Curious Nashville: the whereabouts of Union Station's original Mercury

She's a subversive storyteller, slipping in sideways with hard-to-swallow truths. Growing up in Motown, Alice Randall was drawn to the sounds coming from Music City. The dream was to invade the “citadel” of country music, elevate progressive ideas and highlight the Black roots of a very white genre. She would become the first Black woman to co-write a number one country hit — Trisha Yearwood’s “XXX’s and OOO’s.” She got her number one, made it big as a publisher, then got a little burned. So she assumed new roles. Randall has come to be viewed as a "griot" for the way she preserves and promotes the overlooked history of country music as laid out in her 2024 book "My Black Country." From her early days in Nashville learning the craft from Steve Earle to her evolution into a best-selling author and professor at Vanderbilt, she has her own remarkable stories to tell.This episode was produced by Blake Farmer.

Today we bring sexy back with highlights from NextAge season 2 — our series on intimacy and aging.From vibrator jokes with the Jugg Sisters to the late-in-life realization that you've been intimate with another person for the last time, this series has no shortage of spicy, poignant, and revelatory moments. Series editor LaTonya Turner joins host Blake Farmer to revisit his most blush-worthy moments, along with a few surprising and poignant ones.This episode was produced by Blake Farmer.NextAge is a special series about growing older in the 21st century — and how Middle Tennesseans are reframing aging. Listen now to all episodes.This season of NextAge is made possible by a grant from the West End Home Foundation — Advancing Aging with Dignity and Strengthening Communities — and by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

As he does each month, Mayor Freddie O’Connell is here to take your questions and to hear your comments.It’s been a busy summer. Today we jump in with the latest on data center regulation, police surveillance tech, Cheekwood tension and the Boring tunnel. There are points of tension we will ask about. But so much flies under the radar. This is your moment to make Nashville’s leader aware of what’s going on. Or get a question answered.Plus, This is Curious Nashville takes up a question about the ubiquitous kudzu — an aggressive, invasive vine that grows so prominently in our region. WUOT reporter and host Jacqui Sieber and WPLN editor and Curious Nashville host Tony Gonzalez answer, hoe did kudzu first get introduced to the area? Guests: Freddie O'Connell, mayor, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County

Union Station has a lot of unique attributes. And no, we're not talking about the fact that it doesn't serve any train lines.If you look up at the top of the clock tower, you'll see a two-dimensional rendition of Mercury, the Roman Messenger God. That's not the original, though. The first Mercury was 3D and mounted near the turn of the century, where it stood for nearly fifty years until heavy wind gusts knocked it off its fastening.Listener Christina phoned into Curious Nashville and asked this question:"It was Mercury, and it was there until the renovation, and until Union Station became a hotel, and it came down, was never put back up...we have a very primitive replica, I think, up there but, the original? I'm wondering where it could be!"  Maybe it was sent off for scraps, or placed in a warehouse to collect dust. Either way, it got the Curious team interested.Guests: Josh Deepan, This Is Nashville Multimedia Producer Jessica Hanson, Meharry Medical College Historian and Archivist Kem Hinton, Architect Randy Diamond, Retired Architect

Where do you go after reaching the pinnacle of your profession? What if you were forced out of that job? For former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, his second act steered him to academia. In 2014, he moved to Middle Tennessee to become dean of a law school that was just getting off the ground at Belmont University. In this episode, the Honorable Alberto Gonzales in a live, career-spanning interview – from the child of migrant workers in Humble, Texas, to the most powerful attorney in America, to making a new life in Nashville.This episode was produced by Blake Farmer. 

A review by the non-profit Nashville Police and Public Safety Alliance reveals nine of Nashville's geographic, demographic, and economic peer cities –– including Austin, Denver, and Charlotte –– are using policing technologies far more extensively than we are.Even cities in our surrounding counties, such as Mt. Juliet, have adopted technologies like license plate readers, drones and real-time video and data integration platforms. Today we look at how law, policy and rural-urban divide shape the adoption of this technology. How do we balance the adoption of this new and emerging tech while protecting the right to privacy and due process?We also have phones and livestream open as well. Give us a call at 615-760-2000 or watch and chime in on YouTube.This episode was produced by Mary Mancini & Emily West.Guests: Emily Benedict, Metro Councilmember, District 7 Greg Blair, Deputy Chief, MNPD Matthew Guariglia, senior policy analyst, Electronic Frontier Foundation Emily West, Criminal Justice Reporter, WPLN

Primary elections for governor, the Tennessee State House, and congressional seats are just around the corner, with early voting beginning Friday. That means it’s time to start paying attention — not just to the names on the ballot, but to the races that will shape the state for years to come.Whether you follow politics every day or are afraid to look at your ballot, our goal is to make the election a little easier to understand before you head to the polls.Guests: Marianna Bacallao, state legislative reporter, WPLN Dr. Ian Shapiro, political scientist, Tennessee State University Eli Motycka, reporter, Nashville Scene

Like we need one more thing to worry about. Microplastics are showing up in high levels in Middle Tennessee.The Cumberland River is at the top end of American rivers. The Tennessee River is off the charts. Ok, how concerned should we be? We’re going to discuss with some experts as well as talk about cutting back on how much plastic we’re using – wouldn’t hurt, right? We’ll open the phones as well as tee up the YouTube livestream. Give us a call at 615-760-2000 or watch on YouTube here. This episode was produced by Josh Deepan. Guests  Dr. Eva Parker, VUMC Dermatologist Ryan Jackwood, Harpeth River Conservancy Director of Watershed Science Stephanie Roach, Urban Green Lab Assistant Director of Special Initiatives

Justin Lee Williams didn’t set out to become an in-demand line dancing instructor.Actually, it was a real estate career that didn’t quite materialize, resulting in a fall-back job at a Boot Barn with a side gig teaching bachelorettes to boot, scoot and boogie. Then came the viral video shared by Shania Twain, and the rest has been a rocketship ride.Nothing gets timid dancers out onto a vacant dance floor like a well-known line dance so, today we're learning how a Black man from Pulaski saw an opening to bring us together over scissor steps and shuffles.

As the cost of home ownership grows beyond the reach of a single family, multiple generations are finding ways to live together and split that mortgage.Cohabitating sure has its benefits, but nothing is perfect. In this episode, we speak with real estate agents, city planners and locals with lived experience about the ups and downs of having two or more generations under one roof. We're also taking your calls. So, if you have your own experience to share, you can reach us during the live show at 615-760-2000 or pop into chat on our YouTube livestream.This episode was produced by Josh Deepan.Guests: Liz Bottiggi and Lesa Cannon, North Nashville Residents Greg Claxton, Metro Nashville City Planner Kristen Darden, Real Estate Agent Kay Bowers, Nesterly Community Liaison