The Stix & Stuff Podcast
By stixstuff
Categories: Society & Culture, Places & Travel
Pull up a chair, light one up, and settle in. The Stix and Stuff Podcast is Tom Crawford's front-porch view of the world from the Crawford In-Town Ranch in Ellijay, Georgia - part interview show, part unfiltered commentary, and all mountain. Tom gets out and around North Georgia to sit down with the people who make this place what it is: business owners, local characters, craftsmen, storytellers, and folks with a life worth hearing about. In between, Tom fires up a good cigar and takes on the topics of the day. He tells you what he thinks, why he thinks it, and lets you make up your own mind. Opinions in those episodes are Tom's alone and don't reflect the views of any sponsor. It's not a cigar podcast. It's a podcast about many things, from a guy who happens to like cigars. New episodes regularly. Follow the show so you don't miss one, and if you'd like to be a sponsor, visit thestixandstuffpodcast.com and leave us a note. Take care of yourself, enjoy life, and do something special for somebody this week.
21 episodes indexed on PodSearch.
Recent episodes
- Episode 17: Misinformation vs. Disinformation — How the News Media Decides For You
Misinformation. Disinformation. Malinformation. Three words thrown around every day that most people can't tell apart. From the courtyard at the Crawford In-Town Ranch, Tom breaks down all three, explains why he thinks the American news media has mastered one of them, and calls out the stories he…
- Episode 16: AI in Your Pie 🥧 Who's Really Running the Hen House?
Tom lights up a Nicaraguan cigar in the courtyard at the Crawford In-Town Ranch and breaks down the most talked-about technology of our time in plain English — no computer science degree required. In this episode: – What AI actually is: data processing, learning, prediction (simpler than you…
- Episode 15: Islamization of America — Tom Crawford's "Did You Know?" on Immigration, Religion, and Politics
What happens when immigration, religion, politics, and American identity collide? Tom takes the gloves off for another "Did You Know?" commentary. His argument runs from the Barbary Wars and America's earliest conflicts in North Africa to present-day immigration, Muslim communities in American…
- Did You Know? Shrinkage (Not Costanza), Retail Theft, and the Case for Data Centers
What does George Costanza have to do with retail theft? Less than you'd think, but Tom gets there. Back at the Crawford In-Town Ranch for another "Did You Know?", Tom starts with the staggering scale of retail shrinkage in stores across America — the numbers, what retailers are seeing on the…
- Commentary: DOGE Found the Fraud — Then It Stopped. Whatever Happened?
From the Ellijay Cigar Lounge, high atop the square, Tom asks the question he says nobody in Washington wants answered: whatever happened to DOGE? They found the waste. Tons of it. Then it all ground to a halt, and not one politician on the left or the right has been indicted. Tom's take — blunt…
- Cocktail Hour at House of Applejay: Appletinis, Hank's Cosmo, and "The Chuck" with Caroline Porsiel
Tom sits down with Caroline Porsiel at House of Applejay Distillery in East Ellijay and tastes his way through the cocktail menu. If you're planning a trip to the North Georgia mountains or just want to know where the locals go, this is the stop — off Highway 515 in the old Sears building, visible…
- Commentary: Voter Apathy, Cultural Blind Spots, and Why the Media Profits from Chaos | Divided America Pt. 4
Part four of the "Divided America" series, from the Bobby Cox chair at the Ellijay Cigar Lounge. After celebrating a 50,000-view milestone and a round of thanks to the local businesses that keep the show going, Tom digs into the trends he finds most disturbing about where the country is headed…
- Commentary: What Happened to Civil Discourse? Both Sides Are Guilty | Divided America Pt. 3
Where did the respect go? Tom settles into the Bobby Cox chair at the Ellijay Cigar Lounge for part three of the "Divided America" series and takes on the death of civil discourse — the respectful, open exchange of ideas that's supposed to help a country find common ground, and that Tom says no…
- Commentary: Elections Have Consequences — Gerrymandering, Packing & Cracking | Divided America Pt. 2
Part two of Tom's "Divided America" series, recorded at the Ellijay Cigar Lounge. This time Tom goes back to the foundations: the history of gerrymandering from its 1812 origins to today's software-drawn maps, and the "packing and cracking" of districts that, in his view, concentrates political…
- Adrian Stover Returns: Stolen Gear, Broadway Grind, and a Live "Blue Eyes Across State Lines"
Adrian Stover is back on the show. The Ellijay native and Nashville recording artist sits down with Tom for a real, unfiltered conversation about what it actually takes to chase music as a calling. From having thousands of dollars in gear stolen — and miraculously recovered — to grinding it out on…
- Commentary: The SAVE Act, Term Limits, and the Growing Divide — Tom Crawford at the Ellijay Cigar Lounge
A commentary episode. No guest, no tour — just Tom in a chair at the Ellijay Cigar Lounge in downtown Ellijay with a cigar and a few things on his mind. Tom shares his take on: – The SAVE Act and election policy – Immigration and the voting debate – Government structure, term limits, and how the…
- Hibernation Hank: Ellijay's Groundhog Day, with Caroline Porsiel and "Bear Whisperer" David Zelski
Forget the groundhog. In Ellijay, a black bear named Hank decides when cocktail season starts. Hibernation Hank is House of Applejay Distillery's signature winter tradition — a Southern twist on Groundhog Day where Hank is "awakened" each year to deliver his official prediction. Tom records…
- Adrian Stover: Nashville Grunge, Burned-Out Vocal Cords, and a Live "Pretty Little Devil"
Nashville grunge meets North Georgia wine country. Tom sits down with Nashville recording artist Adrian Stover at 29 North for a raw conversation about growing up on rock and roll, blowing out his vocal cords in Music City, and reinventing himself with a new sound and a brand-new record. The…
- John Cable of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Coffeehouses, the Road, and the Songwriting Spark
Tom sets up at 29 North — wine bar, craft-beer haven, art gallery, and creative heartbeat of downtown Ellijay — for a conversation with songwriter John Cable of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. John's story runs from early coffeehouse gigs to dropping out, hitting the road, and touring alongside Steve…
- Back at House of Applejay: Two Interviews with Caroline Porsiel and Justin Heitman
One great cigar. One great pour. Zero pretense. Tom returns to House of Applejay in East Ellijay for a double feature. First up, distillery founder Caroline Porsiel — back on the show after one of our most popular episodes — with more from the mother-and-daughter team turning German liqueur-making…
- Smitty's Cigar Lounge: Rob Thigpen & Don Thompson on Regulars, Dad Jokes, and Surviving a Pandemic
One great cigar. One great pour. Zero pretense. Tom sets up at Smitty's Cigar Lounge in Gainesville, GA with Rob Thigpen and Don Thompson — two guys who kept a cigar shop thriving through ownership changes, a pandemic, and a never-ending supply of dad jokes. Inside: the origin of Smitty's (founded…
- Iraima & George Behar of Smokey Bear Cigars — Cuban Roots and Cigar Fellowship in Blue Ridge
Tom takes the show up the road to downtown Blue Ridge, Georgia, and pulls up a chair inside Smokey Bear Cigars with owners Iraima and George Behar. It started with a spontaneous decision to buy a building on the square. Add Iraima's Cuban heritage and lifelong connection to cigars, and you get a…
- Davis Lacey: Pastor, Cigar Lover, and Owner of the Ellijay Cigar Lounge
Tom steps inside the Ellijay Cigar Lounge for a conversation with owner Davis Lacey — a local pastor who turned a passion for premium cigars and a heart for people into one of North Georgia's best-kept secrets. Davis shares how the lounge came together, what makes a cigar worth your time, and why…
- Kevin Buckley on Barrel-Aged Malbec, Sparkling Wine, and Building Buckley Vineyards
Tom heads to Buckley Vineyards in the North Georgia mountains for an inside look at one of the region's premier wineries and a conversation with owner Kevin Buckley. Kevin walks Tom through the wines that put Buckley on the map: the Malbec No. 7 aged in Jack Daniel's barrels, a French-inspired…
- Jono "Big Cat" Agurto: Retired Detective, Founder of Ellijay Paws in Need
Tom sits down with Jono "Big Cat" Agurto - retired detective, insurance executive, and co-founder of Ellijay Paws in Need - at Buckley Vineyards for a conversation about service, community, and pit bull rescue. Jono's story runs from earning the Silver Medal for Bravery in law enforcement to…
- Tom Crawford Interviews House of Applejay Distillery in Ellijay, GA
Tom visits House of Applejay, a women-owned craft distillery in East Ellijay, GA, founded in 2022 by a mother-and-daughter team. Founder Caroline Porsiel shares how German liqueur-making heritage met Appalachian ingenuity to create small-batch vodkas and liqueurs, including the signature Applejay…
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