Deval Patrick on food, wine, the Berkshires, and that trip he’s still hoping to take

Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick has launched a new podcast that centers around the notion of what it means to be an American in 2020 and beyond. “I’m still involved in politics on the side,” said the two-term Democratic governor, who made a brief entrance into the 2020 presidential primary race, but withdrew in February. “But I’m excited about doing this podcast. It’s about a conversation that keeps coming up in politics but we never really seem to quite have, about what is the common set of values that we share that can serve as both a foundation for policy choices and frankly as a bridge back to each other across so many of the divisions we are living with today.” The podcast, “Being American,” airs on Tuesdays and Fridays and features guests ranging from Ice Cube to James Taylor to Adair Ford Boroughs, a Democrat who is running against Republican US Representative Joe Wilson of South Carolina (who famously shouted out “you lie” at President Obama during a 2009 congressional hearing on health care) for Congress. “You’ll see in this podcast people you know and people you ought to know — the famous and the not-yet famous,” said Patrick, 64, a Chicago native who lives in Richmond, in the Berkshires, with his wife, Diane, and their black lab, Toby. When asked what, in addition to his political and professional experience (which includes being a partner at two Boston law firms and a senior executive at two Fortune 500 companies), he brings to his role as a podcast host, Patrick said he’s a “good listener” and that people feel comfortable talking to him about what are oftentimes personal and/or sensitive topics. “That was one of the most beautiful things about being governor — especially the way we did, because we were out a lot and with people,” he said. We caught up with Patrick, who has two adult daughters and two grandchildren, to talk about all things travel.

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