UVU professor and history podcaster to perform one-man show in Orem
Admitting he has always had a slightly irreverent sense of humor — kind of like Benjamin Franklin, he says — Utah Valley University associate professor Greg Jackson has applied that to his semiweekly podcast, “History That Doesn’t Suck.”
While some may assume Jackson is a history professor, he actually teaches in and is the chair of the Integrated Studies Department and also serves as deputy director of the Center for National Security Studies. But history is what he’s known most for outside the classroom.
Jackson passion for the past, though, has also manifested into a recent endeavor called “The Unlikely Union,” a live, one-man stage production he’s brought to audiences from coast to coast. Sticking to an apolitical view, the show is adapted from his podcast and boils down key points in early U.S. history from 1754-1865 into digestible stories for the modern age.
The show is based on stories Jackson has shared on his podcast. It’s the podcast, however, that has brought audiences to see the stage performance.
Jackson said he had no idea that when he started his podcast back in 2017 that it would become so popular. According to the university, “History That Doesn’t Suck” receives more than 1 million downloads every month, regularly appearing among top history podcast lists on Apple and Spotify.
“When I started this podcast in my basement, I didn’t plan on it being one of the largest podcasts in the U.S.,” Jackson said.
“I wanted it to be fun, unusual entertainment, but teaching the public history,” he said. Sometimes he even plays his guitar.
He begins chronologically with George Washington at age 22 and somewhat follows the standard textbook topics, but in story form. He has splashed a few special segments in the podcast as well. Jackson has just completed World War I coverage and the next podcast release starts the 1920s.
He notes that much change grew out of the war, including the buildup of the U.S. Army. Prior to the war, there were only about 200,000 troops and about 250,000 National Guardsmen, Jackson noted.
When it comes to teaching history, Jackson said, “Teachers try their best to make it boring.” Not intentionally, of course. But that’s the result, he explained, when they don’t have proper support.
“Teachers are asked to do too much with too few resources. Their hands are tied,” Jackson said.
That is where the podcast helps. Some teachers play portions in their classrooms and he has a huge following from those who home-school, according to Jackson. He has even been told college students choose to skip their class and listen to his podcast.
Jackson is a descendant of William Bradford, who sailed on the Mayflower and was the first governor of the Plymouth Colony. His grandmother was pure Gaelic, being a mix of Scottish and Irish.
“My ancestors have touched several parts of history,” Jackson said.
When asked what his favorite time of U.S. history was, he said, “I love the (American) Revolution.” He notes that is when we, as a people, became united and bound by values and virtues, not blood.
Jackson said he also enjoys studying the infrastructure and engineering of the country — like the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, the transcontinental railroad and more.
He said he has been very purposeful in being apolitical in his podcast, promoting neither liberal nor conservative viewpoints: “I call a spade a spade. I just put it out there.”
Jackson will bring “The Unlikely Union” to his home stage at UVU’s Noorda Center for the Performing Arts — its only Utah show — from Nov. 10-11. Tickets can be obtained at uvu.edu/thenoorda or by calling 801-863-7529.
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- Utah Valley University professor Greg Jackson is bringing his one-man show “The Unlikely Union” to UVU’s Noorda Center for the Performing Arts from Nov. 11-12, 2023. The show is based on his popular podcast, “History That Doesn’t Suck.”
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- Utah Valley University professor Greg Jackson is bringing his one-man show “The Unlikely Union” to UVU’s Noorda Center for the Performing Arts from Nov. 11-12, 2023.
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- Utah Valley University professor Greg Jackson is bringing his one-man show “The Unlikely Union” to UVU’s Noorda Center for the Performing Arts from Nov. 11-12, 2023.
