It was a fun chat with Christina Ricci, who called in to promote her new movie Distorted, which is theaters this Friday. We discussed her lengthy film career, if she’s ever tried method acting, and whether or not we could hold the premiere of the film in my backyard with the outdoor screen (aka the side of my garage).
Category Archives: Show Recaps
Al Roker
Al Roker gave us a call for a chat about his new book Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster. After asking Al for some tips on getting up early and maintaining energy while working on multiple projects, we had a discussion about the history behind the event, the parallels that can be drawn between then and now, and how experiencing many weather events helps to inform his writing.
John Michael Higgins
John Michael Higgins called in to talk about his new game show America Says, airing 5 days a week at 4ET/3CT on Game Show Network. After a brief chat about Walk Hard (I quote his record producer character at least once a week), John filled us in on how the game show works, his game show hosting style, and getting to say the most famous line ever uttered in game show-dom.
Seymour Stein
Seymour Stein, America’s greatest living record man, called in to talk about his new autobiography Siren Song; My Live in Music. I had a set of questions prepared about The Smiths, Ramones, and Talking Heads, but instead Seymour took my question about working with infamous label honcho Morris Levy and ran with it! An amazing story, and I want to hear more. Next time we’ll get to the bands.
Steve Dorff
Steve Dorff, a new inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, called in to chat about his new book I Wrote That One, Too: A Life in Songwriting from Willie to Whitney. We discussed his inspiration for the book, writing a book vs. writing a song, his songwriting process, and becoming a songwriter in Junior High School.
Note: Not the greatest audio quality due to a phone gremlin, but still understandable.
Follow @bigwakeupcallMike Reiss
Mike Reiss has worked on The Simpsons since the first episode. His new book is Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons.” We talked about exactly what outright lies the book contains, while he originally thought the show would be lucky to last six episodes, and his indirect appearance in a season 2 episode.
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Tom Papa
Tom Papa called in for a fun chat about his new book Your Dad Stole My Rake…and Other Family Dilemmas. We discussed why he wanted to put down his thoughts into convenient book form, writing for a specific audience, dealing with “wacky” morning radio shows, and the eternal dilemma of juggling work and family.
Chris Matthews
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews called in to talk about his new book Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit. We discussed his personal memory of Kennedy’s assassination, how America would be different with Kennedy instead of Nixon, and why he likes to be nearly camera-ready even for radio appearances.
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Hacking a Fish Tank with the World News Center
Bill McCormick from the World News Center called in for his weekly visit and this time we chatted about hacking a fish tank, Alexa stealing your identity, changing the password on your nanny cam, and the unexpected advantages of a late ’90s garage door opener. Plus: mutant superpowers and a public service announcement.
Dave Itzkoff
New York Times culture reporter, best-selling author, and Twitter superstar Dave Itzkoff dialed into the show to talk about his new book Robin: The Definitive Biography and Untold Story of Robin Williams. We discussed why fans felt such a connection to Robin, how he dealt with a rocket-like ascent to fame from comedy clubs to Mork and Mindy, his struggles with substance abuse, and how the public side of Robin Williams differed from the private side.