Jody Collins is one of those Knoxville people who seems to know everybody, and in this episode of A Knoxville Podcast, I finally get him on the other side of the mic. Jody is the longtime host of the Knoxville podcast Ramblin’ Man, a graphic designer, a former newspaper and magazine guy, and a fixture in the local music scene. We recorded at the Suttree’s Landing riverfront, with the UT rowing teams going by in the background. We even have a random guest cameo by past guest Adeline Granath!

We talk about:

• Ramblin’ Man and a decade of local podcasting: 260-plus interviews, why he’s focused on Knoxville nonprofits lately, and his rule that an interview goes as long as it goes
• Knoxville music: Todd Steed, Sam Quinn, The Bearded, Scott Miller, Randall Brown and why even local legends get tongue-tied around local legends
• Lost Knoxville hangouts: Merchants of Beer, Knox Cigar Company, The News Sentinel's Friday “Therapy” crew, Sidesplitters comedy club, and Central Collective’s A Good Sport Night
• Growing up on the Downtown East Side: Larry Cox YMCA, Cal Johnson Rec Center, Fulton High School, and why every gym looks smaller when you go back
• Knoxville characters and icons: Dolly, Peyton Manning, Al Wilson, and the personalities who make downtown feel like home
• Public art and local talent: why Knoxville’s murals and illustrators deserve more walls
• Travel and comedy stories: his quest to see every MLB stadium, Comedy Cellar in New York, and the “Yes, I’m tall” cards that ended up with David Sedaris and Mark Kozelek

If you love Knoxville music, local history, and the stories behind the town’s best-known faces, this one’s for you. Know someone with a great Knoxville story? Nominate a guest or visit KnoxvilleRob.com/podcast.

Guest links: Ramblin’ Man with Jody Collins | Jody Collins

Rob Howard - @KnoxvilleRob on all social media is a real estate broker, author, podcaster and superhost at Howard's Pond