The Jersey Angle

Did you know when Newark Mayor and Democratic candidate for governor Ras Baraka was arrested at an ICE detention facility the Mr. Softee Man was there to serve ice cream? Have you heard about how one Republican hopeful would fabricate ridiculous falsehoods on the TV news show he hosted? Did you know about the reporter who is Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop version of The Pink Panther's "Cato" character, keeping him on his toes?Whether you haven't followed NJ crazy gubernatorial primary race at all or have been following it closely, you're bound to learn some useful and enlightening or fascinating but completely irrelevant information as we break down the madness of the state's free-for-all race in advance of the June 10 voting. Our guest (and the aforementioned Cato) is Terrence T. McDonald, editor the New Jersey Monitor.

Brian and Mark explore New Jersey's complicated relationship with the land across the kills, Staten Island. From the migration of Staten Islanders to NJ to issues like politics and taxes, to Staten Islanders' love of Jose Tejas and NJ malls. There's even a Staten Island diss thrown out from the pulpit at NJ's most grand Catholic cathedral. Perfect for listening while stuck in traffic on the Outerbridge Crossing. With Tom Wrobleski, longtime reporter with the Staten Island Advance.

On the week the state's largest newspaper, The Star-Ledger and several other papers print their last editions and the venerable Hudson County daily The Jersey Journal closes, Jersey Angle hosts Mark Bonamo and Brian Donohue discuss what's being covered and what's being missed in a state where two decades of media downsizing have left huge swaths of the state as news deserts. Also: is there hope emerging on the media landscape in form of new startups sprouting all over?

He was once south Jersey's version of Carrie Bradshaw, penning a popular dating column for singles of the hoagie/water ice set.  He's the guy whose pointed “what did you know about Bridgegate” questions former Gov. Chris Christie sarcastically swatted away with the line “yeah, Matt I put out the cones.”  And now, he's captivating listeners worldwide with a chart-topping new podcast “Inconceivable Truth” in which he investigates deep mysteries about his own identity. (When we say deep, think strange-secret-things-happening-in 1970's fertility clinics deep). He's Matt Katz and he's got a ton of stories to tell.  About Jersey, about life.  On this episode of the Jersey Angle podcast he sits down with hosts Mark Bonamo and Brian Donohue for a freewheeling conversation about life, love and New Jersey that takes listeners from the swamps of the Meadowlands to billboards by the Ben Franklin Bridge. Listen, enjoy, subscribe. Cause every story has a Jersey Angle. 

Living in New Jersey you can find yourself often wracking your brain for any explanation for absolutely insane sketchy things you see happening around you on the daily. When journalist Jesse Coburn started seeing cars with temporary NJ license plates all over his Brooklyn neighborhood, he started digging. He uncovered a massive black market of "ghost tags" - fake temp plates - that allow drivers to skirt the law with dangerous and even fatal results. His work took him from Bridgeton to Fort Lee and won him a Polk award, one of journalism's most prestigious prizes. Jersey Angle hosts Brian Donohue and Mark Bonamo sat down with him to discuss the all too believable tale of New Jersey as the kitchen where sketchy dangerous schemes are cooked up.

Is there a more Jersey story than a guy who becomes a beloved hero for almost winning? Chuck Wepner grew up in hardscrabble Bayonne. He served in the US Marines and was the NJ state heavyweight boxing champion. He bled all over Bayonne Times Editor Rosy Rosenberg's leisure suit in his 1970 fight against Sonny Liston and earned the nickname “The Bayonne Bleeder.” He fought Muhammad Ali in his prime as a huge underdog and stunningly managed to knock him down. His triumphant defeat inspired Sylvester Stallone to write the movie “Rocky.” He did three years in Northern State Prison (“I ran the place.”) He fought Andre the Giant and Victor the Kodiak bear (twice) in Asbury Park.  And that's just the beginning. Join Jersey Angle host Brian Donohue as he sits down at the kitchen table with 85-year-old Chuck Wepner, the only person whom the governor of New Jersey could possibly bestow with vanity license plates bearing one simple word: “Champ.”

Being a proud New Jerseyan leaves you with a bunch of lousy choices when deciding what sports teams to root for. No matter where you look you're in jeopardy of betraying your beloved state. We have two football teams (and a Major League Soccer team) who pretend they don't even play here. An NBA team that split on us. A NJ Devils hockey team that wholly embraces the state yet struggles to win over fans who still root for the NY Rangers. Then there's the complexity of the divide between Philly and New York teams. Nowhere in the country, perhaps, is the simple act of rooting for a sports team so complicated.  To make sense of it all and vent a little, we turned Benny Horowitz, drummer for The Gaslight Anthem, who shows off his Jersey pride in ways small (the tattoo on his arm) and globally (the flag that hangs behind his drum kit on stages across the world). He's also a huge sports fan who faces this mix of personal, family and Jersey loyalties every time he sits down to watch a game. Listen up, this is a fun one. You can also check out Benny's podcasts Going Off Track and The Tune-Up.

 If you think the importance of representation, diversity and the arts are some theoretical notions that don't have real effects on people's lives and their communities, Talia Young has a story to tell. The President and CEO of Newark Symphony Hall talks with Jersey Angle co-host Mark Bonamo on the stage of the storied century-old theater where everyone from Billy Holiday and the Rolling Stones to Jim Hendrix  and Queen Latifah have performed. She describes growing up in the dizzyingly diverse suburb of Teaneck and how that prepared her first for a career in politics, and now as the leader of one of New Jersey's most iconic, historic and fabled arts institutions. 

Episode 1: Broken and bonkers: New Jersey politics with Charlie Stile. Nobody has had a front row seat on the famously insane world of Jersey politics like Charlie Stile. A longtime reporter and political columnist for The Bergen Record and northjersey.com, Charlie has plenty of stories to tell and no compunction for calling B.S. in a world where it's hip deep. That's what he does on this episode, with a discussion of the current state of affairs, the sudden prospects for real change and the rogues gallery of characters he's written about and gotten to know over the decades. Episode recorded on location at Charlie's longtime and soon to be bulldozed hangout: A Little Taste of Cuba cigar lounge in Princeton.