SlackChat

Jake interviews his friend Lenore Danzinger about her adventurous life meeting Jimi Hendrix, living in California and Mexico and her association with amazing structures of poet and surrealist Edward James near Xilitla, Mexico.  Avery Danzinger's documentary, "Edward James: Builder or Dreams," can be found at https/vimeo.com/164786264.  Check it all out!

SlackChat is honored to get to interview the godfather of the Columbia, Missouri music scene, Richard King!  Hear about how he came to Columbia and his establishment of the "old" Blue Note, the move to the "new" Blue Note, acquiring Mojo's and selling it all and taking over Cooper's Landing.  We all owe Richard King and his long time partner in crime, Phil Costello, a debt of gratitude for all a great music we've been able to experience in Columbia.  Do not miss this one. Check it out!

Part III of the Chump Change trilogy (listen to James "Smitty" Smith and Kenneth Brantley for Parts I and II).  Jake talks to Pete Szkolka about his time playing in Chump Change and other bands in Columbia, Missouri, his recording studio, his education in music and growing up on the south side of Chicago.  Please excuse the cat created minor recording issues for about ten minutes near the beginning of the interview.  

Part II of the Chump Change trilogy (or more), Kenneth Brantley takes us through an enthusiastic, and, at times, surreal portrait of growing up in St. Louis, moving to Columbia, and the music scene throughout the midwest. Buckle in for this roller coaster ride through a bizarro funhouse.  More great history of St. Louis, Columbia, and Jefferson City from the 50s through the present that shouldn't be missed.

Gary Pinkel was head football coach at the University of Toledo from 1991 to 2000 and the University of Missouri from 2001 to 2015. Coach Pinkel has the most wins of any head coach in the history of both the University of Toledo football program and the University of Missouri football program.  Coach Pinkel led the 1995 Toledo team to a Mid-American Conference championship. Gary Pinkel was inducted into Toledo's athletic hall of fame in February 2009.  Pinkel led Missouri to three Big XII North Division championships and two SEC East Division championships.  Pinkel released his autobiography "The 100-Yard Journey: A Life in Coaching and Battling for the Win" (Triumph Books) in September 2017.  In 2022 Coach Pinkel was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Jake interviews Myron Wang about succeeding his father at the helm of Alaskan Fur Company, a family retail fur fashion business founded in 1926.  Myron is also a scuba diver and world class underwater photographer who has met Jacques Cousteau and whose photos have appeared in Cousteau's books.  His amazing photos have been sold all over the world.  Check out his fascinating decades-long journey in business and life!

Longtime bass player for the legendary Columbia, Missouri based Chump Change Band, James "Smitty" Smith, Jr., lays down the knowledge about Babe Martin and the numerous blues legends the Chump Change band played with all over the Midwest and beyond.  Smitty has lived his whole life in Columbia, so he's a treasure trove of Columbia history, too. We changed our music for this one to feature Chump Change, so sit back and soak it all in thanks to Smitty!

Jake saw Xavier Charles carrying his skateboard on the MKT Trail in Columbia, Missouri, and convinced him to sit down with Jake at Three Story Coffee and tell his story.  This one was recorded outside on the upper deck of Three Story, so please excuse the noise.

Check out Jake's interview with the inimitable Carl "Zig" Zigler.  Outstanding stuff!

Jake talks with Pam Newman about her life with, of course, a large helping of Columbia, Missouri history.  Check it out!

Kevin Walsh arrived in Columbia, MO in the 70s from Scranton, PA. For Kevin, like a Scranton party, a COMO party don't stop.  KW drops some serious knowledge about Columbia.  Try to hold on.

Jake interviews Amir Ziv from Columbia, MO about living in Israel working in the art scene and other entrepreneurial ventures.

Ron Newman, who sold Jake his house, attempts to summarize seven decades into an hour with Jake.  Ron talks about growing up in St. Louis, the draft, teaching ESL during the Vietnam war and getting into the liquor distribution business.  

Doug Schwandt talks about hockey, the zen of pickleball, and his experiences as a police officer for the Columbia Police Department and as Chief of the University of Missouri Police Department. SlackChat apologizes for the meandering intro but you all know how to skip to the interview.

Melissa Kinkade talks to SlackChat about her journey from college softball player and radio DJ to becoming a hair stylist, cosmetic tattoo artist and more.  She followed her passion and now has a thriving business.  Check it out!  

Itinerant artist Jai Love talks about surviving on the road with his dog Nugget in his art bus "Royale with Cheese."  He describes his adventures with the Rainbow Gathering, hanging out and giving back at Burning Man and who he's getting back to.  He's following his passion and making it work.  Stick around to the end to hear his heartfelt song for his daughter that ties it all together.   This podcast is a little long, but we think it's worth it.

Dave Angle talks about the charm of the "old" Blue Note when it was located on the Business Loop in Columbia, Missouri, and his musical journey from his KOPN reggae show, learning to play Mississippi blues, performing live with The Daves and their upcoming (now past) show at the Roots N Blues Music Festival in Columbia.  Live bonus songs included! 

More from the Mad Professor Kenny Greene!  Kenny describes his philosophy of art and life in his own inimitable way.  And he gets down to earth to talk about running his jewelry business in Columbia, Missouri (Monarch Jewelry) and his approach to determining what his clients are after so he can deliver the goods.

The owner of Main Squeeze in Columbia, Missouri, Leigh Lockhart, talks about working at Murry's, selling juice out of a small space in Lakota Coffee, and eventually creating a full blown vegetarian and vegan restaurant that has become a Columbia institution on 9th Street.  And a side dish of Columbia history comes with your Buddha Bowl!

Jake talks to Jeff Spencer, the owner of Just Jeff's in Columbia, Missouri.  Jeff took a chance and left his "regular" job to pursue the American Dream with only a vision and a hot dog cart full of perseverance.  It wasn't easy, but now he has two Just Jeff's locations in Columbia and a ton of loyal customers.  Warning: After listening you may want to quit your job and chase your dream.

Jake interviews Columbia, Missouri icon Kenny Greene!  Kenny delivers a huge dose of Columbia history and talks about his time as a student at Mizzou in the 70's, hitching out West and to D.C., his start as a jewelry maker, teaching future generations of artists, and becoming a Tai Chi instructor. We hope you enjoy this wild journey with the "Mad Professor" (as Jake lovingly dubs him), a Columbia institution and huge influence on the Columbia art scene! 

In SlackChat's inaugural episode, Jake interviews his brother-in-law, James Boyle, who describes his journey from an eleven year old dishwasher in a Midwestern college town to private chef for a billionaire in Colorado.  James discusses his many detours along the way including stops in California, culinary school in the Northeast, following the Grateful Dead, and working as a chef on private yachts in the Caribbean and Mediterranean.