Podcasts about wplj

We delve into meaningful musical coincidences and explore music history, from supernatural car incidents to the legacy of the "More Cowbell" SNL sketch.• Strange collision of musical omens when "I'm a Loser" by the Beatles coincides with a New York car accident• Reflections on April 1980 as a pivotal moment in my musical awakening through WPLJ radio specials and deep music exploration• Celebrating the 25th anniversary of SNL's "More Cowbell" sketch and its lasting cultural impact• Behind-the-scenes look at Record Store Day 2025 and the challenges facing independent labels and artists• Historical milestones including The Beatles' "Let It Be" reaching #1 in April 1970 and Judas Priest's "British Steel" release in April 1980• Personal stories of musical discovery featuring Squeeze, Pavement, and Sinead O'ConnorVisit your local record store on April 12th for Record Store Day 2025 and pick up special releases, including "Songs from the Astral Plane: A Tribute to Jonathan Richmond, Volume Two" featuring The Violets and other independent artists."Music in My Shoes" where music and memories intertwine.Learn Something New orRemember Something OldPlease Like and Follow our Facebook and Instagram page at Music In My Shoes. You can contact us at musicinmyshoes@gmail.com.Send us a one-way message. We can't answer you back directly, but it could be part of a future Music In My Shoes Mailbag!!!

This week we're talking about Todd Pettengil from the famous Scott and Todd Show on WPLJ 95.5 in NYC. We start with Todd's last day on the radio and the embarrassingly tearful goodbyes. Then we check in on his short-lived online show that is no longer behind the paywall.  Drew Lane and Brandon McAfee from the Drew Lane Show join us (because we're using their studio) to discuss Howse the Producer's totally natural laugh at everything Todd says. Then we visit the Ron and Ron Show featuring Ron Bennington and the time they had a drunk and belligerent Don Johnson on their show. Mike Calta addressed our review of his show with his wife and Amanda is not happy that she's being criticized. It's because she knows that she has zero knowledge of Wu-Tang Clan and she's a poseur. Stuttering John had a cop come to his house to check on the cats and so now he's leaving the Dabbleverse forever.  Drew Lane on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@TheDrewLaneShow Support us, get bonus episodes, and watch live every Saturday and Wednesday: http://bit.ly/watp-patreon https://watp.supercast.tech/ Visit https://www.magicmind.co/WATPSHOW20 and use the code WATPSHOW20 for 20% off your order Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JAYDE DONOVAN JOINS DAWN LIVE! BREAKING DOWN THE APPLE MUSIC 100 BEST ALBUMS LIST! Dawn speaks with Apple Music Hits award-winning hostJayde Donovan about the records that have shapedthe world we live and listen in Is it controversial? Dawn reacts to the Social Media buzz! APPLE MUSIC TOP 100 ALBUMS LIST IS LIVE NOW! Jayde Donovan is a host on Apple Music Radio! • Among many things, Jayde is an award-winning host, a storyteller, a philanthropist, and a motherwith a wicked sense of humor• She is positive energy personified, and The Jayde Donovan Show offers just that - every morningMonday through Friday, Donovan offers up good vibes, great conversation, and the best popmusic from the ‘90s and early 2000s• Strap in for a live-and-lively radio experience that only Jayde can deliver • Prior to joining Apple, for the past 2 years Jayde has been host of the nationally syndicated JaydeDonovan Show airing weekends in 75+ markets• For the previous 6 years, she hosted the morning show on New York's 95.5 WPLJ, and haspreviously worked as a correspondent on Access Hollywood, as a fill in co-host with Regis Philbinon LIVE With Regis & Kelly, and co-host on the Bravo's Love Calling Check out the Apple Top 100 List! Tune in weekdays 10 AM - 12 PM EST on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT; or on the Audacy app!

The individual in question is the Founder and Chief Opportunity Officer at Opportunity Lab, a consultancy specializing in strategy and facilitation. Their primary focus is assisting mission-driven organizations in developing robust and resilient businesses that have a positive impact on everyone they connect with. Furthermore, they are the acclaimed author of the nonfiction bestseller on Amazon titled "Culture of Opportunity: Navigating Business Growth in an Era of Disruption." They have had the privilege of collaborating with prominent leaders from well-known companies such as Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, TerraCycle, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations. Their work and insights have been featured in various reputable publications and media outlets, including Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review-Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. They possess a deep-seated passion for aiding leaders in cultivating organizations that act as catalysts for positive change in the world. They firmly believe that a comprehensive strategy must encompass every facet of a business. To achieve this, they employ innovative yet tried-and-true facilitation techniques, helping leaders and teams pinpoint areas of improvement and blind spots, leverage their strengths, and maximize their influence in an ever-evolving market. This episode is brought to you by Authors Unite. Authors Unite provides you with all the resources you need to become a successful author. You can learn more about Authors Unite here: https://authorsunite.com/​​​​​​​​ Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on my future videos. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/authorsunite/support

Hosts Julie Slater and Jason Friday chat with Dana Schaeffer about how this self-proclaimed radio nerd/baker is going to save Little Falls Diner in New Jersey...Dana believes "that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to as long as you truly believe in it and never give up"...also her radio career - her first gig working for Scott and Todd in the Morning at WPLJ in NYC (#1 market in the country)...working for CBS radio...her stint in Los Angeles working for iHeart (KFI, KISS FM)...moving back home to work for ABC...growing up as a kid watching ABC 7 eyewitness news and baking with her grandmother...taking the communications path at school which got her into college radio...being a die-hard New Jersey girl...comparing NJ/NJ to LA (kindness vs. being nice)...how she comes back to LA all the time...wanting to be on-air/hosting...her old DJ life as "Dash"...the important role of producers...the history of diners in New Jersey (the diner capitol of the world, btw)...how she kept thinking she wanted to restore this diner while growing up...the Little Falls diner closed down in 1995 due to a fire - how the ownership has changed during the years...how her baking will help the diner...looking up the historical society, talking to the mayor, all about the possibility of saving the diner...how you can do anything even if you don't have the funds yourself...making sure the diner doesn't go to some commercial project/keeping it with the small group who they know and trust...her dream of making the diner a podcast studio after hours...Dana talking to the diner and telling it she's bringing it back...how she likes to rescue things and make them better (the diner and her rescued cat)...she's already been sourcing food places and coffee for the diner...how this diner fanatic doesn't even like coffee...disco fries - with gravy and cheese...Mel's Diner in LA...Dana's trip to Italy...Milan to Florence to Positano to Rome...manifesting her dreams and boyfriend...how you can do anything you want - anything is possible... IT'S 5 O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE: Find out Dana's favorite diner food...one thing she could live off of In Italy/her least fav thing about Italy...which radio person or station turned her into the radio bug...the three bands she would choose if she could only listen to three bands for the rest of her life...and what she has learned about life from restoring the NJ diner... Find Dana on instagram here, and help save Little Falls Diner here. Follow @cuzihavetopodcast on Instagram for all the latest news.  We'd love to hear from you - email us at cuzihavetopodcast@gmail.com.  Find other episodes or leave us a voice message for the show on the anchor website. Thanks for tuning in! Keep on living those dreams, friends, CUZ YOU HAVE TO!! - jULIE AND jASON --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cuzihaveto/message

Returning to the podcast today is Mark Monchek. Mark joined us for a conversation about the culture of opportunity about a year ago and we have the chance to hear his insight again. Mark is the founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on company growth through conscious business. Opportunity Lab applies models of growth to companies navigating through disruptive change and finds opportunity for sustained growth even in the most difficult situations. Mark is also the author of Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption, a fascinating book on this very topic. Mark has a fascinating take on business and how business should be. His view is refreshing but also challenging as he talks expertly on what types of businesses will thrive in the coming years post-Covid. It is definitely a different and unique approach to business today, but a conversation that needs to be had. What We Talked About in This Episode: Mark's updates since his last appearance on the Winning Teams Podcast Looking back on the radical change of the last few years Business in a time of radical disruption Organizational and leadership challenges with change The reality of AI's change on business What a conscious business is The purpose of a conscious business Shared Success The tipping point from useful and beneficial to dangerous The use of psychedelics The basics of awareness and beliefs Unconscious beliefs that don't align with your values Mark's book recommendations and daily rituals About Our Guest: Mark Monchek is the Founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on conscious growth. Mark has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, TerraCycle, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations. He's the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption. He's been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Connect with Mark Monchek:  Opportunity Lab Website Mark Monchek on LinkedIn Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption by Mark Monchek Connect with John Murphy: LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Facebook If you liked this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, tune in, and share this podcast. Thanks for tuning in!

WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmitter is located at the Empire State Building and broadcasts four HD Radio digital subchannels in addition to its analog transmission. The station went on the air on May 4, 1948, under the call sign WJZ-FM.[2] In March 1953, the station's call letters were changed to WABC-FM following the merger of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) with United Paramount Theatres.[3][4][5] As most FM stations did during the medium's formative years, 95.5 FM simulcast the programming of its AM sister station, WJZ/WABC (770 AM). PICTURE: By The logo may be obtained from WPLJ., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17881222

WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmitter is located at the Empire State Building and broadcasts four HD Radio digital subchannels in addition to its analog transmission. PICTURE: By The logo may be obtained from WPLJ., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17881222

Episode 165 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs looks at “Dark Stat” and the career of the Grateful Dead. This is a long one, even longer than the previous episode, but don't worry, that won't be the norm. There's a reason these two were much longer than average. Click the full post to read liner notes, links to more information, and a transcript of the episode. Patreon backers also have a twenty-minute bonus episode available, on "Codine" by the Charlatans. Errata I mispronounce Brent Mydland's name as Myland a couple of times, and in the introduction I say "Touch of Grey" came out in 1988 -- I later, correctly, say 1987. (I seem to have had a real problem with dates in the intro -- I also originally talked about "Blue Suede Shoes" being in 1954 before fixing it in the edit to be 1956) Resources No Mixcloud this week, as there are too many songs by the Grateful Dead, and Grayfolded runs to two hours. I referred to a lot of books for this episode, partly because almost everything about the Grateful Dead is written from a fannish perspective that already assumes background knowledge, rather than to provide that background knowledge. Of the various books I used, Dennis McNally's biography of the band and This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead by Blair Jackson and David Gans are probably most useful for the casually interested. Other books on the Dead I used included McNally's Jerry on Jerry, a collection of interviews with Garcia; Deal, Bill Kreutzmann's autobiography; The Grateful Dead FAQ by Tony Sclafani; So Many Roads by David Browne; Deadology by Howard F. Weiner; Fare Thee Well by Joel Selvin and Pamela Turley; and Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads by David Shenk and Steve Silberman. Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is the classic account of the Pranksters, though not always reliable. I reference Slaughterhouse Five a lot. As well as the novel itself, which everyone should read, I also read this rather excellent graphic novel adaptation, and The Writer's Crusade, a book about the writing of the novel. I also reference Ted Sturgeon's More Than Human. For background on the scene around Astounding Science Fiction which included Sturgeon, John W. Campbell, L. Ron Hubbard, and many other science fiction writers, I recommend Alec Nevala-Lee's Astounding. 1,000 True Fans can be read online, as can the essay on the Californian ideology, and John Perry Barlow's "Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace". The best collection of Grateful Dead material is the box set The Golden Road, which contains all the albums released in Pigpen's lifetime along with a lot of bonus material, but which appears currently out of print. Live/Dead contains both the live version of "Dark Star" which made it well known and, as a CD bonus track, the original single version. And archive.org has more live recordings of the group than you can possibly ever listen to. Grayfolded can be bought from John Oswald's Bandcamp Patreon This podcast is brought to you by the generosity of my backers on Patreon. Why not join them? Transcript [Excerpt: Tuning from "Grayfolded", under the warnings Before we begin -- as we're tuning up, as it were, I should mention that this episode contains discussions of alcoholism, drug addiction, racism, nonconsensual drugging of other people, and deaths from drug abuse, suicide, and car accidents. As always, I try to deal with these subjects as carefully as possible, but if you find any of those things upsetting you may wish to read the transcript rather than listen to this episode, or skip it altogether. Also, I should note that the members of the Grateful Dead were much freer with their use of swearing in interviews than any other band we've covered so far, and that makes using quotes from them rather more difficult than with other bands, given the limitations of the rules imposed to stop the podcast being marked as adult. If I quote anything with a word I can't use here, I'll give a brief pause in the audio, and in the transcript I'll have the word in square brackets. [tuning ends] All this happened, more or less. In 1910, T. S. Eliot started work on "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock", which at the time was deemed barely poetry, with one reviewer imagining Eliot saying "I'll just put down the first thing that comes into my head, and call it 'The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.'" It is now considered one of the great classics of modernist literature. In 1969, Kurt Vonnegut wrote "Slaughterhouse-Five, or, The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death", a book in which the protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, comes unstuck in time, and starts living a nonlinear life, hopping around between times reliving his experiences in the Second World War, and future experiences up to 1976 after being kidnapped by beings from the planet Tralfamadore. Or perhaps he has flashbacks and hallucinations after having a breakdown from PTSD. It is now considered one of the great classics of modernist literature or of science fiction, depending on how you look at it. In 1953, Theodore Sturgeon wrote More Than Human. It is now considered one of the great classics of science fiction. In 1950, L. Ron Hubbard wrote Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. It is now considered either a bad piece of science fiction or one of the great revelatory works of religious history, depending on how you look at it. In 1994, 1995, and 1996 the composer John Oswald released, first as two individual CDs and then as a double-CD, an album called Grayfolded, which the composer says in the liner notes he thinks of as existing in Tralfamadorian time. The Tralfamadorians in Vonnegut's novels don't see time as a linear thing with a beginning and end, but as a continuum that they can move between at will. When someone dies, they just think that at this particular point in time they're not doing so good, but at other points in time they're fine, so why focus on the bad time? In the book, when told of someone dying, the Tralfamadorians just say "so it goes". In between the first CD's release and the release of the double-CD version, Jerry Garcia died. From August 1942 through August 1995, Jerry Garcia was alive. So it goes. Shall we go, you and I? [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, "Dark Star (Omni 3/30/94)"] "One principle has become clear. Since motives are so frequently found in combination, it is essential that the complex types be analyzed and arranged, with an eye kept single nevertheless to the master-theme under discussion. Collectors, both primary and subsidiary, have done such valiant service that the treasures at our command are amply sufficient for such studies, so extensive, indeed, that the task of going through them thoroughly has become too great for the unassisted student. It cannot be too strongly urged that a single theme in its various types and compounds must be made predominant in any useful comparative study. This is true when the sources and analogues of any literary work are treated; it is even truer when the bare motive is discussed. The Grateful Dead furnishes an apt illustration of the necessity of such handling. It appears in a variety of different combinations, almost never alone. Indeed, it is so widespread a tale, and its combinations are so various, that there is the utmost difficulty in determining just what may properly be regarded the original kernel of it, the simple theme to which other motives were joined. Various opinions, as we shall see, have been held with reference to this matter, most of them justified perhaps by the materials in the hands of the scholars holding them, but none quite adequate in view of later evidence." That's a quote from The Grateful Dead: The History of a Folk Story, by Gordon Hall Gerould, published in 1908. Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five opens with a chapter about the process of writing the novel itself, and how difficult it was. He says "I would hate to tell you what this lousy little book cost me in money and anxiety and time. When I got home from the Second World War twenty-three years ago, I thought it would be easy for me to write about the destruction of Dresden, since all I would have to do would be to report what I had seen. And I thought, too, that it would be a masterpiece or at least make me a lot of money, since the subject was so big." This is an episode several of my listeners have been looking forward to, but it's one I've been dreading writing, because this is an episode -- I think the only one in the series -- where the format of the podcast simply *will not* work. Were the Grateful Dead not such an important band, I would skip this episode altogether, but they're a band that simply can't be ignored, and that's a real problem here. Because my intent, always, with this podcast, is to present the recordings of the artists in question, put them in context, and explain why they were important, what their music meant to its listeners. To put, as far as is possible, the positive case for why the music mattered *in the context of its time*. Not why it matters now, or why it matters to me, but why it matters *in its historical context*. Whether I like the music or not isn't the point. Whether it stands up now isn't the point. I play the music, explain what it was they were doing, why they were doing it, what people saw in it. If I do my job well, you come away listening to "Blue Suede Shoes" the way people heard it in 1956, or "Good Vibrations" the way people heard it in 1966, and understanding why people were so impressed by those records. That is simply *not possible* for the Grateful Dead. I can present a case for them as musicians, and hope to do so. I can explain the appeal as best I understand it, and talk about things I like in their music, and things I've noticed. But what I can't do is present their recordings the way they were received in the sixties and explain why they were popular. Because every other act I have covered or will cover in this podcast has been a *recording* act, and their success was based on records. They may also have been exceptional live performers, but James Brown or Ike and Tina Turner are remembered for great *records*, like "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" or "River Deep, Mountain High". Their great moments were captured on vinyl, to be listened back to, and susceptible of analysis. That is not the case for the Grateful Dead, and what is worse *they explicitly said, publicly, on multiple occasions* that it is not possible for me to understand their art, and thus that it is not possible for me to explain it. The Grateful Dead did make studio records, some of them very good. But they always said, consistently, over a thirty year period, that their records didn't capture what they did, and that the only way -- the *only* way, they were very clear about this -- that one could actually understand and appreciate their music, was to see them live, and furthermore to see them live while on psychedelic drugs. [Excerpt: Grateful Dead crowd noise] I never saw the Grateful Dead live -- their last UK performance was a couple of years before I went to my first ever gig -- and I have never taken a psychedelic substance. So by the Grateful Dead's own criteria, it is literally impossible for me to understand or explain their music the way that it should be understood or explained. In a way I'm in a similar position to the one I was in with La Monte Young in the last episode, whose music it's mostly impossible to experience without being in his presence. This is one reason of several why I placed these two episodes back to back. Of course, there is a difference between Young and the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead allowed -- even encouraged -- the recording of their live performances. There are literally thousands of concert recordings in circulation, many of them of professional quality. I have listened to many of those, and I can hear what they were doing. I can tell you what *I* think is interesting about their music, and about their musicianship. And I think I can build up a good case for why they were important, and why they're interesting, and why those recordings are worth listening to. And I can certainly explain the cultural phenomenon that was the Grateful Dead. But just know that while I may have found *a* point, *an* explanation for why the Grateful Dead were important, by the band's own lights and those of their fans, no matter how good a job I do in this episode, I *cannot* get it right. And that is, in itself, enough of a reason for this episode to exist, and for me to try, even harder than I normally do, to get it right *anyway*. Because no matter how well I do my job this episode will stand as an example of why this series is called "*A* History", not *the* history. Because parts of the past are ephemeral. There are things about which it's true to say "You had to be there". I cannot know what it was like to have been an American the day Kennedy was shot, I cannot know what it was like to be alive when a man walked on the Moon. Those are things nobody my age or younger can ever experience. And since August the ninth, 1995, the experience of hearing the Grateful Dead's music the way they wanted it heard has been in that category. And that is by design. Jerry Garcia once said "if you work really hard as an artist, you may be able to build something they can't tear down, you know, after you're gone... What I want to do is I want it here. I want it now, in this lifetime. I want what I enjoy to last as long as I do and not last any longer. You know, I don't want something that ends up being as much a nuisance as it is a work of art, you know?" And there's another difficulty. There are only two points in time where it makes sense to do a podcast episode on the Grateful Dead -- late 1967 and early 1968, when the San Francisco scene they were part of was at its most culturally relevant, and 1988 when they had their only top ten hit and gained their largest audience. I can't realistically leave them out of the story until 1988, so it has to be 1968. But the songs they are most remembered for are those they wrote between 1970 and 1972, and those songs are influenced by artists and events we haven't yet covered in the podcast, who will be getting their own episodes in the future. I can't explain those things in this episode, because they need whole episodes of their own. I can't not explain them without leaving out important context for the Grateful Dead. So the best I can do is treat the story I'm telling as if it were in Tralfamadorian time. All of it's happening all at once, and some of it is happening in different episodes that haven't been recorded yet. The podcast as a whole travels linearly from 1938 through to 1999, but this episode is happening in 1968 and 1972 and 1988 and 1995 and other times, all at once. Sometimes I'll talk about things as if you're already familiar with them, but they haven't happened yet in the story. Feel free to come unstuck in time and revisit this time after episode 167, and 172, and 176, and 192, and experience it again. So this has to be an experimental episode. It may well be an experiment that you think fails. If so, the next episode is likely to be far more to your taste, and much shorter than this or the last episode, two episodes that between them have to create a scaffolding on which will hang much of the rest of this podcast's narrative. I've finished my Grateful Dead script now. The next one I write is going to be fun: [Excerpt: Grateful Dead, "Dark Star"] Infrastructure means everything. How we get from place to place, how we transport goods, information, and ourselves, makes a big difference in how society is structured, and in the music we hear. For many centuries, the prime means of long-distance transport was by water -- sailing ships on the ocean, canal boats and steamboats for inland navigation -- and so folk songs talked about the ship as both means of escape, means of making a living, and in some senses as a trap. You'd go out to sea for adventure, or to escape your problems, but you'd find that the sea itself brought its own problems. Because of this we have a long, long tradition of sea shanties which are known throughout the world: [Excerpt: A. L. Lloyd, "Off to Sea Once More"] But in the nineteenth century, the railway was invented and, at least as far as travel within a landmass goes, it replaced the steamboat in the popular imaginary. Now the railway was how you got from place to place, and how you moved freight from one place to another. The railway brought freedom, and was an opportunity for outlaws, whether train robbers or a romanticised version of the hobo hopping onto a freight train and making his way to new lands and new opportunity. It was the train that brought soldiers home from wars, and the train that allowed the Great Migration of Black people from the South to the industrial North. There would still be songs about the riverboats, about how ol' man river keeps rolling along and about the big river Johnny Cash sang about, but increasingly they would be songs of the past, not the present. The train quickly replaced the steamboat in the iconography of what we now think of as roots music -- blues, country, folk, and early jazz music. Sometimes this was very literal. Furry Lewis' "Kassie Jones" -- about a legendary train driver who would break the rules to make sure his train made the station on time, but who ended up sacrificing his own life to save his passengers in a train crash -- is based on "Alabamy Bound", which as we heard in the episode on "Stagger Lee", was about steamboats: [Excerpt: Furry Lewis, "Kassie Jones"] In the early episodes of this podcast we heard many, many, songs about the railway. Louis Jordan saying "take me right back to the track, Jack", Rosetta Tharpe singing about how "this train don't carry no gamblers", the trickster freight train driver driving on the "Rock Island Line", the mystery train sixteen coaches long, the train that kept-a-rollin' all night long, the Midnight Special which the prisoners wished would shine its ever-loving light on them, and the train coming past Folsom Prison whose whistle makes Johnny Cash hang his head and cry. But by the 1960s, that kind of song had started to dry up. It would happen on occasion -- "People Get Ready" by the Impressions is the most obvious example of the train metaphor in an important sixties record -- but by the late sixties the train was no longer a symbol of freedom but of the past. In 1969 Harry Nilsson sang about how "Nobody Cares About the Railroads Any More", and in 1968 the Kinks sang about "The Last of the Steam-Powered Trains". When in 1968 Merle Haggard sang about a freight train, it was as a memory, of a child with hopes that ended up thwarted by reality and his own nature: [Excerpt: Merle Haggard, "Mama Tried"] And the reason for this was that there had been another shift, a shift that had started in the forties and accelerated in the late fifties but had taken a little time to ripple through the culture. Now the train had been replaced in the popular imaginary by motorised transport. Instead of hopping on a train without paying, if you had no money in your pocket you'd have to hitch-hike all the way. Freedom now meant individuality. The ultimate in freedom was the biker -- the Hell's Angels who could go anywhere, unburdened by anything -- and instead of goods being moved by freight train, increasingly they were being moved by truck drivers. By the mid-seventies, truck drivers took a central place in American life, and the most romantic way to live life was to live it on the road. On The Road was also the title of a 1957 novel by Jack Kerouac, which was one of the first major signs of this cultural shift in America. Kerouac was writing about events in the late forties and early fifties, but his book was also a precursor of the sixties counterculture. He wrote the book on one continuous sheet of paper, as a stream of consciousness. Kerouac died in 1969 of an internal haemmorage brought on by too much alcohol consumption. So it goes. But the big key to this cultural shift was caused by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, a massive infrastructure spending bill that led to the construction of the modern American Interstate Highway system. This accelerated a program that had already started, of building much bigger, safer, faster roads. It also, as anyone who has read Robert Caro's The Power Broker knows, reinforced segregation and white flight. It did this both by making commuting into major cities from the suburbs easier -- thus allowing white people with more money to move further away from the cities and still work there -- and by bulldozing community spaces where Black people lived. More than a million people lost their homes and were forcibly moved, and orders of magnitude more lost their communities' parks and green spaces. And both as a result of deliberate actions and unconscious bigotry, the bulk of those affected were Black people -- who often found themselves, if they weren't forced to move, on one side of a ten-lane highway where the park used to be, with white people on the other side of the highway. The Federal-Aid Highway Act gave even more power to the unaccountable central planners like Robert Moses, the urban planner in New York who managed to become arguably the most powerful man in the city without ever getting elected, partly by slowly compromising away his early progressive ideals in the service of gaining more power. Of course, not every new highway was built through areas where poor Black people lived. Some were planned to go through richer areas for white people, just because you can't completely do away with geographical realities. For example one was planned to be built through part of San Francisco, a rich, white part. But the people who owned properties in that area had enough political power and clout to fight the development, and after nearly a decade of fighting it, the development was called off in late 1966. But over that time, many of the owners of the impressive buildings in the area had moved out, and they had no incentive to improve or maintain their properties while they were under threat of demolition, so many of them were rented out very cheaply. And when the beat community that Kerouac wrote about, many of whom had settled in San Francisco, grew too large and notorious for the area of the city they were in, North Beach, many of them moved to these cheap homes in a previously-exclusive area. The area known as Haight-Ashbury. [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, "Grayfolded"] Stories all have their starts, even stories told in Tralfamadorian time, although sometimes those starts are shrouded in legend. For example, the story of Scientology's start has been told many times, with different people claiming to have heard L. Ron Hubbard talk about how writing was a mug's game, and if you wanted to make real money, you needed to get followers, start a religion. Either he said this over and over and over again, to many different science fiction writers, or most science fiction writers of his generation were liars. Of course, the definition of a writer is someone who tells lies for money, so who knows? One of the more plausible accounts of him saying that is given by Theodore Sturgeon. Sturgeon's account is more believable than most, because Sturgeon went on to be a supporter of Dianetics, the "new science" that Hubbard turned into his religion, for decades, even while telling the story. The story of the Grateful Dead probably starts as it ends, with Jerry Garcia. There are three things that everyone writing about the Dead says about Garcia's childhood, so we might as well say them here too. The first is that he was named by a music-loving father after Jerome Kern, the songwriter responsible for songs like "Ol' Man River" (though as Oscar Hammerstein's widow liked to point out, "Jerome Kern wrote dum-dum-dum-dum, *my husband* wrote 'Ol' Man River'" -- an important distinction we need to bear in mind when talking about songwriters who write music but not lyrics). The second is that when he was five years old that music-loving father drowned -- and Garcia would always say he had seen his father dying, though some sources claim this was a false memory. So it goes. And the third fact, which for some reason is always told after the second even though it comes before it chronologically, is that when he was four he lost two joints from his right middle finger. Garcia grew up a troubled teen, and in turn caused trouble for other people, but he also developed a few interests that would follow him through his life. He loved the fantastical, especially the fantastical macabre, and became an avid fan of horror and science fiction -- and through his love of old monster films he became enamoured with cinema more generally. Indeed, in 1983 he bought the film rights to Kurt Vonnegut's science fiction novel The Sirens of Titan, the first story in which the Tralfamadorians appear, and wrote a script based on it. He wanted to produce the film himself, with Francis Ford Coppola directing and Bill Murray starring, but most importantly for him he wanted to prevent anyone who didn't care about it from doing it badly. And in that he succeeded. As of 2023 there is no film of The Sirens of Titan. He loved to paint, and would continue that for the rest of his life, with one of his favourite subjects being Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster. And when he was eleven or twelve, he heard for the first time a record that was hugely influential to a whole generation of Californian musicians, even though it was a New York record -- "Gee" by the Crows: [Excerpt: The Crows, "Gee"] Garcia would say later "That was an important song. That was the first kind of, like where the voices had that kind of not-trained-singer voices, but tough-guy-on-the-street voice." That record introduced him to R&B, and soon he was listening to Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, to Ray Charles, and to a record we've not talked about in the podcast but which was one of the great early doo-wop records, "WPLJ" by the Four Deuces: [Excerpt: The Four Deuces, "WPLJ"] Garcia said of that record "That was one of my anthem songs when I was in junior high school and high school and around there. That was one of those songs everybody knew. And that everybody sang. Everybody sang that street-corner favorite." Garcia moved around a lot as a child, and didn't have much time for school by his own account, but one of the few teachers he did respect was an art teacher when he was in North Beach, Walter Hedrick. Hedrick was also one of the earliest of the conceptual artists, and one of the most important figures in the San Francisco arts scene that would become known as the Beat Generation (or the Beatniks, which was originally a disparaging term). Hedrick was a painter and sculptor, but also organised happenings, and he had also been one of the prime movers in starting a series of poetry readings in San Francisco, the first one of which had involved Allen Ginsberg giving the first ever reading of "Howl" -- one of a small number of poems, along with Eliot's "Prufrock" and "The Waste Land" and possibly Pound's Cantos, which can be said to have changed twentieth-century literature. Garcia was fifteen when he got to know Hedrick, in 1957, and by then the Beat scene had already become almost a parody of itself, having become known to the public because of the publication of works like On the Road, and the major artists in the scene were already rejecting the label. By this point tourists were flocking to North Beach to see these beatniks they'd heard about on TV, and Hedrick was actually employed by one cafe to sit in the window wearing a beret, turtleneck, sandals, and beard, and draw and paint, to attract the tourists who flocked by the busload because they could see that there was a "genuine beatnik" in the cafe. Hedrick was, as well as a visual artist, a guitarist and banjo player who played in traditional jazz bands, and he would bring records in to class for his students to listen to, and Garcia particularly remembered him bringing in records by Big Bill Broonzy: [Excerpt: Big Bill Broonzy, "When Things Go Wrong (It Hurts Me Too)"] Garcia was already an avid fan of rock and roll music, but it was being inspired by Hedrick that led him to get his first guitar. Like his contemporary Paul McCartney around the same time, he was initially given the wrong instrument as a birthday present -- in Garcia's case his mother gave him an accordion -- but he soon persuaded her to swap it for an electric guitar he saw in a pawn shop. And like his other contemporary, John Lennon, Garcia initially tuned his instrument incorrectly. He said later "When I started playing the guitar, believe me, I didn't know anybody that played. I mean, I didn't know anybody that played the guitar. Nobody. They weren't around. There were no guitar teachers. You couldn't take lessons. There was nothing like that, you know? When I was a kid and I had my first electric guitar, I had it tuned wrong and learned how to play on it with it tuned wrong for about a year. And I was getting somewhere on it, you know… Finally, I met a guy that knew how to tune it right and showed me three chords, and it was like a revelation. You know what I mean? It was like somebody gave me the key to heaven." He joined a band, the Chords, which mostly played big band music, and his friend Gary Foster taught him some of the rudiments of playing the guitar -- things like how to use a capo to change keys. But he was always a rebellious kid, and soon found himself faced with a choice between joining the military or going to prison. He chose the former, and it was during his time in the Army that a friend, Ron Stevenson, introduced him to the music of Merle Travis, and to Travis-style guitar picking: [Excerpt: Merle Travis, "Nine-Pound Hammer"] Garcia had never encountered playing like that before, but he instantly recognised that Travis, and Chet Atkins who Stevenson also played for him, had been an influence on Scotty Moore. He started to realise that the music he'd listened to as a teenager was influenced by music that went further back. But Stevenson, as well as teaching Garcia some of the rudiments of Travis-picking, also indirectly led to Garcia getting discharged from the Army. Stevenson was not a well man, and became suicidal. Garcia decided it was more important to keep his friend company and make sure he didn't kill himself than it was to turn up for roll call, and as a result he got discharged himself on psychiatric grounds -- according to Garcia he told the Army psychiatrist "I was involved in stuff that was more important to me in the moment than the army was and that was the reason I was late" and the psychiatrist thought it was neurotic of Garcia to have his own set of values separate from that of the Army. After discharge, Garcia did various jobs, including working as a transcriptionist for Lenny Bruce, the comedian who was a huge influence on the counterculture. In one of the various attacks over the years by authoritarians on language, Bruce was repeatedly arrested for obscenity, and in 1961 he was arrested at a jazz club in North Beach. Sixty years ago, the parts of speech that were being criminalised weren't pronouns, but prepositions and verbs: [Excerpt: Lenny Bruce, "To is a Preposition, Come is a Verb"] That piece, indeed, was so controversial that when Frank Zappa quoted part of it in a song in 1968, the record label insisted on the relevant passage being played backwards so people couldn't hear such disgusting filth: [Excerpt: The Mothers of Invention, "Harry You're a Beast"] (Anyone familiar with that song will understand that the censored portion is possibly the least offensive part of the whole thing). Bruce was facing trial, and he needed transcripts of what he had said in his recordings to present in court. Incidentally, there seems to be some confusion over exactly which of Bruce's many obscenity trials Garcia became a transcriptionist for. Dennis McNally says in his biography of the band, published in 2002, that it was the most famous of them, in autumn 1964, but in a later book, Jerry on Jerry, a book of interviews of Garcia edited by McNally, McNally talks about it being when Garcia was nineteen, which would mean it was Bruce's first trial, in 1961. We can put this down to the fact that many of the people involved, not least Garcia, lived in Tralfamadorian time, and were rather hazy on dates, but I'm placing the story here rather than in 1964 because it seems to make more sense that Garcia would be involved in a trial based on an incident in San Francisco than one in New York. Garcia got the job, even though he couldn't type, because by this point he'd spent so long listening to recordings of old folk and country music that he was used to transcribing indecipherable accents, and often, as Garcia would tell it, Bruce would mumble very fast and condense multiple syllables into one. Garcia was particularly impressed by Bruce's ability to improvise but talk in entire paragraphs, and he compared his use of language to bebop. Another thing that was starting to impress Garcia, and which he also compared to bebop, was bluegrass: [Excerpt: Bill Monroe, "Fire on the Mountain"] Bluegrass is a music that is often considered very traditional, because it's based on traditional songs and uses acoustic instruments, but in fact it was a terribly *modern* music, and largely a postwar creation of a single band -- Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys. And Garcia was right when he said it was "white bebop" -- though he did say "The only thing it doesn't have is the harmonic richness of bebop. You know what I mean? That's what it's missing, but it has everything else." Both bebop and bluegrass evolved after the second world war, though they were informed by music from before it, and both prized the ability to improvise, and technical excellence. Both are musics that involved playing *fast*, in an ensemble, and being able to respond quickly to the other musicians. Both musics were also intensely rhythmic, a response to a faster paced, more stressful world. They were both part of the general change in the arts towards immediacy that we looked at in the last episode with the creation first of expressionism and then of pop art. Bluegrass didn't go into the harmonic explorations that modern jazz did, but it was absolutely as modern as anything Charlie Parker was doing, and came from the same impulses. It was tradition and innovation, the past and the future simultaneously. Bill Monroe, Jackson Pollock, Charlie Parker, Jack Kerouac, and Lenny Bruce were all in their own ways responding to the same cultural moment, and it was that which Garcia was responding to. But he didn't become able to play bluegrass until after a tragedy which shaped his life even more than his father's death had. Garcia had been to a party and was in a car with his friends Lee Adams, Paul Speegle, and Alan Trist. Adams was driving at ninety miles an hour when they hit a tight curve and crashed. Garcia, Adams, and Trist were all severely injured but survived. Speegle died. So it goes. This tragedy changed Garcia's attitudes totally. Of all his friends, Speegle was the one who was most serious about his art, and who treated it as something to work on. Garcia had always been someone who fundamentally didn't want to work or take any responsibility for anything. And he remained that way -- except for his music. Speegle's death changed Garcia's attitude to that, totally. If his friend wasn't going to be able to practice his own art any more, Garcia would practice his, in tribute to him. He resolved to become a virtuoso on guitar and banjo. His girlfriend of the time later said “I don't know if you've spent time with someone rehearsing ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown' on a banjo for eight hours, but Jerry practiced endlessly. He really wanted to excel and be the best. He had tremendous personal ambition in the musical arena, and he wanted to master whatever he set out to explore. Then he would set another sight for himself. And practice another eight hours a day of new licks.” But of course, you can't make ensemble music on your own: [Excerpt: Jerry Garcia and Bob Hunter, "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" (including end)] "Evelyn said, “What is it called when a person needs a … person … when you want to be touched and the … two are like one thing and there isn't anything else at all anywhere?” Alicia, who had read books, thought about it. “Love,” she said at length." That's from More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon, a book I'll be quoting a few more times as the story goes on. Robert Hunter, like Garcia, was just out of the military -- in his case, the National Guard -- and he came into Garcia's life just after Paul Speegle had left it. Garcia and Alan Trist met Hunter ten days after the accident, and the three men started hanging out together, Trist and Hunter writing while Garcia played music. Garcia and Hunter both bonded over their shared love for the beats, and for traditional music, and the two formed a duo, Bob and Jerry, which performed together a handful of times. They started playing together, in fact, after Hunter picked up a guitar and started playing a song and halfway through Garcia took it off him and finished the song himself. The two of them learned songs from the Harry Smith Anthology -- Garcia was completely apolitical, and only once voted in his life, for Lyndon Johnson in 1964 to keep Goldwater out, and regretted even doing that, and so he didn't learn any of the more political material people like Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, and Bob Dylan were doing at the time -- but their duo only lasted a short time because Hunter wasn't an especially good guitarist. Hunter would, though, continue to jam with Garcia and other friends, sometimes playing mandolin, while Garcia played solo gigs and with other musicians as well, playing and moving round the Bay Area and performing with whoever he could: [Excerpt: Jerry Garcia, "Railroad Bill"] "Bleshing, that was Janie's word. She said Baby told it to her. She said it meant everyone all together being something, even if they all did different things. Two arms, two legs, one body, one head, all working together, although a head can't walk and arms can't think. Lone said maybe it was a mixture of “blending” and “meshing,” but I don't think he believed that himself. It was a lot more than that." That's from More Than Human In 1961, Garcia and Hunter met another young musician, but one who was interested in a very different type of music. Phil Lesh was a serious student of modern classical music, a classically-trained violinist and trumpeter whose interest was solidly in the experimental and whose attitude can be summed up by a story that's always told about him meeting his close friend Tom Constanten for the first time. Lesh had been talking with someone about serialism, and Constanten had interrupted, saying "Music stopped being created in 1750 but it started again in 1950". Lesh just stuck out his hand, recognising a kindred spirit. Lesh and Constanten were both students of Luciano Berio, the experimental composer who created compositions for magnetic tape: [Excerpt: Luciano Berio, "Momenti"] Berio had been one of the founders of the Studio di fonologia musicale di Radio Milano, a studio for producing contemporary electronic music where John Cage had worked for a time, and he had also worked with the electronic music pioneer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Lesh would later remember being very impressed when Berio brought a tape into the classroom -- the actual multitrack tape for Stockhausen's revolutionary piece Gesang Der Juenglinge: [Excerpt: Karlheinz Stockhausen, "Gesang Der Juenglinge"] Lesh at first had been distrustful of Garcia -- Garcia was charismatic and had followers, and Lesh never liked people like that. But he was impressed by Garcia's playing, and soon realised that the two men, despite their very different musical interests, had a lot in common. Lesh was interested in the technology of music as well as in performing and composing it, and so when he wasn't studying he helped out by engineering at the university's radio station. Lesh was impressed by Garcia's playing, and suggested to the presenter of the station's folk show, the Midnight Special, that Garcia be a guest. Garcia was so good that he ended up getting an entire solo show to himself, where normally the show would feature multiple acts. Lesh and Constanten soon moved away from the Bay Area to Las Vegas, but both would be back -- in Constanten's case he would form an experimental group in San Francisco with their fellow student Steve Reich, and that group (though not with Constanten performing) would later premiere Terry Riley's In C, a piece influenced by La Monte Young and often considered one of the great masterpieces of minimalist music. By early 1962 Garcia and Hunter had formed a bluegrass band, with Garcia on guitar and banjo and Hunter on mandolin, and a rotating cast of other musicians including Ken Frankel, who played banjo and fiddle. They performed under different names, including the Tub Thumpers, the Hart Valley Drifters, and the Sleepy Valley Hog Stompers, and played a mixture of bluegrass and old-time music -- and were very careful about the distinction: [Excerpt: The Hart Valley Drifters, "Cripple Creek"] In 1993, the Republican political activist John Perry Barlow was invited to talk to the CIA about the possibilities open to them with what was then called the Information Superhighway. He later wrote, in part "They told me they'd brought Steve Jobs in a few weeks before to indoctrinate them in modern information management. And they were delighted when I returned later, bringing with me a platoon of Internet gurus, including Esther Dyson, Mitch Kapor, Tony Rutkowski, and Vint Cerf. They sealed us into an electronically impenetrable room to discuss the radical possibility that a good first step in lifting their blackout would be for the CIA to put up a Web site... We told them that information exchange was a barter system, and that to receive, one must also be willing to share. This was an alien notion to them. They weren't even willing to share information among themselves, much less the world." 1962 brought a new experience for Robert Hunter. Hunter had been recruited into taking part in psychological tests at Stanford University, which in the sixties and seventies was one of the preeminent universities for psychological experiments. As part of this, Hunter was given $140 to attend the VA hospital (where a janitor named Ken Kesey, who had himself taken part in a similar set of experiments a couple of years earlier, worked a day job while he was working on his first novel) for four weeks on the run, and take different psychedelic drugs each time, starting with LSD, so his reactions could be observed. (It was later revealed that these experiments were part of a CIA project called MKUltra, designed to investigate the possibility of using psychedelic drugs for mind control, blackmail, and torture. Hunter was quite lucky in that he was told what was going to happen to him and paid for his time. Other subjects included the unlucky customers of brothels the CIA set up as fronts -- they dosed the customers' drinks and observed them through two-way mirrors. Some of their experimental subjects died by suicide as a result of their experiences. So it goes. ) Hunter was interested in taking LSD after reading Aldous Huxley's writings about psychedelic substances, and he brought his typewriter along to the experiment. During the first test, he wrote a six-page text, a short excerpt from which is now widely quoted, reading in part "Sit back picture yourself swooping up a shell of purple with foam crests of crystal drops soft nigh they fall unto the sea of morning creep-very-softly mist ... and then sort of cascade tinkley-bell-like (must I take you by the hand, ever so slowly type) and then conglomerate suddenly into a peal of silver vibrant uncomprehendingly, blood singingly, joyously resounding bells" Hunter's experience led to everyone in their social circle wanting to try LSD, and soon they'd all come to the same conclusion -- this was something special. But Garcia needed money -- he'd got his girlfriend pregnant, and they'd married (this would be the first of several marriages in Garcia's life, and I won't be covering them all -- at Garcia's funeral, his second wife, Carolyn, said Garcia always called her the love of his life, and his first wife and his early-sixties girlfriend who he proposed to again in the nineties both simultaneously said "He said that to me!"). So he started teaching guitar at a music shop in Palo Alto. Hunter had no time for Garcia's incipient domesticity and thought that his wife was trying to make him live a conventional life, and the two drifted apart somewhat, though they'd still play together occasionally. Through working at the music store, Garcia got to know the manager, Troy Weidenheimer, who had a rock and roll band called the Zodiacs. Garcia joined the band on bass, despite that not being his instrument. He later said "Troy was a lot of fun, but I wasn't good enough a musician then to have been able to deal with it. I was out of my idiom, really, 'cause when I played with Troy I was playing electric bass, you know. I never was a good bass player. Sometimes I was playing in the wrong key and didn't even [fuckin'] know it. I couldn't hear that low, after playing banjo, you know, and going to electric...But Troy taught me the principle of, hey, you know, just stomp your foot and get on it. He was great. A great one for the instant arrangement, you know. And he was also fearless for that thing of get your friends to do it." Garcia's tenure in the Zodiacs didn't last long, nor did this experiment with rock and roll, but two other members of the Zodiacs will be notable later in the story -- the harmonica player, an old friend of Garcia's named Ron McKernan, who would soon gain the nickname Pig Pen after the Peanuts character, and the drummer, Bill Kreutzmann: [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, "Drums/Space (Skull & Bones version)"] Kreutzmann said of the Zodiacs "Jerry was the hired bass player and I was the hired drummer. I only remember playing that one gig with them, but I was in way over my head. I always did that. I always played things that were really hard and it didn't matter. I just went for it." Garcia and Kreutzmann didn't really get to know each other then, but Garcia did get to know someone else who would soon be very important in his life. Bob Weir was from a very different background than Garcia, though both had the shared experience of long bouts of chronic illness as children. He had grown up in a very wealthy family, and had always been well-liked, but he was what we would now call neurodivergent -- reading books about the band he talks about being dyslexic but clearly has other undiagnosed neurodivergences, which often go along with dyslexia -- and as a result he was deemed to have behavioural problems which led to him getting expelled from pre-school and kicked out of the cub scouts. He was never academically gifted, thanks to his dyslexia, but he was always enthusiastic about music -- to a fault. He learned to play boogie piano but played so loudly and so often his parents sold the piano. He had a trumpet, but the neighbours complained about him playing it outside. Finally he switched to the guitar, an instrument with which it is of course impossible to make too loud a noise. The first song he learned was the Kingston Trio's version of an old sea shanty, "The Wreck of the John B": [Excerpt: The Kingston Trio, "The Wreck of the John B"] He was sent off to a private school in Colorado for teenagers with behavioural issues, and there he met the boy who would become his lifelong friend, John Perry Barlow. Unfortunately the two troublemakers got on with each other *so* well that after their first year they were told that it was too disruptive having both of them at the school, and only one could stay there the next year. Barlow stayed and Weir moved back to the Bay Area. By this point, Weir was getting more interested in folk music that went beyond the commercial folk of the Kingston Trio. As he said later "There was something in there that was ringing my bells. What I had grown up thinking of as hillbilly music, it started to have some depth for me, and I could start to hear the music in it. Suddenly, it wasn't just a bunch of ignorant hillbillies playing what they could. There was some depth and expertise and stuff like that to aspire to.” He moved from school to school but one thing that stayed with him was his love of playing guitar, and he started taking lessons from Troy Weidenheimer, but he got most of his education going to folk clubs and hootenannies. He regularly went to the Tangent, a club where Garcia played, but Garcia's bluegrass banjo playing was far too rigorous for a free spirit like Weir to emulate, and instead he started trying to copy one of the guitarists who was a regular there, Jorma Kaukonnen. On New Year's Eve 1963 Weir was out walking with his friends Bob Matthews and Rich Macauley, and they passed the music shop where Garcia was a teacher, and heard him playing his banjo. They knocked and asked if they could come in -- they all knew Garcia a little, and Bob Matthews was one of his students, having become interested in playing banjo after hearing the theme tune to the Beverly Hillbillies, played by the bluegrass greats Flatt and Scruggs: [Excerpt: Flatt and Scruggs, "The Beverly Hillbillies"] Garcia at first told these kids, several years younger than him, that they couldn't come in -- he was waiting for his students to show up. But Weir said “Jerry, listen, it's seven-thirty on New Year's Eve, and I don't think you're going to be seeing your students tonight.” Garcia realised the wisdom of this, and invited the teenagers in to jam with him. At the time, there was a bit of a renaissance in jug bands, as we talked about back in the episode on the Lovin' Spoonful. This was a form of music that had grown up in the 1920s, and was similar and related to skiffle and coffee-pot bands -- jug bands would tend to have a mixture of portable string instruments like guitars and banjos, harmonicas, and people using improvised instruments, particularly blowing into a jug. The most popular of these bands had been Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, led by banjo player Gus Cannon and with harmonica player Noah Lewis: [Excerpt: Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, "Viola Lee Blues"] With the folk revival, Cannon's work had become well-known again. The Rooftop Singers, a Kingston Trio style folk group, had had a hit with his song "Walk Right In" in 1963, and as a result of that success Cannon had even signed a record contract with Stax -- Stax's first album ever, a month before Booker T and the MGs' first album, was in fact the eighty-year-old Cannon playing his banjo and singing his old songs. The rediscovery of Cannon had started a craze for jug bands, and the most popular of the new jug bands was Jim Kweskin's Jug Band, which did a mixture of old songs like "You're a Viper" and more recent material redone in the old style. Weir, Matthews, and Macauley had been to see the Kweskin band the night before, and had been very impressed, especially by their singer Maria D'Amato -- who would later marry her bandmate Geoff Muldaur and take his name -- and her performance of Leiber and Stoller's "I'm a Woman": [Excerpt: Jim Kweskin's Jug Band, "I'm a Woman"] Matthews suggested that they form their own jug band, and Garcia eagerly agreed -- though Matthews found himself rapidly moving from banjo to washboard to kazoo to second kazoo before realising he was surplus to requirements. Robert Hunter was similarly an early member but claimed he "didn't have the embouchure" to play the jug, and was soon also out. He moved to LA and started studying Scientology -- later claiming that he wanted science-fictional magic powers, which L. Ron Hubbard's new religion certainly offered. The group took the name Mother McRee's Uptown Jug Champions -- apparently they varied the spelling every time they played -- and had a rotating membership that at one time or another included about twenty different people, but tended always to have Garcia on banjo, Weir on jug and later guitar, and Garcia's friend Pig Pen on harmonica: [Excerpt: Mother McRee's Uptown Jug Champions, "On the Road Again"] The group played quite regularly in early 1964, but Garcia's first love was still bluegrass, and he was trying to build an audience with his bluegrass band, The Black Mountain Boys. But bluegrass was very unpopular in the Bay Area, where it was simultaneously thought of as unsophisticated -- as "hillbilly music" -- and as elitist, because it required actual instrumental ability, which wasn't in any great supply in the amateur folk scene. But instrumental ability was something Garcia definitely had, as at this point he was still practising eight hours a day, every day, and it shows on the recordings of the Black Mountain Boys: [Excerpt: The Black Mountain Boys, "Rosa Lee McFall"] By the summer, Bob Weir was also working at the music shop, and so Garcia let Weir take over his students while he and the Black Mountain Boys' guitarist Sandy Rothman went on a road trip to see as many bluegrass musicians as they could and to audition for Bill Monroe himself. As it happened, Garcia found himself too shy to audition for Monroe, but Rothman later ended up playing with Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. On his return to the Bay Area, Garcia resumed playing with the Uptown Jug Champions, but Pig Pen started pestering him to do something different. While both men had overlapping tastes in music and a love for the blues, Garcia's tastes had always been towards the country end of the spectrum while Pig Pen's were towards R&B. And while the Uptown Jug Champions were all a bit disdainful of the Beatles at first -- apart from Bob Weir, the youngest of the group, who thought they were interesting -- Pig Pen had become enamoured of another British band who were just starting to make it big: [Excerpt: The Rolling Stones, "Not Fade Away"] 29) Garcia liked the first Rolling Stones album too, and he eventually took Pig Pen's point -- the stuff that the Rolling Stones were doing, covers of Slim Harpo and Buddy Holly, was not a million miles away from the material they were doing as Mother McRee's Uptown Jug Champions. Pig Pen could play a little electric organ, Bob had been fooling around with the electric guitars in the music shop. Why not give it a go? The stuff bands like the Rolling Stones were doing wasn't that different from the electric blues that Pig Pen liked, and they'd all seen A Hard Day's Night -- they could carry on playing with banjos, jugs, and kazoos and have the respect of a handful of folkies, or they could get electric instruments and potentially have screaming girls and millions of dollars, while playing the same songs. This was a convincing argument, especially when Dana Morgan Jr, the son of the owner of the music shop, told them they could have free electric instruments if they let him join on bass. Morgan wasn't that great on bass, but what the hell, free instruments. Pig Pen had the best voice and stage presence, so he became the frontman of the new group, singing most of the leads, though Jerry and Bob would both sing a few songs, and playing harmonica and organ. Weir was on rhythm guitar, and Garcia was the lead guitarist and obvious leader of the group. They just needed a drummer, and handily Bill Kreutzmann, who had played with Garcia and Pig Pen in the Zodiacs, was also now teaching music at the music shop. Not only that, but about three weeks before they decided to go electric, Kreutzmann had seen the Uptown Jug Champions performing and been astonished by Garcia's musicianship and charisma, and said to himself "Man, I'm gonna follow that guy forever!" The new group named themselves the Warlocks, and started rehearsing in earnest. Around this time, Garcia also finally managed to get some of the LSD that his friend Robert Hunter had been so enthusiastic about three years earlier, and it was a life-changing experience for him. In particular, he credited LSD with making him comfortable being a less disciplined player -- as a bluegrass player he'd had to be frighteningly precise, but now he was playing rock and needed to loosen up. A few days after taking LSD for the first time, Garcia also heard some of Bob Dylan's new material, and realised that the folk singer he'd had little time for with his preachy politics was now making electric music that owed a lot more to the Beat culture Garcia considered himself part of: [Excerpt: Bob Dylan, "Subterranean Homesick Blues"] Another person who was hugely affected by hearing that was Phil Lesh, who later said "I couldn't believe that was Bob Dylan on AM radio, with an electric band. It changed my whole consciousness: if something like that could happen, the sky was the limit." Up to that point, Lesh had been focused entirely on his avant-garde music, working with friends like Steve Reich to push music forward, inspired by people like John Cage and La Monte Young, but now he realised there was music of value in the rock world. He'd quickly started going to rock gigs, seeing the Rolling Stones and the Byrds, and then he took acid and went to see his friend Garcia's new electric band play their third ever gig. He was blown away, and very quickly it was decided that Lesh would be the group's new bass player -- though everyone involved tells a different story as to who made the decision and how it came about, and accounts also vary as to whether Dana Morgan took his sacking gracefully and let his erstwhile bandmates keep their instruments, or whether they had to scrounge up some new ones. Lesh had never played bass before, but he was a talented multi-instrumentalist with a deep understanding of music and an ability to compose and improvise, and the repertoire the Warlocks were playing in the early days was mostly three-chord material that doesn't take much rehearsal -- though it was apparently beyond the abilities of poor Dana Morgan, who apparently had to be told note-by-note what to play by Garcia, and learn it by rote. Garcia told Lesh what notes the strings of a bass were tuned to, told him to borrow a guitar and practice, and within two weeks he was on stage with the Warlocks: [Excerpt: The Grateful Dead, “Grayfolded"] In September 1995, just weeks after Jerry Garcia's death, an article was published in Mute magazine identifying a cultural trend that had shaped the nineties, and would as it turned out shape at least the next thirty years. It's titled "The Californian Ideology", though it may be better titled "The Bay Area Ideology", and it identifies a worldview that had grown up in Silicon Valley, based around the ideas of the hippie movement, of right-wing libertarianism, of science fiction authors, and of Marshall McLuhan. It starts "There is an emerging global orthodoxy concerning the relation between society, technology and politics. We have called this orthodoxy `the Californian Ideology' in honour of the state where it originated. By naturalising and giving a technological proof to a libertarian political philosophy, and therefore foreclosing on alternative futures, the Californian Ideologues are able to assert that social and political debates about the future have now become meaningless. The California Ideology is a mix of cybernetics, free market economics, and counter-culture libertarianism and is promulgated by magazines such as WIRED and MONDO 2000 and preached in the books of Stewart Brand, Kevin Kelly and others. The new faith has been embraced by computer nerds, slacker students, 30-something capitalists, hip academics, futurist bureaucrats and even the President of the USA himself. As usual, Europeans have not been slow to copy the latest fashion from America. While a recent EU report recommended adopting the Californian free enterprise model to build the 'infobahn', cutting-edge artists and academics have been championing the 'post-human' philosophy developed by the West Coast's Extropian cult. With no obvious opponents, the global dominance of the Californian ideology appears to be complete." [Excerpt: Grayfolded] The Warlocks' first gig with Phil Lesh on bass was on June the 18th 1965, at a club called Frenchy's with a teenage clientele. Lesh thought his playing had been wooden and it wasn't a good gig, and apparently the management of Frenchy's agreed -- they were meant to play a second night there, but turned up to be told they'd been replaced by a band with an accordion and clarinet. But by September the group had managed to get themselves a residency at a small bar named the In Room, and playing there every night made them cohere. They were at this point playing the kind of sets that bar bands everywhere play to this day, though at the time the songs they were playing, like "Gloria" by Them and "In the Midnight Hour", were the most contemporary of hits. Another song that they introduced into their repertoire was "Do You Believe in Magic" by the Lovin' Spoonful, another band which had grown up out of former jug band musicians. As well as playing their own sets, they were also the house band at The In Room and as such had to back various touring artists who were the headline acts. The first act they had to back up was Cornell Gunter's version of the Coasters. Gunter had brought his own guitarist along as musical director, and for the first show Weir sat in the audience watching the show and learning the parts, staring intently at this musical director's playing. After seeing that, Weir's playing was changed, because he also picked up how the guitarist was guiding the band while playing, the small cues that a musical director will use to steer the musicians in the right direction. Weir started doing these things himself when he was singing lead -- Pig Pen was the frontman but everyone except Bill sang sometimes -- and the group soon found that rather than Garcia being the sole leader, now whoever was the lead singer for the song was the de facto conductor as well. By this point, the Bay Area was getting almost overrun with people forming electric guitar bands, as every major urban area in America was. Some of the bands were even having hits already -- We Five had had a number three hit with "You Were On My Mind", a song which had originally been performed by the folk duo Ian and Sylvia: [Excerpt: We Five, "You Were On My Mind"] Although the band that was most highly regarded on the scene, the Charlatans, was having problems with the various record companies they tried to get signed to, and didn't end up making a record until 1969. If tracks like "Number One" had been released in 1965 when they were recorded, the history of the San Francisco music scene may have taken a very different turn: [Excerpt: The Charlatans, "Number One"] Bands like Jefferson Airplane, the Great Society, and Big Brother and the Holding Company were also forming, and Autumn Records was having a run of success with records by the Beau Brummels, whose records were produced by Autumn's in-house A&R man, Sly Stone: [Excerpt: The Beau Brummels, "Laugh Laugh"] The Warlocks were somewhat cut off from this, playing in a dive bar whose clientele was mostly depressed alcoholics. But the fact that they were playing every night for an audience that didn't care much gave them freedom, and they used that freedom to improvise. Both Lesh and Garcia were big fans of John Coltrane, and they started to take lessons from his style of playing. When the group played "Gloria" or "Midnight Hour" or whatever, they started to extend the songs and give themselves long instrumental passages for soloing. Garcia's playing wasn't influenced *harmonically* by Coltrane -- in fact Garcia was always a rather harmonically simple player. He'd tend to play lead lines either in Mixolydian mode, which is one of the most standard modes in rock, pop, blues, and jazz, or he'd play the notes of the chord that was being played, so if the band were playing a G chord his lead would emphasise the notes G, B, and D. But what he was influenced by was Coltrane's tendency to improvise in long, complex, phrases that made up a single thought -- Coltrane was thinking musically in paragraphs, rather than sentences, and Garcia started to try the same kind of th

Jimmy Fink has one of radio's most storied careers. It includes legendary call letters like WHFS, WPLJ (when it was an AOR station), WXRK (K-Rock, the station where Howard Stern worked in the 90's through to Sirius) and now 107.1 The Peak. It is also the station that brought Jimmy back to radio after he left it in the late 90's.In this episode you will hear about Jimmy's early days in radio, how he led his family business for a brief period in the 90's, why he left WPLJ, and what it was like to follow Howard Stern. We also dig into what makes the Peak a compelling listen, and why the station has quietly grown a world wide audience. Finally, no 2023 interview would be complete without discussing what impact the pandemic had on Jimmy's work. (Spoiler: He doesn't feel a need to go back to the studio)It was an earlier episode with Arielle Nissenblatt that conjured up memories of this cool station I would listen to on my trips down I-87 into New York. Arielle grew up listening to the station and contributes a question as well.This show is made possible every week by contributors like:Blurve: A great way to help you prep your Show.NLogic: TV & radio advertising and audience data solutionsMegatrax - Licensed Music for your radio station or podcast production company.A transcript of this episode is available hereSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

My guest today is a new friend, though someone I've kind of known for over 30 years. Erin Riley and I led parallel lives for a while, both rising in the world of rock radio and loving life. Erin worked at KROQ in LA when I was at WPLJ in NY. As I traded the east coast for the west coast and moved to LA, Erin moved back east to become music director at WMMR in Philadelphia. We finally met some 35 years after we were both at the same event with Yoko Ono celebrating the release of the documentary "Imagine" about John Lennon back in 1988... It's a small world. Though I'm sure we'll wind up talking music at some point, that's not the subject of today's interview. Instead, we'll talk about how Erin's life took a sharp turn from the sex and drugs and rock and roll life to the point where she wrote a book -- not a memoir of those music filled years, but A DARK FORCE: 20 YEARS WITH A COVERT NARCISSIST. But we'll begin, as usual, with the latest and yes, shocker, there is breaking news. An arrest was made in the case of the huge Pentagon classified documents leak and, go figure, it was a 21 year old gamer in a chatroom. South Florida has been hit with torrential rains and biblical flooding, resulting in the closure of Fort Lauderdale Airport yesterday-- and all day today! Jury selection began today in Delaware for the Dominion Voting Systems vs Fox (not) News. The trial is expected to begin on Monday. And Trump is back in NYC for another deposition before NY AG Letitia James.... and that will bring us to the topic of a narcissistic sociopath...

SHOW NOTES About Mark Monchek Mark Monchek is the Founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on helping businesses thrive through disruption. He is the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption. Mark has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase,General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, TerraCycle, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations. He's been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Mark has a passion for empowering conscious leaders to build great companies that make a difference in the world. Through his strategy, he discovers and develops opportunities that merge profitability with sustainable growth, creating organizations that are more conscious, making life better for their customers, employees and communities. What is the dent you wish to make in the world? I want to change the way business thinks about itself. Episode Key Takeaway Listeners will learn examples of significant conscious business growth with clients and members of the Opportunity Lab community. They will also discover action steps to become a more conscious leader in order to develop a more conscious company. Something you should read... Daisy Jones & The Six Something you should listen to... Pura Rasa - Guided Meditations Something you should watch... The Trapped 13: How We Survived the Thai Cave (2022) Something interesting... I'm going to die one day. But the reason why it's so important is we have a society that denies that we are limited. Connect with Mark Download a free guide about the 5 Ways To Make Your Strategy More Resilient Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business In An Age of Disruption Opportunity Lab Website LinkedIn Get a consultation: discover@opplab.com Connect with Jeff Don't forget to subscribe. Rate the show 5-stars on iTunes If you really liked it, share the episode. Shareable is self-fun

Meg discusses the aftermath of the attack on the Central Park Jogger. Part 2 of 2. Jessica MacGyvers her radio to reach WLIR: Long Island Radio.Please check out our website, follow us on Instagram, on Facebook, and...WRITE US A REVIEW HEREWe'd LOVE to hear from you! Let us know if you have any ideas for stories HEREThank you for listening!Love,Meg and Jessica

No matter where you are in your career, you'll benefit from listening to 3Q. 3Q provides a window into the careers of some of the best in the music business. Every episode is an insider's view of the realities of life as a music executive. Topics include issues of empowerment, uncertainty, trust, finances, etc; issues that will impact you both personally and professionally. The executives we interview represent every aspect of the industry including but not limited to A&R, Marketing, Music Supervision, Artist Management, Promotion, and more. About Tyson: Tyson Haller is a promotion executive with over 20 years of experience in the music industry. During that time he's gained a broad knowledge of the opportunities for business growth and the promotion strategies that generate success. He's enthusiastic, personable and perceptive and has been recognized for his creativity and persuasive interpersonal communication style. After two internships in college, one at Atlantic Records in Chicago and the other at Virgin Records in London, in addition to also holding three part time jobs during school in the music field, assistant manager at a record store, director of hospitality at a concert venue and Elektra college rep, he landed his first job at Elektra Records in NYC as an assistant in the Tour Marketing Department. While still at Elektra, he moved on to doing College Promotion and later transitioned to Virgin Records to also run their College Promotion Department. He was quickly promoted to be Virgin's New York local where he dealt with some of the biggest radio stations in the country across all formats like Z100, WLTW, K-Rock, Hot 97, WPLJ and WKTU. Wanting to grow into a National role, he left Virgin to start the radio department at Warner Music Group's new incubator label EastWest. This was where his ability to quickly develop new relationships with radio was tested. With a list of unknown artists to work and no major label catalog to bring him credibility, Tyson created a reputation for being an analytical and strategic thinker. After some early radio successes with Pepper and Nightmare of You EastWest merged into ILG and his department grew. Now overseeing a team of four, he led the department to multiple Top 5 and Top 10 records at Alternative and Rock radio with tracks from Cake, Silverchair, Sevendust, Middle Class Rut, Beware of Darkness and Tantric to name a few. ILG would later became the Label Services Department at ADA, where Haller led the promotion department in some of ADA's biggest successes at radio to date, including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis‘s “Thrift Shop,” Arctic Monkeys, Stone Temple Pilots and The Wombats. Following his role as head of radio, he rose to lead the entire Label Services team in the U.S., where he oversaw marketing, publicity, digital marketing, playlist promotion, video promotion, sync & licensing and radio promotion. During that time, the department saw the rise of new artists Lil Dicky, Madeintyo and Caye. Following ADA, Tyson went to Concord as VP of Promotion and within a year was promoted to run the department as SVP/Head of Promotion. During his tenure as head of the department, the promotion team achieved ten #1 records with bands such as iDKHOW, Seether, The Pretty Reckless, Korn, The Offspring, Ghost, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Rise Against. Also during that time, the company became the #1 label at rock radio for the year and a Top 10 label at Alternative radio. Tyson is currently SVP, Promotion & Artist Strategy at Shelter Music Group where he works alongside the company's team of managers to assist in artist development, as well as, create, drive and support multiple radio campaigns across the roster.

EPISODE SUMMARY: Tim McCarthy is an award-winning GM and former SVP of ESPN radio. McCarthy shares his journey in talk and sports radio, and his experiences working with top talent and inking major deals as Tim and Chachi sit down for a chat!On this episode of Chachi Loves Everybody, Chachi talks to Tim about:How he got into radio by being a driver for an executiveGetting his foot in the door as an account exec at PLJ and excelling early onWhy selling on talk stations can be easier than on music stationsBecoming a station manager and working with talent like Sean Hannity and Rush LimbaughBeing chosen to head ESPN Radio in NYC and acquiring rights to multiple franchises including The Islanders, Rangers, and KnicksHow he was able to use both his sales and programming experience to improve his stationsNegotiation tips and how to ensure everyones walks away winning somethingWhat being the SVP of ESPN Radio was everyonelike as a sports fan and getting to talk with Bob IgerHis current work as President of the Broadcasters Foundation of America and how the BFA provides support to people in the industry And more!To support the Broadcasters Foundation of America or learn more, visit: https://broadcastersfoundation.orgInformation about events like the Golden Mike Gala, Lombardo Charity Golf Tournament, and Leadership Breakfast can be found here: https://broadcastersfoundation.org/events/ABOUT THIS EPISODE'S GUEST: Tim McCarthy joined the Disney Group of radio stations in 1990 serving first as an Account Executive with WPLJ-FM, moving across the hall three years later to become Sales Director for both 77WABC and WPLJ. McCarthy became General Manager for legendary News/Talk station 77WABC in 1999 and presided over the acquisition and start up of 1560 AM Radio Disney. He held the dual roles of GM for 77WABC and 1050 ESPN Radio. In 2010, he was named Sr. Vice President of ESPN Radio Group in February 2010 where he drivo the play-by-play business by assessing contracts, increasing revenue and working towards maximizing scheduling opportunities across the stations and network. Among McCarthy's many industry honors: 2006 News/Talk GM of the Year from Radio & Records; and his selection as one of the nation's 10 best managers by Radio Ink Magazine in 2005. McCarthy served as Chairman for the 2007 New York State Broadcasters Association.In 2021, he shifted his focus and efforts to raise charitable donations and develop solutions for former broadcasters who experience hardship due to no fault of their own. Many of the worthy beneficiaries of the Broadcasters Foundation of America receive monthly grants to emergency assistance for relief from natural disasters like hurricanes or floods.ABOUT THE PODCAST: Chachi Loves Everybody is brought to you by Benztown and hosted by the President of Benztown, Dave “Chachi” Denes. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the myths and legends of the radio industry.PEOPLE MENTIONED: Scott Herman, Jim O'Grady, Mitch Dolan, Scott Shannon, Rod Stewart, Bob Grant, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, John Gambling, Mark Simone, Mark Levin, Charlton Heston, Bob Iger, Michael Kay, John Mcenroe, Wallace Matthews, Tom Keegan, Stephen A. Smith, Traug Keller, Greg Ashlock, Larry Kahn, John Barton, Steve Haddad, Jim Thompson, Ed McloughlinABOUT BENZTOWN: Benztown is a leading international audio imaging, production library, voiceover, programming, podcasting, and jingle production company with over 3,000 affiliations on six different continents. Benztown provides audio brands and radio stations of all formats with end-to-end imaging and production, making high-quality sound and world-class audio branding a reality for radio stations of all market sizes and budgets. Benztown was named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 by Inc. magazine for five consecutive years as one of America's Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies. With studios in Los Angeles, New York, London and Stuttgart, Benztown offers the highest quality audio imaging work parts for 23 libraries across 14 music and spoken word formats including AC, Hot AC, CHR, Country, Hip Hop and R&B, Rhythmic, Classic Hits, Rock, News/Talk, Sports, and JACK. Benztown provides custom VO and imaging across all formats, including commercial VO and copywriting in partnership with Yamanair Creative. Benztown Radio Networks produces, markets, and distributes high-quality programming and services to radio stations around the world, including: The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Countdown, The Daily Dees Show, The Todd-N-Tyler Radio Empire, Hot Mix, Sunday Night Slow Jams with R Dub!, Flashback, Top 10 Now, AudioLogger, Audio Architecture, Radio Merch Shop, The Rooster Show Prep, AmeriCountry, and Benztown Swag Bank. Benztown + McVay Media Podcast Networks produces and markets premium podcasts including: The Making of: A National Geographic Podcast, Run It Again, Hot Chicken and Cage-Free Conversation with Byron Kennedy, and Edelman Financial Engines' Everyday Wealth.Web: benztown.comFacebook: facebook.com/benztownradioTwitter: @benztownradioLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/benztownInstagram: instagram.com/benztownradio

“You have to create this environment that the person's comfortable in, that's a big part of it. And I don't actually like to use the word interview, especially when I coach people or advise people who are starting podcasts. You don't ever want to use the word ‘interview' because interview implies question answer, question answer, question answer, whereas a conversation is a back and forth, it's people sharing ideas.”-- Joe Pardavila My next guest has produced over ten thousand hours of audio content over the course of his career in podcasting and terrestrial radio. He was a radio personality and producer on the legendary New York City radio station, 95.5 PLJ, where he was part of the iconic Scott & Todd in the Morning. He studied Sketch & Improv Comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade and was a founding member and actor in the New York-based sketch comedy group Clip Show. The group performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and the People's Improv Theater, and their video sketches have been featured on Funny or Die and the Huffington Post. He's also the co-director, writer, and producer of the award-winning horror satire The Witches of Bushwick and currently serves as the director of podcasts for Advantage Media Group/ForbesBooks. His name is Joe Pardavila and, as you can probably tell, he's spent much of his life understanding good audio and good conversation. His book Good Listen talks about the secrets behind creating compelling conversations and powerful podcasts.  Sounds like he'll fit right in here, so let's get to it! As always, if you have any questions for my guest, you're welcome to reach out through the links in the show notes.  If you have questions for me, just visit http://www.audiobrandingpodcast.com/ (www.audiobrandingpodcast.com) where you'll find all sorts of ways to get in touch. Plus, subscribing to the newsletter (on the http://www.audiobrandingpodcast.com/ (www.audiobrandingpodcast.com) webpage) will let you know when the new podcasts are available. In Love with Radio As the interview starts, we talk about Joe's early memories of sound and how he used to stay up late at night as a child to secretly listen to sports news on the radio, "I would be in my bedroom underneath my blankets," he recalls, "listening to my little radio till 3 o'clock in the morning to see what the Mets had done." That radio under the blankets, he says, was a lifeline in the days before the internet and news on demand, and it changed the way he thought about sound, media, and particularly the power of radio.  "That was sort of my connection," Joe says, "to the way I fell in love with radio."   Opening Up the World Joe goes on to tell us how he came to work for WPLJ and Scott & Todd in the Morning, as a college internship turned into a surprise job offer. "I didn't have to think twice about it," he says. "I was like 'sure, who needs school?' And then that sort of opened my world up." He quickly progressed in his newfound career and, as he explains, "I ended up running the morning show by the time the morning show was blowing up in 2019." We talk about his mentors and how they influenced his career, and how a mentor can sometimes be just as valuable for the mistakes they teach you to avoid as the advice they offer. "One thing people don't realize about mentors and mentorship," he notes, "is it's not only the good things you can learn from your mentors. It's also the bad things."   Good Listening Next, we talk about his foray into podcasting and writing his first book. "I was like 'I want to do podcasting,'" Joe reflects, "'but I don't want to do the same thing I'm doing on the air.'" His first podcast ended up being a collaboration with renowned sex researcher Zhana Vrangalova in part, he says, "because that's something I would never be able to discuss on the radio." Podcasting soon led him to an unexpected new creative venture, his new book Good Listen. “It turns out as I was...

Mark Monchek is the Founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, a strategy and facilitation consultancy helping mission-driven organizations grow thriving, resilient businesses that create abundance for everyone they touch. In today's episode of Smashing the Plateau, you will learn how you can find the resources for exponential opportunity. Mark and I discuss: The blurring of the lines between employees and consultants [02:19] How to think about your resources and your value [04:54] An exercise to develop a generosity mindset [11:39] How consultants and coaches can leverage their resources [14:55] His own future opportunity [18:53] Mark is the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption. Mark has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, TerraCycle, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations. He's been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Mark has a passion for helping leaders grow organizations that are catalysts for a better world and believes that a strategy only works if you take every part of a business into consideration. He uses innovative but tested facilitation techniques to help leaders and teams identify their gaps and blind spots, lean into their strengths, and amplify their impact in a changing marketplace. Learn more about Mark at https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmonchek/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmonchek/), https://opplab.com/ (https://opplab.com/) Thank you to Our Sponsors: The Smashing the Plateau Community https://community.smashingtheplateau.com (https://community.smashingtheplateau.com) Circle https://smashingtheplateau.com/circle (https://smashingtheplateau.com/circle)

Elisa Jordana interviews Joe Pardavila, former producer of the "Scott and Todd in the Morning" show on WPLJ 95.5 in New York City.

In a world where we focus primarily on failure, how can we shift focus to success and opportunity? Mark Monchek has taken his own opportunity and developed a process for organizations to develop a culture of opportunity for individual team members and for the greater good of the whole team.  Mark is the founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on company growth through conscious business. Opportunity Lab applies models of growth to companies navigating through disruptive change and finds opportunity for sustained growth even in the most difficult situations. Mark is also the author of Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption, a fascinating book on this very topic. In today's episode, Mark explains how to create a culture of opportunity and what that could mean for your organization. He helps us understand the Success DNA, how to bring it into your organization, and most importantly, how to sustain it. You can become an expert in opportunity as well. What We Talked About in This Episode: Mark's Background and Current Role as Chief Opportunity Officer The Culture of Opportunity Identifying Success DNA Studying Success Over Failure Noticing the Pattern of Success Past Successes to Help Plan for the Future Becoming an Expert in Opportunity Balancing the Needs of Each Team Member with the Needs of the Team as a Whole The Challenges of Creating a Culture of Opportunity Non Dominant Hand Journaling Filtering Opportunities Through Specific Criteria to Determine Priority The Principles of Conscious Leaders Mark's Daily Rituals and Book Recommendation About Our Guest: Mark Monchek is the Founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on conscious growth. Mark has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, TerraCycle, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations. He's the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption. He's been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Connect with Mark Monchek:  https://opplab.com/ Links and Resources: Opportunity Lab Website Mark Monchek on LinkedIn Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption by Mark Monchek Connect with John Murphy: LinkedIn Twitter YouTube Facebook If you liked this episode, please don't forget to subscribe, tune in, and share this podcast. Thanks for tuning in!

Joe Pardavila has produced over ten thousand hours of audio content over the course of his career in podcasting and terrestrial radio. Joe was a radio personality and producer on the legendary New YorkCity radio station, 95.5 PLJ, where he got his start as "Monkey Boy" as part of the iconic “Scott & Todd in the Morning."  He studied sketch and improv comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade and was a founding member and actor in the NewYork-based sketch comedy group, Clip Show.  He is the co-director, writer, and producer of the award-winning horror satire, “The Witches of Bushwick" and currently serves as the director of podcasts for Advantage Media Group|ForbesBooks. 

Jimmy Fink has been working in broadcasting for more than four decades….hosting shows on several major market radio stations, television networks, and production & advertising companies in the New York and Washington, DC metropolitan areas.  Over the years Jimmy has worked for ABC, CBS, and NBC, Rolling Stone Magazine, HBO, Cinemax, and syndicators like United Stations Radio Network, DIR Broadcasting and The Global Satellite Network. In the 80s & 90s, he spent 10 years at New York's K-Rock (WXRK-FM), and wrote and produced several internationally syndicated radio programs including Rolling Stone Magazine's “Continuous History of Rock & Roll,” “RockWatch,” and “New Waves” for NPR.  Jimmy's a lifelong resident of Westchester County, New York, and dedicates a lot of energy to two specific charities: The Pediatric Cancer Foundation and Open Door Family Medical Centers, where he's a past member of their Foundation Board. Jimmy joined 107.1 The Peak/New York (WXPK-FM) near its inception in June of 2004. After seeing a bus poster for a new radio station and listening for a half hour, he knew he had to work there. He calls 107.1 The Peak the most creative station with the broadest format any radio lover could want to work for.  Part three of four has Jimmy sharing about being on a Radio station that changes its music format….happened to him while working at more than one New York City station. Jimmy tells us what happened in 1996 when New York's 92.3 K-ROCK (WXRK-FM) changed format from Classic Rock to Alternative Rock. We also hear what Jimmy hates the most about being on the air. Plus, Jimmy also shares with us his interview with Mick Jones of Foreigner, and his and his daughter's encounter with Sir Paul McCartney.You can download or stream every episode of AIRCHECK from Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, and Google Podcasts.  You  can also ask your Smart Speaker to “Play Aircheck Podcast”.If you're a radio vet with a story to tell we want to hear from you.Email us at Aircheckme@gmail.comFollow us on Facebook:  facebook.com/aircheckmeTell us what you think and your favorite episode!

Jimmy Fink has been working in broadcasting for more than four decades….hosting shows on several major market radio stations, television networks, and production & advertising companies in the New York and Washington, DC metropolitan areas.  Over the years Jimmy has worked for ABC, CBS, and NBC, Rolling Stone Magazine, HBO, Cinemax, and syndicators like United Stations Radio Network, DIR Broadcasting and The Global Satellite Network. In the 80s & 90s, he spent 10 years at New York's K-Rock (WXRK-FM), and wrote and produced several internationally syndicated radio programs including Rolling Stone Magazine's “Continuous History of Rock & Roll,” “RockWatch,” and “New Waves” for NPR.  Jimmy's a lifelong resident of Westchester County, New York, and dedicates a lot of energy to two specific charities: The Pediatric Cancer Foundation and Open Door Family Medical Centers, where he's a past member of their Foundation Board. Jimmy joined 107.1 The Peak/New York (WXPK-FM) near its inception in June of 2004. After seeing a bus poster for a new radio station and listening for a half hour, he knew he had to work there. He calls 107.1 The Peak the most creative station with the broadest format any radio lover could want to work for.  Part four of four, our Season Finale; Jimmy taking us into the studio during New York's 95.5 WPLJ-FM reunion radio show from May 2019. He also reveals some funny moments during interviews with Elton John, Frank Zappa, ZZ Top, and how the late Rush drummer Neil felt about being famous. Jimmy talks about his current radio show on 107.1 The Peak (WXPK-FM) in Westchester NY, and one of his most remarkable moments of his career. It happened at New York's 92.3 K-ROCK (WXRK-FM) with Howard Stern.You can download or stream every episode of AIRCHECK from Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, and Google Podcasts.  You  can also ask your Smart Speaker to “Play Aircheck Podcast”.If you're a radio vet with a story to tell we want to hear from you.Email us at Aircheckme@gmail.comFollow us on Facebook:  facebook.com/aircheckmeTell us what you think and your favorite episode!

Jimmy Fink has been working in broadcasting for more than four decades….hosting shows on several major market radio stations, television networks, and production & advertising companies in the New York and Washington, DC metropolitan areas.  Over the years Jimmy has worked for ABC, CBS, and NBC, Rolling Stone Magazine, HBO, Cinemax, and syndicators like United Stations Radio Network, DIR Broadcasting and The Global Satellite Network. In the 80s & 90s, he spent 10 years at New York's K-Rock (WXRK-FM), and wrote and produced several internationally syndicated radio programs including Rolling Stone Magazine's “Continuous History of Rock & Roll,” “RockWatch,” and “New Waves” for NPR.  Jimmy's a lifelong resident of Westchester County, New York, and dedicates a lot of energy to two specific charities: The Pediatric Cancer Foundation and Open Door Family Medical Centers, where he's a past member of their Foundation Board. Jimmy is currently doing afternoon drive on 107.1 The Peak/New York (WXPK-FM).  He joined the station near its inception in June of 2004. After seeing a bus poster for a new radio station and listening for a half hour, he knew he had to work there. He calls 107.1 The Peak the most creative station with the broadest format any radio lover could want to work for.  Part one of four has Jimmy rewinding the moments when he was hired at the beginnings of two legendary New York City radio stations, WABC-FM which became 95.5 WPLJ and the NEW 92.3 KROCK (WXRK-FM). Jimmy also shares his greatest moments with musicians, including Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees and Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant.You can download or stream every episode of AIRCHECK from Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, and Google Podcasts.  You  can also ask your Smart Speaker to “Play Aircheck Podcast”.If you're a radio vet with a story to tell we want to hear from you.Email us at Aircheckme@gmail.comFollow us on Facebook:  facebook.com/aircheckmeTell us what you think and your favorite episode!

Jimmy Fink has been working in broadcasting for more than four decades….hosting shows on several major market radio stations, television networks, and production & advertising companies in the New York and Washington, DC metropolitan areas.  Over the years Jimmy has worked for ABC, CBS, and NBC, Rolling Stone Magazine, HBO, Cinemax, and syndicators like United Stations Radio Network, DIR Broadcasting and The Global Satellite Network. In the 80s & 90s, he spent 10 years at New York's K-Rock (WXRK-FM), and wrote and produced several internationally syndicated radio programs including Rolling Stone Magazine's “Continuous History of Rock & Roll,” “RockWatch,” and “New Waves” for NPR.  Jimmy's a lifelong resident of Westchester County, New York, and dedicates a lot of energy to two specific charities: The Pediatric Cancer Foundation and Open Door Family Medical Centers, where he's a past member of their Foundation Board. Jimmy is currently doing afternoon drive on 107.1 The Peak/New York (WXPK-FM).  He joined the station near its inception in June of 2004. After seeing a bus poster for a new radio station and listening for a half hour, he knew he had to work there. He calls 107.1 The Peak the most creative station with the broadest format any radio lover could want to work for.  Part two of four includes Jimmy taking us back to those formative years of his radio career and how his contemporaries welcomed him. The story of 95.5 WABC-FM changing to WPLJ and how those call-letters came about.  He shares some moments with those legendary WPLJ DJ's he was fortunate to work with, and that historical moment when WPLJ changed format in the early 80's. We also hear about his conversation with Graham Nash plus his elevator encounter with John Lennon and Yoko Ono.You can download or stream every episode of AIRCHECK from Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, and Google Podcasts.  You  can also ask your Smart Speaker to “Play Aircheck Podcast”.If you're a radio vet with a story to tell we want to hear from you.Email us at Aircheckme@gmail.comFollow us on Facebook:  facebook.com/aircheckmeTell us what you think and your favorite episode!

Mark has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, TerraCycle, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations.He's the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption. Mark has been been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle.Notes on the Opportunity Lab:Opportunity Lab is a strategy consulting firm focused on company growth through conscious business.We started Opportunity Lab during the Great Recession of 2008. It was a time of turbulence and anxiety for many companies. And people.We saw companies with static business plans struggle in the economic downturn. Remember the big companies that went out of business? Blockbusters, Borders Books.But companies that adapted to changing markets found ways to keep growing and winning. Companies like Netflix, Amazon and Apple.We applied these models of growth to companies navigating through disruptive change. And we found opportunity for sustained growth even in the most difficult situations.Through this period, we grew Opportunity Lab, our team, and our collaborative Culture of Opportunity Process. We focused on company growth by applying conscious business practices and working with conscious business leaders.Since then, we've helped many companies thrive in any economy and through any business disruption.Opportunity Lab helps conscious business leaders solve strategic growth challenges. We deliver measurable results to help solve your business problems, and we give you the tools and process you can use when future challenges arise.www.opplab.comwww.livelifedriven.com

On today's episode, Scott interviews his friend, Julian Hernandez, with whom he has worked on numerous recording dates and live performances since the 1980s. Julian is recognized in the NY/NJ area as a Vocalist, Producer, and Composer. In addition, he is a highly sought after recording session vocalist for producers that include Tony Garcia and the late-great, Tony Camillo. Julian has a rare gift; he can perfectly recreate the voice of iconic singers (male AND female), such as Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Luciano Pavarotti, just to name a few. His credits include writing and singing on “Take Me In Your Arms” which hit #48 on the Billboard Top 100 Chart, and his vocals can be heard on many national tv and radio ads. Julian is the 2014 “Baby Boomer” American Idol Winner, and a NY Idol Finalist on WPLJ's Scott & Todd's Big Show. He is the founder of Fortune Entertainment and GrooveScape Records, and his hit single, “Can't Go This Way Again”, reached #46 on the Billboard Top 100 Dance Chart. This highly gifted artist, certainly GOT CHOPS! Follow Julian on Website: https://www.voice1000.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliansfortune/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JuliansFortune Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrooveScapeRecords Follow Julian and Dominique on Website: https://juliananddominique.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/juliananddominique/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuliansFortune Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JulianandDominique Follow Got Chops on Instagram: @gotchopspodcast Listen to Got Chops Podcast on - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6Pjh7tC3aTpeMFEhmn4fp4?si=699ae5b84e544cb5 - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/got-chops/id1587699754 - Anchor: https://anchor.fm/gotchops - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp5wwP8DvMPkqI4VM2VMlcufn6a-CzlHM Follow Scott on Instagram: @scottgrimaldimusic Twitter: @GrimaldiMusic Facebook: Scott Grimaldi - "The Color Of Midnight" Website: www.grimaldimusic.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gotchops/message

In today's Real Life Leadership episode, Chantel had the opportunity to speak with Mark Monchek!    Mark has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, TerraCycle, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations.   He's the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption. Mark has been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle.   Enjoy!   -   Connect with Mark:  Website: https://opplab.com/a-new-book-by-mark-monchek/     Order Chantel's Book, One Meal And A Tasting: https://chantelrayway.com/onemeal/    Join CanZell HERE: https://joincanzell.com/    Check out the CanZell Cloud HERE: https://canzellcloud.com/    Claim Your Free Ticket For The Grow And Scale Now Summit! https://growandscalenow.com/    Chantel: https://www.instagram.com/thechantelray/     For more resources, visit http://www.reallifeleaders.com/podcast    Have a leadership question you want answered? Email podcast@reallifeleaders.com and you might even be in an episode!

Today's guest is a thought leader who has mastered the strategy of turning every challenge into an opportunity! Mark Monchek is the Founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, which is a strategy consulting firm focused on conscious growth, and he's here to share his very unique perspective on culture and leadership, and what it means for businesses to thrive in this age of disruption. The impressive list of leaders he has worked with includes Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, the New York Times, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations, and he has been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Woman Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is also the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption. If that isn't needed now more than ever, we don't know what is, and in this conversation, you'll hear about why they're called the Opportunity Lab, and the numerous insightful and innovative ways that they help businesses pivot, adapt, and evolve with the current times. Mark shares, in detail, the five ways to be strategic in this age of disruption, before diving into DEI through a moral, personal, and business lens, as well as discussing the role of curiosity and humility as distinguishing leadership qualities of the utmost importance. Listeners, get your notepads ready because this is going to be a mind-bending conversation!What you'll learn about in this episode:Mark shares how he came to the idea of conscious growth in the context of disruption.How the intersection of his parent's worlds forged his young entrepreneurial curiosity.The fascinating story of his family's toy store and how that impacted his ideas on innovation.Defining disruptive times within the context of history and current times. A personal experience of learning to accept his reality, and then finding an opportunity in it.A peek into his sequel book: Five Ways to be Strategic in an Age of Disruption.Hear about the Share Lab and the questions to ask that will set you apart in these times. The reality of how businesses need to adapt and pivot instead of waiting for a new normal.Diving into the numerous ways that the Opportunity Lab helps businesses evolve.Experimentation and communication: why they're called the Opportunity Lab.How a business leader can add value to employees and stakeholders. Working with clients to help them understand the connecting purpose of a workplace now. Helping businesses make sense of remote and hybrid models and working space.Discussing the strong business case for DEI, and the development of Opportunity Community.Being called to step into the shoes of others and deliberately go back to human connections.Closing thoughts: Mark's life philosophy of beginning with the end in mind!

Mark Monchek is the Founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on conscious growth. We discuss: Why everybody is going solo today [03:50] The going solo mindset: employer vs worker [07:15] Rockstar successes from Covid going forward [10:05] The keys to make companies responsive [11:30] Unexpected changes as a result of open communication [13:35] The hedgehog principle applied to knowledge workers [17:15] How to find the true greatness of people [19:15] Mark has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, TerraCycle, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations. He's the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption. He's been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Learn more about Mark at https://opplab.com/ (https://opplab.com/).

We had a great conversation with Radio Host Cooper Lawrence on The Chris & sandy Show. We talked about so many things. It was just a chat between a couple people in the podcast world. We talked about her career, her life, she told some great stories to a whole lot more!Cooper Lawrence is a multiple Gracie Award winner, and one of the best-known female radio personalities in New York for almost twenty years. Cooper has worked on the top stations; Z100 with Elvis Duran, KTU, Q104, WABC and WOR where she hosted a live and local night show winning her another Gracie. She is best-known for her stint alongside Scott and Todd doing mornings at WPLJ, and as an original cast member of the long-running TV series, Dish Nation. Currently, Cooper and her radio partner of 11 years, Anthony Michaels have relaunched their successful syndicated radio show as a top rated entertainment podcast called The Cooper and Anthony Show. The show is regularly featured in Page Six, The Daily Mail, and PEOPLE THE PODCAST is #40 in the US and heard in 117 countries around the globe.

Heather and Jameson talk about the black artists that broke the color barrier in the early days of MTV, as the network was hella white when launched as a “rock-oriented” channel. Jameson apologizes for accusing J.J. Jackson of plastic surgery and instead offers some more history on this incredible VJ (https://tinyurl.com/vnavam2y). The Gen Xperts discuss the influential role of the Billie Jean video by Michael Jackson (https://tinyurl.com/ynkzhtdu) in getting more airplay for artists of color, and how both Rick James and David Bowie were super vocal about the lack of diversity in the early days of MTV (article on Bowie and James: https://tinyurl.com/3cj9thxy). Jameson uncovers who or what a “Billie Jean” is (https://tinyurl.com/k5ufw43r) and both lament over the genius that was Whitney.  For next week, watch the Thriller video, all thirteen minutes.

We spoke with Skywalker, aka Jarrett Galeno from K104 in the Hudson Valley. Skywalker is a personality you might hear on other stations across America in Cookville, Tennesee, Rutland, Vermont or Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He lives and breathes radio and has stories from New York, Boston and Connecticut to share from his radio path which started back in the late 90's.In this episode, you'll hear how Skywalker has turned his personality into a full-time business in the live and voice-tracked realm. He also shares his experiences working at stations with infamous call letters like WPLJ and 92.3 in NYC, and WBLI in Long Island, as well as the venerable K104 where he works now, just north of New York City.There's more about this episode and additional resources on the episode page. You can also check out Skywalker's website to have him on your station. Thanks also to the people who make this show possible every week including:PromosuiteJustin Dove at Core Image StudiosMegatraxSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is a repeat of my chat with Alex Bennett.  Alex Bennett is an American radio personality and talk show host, known for his mix of left-wing politics and humor. He currently hosts a show Tues-Fri on GABNet.net at 10pm ET. Bennett was born in San Francisco and adopted his on-air name as a tribute to his late father, Alexander Schwarzmann. During the 1960s, Bennett worked at radio stations around the country, including KILT in Houston, where he used the on-air moniker James Bond and did his show using an English accent, and WLOL in Minneapolis, before gaining major market attention in 1969 at WMCA in New York. He initially started as a disk jockey, later evolving into a talk show host during the station's transition from its Top 40 "Good Guys" music format to the pioneering "Dial-Log" all-talk era. Bennett brought a progressive rock radio sensibility to the teenage-oriented station, still playing album cuts of music as his talk show evolved, and openly discussing topics ranging from his love life to his participation in various countercultural events, such as Consciousness III, before giving his Yogic sign-off "Namaste" ("The God within me sees the God within you"). In 1969, Bennett flew to London to investigate the rumor of Paul McCartney's death. He later became friends with John Lennon, who appeared on his show. In 1970, Bennett and his wife-producer Ronni moved their show to WPLJ, still in New York. By late 1971 the couple split. Ronni went on to produce for ABC's 20/20 and Barbara Walters. Today, she writes a blog on aging and what it's really like to get old, Time Goes By.[1] Guests on Bennett's WPLJ show included rock stars, comedians, and left-wing, anti-war activists. An early video pioneer, Bennett produced Midnight Blue with Al Goldstein of Screw magazine for a New York public access cable channel. In 1980, Bennett returned to his native San Francisco to host a morning show for album-oriented rock station KMEL. Bennett found success by featuring standup comedians as his guests. Before they became famous, performers Bob Goldthwait, Whoopi Goldberg, Dana Carvey, Ray Romano, and Jay Leno were guests on Bennett's program. The popular show aired on three San Francisco area radio stations throughout the 1980s and 1990s: KMEL, KQAK, and KITS. The Alex Bennett Show changed stations due to management/consultant conflicts (KMEL), a format flip (KQAK), and, finally, a station ownership change (at KITS, where he did two stints). Bennett also briefly hosted talk shows on KNBR in San Francisco and WIOD in Miami, Florida (the latter, a very sour experience), in between his Bay Area morning show gigs. During the 1980s, Bennett was the original host of public television's Comedy Tonight. While at KMEL, Bennett's mother, Ruth, achieved fame as the world's oldest album-oriented rock disk jockey when she hosted a Sunday night countdown show on KMEL from 1982 to 1983. Bennett hosted the station's morning show, and Ruth continued at KMEL for a year after his departure for KQAK. Ruth passed away in 2005 at the age of 100. The radio show was unique in that it featured a live in-studio audience consisting of listeners who were invited to just walk in off the street. In addition to featuring comedians on his San Francisco radio shows, Bennett produced a number of live comedy shows. The earliest ones included his KMEL/KQAK newsman Joe Regelski and were called "Alex and Joe Shows". He also did remote broadcasts of his morning show, known as "Breakfast with Bennett." A technology aficionado, Bennett took advantage of the early growth of the World Wide Web. After leaving FM rock radio in the late 1990s, Bennett created an Internet radio show for Play TV that ended when the company went out of business. He also developed an early website, The Surfing Monkey (along with Chuck Farnham, David Biedny and Jesse Montrose), which featured, among other things, a series of articles written by an inmate on Death Row at San Quentin. The prisoner, identified by the pseudonym Dean, reported on daily prison life in a series called “Dead Man Talking”. Bennett is personally opposed to the death penalty. He also voiced the Starbase Commander character in the 1992 release of Star Control 2 by 3DO. Bennett briefly returned to radio in 2001 to host a technology-oriented midday talk show for CNET Radio at its San Francisco flagship affiliate, KNEW). Bennett's attempt to return to general AM talk radio was hampered by his outspoken left-leaning political views (though he temporarily hosted a morning show on KNEW when they changed their format to a talk format in 2003). Station managers at the time only wanted to hire right-wing talk show hosts. In 2003, Bennett returned to New York and started his show on Sirius Left on April 19, 2004. He talked about politics, entertainment, and personal matters. He has also served as a substitute for syndicated talk show host Lionel on several occasions and was a frequent pundit on Fox News and MSNBC. Then in at the end of June 2013 Alex was let go after 9 years with SiriusXM for unknown reasons both to him and his audience. The following Monday on July 1, 2013 he began GABNet™ a talk network with a new concept for talk where using Skype, he would create a roundtable discussion with up to 9 callers at a time. He dubbed it "talk like you've never heard it before. It survives to this day along with other shows on the network Tues-Fri at 10pm ET at GABNet.net. During his days at Live 105 Alex would have stuntman Chuck Farnham cover himself with food to feed the homeless. This allowed Alex to get around the San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan's ban on feeding the homeless without a permit. One of Bennett's greatest achievements in radio was the invention of "quickies", in which callers have fifteen seconds or less to say anything. The idea was later "borrowed" by both Alan Colmes and Sean Hannity on their radio shows. Bennett recently brought the feature back for his show on Sirius. Bennett had a very bitter rivalry with Howard Stern, whom Bennett claims ripped off his style from the days of Bennett's early New York program. This rivalry intensified when Stern entered the Bay Area market on San Jose's KOME and eventually replaced Bennett as morning host on KITS in 1998, when CBS took control of the station, fired the on-air staff and moved KOME's air staff to KITS. Ironically, when Stern signed with Sirius Satellite Radio (where Bennett currently works) in 2004, Bennett praised the move.

In Part 3 of The Visceral Voice's "Consider Your SELF" series, Christine and Kimberly have a conversation with their guest Sandy Ames, C.Ht.Sandy Ames, C.Ht. is a Certified Hypnotherapist, Broadcaster, and wellness expert, featured on CNN and NBC's Today Show. Her three decade career in Broadcast ranges from Voice Overs for national campaigns to hosting Radio and Television shows.Currently, Sandy can be heard on iHeart Radio's 106.7 Lite fm, as the voice of Jamie Lee. Prior to Lite fm, Sandy (as Jamie Lee) was on New York City's 95.5 WPLJ for 15 years, and hosted TVLand's “100 Best Places You've Never Been” television show.  Feel free to download Sandy's hypnosis recordings on Audible or at SandyAmesHypnotherapy.com. You can follow Sandy on Instagram here.Be sure to check out my Self-Care Membership, courses, and events at www.thevisceralvoice.com! And follow us on Instagram!Are you willing and able to becoming a Supporter of The Visceral Voice Podcast to help keep this podcast running? Please click here.

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! La Tienda De Biblioteca Del Metal: Encontraras, Ropa, Accesorios,Decoracion, Ect... Todo Relacionado Al Podcats Biblioteca Del Metal Y Al Mundo Del Heavy Metal. Descubrela!!!!!! Ideal Para Llevarte O Regalar Productos Del Podcats De Ivoox. (Por Tiempo Limitado) https://teespring.com/es/stores/biblioteca-del-metal-1 Trans-Siberian Orchestra ( TSO ) es una banda de rock estadounidense fundada en 1996 por el productor, compositor y letrista Paul O'Neill , que reunió a Jon Oliva y Al Pitrelli (ambos miembros de Savatage ) y al tecladista y coproductor. Robert Kinkel para formar el núcleo del equipo creativo. O'Neill murió el 5 de abril de 2017. La banda ganó popularidad cuando comenzaron a viajar en 1999 después de completar su segundo álbum, The Christmas Attic , el año anterior. En 2007, el Washington Post se refirió a ellos como "un monstruo de arena-rock " y describió su música como "Pink Floyd se encuentra con Yes and the Who en el Radio City Music Hall ". TSO ha vendido más de 10 millones de entradas para conciertos y más de 10 millones de álbumes. La banda ha lanzado una serie de óperas de rock : Christmas Eve y otras historias , El ático de Navidad , La última noche de Beethoven , La víspera de Navidad perdida , su Night Castle de dos discos y Letters From the Labyrinth . Trans-Siberian Orchestra también es conocida por su extenso trabajo de caridad y elaborados conciertos, que incluyen una sección de cuerdas, un espectáculo de luces, láseres, trusses móviles, pantallas de video y efectos sincronizados con la música. Tanto la revista Billboard como Pollstar las han clasificado como una de las diez bandas con mayor venta de entradas en la primera década del nuevo milenio. Su camino hacia el éxito fue inusual en el sentido de que, según O'Neill, TSO es la primera banda de rock importante en ir directamente a los teatros y arenas, sin haber tocado nunca en un club, sin haber tenido un acto de apertura y nunca siendo un acto de apertura. Paul O'Neill dirigió y produjo bandas de rock como Aerosmith , Humble Pie , AC / DC , Joan Jett y Scorpions , y luego produjo y coescribió álbumes de la banda de metal progresivo Savatage , donde comenzó a trabajar con Jon Oliva (quien se había ido Savatage para pasar tiempo con su familia y ocuparse de asuntos personales), Al Pitrelli y Robert Kinkel . O'Neill dio sus primeros pasos en la música rock en la década de 1970 cuando comenzó el rock progresivo.banda Slowburn, de la que fue letrista y co-compositor. Lo que estaba destinado a ser el álbum debut de la banda fue grabado en Jimi Hendrix 's estudios Electric Lady y desarrollado por Dave Wittman. Aunque la ingeniería de Wittman capturaba el sonido exacto que O'Neill escuchaba en su cabeza, O'Neill tenía problemas con él porque muchas de sus melodías tenían entre dos y tres octavas. En lugar de lanzar un álbum con el que no estaba contento, dejó de lado el proyecto, pero continuó trabajando en la industria en Contemporary Communications Corporation (también conocida como Leber & Krebs). A lo largo de los años, O'Neill continuó trabajando como escritor, productor, gerente y promotor de conciertos. En 1996, aceptó la oferta de Atlantic Records de formar su propia banda. Construyó la banda sobre una base creada por la unión de la música clásica y el rock y los artistas que idolatraba ( Emerson, Lake & Palmer , Queen , Yes , The Who y Pink Floyd , y bandas de hard rock como Aerosmith y Led Zeppelin y los múltiples vocalistas principales de los grupos de R&B The Temptations y The Four Tops). Trajo a Oliva, Kinkel y Pitrelli para ayudar a iniciar el proyecto. O'Neill ha declarado: "Mi concepto original era seis óperas de rock, una trilogía sobre Navidad y tal vez uno o dos álbumes regulares" Su álbum debut, la primera entrega de la pretendida trilogía navideña, fue una ópera rock llamada Nochebuena y otras historias , y fue lanzado en 1996. Sigue siendo uno de sus álbumes más vendidos. Contiene el instrumental " Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24 " que apareció originalmente en la ópera rock de Savatage , Dead Winter Dead , una historia sobre la guerra de Bosnia. Su lanzamiento de 1998 The Christmas Attic , la secuela de Christmas Eve and Other Stories siguió un formato similar. Este álbum produjo el éxito " Christmas Canon ", una versión del Canon en re mayor de Johann Pachelbel .con letras y nuevas melodías añadidas. The Christmas Attic se presentó por primera vez en vivo en 2014. La última noche de Beethoven fue escrita y grabada en 1998 y 1999 y entregada a Atlantic Records a fines de 1999 para su lanzamiento en 2000. La historia comienza cuando Mephistopheles aparece antes que Beethoven, a quien Paul O'Neill se refiere como "la primera estrella de rock pesado del mundo". para recoger el alma del gran compositor. Por supuesto, Beethoven está horrorizado ante la idea de la condenación eterna, pero el diablo tiene una oferta y comienza la negociación. Hay numerosos giros en la trama, incluido el destino de su música y el final se basa en un hecho cierto pero poco conocido sobre Beethoven. También en 1998, a petición de Scott Shannon de WPLJ , actuaron en vivo por primera vez en un concierto benéfico paraHospital de niños de Blythedale . En 1999, a instancias de Bill Louis, un DJ de WNCX en Cleveland, hicieron su primera gira, durante la cual debutaron secciones de Last Night de Beethoven . Interpretaron el álbum en su totalidad por primera vez durante la gira de primavera de 2010. En octubre de 2011, Beethoven's Last Night fue lanzado en Europa para coincidir con su gira europea con una nueva portada de Greg Hildebrandt y las páginas de poesía faltantes del lanzamiento original. Las canciones de Mephistopheles son cantadas por Jon Oliva . Para coincidir con la gira de primavera de 2012, Atlantic / Rhino / Warner Brothers Record lanzó Last Night: The Complete Narrated Version de Beethoven . [17] [18]Esta edición de lujo de dos discos incluye toda la música del lanzamiento original y, por primera vez, la narración presentada durante las presentaciones en vivo del álbum. Viene empaquetado con un folleto lleno de ilustraciones de la historia de Hildebrandt, además de la letra y la narración completas. La narración está a cargo de Bryan Hicks, quien ha estado manejando la narración en vivo en las giras de este álbum. El creador Paul O'Neill explica: "Así es como siempre imaginé que se experimentaría la historia. Donde el oyente pueda relajarse, cerrar los ojos y, en cuestión de minutos, pasear por las calles de la Viena del siglo XIX con Beethoven en la última gran aventura de su vida. Siempre que la banda estaba fuera de la carretera, regresaban al estudio y en 2004 completaban The Lost Christmas Eve , la última entrega de la Trilogía de Navidad. Es una historia de pérdida y redención que abarca un hotel ruinoso, una vieja tienda de juguetes, un bar de blues, una catedral gótica y sus respectivos habitantes, todos entrelazados en una sola Nochebuena encantada en la ciudad de Nueva York. Al año siguiente, combinaron los tres álbumes de Navidad y los lanzaron en una caja titulada The Christmas Trilogy, que también contenía un DVD de su especial de televisión de 1999 The Ghosts of Christmas Eve (cada uno de los álbumes sigue estando disponible individualmente .) La Nochebuena Perdidase presentó por primera vez en vivo en 2012, seguida de una gira encore en 2013. Los críticos una vez más lo llamaron "espectacularidad impresionante" "que incluía todos los trucos conocidos por el hombre, incluyendo pirotecnia masiva, láseres espectaculares, escenarios que se ciernen sobre el audiencia, cantantes de apoyo calientes mientras se conectan constantemente con su audiencia. Después de unos pocos años de gira, Night Castle , el quinto álbum de Trans-Siberian Orchestra, fue lanzado el 27 de octubre de 2009 y fue bien recibido por fanáticos y críticos por igual. Debutó en el puesto número 5 en las listas de álbumes de Billboard . Fue certificado oro en ocho semanas y ahora es platino. "Su trabajo más ambicioso y aventurero hasta la fecha. Abarca desde el hard rock hasta el clásico, llevando al oyente a un viaje a través de la historia que detalla los triunfos y las locuras del hombre, pero en última instancia es una historia de transformación y amor". Inicialmente destinado a ser su primera ópera regular, no rock, que consta de un álbum de diez canciones independientes, O'Neill le da crédito a la persistencia de Jon Oliva de que era demasiado pronto para tal movimiento y que el quinto álbum tenía que ser una ópera rock. Insistiendo en que "TSO no era como cualquier otra banda y que los fans esperaban una historia. Fue un poco de cambio de roles porque cuando estábamos trabajando en Savatage, siempre quise hacer un disco conceptual". El conjunto de dos discos incluye una versión de " O Fortuna " de Carmina Burana de Carl Orff , que fue vista previa en vivo por la banda durante sus giras 2004-2008. Una versión MP3 del álbum lanzada a través de Amazon.comcontiene una pista adicional titulada "El vuelo de Cassandra". La primera mitad es una ópera rock sobre una niña de siete años en una playa que conoce a un extraño de la ciudad de Nueva York que le cuenta una historia que la lleva por todo el mundo y a través del tiempo donde se encuentra con varios personajes, muchos de los cuales se basan en personajes históricos como Desiderius Erasmus . La segunda mitad rinde homenaje a las influencias de Trans-Siberian Orchestra. También contiene nuevas versiones de varias canciones de Savatage, así como " Nut Rocker ", originalmente de B. Bumble and the Stingers y que anteriormente se hizo famosa por Emerson, Lake & Palmer , con Greg Lake en el bajo. En febrero de 2011, Night Castle fue lanzado en Europa con dos bonus tracks en vivo ("Requiem" y "Toccata-Carpimus Noctem") añadidos. Ambas pistas en vivo fueron grabadas en la gira de primavera de 2010 en el Verizon Theatre en Grand Prairie , en Texas. Metal Kaoz, lo revisó como un CD de ópera rock doble de dos horas más con "sin relleno" que fluye sin problemas. "Las capas clásicas se encuentran con la belleza de la música Metal y forman la fina mezcla ... una amplia gama de emociones y colores musicales ... pistas que te dejarán boquiabierto. Pulsa play y deambula libremente en TSO's, Night Castle". El 30 de octubre de 2012, Trans-Siberian Orchestra lanzó un nuevo EP de cinco canciones titulado Dreams of Fireflies (On a Christmas Night) en Lava Republic Universal Records. Debutó en la lista de los 200 mejores álbumes de la revista Billboard en el número 9 y el número 1 en las listas de rock. Fue el primer EP de la banda y con un precio de lista de cinco dólares o menos fue la forma en que Trans-Siberian Orchestra dio las gracias a sus fans, En lugar de contener la historia habitual de TSO, era más como un Harry Chapinálbum donde se incluye una historia corta dentro de la canción. Por ejemplo, "Algún día" trata sobre cómo las personas tienden a posponer el agradecimiento a las personas con las que tienen una gran deuda y, con la mejor intención, se dicen a sí mismos que lo harán algún día. Además, cada canción va acompañada de un breve poema. Lanzada el 11 de octubre de 2013, esta colección de quince pistas es la primera colección de grandes éxitos de Trans-Siberian Orchestra e incluye canciones de los seis lanzamientos anteriores. Una vez más, la portada fue proporcionada por Greg Hildebrandt . El 11 de noviembre de 2011, TSO lanzó una nueva pieza coral titulada "Who I Am". Esto se lanzó originalmente como una descarga digital para los fanáticos que compraron boletos a través de la venta anticipada de boletos de la banda, pero ahora está disponible a través de otros sitios de música, además de ser lanzado en su álbum de 2015, Letters from the Labyrinth . La canción se interpretó en vivo como el número de apertura de la gira de invierno de 2011 en reconocimiento a los tiempos difíciles por los que atravesaban muchas personas en el mundo, pero trayendo un mensaje de esperanza al señalar que juntos podemos resolver estos problemas como lo han hecho las generaciones anteriores en el pasado. Fue acompañado por clips de sonido y video de personas que ayudaron a la humanidad a progresar o superar situaciones aparentemente imposibles. La primera cita e imagen fue la voz del reverendo ML King repitiendo "Tengo un sueño ... que todos los hombres serán juzgados por el contenido de su carácter", seguido del desafío inaugural del presidente Kennedy, "No preguntes qué puede hacer tu país por ti ; Pregunta qué puedes hacer por tu país." Incluía fotografías de Jonas Salk, el científico que curó la polio, Santa "Madre" Teresa de Calcuta que pasó su vida cuidando a los no deseados y terminó con Neil Armstrong dando el primer paso en la luna y la cita parafraseada de Gene Kranz de la NASA con respecto a salvando a los astronautas a bordo de la cápsula espacial Apolo 13 dañada, que "el fracaso no es una opción". En 2013, la banda anunció el lanzamiento a fines de noviembre de una novela, Merry Christmas Rabbi . Conocida como la última pieza que falta en la Trilogía de Navidad, es el diario descubierto por la niña en la ópera rock Christmas Attic que conduce a la canción "Dream Child". Los comunicados de prensa lo describieron como "la historia de una fatídica Nochebuena y cómo una de las apuestas más locas en la historia humana conduce a una segunda oportunidad para un joven con problemas que se encuentra más allá del punto sin retorno" O'Neill murió el 5 de abril de 2017, a los 61 años, mientras se hospedaba en un hotel Embassy Suites by Hilton en el campus de la Universidad del Sur de Florida en Tampa. La causa de muerte determinada por la Oficina del Médico Forense del Condado de Hillsborough, Florida , fue la intoxicación por una mezcla de metadona , codeína , Valium y doxilamina y la forma de muerte como abuso de drogas . En junio de 2017, la organización anunció que continuarían con su gira con temas navideños. La historia de Ghosts of Christmas Eve , que habían interpretado en 2015 y 2016, fue anunciada como su historia una vez más para la gira de 2017, David Z, bajista de TSO, murió el 14 de julio de 2017, mientras estaba de gira con Adrenaline Mob para su gira " We The People "; un tractor-remolque se desvió de la Interestatal 75 en Florida y golpeó el vehículo recreativo en el que viajaba Adrenaline Mob. Su compañero TSO y miembro de Adrenaline Mob, Russell Allen , también resultó herido en el accidente. Para la vigésima gira anual de invierno de TSO en 2018, la banda decidió hacer una gira una vez más con la historia de The Ghosts of Christmas Eve . En 2019, TSO regresó al espectáculo de Nochebuena y otras historias , que se había realizado previamente desde la gira inaugural de 1999 hasta 2011. No se realizará ninguna gira en 2020, debido a las continuas restricciones de reuniones masivas vinculadas a la Pandemia de COVID-19 en los Estados Unidos, En cambio, la banda está realizando una transmisión en vivo para 2020 que los fanáticos pueden comprar y ver el 18 de diciembre en línea.Escucha este episodio completo y accede a todo el contenido exclusivo de Biblioteca Del Metal (Recopilation). Descubre antes que nadie los nuevos episodios, y participa en la comunidad exclusiva de oyentes en https://go.ivoox.com/sq/308558

Lisa Robinson is a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair magazine, where for the last twenty years, she has written many major profiles (Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Adele) and produced the magazine's legendary music issue covers, photo portfolios, and Oral Histories - among them, Motown, Laurel Canyon & Disco. Prior to joining Vanity Fair, she was the music columnist for The New York Post, a columnist for the New York Times Syndicate, a host/interviewer for various cable TV shows, a contributor to programs on music at VH1 and MSNBC, a frequent guest on a variety of TV talk shows, and was featured on the American Masters PBS documentary on Lou Reed. On radio, she hosted nationally syndicated shows, was a contributor to WNEW--FM and WPLJ in New York City, KROQ in Los Angeles, WGN in Chicago, and has been on hundreds of national radio outlets through I Heart Radio. Additionally, she was the editor of Hit Parader and Rock Scene magazines, columnist for Creem, the New York editor of the New Musical Express, and her work has appeared in Spin, Vogue, Elle, Interview, and Cosmopolitan. Lisa has traveled extensively with, reported on, and interviewed Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Rihanna, The Clash, Joni Mitchell, The Who, U2, John Lennon, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Kanye West, Adele, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and hundreds of other musicians. Lisa's articles have been anthologized in the books "Rock Revolution," "The Rolling Stones: The First Twenty Years," "She Said, She Said: Women Writing About Rock, Pop and Rap,” and “Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith.” Her memoir, “There Goes Gravity: A Life in Rock and Roll,” was published by Riverhead Books in 2014. This fall, Henry Holt publishes her book, "Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls: Women, Music & Fame," with behind-the-scenes stories about the many female musicians she's interviewed over the past four decades.

Lisa Robinson is a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair magazine, where for the last twenty years, she has written many major profiles (Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce, Adele) and produced the magazine's legendary music issue covers, photo portfolios, and Oral Histories - among them, Motown, Laurel Canyon & Disco. Prior to joining Vanity Fair, she was the music columnist for The New York Post, a columnist for the New York Times Syndicate, a host/interviewer for various cable TV shows, a contributor to programs on music at VH1 and MSNBC, a frequent guest on a variety of TV talk shows, and was featured on the American Masters PBS documentary on Lou Reed. On radio, she hosted nationally syndicated shows, was a contributor to WNEW--FM and WPLJ in New York City, KROQ in Los Angeles, WGN in Chicago, and has been on hundreds of national radio outlets through I Heart Radio. Additionally, she was the editor of Hit Parader and Rock Scene magazines, columnist for Creem, the New York editor of the New Musical Express, and her work has appeared in Spin, Vogue, Elle, Interview, and Cosmopolitan. Lisa has traveled extensively with, reported on, and interviewed Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Michael Jackson, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Rihanna, The Clash, Joni Mitchell, The Who, U2, John Lennon, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Katy Perry, Beyonce, Kanye West, Adele, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and hundreds of other musicians. Lisa's articles have been anthologized in the books "Rock Revolution," "The Rolling Stones: The First Twenty Years," "She Said, She Said: Women Writing About Rock, Pop and Rap,” and “Two Times Intro: On the Road with Patti Smith.” Her memoir, “There Goes Gravity: A Life in Rock and Roll,” was published by Riverhead Books in 2014. This fall, Henry Holt publishes her book, "Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls: Women, Music & Fame," with behind-the-scenes stories about the many female musicians she's interviewed over the past four decades.

Like many significant moments in our lives, we remember where we were when we heard the devastating news about John Lennon. We tell our stories and then turn it over to a couple people that surrounded the event of December 8. Mark Goodman was on the air on New York radio station WPLJ on the evening of December 8, 1980 and photographer Bob Gruen was a family photographer for the Lennon family, capturing John and Yoko during the recording of Double Fantasy. We also talk with author Tim English. His new book "John Lennon: 1980 Playlist" does a deep dive into the music that captured John's attention in the year he created his new album after a five year self-imposed hiatus.If you'd like to hear the music that inspired John we have a Spotify playlist for you.We also have some giveaways you will want to enter.We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Like many significant moments in our lives, we remember where we were when we heard the devastating news about John Lennon. We tell our stories and then turn it over to a couple people that surrounded the event of December 8. Mark Goodman was on the air on New York radio station WPLJ on the evening of December 8, 1980 and photographer Bob Gruen was a family photographer for the Lennon family, capturing John and Yoko during the recording of Double Fantasy. We also talk with author Tim English. His new book "John Lennon: 1980 Playlist" does a deep dive into the music that captured John's attention in the year he created his new album after a five year self-imposed hiatus.If you'd like to hear the music that inspired John we have a Spotify playlist for you.Get three FREE months of Amazon Music courtesy of your 80s music aficionados at What Difference Does It MakeWe are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Like many significant moments in our lives, we remember where we were when we heard the devastating news about John Lennon. We tell our stories and then turn it over to a couple people that surrounded the event of December 8. Mark Goodman was on the air on New York radio station WPLJ on the evening of December 8, 1980 and photographer Bob Gruen was a family photographer for the Lennon family, capturing John and Yoko during the recording of Double Fantasy. We also talk with author Tim English. His new book "John Lennon: 1980 Playlist" does a deep dive into the music that captured John's attention in the year he created his new album after a five year self-imposed hiatus. If you'd like to hear the music that inspired John we have a Spotify playlist for you. We also have some giveaways you will want to enter. We are a proud member of Pantheon Podcasts.

Mark Monchek is the Founder and Chief Opportunity Officer of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on conscious growth.   We discuss:  A new way to think about disruption and opportunity [1:57]  How a non-unique company thrives during a pandemic [3:21]  The key frameworks necessary to build a culture of sustainability [5:56]  The wider lens of the collective intelligence [7:45]  A respectful back and forth between employees and employers [13:50]  Steps to do a better job of managing through disruptions [18:10]  The humility of interdependence [19:53]  Mark has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, Feltsberg, The New York Times, Wharton School of Business, New York University, Columbia University, NBC, Time Warner, and the United Nations. He’s the author of the Amazon nonfiction bestseller Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow Your Business in an Age of Disruption.  He’s been featured in Real Leaders, The Better Business Book, the Organization Development Review Journal, Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle.  Learn more about Mark at https://opplab.com/ andhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWb5KPCUm8OfE2UzEzQTFsQ ( YouTube). 

Welcome to the Conscious Millionaire Show for entrepreneurs who want to build a high-profit business that makes an impact! Make Your First Million, with your Host, JV Crum III…  Mark Monchek: How to Create a Culture of Opportunity Mark Monchek is the Founder of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on conscious growth. and best-selling author of Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow your Business in an Age of Disruption. He has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, and been featured on Real Leaders, The Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Like this Podcast? Get every episode delivered to you free!  Subscribe in iTunes And, download your free gift today... Born to Make Millions Empowerment Audio - Click Here! Please help spread the word. Subscribing and leaving a review helps other entrepreneurs and business owners find our podcast… grow a high-profit business that makes an impact. Conscious Millionaire Network has over 2,000 episodes and millions of listeners in 190 countries. Our original Conscious Millionaire Podcast was named in Inc Magazine as one of the Top 13 Business Podcasts!

Welcome to the Conscious Millionaire Show for entrepreneurs who want to build a high-profit business that makes an impact! Make Your First Million, with your Host, JV Crum III…  Mark Monchek: How to Create a Culture of Opportunity Mark Monchek is the Founder of Opportunity Lab, a strategy consulting firm focused on conscious growth. and best-selling author of Culture of Opportunity: How to Grow your Business in an Age of Disruption. He has worked with leaders from Google, Apple, JPMorgan Chase, General Electric, Goldman Sachs, Adorama, and been featured on Real Leaders, The Lifetime Network, WPLJ, WCBS, Newsday, Working Women Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Like this Podcast? Get every episode delivered to you free!  Subscribe in iTunes And, download your free gift today... Born to Make Millions Empowerment Audio - Click Here! Please help spread the word. Subscribing and leaving a review helps other entrepreneurs and business owners find our podcast… grow a high-profit business that makes an impact. Conscious Millionaire Network has over 2,000 episodes and millions of listeners in 190 countries. Our original Conscious Millionaire Podcast was named in Inc Magazine as one of the Top 13 Business Podcasts!

Magical Mystery Friday brings out all the surprises as The Chrises are joined by the unexpected and much welcomed Lobster King, Justin Wozney. South Bay's very own Aquaman comes up for air to gab about Disney World turkey legs and beach bum ice cream. A staunch believer in a good thirst quench and chafe relief, the free spirit lets it fly with The Chrises about avoiding oceanic salt water in the loins and chasing waterfalls in Yosemite. After not being nominated for a prestigious QWTChrises Best Guest Emmy (unlike both his Mother and Grandma DeYoung), Justin hits The Chrises with some tough news to swallow—he will be moving to Boston at the end of September. Wanting to continue the shared experience shredding the sweet quarantine life gnar gnar, the original trio replays nothing but the hits, just like 95.5 WPLJ. Special Guest: Justin Wozney, https://www.instagram.com/thew0z/

Imagine being cast in a major motion picture, and suddenly having to fight your truth, or at least hide it until you are ready. You fight it, don't want to confront it, and basically avoid it because you have to heal yourself before you can be yourself. Sound familiar. Brian Falduto of "Fancy Pants" fame from the movie School of Rock, had to start hiding and confronting his truth at age 11, in front of the world. Then he realized, his truth is his truth. Now this actor, singer, and life coach, guides others to freely step into their truth without shame. We're kicking off this pre-pride show with a fun and candid conversation about letting healing guide you to your truth to have PRIDE in yourself. Also make sure you stay on the lookout fro Brian's new music video - God Loves Me Too - being released during PRIDE season. About BrianAt the age of 11, Brian was cast alongside Jack Black by casting director Ilene Starger and Golden Globe-winning director Richard Linklater in the Scott Rudin / Paramount Pictures film School of Rock as Billy, a.k.a. (“Fancy Pants”). Brian returned to working on and pursuing his craft in college. A dual-degree graduate in Theatre Performance and Arts Administration, Brian proudly calls himself an alumnus of Wagner College. Since college, Brian has immersed himself back into the industry, working with renowned theatre organizations such as the Broadway PR firm DKC/O&M, the Broadway producing company Jujamcyn Theatres, the regional Paper Mill Playhouse, the Off-Broadway show Fuerza Bruta, the Venus / Adonis Theatre Festival, and the New York International Fringe Festival. He has also taken a dive into the world of radio with various formats including 95.5 WPLJ, 77WABC on the AM dial, and Radio 103.9. However, he is especially proud of the role he had in helping bring country music back to NYC with NASH FM 94.7, the flagship station of the now national and influential NASH brand. Bit by the music industry bug, Brian is now a singer-songwriter himself, delivering heartfelt lyrics through infectious melodies. His debut, acoustic EP, “Love One Another” was released on June 13, 2017 and within 24 hours hit #94 on the US iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts. By the end of the week, it was #64 on this same chart in the UK and #31 for overall album sales on iTunes in Norway. Prior to releasing his 2018 Live Performance Session series on YouTube, Brian spent the majority of 2017 sharing his music live in concert throughout the tri-state area and also devoted some time partnering with various non-profits including The Trevor Project, H.D.S.A. (Huntington’s Disease Society of America), S.A.G.E. (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders), and H.E.A.R.T. (Help Educate At Risk Teens Foundation), all causes dear to his heart. Brian was recently named one of the “20 most influential, outspoken, and optimistic individuals on the planet” by PrideLife Magazine in their 20th Anniversary #20intheir20s issue. The past few Pride seasons have brought great opportunities for Brian to continue his advocacy for the LGBTQ community with Broadway Sings for Pride at their 8th & 9th annual star-studded benefit concerts for the Tyler Clementi Foundation & through his own efforts organizing NYC's 1st ever LGBT Songwriter's Night in support of The Trevor Project, a now annual event. Most recently, Brian has had some amazing opportunities to share his life story openly and honestly through both a self-written piece in The Advocate and a heartfelt interview with Now This News, both of which have since gone viral. Brian is the founder of his own life coaching business in compliance with the International Coach Federation standards and is part of the marketing committee for the Gay Coaches Alliance. He also hosts "The Gay Life Coach Podcast," which provides biweekly queer mindfulness content & can be found on Instagram as @thegaylifecoach. Brian’s 1st studio album “Stage Two” dropped at the end of 2018 & featured...

In recent years, oldies radio stations have inched further into the future - and have begun to focus on favorites from the '70s (and even '80s) rather than from the '50s and '60s. So we wondered, forty years from now - in 2052 - will songs of the '90s, '00s and '10s make it onto oldies radio? What will be in heavy rotation - and what will be left off of the playlist? We ask Chris Molanphy - author of the "100 & Single" Billboard charts column in the Village Voice – and we talk with Scott Shannon - who was, back in 2012, a WPLJ host and creator of the syndicated radio network The True Oldies Channel - about the state of oldies today.  Check out Chris Molanphy's playlist (chronological listing): Twenty songs we’ll still be hearing on oldies radio in 2052 by Chris Molanphy (In chronological order by original release) 1. Sir Mix-a-Lot, “Baby Got Back” (1992) – This hit was underestimated by critics in ’92, compared with Arrested Development’s “Tennessee” (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 2. Pearl Jam, “Yellow Ledbetter” (1992) – An example of how classic-rock acts are eventually remembered for a song that wasn’t their biggest radio hit. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 97) 3. Radiohead, “Creep” (1993) – Still their U.S. biggest hit, and though they’ve recorded greater albums this is still most likely to be in rotation decades from now. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 34) 4. Snoop (Doggy) Dogg, “Gin and Juice” (1994) – Because a great line is a great line, and “With my mind on my money and my money on my mind” is a great one. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 8) 5. Mariah Carey, “Always Be My Baby” (1996) – She was the biggest pop star of the ’90s, but a lot of her hits got burned out long ago; this one hasn’t. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 6. Sublime, “What I Got” (1996) – Because bros and stoners, like it or not, are going to have a new “The Joker”/”Slow Ride.” (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: N/A—Airplay chart peak No. 29) 7. Blur, “Song 2” (1997) – Sports will still be the way we hear a lot of pop songs. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: N/A—Airplay chart peak No. 55) 8. Backstreet Boys, “I Want It That Way” (1999) – Great song; but also the Chinese brothers’ lip-dub (2005) was one of YouTube’s first viral videos—the future of hits. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 6) 9. Eminem, “Lose Yourself” (2002) – He won an Oscar for it, essentially because it’s this generation’s “Gonna Fly Now”/“Eye of the Tiger.” (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 10. Coldplay, “Clocks” (2002) – Every generation has its easy-listening songs. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 29) 11. The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army” (2003) – Because you can’t stop a good bassline, even when it’s actually played on a guitar. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 76) 12. The Postal Service, “Such Great Heights” or Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps” (2003) – One of these will be the “Just Like Heaven” of our era—the hipster love song. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: N/A, No. 87) 13. OutKast, “Hey Ya!” (2003) – Burned out in its heyday but will probably never die. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 14. Kelly Clarkson, “Since U Been Gone” (2005) – It will be the Millennial generation’s “sass anthem,” akin to “Respect” or “I Will Survive” (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2) 15. Gnarls Barkley, “Crazy” (2006) – Because of its malleability as a song; decades hence it might be a folk classic. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2) 16. Rihanna, “Umbrella” (2007) – It’s the lyrics: beneath its hip-hop exterior lie the bones of an old-time, sentimental love ballad. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 17. Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” (2008) – Weddings alone guarantee this a permanent hit-parade spot. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 18. Jay-Z, “Empire State of Mind” (2009) – Rap’s Frank Sinatra ensured himself decades of royalties with his own Yankee-game-worthy perennial. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 1) 19. Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” (2009) – Its nonsense lyric is “wamp-baba-lula” worthy; its video is a classic. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2) 20. Taio Cruz, “Dynamite” (2010) – I’ve never met a kid under 10 who doesn’t love it, and they will all be in their fifties in 2052. (Peak on Billboard’s Hot 100: No. 2)    

Part One:   (Running Time:     15:27) Steve’s radio journey growing up in Detroit and going to Redford Detroit high school. Attending Lawrence Tech, O.C.C., and Western.  Dan Carlyle taking Steve under his wing. The first gig a WABX.  Part Two:   (Running Time:    32:24) Turing down WPLJ in New York and getting hired by WRIF. Playing Pine Knob in 1981 with the Dick The Bruiser Band. Local bands and the power line-up of WRIF in the 80s with Arthur P., Ken Calvert and Karen Savelly. Part Three:   (Total Time:    52:21) A not so great interview with Lou Reed. Being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Steve's thoughts on the city of Detroit and the legacy of WRIF.                        (Total Time:     1:11:45)  

Neste episódio, Balbi troca uma idéia com a premiada ilustradora e ilustre jogadora de RPG presente nas maiores streams do Brasil, a famosíssima Amedyr, que traz dicas muito legais para você, que quer ser um jogador melhor, melhorar sua experiência e a do seu grupo, facilitando a vida do mestre e tornando a diversão de todos mais fácil, com direito a várias filosofadas no meio do caminho. A Amedyr tem um canal na Twitch com jogos interativos e desenhos ao vivo, além de participar de stream em canais como Azecos, Tear dos Mundos, Mestre Xis, Perdidos no Play e muitos outros. Ah, e quem quiser ver a Amedyr mestrando pela primeira vez nas streams, vamos lá no Padrim dela e apoiar, pra chegar logo nessa meta! =)   ____________________________________ O Café com Dungeon é um podcast oferecido pelo canal Regra da Casa. Siga nosso Instagram para um complemento visual de nosso conteúdo, além de anúncios, sorteios e atualizações.Você pode dar feedback sobre nossos episódios no twitter e no facebook.Confira também nosso conteúdo em vídeo no Youtube! As músicas do episódio foram "Faster Does it" por Kevin McLeod e "WPLJ" por Frank Zappa.    

DOWNLOAD: PSB Ep. 82 “Exhausted” This week, Ferg and I discuss my beautiful daughter’s wedding, the sad ending to radio station WPLJ, we have Morgan Freeman visit not once, but twice, and we get to hear Kafira play drums!! Plus, … Continue reading →

DOWNLOAD: PSB Ep. 82 “Exhausted” This week, Ferg and I discuss my beautiful daughter’s wedding, the sad ending to radio station WPLJ, we have Morgan Freeman visit not once, but twice, and we get to hear Kafira play drums!! Plus, … Continue reading →

This week: We bid a fond adieu to NYC radio station WPLJ, Mickey Callaway needs to go, the Raptors have to win game 3 to have a chance at winning the championship, and news and notes from MLB

All things Radio Live where we discuss all things radio.  Take your live calls.    Cumulus exits 6 radio markets, and the radio landscape is forever changed. Spanish Broadcasting Systems reports its first quarter revenue results. We let you know what is happening on the street. Featured station segment Cumulus says goodbye to New York with WPLJ FM, Washington with WRQX FM, and ATlanta with WYAY FM.

In this episode of The JCast Journey, host Darone Ruskay talks about the experience on Friday of listening to the final hours of broadcast of WPLJ, a radio station he grew up with, and that provided Top 40 music for the past 49 years. Video killed the radio star, and YouTube killed the Video Star, […]

WPLJ went off the air on Friday and in their very last hour of broadcasting came this story about Dave Matthews that you probably never heard before... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/anthonyonair/message

The final hour of 95.5 WPLJ, featuring Race Taylor, Joey Krammer, Mike Allan, Melony Torres and more.

WPLJ 95.5 Goes Off The Air

After almost 50 years of broadcasting from New York, it's the end of an era for 95.5 WPLJ. The Cumulus Media station closed on May 31 2019 after being sold to Christian broadcaster Educational Media Foundation. The new Christian contemporary station K-Love (WKLV) takes over on 95.5. Enjoy here a clip which shows the raw emotion of the final hours as the Todd and Jayde Show checked out for the final time. Hear from the whole team - and the engineer who's been there for more than 40 years.  Just when you think it can’t get any more heartfelt – it does. It will chime with anyone who’s ever had to say goodbye. “Radio will be here – or it won’t. It’s about the people you meet  along the way.” "It's been a very long goodbye, sometimes it's like someone in hospice  - you don't want them to die but you kind of just want to get it over with."

After almost 50 years of broadcasting from New York, 95.5 WPLJ closed at 7pm NY time (midnight here) on 31st May 2019.  The Cumulus Media station was sold to Christian broadcaster Educational Media Foundation in February, and the new Christian contemporary station K-Love (WKLV) took over on 95.5. Enjoy here its final hour - telescoped.

Michael Bolton, Rick Astley, and Paula Abdul may not be the first artists 90's kids think of when we talk about "the music of our youth"... but back when Mom controlled the car radio, they were. In New York, 95.5 WPLJ was the ultimate "Mom Rock" station. They played adult contemporary music and promised "the biggest hits of the 70's, 80's, and today." On May 31, PLJ is signing off for the last time. To honor the genre of music that soundtracked car rides to basketball practice and family breakfasts on Sundays, we're counting down the Top 10 Adult Contemporary Hits from the last week of May, 1991. So get out of our dreams... and into our pod. 

After almost 50 years of broadcasting from New York, this was the end of an era for 95.5 WPLJ. The station which had served pop and rock hits across the Hudson River and broadcast throughout North and Central New Jersey closed on May 31 2019. The Cumulus Media station was sold to Christian broadcaster Educational Media Foundation in February, and the new Christian contemporary station K-Love (WKLV) took over on 95.5. Enjoy here a telescoped hour from its final week on-air. Some fond IDs and imaging (mind you, the words 'New York' can never sound anything other than wonderful); some cross trailing for WABC breakfast; a rainy weather forecast; the promise of some farewell merchandising; and a puzzling mic sound.

Todd announces changes to the legendary WPLJ and the morning show reflects on how much love and appreciation they have for listeners, one another, and the radio station in itself. WE THANK YOU! 

Sleep deprivation leads to so many biological system defects, and nothing impacts it as badly as our excessive exposure to artificial blue light. What are the biggest sources of this blue light, and how does it differ from natural blue light? What does it do to our health, and what can we do about it? How does alcohol consumption also affect our health and ability to sleep properly? On this episode, I’m joined by Swanwick Sleep founder, James Swanwick, who shares on his work helping people improve their sleep, how he got into making fashionable blue light blockers, and why he became alcohol-free.   Four Takeaways Not all blue light is bad. In fact, the sun is the biggest emitter of blue light, and getting sun exposure during the day is good. Overexposure to artificial blue light is what’s bad for us. Everytime we stare into our devices without eye protection, we’re blasting our eyes with mini suns which affects our pituitary and pineal glands. This is what causes issues for our sleep and health. Drinking, even a little, may seem harmless, but it can have catastrophic effects on health, focus, sleep, and even how we look. When it comes to wearing blue light blockers, remember this rule: clear lenses for daytime and orange for nighttime.   At the start of the show, James shared on his background, and we talked about why sleep is so important. We covered why it’s essential for replenishing and restoring the body, the difference between natural and artificial blue light, and how the latter negatively impacts our bodies. James shared the story of how he started his blue blocker company and all the other health-related work he does. We also discussed: How our super high-def TV screens affect our eyesight and health The 30-day no alcohol challenge and how alcohol suppresses consciousness Developing a muscle of gratitude   Nature intends us to get 6-8 hours of good quality sleep every night, but the man-made stuff we use daily is compromising our sleep and our health. Sleep is essential for so many biological functions and systems, and if we don’t prioritize it, we’re doing a lot of harm. Artificial blue light tricks our bodies into thinking that it’s daytime all the time, meaning we won’t produce the melatonin we need. Don’t underestimate what this does to your whole body and the long-term negative effects. Ultimately, you want to put your best foot forward and that’s impossible without good sleep. Guest Bio- James is the founder of Swanwick Sleep, Swannies Blue Light Blockers, the 30-Day No Alcohol Challenge and Project 90. He is also a New York-based ESPN anchor on SportsCenter, author of ‘Insider Journalism Secrets’ and co-founder of international agency, Crocmedia. He has been a print or TV journalist for 20 years, writing for newspapers and magazines in the US, UK and Australia. These include Associated Press, Sky Sports, ESPN, WPLJ radio, Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Daily Telegraph, The Sun, Sky Movie Channel, Q104FM, Loaded magazine, Woman’s Day, The Courier-Mail and much more. Go to http://jamesswanwick.com/, https://www.swanwicksleep.com/ for more information.   To join the 30-Day No Alcohol Challenge, go to http://30daynoalcoholchallenge.com/. If you’re an entrepreneur and want to join the 90-day No Alcohol Challenge for Entrepreneurs go to http://jamesswanwick.com/project90.