Longfire

John Langmore is an Austin-based photographer, author, and documentary filmmaker who has also worked as a cowboy and corporate lawyer. His books include Open Range and Fault Lines, and he co-directed Cowboys: A Documentary Portrait with Bud Force.We talk about going to work on Benny Binion’s Montana ranch at twelve, entering law, and finding his way back to the cowboy world through photography and film. John also shares the story behind his documentary in progress about Angola prison’s working cowboys. Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show linksWatch Longfire on YouTubeListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyFollow Longfire on InstagramGuest linksJohn Langmore’s photographyOpen Range: America’s Big-Outfit CowboyFault Lines: Portraits of East AustinWatch Cowboys: A Documentary PortraitJohn Langmore on InstagramJohn Langmore on FacebookChapters00:00 Westerns and a Motorcycle Ride to Alaska03:35 Photography Books and Earning Trust in East Austin07:26 Dinner Guests and Taking on Liam Neeson09:47 Becoming a Cowboy at Twelve14:26 Benny Binion, Tough Horses, and a Lasting Friendship21:18 A Great-Grandfather in Roosevelt’s Rough Riders24:25 From Cowboy Wages to Corporate Life30:36 Finding Photography and Stories Close to Home35:29 A Documentary About Angola’s Working Cowboys38:10 Finding the Range Crew and Getting Access47:41 A Visit Without Cameras and How the Film Took Shape53:39 Film Plans, Books, and Where to Follow John

Jake Hounshell is the founder of Shells Vintage Hat Co., a Charlotte-based business selling vintage sports hats and original, ’90s-inspired designs. A Raleigh native and University of South Carolina graduate, Jake started buying hats to resell with $750 of graduation money in 2019. He later created his own State Snaps and city designs, leaving his sales job in 2021 to run the business full-time.I’ve followed Jake’s work since college, so it was fun to finally hear how it all came together. We talk about developing an eye for vintage, learning to manufacture his own designs, and getting hats into the hands of professional athletes. Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show linksWatch Longfire on YouTubeListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyFollow Longfire on InstagramGuest linksUse code SHOUTOUTSHELLS21 for 15% off your first order at Shells Vintage.Shop Shells Vintage Hat Co.Follow Shells Vintage on InstagramFollow Shells Vintage on FacebookChapters00:00 A Hundred Hats and One He’ll Never Sell07:16 Starting Shells Vintage with $75011:07 State Snaps and the Leap to Full-Time16:08 Learning Design and Manufacturing from Scratch18:19 Expensive Mistakes with Ads and Inventory20:05 Warehousing, a First Hire, and a Cash Crunch22:35 What Makes a Vintage Hat Worth Buying25:22 A Day Running Shells Vintage27:37 Getting His Hats onto Professional Athletes30:26 New Designs and What Comes Next34:25 The Mystery of Oxford, Ohio36:26 Where to Find Shells Vintage

Sarah Calhoun is the founder of Red Ants Pants, a women’s workwear company based in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. A former outdoor instructor and trail-crew leader, she launched the business in 2006 after years of working in pants that didn’t fit. She also founded the Red Ants Pants Music Festival and leads the Red Ants Pants Foundation, which supports women’s leadership and rural communities.In this conversation, Sarah traces the path from sewing backpacks to touring the country with an Airstream for pants parties and launching a music festival in a cow pasture. We talk about choosing small-town Montana, learning the business as she went, and why handing over the company’s day-to-day leadership felt like a relief. She also explains the less glamorous side of festival production: buying up toilet paper across three counties. I also learned that a lonely male llama may start pooping in a perfect circle.Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Chapters:00:00 Rapid Fire: Books, Music, and Liam Neeson02:53 A Farm Childhood and a Few Facts About Llamas06:03 From Trail Crews to Women’s Workwear08:20 Learning to Build a Business From Scratch12:01 An Old Saddle Shop in White Sulphur Springs15:27 Loans, Manufacturing, and Mentors19:48 Tour de Pants: Taking the Business on the Road22:13 A Music Festival in a Cow Pasture27:14 Making It Better, Not Bigger28:20 Hiring a CEO and Bringing In Investors32:57 Work Skills, Girls’ Leadership, and the Foundation35:35 Life Behind the ShopSubscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show linksWatch Longfire on YouTubeListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyFollow Longfire on InstagramGuest linksRed Ants PantsRed Ants Pants Music FestivalRed Ants Pants FoundationRed Ants Pants on InstagramThe Alchemist by Paulo CoelhoThis House of Sky by Ivan Doig

Ron Schara is an outdoor writer, television producer, and the creator of Minnesota Bound. A former Minneapolis Tribune and Star Tribune outdoors columnist, he launched the show in 1995 with his black Lab, Raven, and later hosted ESPN’s Backroads with Ron and Raven. Before any of that, he was a music student who wanted to be the next Andy Williams.In this conversation, Ron shares how a writing professor changed his direction, why he left a newspaper career for television, and how a red bandana helped turn Raven into the star.Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Chapters:00:00 Minnesota Favorites and Rapid Fire02:55 Duck Hunting with Bud Grant07:26 Growing Up Outdoors in Iowa09:31 Music School, Journalism, and Andy Williams15:47 Why Minnesota Bound Started With People20:40 Raven’s Red Bandana and the Leap to Television26:08 Leaving the Newspaper and Reaching ESPN29:09 Peacock Bass, Tarpon, and Piranhas34:01 Africa, Hunting, and Habitat36:44 Monarchs and Purple Martins40:47 Finding the Next Story42:54 The Fishing Story He Never ForgotShow linksWatch Longfire on YouTubeListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyFollow Longfire on InstagramGuest linksMinnesota BoundRon Schara ProductionsRon’s BooksMinnesota Bound on InstagramMinnesota Bound on YouTube

Mike Perry is a New York Times bestselling author, humorist, speaker, musician, volunteer firefighter, and first responder from rural Wisconsin. Raised on a dairy farm, he worked summers as a Wyoming ranch hand, became a registered nurse, and eventually built a writing career rooted in rural people, places, and work. He has written more than 25 books, including Population: 485, and performs with his band, The Long Beds. In our conversation, he explains how a farm kid who once thought authors were mysterious capital-A people learned to make a living with words while staying five minutes from his deer stand. We also learn that if he ever fights Liam Neeson, the plan begins and probably ends at the kneecaps.Subscribe to Longfire for more stories worth gathering around.Show linksWatch Longfire on YouTubeListen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyFollow Longfire on InstagramGuest linksVisit SneezingCow.comBrowse Mike’s books, recordings, and merchandiseSubscribe to Michael Perry’s Voice MailFollow Mike on InstagramChapters00:00 Rapid Fire: Books, Deer Stands, and Liam Neeson09:20 The Story Behind Population: 48512:14 Returning Home and Joining the Fire Department16:37 Population: 485 and a Possible Broadway Musical20:22 His Dad, Wyoming, and an Unexpected Opportunity24:46 Becoming “Terminally Unemployable”26:59 How Publishing Changed and Why Mike Keeps Adapting31:02 Writing by Triage and the Blue Volkswagen Effect36:39 Literary Solitaire, Revision, and Fancy Words42:05 Building a Business Around the Writing46:32 Where to Find MikeThumbnail photo: Lee Butterworth Photography.