A Bite of Arkansas: A Cookbook of Natural State Delights - A New Book.

When the pandemic response took me off the road and off the job of covering Arkansas's highways, byways and pieways in March, I was lost. Every assignment, speaking engagement and appearance evaporated in the course of a week. In my worry, I turned to cooking. The memories evoked in a white tile kitchen in Little Rock brought me back around to another facet of my life I could share - dishes I grew up on and discovered throughout my life, right here in The Natural State.

Here's the foreword for my new book, A Bite of Arkansas: A Cookbook of Natural State Delights, plus ordering information.

The Great Arkansas Pie Hunt.

Five years ago, everything changed for me when Arkansas Pie: A Delicious Slice of the Natural State came out. Now I'm back on the trail to see how the pie-loving landscape has changed, and to find all those pies I missed.

Time Capsule: 1993.

Fall 1993

Most folks who follow this blog know of me as a food and travel writer... or from further back, probably from my time spent at Today's THV in Little Rock, maybe even KAIT in Jonesboro. But before I set foot into a newsroom (at least as an employee), I was sure radio would be my life's work and passion.

I recently came upon a program I recorded in June 1993. The program? A novelty music show unlikely named "Th'XNTRYK Show." I thought I'd be the next Dr. Demento. I spun vinyl and acquired the beginnings of my CD collection during the show's run.

The first season of the show
was actually on Tuesdays.

Major Lee Clueless was an improv
segment on the show.  Wonder
what ever happened to that guy.

By 1993, more segments had
been added, including an odd
news segment called People
Are Strange.

It wasn't a big show. It started out as a college radio program on KXRJ, the station at Arkansas Tech University, in September 1991. A couple years later, I began airing a slightly different, more urban version at KABF Community Radio in Little Rock.

Th'XNTRYK Show never earned me any money, but it did get me started in radio -- which lead to me changing majors in college, which lead me to a career in television and eventually out into writing for a living. Humble beginnings.

I've been gnawing over this a few days, and I've decided to share this recording with you. You might or might not like it. You'll also notice my voice has deepened and slowed in two decades. I present it here, uncut, the entire recording. Sadly, I don't know if more of this show exists -- it was a three hour program at this point, airing late on Sunday nights. By June 1995 it was five hours airing Monday nights, and it was a doozy. KXRJ folks may remember the Monday night run.

This poorly preserved image from an April 1993
Arka-Tech shows that even early in my career,
I was no stranger to publicity stunts.