TV Guidance Counselor

October 30 - November 5, 1999 This week Ken welcomes comedian and host of the podcast "Could be the Move", Bobby Dolan to the show. Ken and Bobby discuss LA's West Side, Ken's life hack driving tips, San Diego, Montgomery County Baltimore, going to college in Maryland, John Waters, Ken's punk rock band, John Butler Trio, when a venue doesn't have a stage, Halloween, Ken not having the original issue Bobby asked for, Pokemon, collecting non-sports cards, rippin packs, living the scratch ticket lifestyle, when 30s is ancient, Sela Ward, Ken's crush on Sela Ward, Once and Again, actors who aren't Jason Bateman, Billy Campbell, The Rocketeer, Basic cigarettes, The Ace of Basic, frozen concentrated fruit juices, Five Alive, Bobby's marveling at TV Guide's color scheme, the official light of the new millennium, the wonders of being knocked out by Nyquil, Simon Rex, possibly the strangest quote in TV Guidance Counselor history, "the guy version", Sting, Wrestling, being disappointed by Goldberg, legendary college football games, Father vs Son head coach rivalries, 1999 FSU Football team, Tyson, incriminating photographs made at a mall, Early Edition, The World Series, pre-FOX World Series games, hating the Yankees, 7th Heaven, everyone's crush on Jessica Biel, Jennifer Love Hewitt's Party of Five spin off, Ally McBeal, horror flicks, The Shining, Monster Mania, Major League III being a two star movie, Roasts before they got really impersonally personal and hateful, Two Guys and a Girl, Who's Line is it Anyway?, Joshua Jackson followed by Luscious Jackson, Chicago Hope, the most 90s awards show ever, stealing sperm from the dead, Y2K, H2O, It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, tasting like somebody loves you, sport commentary, being completely outraged by people not wearing helmets, stepping into the bucket, and people confusing Godzilla with Gorgo.  

This week Ken welcomes legendary warm up comic, and author of the essential memoir "Warm Up Guy", Bob Perlow to the show. Ken and Bob discuss the side of Rhode Island, Night of the Comet, Gary Marshall, being conscripted into warming up the audience, Newhart, falling into writing on Laveren and Shirley, discovering audiences want T-shirts, the power of sound queues, America's Host, the sequestered audience of a sitcom taping, how Friends tapings could take up to 8 hours, Dream On, the three hour limit, trying to keep the energy up, Full House, the unique weirdness of multi-cam sitcoms, being one of the elite few warm up comics, the 1978 -2008 sweet spot, Cheers, Night Court, Taxi, writing for Who's the Boss, Danny Arnold, being an extra on Barney Miller, torturing Jerry Lewis, Jimmy Stewart, Kirk Douglas, Ernest Borgnine, Vanity Plates, the horror of being famous and poor, seeing a former star now bartending, shows filmed outside during COVID, Oh! Madeline, the best sitcoms and the worst, The Single Guy, the classic mistake of not coming out and saying hello to the audience, how great Bob Newart is, the power of Robin Williams, how Tony Danza was absolutely the boss, photo mats, prank shows, getting hired as a writer having never written anything, being a tour guide, Angie, offering your services for free to get established, Robert Hayes, Makin' It, LA traffic, warming up the Tonight Show, Jay Leno, doubling up on gigs despite traffic, having a video to play if you're running late, Harry Anderson, getting fired from Home Improvement because Tim Allen is insecure, warming up a Michael Jackson video, warming up Susan Powter videos, 9 to 5, Major Dad, when actors take the part too seriously because they are wearing a uniform, Candid Camera, wanting to see some people get their competence, Grace Under Fire, Brett Butler, Cybill, getting photos with celebrities, aspirations to be on screen, how performers are not shy, Andy Kauffman on the set of Taxi, Annette Funicello, Growing Pains, Let Bob Do It, treating your audience with respect, Coach, Bob Saget, why you DO want to meet your heroes, why it's best to stay in a warm up gig for the long haul, being so you nobody can steal it, keeping souvenirs, giving away swag, keeping the diner sign from the Laverne and Shirley episode you wrote, running into people on the studio lot, Roseanne's late night show, how hard it is to make a living, being in Robin Williams improv group, The Larry Sanders Show, and getting out at the right time.  

September 24-30, 1955 FALL PREVIEW This week Ken welcomes actor, comedian and film fan Josh Fadem to the show. Ken and Josh discuss being the first TVGC dandy, being swell, the age of guests, the 1950s, blacklisting, film noir, Ida Lupina, Columbo, John Cassavetes, Josh's Tulsa Noir Night, Oklahoma, German Expressionism, Eddie Muller of TCM, TV vs. Films, old Hollywood gossip rags, loving old ads, Doom Flipping, Touch of Evil, late period trashy Noir, The Killing, Jim Thompson, Ben Casey, Micky Spillane, Kiss Me Deadly, Mike Hammer, The Girl Hunters, Chuck Connors, The Rifleman vs Branded, Robert Mitchum, Old Gringo, Gregory Peck, Humphry Bogart, Rod Steiger, acting styles, the 2000s sketch comedy voice, Candy Clark, Twin Peaks, being seduced by Angie Dickinson, Fall Previews, Peter Laughford, Winky Dink and You, Ernie Kovacs, Edie Adams, Playhouse 15, Live television, Backlash, Richard Wydmark, The Lucy Show, Ed Sullivan, Night of the Hunter, Lillian Gish, Pearl Bailey, The Outside Man, Ann-Margaret, Howard Hesman, Billy Jack improv, updating IMDB for other people, The Love God, bad acting choices, Three for Bedroom C, Adventure Walks with Mark Sabre, free diamonds, rocket ships, the singing rage of Patty Paige, Robert Shane, Shaggy, defective detectives, Racket Squad, big time arsonists, Studio 1, NY City Dramas, Counterfitter Detectives, The Little Rascals/Our Gang, Mr. District Attorney, expensive 1950s long distance phone calls, Mercedes McCambridge, Cleveland's Cafe Intime', The Alcatraz Hotel, the pictures, lavender bath soap, James Cagney, echo tape recorders, American Poem Songs, Charles Bronson, Vernon Chapman, and how Andy Griffith should have been in a version of The Killer Inside Me.

This week Ken welcomes artist, all around coolest human, and writer/illustrator of the Minky Woodcock comic series, including the newest volum "The Girl Called Cthlulu", Cynthia Von Buhler. (yes I know I called it "Mindy" Woodcock a couple times instead of "Minky". It's Minky) Ken and Cynthia discuss Ken's fandom, art, coming up in Boston, the Boston Phoenix, growing up in Western MA, Children's Books, illustrating, noir, alternative history, HP Lovecraft, Tesla, Alestair Crowley, going to Art School, living in London, people missing the joke, tongue in cheek, Women of Sodom, parody, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Sid & Marty Kroft, immersive theater, Illuminati Ball, Land of the Lost, Jem, Crime Story, Faces of Death, extreme video nasties, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, I Spit on Your Grave, Japanese weirdness, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Letters to Cleo, appearing in the Macy's parade, being a free range child, consuming things more deeply because they are harder to get, being shocked you have no tattoos, James Bond, how society's pop culture has caught up with the underground, Gumby, Archie, Hubba Hubba, Davey and Goliath, Christian Shows, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, how all kinds are hard wired to love monsters, Squid Games, Patchinko, loving foreign television, subtitles, Korean Culture, Mad Men, the difficulty of telling stories in ongoing TV series, knowing when a story is done, trauma induced nightmares, and the weird legacy of HP Lovecraft. 

This week Ken welcomes academic, fellow middle aged punk, and author of the new book "Hardcore Punk in the Age of Reagan: The Lyrical Lashing of an American Presidency ", Robert J. Fitzgerald. Ken and Robert discuss Robert's favorite TVGC episodes, Jane Seymour, Ted Danson, his love of House of Pain, Ken's high school punk band, Goonies, doing your research, The Pogues, Mike Watt, living in the UK from Summer of '75-77, being a Military kid, Fort Mead MD, living in Seoul Korea as a young kid in the early 80s, living two hours south of Chicago, getting a new job, being a skater kid, second tier cities, the DC/LA/NYC hardcore trinity, Naked Raygun, Ronald Reagan, suburban kids, post-Vietnam, boredom, the ridiculousness of punk culture Presidents, when white suburban kids ruin punk scenes, all dude affairs, Wasted Youth, Only in America, the correct use of saxophone, Throb Throb, Bad Religion, Dead Kennedys, the death of Mall Culture, Fast Times, The Elks Lodge Riot, Black Flag, police brutality, Plugz, metal vs. punk, Bones Brigade, the hip hop connection, Anthrax, appocalyptic Boston, Discharge, Nuclear War, appocalypse anxiety, The Cold War, Threads, The War Game, Big Black, Steve Albini, being out of phase, The Business, cosplay, being a musical civil war reenacter, Motorhead, Battalion of Saints, Taang! Records, how DIY punk kids were actually living the capitalist American Dream, Alternative Tenticles, SST Records, The Laffer Curve, real time populist grass roots resistance, distribution, touring, writing off certain sub-cultures, academic looks at punk rock, tape trading, the mainstreaming of alternative culture, Quincy Punks, Yo! MTV Raps, Rap City, BET, finally getting cable, watching reaction videos on YouTube, Living Colour, Bad Brains, explaining things to teenagers, the love of the hunt, record shopping, buying bad records, 7"s, Fishbone, late night underware tai chi, Youth of Today, spiritual journies, Boise Idaho's State of Confusion, pretentious record collectors, Naked Raygun's hiatus, growing up, sticking to your ideals, phone calls from Ian MacKaye, Minor Threat, playing guitar for children, heroes of the no heroes movement, being an Assistant Principal, being a historian, Riot Fest, Jake Burns, Stiff Little Fingers, playing in bands, the cringe of many 80s hardcore songs, homophobia, The Descendents, MOD, context, writing character songs, Pegboy, and cultural connections. 

July 29 - August 4, 1989  This week Ken welcomes the comedian behind the new special "with Picture", Jim Tews. Ken and Jim discuss hot aural experiences, college text book rip offs, professors who make you buy books they wrote, pen names, sci-fi, Married...with Children, lazy writing, being 10 years old, being a child of divorce, permissive Dads, basic cable, black "cheater/scrambler" boxes, cigarettes, Joe Camel, being in the U.S. Coast Guard, your cigarette brand, having a terrible memory, broad characters, how Peggy is the MVP of Married...with Children, the horrors of being at a multi-cam show live taping, Maria Shriver, horny Benson and Hedges, tasting the richness of America, random collages, reimbursement for guesting on TV talk shows, pranking news programs, nonsensical MTV ads, the love triangle of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, the revelation of Joe Bones, the devolution of COPS, Golden Girls drug episode, Beyond Tomorrow/Beyond 2000, Acid Rain, Sammy Davis Jr on Hunter as a boxing coach, having a bully bossy big sister, having the "Jimmy wasn't here last week" advantage, avoiding serialized shows, TGIF, MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour, Stand Up Spotlight, skateboarding, Sk8 TV, Ken watching TVs at department stores, Murder She Wrote, National Geographic, the Family Ties compromise, being land locked, divorced Dad boats, World travel, having an obsession with Chile, visiting Austria, having family in Germany, doing a stand up tour for Armed Forces Entertainment, seeing the pyramids, the classic underage mail fraud to get free CDs, Debbie Gibson and Living Colour being classic 1989, MacGuyver, National Geographic, Baby Boom, annual traditions of playing your brass on the roof on New Year's, unsolicited musical accompaniment at parties, saxophone, Chuck Norris, practicing Karate, Unsolved Mysteries, Who's the Boss?, Wonder Years, Roseanne, Queens, Malls lost to time, FYE, Swimsuit '89, Head of the Class, kicking a hole in the wall watching Sidekicks, Ernie Reyes Jr, Knight and Daye, Shark Week, how the 1983 made for TV movie "Who Will Love My Children?" is four times better than Hot Dog: The Movie, Jesse Jackson guest starring on A Different World, living in a Reader's Digest household, "Humor in Uniform", Cheers, the 1989 writers' strike, The New Mission Impossible, saying no to the SF Strip Club with your Coast Guard co-workers so you can visit shooting locations from Full House, texting Bob Saget, slapstick humor in Perfect Strangers, 20/20, the 20th Anniversary of Woodstock, Minga the Demon,  Doctor Doctor, Matt Frewer, Tales from the Crypt, Miami Vice, the commercial exploitation of the Woodstock 20th Anniversary, and getting VIP treatment at outdoor festivals.

This week Ken welcomes fellow Bostonian, and singer songwriter, Will Dailey to the show. Ken and Will discuss being gross, growing up in Boston, touring, staying in Boston, how massive the United States is, not just wanting numbers and followers, wanting to make art, Boys Talking, not releasing an album, doing it for the art, playing live, journey with no destination, The $10 Song, catharsis, feeding off of feedback, pure intentions, having your music used on television, The Good Wife, being on CSI, having Gary Sinise play bass for you on TV, how art is being a chef, how hearing yourself in something takes you out of it, realizing you were learning a formula and breaking the cycle, trying to avoid mediocrity, hanging out, not over producing, how the 20th Century is a Rennisance of human beings recording themselves, what we do next, gatekeepers, toxic nostalgia, hating Blockbuster, the incredible music talent in Boston, Juliana Hatfield, Bill Janovitz, how for some people sometimes it's never enough, how there is no finish line, how COVID changed everything, The Good Fight, "Previously On...", getting targeted ads for guitars, SNL, loving the 21st Century SNL, not wanting to hear the same classic rock songs in everything, Joe Pera Talks with You, Will McRobb's "Funny, Strange, Sad and Beautiful" philosophy, living in a world without shared experiences, and wanting all shows to end with Perfume Genius. 

December 28th, 1991 - January 3, 1992 This week Ken welcomes Las Vegas comedian behind the new special "Highly Intelligent", Shanna Christmas.  Ken and Shanna discuss the heat, growing up in Las Vegas, how they were both 6'3" at age 14, being a jock, the nerd school, buying booze underage, hanging in night clubs, enjoying the word "Geriatric", dumb kids Ken grew up with, Jerry's Kids, how you never see teenage boys, having your own TV, wrestling, skillsets younger people miss out on, 1-900 spank lines, being between the Holidays, being born at Christmas, John Goodman, New Year's Eve, Moonlighting, unlikely movie stars, working at hotels, staying home on New Year's Eve, avoiding the strip, Marky Mark, the hit on the head cool guy character cliche, Family Matters, canceling shows that are already made, Sinbad, never watching stand up growing up, forgetting Sidney Poitier directed Ghost Dad, Fox making moves, In Living Color super bowl half time show, Summer Seasons, Beverly Hills 90210, befriending the homeless/downtrodden in the 80s and fixing all their problems with a bath, Murphy Brown, Blossom, Home Improvement, JTT posters, child acting aging weirdly, Ken's bias against the South, Rescue 9-1-1, homework, Neil Breen, New Year's Day, Jetsons meet the Flintstones, Jake and the Fatman, Wilfred Brimley, the technology on The Flintstones, Lisa Bonet, A Different World, how Ken wanted to go to an all black university, Hanging with Mr. Cooper, Holly Robinson, how there are no black people on Seinfeld, Soapdish, America's Most Wanted, Married...with Children, Martin, and how Ken should write a book. 

October 8-16, 1988  This week Ken welcomes Mike and Scot from the First Seven Inch podcast.   Ken Mike and Scot discuss obscure hardcore, punk rock, having to pivot to make the fans happy, the power of Patreon, The Equalizer, TV and movies with punks, John Wick, Donnie Yen, being an easy mark, Midnight Caller, Silk Stalkings, Nick/Forever Night, USA Network, what to do when it's "too hot to sleep", creepy work pervs, smoking, being straight edge, brown cigarettes, Brendan Tartikof, Ed Grimley, the mythical magic of the big white TV Schedule board, testing your brain at the pharmacy, Amazon Women on the Moon, Real Men, Hellraiser, anthology TV, WNDS TV 50, Weather with Al, Mary Woronov, Sledge Hammer, NBC, Alf, Stevie Wonder, TV's Blooper and Practical Jokes, Librace, Throb, the career of Jim Hanks, CT people, the Moby of Puppets, The Hogans, Mr. Rogers, Letterman, Dear John, US remakes of UK shows, Who's the Boss, Donna Mills in Outback Bound, the American obsession with Australia, 'roid free world, Growing Pains, Nova, sexy Walter Mathau in Hopscotch, why 1985 is Ken's favorite year in movies, why the early 80s made us desperate for nerds to save us, fascist eagles, Slayer, Tyne Daly and kids in gangs, Just a Regular Kid an AIDS story, Highway to Heavan, Halloween epsiodes, Michael Berryman, being obsessed with guns, Chuck Norris' uzis in the Invasion USA poster, divorced parents, Just the Ten of Us, Crossing the Mob with Jason Batemen, Philly accents, the wonder of the phrase "also starring Frank Stallone", just the Maura Tierny scenes, bad NJ accents, Bush v Dukakis debate, collar up acting, UFO Coverup, Perfect Strangers, not liking Full House, how awful Halloween is Grinch Night is, Disney Channel, spoiled cousins getting cable channels from your grandparents, being a Freddy Kruger Kid, Corbin Bernson, Amanda Payes, and finally doing the show and hoping it holds up to all your hopes and dreams. 

October 27 - November 2, 1990 This week Ken welcomes former MA resident and current producer of The Last Drive-In, and owner of Not a Funeral Home productions Matt Manjourides.  Ken and Matt discuss working at video stores, MA Video Stores, Video Smith, Mike's Video, Video Oasis, Live Poultry Fresh Killed, Palmer Video, buying VHS tapes,  having cable growing up, black boxes, "On Deman" video that was just 24 hours of a movie in a loop, Pay Per View, why horror almost always makes money, the video boom, PG-13 Movies with Nudity, realizing women love horror and marketing to them, the CW, Get A Life, going to school for animation, Warriors of the Wind, Fist of the North Star, the 5am Saturday morning weird local slot, 5 and 10 Store, Child World, Mr. Big's Toyland, GI Joe, Alien Nation, Return of Swamp Thing, why working with restrictions can get better results, Wes Craven, weird sleazy vibes, Day of the Dead, collecting screen used props, weird relaxing go to sleep movies, Made for TV Movies, the movie section of TV Guide, Angelica Houston's sexual explosion, Best of the New, personally killing Sadam Hussain, The Gulf War, Full House, MacGuyver, Jasmine Guy in "A Killer Among Us", when the killer is on the jury, Major Dad, Murphy Brown, Who's the Boss, Head of the Class, Coach, why Salem's Lot is Ken's favorite Tobe Hooper movie, Funhouse, Return to Salem's Lot, Sam Fuller, TCM II, Billy Connolly, Nightmare on the 13th Floor, occult elevators, USA Network Original movies, haunted item films, haunted dresses, being afraid to compete with Must See TV on Thursday, Arthur C. Clark's Mysterious World, The 1990 Flash, Quantum Leap, contempt for your audience, why Universal Studios Florida Amusement Park meant Superboy and Swamp Thing stayed on the air way too long, shared experience, and convincing a major streaming network to air "Things". 

August 14-20, 1999 This week Ken welcomes writer, musician and comedian who has created the video podcast built on music, performance storytelling and Ai visuals, Skulk The Hulk, Steve "Skulk" Pasieka Ken and Skulk discuss Mad Magazine, Steve's Dick DiBartolo mustache, Action shows on TV, Chuck Norris, WWF (WWE), Samo Hung, WCW, Chinese action heroes, Attitude Era of WCW, defining High School by wrestling, backyard wrestling, TV Guide induced vivid dreams, growing up in Chicago, heavy Italian Chicago accents, children with strong regional accents, revolting Pepto Bismol ads, disgusting ice cream photos, Judy Garland, the 90s love of the 70s, no bake Jell-O grossness, too much PB, locking up your Klondike bars, how much smarter Samo Hung is than Kevin Sorbo and Chuck Norris, Halle Berry's comebacks, Brutus the Barber Beefcakes' MBTA "Anthrax" scare, wrestlers lying about their size, Randy "Macho Man' Savage, class action suits, the shock of a Buff Bagwell photo shoot, The Tom Green Show, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai, MTV's Real Life, Chyna, HHH, Behind the Music, going into animation, debating Generative AI, what is a tool and what isn't, challenging norms, controversal issues, Ken's theory of innovative amatuerishness, going to Greece, having experiences outside of America, distribution networks, wrestlers with just regular names, UFC replacing WWF/WCW, how you need rules, how having all things available to you stifles creativity, Antiques Roadshow, Celebrity Tug-O-War, Johnny Bravo, Cartoon Network, Spin City, JAWS, Ray Walston, Star Trek, Dee Snider in Strangeland, how massive David Blaine was, Win Ben Stein's Money, Leeza Gibbons hosting Smoking: Truth or Dare, requiring cigarette holders, lost Comedy Central shows of the late 90s, Steve's love of music videos, how some things don't hold up at all, appreciating Men in Black, the Roller Derby resurgence, Ska Punk, Chicago punk bands, Naked Raygun, and The Many Incessent Lives and Subsiquent Deaths Deserved of Skulk the Hulking. 

 January 5-11, 1985 After a long time coming Ken welcomes podcast inovater, writer, video game expert and all around brother from another mother Glenn Rubenstein. Ken and Glenn discuss strange hobbies they explored during COVID, The Ratings Game with Danny DeVito, Double Trouble, It's Your Move, twins, not remember who is who, hunting down theme songs, testifying against Nintendo, The Game Genie, Galoob, holy grail toys, Inspector Gadget, PXL2000, Made for-TV Movies, The Mod Squad, recognizing the false sense of danger that sensationalized news stories have created, mentioning Bill Campbell pre-Rocketeer, being incredibly angry that the Love Skills VHS tape isn't sexy or instructional enough, shaming adults for renting adult films, CES, meeting John Eric Hexum as a kid, Voyagers, writing a heist movie, freeing digital archives, not living in the streaming future we were promised, getting into Spanish language pop music, Menudo, Dance Fever, the GOOD David Horowitz, Fight Back, avoiding Sam episodes of Diff'rent Strokes, meeting Dana Plato, Kids Inc, removing the adult references from songs covered by Kids Inc, having a crush on Bess Armstrong, loving a Catherine Hicks type, certain actors you always confuse, the TV version of a certain movie actor, buying and resurrecting defunct brands, L.A. Gear fantasies, Phoebe Cates in Lace, Revenge of the Nerds, Just One of the Guys, Jeff Franklin's James Brown obsession, sequel TV series, Michael Keaton, Savage Steve Holland, Jason Bateman, LA Law, shows that feel like work to watch, how somebody being a good podcast guest can make you enjoy their work, Night Court, the versatility of Fischer Stevens and Vincent DeNofrio, Jeff Altman in The Dukes of Hazard, guys an executive clearly loved, when Webster was the victim of a house invasion, Cheers, visiting the set of your favorite show, and tips for interviewing celebs. 

Ken and Kendall discuss The Place of Darkness, silent horror cinema, the birth of the horror movie, Kolchak the Night Stalker, how the late 80s and early 90s mirrors the silent to talkies era, basic cable TV, thirst for content, imported horror, anthology horror, radio horror, Monster Kids, Witches Tale, Tales from the Crypt, The Hitcher, Dracula the Series, Tales from the Darkside, Dark Shadows, Monsters, Friday the 13th The Series, Video Nasties, how exposure always eventually makes horror into kiddie fair, TV movies, high concept low budget films, Full Moon Pictures, arguing about the true core elements of the Halloween series, TV versions, how Dr. Loomis could be the real villain, Blood and Thunder stories, how radio shows are like a home invasion, television ghosts, Swamp Thing, Tom Noonan's adaptation of Stephen King's The Moving Finger on Monsters, one season wonders, gothic investigators, Ken Ober, the first TV adaptation of Parenthood, official sanctioned fan fiction, The Horror Hall of Fame, taking horror cinema/media seriously, the shadow of Vietnam, how sanitized the first Gulf War was, how action movies became the new slasher/video nasties, Ken's unconventional order for the best Tobe Hooper flicks, Salem's Lot, TCM2, Funhouse, Poltergeist, 80s remakes of 50s movies, The Stand, adapting novels, Castle Rock, Dr. Sleep, the wonder of having to take what you can get, The Avengers, how great things are when they go wackadoodle, the beauty of trying things you've never heard of, horror from foreign countries, the reward of getting outside your comfort zone, how sci-fi is a grafted genre, Alien, throwing candy at children, Halloween night, Ben Cooper costumes, precious leaves, how horror works best without explanation, The Incredible Hulk, the Hulk Out List, Halloween II, the 1969 Made For-TV movie The Profane Comedy starring Chuck Connors, the sad November post-Halloween come down, Quantum Leap, The Rockford Files, the 1985 Made For-TV remake of The Bad Seed, The Hitchhiker being Paige Fletcher, KISS, Land of the Lost and the golden days of cigarettes when it was cheap and filled with carbon monoxide. 

This week Ken welcomes the astounding accomplished, TV all star, casting royalty Joel Thurm on the show.   Ken and Joel discuss his book, "Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season", the importance of caffiene, Hollywood tellalls, how to guides, judging all of the NBC pilots from 80-90 ish, the Brendon Tartikoff era of NBC, Fred Silverman, making money producing old people shows, Grant Tinker, homophobia in Hollywood, producing Elvira Mistress of the Dark, NBC Films, trusting and listening to your star, how "difficult" actresses are usually just right and standing up for themselves, getting typecast casting comedy, Bicentenial Minutes, growing up in rural Brooklyn, starting out at the top, working on high quality projects at CBS, Bob Newhart, starting on Broadway, getting Charlton Heston gas, having mentors, your grandparents having a dairy farm, befriending Pearl Bailey, the choice of being fired or promoted, always having an eye for casting, strong women, moving to LA with a job that wasn't a job, Nell Carter, the creation of Gimme a Break, Baywatch, discovering David Hasselhoff, being head of talent for Spelling-Goldberg, Starsky and Hutch, only being friends with excelleng casting directors, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, casting reality TV, Pop Stars for Stone Stanley, giving Nicole Scherzinger her big break, needing to remind Nicole Scherzinger you gave her her big break, why casting directors are like fairy godmothers, having a very small part in casting the post Lorne year of SNL, casting Grease, Rocky Horror, having four hours of network TV you cast on the air every week, telling it like it is, Ted Danson's f**kability, Boy in the Plastic Bubble, being handy, charity work, and casting Cheers. 

December 14-20, 1991   This week Ken welcomes former preacher, home school all star and current comedian behind the new Blonde Medicine lp "Almost a Grown Man", Jeremy Alder. Ken and Jeremy discuss growing up religious, Hannibal Lecktor's cell in Manhunter, birthdays, being 12, growing up in Texas, having to sneak TV at grandparents and friends houses, TV Guide's excellent writing, parents vs teens views on Beverly Hills 90210, the genius of Jane Pratt, Car 54, Where Are You? and the awful movie, the early 90s boom of movies based on old TV shows, being totally traumatized by the Christian appocalyptic scare film A Theif in the Night, The Rabbit VCR multipier, not knowing who certain products are for, Christmas movies, It's a Wonderful Life, how Ken feels Frosty the Snowman is blasphemous, how Madonna was best gotten in touch with via TV Guide, In Living Color, America's Funniest People, National Geographic Explorer, Ken's ultimate fear of deep water animals, treasure hunting scams, Silk Stalkings, when it's "Too Hot to Sleep", the religious Madonna episode of MacGuyver, cults, A Place for Mom, creepy non-discript low rent ads, suckling pigs, how it's not what you're eating it's what's eating you, detention, Michael Jordan, fake names, Waco, Santa lap time, simple folk at Christmas, Unsolved Mysteries, attemps at diversity, Bob Hope, Strays, Doogie Howser, Tracy Ullman Show, Real Stories of the Highway Patrol, Top Cops, The Simpsons, Can't Buy Me Love, Ken's small handful of celebrity impressions, Youth Group "Slave Auctions" for charity, when Jamacians were the #1 villain in action cinema, Austin, square dancing, wearing a cowboy hat, Ken's quest for "The Best of the Worst" and how Beavis and Butthead will never die. 

 April 7-13, 1990 This week Ken welcomes author of super cool graphic novel Von Bach, and man behind the fanstic YouTube channel Hammered Out, owenhammer.com/hammered-out.html, Owen "The Hammer" Hammer.   Ken and Owen discuss Hammered out, ABC's reputation, Twin Peaks, the premiere of Twin Peaks, David Lynch, film criticism, media review, how the actors aren't always the best person to have insight into a show they are on, Jim Belushi, Jay Larson, Twin Peaks the Return, the 4 and a half hour Twin Peaks explained Twin Perfect YouTube video, how there IS an explanation for Twin Peaks, avoiding conspiracies, artist intent, the late 80s early 90s meta fiction trend, Animal Man, Perfect Blue, the only bad movies are boring and/or insincere, Donnie Yen, Star Wars, Rogue One, water cooler media, On the Air, people not expecting humor from David Lynch, Fire Walk with Me, mid-season replacements, Comedy Central the Comedy Channel and HA!, how Lost Highway is Lynch's criticism of Quinten Tarantino, superficial readings, missing the point, TM, Eastern Mysticism, Henry Rollins, Bill Cosby, Mad Movies, MST3k, loving Murder She Wrote so watching Twin Peaks, John Waters, Looney Tunes, The Simpsons, David Lynch bringing a cow and a marching band around to publicize Inland Empire, the 1977 Jesus of Nazareth, how Laura Palmer is self aware, murder on TV, what it means to be human, The Incredible Hulk, Alien Nation, Ken Johnson, Dobie Gillis, the lambada, Missing in Action III, America's Funniest Home Videos, Star Trek the Next Generation, pigs getting sunburned, being offended by bungee cord based sneaker ads, and the greatness of Nick at Nite. 

March 6-12, 2004 This week Ken welcomes podcaster, film critic and author of the new book "Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend", Jason Bailey.  Ken and Jason discuss living in The Bronx, moving from Kansas to NYC, wanting to leave your home town, the Sopranos phenomenon, HBO original programming, 1st and Ten, prestige TV, unlikeable protagonists, America Undercover, Tales from the Crypt, Mario Van Peebles, werewolves, Daybreak, failed pilots, Cast a Deadly Spell, working at video stores, dropping out of playing Sammy the Bull, being replaced by William Foresythe, the complicated history of James Gandolfini, standing out in the sea of books about the Sopranos, True Romance, IDing future stars, how Karen "Duff" Duffy is the greatest human being ever, Duff and Gandolfini's high school days together, New Jersey, Steve Buscemi, stealing behind the scenes people from Trees Lounge, Season 5 of the Sopranos, Larraine Braco, Goodfellas, avoiding the press, taking years long breaks between seasons, TV on DVD, the post 9-11 TV landscape, why it was a benefit to have a higher retail price, American Idol, William Hung, Jeffery Donovan, Touching Evil, Burn Notice, Ressurecting Judas, Easter programming, "Invasion of the Dumb Blondes", how reality TV killed Anna Nicole Smith, how the US remake of The Office will never work, TrimSpa, David Mamet plays, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, basic cable network identity, Six Feet Under, Paige Davis and Trading Spaces, writing a book about Die Hard, Die Hard rip offs, E! True Hollywood stories, sleaze, Gilmore Girls, Michael Chiklis, being told you'll never work in Hollywod again, The Shield, Nip/Tuck, bad investments, The Danbury Mint, Brian DePalma, Femme Fatale, TiVo, lost media, how awful The Apprentice was and how it ruined the world forever, mean spirited prank shows, Jaime Kennedy Show, why big budget movies are all now geared towards 12 year olds, seeing R rated movies with your parents, Playing it Straight, Wonderfalls, and Jason's fantastic podcasts.   

May 9-16, 1998 This week Ken welcomes comedian behind the new comedy LP "Beach Brain", Andy Woodhull. Ken and Andy discuss being live via sattellite, coast to coast, refusing to partake in daylight savings time, having never read a TV Guide, having a stand up bit that never works but you refuse to dump it, when fonts are too small, growing up in Indiana, refusing reality, supper, even uglier Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld dating a teenage girl, your dad buying a Playboy for your teenage friend (when your dad isn't Jerry Seinfeld), Jenny McCarthy, when Seinfeld ended, how Michael Jordan was so famous that even cardboard cutouts of him got ad deals, graduation speeches, how milk chocolate is for children, Jerry Seinfeld picking up teenagers in Central Park, Regis, claiming change is bad, Beetlejuice, Dunkaroos, Saturday Morning Cartoons, how the Babe movies fit into the Mad Max universe, David Ducovney 's music career, not buttoning shirts, America's Funniest Home Videos, being a part of the Vin De Bona family, hosting Totally Funny Animals, Daisey Fuentes, ska remake of theme songs, Matlock, JAG, Jag offs, The Good Wife being watched by your wife, unexpected character deaths, Tony Clifton, seeing your friend prosecute a terribly disturbing case in court, avoiding Miss Universe, Home Improvement, sitcoms based on stand up acts, Geriatric indecent proposals, shows we pitched that never went, divorces, TeenBeat, Mad About You, having the juice to make your TV show commercial free, learning the word "epiphanic", Paul Reiser, the death of Chris Farley, Just Shoot Me, the original voice of Shrek, auditioning for the part of Robin in Batman, T2, people hating the Seinfeld finale, Police Squad, loving The Naked Gun, why Ken should avoid the Lord of the Rings movies, how Andy rewatches the LOTR series every year, Airplane, 30 Rock, and not asking for a short history of bullsh*t.   

May 9-16, 1992 This week Ken welcomes co-founder of Mental Floss, co-founder of Kaleidoscope and host of the Part-Time Genius and Skyline Drive podcasts, Mangesh Hattikudur. Ken and Mangesh discuss downtown Brooklyn, going to college in North Carolina, spending your Summers in Idia, spending a year abroad in Atlanta, Brooklyn Manners, not being able to watch R rated movies, the book adaptation life hack, VHS terror, bootleg tapes, the hunt for nudity, The Carolinas, brown outs, shows the US exports, saying goodbye to Johnny Carson, Ken's day with John Cleese, Bob and Ray, the launch of Comedy Central as CTV/Comedy Channel/HA!, hunting down comedy lps, learning joke structure, Stephen Wright, Conan, talk shows, the death of John Candy, Jim Henson's death, Ed McMahon, what local news casters are paid, Vanna White's music career, the greatest picture of Richard Simmons ever, Jake Steinfeld, why Saturdays were tough, turning your house into a mini-golf course, the sries finale of Golden Girls, why Caddyshack II is better than Caddyshack, talk shows hosted by people playing a character, swear replacements, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, ripped from the headlines made for TV murder, how 70s vigilante revenge movies became 90s made for TV movies for women, Risky Business, the nostalgia lens, why you should always go back and revisit your childhood favorites, Police Academy, Revenge of the Nerds, movies that don't fly now, the evolution of R rated movie to children's cartoon, The Boston Celtics, Rescue 9-1-1, the theme song from Rescue 9-1-1, the 3.2.1 Contact Sex Special, Mental Floss, Davis Rules, the TV road not taken, network executives ruining shows, Night Court's final season before the reboot, when Harry Anderson would guest start on Cheers, how Park St Under was absolutely NOT ripped off to make Cheers, how one script became Beverly Hills Cop AND Cobra, Roald Dahl, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, loving Tom Arnold, 20/20, live exorcisms, and getting to the bottom of if the bush really burned. 

November 14-20th, 1992 This week Ken welcomes long time Ken Reid superfan, NASCAR expert and the co-host of the Meet Me at Applebees Podcast Brien Kielb. Ken and Brien discuss NASCAR video games in Chuck E Cheese, growing up in upstate NY, The Showcase Showdown, punk rock teens, Boston Punk, Motorsports, Albany, moving to Cleveland, Pittsburgh PA, local cuisine, watching old NASCAR races, meeting friends due to mutual interests, the politics of driving, racist redneck hicks, Formula One, 24 hour races, endurance, soiling yourself, bicycle repair, fake wakes, smoking slims, cigarettes for women, Monster Trucks, the real truck that turns into a fire breathing car eating monster, the TWO Big Foot Cartoons, searching for Stivy Posnanski, Video Power, the Power Team, satellite dishes, above ground pools, divorced Dads, how Baby Boomers have hoarded all the money, before the discovery of tweens, original works of art by internationally acclaimed artist Paul Kale, collector's plates, weird NASCAR merchandise, The Georgia Dome, NASCARman, YouTube, Alabama Salutes Richard Petty, Joe Diffie, 900 numbers based auctions, wondering what Tom Arnold donated, The Kids Choice Awards, Red & Stimpy, Primus, coming from a weigh lifting background, yelling at Emo bands, WWE, the drug addict to weight lifting to right wing grifter highway, USA Up All Night, Saturday Nightmares, Days of Thunder, the Days of Thunder Soundtrack, what the best NASCAR movie is, Ravishing Rick Rude lookalikes in prison riots, The Real World, GI Joe, Sgt. Slaughter, Refrigerator Perry, Married...with Children, stunt episodes, musical episodes, very sad made for TV movies, collecting and framing t-shirts, Ken's Just the Ten of Us autographed cast shirt, screen worn t shirts from The Adventures of Pete and Pete and Revenge of the Nerds, Rescue 9-1-1 in Ohio, Roseanne, the Lanford Loose Meat Lunchbox, TBS, WCW, Disney Studios, Street Stories, Sightings, Stephen Wright guest starring on Bob as a guy in charge of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Balloons, Frozen Assets sperm count contest, the Whoops! Christmas episode and fundamentally misrepresenting Ray Walston's career.