Under The Sun

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by Dan Grech

Dave Barry brought Miami, in all of its glory, to the forefront of the country’s consciousness as a syndicated humor columnist for The Miami Herald.  Listen (above) as Under the Sun co-host, Dan Grech, speaks with Barry about his first impressions of the city after arriving from Philadelphia.  In a nutshell: “My God this is the weirdest place I’ve ever seen in my life…I’m not going to bring my family to this insane place.”

Barry also recounts how he turned some too-ludicrous-to-true Miami events into his first novel, including his son’s friendly high school game of “Killer” and arms-smuggling Russians who owned a bar in Little Havana.  That novel, Big Trouble, was made into a movie starring Rene Russo, Tim Allen and Stanley Tucci in 2002.

In 2005, Barry took an indefinite sabbatical from The Miami Herald, but he continues to add to his roster of 30 novels.  His most recent project is the Peter and the Starcatchers series for children, which he co-writes with Ridley Pearson.  He also plays in the literary rock band, The Rock Bottom Remainders. (-T.S.)

Funding for this episode provided by a grant from The Florida Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.