Bertis Downs

Joe Hagan is a writer for Vanity Fair. His reporting and writing have taken him from the jungles of Singapore to The 21 Club, and from “tanking” Beto O’Rourke’s announcement to sipping white wine poolside with Jann Wenner and Annie Lebowitz. In this episode he takes us through all of that and more! His byline has appeared in almost every notable general audience magazine that MEN like your humble hosts subscribed to in the 1990s and early 2000s, including Esquire, Rolling Stone, GQ and many other now defunct taste making zines.  He is the author of “Sticky Fingers” the authorized biography of Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, and the co-host of VF’s “Inside The Hive” podcast with Emily Jane Fox  Dave likes to focus on how his career could have been akin to this, instead of cueing in on the wild and wooly adventures his own career has provided – many of which have made amazing fodder for the show and for our guests. Follow us on our socials and tell your friends and followers about the show! Podcast Instagram Podcast Twitter Dave Instagram Dave Twitter Chris Twitter Chris Instagram  Show email: [email protected]

Greg Bluestein is a reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) an analyst for MSNBC and recently published the definitive book on the 2020 election in the state of Georgia - Flipped How Georgia Turned Purple And Broke The Monopoly On Republican Power. He is also a friend of the show, a mensch, and a fellow graduate of the 2021 CFP National Champion The University of Georgia!  With Georgia solidly purple, and set to be ground zero in The Battle to Re-Fight 2020 and the swingiest of swing states in 2022 and 2024, Greg has a front row seat to observe the strategy and tactics of the best (and some of the worst) campaigns and political operations in the country on both sides of the aisle.  If you want the straight dope on what matters, what it means, and who done it, Greg’s book is a must read, and his Twitter, AJC work and Politically Georgia podcast are all must-follows.  Follow us on our socials and tell your friends and followers about the show! Podcast Instagram Podcast Twitter Dave Instagram Dave Twitter Chris Twitter Chris Instagram  Show email: [email protected]

Roy Barnes (D-Mableton) served as the 80th Governor of The State of Georgia from 1999-2003 Barnes is a 1970 graduate of 2021 College Football National Champions The University of Georgia and a 1972 graduate of 2021 College Football National Champions The University of Georgia School of Law.  He was the most recent Democrat to be elected to The Governor’s office, and the last in an unbroken string of members of the Democratic Party to hold the office dating back to The Civil War. He is also currently the only Governor not to be re-elected since the law was changed to allow governors to fill two consecutive 4 year terms in 1974.  Barnes was the youngest member of the State Senate when he was elected at 26 and served from 1974-1990 from Mableton. During his tenure in the state senate, Barnes served floor leader to Governor Joe Frank Harris, and was appointed chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.  After running unsuccessfully for the nomination for Governor in 1990 - where he came in third in the primary to Zell Miller and Maynard Jackson - he served 6 years in the General Assembly from 1992-1998.  In 1998 he beat Republican Guy Milner 53-44 to become the 80th Governor of Georgia.  (Sidebar: This was Milner’s third consecutive statewide race, in which he lost all three! He lost the Governor’s race to Zell in 1994, the Senate to Max Cleland in 1996 and to Roy in 1998)  He was the most recent Democrat to be elected to The Governor’s office, and the last in an unbroken string of members of the Democratic Party to hold the office dating back to The Civil War. He is also currently the only Governor not to be re-elected since the law was changed to allow governors to fill two consecutive 4 year terms in 1974.  As Governor, Barnes championed Ethics Reform, Education Reform and Transportation Funding, but his term has always been defined by the controversy surrounding Georgia’s state flag. He accomplished something even Zell Miller couldn’t, and removed the Confederate Battle Flag from Georgia’s State Flag (officially the 1956 flag). Voters punished him dearly for it in 2002, though larger structural issues and party realignment, especially below the gnat line, played a large part in the 02 election.  According to the February 2004 issue of Georgia Trend, "Democrat Roy Barnes was one of the most powerful governors in history. His nickname 'King Roy' was an affectionate term accorded him by supporters because he knew how to pull the levers and make things happen in the legislature." In 2003 he was awarded the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation Profile in Courage Award link: Roy Barnes | JFK Library He remains managing partner of The Barnes Law Group

This weekend the boys headed up to their ancestral home of Athens, GA to see Ike Reilly and Cracker, and were met with a whole galaxy of characters. plus Very Uninformed Takes on the Russia-Ukraine situation. 

For our first Episode of Season 2, we spend some time talking about the mess at Auburn, our upcoming guests and YOUR College Football National Champion University of Georgia Football Bulldawgs. And by popular demand, we turn the questionaire on each other to find out the real answer to "REM or Outkast?" Connect with us on our socials: Podcast Instagram Podcast Twitter Dave Instagram Dave Twitter Chris Twitter Chris Instagram  Show email: [email protected]

Way back when in 2020, we reviewed Mark's book, Sing Backwards & Weep, reposted here along with our condolences. Rest In Power to a True Seether King!

Joyce Vance has it going on. She is a former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. She is a professor at The University of Alabama School of Law. She is the co-host of Insider with former United States Attorney for The Southern District of Manhattan Preet Bharara, the co-host of #SisterInLaw along with several other women who are former US Attorneys. She is an MSNBC columnist and a legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC. She is a wife and a mother of four.  Her real passion is reserved for knitting! Just reading that is exhausting, but Joyce does it with pluck and panache, and if you forget it for a second, she will flay you with her mind.  She can be found on twitter at: Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) / Twitter #SistersInLaw Podcast: #SistersInLaw on Apple Podcasts The Café Insider Podcast: The CAFE Insider Podcast MSNBC: MSNBC Author Joyce Vance The show keeps growing, so please help us by following our accounts and sharing with friends! Podcast Instagram Podcast Twitter Dave Instagram Dave Twitter Chris Twitter Chris Instagram  Show email: [email protected]

Sean Duggan is an advertising executive and documentary film producer and director. His debut film “Keep It A Secret: The Story of the Dawn of Surfing in Ireland” about Irish Surfers, The Troubles and his journey through surfing is available now via NYC Doc.  Sean is someone who has become a good friend, and it is our pleasure to have him come on the show and talk about his journey as a filmmaker, and the process and story of his documentary coming to life.  Stream it now!  Keepitasecretfilm - Home Keep It A Secret The Film (@keepitasecretfilm) • Instagram photos and videos Keep It A Secret The show keeps growing, so please help us by following our accounts and sharing with friends! Podcast Instagram Podcast Twitter Dave Instagram Dave Twitter Chris Twitter Chris Instagram  Show email: [email protected]

Brian Lyman is one of the best reporters in America. He covers politics and the legislature for The Montgomery Advertiser. Like Vince Lombardi before him, Brian is a proud Fordham Ram though he was not one of The Seven Blocks of Granite, the famous 1936 Fordham football team who’s Rose Bowl hopes were dashed after they tied The University of Georgia!  Brian is also an autodidact who can recommend reading on almost any subject, has his own “Becoming Lincoln” podcast, and speaks truth to power whenever the opportunity arises.  He can be found on twitter at: lyman (@lyman) Becoming Lincoln Twitter: Becoming Lincoln (@BecomingLincoln) Becoming Lincoln Podcast: ‎Becoming Lincoln on Apple Podcasts Subscribe, Rate and Review the show. Recommend it to your friends, and follow all of our accounts. NOW!  Podcast Instagram Podcast Twitter Dave Instagram Dave Twitter Chris Twitter Chris Instagram  Show email: [email protected]  

TJ Callaway, IV is the founder and CEO of Onward Reserve, an online and retail destination for lifestyle gifts and apparel. Named for a story about President Teddy Roosevelt hunting in Onward, MS and embodying the company motto of Live Authentically, Onward Reserve has become a lifestyle brand and menswear phenomenon with 12 retail locations throughout Georgia and The Southeast.  TJ is a passionate supporter of our shared alma mater The University of Georgia and of his hometown of Thomasville, GA which inspired much of the aesthetic (the vibe) of the clothes and the lifestyle accessories purveyed.  Onward Reserve Website: Onward Reserve Onward Reserve Twitter: OnwardReserve (@OnwardReserve) TJ Instagram: TJ Callaway (@tjcallaway4)  Onward Reserve Instagram: Onward Reserve (@onwardreserve)  The show keeps growing, so please help us by following our accounts and sharing with friends! Podcast Instagram Podcast Twitter Dave Instagram Dave Twitter Chris Twitter Chris Instagram  Show email: [email protected]