
Across the DinerVerse
Searching for the heart and soul of America one diner at a time! Podcast host, John Murphy, travels to diners across the U.S.A. interviewing everyday people about their lives, their community and how they feel about America--the good, the bad and the ugly! Through casual conversations over comfort food, Murphy aims to find out if we're truly a divided nation on the verge of self-destruction or are we a country worth fighting for because we're more similar than we are different? Murphy is an Emmy-winning writer and producer and spent more than two decades hosting morning-drive radio shows in markets such as Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle and Portland.
Episodes
42 episodes
Ep 33: A.I. + Big Data in Personal Injury Lawsuits!
You've seen the bazillion billboards along the interstate: "Been injured in an accident? Call (insert law firm name here) and win!" They're plaintiff attorneys; specialists in personal injury law. You get hurt, somebody else pays--name...
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Season 2
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Episode 33
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49:56

Ep 32: Black-Owned Diner Survives 50+ Years in South Central LA: Meet the Woman in Charge!
Jack Davenport opened a diner in south-central Los Angeles specializing in home-style soul food back in 1969 near the intersection of Western Ave. and what is today, Martin Luther King Blvd.Because he wanted to make it a family business...
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Season 2
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Episode 32
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43:33

Ep 31: Diary of a Midwife: Babies, Reproductive Rights & Subpar Healthcare for Women
My father-in-law, Marvin, suggested I do a podcast from a deli in L.A. close to where he grew up. It's called Factors Famous Deli which has been around since 1948! I saw a woman sitting in a booth wearing scrubs and assumed she wa...
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Season 2
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Episode 31
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47:02

Ep 30: Las Vegas Trial Coach: Beating Prosecutors, Money Justice & Ayahuasca Revelations!
Originating from Lou's Diner on Decatur Blvd. in Sin City, Nevada, I talk with attorney Dan Ambrose, a criminal defense lawyer turned trial coach about his company, Trial Lawyer's University. Dan shares his experience as an overworked, underpai...
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Season 2
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Episode 30
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43:02

Ep 29: Trophy Hunters: A Mission to Honor, Heal and Feed Others.
When you hear the term "trophy hunter", you might you have a visceral negative reaction, which is understandable when you see social media photos of wealthy individuals, rifle in hand, smiling proudly next to a dead exotic animal they just kill...
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Season 2
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Episode 29
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59:56

Ep 28: America 2023: Four Perspectives
My 2023 Fourth of July episode! America's 247th birthday. So, how are we doing?I decided to get some different perspectives on the topic, and since I wasn't able to get to Philadelphia, PA. where the Declaration of Independence was rati...
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Season 2
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Episode 28
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48:15

Ep 27: Gas Station Secrets! Price Hikes, Middlemen & The Epic Fail of Hydrogen Fuel.
Welcome to season two of the podcast! Very excited to profile new people and new stories, and this week is pretty incredible. Coming to you from the small, idyllic town of Sierra Madre just below the San Gabriel mountains in Southern California...
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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1:02:57

Ep 26: Fatherhood: Hard Truths Being A Girl Dad!
My youngest daughter Cameron (I'm blessed with two!) pitched the idea of interviewing me about being a girl dad for this new Father's Day podcast. I thought, what the hell, might as well reveal some hard truths about being her poppa and s...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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55:21

Summer Encore Ep: Kidnapped and Missing for Thirteen Years!
One of most popular episodes from season one, recorded in Grand Junction, CO.After I recorded an earlier podcast, I checked into a local hotel and hit the lounge for a night cap. I started talking to a guy in the bar, told him what I do...
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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29:33

Ep 25: Country Artist Johnny Young: Finding Success Outside Nashville's Hit Factory.
The final episode of "Across the DinerVerse's" first season. Already working on diner locations for season two which will premiere in the coming weeks from: New York City, Long Island, San Francisco, and a swing through the Midwest and south.&n...
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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1:05:24

Ep 24: A Neo Nazi Finds Redemption. A Story of Recovery Part 2.
Tim never felt like he fit in at home or school. The youngest kid in a blue-collar family with a history of alcoholism, Tim was traumatized at the age of 10 when his older brother and mentor was shot by a Black man for no apparent reason. The i...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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47:29

Ep 23: The Mystery & Miracle of Recovery Part 1: The Old Timer
Part one in a two-part series about the magical healing power of 12-Step recovery for those willing to give it a try. Originating from Cosmo's Bistro along famed Route 66 in Glendora, California, Cosmo's opens its doors once a week to host a fr...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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54:34

Ep 22: Whose Water Is It Anyway? Zonies vs. Saudi's!
Ever drive through a small town in the middle of the desert and wonder what in the hell people do there for a living and for fun? Find out on this episode that originates from the Stanford Inn and Cafe in Salome, Arizona. Founded in 1904, the t...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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39:15

Ep 21: Get Me Off This Planet! A Caltech/JPL Rocket Man Explains What's Possible.
This episode does NOT originate from a diner, but rather the main cafeteria at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada-Flintridge, California. Commonly known as JPL and administered by the California Institute of Technology (CalTech), JPL is...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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59:35

Ep 20: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 5
The FINAL Installment of this true-crime series of podcasts originating from the Anvil Bar & Grill in beautiful downtown Curtis, Nebraska. A heinous double homicide as told by the confessed killer, Harold Nokes. A secret love ...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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1:08:23

Ep 19: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 4
The fourth installment in this true-crime series of episodes originating from the Anvil Bar & Grill in Curtis, Ne. Podcast host John Murphy dives into the criminal investigation of the gruesome murders of Edwin and Wilma Hoyt after a menage...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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49:53

Ep 18: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 3
The third installment of this true-crime series about one of the most infamous murder cases in Nebraska history--the killing and butchering of beloved farm couple, Edwin and Wilma Hoyt. Originating from the Anvil Bar & Grill in Curtis, Ne.,...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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44:50

Ep 17: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 2
The second installment in this true-crime series of podcasts surrounding the brutal murders of Edwin and Wilma Hoyt in McCook, Nebraska in the fall of 1973.Originating from the Anvil Bar & Grill in Curtis, Nebraska, as well as the H...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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53:10

Ep 16: American Gothic: Love & Murder Part 1
The title harkens back to the 1930 classic painting, "American Gothic" by Grant Wood which is displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago. Intended to convey a positive image of rural American values, this episode (and future episodes) leans into...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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38:33

Ep 15: Are We Losing Our F#!king Minds?! Featuring Clinical Psychologist Dr. Mario Scalora, PhD.
This is kind of a surprise bonus episode. I've been working for months on a true-crime series of podcasts from my hometown of McCook, Nebraska, where a heinous double murder was committed out of a love-triangle gone bad--and the people killed h...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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39:15

EP 14: Encore Episode! Keith Moon's (The Who) Daughter + CBS News Journalist
Traveling this week working on several new episodes including a multi-part true crime series from my home state of Nebraska. A truly American Gothic tale coming soon!So, this week's episode is an encore of one of our most downloaded sho...
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Season 14
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Episode 1
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51:59

EP:13 Aloha Hawai'i! Pearl Harbor, Natives, Haoles, and the Love of Spam!
Quite the deep dive into Hawaiian culture, history, diminishing real estate, and the islander's love of Spam!The story of our diner location is quite a tale in itself. The Forty-Niner has been open on the island of Oahu in Aiea near Pea...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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41:36

EP 12: My Life as a Carny + Trapped in Mexico but the Meds are Cheap!
This episode is a fun ride with stories from American's, Mexican's and Canadians living in, or around Yuma, Arizona. Originating from Rick's Kitchen on Frontage Road, the podcast begins with the diner's namesake, Rick, who hasn't always been a ...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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44:39

Ep 11: Guns & Billionaires. Winds of Change in the Wild West!
Episode eleven was recorded at Yankee Doodle's Cafe in Alpine, Wyoming, just south of Jackson Hole and home to hard-working, gun-loving ranchers, and high-tech billionaires who bring their money and liberal ideas to an area steeped in history a...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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41:11
