TV Guidance Counselor

November 2-8, 1991 This week Ken welcomes writer, performer and Cleavland television stalwart Zachariah Durr to the show. Ken and Zachariah discuss bunkers, loving the smell of gasoline, BYOTVG, Jim Henson, owning only two copies of TV Guide, Michael Jackson, The Muppets, Ken spending the day with John Cleese, The Ten Commandments, true fame, how nobody has world wide fame anymore, Sherman Williams bloody world domination, TV Guide editorial directives, the premiere of Black Or White, TV snobs, never capturing the magic of Thriller again, Moonwalker, Sega Genesis, 4 Non Blondes, Ken's Lair of the White Worm derived lust for Amanda Donohoe, Wings Hauser not doing stunts, letters to the editor, trying to make it to the side of the lunch box, basic cable, Roger Corman's Poe Adaptations, The Terror, P.S. I Luv U, Shock Jocks, The Adventures of Mark and Brian, Eerie Indiana, Eerie Indiana The Other Side, Pan Am, America's Funniest Home Videos, Ken's teenager Comedy Central stand up debut, French Stewart, The NEW WKRP in Cincinnati, Unsolved Mysteries Diabolical Minds special, The Jackalope, Christopher's First Smile Collectable Doll, Merlin, MacGyver, UK video/film weirdness, Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, UK Union rules, The Gambler, Anne Heche, I'll Fly Away, Brooklyn Bridge, the magic of posing for Playboy, Night Court, Seinfeld, MTV's Liquid Television, thinking you'll get in trouble for watching things, The Simpsons, Mystery, how white Kevin McHale is, Lisa Hartman and Bruce Greenwood faking Dennis Farina's death hosted by Telly Savalas, and Beyond Reality's powerful drama and true experiences.

This week Ken welcomes showrunner (Bones), author (The Driver, The Seminarian) and all around amazing human Hart Hanson. Ken and Hart discuss Canadian advertisements of dogs who want milk, milk bags, thinking you were Canadian your whole life until you find out you were actually secretly American, Dave Thomas, not being one of those show business living guys in show biz, always wanting to be a novelist, having TV as your fall back, the Canadian 80s TV landscape, Toronto TV vs. Vancouver, interning at the CBC, The Beachcombers, Buffy, faxing your way to fun and profit, The Outer Limits, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Road to Avaonlea, The Kids in the Hall, winning Canadian Emmys, Traders, Sarah Polley, reasons Hart was intimidated to be on the show, Matt Nix, The Kings, Cupid, being told you are too old, general meetings, Rob Thomas, Bones, how to survive in show biz, being assigned work, the late 90s -10s, how studios don't even know what they own, finance and ratings, crazy decisions, streaming hammock shows where nobody watches the middle four, Fringe, telling long form stories without knowing how long you have to tell them, hating serial killers, crime dramas, P.I.s, always having a sense of humor in your work, The Royle Family, how stand ups are used in the UK, panel shows, Taskmaster, Ken's fury at when stand ups always need to be holding a mic when they appear on television, owing the network, back when we had seasons, feeling bad about shows that didn't go, not making CSI, learning the lesson of Moonlighting, working on very dark, serious shows, gallows humor, the way humor helps people cope, Joan of Arcadia, Barbara Hall, Judging Amy, bonding with Dave Thomas, writing for people you want to meet, Billy Gibbons, Cyndi Lauper, ZZ Top, being a bad guitar player, Michael B Jordan, casting people before they were stars, bringing back teen idols, Manhunter, the writers' strike, The Finder, being the victim of executive arguments, feeling like you let Rainn Wilson down, and how we're the FBI, idiot. 

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.  

In this episode, comedian and film buff Josh Fadem dives deep into 1950s television and film noir. He shares his obsession with the genre, detailing his pandemic binge of classic noirs and the influence of this era on TV shows like 'Dragnet.' They explore the competitive relationship between film and television during that time and chuckle over quirky vintage ads from the period. Fadem also examines how live performances shaped entertainment, with memorable references to renowned acts like Ernie Kovacs and Ed Sullivan.

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.