Chicken Ranch report no. 76: Texas Matters

I am very pleased to report that an extensive interview of my self by David Martin Davies aired today on the syndicated National Public Radio program Texas Matters. The program airs in select Texas cities 3:30 p.m. Fridays, 6:30 a.m. Saturdays and 9:30 p.m. Sundays in San Antonio on KSTX. Other stations may air it at other times, but here's the really cool part: you don't have to be near one of the stations that airs the show, and you don't have to wait for a pre-determined time to listen to it. You can check it out right now, as it's archived online for all to listen: Texas Matters: The History of the Chicken Ranch.

I've never done a radio interview before. Sure, I've give a few soundbites to radio folk as well as television reporters as a matter of course with the day job, but those have always been fairly terse answers to specific questions of limited scope. This was different--an extended discussion where the focus was squarely on me. Anyone who's ever had any kind of extended discussion with me knows that I tend to ramble and veer off on wild tangents when the notion strikes. I also get... animated. None of that translates well to radio. Fortunately, I was able to maintain focus for the most part and not come off as sounding like deranged Uncle Otis after a few too many beers. I did go off on a couple of tangents and may have babbled incoherently a time or two, but David was kind enough to edit those out so I didn't sound like a complete nincompoop.

One thing we touched on in the interview that, on second listen, I don't think I made clear at all was the two competing strategies used to deal with prostitution in the 19th and 20th centuries--prohibition and regulation. Without getting into a deep discussion of either, let me just say that neither approach has proven effective or satisfactory. Both have proven to be deeply flawed and do little to eliminate prostitution or control corruption or curb exploitation of women. A new strategy is needed, but that's a discussion for another time. Until then, let me know what you think about the interview!

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse is now listed on both Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com for pre-order.

Title: Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse
Author: Jayme Lynn Blaschke
Publication Date: August 1, 2016
ISBN: 978.1.46713.563.4

Ghosts of the Chicken Ranch is still available:

Ghosts of the Chicken Ranch by Jayme Blaschke & Lisa Blaschke

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