Podcasts about Wolfman Jack

To discuss, "You Can't Sit Down" by The Dovells, you need to go back to "Sit Down Servant" by The Staple Singers, a joyous hymn to entering heaven with syncopated handclaps. You also need to return to the raucous instrumental version by The Philip Upchurch Combo and then you'll hear where the South Street singers got all those elements for their 1963 hit. Did you ever wanna hear Wolfman Jack & The Wolfpack do the song? We have you covered with the cover - surprisingly it sounds a lil bit like The Cramps! Australia's Purple Hearts make you stamp your hands and clap your feet, but give the singer a lozenge! Our final version is by Les Calamités and they speed that backbeat up and get their motor movin' ... Gleep gloop!!

A man and his sister run a modest hotel with a deadly secret. Sean is back with us to discuss 1980's Motel Hell, in this year's penultimate 13 Days of Halloween episode!

What does it take to keep your voice—and your purpose—strong through every season of life? In this episode of Unstoppable Mindset, I sit down with my friend Bill Ratner, one of Hollywood's most recognized voice actors, best known as Flint from GI Joe. Bill's voice has carried him through radio, animation, and narration, but what stands out most is how he's used that same voice to serve others through storytelling, teaching, and grief counseling. Together, we explore the heart behind his work—from bringing animated heroes to life to standing on The Moth stage and helping people find healing through poetry. Bill shares lessons from his own journey, including losing both parents early, finding family in unexpected places, and discovering how creative expression can rebuild what life breaks down. We also reflect on 9/11, preparedness, and the quiet confidence that comes from trusting your training—whether you're a first responder, a performer, or just navigating the unknown. This conversation isn't just about performance; it's about presence. It's about using your story, your craft, and your compassion to keep moving forward—unstoppable, one voice at a time. Highlights: 00:31 – Hear the Flint voice and what it takes to bring animated characters to life. 06:57 – Learn why an uneven college path still led to a lifelong acting career. 11:50 – Understand how GI Joe became a team and a toy phenomenon that shaped culture. 15:58 – See how comics and cartoons boosted classroom literacy when used well. 17:06 – Pick up simple ways parents can spark reading through shared stories. 19:29 – Discover how early, honest conversations about death can model resilience. 24:09 – Learn to critique ads and media like a pro to sharpen your own performance. 36:19 – Follow the pivot from radio to voiceover and why specialization pays. 47:48 – Hear practical editing approaches and accessible tools that keep shows tight. 49:38 – Learn how The Moth builds storytelling chops through timed, judged practice. 55:21 – See how poetry—and poetry therapy—support grief work with students. 59:39 – Take notes on memoir writing, emotional management, and one-person shows. About the Guest: Bill Ratner is one of America's best known voice actors and author of poetry collections Lamenting While Doing Laps in the Lake (Slow Lightning Lit 2024,) Fear of Fish (Alien Buddha Press 2021,) To Decorate a Casket (Finishing Line Press 2021,) and the non-fiction book Parenting For The Digital Age: The Truth Behind Media's Effect On Children and What To Do About It (Familius Books 2014.) He is a 9-time winner of the Moth StorySLAM, 2-time winner of Best of The Hollywood Fringe Extension Award for Solo Performance, Best of the Net Poetry Nominee 2023 (Lascaux Review,) and New Millennium "America One Year From Now" Writing Award Finalist. His writing appears in Best Small Fictions 2021 (Sonder Press,) Missouri Review (audio,) Baltimore Review, Chiron Review, Feminine Collective, and other journals. He is the voice of "Flint" in the TV cartoon G.I. Joe, "Donnell Udina" in the computer game Mass Effect, the voice of Air Disasters on Smithsonian Channel, NewsNation, and network TV affiliates across the country. He is a committee chair for his union, SAG-AFTRA, teaches Voiceovers for SAG-AFTRA Foundation, Media Awareness for Los Angeles Unified School District, and is a trained grief counsellor. Member: Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA, National Storytelling Network • https://billratner.com • @billratner Ways to connect with Bill: https://soundcloud.com/bill-ratner https://www.instagram.com/billratner/ https://twitter.com/billratner https://www.threads.net/@billratner https://billratner.tumblr.com https://www.youtube.com/@billratner/videos https://www.facebook.com/billratner.voiceover.author https://bsky.app/profile/bilorat.bsky.social About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset . Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes: Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well on a gracious hello to you, wherever you may be, I am your host. Mike hingson, and you are listening to unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to have a voice actor, person, Bill Ratner, who you want to know who Bill Radnor is, go back and watch the old GI Joe cartoons and listen to the voice of Flint.   Bill Ratner ** 01:42 All right. Lady Jay, you better get your battle gear on, because Cobra is on their way. And I can't bring up the Lacher threat weapon system. We got to get out of here. Yo, Joe,   Michael Hingson ** 01:52 there you go. I rest my case Well, Bill, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Bill Ratner ** 02:00 We can't rest now. Michael, we've just begun. No, we've just begun.   Michael Hingson ** 02:04 We got to keep going here. Well, I'm really glad that you're here. Bill is another person who we inveigled to get on unstoppable mindset with the help of Walden Hughes. And so that means we can talk about Walden all we want today. Bill just saying, oh goodness. And I got a lot to say. Let me tell you perfect, perfect. Bring it on. So we are really grateful to Walden, although I hope he's not listening. We don't want to give him a big head. But no, seriously, we're really grateful. Ah, good point.   Bill Ratner ** 02:38 But his posture, oddly enough, is perfect.   Michael Hingson ** 02:40 Well, there you go. What do you do? He practiced. Well, anyway, we're glad you're here. Tell us about the early bill, growing up and all that stuff. It's always fun to start a good beginning.   Bill Ratner ** 02:54 Well, I was a very lucky little boy. I was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1947 to two lovely people, professionals, both with master's degree out at University of Chicago. My mother was a social worker. My father had an MBA in business. He was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. So I had the joy of living in a better home and living in a garden.   Michael Hingson ** 03:21 My mother. How long were you in Des Moines?   Bill Ratner ** 03:24 Five and a half years left before my sixth birthday. My dad got a fancy job at an ad agency in Minneapolis, and had a big brother named Pete and big handsome, curly haired boy with green eyes. And moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was was brought up there.   Michael Hingson ** 03:45 Wow. So you went to school there and and chased the girls and all that stuff.   Bill Ratner ** 03:54 I went to school there at Blake School for Boys in Hopkins, Minnesota. Couldn't chase the girls day school, but the girls we are allowed to dance with certainly not chase. Michael was at woodhue dancing school, the Northrop girls from Northrop girls school and the Blake boys were put together in eighth grade and taught the Cha Cha Cha, the waltz, the Charleston, and we danced together, and the girls wore white gloves, and we sniffed their perfume, and we all learned how to be lovers when we were 45   Michael Hingson ** 04:37 There you are. Well, as long as you learned at some point, that's a good start.   Bill Ratner ** 04:44 It's a weird generation. Michael,   Michael Hingson ** 04:46 I've been to Des Moines before. I was born in Chicago, but moved out to California when I was five, but I did some work with the National Federation of the Blind in the mid 19. 1970s 1976 into 1978 so spent time at the Iowa Commission for the Blind in Des Moines, which became a top agency for the Blind in well, the late 50s into the to the 60s and so on. So   Bill Ratner ** 05:15 both my parents are from Chicago. My father from the south side of Chicago, 44th and Kenzie, which was a Irish, Polish, Italian, Jewish, Ukrainian neighborhood. And my mother from Glencoe, which was a middle class suburb above Northwestern University in Evanston.   Michael Hingson ** 05:34 I Where were you born? 57th and union, north, south side, no, South   Bill Ratner ** 05:42 57th union is that? Is that west of Kenzie?   Michael Hingson ** 05:46 You know, I don't remember the geography well enough to know, but I know that it was, I think, Mount Sinai Hospital where I was born. But it was, it's, it's, it's a pretty tough neighborhood today. So I understand,   Bill Ratner ** 06:00 yeah, yeah, my it was tough, then it's tough now,   Michael Hingson ** 06:03 yeah, I think it's tougher, supposedly, than it was. But we lived there for five years, and then we we moved to California, and I remember some things about Chicago. I remember walking down to the local candy store most days, and had no problem doing that. My parents were told they should shut me away at a home somewhere, because no blind child could ever grow up to amount to anything. And my parents said, You guys are you're totally wrong. And they brought me up with that attitude. So, you   Bill Ratner ** 06:32 know who said that the school says school so that   Michael Hingson ** 06:35 doctors doctors when they discovered I was blind with the   Bill Ratner ** 06:38 kid, goodness gracious, horrified.   Michael Hingson ** 06:44 Well, my parents said absolutely not, and they brought me up, and they actually worked with other parents of premature kids who became blind, and when kindergarten started in for us in in the age of four, they actually had a special kindergarten class for blind kids at the Perry School, which is where I went. And so I did that for a year, learn braille and some other things. Then we moved to California, but yeah, and I go back to Chicago every so often. And when I do nowadays, they I one of my favorite places to migrate in Chicago is Garrett Popcorn.   Bill Ratner ** 07:21 Ah, yes, with caramel corn, regular corn, the   Michael Hingson ** 07:25 Chicago blend, which is a mixture, yeah, the Chicago blend is cheese corn, well, as it is with caramel corn, and they put much other mozzarella on it as well. It's really good.   Bill Ratner ** 07:39 Yeah, so we're on the air. Michael, what do you call your what do you call your program? Here I am your new friend, and I can't even announce your program because I don't know   Michael Hingson ** 07:48 the name, unstoppable mindset. This   Bill Ratner ** 07:51 is unstoppable mindset.   Michael Hingson ** 07:56 We're back. Well, we're back already. We're fast. So you, you, you moved off elsewhere, out of Des Moines and all that. And where did you go to college?   Bill Ratner ** 08:09 Well, this is like, why did you this is, this is a bit like talking about the Vietnam War. Looking back on my college career is like looking back on the Vietnam War series, a series of delusions and defeats. By the time I the time i for college, by the time I was applying for college, I was an orphan, orphan, having been born to fabulous parents who died too young of natural causes. So my grades in high school were my mediocre. I couldn't get into the Ivy Leagues. I got into the big 10 schools. My stepmother said, you're going to Michigan State in East Lansing because your cousin Eddie became a successful realtor. And Michigan State was known as mu u it was the most successful, largest agriculture college and university in the country. Kids from South Asia, China, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, South America all over the world came to Michigan State to study agricultural sciences, children of rich farmers all over the world and middle class farmers all over the world, and a huge police science department. Part of the campus was fenced off, and the young cadets, 1819, 20 years old, would practice on the rest of the student body, uniformed with hats and all right, excuse me, young man, we're just going to get some pizza at eight o'clock on Friday night. Stand against your car. Hands in your car. I said, Are you guys practicing again? Shut up and spread your legs. So that was that was Michigan State, and even though both my parents had master's degrees, I just found all the diversions available in the 1960s to be too interesting, and was not invited. Return after my sophomore year, and in order to flunk out of a big 10 University, and they're fine universities, all of them, you have to be either really determined or not so smart, not really capable of doing that level of study in undergraduate school. And I'd like to think that I was determined. I used to show up for my exams with a little blue book, and the only thing I would write is due to lack of knowledge, I am unable to complete this exam, sign Bill ranter and get up early and hand it in and go off. And so what was, what was left for a young man like that was the theater I'd seen the great Zero Mostel when I was 14 years old and on stage live, he looked just like my father, and he was funny, and if I Were a rich man, and that's the grade zero must tell. Yeah, and it took about five, no, it took about six, seven years to percolate inside my bread and my brain. In high school, I didn't want to do theater. The cheerleaders and guys who I had didn't happen to be friends with or doing theater. I took my girlfriends to see plays, but when I was 21 I started acting, and I've been an actor ever since. I'm a committee chair on the screen actors guild in Hollywood and Screen Actors Guild AFTRA, and work as a voice actor and collect my pensions and God bless the union.   Michael Hingson ** 11:44 Well, hey, as long as it works and you're making progress, you know you're still with it, right?   Bill Ratner ** 11:53 That's the that's the point. There's no accounting for taste in my business. Michael, you work for a few different broadcast entities at my age. And it's, you know, it's younger people. It's 18 to 3418 years to 34 years old is the ideal demographic for advertisers, Ford, Motor Company, Dove soap, Betty, Crocker, cake mixes and cereals, every conceivable product that sold online or sold on television and radio. This is my this is my meat, and I don't work for religion. However, if a religious organization calls, I call and say, I I'm not, not qualified or not have my divinity degree in order to sell your church to the public?   Michael Hingson ** 12:46 Yeah, yeah. Well, I, I can understand that. But you, you obviously do a lot, and as we talked about, you were Flint and GI Joe, which is kind of cool.   Bill Ratner ** 13:01 Flynn GI Joe was very cool. Hasbro Corporation, which was based in Providence, Rhode Island, had a huge success with GI Joe, the figure. The figure was about 11 and a half inches tall, like a Barbie, and was at first, was introduced to the public after the Korean War. There is a comic book that was that was also published about GI Joe. He was an individual figure. He was a figure, a sort of mythic cartoon figure during World War Two, GI Joe, generic American soldier, fighting man and but the Vietnam war dragged on for a long time, and the American buying public or buying kids toys got tired of GI Joe, got tired of a military figure in their household and stopped buying. And when Nixon ended the Vietnam War, or allotted to finish in 1974 Hasbro was in the tank. It's got its stock was cheap, and executives are getting nervous. And then came the Great George Lucas in Star Wars, who shrank all these action figures down from 11 and a half inches to three and a half inches, and went to China and had Chinese game and toy makers make Star Wars toys, and began to earn billions and billions dollars. And so Hasbro said, let's turn GI Joe into into a team. And the team began with flint and Lady J and Scarlett and Duke and Destro and cover commander, and grew to 85 different characters, because Hasbro and the toy maker partners could create 85 different sets of toys and action figures. So I was actor in this show and had a good time, and also a purveyor of a billion dollar industry of American toys. And the good news about these toys is I was at a conference where we signed autographs the voice actors, and we have supper with fans and so on. And I was sitting next to a 30 year old kid and his parents. And this kid was so knowledgeable about pop culture and every conceivable children's show and animated show that had ever been on the screen or on television. I turned to his mother and sort of being a wise acre, said, So ma'am, how do you feel about your 30 year old still playing with GI Joe action figures? And she said, Well, he and I both teach English in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania school system, and last year, the literacy level of my ninth graders was 50% 50% of those kids could not read in ninth grade. So I asked the principal if I could borrow my son's GI Joe, action figures, comic books and VHS tapes, recordings of the shows from TV. And he said, Sure, whatever you want to try. And so she did, and she played the video tapes, and these kids were thrilled. They'd never seen a GI Joe cartoon in class before. Passed out the comic books, let him read comics. And then she said, Okay, you guys. And passed out notebooks and pens and pencils, and said, I want you guys to make up some some shows, some GI Joe shows. And so they said, Yeah, we're ready. All right, Cobra, you better get into the barber shop, because the barber bill is no longer there and the fire engines are in the way. And wait a minute, there's a dog in the street. And so they're making this up, using their imagination, doing their schoolwork, by coming up with scenarios, imaginary fam fan fiction for GI Joe and she raised the literacy level in her classroom by 50% that year, by the end of that year, so, so that was the only story that I've ever heard about the sort of the efficacy of GI Joe, other than, you know, kids play with them. Do they? Are they shooting each other all the time? I certainly hope not. I hope not. Are they using the action figures? Do they strip their guns off and put them in a little, you know, stub over by the side and and have them do physical battle with each other, or have them hump the woods, or have them climb the stairs, or have them search the trees. Who knows what kids do? Same with same with girls and and Barbies. Barbie has been a source of fun and creativity for lots of girls, and the source of of worry and bother to a lot of parents as   Michael Hingson ** 17:54 well. Well, at the same time, though, when kids start to react and relate to some of these things. It's, it's pretty cool. I mean, look what's happened with the whole Harry Potter movement and craze. Harry Potter has probably done more in the last 20 or 25 years to promote reading for kids than most anything else, and   Bill Ratner ** 18:17 that's because it's such a good series of books. I read them to my daughters, yeah. And the quality of writing. She was a brilliant writer, not only just the stories and the storytelling, which is fun to watch in the movies, and you know, it's great for a parent to read. If there are any parents listening, I don't care how old your kids are. I don't care if they're 15. Offer to read to them. The 15 year old might, of course, say mom, but anybody younger than that might say either, all right, fine, which is, which means you better do it or read, read a book. To me, sure, it's fun for the parent, fun for the kid, and it makes the child a completely different kind of thinker and worker and earner.   Michael Hingson ** 19:05 Well, also the people who they got to read the books for the recordings Stephen Fry and in the US here, Jim Dale did such an incredible job as well. I've, I've read the whole Harry Potter series more than once, because I just enjoy them, and I enjoy listening to the the voices. They do such a good job. Yeah. And of course, for me, one of the interesting stories that I know about Jim Dale reading Harry Potter was since it was published by Scholastic he was actually scheduled to do a reading from one of the Harry from the new Harry Potter book that was coming out in 2001 on September 11, he was going to be at Scholastic reading. And of course, that didn't happen because of of everything that did occur. So I don't know whether I'm. I'm assuming at some point a little bit later, he did, but still he was scheduled to be there and read. But it they are there. They've done so much to help promote reading, and a lot of those kinds of cartoons and so on. Have done some of that, which is, which is pretty good. So it's good to, you know, to see that continue to happen. Well, so you've written several books on poetry and so on, and I know that you you've mentioned more than once grief and loss. How come those words keep coming up?   Bill Ratner ** 20:40 Well, I had an unusual childhood. Again. I mentioned earlier how, what a lucky kid I was. My parents were happy, educated, good people, not abusers. You know, I don't have a I don't have horror stories to tell about my mother or my father, until my mother grew sick with breast cancer and and it took about a year and a half or two years to die when I was seven years old. The good news is, because she was a sensitive, educated social worker, as she was actually dying, she arranged a death counseling session with me and my older brother and the Unitarian minister who was also a death counselor, and whom she was seeing to talk about, you know, what it was like to be dying of breast cancer with two young kids. And at this session, which was sort of surprised me, I was second grade, came home from school. In the living room was my mother and my brother looking a little nervous, and Dr Carl storm from the Unitarian Church, and she said, you know, Dr storm from church, but he's also my therapist. And we talk about my illness and how I feel, and we talk about how much I love you boys, and talk about how I worry about Daddy. And this is what one does when one is in crisis. That was a moment that was not traumatic for me. It's a moment I recalled hundreds of times, and one that has been a guiding light through my life. My mother's death was very difficult for my older brother, who was 13 who grew up in World War Two without without my father, it was just him and my mother when he was off in the Pacific fighting in World War Two. And then I was born after the war. And the loss of a mother in a family is like the bottom dropping out of a family. But luckily, my dad met a woman he worked with a highly placed advertising executive, which was unusual for a female in the 1950s and she became our stepmother a year later, and we had some very lovely, warm family years with her extended family and our extended family and all of us together until my brother got sick, came down with kidney disease a couple of years before kidney dialysis was invented, and a couple of years before kidney transplants were done, died at 19. Had been the captain of the swimming team at our high school, but did a year in college out in California and died on Halloween of 1960 my father was 51 years old. His eldest son had died. He had lost his wife six years earlier. He was working too hard in the advertising industry, successful man and dropped out of a heart attack 14th birthday. Gosh, I found him unconscious on the floor of our master bathroom in our house. So my life changed. I My life has taught me many, many things. It's taught me how the defense system works in trauma. It's taught me the resilience of a child. It's taught me the kindness of strangers. It's taught me the sadness of loss.   Michael Hingson ** 24:09 Well, you, you seem to come through all of it pretty well. Well, thank you. A question behind that, just an observation, but, but you do seem to, you know, obviously, cope with all of it and do pretty well. So you, you've always liked to be involved in acting and so on. How did you actually end up deciding to be a voice actor?   Bill Ratner ** 24:39 Well, my dad, after he was managing editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in Des Moines for Meredith publishing, got offered a fancy job as executive vice president of the flower and mix division for Campbell within advertising and later at General Mills Corporation. From Betty Crocker brand, and would bring me to work all the time, and would sit with me, and we'd watch the wonderful old westerns that were on prime time television, rawhide and Gunsmoke and the Virginian and sure   Michael Hingson ** 25:15 and all those. Yeah, during   Bill Ratner ** 25:17 the commercials, my father would make fun of the commercials. Oh, look at that guy. And number one, son, that's lousy acting. Number two, listen to that copy. It's the dumbest ad copy I've ever seen. The jingles and and then he would say, No, that's a good commercial, right there. And he wasn't always negative. He would he was just a good critic of advertising. So at a very young age, starting, you know, when we watch television, I think the first television ever, he bought us when I was five years old, I was around one of the most educated, active, funny, animated television critics I could hope to have in my life as a 56789, 1011, 12 year old. And so when I was 12, I became one of the founding members of the Brotherhood of radio stations with my friends John Waterhouse and John Barstow and Steve gray and Bill Connors in South Minneapolis. I named my five watt night kit am transmitter after my sixth grade teacher, Bob close this is wclo stereo radio. And when I was in sixth grade, I built myself a switch box, and I had a turntable and I had an intercom, and I wired my house for sound, as did all the other boys in the in the B, O, R, S, and that's brotherhood of radio stations. And we were guests on each other's shows, and we were obsessed, and we would go to the shopping malls whenever a local DJ was making an appearance and torture him and ask him dumb questions and listen obsessively to American am radio. And at the time for am radio, not FM like today, or internet on your little radio tuner, all the big old grandma and grandpa radios, the wooden ones, were AM, for amplitude modulated. You could get stations at night, once the sun went down and the later it got, the ionosphere would lift and the am radio signals would bounce higher and farther. And in Minneapolis, at age six and seven, I was able to to listen to stations out of Mexico and Texas and Chicago, and was absolutely fascinated with with what was being put out. And I would, I would switch my brother when I was about eight years old, gave me a transistor radio, which I hid under my bed covers. And at night, would turn on and listen for, who knows, hours at a time, and just tuning the dial and tuning the dial from country to rock and roll to hit parade to news to commercials to to agric agriculture reports to cow crossings in Kansas and grain harvesting and cheese making in Wisconsin, and on and on and on that made up the great medium of radio that was handing its power and its business over to television, just as I was growing As a child. Fast, fascinating transition   Michael Hingson ** 28:18 and well, but as it was transitioning, how did that affect you?   Bill Ratner ** 28:26 It made television the romantic, exciting, dynamic medium. It made radio seem a little limited and antiquated, and although I listened for environment and wasn't able to drag a television set under my covers. Yeah, and television became memorable with with everything from actual world war two battle footage being shown because there wasn't enough programming to 1930s Warner Brothers gangster movies with James Cagney, Edward G   Michael Hingson ** 29:01 Robinson and yeah   Bill Ratner ** 29:02 to all the sitcoms, Leave It to Beaver and television cartoons and on and on and on. And the most memorable elements to me were the personalities, and some of whom were invisible. Five years old, I was watching a Kids program after school, after kindergarten. We'll be back with more funny puppets, marionettes after this message and the first words that came on from an invisible voice of this D baritone voice, this commercial message will be 60 seconds long, Chrysler Dodge for 1954 blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I watched hypnotized, hypnotized as a 1953 dodge drove across the screen with a happy family of four waving out the window. And at the end of the commercial, I ran into the kitchen said, Mom, mom, I know what a minute. Is, and it was said, it had suddenly come into my brain in one of those very rare and memorable moments in a person's life where your brain actually speaks to you in its own private language and says, Here is something very new and very true, that 60 seconds is in fact a minute. When someone says, See you in five minutes, they mean five times that, five times as long as that. Chrysler commercial, five times 60. That's 300 seconds. And she said, Did you learn it that that on T in kindergarten? And I said, No, I learned it from kangaroo Bob on TV, his announcer, oh, kangaroo Bob, no, but this guy was invisible. And so at five years of age, I was aware of the existence of the practice of the sound, of the magic of the seemingly unlimited access to facts, figures, products, brand names that these voices had and would say on the air in This sort of majestic, patriarchal way,   Michael Hingson ** 31:21 and just think 20 years later, then you had James Earl Jones,   Bill Ratner ** 31:26 the great dame. James Earl Jones, father was a star on stage at that time the 1950s James Earl Jones came of age in the 60s and became Broadway and off Broadway star.   Michael Hingson ** 31:38 I got to see him in Othello. He was playing Othello. What a powerful performance. It was   Bill Ratner ** 31:43 wonderful performer. Yeah, yeah. I got to see him as Big Daddy in Canada, Hot Tin Roof, ah, live and in person, he got front row seats for me and my family.   Michael Hingson ** 31:53 Yeah, we weren't in the front row, but we saw it. We saw it on on Broadway,   Bill Ratner ** 31:58 the closest I ever got to James Earl Jones. He and I had the same voice over agent, woman named Rita vinari of southern Barth and benare company. And I came into the agency to audition for Doritos, and I hear this magnificent voice coming from behind a closed voiceover booth, saying, with a with a Spanish accent, Doritos. I thought that's James Earl Jones. Why is he saying burritos? And he came out, and he bowed to me, nodded and smiled, and I said, hello and and the agent probably in the booth and shut the door. And she said, I said, that was James Earl Jones. What a voice. What she said, Oh, he's such a nice man. And she said, but I couldn't. I was too embarrassed. I was too afraid to stop him from saying, Doritos. And it turns out he didn't get the gig. So it is some other voice actor got it because he didn't say, had he said Doritos with the agent froze it froze up. That was as close as I ever got to did you get the gig? Oh goodness no,   Michael Hingson ** 33:01 no, you didn't, huh? Oh, well, well, yeah. I mean, it was a very, it was, it was wonderful. It was James Earl Jones and Christopher Plummer played Iago. Oh, goodness, oh, I know. What a what a combination. Well, so you, you did a lot of voiceover stuff. What did you do regarding radio moving forward? Or did you just go completely out of that and you were in TV? Or did you have any opportunity   Bill Ratner ** 33:33 for me to go back at age 15, my brother and father, who were big supporters of my radio. My dad would read my W, C, l, o, newsletter and need an initial, an excellent journalism son and my brother would bring his teenage friends up. He'd play the elderly brothers, man, you got an Elvis record, and I did. And you know, they were, they were big supporters for me as a 13 year old, but when I turned 14, and had lost my brother and my father, I lost my enthusiasm and put all of my radio equipment in a box intended to play with it later. Never, ever, ever did again. And when I was about 30 years old and I'd done years of acting in the theater, having a great time doing fun plays and small theaters in Minneapolis and South Dakota and and Oakland, California and San Francisco. I needed money, so I looked in the want ads and saw a job for telephone sales, and I thought, Well, I used to love the telephone. I used to make phony phone calls to people all the time. Used to call funeral homes. Hi Carson, funeral I help you. Yes, I'm calling to tell you that you have a you have a dark green slate tile. Roof, isn't that correct? Yes. Well, there's, there's a corpse on your roof. Lady for goodness sake, bring it down and we laugh and we record it and and so I thought, Well, gee, I used to have a lot of fun with the phone. And so I called the number of telephone sales and got hired to sell magazine subscriptions and dinner tickets to Union dinners and all kinds of things. And then I saw a new job at a radio station, suburban radio station out in Walnut Creek, California, a lovely Metro BART train ride. And so I got on the BART train, rode out there and walked in for the interview, and was told I was going to be selling small advertising packages on radio for the station on the phone. And so I called barber shops and beauty shops and gas stations in the area, and one guy picked up the phone and said, Wait a minute, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Are you on the radio right now? And I said, No, I'm just I'm in the sales room. Well, maybe you should be. And he slams the phone on me. He didn't want to talk to me anymore. It wasn't interested in buying advertising. I thought, gee. And I told somebody at the station, and they said, Well, you want to be in the radio? And he went, Yeah, I was on the radio when I was 13. And it just so happened that an older fellow was retiring from the 10am to 2pm slot. K I S King, kiss 99 and KD FM, Pittsburgh, California. And it was a beautiful music station. It was a music station. Remember, old enough will remember music that used to play in elevators that was like violin music, the Percy faith orchestra playing a Rolling Stone song here in the elevator. Yes, well, that's exactly what we played. And it would have been harder to get a job at the local rock stations because, you know, they were popular places. And so I applied for the job, and   Michael Hingson ** 37:06 could have lost your voice a lot sooner, and it would have been a lot harder if you had had to do Wolfman Jack. But that's another story.   Bill Ratner ** 37:13 Yeah, I used to listen to Wolf Man Jack. I worked in a studio in Hollywood. He became a studio. Yeah, big time.   Michael Hingson ** 37:22 Anyway, so you you got to work at the muzack station, got   Bill Ratner ** 37:27 to work at the muzack station, and I was moving to Los Angeles to go to a bigger market, to attempt to penetrate a bigger broadcast market. And one of the sales guys, a very nice guy named Ralph pizzella said, Well, when you get to La you should study with a friend of mine down to pie Troy, he teaches voiceovers. I said, What are voice overs? He said, You know that CVS Pharmacy commercial just carted up and did 75 tags, available in San Fernando, available in San Clemente, available in Los Angeles, available in Pasadena. And I said, Yeah. He said, Well, you didn't get paid any extra. You got paid your $165 a week. The guy who did that commercial for the ad agency got paid probably 300 bucks, plus extra for the tags, that's voiceovers. And I thought, why? There's an idea, what a concept. So he gave me the name and number of old friend acquaintance of his who he'd known in radio, named Don DiPietro, alias Johnny rabbit, who worked for the Dick Clark organization, had a big rock and roll station there. He'd come to LA was doing voiceovers and teaching voiceover classes in a little second story storefront out of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. So I signed up for his class, and he was an experienced guy, and he liked me, and we all had fun, and I realized I was beginning to study like an actor at 1818, who goes to New York or goes to Los Angeles or Chicago or Atlanta or St Louis to act in the big theaters, and starts acting classes and realizes, oh my goodness, these people are truly professionals. I don't know how to do what they do. And so for six years, I took voice over classes, probably 4050, nights a year, and from disc jockeys, from ex show hosts, from actors, from animated cartoon voices, and put enough time in to get a degree in neurology in medical school. And worked my way up in radio in Los Angeles and had a morning show, a lovely show with a wonderful news man named Phil Reed, and we talked about things and reviewed movies and and played a lot of music. And then I realized, wait a minute, I'm earning three times the money in voiceovers as I am on the radio, and I have to get up at 430 in the morning to be on the radio. Uh, and a wonderful guy who was Johnny Carson's staff announcer named Jack angel said, You're not still on radio, are you? And I said, Well, yeah, I'm working in the morning. And Ka big, get out of there. Man, quit. Quit. And I thought, well, how can I quit? I've always wanted to be a radio announcer. And then there was another wonderful guy on the old am station, kmpc, sweet Dick Whittington. Whittington, right? And he said at a seminar that I went to at a union voice over training class, when you wake up at four in the morning and you swing your legs over the bed and your shoes hit the floor, and you put your head in your hands, and you say to yourself, I don't want to do this anymore. That's when you quit radio. Well, that hadn't happened to me. I was just getting up early to write some comedy segments and on and on and on, and then I was driving around town all day doing auditions and rented an ex girlfriend's second bedroom so that I could nap by myself during the day, when I had an hour in and I would as I would fall asleep, I'd picture myself every single day I'm in a dark voiceover studio, a microphone Is before me, a music stand is before the microphone, and on it is a piece of paper with advertising copy on it. On the other side of the large piece of glass of the recording booth are three individuals, my employers, I begin to read, and somehow the text leaps off the page, streams into my eyes, letter for letter, word for word, into a part of my back brain that I don't understand and can't describe. It is processed in my semi conscious mind with the help of voice over training and hope and faith, and comes out my mouth, goes into the microphone, is recorded in the digital recorder, and those three men, like little monkeys, lean forward and say, Wow, how do you do that? That was my daily creative visualization. Michael, that was my daily fantasy. And I had learned that from from Dale Carnegie, and I had learned that from Olympic athletes on NBC TV in the 60s and 70s, when the announcer would say, this young man you're seeing practicing his high jump is actually standing there. He's standing stationary, and the bouncing of the head is he's actually rehearsing in his mind running and running and leaping over the seven feet two inch bar and falling into the sawdust. And now he's doing it again, and you could just barely see the man nodding his head on camera at the exact rhythm that he would be running the 25 yards toward the high bar and leaping, and he raised his head up during the imaginary lead that he was visualizing, and then he actually jumped the seven foot two inches. That's how I learned about creative visualization from NBC sports on TV.   Michael Hingson ** 43:23 Channel Four in Los Angeles. There you go. Well, so you you broke into voice over, and that's what you did.   Bill Ratner ** 43:38 That's what I did, darn it, I ain't stopping now, there's a wonderful old actor named Bill Irwin. There two Bill Irwin's one is a younger actor in his 50s or 60s, a brilliant actor from Broadway to film and TV. There's an older William Irwin. They also named Bill Irwin, who's probably in his 90s now. And I went to a premiere of a film, and he was always showing up in these films as The senile stock broker who answers the phone upside down, or the senile board member who always asks inappropriate questions. And I went up to him and I said, you know, I see you in everything, man. I'm 85 years old. Some friends and associates of mine tell me I should slow down. I only got cast in movies and TV when I was 65 I ain't slowing down. If I tried to slow down at 85 I'd have to stop That's my philosophy. My hero is the great Don Pardo, the late great   Michael Hingson ** 44:42 for Saturday Night Live and Jeopardy   Bill Ratner ** 44:45 lives starring Bill Murray, Gilder Radner, and   Michael Hingson ** 44:49 he died for Jeopardy before that,   Bill Ratner ** 44:52 yeah, died at 92 with I picture him, whether it probably not, with a microphone and. His hand in his in his soundproof booth, in his in his garage, and I believe he lived in Arizona, although the show was aired and taped in New York, New York, right where he worked for for decades as a successful announcer. So that's the story.   Michael Hingson ** 45:16 Michael. Well, you know, I miss, very frankly, some of the the the days of radio back in the 60s and 70s and so on. We had, in LA what you mentioned, Dick Whittington, Dick whittinghill on kmpc, Gary Owens, you know, so many people who were such wonderful announcers and doing some wonderful things, and radio just isn't the same anymore. It's gone. It's   Bill Ratner ** 45:47 gone to Tiktok and YouTube. And the truth is, I'm not gonna whine about Tiktok or YouTube, because some of the most creative moments on camera are being done on Tiktok and YouTube by young quote influencers who hire themselves out to advertisers, everything from lipstick. You know,   Speaker 1 ** 46:09 when I went to a party last night was just wild and but this makeup look, watch me apply this lip remover and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, no, I have no lip.   Bill Ratner ** 46:20 You know, these are the people with the voices. These are the new voices. And then, of course, the faces. And so I would really advise before, before people who, in fact, use the internet. If you use the internet, you can't complain if you use the internet, if you go to Facebook or Instagram, or you get collect your email or Google, this or that, which most of us do, it's handy. You can't complain about tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. You can't complain about tick tock or YouTube, because it's what the younger generation is using, and it's what the younger generation advertisers and advertising executives and creators and musicians and actors are using to parade before us, as Gary Owens did, as Marlon Brando did, as Sarah Bernhardt did in the 19 so as all as you do, Michael, you're a parader. You're the head of the parade. You've been in on your own float for years. I read your your bio. I don't even know why you want to waste a minute talking to me for goodness sakes.   Michael Hingson ** 47:26 You know, the one thing about podcasts that I like over radio, and I did radio at kuci for seven years when I was in school, what I really like about podcasts is they're not and this is also would be true for Tiktok and YouTube. Primarily Tiktok, I would would say it isn't as structured. So if we don't finish in 60 minutes, and we finish in 61 minutes, no one's gonna shoot us.   Bill Ratner ** 47:53 Well, I beg to differ with you. Now. I'm gonna start a fight with you. Michael, yeah, we need conflict in this script. Is that it The Tick Tock is very structured. Six. No,   Michael Hingson ** 48:03 no, I understand that. I'm talking about podcasts,   Bill Ratner ** 48:07 though, but there's a problem. We gotta Tone It Up. We gotta pick it up. We gotta there's a lot of and I listen to what are otherwise really bright, wonderful personalities on screen, celebrities who have podcasts and the car sucks, and then I had meatballs for dinner, haha. And you know what my wife said? Why? You know? And there's just too much of that. And,   Michael Hingson ** 48:32 oh, I understand, yeah. I mean, it's like, like anything, but I'm just saying that's one of the reasons I love podcasting. So it's my way of continuing what I used to do in radio and having a lot of fun doing it   Bill Ratner ** 48:43 all right, let me ask you. Let me ask you a technical and editorial question. Let me ask you an artistic question. An artist, can you edit this podcast? Yeah. Are you? Do you plan to Nope.   Michael Hingson ** 48:56 I think conversations are conversations, but there is a but, I mean,   Bill Ratner ** 49:01 there have been starts and stops and I answer a question, and there's a long pause, and then, yeah, we can do you edit that stuff   Michael Hingson ** 49:08 out. We do, we do, edit some of that out. And I have somebody that that that does a lot of it, because I'm doing more podcasts, and also I travel and speak, but I can edit. There's a program called Reaper, which is really a very sophisticated   Bill Ratner ** 49:26 close up spaces. You   Michael Hingson ** 49:28 can close up spaces with it, yes, but the neat thing about Reaper is that somebody has written scripts to make it incredibly accessible for blind people using screen readers.   Bill Ratner ** 49:40 What does it do? What does it do? Give me the elevator pitch.   Michael Hingson ** 49:46 You've seen some of the the programs that people use, like computer vision and other things to do editing of videos and so on. Yeah.   Bill Ratner ** 49:55 Yeah. Even Apple. Apple edit. What is it called? Apple? Garage Band. No, that's audio. What's that   Michael Hingson ** 50:03 audio? Oh,   Bill Ratner ** 50:06 quick time is quick   Michael Hingson ** 50:07 time. But whether it's video or audio, the point is that Reaper allows me to do all of that. I can edit audio. I can insert, I can remove pauses. I can do anything with Reaper that anyone else can do editing audio, because it's been made completely accessible.   Bill Ratner ** 50:27 That's great. That's good. That's nice. Oh, it is. It's cool.   Michael Hingson ** 50:31 So so if I want, I can edit this and just have my questions and then silence when you're talking.   Bill Ratner ** 50:38 That might be best. Ladies and gentlemen, here's Bill Ratner,   Michael Hingson ** 50:46 yep, exactly, exactly. Now you have won the moth stories. Slam, what? Tell me about my story. Slam, you've won it nine times.   Bill Ratner ** 51:00 The Moth was started by a writer, a novelist who had lived in the South and moved to New York City, successful novelist named George Dawes green. And the inception of the moth, which many people listening are familiar with from the Moth Radio Hour. It was, I believe, either late 90s or early 2000s when he'd been in New York for a while and was was publishing as a fiction writer, and threw a party, and decided, instead of going to one of these dumb, boring parties or the same drinks being served and same cigarettes being smoked out in the veranda and the same orders. I'm going to ask people to bring a five minute story, a personal story, nature, a true story. You don't have to have one to get into the party, but I encourage you to. And so you know, the 3040, 50 people showed up, many of whom had stories, and they had a few drinks, and they had hors d'oeuvres. And then he said, Okay, ladies and gentlemen, take your seats. It's time for and then I picked names out of a hat, and person after person after person stood up in a very unusual setting, which was almost never done at parties. You How often do you see that happen? Suddenly, the room falls silent, and someone with permission being having been asked by the host to tell a personal story, some funny, some tragic, some complex, some embarrassing, some racy, some wild, some action filled. And afterward, the feedback he got from his friends was, this is the most amazing experience I've ever had in my life. And someone said, you need to do this. And he said, Well, you people left a lot of cigarette butts and beer cans around my apartment. And they said, well, let's do it at a coffee shop. Let's do it at a church basement. So slowly but surely, the moth storytelling, story slams, which were designed after the old poetry slams in the 50s and 60s, where they were judged contests like, like a dance contest. Everybody's familiar with dance contests? Well, there were, then came poetry contests with people singing and, you know, and singing and really energetically, really reading. There then came storytelling contests with people standing on a stage before a silent audience, telling a hopefully interesting, riveting story, beginning middle, end in five minutes. And so a coffee house was found. A monthly calendar was set up. Then came the internet. Then it was so popular standing room only that they had to open yet another and another, and today, some 20 years later, 20 some years later, from Austin, Texas to San Francisco, California to Minneapolis, Minnesota to New York City to Los Angeles. There are moth story slams available on online for you to schedule yourself to go live and in person at the moth.org as in the moth with wings. Friend of mine, I was in New York. He said, You can't believe it. This writer guy, a writer friend of mine who I had read, kind of an avant garde, strange, funny writer was was hosting something called the moth in New York, and we were texting each other. He said, Well, I want to go. The theme was show business. I was going to talk to my Uncle Bobby, who was the bell boy. And I Love Lucy. I'll tell a story. And I texted him that day. He said, Oh man, I'm so sorry. I had the day wrong. It's next week. Next week, I'm going to be back home. And so he said, Well, I think there's a moth in Los Angeles. So about 15 years ago, I searched it down and what? Went to a small Korean barbecue that had a tiny little stage that originally was for Korean musicians, and it was now being used for everything from stand up comedy to evenings of rock and roll to now moth storytelling once a month. And I think the theme was first time. And so I got up and told a silly story and didn't win first prize. They have judges that volunteer judges a table of three judges scoring, you like, at a swim meet or a track beat or, you know, and our gymnastics meet. So this is all sort of familiar territory for everybody, except it's storytelling and not high jumping or pull ups. And I kept going back. I was addicted to it. I would write a story and I'd memorize it, and I'd show up and try to make it four minutes and 50 seconds and try to make it sound like I was really telling a story and not reading from a script. And wish I wasn't, because I would throw the script away, and I knew the stories well enough. And then they created a radio show. And then I began to win slams and compete in the grand slams. And then I started submitting these 750 word, you know, two and a half page stories. Literary magazines got a few published and found a whole new way to spend my time and not make much   Michael Hingson ** 56:25 money. Then you went into poetry.   Bill Ratner ** 56:29 Then I got so bored with my prose writing that I took a poetry course from a wonderful guy in LA called Jack grapes, who had been an actor and a football player and come to Hollywood and did some TV, episodics and and some some episodic TV, and taught poetry. It was a poet in the schools, and I took his class of adults and got a poem published. And thought, wait a minute, these aren't even 750 words. They're like 75 words. I mean, you could write a 10,000 word poem if you want, but some people have, yeah, and it was complex, and there was so much to read and so much to learn and so much that was interesting and odd. And a daughter of a friend of mine is a poet, said, Mommy, are you going to read me one of those little word movies before I go to sleep?   Michael Hingson ** 57:23 A little word movie, word movie out of the   Bill Ratner ** 57:27 mouths of babes. Yeah, and so, so and I perform. You know, last night, I was in Orange County at a organization called ugly mug Cafe, and a bunch of us poets read from an anthology that was published, and we sold our books, and heard other young poets who were absolutely marvelous and and it's, you know, it's not for everybody, but it's one of the things I do.   Michael Hingson ** 57:54 Well, you sent me pictures of book covers, so they're going to be in the show notes. And I hope people will will go out and get them   Bill Ratner ** 58:01 cool. One of the one of the things that I did with poetry, in addition to wanting to get published and wanting to read before people, is wanting to see if there is a way. Because poetry was, was very satisfying, emotionally to me, intellectually very challenging and satisfying at times. And emotionally challenging and very satisfying at times, writing about things personal, writing about nature, writing about friends, writing about stories that I received some training from the National Association for poetry therapy. Poetry therapy is being used like art therapy, right? And have conducted some sessions and and participated in many and ended up working with eighth graders of kids who had lost someone to death in the past year of their lives. This is before covid in the public schools in Los Angeles. And so there's a lot of that kind of work that is being done by constable people, by writers, by poets, by playwrights,   Michael Hingson ** 59:09 and you became a grief counselor,   Bill Ratner ** 59:13 yes, and don't do that full time, because I do voiceovers full time, right? Write poetry and a grand. Am an active grandparent, but I do the occasional poetry session around around grief poetry.   Michael Hingson ** 59:31 So you're a grandparent, so you've had kids and all that. Yes, sir, well, that's is your wife still with us? Yes?   Bill Ratner ** 59:40 Oh, great, yeah, she's an artist and an art educator. Well, that   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 so the two of you can criticize each other's works, then, just   Bill Ratner ** 59:52 saying, we're actually pretty kind to each other. I Yeah, we have a lot of we have a lot of outside criticism. Them. So, yeah, you don't need to do it internally. We don't rely on it. What do you think of this although, although, more than occasionally, each of us will say, What do you think of this poem, honey? Or what do you think of this painting, honey? And my the favorite, favorite thing that my wife says that always thrills me and makes me very happy to be with her is, I'll come down and she's beginning a new work of a new piece of art for an exhibition somewhere. I'll say, what? Tell me about what's, what's going on with that, and she'll go, you know, I have no idea, but it'll tell me what to do.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:33 Yeah, it's, it's like a lot of authors talk about the fact that their characters write the stories right, which, which makes a lot of sense. So with all that you've done, are you writing a memoir? By any chance, I   Bill Ratner ** 1:00:46 am writing a memoir, and writing has been interesting. I've been doing it for many years. I got it was my graduate thesis from University of California Riverside Palm Desert.   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:57 My wife was a UC Riverside graduate. Oh, hi. Well, they   Bill Ratner ** 1:01:01 have a low residency program where you go for 10 days in January, 10 days in June. The rest of it's online, which a lot of universities are doing, low residency programs for people who work and I got an MFA in creative writing nonfiction, had a book called parenting for the digital age, the truth about media's effect on children. And was halfway through it, the publisher liked it, but they said you got to double the length. So I went back to school to try to figure out how to double the length. And was was able to do it, and decided to move on to personal memoir and personal storytelling, such as goes on at the moth but a little more personal than that. Some of the material that I was reading in the memoir section of a bookstore was very, very personal and was very helpful to read about people who've gone through particular issues in their childhood. Mine not being physical abuse or sexual abuse, mine being death and loss, which is different. And so that became a focus of my graduate thesis, and many people were urging me to write a memoir. Someone said, you need to do a one man show. So I entered the Hollywood fringe and did a one man show and got good reviews and had a good time and did another one man show the next year and and so on. So But writing memoir as anybody knows, and they're probably listeners who are either taking memoir courses online or who may be actively writing memoirs or short memoir pieces, as everybody knows it, can put you through moods from absolutely ecstatic, oh my gosh, I got this done. I got this story told, and someone liked it, to oh my gosh, I'm so depressed I don't understand why. Oh, wait a minute, I was writing about such and such today. Yeah. So that's the challenge for the memoir is for the personal storyteller, it's also, you know, and it's more of a challenge than it is for the reader, unless it's bad writing and the reader can't stand that. For me as a reader, I'm fascinated by people's difficult stories, if they're well   Michael Hingson ** 1:03:24 told well, I know that when in 2002 I was advised to write a book about the World Trade Center experiences and all, and it took eight years to kind of pull it all together. And then I met a woman who actually I collaborated with, Susie Florey, and we wrote thunder dog. And her agent became my agent, who loved the proposal that we sent and actually got a contract within a week. So thunder dog came out in 2011 was a New York Times bestseller, and very blessed by that, and we're working toward the day that it will become a movie still, but it'll happen. And then I wrote a children's version of it, well, not a children's version of the book, but a children's book about me growing up in Roselle, growing up the guide dog who was with me in the World Trade Center, and that's been on Amazon. We self published it. Then last year, we published a new book called Live like a guide dog, which is all about controlling fear and teaching people lessons that I learned prior to September 11. That helped me focus and remain calm.   Bill Ratner ** 1:04:23 What happened to you on September 11,   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:27 I was in the World Trade Center. I worked on the 78th floor of Tower One.   Bill Ratner ** 1:04:32 And what happened? I mean, what happened to you?   Michael Hingson ** 1:04:36 Um, nothing that day. I mean, well, I got out. How did you get out? Down the stairs? That was the only way to go. So, so the real story is not doing it, but why it worked. And the real issue is that I spent a lot of time when I first went into the World Trade Center, learning all I could about what to do in an emergency, talking to police, port authorities. Security people, emergency preparedness people, and also just walking around the world trade center and learning the whole place, because I ran an office for a company, and I wasn't going to rely on someone else to, like, lead me around if we're going to go to lunch somewhere and take people out before we negotiated contracts. So I needed to know all of that, and I learned all I could, also realizing that if there ever was an emergency, I might be the only one in the office, or we might be in an area where people couldn't read the signs to know what to do anyway. And so I had to take the responsibility of learning all that, which I did. And then when the planes hit 18 floors above us on the other side of the building, we get we had some guests in the office. Got them out, and then another colleague, who was in from our corporate office, and I and my guide dog, Roselle, went to the stairs, and we started down. And   Bill Ratner ** 1:05:54 so, so what floor did the plane strike?   Michael Hingson ** 1:05:58 It struck and the NOR and the North Tower, between floors 93 and 99 so I just say 96 okay, and you were 20 floors down, 78 floors 78 so we were 18 floors below, and   Bill Ratner ** 1:06:09 at the moment of impact, what did you think?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:13 Had no idea we heard a muffled kind of explosion, because the plane hit on the other side of the building, 18 floors above us. There was no way to know what was going on. Did you feel? Did you feel? Oh, the building literally tipped, probably about 20 feet. It kept tipping. And then we actually said goodbye to each other, and then the building came back upright. And then we went,   Bill Ratner ** 1:06:34 really you so you thought you were going to die?   Michael Hingson ** 1:06:38 David, my colleague who was with me, as I said, he was from our California office, and he was there to help with some seminars we were going to be doing. We actually were saying goodbye to each other because we thought we were about to take a 78 floor plunge to the street, when the building stopped tipping and it came back. Designed to do that by the architect. It was designed to do that, which is the point, the point.   Bill Ratner ** 1:07:02 Goodness, gracious. And then did you know how to get to the stairway?   Michael Hingson ** 1:07:04 Oh, absolutely. And did you do it with your friend? Yeah, the first thing we did, the first thing we did is I got him to get we had some guests, and I said, get him to the stairs. Don't let him take the elevators, because I knew he had seen fire above us, but that's all we knew. And but I said, don't take the elevators. Don't let them take elevators. Get them to the stairs and then come back and we'll leave. So he did all that, and then he came back, and we went to the stairs and started down.   Bill Ratner ** 1:07:33 Wow. Could you smell anything?   Michael Hingson ** 1:07:36 We smelled burning jet fuel fumes on the way down. And that's how we figured out an airplane must have hit the building, but we had no idea what happened. We didn't know what happened until the until both towers had collapsed, and I actually talked to my wife, and she's the one who told us how to aircraft have been crashed into the towers, one into the Pentagon, and a fourth, at that time, was still missing over Pennsylvania. Wow. So you'll have to go pick up a copy of thunder dog. Goodness. Good. Thunder dog. The name of the book is Thunder dog, and the book I wrote last year is called Live like a guide dog. It's le

Halloween didn't just arrive at theme parks; it was engineered, rehearsed, and unleashed from a fog-soaked street in Buena Park. We dive into the wild origin story of Knott's Scary Farm, tracing the DNA from mid-century horror hosts to the first freestanding mazes, the invention of roaming monsters, and the culture of sliders sparking their way through Calico. It's a saga packed with scrappy ingenuity, late-night TV legend, and a berry (boysen) farm that accidentally became the Godfather of haunt season.We unpack the rise of Sinister Seymour's razor-edged hosting, the disco-chaos of Wolfman Jack (including a gloriously unlicensed “Star Wars” detour), and the polished power of Elvira, whose partnership with John Paragon made legendary Vegas-style Camp. From the early witch's gallows that genuinely chilled to The Hanging's later pop-culture satire, we examine where tone elevates fear and where it dilutes it. Then we step inside the design shop: Dominion of the Dead's monochrome beauty, classic illusions like Spidora, and a philosophy that favors original concepts over IP—teaching generations of builders to craft story with light, sound, and movement.We also wrestle with the boundaries. Trapped's extreme interactivity brought waivers, safe words, and ethical questions that tested the Knott's ethos. By the end, you'll see how Knott's Scary Farm didn't just influence Universal and Six Flags—it gave seasonal events a blueprint for scale, artistry, and atmosphere.If this journey made you feel the fog rolling in, subscribe, share with a fellow haunt fan, and leave a review with your favorite Scary Farm memory or maze. What should come back: a serious, cinematic set piece or a new master of ceremonies to lead the night?Thanks for listening!We'd love it if you would give us a review on your podcast platform of choice: iTunes, Spotify, etc... They're really helpful. And get in touch and let us know about YOUR Plus-Ups for the attractions we've talked about! We'd love to tell them on the air.Come visit us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, or whatever social media you like. Just look up Lowdown on the Plus-Up and you'll probably find us. Or drop us a note to comments@lowdown-plus-up.com and let us know any questions or comments about how YOU would like to plus-something-up! We are a Boardwalk Times production.Boardwalk Times, https://boardwalktimes.net/Boardwalk Times store, https://boardwalktimes.store .

Send us a textOkay, so here's the story: a rock and roll DJ is tasked with running a TV studio named after him. His young assistants are along for the ride, and they get into adventures of unspecified magnitude. Mainly because this show was [echo] LOST MEDIA!              Here now is the story of how this wolf rockin' show came to Saturday Morning.              Who was the Wolfman?              What do we know about this show?              Did I ever think I'd be able to cover this series? Hmmm…              All these questions, and more, will be answered in this look at WOLF ROCK TV! Roll it!Thanks for ‘tooning in. Visit our friends at CHERRY BOMBS: THE UNDERAPPRECIATED MOVIES PODCAST. Find Dustin and Nik here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cherry-bombs-the-underappreciated-movies-podcast/id1490726384 Share With Us: SatMornPod@hotmail.comBluesky: @SatMornPodYouTube Us: tinyurl.com/yyhpwjeo (Don't waste your time)   Featured Music:“Nostalgic Happy Music” by AudioJungle - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtxSUR6MQhw&t=2s “Happy Life” by Fredji - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzQiRABVARk Various Music by Oneul - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by302C2YhxY “I Feel You” by Kevin MacLeod” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw8E3jjbUCE “Nostalgic” by OrangeHead - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wExcRoNNzAc “Breakfast Club” by Vodovoz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Spi22l3m5I “Horizons” by Atch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-u53MADIag “80's Hijack” by Gee - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndVqzJ9Lk6M&t=26s “Synthmania” by Vodovoz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6r20TKnA6M “United” by Vodovoz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArjGQFCcHxA “Cool Blue” by Vodovoz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp5cxZWP-wc   #ABC #NBC #CBS #The80s #80s #cartoons #cartoon #animation #SaturdayMorning #1980 #1981 #1982 #1983 #1984 #1985 #1986 #1987 #1988 #1989 #Filmation #HannaBarbera #DePatieFreleng #RubySpears #Disney #WolfRockTV #WolfmanJack #music 

Wolfman Jack in the house!

Much like our friends George Lucas, Wolfman Jack, Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids, and even Sha Na Na, we have no problem with nostalgia over here at ATTT HQ. We tread heavily in the music and feelings of the past. How could you not, considering the present and the future? "Where were you in '62?" is the mantra of the film and soundtrack to the film we're reveling in this week. American Graffiti went from a small time labor of love for George Lucas to a worldwide phenomena, helping to propel an obsession with 50's and early 60's culture throughout the 1970s. They weren't all Happy Days, but this music is timeless. Paul & Elizabeth Eisen, aka my beloved parents, are back to help us finish up our countdown of the best songs from the American Graffiti Soundtrack aka the best rock n roll, doo wop and pop music from 1957-1962. Picks 5-1 are featured here in part 2.If you missed Part 1, give it a listen here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-676-top-ten-songs-from-the-american-graffiti/id573735994?i=1000716163508If we could include all 41 tracks we would. The official Top Ten Songs From The American Graffiti Soundtrack Playlist features every song heard in Parts 1 & 2. 21 songs in 53 minutes, pure gold:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1PI5kgcVaZbzZPKHImIOe0?si=c24d6d84a1404c24Do my dad a favor and get into Episode 326 - Top Ten Doo Wop Classics over at the ATTT archives. He's ordering you to listen!https://www.mixcloud.com/beneisen/episode-326-top-ten-doo-wop-classics-wpaul-eisen/We've lowered our prices, but not our standards over at the ATTT Patreon! Those who are kindly contributing $2 a month are receiving an exclusive monthly Emergency Pod episode featuring our favorite guests and utilizing our patent-pending improv format in which we miraculously pull a playlist out of thin air. Volume 17 dropped on July 1st and guess who! Paul & Elizabeth Eisen were in LA to co-host. Good times! Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/c/alltimetoptenWe're having a blast chatting it up about music over on the ATTT Facebook Group. Join us and start a conversation!https://www.facebook.com/groups/940749894391295

Where were you in '62? The magical nostalgic world of the film American Graffiti seems about as close to heaven as one could get. A long night of adventure on the town, with all the cars and all the fun, but especially all of the incredible music. The Great Wolfman Jack provided the soundtrack to that magical world, spinning the best rock n roll, soul, doo wop and pop songs from the years 1957-1962, and lucky us, we get to enjoy it over and over again with the amazing soundtrack. Speaking personally, from the age of about 2-8 I heard this great soundtrack about 200 times, thanks to my folks having it in their record collection, and me insisting they play it over and over again. Lucky me, my parents Elizabeth and Paul Eisen were in LA on vacation and we figured it would be a great time to talk American Graffiti. Here in Top Ten Songs From The American Graffiti Soundtrack Part 1, we unveil picks 10-6 and have a great time looking back. Nostalgic fun.We've lowered our prices, but not our standards over at the ATTT Patreon! Those who are kindly contributing $2 a month are receiving an exclusive monthly Emergency Pod episode featuring our favorite guests and utilizing our patent-pending improv format in which we miraculously pull a playlist out of thin air. Volume 17 dropped on July 1st and guess who! Paul & Elizabeth Eisen were in LA to co-host. Good times! Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/c/alltimetoptenWe're having a blast chatting it up about music over on the ATTT Facebook Group. Join us and start a conversation!https://www.facebook.com/groups/940749894391295

Nick Altiere with a big announcement, Jeff from Superior, new MN law for motorcyclists, Wolfman Jack, Sen. Ron Johnson, beach weather, tariffs taxes and fees, Japan doesn't want our rice, the American Canadian dream, Brian Kohberger plea deal, Chris Dahlberg, and more... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Set Lessing Bruce, host Jesse Jackson and guest Scott Shea delve into Bruce Springsteen's unreleased albums, the recently announced box set 'Tracks 2', and specific tracks like 'Raining the River'. They explore Springsteen's prolific songwriting, the excitement of discovering new works, and anticipated surprises in the collection. The discussion further transitions to Van Morrison's journey post-'Brown Eyed Girl' and his relationship with the song. The episode wraps up with Scott Shea sharing insights on his current projects, including a Waylon Jennings book and an article on Wolfman Jack. 00:00 Welcome to Set Lessing Bruce 00:44 Excitement Over Bruce Springsteen's Unreleased Albums 02:45 Discussing the New Song 'Raining the River' 03:18 Comparing Unreleased Tracks and WWE Matches 08:58 Van Morrison's Musical Journey 09:49 The Story Behind 'Brown Eyed Girl' 14:25 Van Morrison's Live Performances 22:56 Day Job and Upcoming Projects 25:08 Conclusion and Farewell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Casuals discuss the film American Graffiti 1973.

In this episode of Set Lusting Bruce, host Jesse Jackson and guest Scott Shea delve into Bruce Springsteen's unreleased albums, the recently announced box set 'Tracks 2', and specific tracks like 'Raining the River'. They explore Springsteen's prolific songwriting, the excitement of discovering new works, and anticipated surprises in the collection. The discussion further transitions to Van Morrison's journey post-'Brown Eyed Girl' and his relationship with the song. The episode wraps up with Scott Shea sharing insights on his current projects, including a Waylon Jennings book and an article on Wolfman Jack. 00:44 Excitement Over Bruce Springsteen's Unreleased Albums 02:45 Discussing the New Song 'Raining the River' 03:18 Comparing Unreleased Tracks and WWE Matches 08:58 Van Morrison's Musical Journey 09:49 The Story Behind 'Brown Eyed Girl' 14:25 Van Morrison's Live Performances 22:56 Day Job and Upcoming Projects 25:08 Conclusion and Farewell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In April 1972, Wolfman Jack hosted his final show on XERB, the legendary Tijuana border blaster that launched him into the atmosphere and onto American culture. He began nine years earlier on XERF in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, right across the border from Del Rio, Texas. Did you know that until his grand unveiling in the 1973 coming-of-age classic “American Graffiti,” directed by George Lucas, nobody knew who he was, what he looked like or even his ethnicity? In his latest article for the Strange Brew, author Scott G. Shea peels back the layers of his incredible rise to fame and separates fact from fiction in this unbelievable tale of arguably the greatest disk jockey of all time. I hope you consider having Scott G. Shea, leading music historian and author of the best-selling book, “All the Leaves Are Brown: How the Mamas & the Papas Came Together and Broke Apart,” on your program to talk about this entertainment icon. Scott not only shares the incredible story of how Wolfman Jack got on the radio and set the airwaves on fire nightly, but also delves deep into the character of Robert Weston Smith, the man behind the mic with the gravelly voice and soulful rap who became a national treasure.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

In April 1972, Wolfman Jack hosted his final show on XERB, the legendary Tijuana border blaster that launched him into the atmosphere and onto American culture. He began nine years earlier on XERF in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, right across the border from Del Rio, Texas. Did you know that until his grand unveiling in the 1973 coming-of-age classic “American Graffiti,” directed by George Lucas, nobody knew who he was, what he looked like or even his ethnicity? In his latest article for the Strange Brew, author Scott G. Shea peels back the layers of his incredible rise to fame and separates fact from fiction in this unbelievable tale of arguably the greatest disk jockey of all time. I hope you consider having Scott G. Shea, leading music historian and author of the best-selling book, “All the Leaves Are Brown: How the Mamas & the Papas Came Together and Broke Apart,” on your program to talk about this entertainment icon. Scott not only shares the incredible story of how Wolfman Jack got on the radio and set the airwaves on fire nightly, but also delves deep into the character of Robert Weston Smith, the man behind the mic with the gravelly voice and soulful rap who became a national treasure.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! Éxitos Originales de la Banda Sonora de American Graffiti es el álbum oficial de la película American Graffiti de 1973. Fue certificado triple platino en Estados Unidos, donde alcanzó el puesto número 10 en la lista Billboard 200 . Incluidas en la película, pero no en la banda sonora, están " Ge " de los Crows , " Louie Louie " de Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids y la interpretación a capela de Harrison Ford en el personaje de " Some Enchanted Evening " (aunque el motivo de la exclusión de las dos últimas es porque esas secuencias no se agregaron a la película hasta el relanzamiento de 1978, estaban ausentes en la versión original lanzada en 1973) Una segunda recopilación, titulada More American Graffiti (MCA 8007) (que no debe confundirse con la secuela cinematográfica de 1979 del mismo nombre ), fue publicada por MCA a principios de 1975 con la aprobación de George Lucas. incluye más éxitos de rock y doo-wop de finales de los 50 y principios de los 60 (solo uno de ellos, «Gee» de The Crows, apareció en la película), junto con diálogos adicionales de Wolfman Jack. Una tercera y última recopilación de clásicos, titulada American Graffiti Vol. III (MCA 8008), también fue publicada por MCA a principios de 1976. Los tres álbumes se lanzaron como conjuntos de dos discos o como cintas de doble duración y actualmente están totalmente agotados. 01. "Rock Around the Clock" - Bill Haley & the Comets 1954/1955 02. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers 1956 03. "Runaway" - Del Shannon 1961 04. "That'll Be the Day" - Buddy Holly & The Crickets 1957 05. "The Stroll" - The Diamonds 1957 06. "See You in September" - The Tempos 1959 07. "(He's) The Great Imposter" - The Fleetwoods 1961 08. "At the Hop" - Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids 1973 08. "She's So Fine" - Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids 1973 09. "16 Candles" - The Crests 1958 10. "Fannie Mae" - Buster Brown 1959 11. "Almost Grown" - Chuck Berry 1959 12. "Little Darlin" - The Diamonds 1957 13. "Barbara Ann" - The Regents 1961 14. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" - The Platters 1958 15. "Peppermint Twist – Part 1" Joey Dee and the Starlighters 1961 16. "The Book of Love" - The Monotones 1958 17. "Maybe Baby" - Buddy Holly 1957 18. "Ya Ya" - Lee Dorsey 1961 19. "The Great Pretender" - The Platters 1955 20. "Party Doll" - Buddy Knox 1957 21. "Ain't That a Shame" - Fats Domino 1955 22. "You're Sixteen" - Johnny Burnette 1960 23. "Love Potion No. 9" - The Clovers 1959 24. "Chantilly Lace" - The Big Bopper 1958 25. "Johnny B. Goode" - Chuck Berry 1958 26. "Come Go with Me" - The Del-Vikings 1956 27. "Since I Don't Have You" - The Skyliners 1958 28. "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes 1958 29. "Do You Want to Dance" - Bobby Freeman 1958 30. "To the Aisle" - The Five Satins 1957 31. "I Only Have Eyes for You" - The Flamingos 1959 32. "A Thousand Miles Away" - The Heartbeats 1957 33. "All Summer Long" - The Beach Boys 1964 34. "Teen Angel" - Mark Dinning 1959 35. "Crying in the Chapel" - Sonny Till & the Orioles 1953 36 ."Only You (And You Alone)" - The Platters 1955 37. "Goodnight, Well it's Time to Go" - The Spaniels 1954😎Escucha este episodio completo y accede a todo el contenido exclusivo de EDITORIAL GCO. Descubre antes que nadie los nuevos episodios, y participa en la comunidad exclusiva de oyentes en https://go.ivoox.com/sq/2313218

Bryce Eller, the man behind all the Darth Vader TV appearances and the official Vader meet and greets at local department stores, gives us exclusive stories of his time on many TV variety shows and live meet and greet engagements.  As a companion piece to my article, Star Wars x 1970's Variety TV, I talk with Bryce to fill in details you won't find anywhere else. Bryce appeared on Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack, Donny and Marie, The Wacko Saturday Preview and Other Good Stuff Special, and Kaptain Kool and the Kongs Present ABC All-Star Saturday!  We also go into voicing Darth Vader for these shows, perfecting the Vader walk, and the time he was hit on at a wrap party by a woman who wanted to turn Darth Vader to the deep dark side.  Bryce made his Skywalking debut on the two part episodes - 236 and 237. But little did we know then, there were even more stories to tell. 

Bryce Eller, the man behind all the Darth Vader TV appearances and the official Vader meet and greets at local department stores, gives us exclusive stories of his time on many TV variety shows and live meet and greet engagements.  As a companion piece to my article, Star Wars x 1970's Variety TV, I talk with Bryce to fill in details you won't find anywhere else. Bryce appeared on Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack, Donny and Marie, The Wacko Saturday Preview and Other Good Stuff Special, and Kaptain Kool and the Kongs Present ABC All-Star Saturday!  We also go into voicing Darth Vader for these shows, perfecting the Vader walk, and the time he was hit on at a wrap party by a woman who wanted to turn Darth Vader to the deep dark side.  Bryce made his Skywalking debut on the two part episodes - 236 and 237. But little did we know then, there were even more stories to tell. 

sMariachi Day. Entertainment from 1982. Carter pardoned the draft dodgers, Lorena Bobbitt got off cutting off her husbands penis, 1st Star Trek convention, Delorean cars began being made. Todays birthdays - Telly Savalas, Benny Hill, Wolfman Jack, Richie Havens, Mac Davis, Billy Ocean, Geena Davis, Baby Spice. George Orwell died.Intro - Pour some sugar on me - Def Leppard     http://defleppard.com/El Son de la Negra - Mariachi Vagasde TecalitanPhysical - Olivia Newton-JohnRed neckin love makin night - Conway TwittyBirthdays - In da club - 50 Cent      http://50cent.com/Minstrel from gault - Richie HavensBaby don't get hooked on me - Mac DavisCarribean Queen - Billy OceanThe ground you walk on - Geena DavisWhat took you so long - Emma BuntonExit - It's not love - Dokken    https://www.dokken.net/

It's the Best New Artist Breakdown season finale, featuring a MASTAS greatest-hits line-up, the return of sprung rhythm, grand unifying complaints about breakthrough categories, Elt Zeppelin, and how to evolve past Wolfman Jack in pop-music discovery. Do we agree with the Grammys' most recent BNA choices? Have we decided how to tackle the 2025 nominees? Should jerks win awards? Come spook the Recording Academy herd with us! Intro and outro by Laura Barger and Jack Baldelli; for more information/to become a patron of the show, visit patreon.com/mastas. SHOW NOTES Ms. Warwick "roasts" Chance The Rapper Episode 68: "Stay" Title Bout Episode 247: Julia Michaels, "All Your Exes" MB's Top 10 Songs of 2024 at The Lost Songs Project Episode 224: Dua Lipa, "Levitating" Record Of The Year Showdown, Episode 4: 2007-2022 Do Call It A Comeback, Episode 3: The NEXT Next 15 Episode 189: Yola, "Faraway Look" NPR's Stephen Thompson on Ingrid Andress's upsetting anthem Phoebe Bridgers in The New Yorker Single 19: Favorite Discoveries on NPR's Women+ Song List

Comedy is always something that brings people together, even if they like different styles. Matt and I get into some stuff that's laying heavy on his mind, sports, movies and what makes him truly tick...Radio/DJ and everything that goes with it. Enjoy! Mentions: Matt: https://www.instagram.com/realmattmysh/?hl=en High Speed Daddy: https://www.highspeeddaddy.com/?rfsn=7178368.317ce6 Live Rishi: Use the code "TABLE50" get 50% off your entire order - https://liverishi.com/ Composure: https://composurelifestyle.com/ use the code RAW Me: https://berawpodcast.com/ 'til next time! The History of the Radio DJ The radio disc jockey, commonly known as the DJ, has a rich history rooted in the evolution of radio broadcasting and popular culture. The role of the DJ has transformed dramatically over the decades, shaping and reflecting societal changes in music, technology, and communication. The Birth of the Radio DJ: 1920s-1930s The concept of a radio DJ emerged in the early 20th century, shortly after the invention of radio broadcasting. In the 1920s, radio stations primarily focused on live programming, such as news, lectures, and music performed by live bands. However, as phonograph records gained popularity, stations began to experiment with playing pre-recorded music. The term "disc jockey" was first coined in the 1930s by radio commentator Walter Winchell, combining "disc" (referring to records) and "jockey" (a rider or operator). Early DJs played an essential role in introducing audiences to recorded music, often providing commentary and curating selections to entertain listeners. The Golden Age: 1940s-1950s The role of the radio DJ expanded significantly during the 1940s and 1950s, an era often referred to as the golden age of radio. DJs like Martin Block, who hosted the popular "Make Believe Ballroom" on New York's WNEW, pioneered the art of creating a personal connection with listeners. Block's conversational style and his ability to simulate a live music venue using pre-recorded tracks revolutionized radio. During this period, DJs became cultural tastemakers, promoting emerging genres such as rhythm and blues and early rock and roll. Figures like Alan Freed gained national fame for their enthusiastic promotion of rock music, helping break racial barriers in the music industry by introducing black artists to white audiences. Freed's "Moondog Rock and Roll Party" in the 1950s is credited with popularizing the term "rock and roll," cementing the DJ's role in shaping music history. The Rise of Personality DJs: 1960s-1970s By the 1960s, radio had become more competitive, and DJs began emphasizing their personalities to stand out. This era saw the rise of "Top 40" radio formats, where DJs played a carefully curated list of the most popular songs. Radio personalities like Wolfman Jack and Casey Kasem became household names, blending humor, storytelling, and vibrant on-air personas with their musical expertise. During the 1970s, FM radio gained prominence over AM radio, allowing DJs to adopt freer, more experimental formats. Album-oriented rock (AOR) stations gave DJs the freedom to play entire records and explore deeper cuts, appealing to more niche audiences. This period also marked the emergence of specialized DJs for genres like country, jazz, and disco. The Modern Era: 1980s-Present The role of the DJ continued to evolve with the advent of digital technology and the internet. In the 1980s and 1990s, DJs transitioned to digital formats, using CDs and later MP3s to expand their libraries. Radio consolidation in the 1990s introduced more uniform programming, but it also made room for syndicated shows hosted by iconic DJs like Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh. In the 21st century, the rise of streaming platforms and podcasts transformed how DJs interact with audiences. Many DJs now operate across multiple platforms, blending traditional radio with digital content. While their role has shifted, radio DJs remain vital curators of culture, bringing music, stories, and community to listeners worldwide.

Frank starts the show joined by WABC host Dominic Carter to talk about using Ozempic and its unknown side effects, good and bad. He also discusses radio personality appearances in other media like Wolfman Jack in American Graffiti.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frank starts the show joined by WABC host Dominic Carter to talk about using Ozempic and its unknown side effects, good and bad. He also discusses radio personality appearances in other media like Wolfman Jack in American Graffiti. Frank talks about the prevalence of short-length media. He also opens listener mail. He then gives the UFO Report on mysterious orbs hovering above Manchester Airport. Frank starts the third hour discussing Rick Rescorla, the man who predicted 9/11 and asks about what people should have movies about them who don't already. He then gives the Conspiracy of the Day on the election conspiracy film, 2000 Mules. Frank wraps up the show asking if people unpack their suitcases while on vacation. He is also joined by James Flippin for News You Can Use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

American Graffiti is a 1973 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by George Lucas, produced by Francis Ford Coppola, written by Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz and Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Harrison Ford, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Bo Hopkins, and Wolfman Jack. Set in Modesto, California, in 1962, the film is a study of the cruising and early rock 'n' roll cultures popular among Lucas's age group at that time. Through a series of vignettes, it tells the story of a group of teenagers and their adventures over the course of a night.

Step into the electrifying world of Hoppe Hour, a captivating and nationally syndicated in-studio circus led by none other than the charismatic Ryan Hoppe. Prepare for an exhilarating rollercoaster ride through the very heart of celebrity news, where scathing satire meets the cutting edge of entertainment journalism.But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Hoppe hour delves fearlessly into the deepest trenches of human experience, engaging in unscripted and riveting conversations about topics ranging from the sultry realms of sex and dating to the profound insights into mental health and the evolving landscape of marijuana culture.But there's more!Ryan Hoppe is your trusted guide into the fascinating world of planet earth's finest talents, spanning the realms of hip-hop, comedy, radio, and even the unexpected corridors of the adult entertainment industry. With each episode, the excitement of anticipation swirls, for you truly never know which luminary he might have in the hot seat.Picture this: it's a sunrise rendezvous with the stars, distilled into the captivating format of a morning radio show, reborn as a podcast that has set the industry ablaze. show less

Jim discusses a classic Black Comedy Horror Film from 1980 written by Robert and Steven Charles Jaffe - "Motel Hell," starring Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parsons, Nin Axelrod, Paul Linke, Wolfman Jack, Elaine Joyce, Dick Curtis, Monique St. Pierre, Rosanne Katon, E Hampton Beagle, John Ratzenberger and directed by Kevin Connor. Farmer Vincent uses a very special ingredient in his famous smoked meats. And what might that be? Find out on this episode of MONSTER ATTACK!, The Podcast Dedicated To Old Monster Movies.

Jim discusses a classic Black Comedy Horror Film from 1980 written by Robert and Steven Charles Jaffe – “Motel Hell,” starring Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parsons, Nin Axelrod, Paul Linke, Wolfman Jack, Elaine Joyce, Dick Curtis, Monique St. Pierre, Rosanne Katon, E Hampton Beagle, and John Ratzenberger. Farmer Vincent uses a very special ingredient in his […] The post Motel Hell | Episode 419 appeared first on The ESO Network.

Send us a Text Message.Our latest Bonus Track features a great conversation with the legendary Leland Sklar and director Denny Tedesco regarding his film, The Immediate Family. That's right, someone finally made a movie about Lee Sklar, Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel and Russ Kunkel. If you're a liner notes nerd, you know those names!Here's one example:Jackson Browne's Running on Empty album was one where the music fans got to be part of the process. Because it was recorded live on stage in concert -- and at other points along the touring trail, backstage, in hotel rooms and even on the tour bus - it was a unique and often chaotic experience for those involved in the recording.As Sklar told me, Running on Empty was unlike anything he had ever been a part of. While bands and artists are very used to the uncomfortable nature of playing new material in front of an audience that's just there to hear the hits, Running on Empty captured moments with Browne and the band where they were playing new songs that the audiences hadn't even had a chance to get on an album yet, because they hadn't been recorded.For Sklar, it was just one experience of many songs and albums that he's played on across the decades. While he's worked with countless names, there were a few that kept coming up -- guitarist Waddy Wachtel, guitarist Danny Kortchmar and drummer Russ Kunkel. The four became known as The Section, the '70s heir apparent to The Wrecking Crew of the '60s. Collectively and often together, they've played on thousands of albums.In more recent years, they've acquired a new moniker, one which fits well with their connection to the legendary albums they played on by Warren Zevon, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, Don Henley and many others -- The Immediate Family. Adding vocalist Steve Postell to their ranks, they've put out several albums.But it was Tedesco who decided to tell the story of the guys, through the words of their famous employers and associates. He's well-suited for the task, having put out a film about The Wrecking Crew, the group of session musicians that featured his father, guitarist Tommy Tedesco. He saw the natural throughline that connected that collective with what Kortchmar, Wachtel, Sklar and Kunkel continued with the Section.The Immediate Family is a fascinating journey, one which weaves together valuable history as recounted by those who were there. The film was recently released on DVD and Blu-ray and continues to screen nationally. You can find further details at immediatefamilyfilm.com.I loved chatting with Denny and Lee -- and it was exciting to hear some details from Denny about his next project, a movie about Wolfman Jack that's currently in process! Can't wait!P.S. I mention it during the episode, but here's a direct link to Leland's YouTube channel.Support the Show.

Wonderful article from Charles P. Pierce   Esquire Magazine May 25 Let's get the whole gang together: Davey Moore, Hattie Carroll, Hollis Brown, Einstein disguised as Robin Hood, the motorcycle black Madonna two-wheeled gypsy queen, Ma Rainey, and Beethoven, John the Baptist, the Commander In Chief, Louis The King, Napoleon in rags, Lucille, Johanna, Sweet Marie, John Wesley Harding, St. Augustine, the joker, the thief, Big Jim, Lily, Rosemary, and most of all, the Jack of Hearts, Rubin Carter, Isis, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Blackjack Davey, Charlie Patton. All of them. Play me a song, Mr. Wolfman Jack, because if you want to remember, you better write down the names. Bob Dylan turned 83 on Friday. All of him did. All of them did. All the personae, the entire kaleidoscope of masks, the false fronts and head fakes, and, finally, the last, and in many ways, best of them all. The travelling storyteller, the seanchai as the people in the old country would call him. Out on the endless tour, up the endless highway. I think of him and I think of Turlough O'Carolan, the legendary blind Irish harper who would travel the countryside, composing his songs on the spot for whomever would give him food and drink. Go back further. Go back to Homer. Sing to him, O muse. When Dylan dropped "Murder Most Foul," virtually out of a clear blue sky, blessing us with it as consolation for the years when America had gone so terribly wrong, it was Homer of whom I thought, poet and historian both, protector of the shadowland between myth and reality, chronicler of what Greil Marcus called "the old, weird America," a phrase I wish I'd written. He'll be around all summer, travelling with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp and a whole clutch of other artists in something called the Outlaw Music Festival Tour. It's a high-priced extravaganza but, in a very real way, he's just on the road, heading for another joint. Move along, brother Bob. The highway, as you taught us, is for gamblers, and we take what we have gathered from coincidence. Here's a collection of comments and reflections from Dylan's artistic partners and others just sharing the same spaces with Bob. Interviews I've done over the years to be added to when Dylan turns 85. Interviews with David Bowie Robbie Robertson Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks The Avett Brothers Barney Bentall and Steve Dawson Greg Keelor (Blue Rodeo) And Colin Linden (Blackie and the Rodeo Kings)   Wine and Dine – Tofino June i/2. The second story takes place next weekend June 1 and 2 in one of Earth's most beautiful places -  Tofino,  British Columbia. The western edge of Canada on Vancouver island. The community includes surfing, golfing, fishing, underwater adventures and an unusual gathering of chefs. It is where they come to learn how to create seafood dishes and cook with what the forest and oceans give them – and surf their minds out.   It's the second annual Wine and Dine gathering on the front lawns of Best Western Plus Tin Wis Resort. All of the details can be found at  www.tofinowinedine.com  Our guests are the organizers and founders  of Tofino Wine & dine Ronnie Lee and Ryan Orr.

Paine ClassicsWe Cannot Say Much of the 'Really Good Stuff' on Here That's Why We Created Paine.tv YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHOW BY CLICKING THIS LINK -- *** DONATE HERE *** GET the Intel that's Too Hot For Anywhere Else at P A IN E. TV CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHOW BY CLICKING THIS LINK -- *** DONATE HERE *** ...

CONTENT ISN'T KING It is often said that content is King. That isn't necessarily true. Content by itself won't gain you an audience. Content isn't King. Great content is King. Anybody can copy information. Your content needs to be infused with story and personality to really connect with listeners. To help you create more powerful interviews, grab my list of "17 of the most Powerful Podcast Interview Questions Ever". It is a free download you can get at www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/interview. BE UNIQUE It really hit me one time when I was interviewing a musician on the air. I won't mention his name, because he called me out right there in the middle of the interview. Before our conversation, I went online and read his bio. I went through the news release they sent me about the new album and the tour. Once the interview began, I felt pretty good. We were rolling along with the standard questions and he was giving the standard answers. In what city will the tour start? When does the album come out.? What can we expect when you roll through here? Then I asked him a question about a detail in his bio. I though it was something unique. But he said, "Well, I see somebody read my bio." That's when I realized I couldn't just ask typical questions and get typical answers. To create great interviews, I needed to get my guests to tell great stories. Everything I was doing to this point was simply a derivative of someone else. I was a cliché, a poor knock off. Why would anyone listen to me when they could get the same thing by listening a variety of other interviews with the same guest? From there, I took my original content and made it great. CONTENT WITH STORIES Later in my career I was interviewing Preston Brust of the country band LOCASH. He and Chris Lucas had been working hard for years writing songs for themselves and others while also recording and touring. LOCASH had a few different record deals, but had never had that big hit they needed to break through. Other artists were recording songs the two had written, but none of those had hit either. In 2011, country superstar Keith Urban not only decided to record a song written by Preston and Chris, but he was going to release it as a single. When I was talking with Preston, I asked him what it felt like when he got the call that Keith Urban was releasing their song. Here is what he said. "Things weren't going so good. I get this phone call. I'm in the backseat of my friends car and I get this phone call and it sounded like something was wrong. And he says, 'I'm sitting next to Keith Urban and he just told me that 'You Gonna Fly' is going to be his next single, and he's releasing it next week.' And I literally had them stop the car and I got out of the car and I just let out this yell. It just felt like I'm back." They were back. That song went to number one on the country charts. Preston and Chris then wrote a hit for Tim McGraw and eventually a top 5 hit for themselves. I guarantee that question about how it felt to get that call hasn't been asked many times if ever of Preston. We created such a relationship over the years that he still texts me. They just finished their latest song called "Hometown Home" and he sent me the early version. That kind of relationship doesn't happen with typical questions and standard answers. Your audience also isn't attracted to typical interviews. Be different. BE YOURSELF Over the years, my style and content developed. I became myself. That is when my show became #1. My content was original and fresh. Nobody else was doing it. If your content isn't great, nothing else matters. The production of your podcast could be the best available. You could have all the bells and whistles available in your studio, including the best mic. The marketing of your podcast could incredibly creative and unique. However, if the content is average, no one will care. Don't simply go through the motions creating your content. Find a unique angle. Your take on the subject should be interesting. Make your content stand out using stories, creativity, and personal revelation. Content won't attract an audience unless it is great content. When your content is great, you become king. Make it happen. There are four key areas of focus when creating great content and tightening up your show.  1. BE ORIGINAL Old-timey radio would say, "Hello Everybody in Radioland!" You're not an announcer talking to a group. Be a person talking to another person. To be engaging, you need to be human. You need to be yourself. As you record your podcast, use your natural voice and your own words. Individuals who are new to broadcasting tend to want to sound like their broadcasting idols. They try to imitate those they have heard on the radio with their voice and clichés. Unfortunately, new broadcasters tend to sound as if they are using scripted drivel done in some character voice that is forced and unnatural. You don't need to sound like Wolfman Jack, Howard Cosell, Don LaFontaine or Howard Stern. In fact, you shouldn't sound like those guys. The big personalities are who they are. You should be who you are. If you are naturally over-the-top, then be over-the-top. If you are not, don't fake it. You'll sound like an amateur and people can tell. Be natural. Talk with a little energy, but always deliver it as you naturally speak. The days of "the voice for radio" are gone. You don't need a big voice to be on the radio. And you surely don't need a big voice to create a podcast. Your voice becomes unique by what you say, not how you sound saying it. Be yourself. Use your own voice instead of trying to impersonate someone else. Use your natural voice and your own words. 2. REPEATING YOURSELF That's right, of course, like I said, obviously. If you find yourself saying "obviously" or "of course", you are making two mistakes. The first error is repeating yourself. If you are saying "obviously" because you feel everyone already knows the information, you are wasting your breath. If it is obvious, there is no need to say it. To frame it in a way to indicate it is something everyone knows, I might simply make a statement. I may say, "Because the sun comes up in the East, I prefer my bedroom windows be on the West side of the house." Everyone listening to me knows the sun comes up in the East. I simply include the statement. If I use a phrase like, "Of course", it appears I didn't want it to look like I was trying to teach you about the sunrise. I didn't want you to think I just learned that. "Of course" plays it off, but it also doesn't need to be there. If it is "of course", there is no need to say it in the first place. CONFIDENCE The second error is lack of confidence, so we add filler words. You may want to sound knowledgeable to those who know the information. Yet, you know there is a segment of the audience that does not know the details. To inform those unaware, you add the "of course". In this case, you're just wasting words. I may say, "The band will be at the arena Saturday night, of course." Some may be aware of this performance. Yet, there may be people in the audience who haven't heard the news. It makes sense to add the information, but you don't need the "of course". The idea is to sound knowledgeable and credible to those that already know, while providing the information to those unaware. You simply need to restructure you sentence and eliminate the cliché. Use a sentence like, "When the band is at the arena Saturday night, parking will be at a premium." This sentence provides new information to both segments of the audience. I include the "arena Saturday night" portion for the new listeners while giving those already aware of the concert new parking information. Both receive a benefit without the filler words. When you include "that's right" or "like I said", you are repeating yourself. Your listener heard you the first time. Most people use these cliches to fill time while they think of the next thing to say. Avoid going in circles. Your listener will quickly become uninterested. Know where you're going and keep moving forward. 3. ELIMINATE CLICHES I hear so many cliches in podcasts today. They are present in business in general. A cliché is a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought. It is a very predictable or unoriginal thing or person. We had a leader of our division who would use one particular cliché on every conference call we had. Every month, we would have a conference call to keep each station in sync. It would be run by our division leader. The call would then feature 4 or 5 other speakers covering various topics. The call would last about 30 minutes. After every speaker would finish their report, our division leader would say, "Really good stuff." "That was really good stuff, Ray." "Thanks, Sarah. Really good stuff." When he would talk about new resources that were available to us, he would wrap it up with "really good stuff". When he talked about new music coming out, he would call it "really good stuff". What started out as a compliment became a hollow nod that carried no weight. It was overused and lacked original thought. It was predictable. He got so predictable, as the speaker would wrap up, we would say to ourselves, “that was really good stuff” right before our leader would chime in with the same line. It kept us entertained on the call, but added nothing to the conversation. What cliches are you using? They are everywhere. Many times you don't realize it is a cliché until you start listening to your own show, or a coach points it out. The one that sounds most out of place to me on a podcast is, "To be honest with you". When somebody says "to be honest with you", I immediately think, "were you lying to me before?" What message are you trying to convey when you say, "to be honest with you"? I assume you are simply trying to add emphasis to what you are saying. In reality, the cliché has lost its power. It means nothing. It's a cliché. There are many others. We are thinking out of the box. We are pushing the envelope. We are taking it to the next level. It's Erik here to remind you something or another. You know what I mean? You know what I'm saying. Listen to an older episode or two of your show. Really listen to the shows like a listener. Find the cliches and eliminate them. Be original. 4. AVOID ROUGH TRANSITIONS And now it's time for … This phrase seems harmless. It looks like a logical transition from one segment to another during your podcast. Unfortunately, this phrase gives your listener permission to leave the show. When you use "and now it's time for..." or some similar phrase, it tells the listener that one segment is over and we are moving on to something else. It also signals a natural break in the show and the perfect time to exit. The transition is a lot like a commercial break in a television show. It is time to grab the remote to see what else is available. This is why TV shows started using the cliff hangers to keep you around. Famous American showman P. T. Barnum noticed that people were lingering too long at his exhibits. If he could get them through the exhibit faster, he could get more people through in a day and make more money. Barnum posted signs around the exhibit indicating "This Way to the Egress". Henry would ask Barbara, "Have you ever seen an egress? No? Let's check it out." Unaware that "Egress" simply meant "Exit", people followed the signs to what they assumed was a fascinating exhibit only to end up outside. Take down your "egress" sign. If you truly want to hold your listener from one segment to the next, don't send up the signal. Simply move to the next segment. THE TRANSITION On a coaching call the other day, I pointed out to the host that he was using "I want to keep this moving" quite often in his show. When he says "I want to keep this moving", I know we are switching to a new topic. I can punch out here if I'd like. Instead, just move on. Imagine you are at a cocktail party. You are discussing the baseball game that you saw over the weekend. After the baseball topic runs its course, do you say, "Now it's time to talk about my new car"? I doubt it. You probably just roll right into, "Hey, I bought a new car last week." It is a natural transition. Your friend doesn't think, "Hmm, that was a pretty rough transition." They have moved on right along with you. As you wrap up one segment, move right to the next. You might end the first segment with, "If you take those steps, things should be back to normal." Roll into the next with, "Jackie has a question about teamwork," and play the call. The next segment just starts. You've hooked them on the next segment without opening the door to leave. Don't flash the exit sign. Eliminate "and now it's time for" to hold your listener for the entire podcast. TIGHTER CONTENT Focus on these four areas to create great content. Avoid repeating yourself. Eliminate the cliches. Create smooth transitions in your content. Above all else, be original. When you be yourself and ask great questions, it will be difficult to copy you. The content will be original. And, people will love you for it. If you don't have a mentor who can take your hand and walk you every step of the way, go to www.PodcastTalentCoach.com/apply, click the button and apply to have a chat with me. We will develop your plan and see how I can help and support you to achieve your podcast goals.

Thursday, April 18, 2024 Inside Sports with Al Eschbach -Rain for the Spring Game, Ft. Cobb & Ft. Sill, Mark D. coaching, Wolfman Jack and more.  Follow the Sports Animal on Facebook, Instagram and X PLUS Jim Traber on Instagram, Berry Tramel on X and Dean Blevins on X Listen to past episodes HERE! Follow Total Dominance Podcasts on Apple, Google and SpotifySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us for a special episode of "Profits with Pajak," hosted by the one and only Wolfman Jack. Dive into the hilarious world of lawn care with our guests, Cheaper Charlie, who once paid a customer for the privilege of mowing their lawn, and Professor GreenThumb, whose groundbreaking (and farmland destroying) concoction almost turned Idaho into a barren wasteland. Filled with legendary quips, jovial banter, and a twist that brings us back to the heart of simpler times, this episode is a testament to the joy and jest found in the world of lawn care. Comments and Questions are welcome.  Send to ProfitswithPajak@gmail.com Episode Links: Apple Podcast Listeners- Copy and paste the links below into your browser.   Upcoming Events: October 14-15, 2024 Louisville, Kentucky LCR SUMMIT- Business Transformation in 2 days!    https://www.lcrsummit.com   October 16-18, 2024 Louisville, Kentucky Equip Expo Get discounted tickets using promo code PAJAK  https://www.equipexposition.com/   Training and Courses Budgets, Breakevens, and Bottom Lines™ Workshop The System is designed to help you avoid common failures and achieve your business' financial goals. https://www.johnpajak.com/offers/qvgvV8m3/checkout   Yardbook Training Workshops Learn to use Yardbook like a pro to streamline your business and make more money! https://www.johnpajak.com/offers/aJ9YX7aB/checkout   Show Partners: Yardbook Simplify your business and be more profitable.  Please visit www.Yardbook.com  Get 30 days of Premium Business level of Yardbook for FREE with promo code PAJAK   Green Frog Web Design Get your first month for only $1 when you use code, PAJAK , and have your website LIVE in 3 weeks from projected start date or it's FREE for a year. https://www.greenfrogwebdesign.com/johnpajak   Mr. Producer- click the link to connect with the best podcast producer in the biz! https://www.instagram.com/mrproducerusa/

Director Denny Tedesco has followed up his smash hit documentary, The Wrecking Crew with an enlightening look at the next generation of session musicians who worked closely with  70s' singer/songwriters in creating the soundtrack which continues to enrich and lift our lives. They are Waddy Wachtel, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, Danny Kortchmar and Steve Postell. The band and the film are called Immediate Family.Denny joins us, along with Waddy and Leland to get into the making of the film and their incredible journey through the history of rock, pop, folk, jazz, country and beyond. Waddy shares career highlights with David Crosby, The Everly Brothers, Warren Zevon, Steve Perry, Jackson Browne, Kim Carnes, and Stevie Nicks. Leland has stories about Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Neil Young, and Phil Collins. These guys hand crafted our playlists!When Crosby asked Waddy if he should team up with Stills and Nash, Waddy gave him a solid thumbs up. When Don Henley asked Leland what he thought of “The Eagles” as a band name, Lee said, “Sure. Why not?” #TrendsettersIt took Denny 18 years to complete The Wrecking Crew, a love song to his father, Wrecking Crew guitar man, Tommy Tedesco. The fruits of that effort continue to blossom with the credentials and lessons that made Immediate Family possible and now, Denny's next film about Wolfman Jack.Weezy and Waddy have a Cowsills history in common. Waddy appears in her film, Family Band: The Cowsills Story and they share thoughts on the moment in the movie where Billy Cowsill finally stands up to his father, Bud when Bud makes a derogatory remark about Billy's mentor, Waddy. It's a fierce and loving act that gets Billy kicked out of his own band.Fritz and Denny both share impossibly beautiful Linda Ronstadt memories and Leland tells us how a friend of a friend of a friend led to his lifelong relationship with James Taylor.Plus, Fritz and Weezy are recommending the doc, Filling in the Blanks on Prime and Burn Book: A Tech Love Story by Kara Swisher.Path Points of Interest:Immediate FamilyDenny TedescoDenny Tedesco on IMDBLeland Sklar on YoutubeThe Wrecking CrewSound Explosion: Inside L.A.'s Studio Factory With The Wrecking Crew by Ken SharpFamily Band: The Cowsills StoryFilling In The BlanksBurn Book: A Tech Love Story by Kara Swisher

NostalgiaCast '70s Palooza heads back to the '60s for a discussion of AMERICAN GRAFFITI, from indie director George Lucas. Crank up your radios and bop along to the beat as Jonny and Darin chat about the nonstop parade of music and muscle cars that permeate this rock 'n' roll coming-of-age tale. But is it a fun and breezy time at the movies, or the same stilted slog as Lucas's later films?

Paine Radio ClassicsWe Cannot Say Much of the 'Really Good Stuff' on Here That's Why We Created Paine.tv YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHOW BY CLICKING THIS LINK -- *** DONATE HERE *** GET the Intel that's Too Hot For Anywhere Else at P A IN E. TV CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHOW BY CLICKING THIS LINK -- *** DONATE HERE *** ...This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5788750/advertisement

Paine Radio ClassicsWe Cannot Say Much of the 'Really Good Stuff' on Here That's Why We Created Paine.tv YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHOW BY CLICKING THIS LINK -- *** DONATE HERE *** GET the Intel that's Too Hot For Anywhere Else at P A IN E. TV CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHOW BY CLICKING THIS LINK -- *** DONATE HERE *** ...This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5788750/advertisement

This week we are celebrating 50 years of George Lucas' incredible second film, AMERICAN GRAFFITI. George was challenged to make something that people could relate to and he brought his youth filled with cruising and music to the screen in a way no one had done before. And because he's George Lucas, the film was ahead of its time, influential, groundbreaking and paved the way for his little space fantasy movie. Listen as we talk about AMERICAN GRAFFITI, how it got made, the genius of Walter Murch and more! So get in your big chair, call up Wolfman Jack, listen today and celebrate the love! JOIN THE BLAST POINTS ARMY and SUPPORT BLAST POINTS ON PATREON! MANDALORIAN SEASON 3 COMMENTARIES HAPPENING NOW! KENOBI COMMENTARIES! BOOK OF BOOK REVIEW EPISODES! MANDO SEASON 1 & 2 REVIEW EPISODES! BAD BATCH! CLONE WARS ! BLAST POINTS Q&A EPISODES! ! Theme Music downloadable tracks! Extra goodies! and so much MORE! www.patreon.com/blastpoints SUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBE TO SEE ALL THE CELEBRATION LONDON SUPER LIVE FROM HOME MADNESS : www.youtube.com/@blastpointspodcast2160/featured New Blast Points T-SHIRTS are now available! Represent your favorite podcast everywhere you go! Get logo shirts and classics like the Ben Burtt and Indiana shirt while supplies last! Perfect for conventions, dates, formal events and more! Get them here: www.etsy.com/shop/Gibnerd?section_id=21195481 If you dug the show, please leave BLAST POINTS a review on iTunes, Spotify and share the show with friends! If you leave an iTunes review, we will read it on a future episode! Honestly! Talk to Blast Points on twitter at @blast_points leave feedback, comments or ideas for shows! "Like" Blast Points on Facebook for news on upcoming shows and links to some of the stuff we talk about in the show!! Join the Blast Points Super Star Wars Chill Group here www.facebook.com/groups/BlastPointsGroup/we are also on Instagram! Wow! www.instagram.com/blastpoints your hosts are Jason Gibner & Gabe Bott! contact BLAST POINTS at : contact@blastpointspodcast.com Send show ideas, feedback, voice messages or whatever! May the Force be with you, always! This podcast is not affiliated in any way with Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC, The Walt Disney Company, or any of their affiliates or subsidiaries.

A story about Manhattan, and lots of stuff about Wolfman Jack in this podcast. AND a question you may be able to answer. Please give a listen.

It's the big yearly halloween episode that everyone always clamors on and on incessantly about.  And this one's no different.  Who are these people?   What drives them?  Who drives them?  Who's gonna drive them home?  Tonight?Support the showhunchbunny.com

Paine Radio ClassicsWe Cannot Say Much of the 'Really Good Stuff' on Here That's Why We Created Paine.tv YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHOW BY CLICKING THIS LINK -- *** DONATE HERE *** GET the Intel that's Too Hot For Anywhere Else at P A IN E. TV CONTRIBUTE TO THE SHOW BY CLICKING THIS LINK -- *** DONATE HERE *** ...This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5788750/advertisement

The Men of Micheaux spend this week of Bootober talking about Micheal Jackson, Eddie Murphy, Wolfman Jack, the Top 5 Black Sitcom Horror Reboots, Liv Tyler, Tom Hanks, Band of Brothers, Mary Tyler Moore, Elvis Presley, and 'honey' -- and then (1:05) there's Tyler Perry and his dependable piece of schlock starring his brass and 'neutered' alter-ego! Rate & Review The Mission on Apple Email micheauxmission@gmail.com Follow The Mission on IG, and Twitter @micheauxmission  Leave a Voicemail for Vincent & Len Subscribe to the Mission on YouTube  Get your Micheaux Mission SWAG from TeePublic We are a proud member of The Podglomerate - we make podcasts work! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian and Ed discuss Wolfman Jack, birthdays, Josh Gad and:Bezos and Sanchez - https://people.com/human-interest/jeff-bezos-engaged-lauren-sanchez/NBA "sorry motherfuckers" -https://www.barstoolsports.com/blog/3467465/we-do-got-a-lot-of-sorry-motherfuckers-paul-george-and-demar-derozan-think-there-are-a-smooth-75-100-nba-players-that-stinkBecky Hammon suspended - https://sports.yahoo.com/becky-hammon-suspended-2-games-for-comments-on-dearica-hambys-pregnancy-aces-also-forfeit-draft-pick-in-2nd-investigation-172501276.htmlZac Gallen accidentally killed a bird -https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37672178/d-backs-zac-gallen-accidentally-kills-bird-pregame-throwLGBTQIA+ - https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/37681060/dodgers-disinvite-lgbtqia+-group-pride-nightMike Bohn - https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/lists/troubling-details-emerge-about-mike-bohns-management-of-usc-athletics/Schemy Schembechler - https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2023/05/20/shemy-schembechler-resigns-from-um-post-three-days-after-being-hired/70240193007/Lana Rhoades' baby - https://www.outkick.com/nba-fans-think-nuggets-bruce-brown-jr-might-be-porn-star-lana-rhoades-baby-daddy/*a comedy podcast about sports, pop culture, movies and dicks*Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-baller-lifestyle-podcast/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Spencer is channeling a depressed Wolfman Jack, Kevin is strongly against Steven Seagal but for Marcel the Shell. Dr. Mindflayer returns to challenge us both in an exciting quiz game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices