecutor in 2003. He recounts his memories of her and what her service meant to America. ------- Learn more about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by...

Arthur Busch takes his Radio Free Flint podcast on a Truck Camper tour along the magnificent shores of the Great Lakes. Nowhere on earth can this amount of freshwater be found other than Michigan. The coastal towns and parks provide a backdrop for storytelling. Listen in as Radio Free Flint shares trips to Tawas Point Lighthouse, Ossineke State Park near Alpena, Cheboygan State Park, Mackinaw City, and Wilderness State Park on Lake Michigan. ---------- Want to learn more about Wilderness State...

Remi Harris is one of the most accomplished guitarists in the United Kingdom. He grew up in the Midlands of England which has been fertile ground for a world-class guitarists like Robert Plant, etc. Remi Harris has performed at some notable venues including the Montreal Jazz Festival, Buckingham Palace, BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall with Jamie Cullum (televised on BBC 4), and live on BBC Radio 2 & 3. Harris has received numerous British Jazz Awards for his work over the past 6 years. Remi'...

Steve Dawes is a new UAW Regional Director and shares labor's goals and aspirations for the future. He also shares his path to leadership in the UAW. His work in Flint, Michigan has been vital to the area as the Michigan manufacturing workforce has been downsized in the era of globalization. His work in the region which manufactures the America's best selling trucks is critical to the members and the people of Michigan.Steve Dawes was elected UAW Region 1D director Feb. 13, 2020, at a special re...

The story of Sherwood Forest (Davison, Michigan) is an improbable one that is part of Rock and Roll History. In the 1960's and 70's the popular Michigan music festival venue helped launch the careers of many of Michigan's emerging Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. Bob Seger, Stevie Wonder, Alice Cooper, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Ted Nugent, MC5, Sammie Hagar, REO Speedwagon, George Clinton, Blue Oyster Cult, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Chuck Berry all performed at Sherwood Forest....

Barb Barton is the author of the book Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan. As a lifelong Michigander and an endangered species biologist by training, Barton finds boundless inspiration in the region’s rich history. Manoomin traces the interwoven stories of the Anishinaabek, European colonizers, and the role native wild rice has had in shaping their shared histories. The first book of its kind, Manoomin won a 2018 Michigan History Award in the University Press/Commercial Press category a...

Planet of the Humans has already been seen by over 10 million viewers world-wide!! Jeff Gibbs, a Flint native, is a successful documentary filmmaker. Jeff and his lifelong friend, Michael Moore recently released an eco-documentary movie, Planet of the Humans. Jeff grew up in the Beecher area and graduated from Davison High School. Jeff has worked on several of the most successful documentaries in the history of film. His work contributed to winning an Oscar along with many national and internati...