Up + Adam with Adam Montiel

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Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

High on History: The Truth They Didn’t Teach You #TrueCrimeTuesday Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

What do Shakespeare, Steve Jobs, Queen Victoria, and a pope with a taste for cocaine wine have in common? According to historian and viral storyteller Sam Kelly, more than you’d think. In this episode, Adam chats with the author of Human History on Drugs: An Utterly Scandalous but Entirely Truthful Look at History Under the Influence to uncover the hilariously human, shockingly drug-laced past of some of the world’s most iconic figures.

Adam talks psychedelic breakthroughs, presidential dependencies, the birth of AA, mushrooms in power, modern meds like Ozempic, and how history might just be one long, strange trip.

Buy the book: Human History on Drugs on Amazon

Follow Sam on social media: @human_history_on_durgs on TikTok

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

From Mental Roasts to Mental Remedy: Comic Icon Lisa Lampanelli Shrinks the BS and is Up+Adam! Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

From comedy royalty to soul-stirring truth-teller, Lisa Lampanelli is back, but not like you remember her. In this episode, Adam sits down with the iconic “Queen of Mean” turned self-help sage to talk about her powerful (and hilarious) new podcast, Shrink This! Alongside co-host Nick Scopoletti, Lisa tackles listener-submitted problems with the kind of tough love and hard laughs only she can deliver.

In this candid conversation, Lisa opens up about walking away from insult comedy, embracing reinvention, and why authenticity is the new punchline. We talk therapy, self-sabotage, letting go of what hurts us, and the surprising joy of dying alone (yes, really). It’s funny, raw, and full of takeaways that hit harder than any roast.

• Listen to Lisa’s podcast: Shrink This! with Lisa Lampanelli

• Follow Lisa on Instagram: @lisalampanelli

• More from Lisa: https://lisalampanelli.com

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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********

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Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

The Plea. The Fallout. EXCLUSIVE: NYT Best Selling Author Howard Blum on the Kohberger Confession Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

In this gripping follow-up conversation, Adam welcomes back investigative journalist and bestselling author Howard Blum, just one day after Bryan Kohberger, accused in the shocking 2022 Idaho college murders, pled guilty to four counts of first-degree murder. Blum, author of When The Night Comes Falling: A Requiem for the Idaho Student Murders, breaks down what this plea really means for justice, the unanswered questions that still linger, and the emotional fallout for the victims' families.

With Howard’s signature blend of old-school reporting and narrative mastery, this conversation goes beyond headlines, from courtroom strategy to the lingering shadows of the white Hyundai Elantra, this episode is essential listening for anyone following the case or anyone who wants to understand what justice sounds like when it’s unfinished.

• Grab the Book: When The Night Comes Falling on Amazon

• Learn More About Howard Blum: www.howardblum.com

• Follow on Instagram: @howard_blum_author

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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********

********

*********

Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Louder Than History: The Wall of Sound and the Freaks Who Engineered Perfection Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of Up+Adam, we crank the dial all the way up with journalist and author Brian Anderson, whose debut book Loud & Clear tells the jaw-dropping story of the Grateful Dead’s legendary Wall of Sound. Even if you’ve never spun a Dead record in your life, this conversation is for you. Because it’s not just about the music, it’s about ambition, obsession, and the kind of wild, world-changing creativity that rewrites the rules.

Brian walks us through the rise and wild fall of the Wall. A live sound system so massive and ahead of its time, it bent physics, maxed out bank accounts, and still echoes in everything from concerts to your AirPods. He’s got stories, he’s got heart, and yes, he’s even got a piece of the original Wall in his living room.

• Whether you're an audiophile, a Deadhead, or just curious how the loudest, clearest sound in rock came to be, this one’s got you.

• Grab the book: Loud & Clear: Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound & the Quest for Audio Perfection

• Follow Brian on Instagram: @brandersonian

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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********

********

*********

Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

What We See When We Don’t Die: Filmmaker and Host of Alive Again, Dan Bush is Up+Adam Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

What really happens when we die? Or... what if we don't?

On this episode of Up+Adam, I chat with filmmaker and podcast host Dan Bush, the creator of Alive Again, a gripping series that explores near-death experiences and the people who live to talk about them. These aren’t just brushes with death; they’re deep dives into the stories, sensations, and transformations that follow. We talk about the patterns that show up again and again, regardless of culture, gender, or age, and ask the big questions: Where does skepticism fit in? What happens 10 or 25 years later? Are these visions a trick of the brain or something more?

This one will stop you in your tracks in the best way. Hit play and prepare to feel something.

Listen to Alive Again: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-alive-again-274161390/
Follow Dan Bush on Instagram: @aliveagainproject
Have your own story to share? Email: aliveagainproject@gmail.com

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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********

********

*********

Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Soul Food That Speaks Every Language - TV Chef & Best Selling Author Deborah Vantrece is Up+Adam Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

On today’s Up+Adam, best-selling author and TV chef Deborah VanTrece joins Adam for a rich and flavorful conversation about the universal language of food, the roots of soul cooking, and how she’s blending global influence with deep Southern tradition. From serving up creative twists like Jamaican beef pot pie and adobo ribs on FYI’s Global Soul Kitchen, to redefining airport dining as Executive Chef of the Centurion Lounge at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Chef VanTrece is a culinary storyteller. She shares the emotional heartbeat behind her dishes, the cultures that inspire her palate, and the one recipe she’s still keeping to herself. Spoiler: it involves sweet potatoes.

Watch Global Soul Kitchen on FYI: fyi.tv/shows/global-soul-kitchen
Grab her best-selling cookbook: The Twisted Soul Cookbook: Modern Soul Food with Global Flavors
Learn more at: www.vantrecehospitality.com
Follow her on Instagram: @chefdeborahvantrece and @twistedsoulcookhouse

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Hollywood Vampires: Feeding the Celebrity Exploitation Machine Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

What happens when justice goes viral? When the courtroom becomes content? And when the story isn't just about two celebrities, but about us?

In this episode of Up+Adam, Adam Montiel welcomes journalist and documentarian Makiko Wholey, co-author of Hollywood Vampires: Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and the Celebrity Exploitation Machine. Makiko takes us behind the scenes of one of the most chaotic, consequential trials in modern celebrity history, revealing what most of us missed while we were scrolling. From overnight fan campouts in Fairfax to the quiet conversations that never made it to YouTube, Makiko unpacks the cultural spectacle, the flaws in our fandom, and why Amber Heard became the symbol of a movement turned inside out.

We explore the power of performance, the danger of viral storytelling, and what this story teaches us about truth in the digital age. Buckle up — it’s raw, real, and unmissable.

• Buy the book:

• Follow Makiko Wholey:

Instagram: @markeck0

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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********

********

*********

Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Benevolence with a Buzz: Pink Drank 2025 and the Importance of the Elk's Lodge to our Community Jun 26, 2025

Show notes

Get ready to dive deep with one of the Elks Lodge’s most dedicated leaders, Nancy Lewelling, as she joins Adam Montiel to talk about Pink Drank, a vibrant summer event that’s become one of San Luis Obispo’s most anticipated gatherings. Poolside, dressed in pink, with over 30 of the hottest producers in wine, beer, spirits, and craft cocktails. Add in a live DJ, curated bites, a grazing table, a wine pull, and you've got a celebration that’s as playful as it is purposeful.

Nancy shares what makes this event so uniquely Central Coast, how Elks Lodge 322 continues to serve the community in creative and meaningful ways, and why this isn’t just a party; it’s a purpose-driven celebration benefiting Woods Humane Society and the Elks National Foundation.

We also talk about what it really means to be an Elk today, how the organization has evolved, and why this 130-year-old institution is seeing a new wave of energized members stepping up to serve, support, and build community.

Pink Drank 2025 takes place Saturday, July 12 at the Elks Lodge in San Luis Obispo
General admission is only $65 through July 5, with VIP tickets offering early entry and bonus perks
Come dressed in pink, dive into the poolside scene, and party with purpose

Tickets & Info

Pink Drank: pinkdrank.org

DIRECT LINK TO TICKETS: HERE

Elks Lodge 322: elks322.org

National Elks Foundation: elks.org

Woods Humane Society: woodshumanesociety.org

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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********

********

*********

Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!

Original Music by Dan Curcio and Moonshiner Collective

Moonshiner on Spotify HERE

Please Rate, Review, and Subscribe to the podcast, and learn more at AdamMontiel.com

Ziggy Marley is Up+Adam Talking Pajamas, Peace, and Papa Marley Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

In this soulful episode, Adam chats with the incomparable Ziggy Marley: eight-time Grammy winner, Emmy winner, musician, humanitarian, and now, bedtime book wizard. Ziggy opens up about Pajammin’, his newest children’s book inspired by his father Bob Marley’s iconic song “Jamming.” But this conversation goes way deeper than pajamas.

Together, they unpack family rituals, the evolution of legacy, and what it means to create joy that outlives you. Ziggy shares the heart behind the pages, how music still guides his fatherhood, and why stories matter more than ever. If you’re looking for a conversation that grooves, glows, and grounds you, this is it.

Get the book: Pajammin’ by Ziggy Marley (HarperCollins)
Ziggy’s official site: ziggymarley.com
Follow Ziggy: Instagram @ziggymarley

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Listen to Up+Adam with Adam Montiel:

Official Website: adammontiel.com
Apple Podcasts: Up+Adam on Apple Podcasts
Spotify: Up+Adam on Spotify
iHeartRadio: Up+Adam on iHeartRadio
YouTube Music: Up+Adam on YouTube Music

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********

********

*********

Sincere Thanks to the supporters of Up + Adam. Please take a moment and visit them and thank them for supporting local broadcasting, and valuing what we do here. Thank you for supporting them!