Mister Radio

Alan Hovhaness: Unveiling One of the Great Composers of the 20th Century "He has been composing music since he was four years old and at the age of eight found it necessary to defend his original style against the criticisms of his piano teacher. Since then after study in the New England Conservatory; the winning of two Guggenheim grants; and recognition through a National Institute of Arts and Letters award, the critics and the public are mostly on his side. Downes of the New York Times pronounced him "one of the most individual and exotically expressive American composers of the rising generation." In his own words he was led to quote "search for an idiom more worthy of the wonderful tradition I had discovered." For boldness and delicacy of imagination, for originality and individuality without eccentricity, for a great number of compositions each fresh and distinctive, for fusing old melody with modern technique and spirit, in short, for making music to lift the hearts of men as only music can, Bates College wishes to confer upon Alan Hovhaness, the honorary degree of Doctor of Music." Thus reads the declaration read by Charles F. Phillips, the president of Bates College on June 7, 1959. Today it is my honor to present William Holst, Alan Hovhaness' stepson, who served as co-author and curator of the book, Alan Hovhaness: Unveiling One of the Great Composers of the 20th Century. Symphony No. 63, "Loon Lake", Op. 411 was performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, directed by Stewart Robertson, and recorded in 2007 at Henry Wood Hall, in Glasgow, Scotland. "Macedonian Mountain Dance" featuring pianist Sahan Arzruni courtesy otherminds.org Hovhaness: Sonata for Harp & Guitar, Op. 374 "Spirit of Trees" - V. Andante appassionato https://youtu.be/CpaP5Et798A?si=24HqR-pdmKbItb_t Special thanks to Maestro Gerard Schwarz, Artistic and Music Director of the Palm Beach Symphony, Charles Amirkhanian, Executive & Artistic Director, and Liam Herb, Production Director for otherminds.org. Our fact checker was Steve Freides. Our theme music was played by ULULATION! Mister Radio is available wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. Subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review, and don’t forget to tune in for another episode of Mister Radio!

Today's guest journeyed from Soviet Russia to The United States of America to become a key member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. With the Messengers, he has performed at major concert halls, clubs, and festivals all over the world, and made numerous television appearances with the Messengers in Europe, Japan, and Brazil. In the United States he has made television appearances on "To Tell The Truth", the PBS network, National Geographic Today as well as CNN. It is my pleasure to introduce Valery Ponomarev to the show.

Today's guest is a Minneapolis-based writer and director whose works include Rideshare, Lucid Dreams, See You Soon, and the acclaimed feature film, BLACK in Minneapolis. A recipient of the 2020 McKnight Media Artist Fellowship and a 2022 Catalyst Story Institute alum, he started his career in documentary filmmaking when he was 14 years old, with many of his stories revolving around social justice. At 15, he won the Screenlabs Challenge Audience Award at the Screenwriters’ Workshop. At 20, he worked on his first commercial project, where he learned about the craft of lighting. Today, he continues to work as a creative director for his production company, We-Co Films, and more recently as the author of a debut novel, N57. It is my pleasure to introduce David J. Buchanan to the show. Find more information about the author at davidjbuchanan.com

Today's guest journeyed from Soviet Russia to The United States of America to become a key member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. With the Messengers, he has performed at major concert halls, clubs, and festivals all over the world, and made numerous television appearances with the Messengers in Europe, Japan, and Brazil. In the United States he has made television appearances on "To Tell The Truth", the PBS network, National Geographic Today as well as CNN. It is my pleasure to introduce Valery Ponomarev to the show.

I’ve always loved trains, whether they were my childhood model trains or real trains, trains have been an adventure for me all of my life, so it was only natural for me to take the auto train to Florida for a visit with the grand-kids. Traveling on the Auto Train offers a unique and convenient way to explore the East Coast of the United States without leaving your car behind. Operated by Amtrak, the Auto Train runs nonstop between Lorton, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., and Sanford, Florida, near Orlando, allowing passengers to relax in comfortable accommodations while their vehicles are safely transported in specialized rail-cars. The Auto Train combines the freedom of a road trip with the comfort of rail travel...no traffic, no overnight driving, and plenty of time to unwind. Fortunately my wife Sarah is an experienced travel agent and she was the one who booked this trip. Using my old iPhone I recorded some of the more interesting moments starting with getting there.

"Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll First produced while studying television production in 1970 at the University of Michigan and recorded in black and white using 2” recording tape, combining puppets with live actors. The opening and closing segments of this updated color production utilize the original puppets that were used in the black and white version some 50 years ago. Ironically I started creating the Jaberwocky puppet long before the Corona Virus hit the world stage but it’s uncanny resemblance to my puppet has given me some hope that humanity will prevail.

"Mister Radio" invites you to participate from the comfort of your own home. "Mister Radio" will interview you about anything: politics, education, religion, science, industry or the arts. So, if you’d like to share your life with a short phone interview please let "Mister Radio" know by emailing misterradio2020@gmail.com or leave a message at ‭(201) 621-1146‬. “Mister Radio” is available wherever you get your podcasts, including iTunes and Spotify. Subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review and don’t forget to tune in for another episode of Mister Radio. https://soundcloud.com/stations/artist/user-142031383 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mister-radio/id1539803516 https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-mister-radio-74851730/

“House of the Rising Sun” In Memory of Josh White Jr. (1940–2024) Hurdy Gurdy Coffee House, Paramus, New Jersey, September 10, 1988

"What is Christmas", a demo tape sampled by "Mister Radio" with lyrics by Miguel de la Vega and an unknown musician. Originally recorded on audio cassette. It was around 1970 when my step-brother Miguel Ernesto Lasso De La Vega, known as "Mickey" to his friends, began writing volumes of song lyrics. He may have started earlier with poems, but my brother passed in 1991 so I'll never know. Watch the documentary "Stop That Bus" The Music of "Mickey" de la Vega (Video Version) for more background on these recordings. https://youtu.be/JA6DmHj9ZhM?si=v7M4HUVz5SpxZUXg

The famous Stoic philosopher, Seneca, believed that fear is not a sign of weakness but rather a natural human emotion. Seneca believed that fear can be useful in helping us prepare for potential obstacles and challenges. How does one overcome fear, and how does one find purpose in one's life? You might try to google an answer but you'll end up with hundreds of suggestions from this search. Or you might want to pick up a copy of [re]build: Moving Past Fear To Find Purpose, written by my guest who for over 30 years has worked as a keynote speaker, consultant, and coach, and has helped organizations and individuals to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. Here to talk with me about his recent book it is my pleasure to in introduce Charlie Barclay.

"He's Knocking At My Door", a demo tape with lyrics by Miguel de la Vega and Gordon Florence. Recorded by National Songwriters Guild, 2421 Walnut Rd., Pontiac, Michigan and performed by "unknown" musicians. It was around 1970 when my step-brother Miguel Ernesto Lasso DeLaVega, known as "Mickey" to his friends, began writing volumes of song lyrics. He may have started earlier with poems, but my brother passed in 1991 so I'll never know. Special thanks to EK Bruhn https://ekbruhn.com/, Jeff Burger https://byjeffburger.com/, Steve Perrett https://www.songstuff.com/music-business/article/music-business-scams/ and Rebecca Katzman for contributing to this show. Watch the documentary "Stop That Bus" The Music of "Mickey" de la Vega (Video Version) for more background on this track. https://youtu.be/JA6DmHj9ZhM?si=v7M4HUVz5SpxZUXg

It was around 1970 when my step-brother Miguel Ernesto Lasso DeLaVega, known as "Mickey" to his friends, began writing volumes of song lyrics. He may have started earlier with poems, but my brother passed in 1991 so I'll never know. Special thanks to EK Bruhn https://ekbruhn.com/, Jeff Burger https://byjeffburger.com/, Steve Perrett https://www.songstuff.com/music-business/article/music-business-scams/ and Rebecca Katzman for contributing to this show.

“Ode to Jersey City” by John Lee Krasnow It was 1964 or maybe ‘65, I spent time at night listening to WOR's Jean Shepherd on my vacuum tube Motorola, sometimes wondering if the people inside those tubes were really inside my Motorola. My high school friend John Krasnow had written a poem, “Ode to Jersey City” and now I was hearing Jean Shepherd reading it on the radio! Apparently Norman Kelson had sent the poem into Jean Shepherd and by chance Shepherd read it on the radio. I missed the beginning but as soon as I could I turned on my Tandberg and recorded what was left.

On Sunday, September 23, 1990 an exhibit titled Watercolors by Jim Tanaka: a retrospective was held at the Alpine Community House in Alpine, New Jersey. The show curated by Suzanne Katzman featured over fifty of Tanakas paintings as well as his iconic full size and mini jazz posters. Based on 'Stompin' at the Savoy' the Art of Jim Tanaka A Princeton University Web Essay for Art 566: Seminar in Contemporary Art and Theory with Professor Hal Foster Spring 2002. https://fantasypuppettheater.com/Stompin-at-the-Savoy-the-Art-of-Jim-Tanaka.html

Imagine waking up so groggy that you can barely make your morning coffee when all of a sudden an apparition dressed in a gaudy outfit appears on your living room couch and commences to organize the rest of your life. Well, that apparition is Aurora and she’s come to council Helen a robustly healthy seventy-two-year-old who will soon realize that she has a lot to learn from Aurora, who for the next few weeks will be her "Guardian Godmother Guide to the Happiness of Organization". Such is the creative plot to a book written by today’s guest who is also a publisher at Savour Europe, a magazine for travelers planning to make Europe their home for 3-6 months a year, a writer of narrative non-fiction as well as since 2007 the Chief Executive Officer for Your Health Span http://www.yourhealthspan.ca and currently serves as Director of Outreach for MagCast. Aurora and Helen are characters from her book “Live Life Fully” and it is my pleasure to welcome the books author Jill Burk to our show.

Award-winning educator and author Valerie Foster discusses her book “The Risk of Sorrow: Conversations with Holocaust Survivor Helen Handler”. Foster, a retired high school teacher met Handler when she invited her to speak in her English class. “The minute I saw her I felt like I had known her forever. It really was one of those rare, immediate bonds” said Foster in a 2014 Jewish News interview. They met once a week for two years so Foster could preserve Handler’s testimony in written form. Special thanks to Anthony D. Fusco Jr., Associate Director of Education at the Arizona Jewish Historical Society. For more information about Valerie Foster contact her at valeriefos@gmail.com or visit her at https://valeriebfoster.com/ Download a transcript of this episode: https://fantasypuppettheater.com/Converstations_With_The_Author_Valerie_Foster.pdf

For the past 92 years Dorothy Neff has been and continues to hone her musical skills in a variety of ways. I was recently invited to visit with her in her enchanting ranch home in Ridgewood New Jersey where she took me on a tour of her hallway photo gallery. Our interview was occasionally interrupted by a tiny guest who Dorothy happily introduced to me. A phone call during this interview brought out another interest that Dorothy was pursuing. Though she no longer teaches the Suzuki method Dorothy reminisced about her many students.

Matt Krist: Lead Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals, Lyrics Adam Katzman: Rythm Guitar, Trombone, Vocals, Lyrics Sean "Bob" Reilly: Organ, Piano, Violin, Vocals Brian Krist: Auxiliary Percussion Sara Frost: Backup Vocals Nimish Dixit: Trumpet Mic Sherer: Saxophone Mark Ziskis: Trombone Greg Frey: Bass, Vocals Kyle Cedermark: Drums, Vocals https://fantasypuppettheater.com/BD.html

Sarah McLachlan interview with Lisa Fondo recorded at Bergen Community College, Paramus, New Jersey on April 19, 1988.

Texas Road Trip 2013 : Jesus The Singing Mexican sings “De Colores” Recorded on March 17, 2013 on the banks of the Rio Grande Big Bend National Park, TX Remember, "Mister Radio" invites you to participate from the comfort of your own home. "Mister Radio" will interview you about anything: politics, education, religion, science, industry or the arts. So, if you’d like to share your life with a short phone interview please let "Mister Radio" know by emailing him at misterradio2020@gmail.com.