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In the hot months, every second Sunday at \u2018ssippi<\/a> wine bar, you could catch the inaugural season of the St. Louminaries<\/a> series: An in-person talk show hosted by Kyle Olson<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The catch is this\u2014it\u2019s not recording. Now hosted at Tsch\u00fcss<\/a> bar on Cherokee Street for the cold months, the series sees Olson sit down with a mic and ask St. Louisans to discuss their passions in a David Letterman talk-show format, minus the cameras. If you want to catch it, you have to be there, or be square.<\/p>\n Subscribe to the weekly St. Louis Arts+Culture newsletter to discover must-attend art exhibits, performances, festivals, and more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We will never send spam or annoying emails. Unsubscribe anytime.<\/p>\n One of Olson\u2019s rules is no academics. Olson himself is a professor of archeology at Washington University, and The St. Louminaries Show is not meant to be an academic affair. \u201cWhen I\u2019m booking guests,\u201d Olson says, \u201cI often have this funny conversation where people tell me like, \u2018Oh, well, I\u2019m not actually an authority on this subject.\u2019 It\u2019s like, that\u2019s not the point. Some people think it\u2019s a panel discussion\u2026and serious. And it\u2019s like, no, no\u2014this is entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n Show topics range from St. Louis\u2019 undercelebrated culture of Latin dance to the professional and semi-professional cataloguers of St. Louis\u2019 local history. November\u2019s show featured experts in St. Louis politics and grassroots public relations, with a lineup including Civic Graphics Design<\/a>, Maxi Glamour<\/a>, and STL PoliticClips<\/a>.<\/p>\n A self-proclaimed seeker of good conversation, Olson enjoys a bespoke suit and seeks to emulate hosts such as Dick Cavett. A St. Louminaries show might include a raffle, or bingo, but most of all, the experience hinges on the in-person appeal. For Olson, the goal is to host conversations that aren\u2019t happening anywhere else and draw people away from screens, out of the house, and into a big group of people enjoying a Sunday night together. \u201cIt stresses a real-world interaction,\u201d says Olson, citing the most recent DJ episode, which discussed the importance of physical media in the war against the AI-ification of music and Spotify.<\/p>\n Another of Olson\u2019s rules is that the show\u2019s theme should revolve around St. Louis specifically, but for December\u2019s show, titled \u201cHeterofatalism, Performative Men, and the Patriarchy,\u201d Olson broke both stipulations. With a lineup featuring writers Eileen G\u2019Sell<\/a>, Dan DiPiero<\/a>, and Kennedy Morganfield<\/a>, the show nonetheless packed Tsch\u00fcss with an audience eager to discuss gender relations, the pains of dating, and the general mood of isolation and disaffection that plagues romance and love in the 2020s.<\/p>\n To that show, Olson also added a musical compatriot. Jimmy Fallon has The Roots, Conan O\u2019Brien had drummer Max Weinberg<\/a>; Kyle Olson has Ralph Wrong (formerly poopyknife, also known as MANAK!N<\/a>), in full Gwar-style costume, hitting a keytar lick to celebrate the mention of feminist philosopher Lauren Berlant. Wrong is most recognizable as the man playing keytar to St. Louis traffic on South Grand, but every second Sunday, he\u2019s Olson\u2019s musical accompaniment.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo things are important to me,\u201d Olson says. \u201cOne is that the show always be free. And then two, that these guys should get paid.\u201d As of now, Olson collaborates with his venue owners and pays many aspects of the show out of pocket. He hopes some St. Louis cultural benefactors might step in to help pay guests, as well as the crew. \u201cThat\u2019s the long-term goal.\u201d<\/p>\n And the shows are doing well. See for yourself in February when the St. Louminaries talk bikes, transportation policy, and cycling culture<\/a> with July Hampton<\/a>, Dani Adams<\/a>, Matt Steward<\/a>, and Skye Sanders<\/a>. That\u2019s Sunday, February 8, at Tschuss from 6-8 p.m. to learn more about The Monthly Cycle<\/a>, BICI Ride<\/a>, and all the coolest St. Louminaries on two wheels\u2014followed by karaoke hosted by Nancy Eterovic<\/a>. Said the show announcement on Instagram: \u201cYou\u2019ve got better things to do than watch the Super Bowl (tho ofc \u270a Bad Bunny).\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nStay up-to-date with the local arts scene<\/h4>\n