Month: April 2019

Ursula Rucker: Philly’s Reigning Queen of Poetry

April 29, 2019 Artist, Entertainment, Music 40:19

She’s performed with The Roots. She has recorded five albums. She’s a 2018 Pew Fellowship Award-winner. She’s Philly’s Queen of Poetry and don’t dare call her a “Spoken Word Artist”. She is Ursula Rucker.

Ursula Rucker was born and raised in Philly by parents she referred to as “Nicetown Gangster meets South Philly girl” in the 1950’s. She has lived in Germantown, Mt. Airy, Northern Liberties, West Philly and possesses a deep love for Philly and is not ashamed to show it.

Ursula was a pivotal player in the early 1990’s Philly music scene. Silk City was the hub for this burgeoning scene that included Rich Medina, King Britt, and The Roots. Her career-changing moment came when The Roots asked Ursula for a last-minute poem called The Unlocking, about a woman coming out on the other side of a gang-bang victoriously. She shares the impact this poem had on her poetry and the freedom she found from censoring herself going forward.

Ursula shared the struggles her parents faced being a mixed-race couple in 1950’s Philadelphia, her writing process, the beauty of Germantown, her fears of offending her family through her work, and her fear of crowd-surfing. She also speaks passionately about the work she is doing in Kensington to help people heal through art and open mic nights.

She also gave us one of the ultimate Philly Blunt segments where she slams a quote by Robert Frost after Johnny asked her what he admitted was an “impossible question to answer.”

We recorded this episode at Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books in Germantown, which is owned by Marc Lamont Hill. Uncle Bobbie’s also serves as a community hub designed for sharing, building, learning, laughing, debating, and eating. 

Links:

Ursula Rucker: www/FB/Twitter/Instagram

Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books: www/FB/Twitter/Instagram

Craig LaBan: Philly’s Food Authority & Inquirer Restaurant Critic

April 15, 2019 Entertainment 00:47:54

In this episode of The Philly Blunt, we sit down with the elusive Philadelphia Inquirer Food critic, Craig LaBan. Craig is probably the most powerful person in the Philly food scene as his reviews can often make or break a restaurant.  

Craig is a true Philly man of mystery. His identity remain unknown, although restaurants around town claim to have photos of him in the kitchen so they notice him when he walks in. Few folks have had the opportunity to sit face-to-face with Craig for an interview. Why he agreed to meet with us, we have no idea, but we are grateful nonetheless. As far as we know, this is the first in-person podcast he’s ever done with complete strangers.

After intense negotiations over a few weeks, he agreed to meet with us in person, at a secret Chinatown location that opened the doors only for us (links below), and only if the use of phones was prohibited.

Born in Detroit, tells us a little about his background and life as a food critic in a city with a world-class food scene. His schedule and the amount of food he eats in a year is unbelievable. You have to hear it to believe it.

Craig offers insight into who he is as person, what he’s looking for in a restaurant, his process for reviews, his take on the current Philly food scene, his uses of disguises, as well as dropping nugget after nugget of valuable information for dining around Philly. This is a must listen for anyone who enjoys dining out in the city or those who work in the food industry around town.

And…he survived a round of The Philly Blunt…barely.

We didn’t get a photo of Craig, but below is a photo of us immediately after and one of the few instances where peopls had their photo taken in Hop Sing and did not end up on the banned list. Don’t not attempt this on your own or you will be banned.

Don’t forget to review, rate, and subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you consume your podcasts. Also, follow on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook all as The Philly Blunt.

Links:
Craig LaBan: column/twitter/Instagram
Hop Sing Laundromat: url/twitter/Facebook

Han Chiang: Philly’s Most Outrageous Restaurant Owner Talks Being Bullied, Mob Boss Ambitions, and Going to Strip Clubs with the Wu-Tang.

April 1, 2019 Food & Drink, Inspiration 40:02

He may be Philadelphia’s most notorious chef. Legend has it that he’s yelled at customers for ordering dishes such as Sweet and Sour Chicken, and even kicked out diners. He came to the US from Taiwan at the age of 13. As the only Asian in his school, he was often bullied. He’s lived in his restaurants, gone three years without a day off, and somehow became friends with the Wu Tang Clan. He’s got restaurants in Philly and New York, has aspirations to open 100 restaurants and to be a mob boss. He is Han Chiang. 

At age 26, Han Chiang had nothing going for him; he was a college dropout with no steady job or job prospects, and he was spending most days getting high on his mom’s couch. At a friend’s wedding, he realized that if he wanted to have a decent life, he needed to go all in on something. Problem was, he didn’t know much. But he felt like the Philly Chinese restaurants were serving the same boring stuff on repeat, and he thought that a restaurant that served authentic Chinese dishes could succeed. He borrowed some money and opened Han Dynasty in Exton, and after that one found some success he moved on to Royersford, Philadelphia, and eventually New York City. We talked to him about the difference between diners in the city and the suburbs (“The suburbs locations are generally less spicy than the city”), about what drives him (“I’m not in the business to make money. Not really.”), and his favorite Wu Tang Clan memory. (“When Raekwon took me to a strip club for my birthday.”) It’s a remarkable story that’s both universal and uniquely Philadelphian. 

Han Dynasty/Facebook