“Beauty and the ’Burg” recently celebrated its fifth anniversary, a major milestone for a weekly podcast that is itself a celebration — a deep dive into the bountiful arts scene of St. Petersburg. In recent months the charming, smoky-voiced host, Cindy Stovall, has added another element to the mix: a live broadcast on the third Wednesday of every month from the cozy underground environs of SubCentral at the Iberian Rooster, the restaurant/events venue in downtown St. Pete. Employing carefully selected visuals, Inside the Actors Studio-style questions and audience Q&As, Stovall’s live interviews have an intimacy and spontaneity that can yield illuminating insights into her guests.
Tonight’s guest promises to be one of her most entertaining yet — Paul Wilborn, the writer, cabaret artist and Palladium executive director, whose book of evocative short stories, Cigar City: Tales from a 1980s Creative Ghetto, has been a runaway hit for the newly established St. Petersburg Press. He’s a crackerjack storyteller, she’s a perceptive interviewer — it’s a match made in broadcast heaven. Plus, admission is free — although a $5 donation is suggested to cover costs, and you’ll likely want to try the bar’s expertly made cocktails (including the “Cigar City Cooler,” concocted for the occasion) and perhaps stay for dinner to sample Iberian’s award-winning Portuguese-inflected cuisine.
Beauty and the ’Burg Live, SubCentral at the Iberian Rooster, 475 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, Wed. 8/21, 6 p.m., doors open 5:30. “Beauty and the ’Burg” also streams live on @Helium Radio’s FB and Instagram pages, and you can listen to past episodes at heliumradio.com.
