Californians, Old Nashville, and the Death of Class :: Ep 38 Circling The Drain Podcast
Johnny B, Jay Harper, and Jim McCarthy dive into how Nashville and Middle Tennessee have changed under the wave of California and out-of-state transplants. From McMansions and roaming dogs to the death of “old” Music Row, they unpack what’s been gained, what’s been lost, and why some newcomers bring their problems with them.
They also hit on the impact of the Telecommunications Act on radio, the shift in the music and movie industries, old money vs new money, the immigrant work ethic, and how social media turned everyone into a political pundit.
If you love Nashville, radio, music history, and a good rant about culture, money, and manners, this one’s for you.
Timed Highlights:
01:17 California and LA “refugees” landing in Tennessee
03:20 From farmland to McMansions: Johnny’s neighborhood transforms
05:13 “The Duttons” move in: roaming dogs, dune buggies, and entitlement
08:05 No-income-tax migration: Texas, Florida, Tennessee and beyond
10:11 Wichita, Montana, Idaho and the new playgrounds for the wealthy
13:13 Voiceover, LA unions, and movie work leaving California
15:27 How unions strangled opportunity in Hollywood
15:53 Remembering “old Nashville” and Music Row’s golden era
17:32 Urban Cowboy, arenas, Predators, Titans and a new city identity
19:02 When Elvis played Murfreesboro and Nashville had no big venue
19:36 The 2010 flood and Nashville’s turning point
21:00 Insurance, healthcare and the real business of Nashville
23:02 “Bringing California food” to Tennessee and why it failed
24:39 Sticker shock: $26 California pizza in Vegas
25:22 Tiny portions, big prices and Southern “meat and three” culture
27:18 Sylvan Park, Monell’s and eating with total strangers
28:55 Nashville gets cosmopolitan – real restaurants arrive
29:18 Bell Meade money, radio paychecks and brutal honesty
32:22 Old money snobbery in New Orleans and Charleston
33:29 Generational wealth: who earns it, who blows it
34:39 Trust fund kids, cash flashes and zero self-awareness
36:58 The Murdoch saga and destroying a family legacy
38:17 Strong men, weak men, good times, bad times
39:19 Immigrant grit, building empires from nothing
40:55 Vietnamese and Cambodian communities thriving in New Orleans
42:02 Cultural distrust and the Vietnamese grocery experience
42:55 California fear in Tennessee vs New York’s evolution
43:33 Johnny’s “John Dutton” neighbor and hoping he’s just unaware
44:05 Dog safety, coyotes and suburban “protection money” jokes
45:00 Southern accents and being stereotyped as dumb
46:25 Facebook community pages, bad spelling and zero punctuation
46:49 Texting culture and the death of proper sentences
47:35 Everyone’s a pundit now: social media, politics and Artemis skeptics
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Circling The Drain is produced by It's Your Show dot Co
