Morristown Green's Podcast

The economic implosion of 2008 had precious few upsides, but we got one of them: Cartoonist Paul Laud. His illustrated limericks skewer politicians left, right and center every Tuesday on MorristownGreen.com. Paul Laud learned the power of cartoons as a Princeton undergrad way back in the '70s...something about a food fight. Then his mighty quill lay dormant for three decades. What revived his satirical career--and how does he keep his quill so razor-sharp? Aspiring pundits and cartoonists should tune into this interview by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of a "Beloved Community" remains just that--a dream, says Justin Bush, a senior at Morris Knolls High School in New Jersey. There is no room for complacency if the dream is ever to be realized, Justin tells the packed Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 17, 2011. Podcast by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was a preacher, we are reminded by the Rev. Carolyn Ann Knight, who preaches here about the care and feeding of our dreams. Dreams are as vital to a society's health as to an individual's, she says. A dearth of dreams led an assassin to kill the civil rights leader, and prompted another deranged man to shoot 19 people outside a Tucson Safeway store, the preacher says. Rev. Knight, a guest preacher from Georgia, delivers her remarks at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day service at Calvary Baptist Church in Morristown, NJ, on Jan. 17, 2011. She is introduced by the Rev. Sidney Williams Jr., new pastor of the local Bethel AME Church. Podcast by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com.

Janet Broderick, rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Morristown, NJ, traces the inner journey of Martin Luther King Jr., and challenges us to dig deeply within ourselves to find meaningful purposes for our lives. She suggests--humorously--that our time on earth should be more than a series of holiday sweater sales and celebrity sightings at funerals. (Specifically, her own.) Rev. Broderick's talk is from the 26th annual Morris Interfaith Breakfast on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 17, 2011, at the Hyatt Morristown. She is introduced by Rabbi Donald Rossoff of Temple B'Nai Or in Morristown. Podcast by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com

Morristown has seen 459 new units of luxury condos and apartments over the last few years. They are filling up. But they also come with almost 100,000 square feet of retail space--and that's proving a harder sell. Debra Tantleff describes her efforts in the third of three episodes. Podcast by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com, Nov. 5, 2010

Does a certain NFL star occupy a primo penthouse at Morristown's 40 Park? We ask developer Debra Tantleff...who tells us who has been buying luxury condos during the Great Recession. Podcast by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com, Nov. 5, 2010

While many development projects around the country ground to a halt during the recession, luxury condos and apartments got built in Morristown. How was that possible? Debra Tantleff of the Roseland Property Co. explains, in part one of a wide-ranging three-part interview about Morristown's downtown. Podcast by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com, Nov. 5, 2010.

For six years, Carolann Solebello was one-third of the popular folk group Red Molly. She played her last gig with the Mollies in July, and is re-inventing herself as a solo artist. On Sept. 23 she will open for country star Phil Vassar at Morristown's Community Theatre. Red Molly, a trio known for superb harmonies, is a tough act to follow. What's Carolann's game plan? She talks to Kevin Coughlin of MorristownGreen.com about her solo quest for harmony of a different sort.

What was life like 200 years ago? Would you eat better? How would you iron your shirts? When nature called...you get the picture. Or you will, if you visit 'Hearth & Home,' an exhibit at Morristown's Macculloch Hall Historical Museum. As part of its 200th anniversary, the museum is exploring the daily lives of the Macculloch family way back when. Time-travel with museum Executive Director Carrie Fellows, as she takes Kevin Coughlin of MorristownGreen.com on a 19-minute spin through the 19th century.

Few rock stars can match Todd Rundgren's combination of brilliance, breadth and balls. The guy writes hit songs; plays all the instruments; produces hits for other stars; breaks new ground with video, graphics and online networks; scores tunes for TV shows and movies, and tours with Beatles. Just don't ask Todd to perform his hits. And whatever you do, don't call him a rock and roller. Find out why in this hour-long interview, recorded by Kevin Coughlin of MorristownGreen.com in advance of Todd's Sept. 15, 2010, 'Todd/Healing' concert in Morristown, NJ. Todd talks about the origins of his 1974 album 'Todd' and 'Healing' from 1981. Was 'Healing' inspired by a brush with death? How did Phil Rizzuto slide into a Meat Loaf album on Todd's watch? Who are Todd's guitar gods? And what's a Ringo tour like? Tune in for all this and more, from MorristownGreen.com.

The soothing tones of "Danny Boy" resonate with Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. But what else can they agree on? Two college students from Northern Ireland have been looking for answers...around Morristown. Sarah Grant, a Catholic, and Catrina Hollran, a Protestant, have summered here as interns, courtesy of a program called Project Children. The program aims to foster understanding between the two sects. How is it working? Tune in for a free-wheeling 24-minute conversation with these delightful young ladies, who discuss the future of their homeland, and the comparative state of law, social services, and sport in the U.S. and the U.K. Podcast by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com.

Scott Nicholson, an associate professor at Syracuse University, does a podcast called "On Board Games," and a YouTube video series, "Board Games with Scott." His new book, "Everyone Plays Games at the Library," contends that role playing games have their proper place: Your public library. Nathaniel Rossoff interviewed Scott for MorristownGreen.com at the Dexcon 13 gaming convention in Morristown, July 7, 2010. The room's a bit noisy, but it's worth hanging in there for this 15-minute discussion.

David Grant set a high standard during 12 years as president of the Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge Foundation in Morristown. He sharpened the philanthropy's focus to "creativity and sustainability," and came up with innovative ways to assess progress. His successor, Christopher Daggett, ran for governor in 2009 and comes from an environmental background. He hopes to develop programs to teach leadership skills, and to promote basic research as Bell Labs once did. In this wide-ranging conversation with Kevin Coughlin of MorristownGreen.com, David shares his insights and Chris says his policy-oriented style is not really as different from David's approach as some might think. Recorded on June 8, 2010, atop 14 Maple Ave. "green building" that is home to the foundation.

It's graduation season, and this spring's grads face the worst job market in a quarter century. Susan Berg thinks she can help. Her new book is called "Choose on Purpose," and it's full of tips on how to trade your cap and gown for a fulfilling gig in the world of grownups. Susan is giving a free talk at the parish hall of Morristown's Presbyterian Church on May 15 at 1 p.m. Here is a preview. (About 10 minutes.)

Jill Sobule, who scored a hit in 1995 with 'I Kissed a Girl,' returns to the Sanctuary concert series in Chatham, NJ, on May 8. In this 20-minute interview with Kevin Coughlin of Morristown Green, Jill shares her reaction to Katy Perry's recent girl-kissing song, and describes how she funded her last album with donations solicited over the internet. Is this the future of the music business? Known for her liberal take on life--she blogs for the Huffington Post--Jill also reminisces about serenading conservative media baron Rupert Murdoch.

Lauren Failla, a beloved member of the Morristown community, died tragically in April at the age of 25. Among her many talents, Lauren was a fine soprano in choirs at St. Peter's Episcopal Church. This is Lauren singing "In the Bleak Midwinter" by Harold Darke, when she was 13. Recording courtesy of St. Peter's. Our condolences to Lauren's family and her many friends.

Imagine if the George Washington statue on the Morristown Green could speak... Hey, it did! General Washington returned to Morristown on April 17, 2010, some 230 years after the most brutal winter of the Revolution, to take part in a Revolutionary Times Weekend. What did the General (actor Dean Malissa, of Mount Vernon fame) think of modern Morristown? How does he feel about the President in the city that now bears his name? And what about all those "George slept here" signs? Time-travel with the Indispensable Man, interviewed by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com.

Janet Broderick, rector of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Morristown, knows quite a bit about her immediate family--and so do many movie buffs. Her brother, father, and sister-in-law have starred on stage and screen for years. But it's taken an NBC program, 'Who Do You Think You Are?' to discover where this famous clan came from. In a 15-minute podcast with Kevin Coughlin of MorristownGreen.com, Janet reveals some of the secrets she learned, and how this sleuthing shook her life-long perceptions about family members. Genealogy, it turns out, is not for the faint-hearted. Link: http://bit.ly/9dQQ8x

Is there life after death? What about heaven and hell? Retired Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong has some provocative ideas that you probably won't hear in church on Sundays. In this 45-minute interview with Kevin Coughlin of MorristownGreen.com, Bishop Spong discusses his new book, "Eternal Life, A New Vision," which traces the origins of religion and its clash with science. You may be surprised by which side the Bishop takes. Link: http://bit.ly/baLDUq

Jim Hicks of Morristown's Presbyterian Church will go to the ends of the earth to find new organ music. He just recorded a new CD in Sweden--in the dead of winter. Interviewed by Kevin Coughlin for MorristownGreen.com. Running time: About 12 minutes. Link: http://bit.ly/cNsdZW