Huckleberry Finn

Probably not.

And this on top of the original insult, which was that, like the rest of the house, the kitchen was prepared for sale by being painted with some sort of really cheap whitewash that was available for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and whitewashed the fence.

And whoever whitewashed it did not, like, sweep it first.

No.

In our conversation, we trace his incredible trajectory from his early days painting and teaching in the South through his time as a preacher to a profound evolution from certainty to an ever-questioning, deeply philosophical mindset.

We talk about his monumental pennyroyal editions of classics like Alice in Wonderland and Huck Finn, as well as the Bible, his remarkable resilience in adapting his tools and techniques as an aging artist, and why he views teaching and mentorship as among his life's most transformative callings.

Barry brings unflinching honesty, warmth, and sharp wit to our virtual studio, so grab a cup of coffee and settle in.

Here's our conversation with Barry Moser.

No, I don't.

Or Alice

or Huck Finn.

So there's a chapter on my coming up out of the South and taking a new job reestablishing myself here.

that I'd say a quarter of the schools in America, if not more, uses one or two of these books.

And I just read on Sunday, New York Times had a big piece, Can You Still Use Huckleberry Finn? It was a great piece, really, really analyzed it.

I still think that's the greatest book in American history.

And the whole premise of Huckleberry Finn, is how Huck Finn sees Jim as a person, as a man, given the racism of the time.

It is brilliantly, if subtly done, but schools scared to death to touch it.

Why touch that when you can put the 1619 Project into play? You know, if you're going to the dentist and that makes you nervous, well, you're saying, oh, that's months and months away.

His name is...

Oh, Huckleberry Finn.

Huckleberry Finn.

Chris Cialia.

Because I think, wasn't he in that show with Whitney Cummings? Whitney?

Bet.

Listening to Southern Gentleman is basically like watching Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn grow up.

Get microphones and somehow start a podcast.

Wow.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Watching Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn grow up, get microphones, and somehow start a podcast.

Winston has strong Tom Sawyer energy.

I haven't seen that one.

Oh, it's Huck Finn.

You haven't

heard me drunkenly singing River in the Rain before? No.

Yeah.

Like a Huckleberry Finn type adventure.

He says that line where he's like, we're like Huckleberry Finn or we're in a Louis L'Amour novel.

and i knew huckleberry finn i was like and i knew huckleberry finn i was like and i knew huckleberry finn i was like who's louis l'amour and so i who's louis l'amour and so i who's louis l'amour and so i looked into him then which was like 2022 looked into him then which was like 2022 looked into him then which was like 2022 or something in 2020 or something but that's or something in 2020 or something but that's or something in 2020 or something but that's how i found him and how i found him and how i found him and at the time i had at the time i had at the time i had been reading either literary fiction been reading either literary fiction the it's very boring dry genre a lot of the time and you're like this is really good and teaching me a lot about life but i'm so bored and then you'd read something like tom jack carr and it's super super engaging and exciting but it's a it's not quite a little more it's it's a what they call them.

Those are modern thrillers.

Those are military thrillers.

I think that's right.

I think in terms of just being kind of his first like major budget blockbuster movie, like he had been in hit movies before, like the good son was a hit Huck Finn.

It was like a modest hit.

North was not a hit, but it was like kind of, he was, that was like meant to be like, he's technically