Reliving My Youth

Noel catches up with Raphael Sbarge. The actor's latest movie is Friendship, starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson. Raphael is also an accomplished director. His documentary, Only in Theaters, focuses on the history of the Laemmle Theatres, a beloved 80plus-year-old art house cinema chain in Los Angeles. Raphael got his start at age four on Sesame Street. He's also been in some of the most memorable 80's movies, Risky Business and Vision Quest. He's also guest starred on basically every show in the past three decades.

Noel catches up with Russell Kilbey of The Crystal Set. The Aussie band has reunited after three decades for a tour in their homeland. The Crystal Set released two studio albums in the late 80s/early 90s. The band broke up in 1991. Russell went on to become a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker. Russell is the younger brother of The Church's Steve Kilbey.

Noel catches up with Erik Jensen. The actor, writer, and director is out with his new movie, Brooklyn, Minnesota, which he co-wrote and co-directed with his wife. The movie also features the acting debut of their daughter, Sadie. Erik and his wife, Jessica Blank, co-wrote The Exonerated, a play based on interviews they conducted with more than 40 exonerated death row inmates. Erik is probably best known for his recurring roles on The Walking Dead, Mindhunter, and Mr. Robot. He portrayed the late great Yankee Thurman Munson in ESPN's miniseries, The Bronx is Burning

Noel catches up with Mark Bryan. The guitarist/songwriter of Hootie and the Blowfish recently released his latest solo album, Popped, to rave reviews. We discuss how he decides which of his songs are for his solo projects and which are for Hootie. Speaking of Hootie, their debut album, Cracked Rear View, is one of the most successful albums of all time. The album featured the hits, "Let Her Cry," "Hold My Hand," Time," and "Only Wanna Be With You." Mark talks about the fun he had making that video and the band's appearance on Sesame Street.

Noel catches up with Grahame Skinner of Hipsway. The Scottish new wave band is best known for their single, "The Honey Thief," which reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. The band released two albums before breaking up in 1989. The band reformed in 2016 and released their third album. Smoke and Dreams, in 2018. Grahame also fronts The Cowboy Mouth and The Skinner Group.

Noel catches up with founding member and keyboardist, Marcus Vere, of Living In A Box. The band's breakout hit, "Living In A Box," reached number five in the UK and number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1987. Marcus discusses which came first, the band name or the song title. He also talks about whether or not the band name hurt them. Living In A Box released two albums and broke up in 1990. The song "Living In a Box'" found new life as it was featured in the video game, Grand Theft Auto V. In 2016, Living in a Box reformed with British soul singer Kenny Thomas replacing Richard Darbyshire. In 2022, they announced that they have a new singer, Bryan Chambers. Since they have reformed, the band has appeared at live festival events in the UK such as Let's Rock, Rewind and Flashback.

Noel catches up with Casey Biggs. The actor is known for portraying Damar on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Damar went from having one throwaway line in an episode to becoming the leader of the Cardassian empire. Casey discusses what was in the kanar that he was always drinking. Casey is also an accomplished singer and is in both the Star Trek Blues Band and the Star Trek Rat Pack. Recently, he was in the David O Russell movie, Amsterdam. We discuss his memorable scene in the John Woo movie, Broken Arrow.

Noel catches up with Neville Keighley AKA Belouis Some. He had worldwide hits in the 1980s with "Some People", "Imagination" and "Round, Round", the latter being featured on the soundtrack for the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink. "Some People" and "Imagination" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. Belouis toured with Queen in 1986. Belouis released three albums.

Noel catches up with Britta Phillips, one half of the husband-wife duo, Dean and Britta. They just released their latest album, A Peace of Us, featuring a cover of Roy Orbison's Pretty Paper. Dean and Britta spun off from the band, Luna, and have released multiple albums. Britta got her start as the singing voice of Jem in the animated series, "Jem and The Holograms." She also voiced multiple characters in Adult Swim's "Morel Orel." Britta's solo album featured the amazing cover of The Cars' "Drive."

Noel catches up with Jim O'Heir. The actor portrayed Jerry (or Garry/Larry/Terry/Barry) Gergich on Parks and Recreation. Jim is out with a new book, "Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation." The book features interviews with the cast, producers, writers and the creators the show. Jim also tells us how the show got Christie Brinkley to play Jerry's wife. Jim has over 200 credits including Better Call Saul, Friends, and Star Trek: Voyager. He's also played Santa Claus many, many times.

Noel catches up with Jeremy Toback. The singer-songwriter came on to the scene as the bassist of the Seattle-based band, Brad, featuring Pearl Jam guitarist, Stone Gossard. Brad's debut album, Shame, features the songs, "Buttercup" and "20th Century." Jeremy released two critically lauded solo CDs, Another True Fiction and Perfect Flux Thing. The single, “You Make Me Feel” was a top 25 Adult Top 40 radio hit in 1999. Jeremy then collaborated with Renee Stahl to form Renee and Jeremy. They recorded alt lullabies on 2006's It's A Big World. 2012's A Little Love followed with the duo's groovy acoustic take on Queen's You're My Best Friend. They released their latest, Shout, last year featuring covers of Tears For Fears and Harry Styles.

Noel catches with up Pete Hewlett of Novo Combo. The band recently released their very long awaited album, 45 West 55th. Hewlett has an impressive career, having recorded and toured with Billy Joel, Carly Simon, Joe Jackson, and Julian Lennon. Notably, he performed with Billy Joel in the USSR in 1987. He also joined Joel for the historic 2008 “Last Play at Shea” concert alongside Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Don Henley, Garth Brooks, and Roger Daltrey.

Noel catches up with Sydney Penny. The actress made her big screen debut alongside Clint Eastwood in the Western, Pale Rider. She played Young Meggie in the miniseries, The Thorn Birds. Sydney also starred in the New Gidget. She took her talents to the soap world, starring in Santa Barbara, All My Children and The Bold and The Beautiful. She recently released her first novel, A Place To Stay.

Noel catches up with Monique Powell of Save Ferris. The ska-punk band formed in Orange County, CA in 1995. Their name is a reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. They're best known for their cover of Dexys Midnight Runners “Come on Eileen." They appeared in the movie, "Ten Things I Hate About You." After two albums, they broke up in 2002. Monique got the rights to the Save Ferris name and put together a new band. They released the EP, Checkered Past, in 2017. Their latest single, "Lights Out in the Reptile House," came out this year.

Noel catches up with Chad Fischer, the frontman of Lazlo Bane. In 2002, they released All the Time in The World, which included "I'm No Superman." The song became the theme song for the TV series Scrubs and led to a video directed by Scrubs star Zack Braff. Their debut album, 11 Transistor, included a cover of Men at Work's “Overkill” and featured Colin Hay as a guest vocal. Chad has had a very successful career in movies and television, having scored Zack Braff's movie, Garden State and provided the scores for the TV shows, Private Practice and Scandal.

Noel catches up with David Leisure. The actor appeared in the Airplane! movies and was the roommate of Robert Hays. David played Charley in The Golden Girls spinoff, Empty Nest. David is perhaps best known for portraying pitchman Joe Isuzu.

Noel catches up with Chris Slade, one of the prominent drummers in rock. Chris first toured the world with Tom Jones and was part of Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1971-1978. He was a member of the supergroup, The Firm, that featured Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers. Chris's biggest exposure came when he joined AC/DC in 1989 and played on The Razors Edge album. Chris formed the Chris Slade Timeline back in 2012 and just released their debut album, Timescape. It is a double album that includes one album of original music and another of the band's versions of songs that Chris has played previously played with.

Noel catches up with Blake Lindsley. The actress played "the girl with the cigar" in "Swingers". Blake talks about improvising in the role. She played Katrina in "Starship Troopers." Blake discusses her death scene and the infamous shower scene. Blake mentions which '90's classic she just missed out on. She has guest starred on many popular television series, including “NCIS,” “Leverage”, “Criminal Minds,” “Without A Trace,” “CSI”, “Cold Case,” “Crossing Jordan”, “Frasier”, “NYPD Blue,” and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

Noel catches up with Geri Jewell. The author, actor and comedian is out with her new book, Geri's Jewels & Gems, it is a collection of Geri Jewell's columns she wrote for Ability Magazine over six years, as well as fun photos from Geri's life that she chose herself. Geri is best known for portraying Cousin Geri on The Facts of LIfe. She was the first person with a disability to have a regular role on a prime time series. She began her career doing stand up comedy at the Comedy Store in 1978. Geri played Jewel, on HBO's Deadwood.

Noel catches up with Sam McMurray again. The actor played Glen in Raising Arizona. He shares a great story about having lunch with Nicolas Cage at a Denny's. He had a role in the cult classic, C.H.U.D., and played Roy, Earl Sinclair's best friend, on Dinosaurs. Sam had memorable guest-starring roles on The Golden Girls, Miami Vice, Breaking Bad and NYPD Blue. There's way too many to name!

Noel catches up with John Ford Coley. John is best known as half of the Grammy nominated duo, England Dan and John Ford Coley. They released the Yacht Rock masterpiece, "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight," in 1976. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks and topped the East Listening charts. Other hits include “Love Is The Answer”, “Gone Too Far”, “We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again”, “Nights Are Forever Without You”, and “Sad To Belong”. John's latest album, “Sketches Vol. 1,” is also available on streaming sites. Hand-selected by Coley from his personal archives, the songs on “Sketches Vol. 1” were recorded throughout his storied career but never released until 2021. They include “Falling,” which he wrote with Dan Seals before he died in 2009.

Noel catches up with Dean Butler, who just released his memoir, ‘Prairie Man: My Little House Life & Beyond.' Dean played Amanzo Wilder on Little House on the Prairie. Dean talks about the controversial first kiss with future TV wife, Melissa Gilbert, who was eight years younger than the 23-year-old actor. Dean discusses the legacy of Little House, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Dean also worked as a producer for the hit Golf Channel show, Feherty.

Noel catches up with Andres del Castillo, who was the lead singer of the Canadian band, Eight Seconds. The synthpop/progressive rock group is best known for their 1986 hit, "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)." It reached #14 overall in the Canadian charts, #1 in Quebec, and #72 in the United States. The band toured with Wang Chung in support of their amazing debut album, Almacantar. The album was produced by Rupert Hine, who produced The Fixx, Howard Jones and Tina Turner. Record company issues delayed the release of their second album, Big Houses, by two years. When it was released in 1990, the landscape had changed and the album came and went. The band broke up soon afterwards.

Noel catches up with Sam McMurray. The actor has had a long and distinguished career. The New York native was a regular on The Tracey Ullman Show, played a recurring role as Chandler's boss on Friends, and is noted for being the first-ever guest star on The Simpsons. He also had a memorable guest-starring spot on The Sopranos playing Uncle Junior's doctor, John Kennedy. Sam starred on the short-living FOX show, Likely Suspects. He also played the Tom Hanks role of Jimmy Dugan in the TV version of A League of Their Own.

Noel catches up with Tracy Bonham. The Grammy nominated singer is out with her new single, Damn the Sky (for being too wide). A new album is in the works as well. Tracy discusses the inspiration for the song. She came on to the scene with her number one hit “Mother, Mother.” It was the last time a female solo artist top the modern Rock tracks chart for 17 years. There were two videos for the song. One featuring Tracy's actual mother.We also discuss the drama behind her follow up album, Down Here. She re-recorded her debut album entitled modern Burdens with some amazing female singers. She was apart of Lilith Fair. Although she didn't perform, she saw first hand the disaster that was Woodstock 99. Tracy also recorded a children's album and discusses how important music is to young children.

Noel catches up with Lindsay Crouse. The Oscar, Grammy and Emmy nominated actress received her Oscar nomination for her role in "Places in the Heart." Lindsay talks about her Oscar night experience. She played Lily Braden in "Slap Shot." Lindsay reveals which Charlestown Chief came to her hotel room naked and the type of practical jokes Paul Newman played. Lindsay had a pivotal role in another Paul Newman classic, "The Verdict," which was written by her then husband, David Mamet. She starred in "House of Games," which was written and directed by Mamet.

To celebrate our 7th anniversary, This week's guest is someone who was in my top five of dream guests when I started this podcast. Corey Glover is the lead singer of the Grammy-winning band Living Colour. The band's music has been a big part of my life since their landmark debut album, Vivid, came out in 1988. The double platinum album featured the song, Cult of Personality. It's one of the greatest hard rock songs of all time. Surprisingly, it wasn't the first single. Corey actually gives props to Epic, their record company for that decision. The song has a place in pop culture, most notably by CM Punk, the wrestler has used it as his entrance music for over a decade now. Corey's latest project is the band Sonic Universe. The band feature guitar Mike Orlando from Adrenaline Mob. Their debut album, It is what it is, drops on Friday. It's fantastic! Living Colour is still going strong as well. They're have shows this summer and new music should be coming next year.

Noel catches up with Steve Fossen, founding member and original bassist for Heart. Steve was with Heart for their first six albums, leaving in 1982. The mid-to-late '70s version of the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Steve, alongside former Heart drummer, Michael DeRosier, formed Heart By Heart, where they preform Heart songs.

Noel catches up with Mitchell Whitfield. The actor is probably best known for portraying Stan Rothenstein in 'My Cousin Vinny" and Rachel's ex-finance, Barry, on "Friends." Mitchell talks about the scene that broke him while shooting Vinny. Mitchell also talks about the starring role on Friends that he almost got. He now is a very successful voice actor, having voiced Donatello in the 2007 film, "TMNT", Phobos in "W.I.T.C.H." and Fixit in "Transformers: Robots in Disguise."

Noel catches up with Gilbert Gabriel. The keyboardist/co-writer was a member of the British trio, The Dream Academy. The band released three studio albums. Their debut, featured the band's biggest hit, "Life in a Northern Town," which went to number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. The band also had songs featured in two John Hughes movies, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. The Dream Academy just released a 7-CD box set called "The Dream Academy: Religion, Revolution and Railways which includes B-sides, remixes and unreleased tracks.

Noel catches up Alan Blumenfeld. If there was a television guest star hall of fame, Alan would be first ballot. The actor has had an amazing 40-year career, having guest starred on Diff'rent Strokes, Family Ties (seven times), Growing Pains, Cheers and Roseanne to name a few. Perhaps his most memorable guest star appearance was portraying Mr. Ha Ha on The Golden Girls. On the silver screen, Alan had roles in Wargames, Friday The 13th Part VI, Tin Men and Righteous Kill. If Hollywood needs someone to play a Rabbi, Alan is your guy, having do it on multiple occasions.

Noel catches up with David Lascher. The actor/director started out on Nickelodeon's Hey Dude. He had a recurring role on Beverly Hills 90210 and starring roles on Blossom and Sabrina The Teenage Witch. David wrote and directed the feature film, Sister. He now hosts, alongside his Hey Dud co-star, Christine Taylor, the podcast, "Hey Dude...The 90's Called!"

Noel catches up with Maureen Flannigan, who is best known for portraying Evie on the TV show, "Out of This World." The sitcom ran for four seasons. Maureen reveals a secret about Mr. T's jewelry. She guest starred on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Northern Exposure. She had a recurring role in 7th Heaven. Maureen has stepped behind the camera and is documentary filmmaker, director and branded content producer.

Noel catches up with Tim McGovern, who was the lead singer of Burning Sensations. They're best known for their song, "Belly of the Whale." The video was one of the most popular on MTV back in 1983. Unfortunately, their record label only pressed 15,000 copies of their album, which quickly sold out. On top of that, they received very little radio play thanks to record label politics. Tim formed the band following his departure from The Motels and Martha Davis, who he had a relationship with.

Noel catches up with Katie Costello. The singer-songwriter moved from Los Angeles to New York to start her career when she was 17. She was an independent artist then, she still is now. Katie just released her latest LP, Stereotype, to rave reviews. Her music has been featured in TV shows such as One Tree Hill, Private Practice, 90210, Teen Wolf and Pretty Little Liars.

Noel catches up with Anne-Marie Johnson. The actress is perhaps best known for her roles as Nadine in What's Happening Now! and Althea Tibbs in In the Heat of the Night. She was a cast member in the final season of In Living Color. She had the scene-stealing performance as Cherry in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and starred alongside Robert Townsend in Hollywood Shuffle. In 2005, Anne became the first African-American elected vice president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Noel catches up with Lance Hoppen. The lone original member left in Orleans. The soft rock/yacht rock band had hits in the late '70s with "Still the One," "Dance with Me," and "Love Takes Time." Lance discusses the roster changes the band has gone through over the years, how they dealt with the pandemic and Still the One's place in pop culture.

Noel catches up with Jeff Whalen, the frontman for the band, Tsar. The LA-based band released two full-length studio albums. Two of their songs, "Ordinary Gurl" and 'The Girl Who Wouldn't Die," were featured in the sequel to American Psycho. Jeff talks about touring with Duran Duran and why Tsar failed to break out. Jeff also has a project called, The Brothers Steve and an upcoming one called, The Monster Squad.

Noel catches up with Matthew Caws. The frontman of the alternative rock band, Nada Surf. Matthew discusses how he met Ric Ocasek of The Cars and got him to produce their debut album, High/Low. The album featured the hit "Popular." After ongoing drama with their record label during the making of their second album, The Proximity Effect, the band was dropped. Matthew talks about what he did during that time, which led to their amazing third album. Let Go. We go into some of Nada Surf's songs and discuss why at one point they were compared to Weezer.

Noel catches up with Peter Holmström, who is best known as the lead guitarist for The Dandy Warhols, He formed the Portland-based band in 1994 with singer/songwriter and guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor. Peter discusses their latest single, "Summer of Hate," and how AI factored into the making of the video. The band rose to fame thanks to the placement of their song, "Bohemian Like You," in a Vonafone commercial. Their song, "We Used To Be Friends," was featured as the theme song to TV show, Veronica Mars.

Noel catches up with Thaao Penghlis. The Australian actor is best known for portraying Tony and Andre DiMera on the daytime soap, Days of our Lives. Thaao got his start on daytime television playing Victor Cassadine on General Hospital. Thaao has now shared his lifelong passion for archaeology and all things Greece into the new podcast, The Lost Treasures. The adventure story explores The Iliad and The Odyssey through the life of German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, who is considered "The Father of Modern Archaeology." The three-part podcast explores Schliemann, who changed history when he discovered the real-life locations and treasures in the epic poems. In the fourth part, Thaao explains why he embarked on the journey, where he was involved in some near-death experiences.

Noel catches up with Andy McCluskey of OMD. The electronic band just released their latest studio album, Bauhaus Staircase, to rave reviews. It debuted at number two on the UK charts. The pioneers of electronic music are showing no signs of slowing down. Andy talks about his relationship with their signature song in the States, "If You Leave," and the moment he knew it was a hit song. The frontman discusses the misconceptions of "Enola Gay" and whether the band enjoyed making videos.

Noel catches up with the Princess Goes, featuring Michael C. Hall (Dexter, Six Feet Under), Matt Katz-Bohen (Blondie) and Peter Yanowitz (The Wallflowers, Morningwood), who just released their second album, Come Of Age. The synth pop trio discusses how they formed and why they shortened the band's name from Princess Goes To The Butterfly Museum. Michael also shares the Dexter props he took from the show.

Noel catches up with drummer Fergal Lawler. The Cranberries were one of the biggest bands of the 90's with the songs, "Zombie," "Dreams'" and "Linger." The surviving members are set to celebrate the 25h anniversary of their third album, "To The Faithful Departed," with a deluxe edition on vinyl and CD. The album, featuring the songs, "Salvation" and "Free To Decide," was the band's highest-charting album on the Billboard Top 200, reaching number four. Fergal also talks about the tragic loss of Dolores O'Riordan.

Noel catches up with Ted Ansani, the bassist of the power pop group, Material Issue. The Chicago band formed in the mid 80's and had many songs featuring women's names in the title. like "Diane," "Valerie Love Me," and "Kim The Waitress," In 1996. the band's lead singer, Jim Ellison, committed suicide. In 2011, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their International Pop Overthrow album, the two surviving members, Ted and drummer Mike Zelenko, reformed the band under the name Material Reissue. The band is back in the spotlight now thanks to the new documentary, Out of Time: The Material Issue Story.

Noel catches up with Maia Sharp. The singer-songwriter has written songs for and collaborated with several musicians including Cher, Trisha Yearwood, Terri Clark, Bonnie Raitt, Lisa Loeb, Edwin McCain, and Art Garfunkel. Maia's latest album, Reckless Thoughts, is set to be released on August 18th. Maia's dad, the Grammy-winning songwriter Randy Sharp, has worked with Maia in the past. She talks about her experience being jetted off to songwriting workshops in a French castle alongside the likes of Carole King, Jon Bon Jovi, The Bangles, and The Go-Gos. In addition to those workshops, Maia is involved with SongwritingWith:Soldiers.

Noel catches up with Royston Langdon. The lead singer of Spacehog is set to release, President Alien. It is a reimagined version of the band's debut album, Resident Alien. The album featured the hit song, "In The Meantime." The song is in the spotlight again thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. Royston discusses the band's followups to Resident Alien, his solo work as Leeds, David Bowie and formally issues a public apology to Sean Lennon. Find out why.

Noel catches up with Brad Roberts of the Crash Test Dummies. The band is out with their new single, Sacred Alphabet, their first in over a decade. CTD is best known for their 1993 hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm." The song went to number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in eight countries. Brad talks about why it failed in his native Canada. The band was nominated for three Grammys and the song was parodied by Weird Al.

Noel catches up with Erich Anderson. The actor is best known in horror circles for portraying Rob in Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter. Erich talks about his infamous line and Crispin Glover. The actor had a memorable guest starring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He shares the role he was in the running to get. If you watched dramas in the 80s, 90s and 00s, you have likely seen Erich's work. He released his third novel, Rabbit: A Golf Fable, last year to rave reviews

We're celebrating our 300th episode as Noel catches up with Kevork Malikyan. The actor is best known for portraying Kazim, leader of the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword, in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Kevork discusses his meeting with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Find out which character he missed out on in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Kevork showed his comedic side, starring in the British series, Mind Your Language. We chat about Zoom fails, the Kardashians and more.

Noel catches up with Tim Palmer. He has produced and mixed albums for a huge selection of classic and alternative artists, from Robert Plant, David Bowie and Tears For Fears to Ozzy Osbourne, The Goo Goo Dolls and U2. Tim mixed Ten for Pearl Jam, which is now in the top 50 best-selling albums of all time and the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2021. Tim was nominated for a Grammy for his mixing work on U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind. The album went on to win a Grammy for ‘Best Rock Album'. Tim also mixed the Grammy winning songs 'Stuck in a Moment' and ‘Elevation' from this album.