TV Guidance Counselor

This week Ken welcomes bassist and singer from Mission of Burma, long time Chronicle producer and personal hero Clint Conley to the show. Ken and Clint discuss the nexus of punk rock and television, finding interesting things in New England, growing up just outside NYC, having a father "in the business", grad school at BU, the interaction of the high brow and lowbrow, the arty and the boneheaded, weirdo bands, Cousin Brucie, Ed Sullivan, rock bands on TV, the importance of 1966 for Youth Culture, Batman, Gallant Men, copycat shows, Combat!, Secret Agent, The Rifleman, Man from U.N.C.L.E., plat spinning, vaudeville acts, Hollywood Palace, Boris Karlof, seeking out all the horror movies, Channel 9 and 11, Alan King, Ed Sullivan giving extra time to Sly Stone, The Rascals, Raymond Burr, fearing iron lungs and quicksand, the worthless nature of Tucker Carlson, Candid Camera, Prank Shows, Hulabaloo, Richard Pryor and George Carlin on young rock n roller John Davidson's show, My Mother the Car, Vic Morrow, the Twilight Zone disaster and E! Network's re-enactments, Eric Burden and the Animals, Gidget, band names, Night of Whirling Death, Wild Wild West, Car 54, Where Are You?, having a VCR in the 1970s, hating Lost in Space, being scared of Billy Mumy, taping Iggy Pop on Dinah Shore, the greatness of Green Acres, meeting Mary Tyler Moore, W.C. Fields tribute by his own son, The Smothers Brothers, The Amazing Randi, Johnny Carson: GOTCHA!, The 100 Foot Wave, and the greatness of Barry Jenkin's The Underground Railroad.

This week Ken welcomes writer, producer, director and actor, Chip from My Three Sons himself, Mr. Stanley Livingston. Ken and Stanley discuss Ozzy and Harriet, hanging out with Mr. Ed, swimming, being a stunt kid, Paul Newman, his brother getting recast, Doris Day, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, the family burlesque business, Baltimore, vaudeville, mom and pop dirty businesses, the hunt for TV content, My Three Sons, Nick at Nite, Fred McMurray, the strange production of My Three Sons, movie stars on TV, the Skippy pilot, having not seen your big break for 50 years, reconnecting with your co-stars, not being Huck Finn, The Actor's Journey, learning all the ropes, starting your own production company as a teenager, writing The Aftermath, the technical advances of editing software, being made up by Jack Pierce, Famous Monsters, Forry Ackerman, being a Monster Kid, and Paul Bartel's strange Private Parts.

This week Ken welcomes musician (Belly, Throwing Muses, The Breeders), singer, song writer, and all around gem Tanya Donelly to the show. Ken and Tayna discuss the rain, prissy poodles, 1977, Alan Alda, More Cigarettes, smoking to be thin, Mary Tyler Moore, actually enjoying lack of choice, Kate Bush on SNL, getting starstruck, having no chill, defending your viewing choices in TV Court, very heavy things in sitcoms, 1977 The Coolest Year in Hell, divorce, drug addiction, Love and Rockets, Tanya's rage at Ken, Wonder Woman, Justice League Unlimited, The Superfriends, everybody's grounded friend, Bob Newhart, National Geographic, Ted Knight, Gorillas in the Mist, Dian Fossey, not traveling out of New England, Rhode Island, Rhoda, Phillis, the greatness of Valerie Harper, the power of low concept, Broadway, Circus of the Stars, Bernadette Peters, free range kids, The Queen's Jubilee, The Sex Pistols, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, the greatness of Milwaukee, The Rockford Files them, Julee Cruise, Twin Peaks, being good at Pandemic, cooking shows, M*A*S*H, Paul Lynde, Billy Barty, Donnie and Marie, Charlie's Angels, What's Happening and the bootleg concert, Love Boat, Hawaii 5-0, between Karl Marx and Jack Lord, Socialist Dance, Red Foxx, Steptoe and Son, The Age of Uncertainty, Quahog Talk, Dateline Rhode Island and the long criminal history of Rhode Island politics.

This week Ken welcomes podcaster and fellow comedian Brandie Posey to the show. Ken and Brandie discuss L.A. traffic's return, Jim Carrey, Once Bitten, The Cable Guy, In Living Color, growing up with spies outside DC, Accountants, The Grinch, Nick Cage, Celebrity Thanksgiving recipes, Paul Sorvino's Shrimp, Phillips Seymour Hoffman, Twister, storm hunters, America's Most Wanted, Dennis Farina, Sheena, shows on at 1am, The X-Files, Touched by an Angel, MaXimum Exposure, Santa Who?, '90s Wrestling, the horror of Andy Dick, The Michael Richards Show, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Norm, Why Doctors Make Mistakes, Unsolved Mysteries, John Goodman, Me and the Boys, Bridgette Wilson, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Ask Jeeves balloon, non-holiday movies that are Holiday traditions, a post TGIF world, The Year of the Razor Scooter, the weakest Vacation film, writing letters about Eminem's Stan, and the bitchy freedom of Cheers and Jeers.

This week Ken welcomes writer, performer, improvers and the people behind Left Handed Radio Anna Rubanova and Adam Bozarth to the show. Ken, Ann and Adam discuss helicopters, L.A., palm trees, going full tar pits, NY Shaped cages, growing up in the mid-west, growing up outside of Manhattan, visiting backlots, being an extra, the horrors of being non-Union, Norma Rae, Highlander the Series, awful editing, having three headed dogs, televised blood drives, the novelty of being on camera, cigarette empowerment, Star Trek, stealing organ, Captain Mrs. Columbo, deep fakes, Fred Sassy, Total Recall, Running Man, Robocop, reusing sets, being eaten by Dracula, Hammer Horror, WKRP in Cincinnati, The NEW shows, being out for revenge, USA Network, Saturday Nightmares, Baywatch Nights, adding "nights", FBI Mash Ups, shared universes, Bloopers, America's Funniest People, the legacy of The Grimace, censorship, true crime, deprogramming, shock humor, dealing with sensationalist trauma, newsrooms, the angle, werewolf phases, Christopher Lee, living life before you're an actor, The Monster Club, A Return to Salem's Lot, Danse Macabre, being offended, irony, reflecting your comedic style, The George Carlin Show, Ken being a violent jerk, dirty ugly gross animation, Liquid Television, and working towards Part II.

This week Ken welcomes actor, writer Anna La Madrid. Ken and Anna discuss climate change, growing up in Venezuela, the East Coast and all over the place, picking up regional slang, being a latchkey kid, learning English from TV, luxury items, Short Circuit, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, rewatching your childhood favorites, the afterschool/before dinner watchin sweet spot, New Jersey, Murder One: The Best New Show of the Year, Tea Leoni, product placement, marketing to kids, the legend of Sabado Gigante, Tales from the Crypt, Howard the Duck, ESL, America's Most Wanted, Kids' shows in Venezuela, Married...with Children, Fox Weekend Television, Airheads, Brendan Fraser, Two Something, slackers, Gen X, how Henry Winkler is the best dude, Misery Loves Company, Fresh Prince, Will Smith, telenovelas, Melrose Place, The Golden Girls, Who's Line Is it Anyway?, Roseanne, over saturation of choice, Universal backlot, The 'burbs, sexy camera poses, TV reunions, One Day at a Time, how weird Party of Five was, Wolves and Foxes, Living Single, Heavy D, Seinfeld, how much Ken loves Bonnie Hunt, Joey Lawrence, Prince for a Day, Picket Fences, Jack Black on The X-Files, why Ken can't remember Gary Cole's name, American Gothic, and when cigarettes were freedom torches.

This week Ken welcomes the producer/director/host and all around jack of all trades behind The Toys That Made Us, The Movies That Made Us and A Toy Store Near You, Brian Volk-Weiss. Ken and Brian discuss Boston, Newbury Comics, Toy Stores, the intention behind A Toy Store Near You, COVID, being inspired, life being too short, nostalgia, growing up in Queens, making people happy, reaching 100% toys, people buying things in lock down, Magnolia Park in Burbank, Black Cat Collectibles, Toys That Never Should Have Been Made, KayBee Toys clearance bin, A-Team mini vans, TV Toys, the confidence behind releasing toys, having an unpopular lunchbox, always wanting the COBRA Hydrofoil, Mego's Star Trek Bridge, Automan, Quantum Leap toys, how all toys are for adults now, the pre-internet age, bootleg toys, Mr. Big's Toyland, how interviewing lawyers is the secret to getting the scoop, wanting people to feel happy, how stand up comedians are good people to hire behind the scenes for documentaries, Behind the Attraction on Disney +, the definitive documentary about Star Trek The Center Seat, and the future of toys.

This week Ken welcomes singer, performer, all around personality and force of nature Peppermint to the show. Ken and Peppermint discuss remote controls, the single most 1992 image ever, how the 80s didn't end in 1990, pop culture delays, the rise of cable TV, MTV, breaking the Summer barrier, getting ready for OJ Simpson, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills 90210, Universal remotes, Real World Homecoming, how Kevin was right, Rodney King, same accent, different place, MTV's House of Style, Nickelodeon, the invention of 'tweens, SNICK, Roundhouse, New York TV, Star Trek TNG, Highway to Heaven, I Was a Middle Aged Werewolf, Quantum Leap, how slow older shows can be, The X-Files, horror movies, Marcia Cross, Traci Lords, Heather Locklear, Siver, rock and pop, hip hop, ska, compilation soundtracks, MTV Spring Break, Salt N Peppa, En Vogue, Eternal: The En Vogue of the UK's song Stay, strange mixes of genres, being inspired by the Spice Girls 2 Become 1 to move to Manhattan, allies, Pedro Zimora, how amazing Norm is, Chocolate Bunny Paintings, collecting art, KayBee Toys clearance bin, The Real World New York, the evolving discussions of race, NEEDING a Real World LA reunion, Tammy, WHERE IS DAVID??, going straight to YouTube, desperately needing Becky back in the house, how cool Mohammad is, and renting the Real World houses on Air BnB. Be sure not to miss Peppermint's new single Here for It which has a PERFECT vibe for a 1992 discussion https://youtu.be/xcUvJ-STKM8

This week Ken welcome director Michelle Bossy to the show. Ken and Michelle discuss bossy by name bossy by nature, Summer 1998, Frank Sinatra's death, graduating from High School, growing up in Las Vegas, the nature of fame, talk shows, growing up Mexican American, telenovellas, Golden Girls, The X-Files, The Wonder Years, voice over, sincerity, The Muppets, Awakenings, So I Married an Ax Murderer?, missing out, Museum of the Moving Image, Dinosaurs, Magical Realism, Ally McBeal, cynical TV, pop music soundtracks, Empire Records, The Big Chill, scoring movies with songs, Gen X, The Gin Blossoms, hunting down Eraserhead, the heat of Vegas, living in other people's hedonism, Austin Powers, Mike Meyers, parody from love, how poor everyone is in movies but are actually rich, Jeopardy, Barefoot in the Park, Musical Theater, falling in love with NYC, Mad About You, Seinfeld, the Seinfeld finale, Noises Off!, farce, non-sanitized but not gritty New York, Curb Your Enthusiasm, showrunners, the idea of working in a newsroom, and having ALMOST the same birthday.

October 17-23, 1998 This week Ken welcomes writer, voice over royalty and fellow latch key New Englander Sarah Sweeney to the show. Ken and Sarah discuss NYC, soul sucking, Providence, 24 hours emotional support food, Halloween, the 1998 Clinton Scandal, pre-cogs, horoscopes, Warped Tour, Suffolk Downs, betting on horses, Ken's annoying red phone, trying to get deals on cable, chained to bundles, getting a ton of v/o work, notable stuff you can't talk about, having never seen a Farrley Brothers movie, Brotherhood, where does Ally McBeal take place, Boston Public, Boston Legal, The Amazing Randi, Co-Star, weird tangents, smoking while voting, Scream, My So-Called Life, how great Senta Moses is, Angela Chase, Breaking Away, spending the Summer watching the movies you should have seen, Sammo Hung, America's Night of Heroes, Walker Texas Ranger, Chuck is his character, being extremely hot, XTREME sports, SOF: Special Ops Force with Dennis Rodman, Sister Sister, A Will of their Own, Victorian Times, Dharma and Greg, Joanna Kerns, Hallmark movies, working at Sci-Fi, Mad About You, Ken's Fraiser issues, being a smart mean kid, being better than this, the dehumanization of the 21st Century, the dissolution of decorum, the invention of 'tweens, marketing, ratings, Anne with an E, The Nanny, Conventions, scarred by ER, The Pee Wee Herman Show, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Great American Drama, and the future of Limited Run Series.