History Episodes

David Solbach is an author, poet, carpenter, former taxi driver, and jazz musician whose life has moved through some of the most fascinating cultural shifts in modern America. From growing up as a Kansas farm boy to arriving in San Francisco as the Beat generation gave way to the hippie movement, David reflects on music, freedom, writing, reinvention, and the deeper lessons of a life lived outside the conventional script. In this conversation, we explore how jazz shaped his writing, how driving a taxi taught him to read people, and why he believes the 1960s changed human consciousness in ways we are still wrestling with today.