Reliving My Youth

I catch up with Martha Davis of The Motels, who tells me what the band was called before they changed their name. The band’s biggest hits include “Only The Lonely” and “Suddenly Last Summer”, Martha tells me the story behind those hits. We talk about the band’s upcoming release, “The Last Few Beautiful Days”

I catch up with Vinnie Dombroski from Sponge, who tells me if he thought Plowed would become a massive hit and the story behind the song Molly. Vinnie also shares some of his favorite acts he has toured with. We discuss his latest project, the Beer Sessions.

I catch up with Matthew Godfrey (You Can’t Do That on Television), who played the “know it all” kid during his time on the show. He tells me the sitcom star is character was modeled, the audition process for the show, and his favorites sketches. Matthew worked with Alanis Morissette and shares a couple of stories. He tells me what went into the slime and water scenes. Matthew is a son of Canadian diplomats and shares his real-life connection to the movie Argo.

I catch up with Mindy Sterling (The Austin Powers movies), who tells me about filming those movies and if a fourth one is coming. Mindy was a member of the Groundlings and tells me the SNL alum who babysat her son. A new generation of fans will know her as Miss Briggs from iCarly. We discuss the impact the show has had on kids. Perhaps her best role is playing Alan Tudyk’s manager, Bobbi on the web series, Con Man.

I catch up with Barry Andrews who is the co-founder of Shriekback. Barry was the keyboardist of XTC. He left the band after two albums. We talk about why he joined XTC and why he left. Barry formed Shriekback after leaving XTC. Shriekback is best known in the states for Nemesis. They recently embarked on an European tour thanks to Kickstarter and are planning their U.S. tour also through Kickstarter.

I catch up with Michael Pearlman, who played Jason Pembroke during the first season of Charles in Charge, which ran on CBS during the 1984-85 season. The show was cancelled following the season up found new life in first-run syndication two years laters with a new family, the Powells. Michael was the only cast member to return for the second season premiere. He tells me about that experience and the differences between the two families. He fills me in on what he has been doing post acting career.

I catch up with Grammy and Tony award winner Duncan Sheik, who tells me about his relationship with his hit, Barely Breathing, and the pressures of following up that hit. We talk about his very underrated Covers 80’s album, how he made each song his own and if he gotten any feedback from the artists he covered. Duncan headed to Broadway and wrote the music for the massive hit, Spring Awakening, and later American Psycho. He tells me the differences between writing for an album and for Broadway.

I catch up with Gordon Thomson (Dynasty, Santa Barbara), who tells me how he landed the iconic role of Adam Carrington, what he thought of certain storylines from the show. Gordon shares his thoughts on the Dynasty reboot and Charlton Heston. Gordon went from prime time to daytime. He talks about the differences between the two. For you Muppet fans, Gordon played Sir Robin The Brave in “The Frog Prince.”

I catch up with LeRoy Wolfgramm of The Jets, who were one of the biggest bands in the late 80’s. The band was made up of the eight oldest Wolfgramm children. The Jets were constants on the charts with hits like “Crush on You”, “You Got It All”, and “Make It Real”. LeRoy talks about how the band learned to play their instruments and who decided which member would sing a particular song.

I catch up with Grammy-Award winner Billy Vera, who has done it all in the music industry. His career spans over 50 years. It didn’t just start with “At this Moment”, which is the most unlikely song to hit number 1, largely in part to Family Ties. Billy still performs with the Beaters. Billy has also done quite a bit of acting, with roles in the cult classic, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, Wiseguy, he had an occurring role of Duke on Beverly Hills, 90210. He’s also preformed the theme songs for two television hits, we will get into that. His autobiography, Harlem to Hollywood was released last year to rave reviews. I listened to the audiobook which Billy narrates. It’s a facinating listen about a fascinating man.

I catch up with actress Vanessa Angel (Kingpin, Spies Like Us), who tells me how she got started in acting. Vanessa was the first choice to play a certain warrior princess, she tells me what happened. We talk about her role as Lisa on the TV version of Weird Science and her cameo on Entourage.

I catch with singer Oleta Adams, who collaborated with Tears for Fears on the Seeds of Love album and toured with them. She did vocals on “Woman in Chains” and Badman’s Song.” Some say it was Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith who discovered Oleta in a Kansas City hotel bar, but that’s not the case. They were just the ones who kept promises. We talk about her time with the band. She was there when the band broke up and her latest release, Third Set, that came out in 2017. The Grammy nominated Oleta had a top-five hit with “Get Here” in 1991.

I catch up with comedian Frank Ford, who is one of the founding members of the comedy group, Four Day Weekend. Frank talks about his comedy influences growing up, how Homer Simpson had a part in the group’s name and how he went from a full-time, six figure job to doing comedy full time. Frank, along with his partners, David Ahearn and David Wilk, wrote the book, Happy Accidents: The Transformative Power of "YES, AND" at Work and in Life.

I catch up with Scott Schwartz (A Christmas Story, The Toy), who tells me how he won over Jackie Gleason on the set of The Toy, if he got all of the jokes from the movie. Scott played Flick in A Christmas Story and tells me how the movie went from a cult classic to iconic status.

I catch up with actor, Dan Lauria, who tells me how he went from the gridiron to the stage and what sitcom star helped him land the role of Jack Arnold on the Wonder Years. We talk baseball and cross off how many different types of coaches he has played in his career.

I catch up with rapper, Positive K, who talks about the lasting impression of “I Got a Man” and who voiced the female track on the song. We also talk about his track on the Beavis and Butthead CD. Positive K joined forces with Greg Nice (Nice & Smooth) to record Gr8te Mindz, we talk about how the collaboration came about.

I catch up with David Ruprecht, the longtime host of Supermarket Sweep, who tells me the differences of filming in a real market and a studio, why his famous sweaters went away and if he’d be interested in hosting the talked about revival. We also talk about his role on Three’s Company. Whose got the Charmin? You’re on!

I catch up with Kurt Maloo, the former lead singer of Double, who had one of the best one-hit wonder songs, not just of the 1980’s, but of all-time with “The Captain of Her Heart.” Kurt tells me his relationship with the song, its path to success and if there are any covers of the song that he likes.

I catch up with Expose’s Ann Curless. The band became the first act to have four top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 from its debut album. Ann talks about getting involved with Exposè, the band taking a hiatus and going to court, as a group, to fight for the right to use the name Exposè.

I catch up with actor Keith Coogan (Adventures in Babysitting, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead), who tells how he won the role of Brad in the iconic movie and crushes on Elisabeth Shue. Keith gives his thoughts on the sexual harassment scandal in Hollywood. We also talk about his other two famous movies, Hiding Out and Toy Soldiers and how cell phones would have affected his movies.