TV Guidance Counselor

September 7-11, 1987 Today Ken welcomes long time friend, fellow depression sufferer, fellow Bostonian, and comedic hero Gary Gulman to the show. Ken and Gary discuss Rhoda, bedtimes, writing books, not having children, Jewish women, Valerie Harper, Mary Tyler Moore, being replaced with Sandy Duncan, AIDS, Dungeons and Dragons, Frank Welker, renting a movie, Charles Kuralt, the soothing nature of TV News Anchors, 60 Minutes, Married...with Children, This Old House, driving around, parent jokes, nice parts of town, It's Your Move, Kate & Allie, Newhart, how great Julia Duffy is, The Great Depresh, revolting Swiss Colony, The A-Bomb, Max Headroom, Moonlighting, being not cool, hating things that are popular, always knowing you'll be a writer, After School Specials, being too empathetic, crying, Chris Elliot as Rags Maloney on the Equalizer, how laughter is our only weapon, Bill Boyers, how great Adam Resnick is, YO! MTV Raps, Highway to Heaven, Saturday Morning Preview specials, sports, and the wonder of The Boondocks.

June 22-28, 1963 It's a TWOFER week as Ken welcomes genius level funny, author of the new memoir "We Saw Scenery" Merrill Markoe to the show. Ken and Merrill discuss needing to get back to dark and gloomy weather, being shocked at how much TV you watched as a kid, We Saw Scenery, being in love with sitcom sons, being boy crazy, being on the wrong side of variety TV, The Mary Tyler Moore Hour, Newhart, Burns and Allen, breaking the 4th wall, surrealism on TV, being the first generation of people making TV who grew up on TV, Saturday Night Live, The New Laugh In, The Late Show with David Letterman, Vaudeville, cigarette ads, the war between TV and movies, The Donna Reed Show, unlikable male characters, the inherent sexism of Hollywood green lights, pitching shows, watching the networks fall, coverage of JFK's travel, the dissolution of Equal Time, Crazy Guggenheim, Jackie Gleason, how big is small and small is big on TV, cute casting, the Rifleman, loving beans being eaten in a tin, Ed Sullivan, Kliph Nesteroff's The Comedians, child stars, Car 54 Where Are You?, Not Necessarily The News, The Smothers Brothers, seeing everything live, reviewing the Beatles, diaries, Doctor Shows, Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, writers getting credit, James Baldwin, Perspectives, what the hell happened to Myna Birds?, Mel Blanc, hypochondria, The Beverly Hillbillies, learning from TV, Mad Magazine, space and a band, My Three Sons, roasts, the Rat Pack, the existential depression of the same scenery in The Flintstones, Route 66, Dobie Gillis, the horrors of Bob Hope in a Beatle Wig, Chris Elliot, being scared of Alfred Hitchcock, Pen15, how 8th grade is always 8th grade, Nazi flirting, and graphic novels

April 30 - May 6, 1977 This week welcomes musician, DJ, Pogue and all around excellent human Cait O'Riordan to the show. Ken and Cait discuss lockdown, visas, being an immigrant, loving New York City, the dangers of '80s Alphabet City, loving all the bad things about the U.S.A., allowing the locals to be your tour guides, Cheers, Boston, tribalism, The Sex Pistols on Grundy, kids wearing bin bags, 1977 The Year Punk Broke, The Dystopian Nightmare of 1970s England, class systems, addiction, feeling bad for Sid Vicious, getting spit on, enablers, Mental Illness, Frost v. Nixon, Reagan and Thatcher, the strange case of Chevy Chase, Charlie's Angels, stitching up punks, being a sensible nerd, Dukes of Hazard, Hee Haw, Dolly, building a cocoon, the wonders of old movies, the biggest pre-CGI Smash up, Horror movies as family entertainment, The Damned, Spanish Dracula, parental bedtime rules, supper clubs, The Flesheaters, being put in charge of everyone's lives, record collections, Phantom of the Opera, Claude Raines, 1977 The Coolest Year in Hell, A Dolly Family Christmas, Dolly Parton variety shows, extortion rings in Hollywood dance studios, Journey to Adventure touring Ireland, Starsky and Hutch, Ernest Borgnine FUTURE MAN, Airport 75, Upstairs Downstairs, The Possessed, Happy Days spin offs, why Gary Marshall shows were for kids in the UK, In Search of..., Straight to Hell, loving Westerns, how much the Six Million Dollar Man is worth today, the superior Bionic Woman, Race with the Devil, meeting Joe Lucky who is actually Joseph Losey, Satanists, The Wicker Man, Terence Stamp as a giant baby in The Mind of Mr. Soames, Hawaii Five-O, Richard Pryor, Jack Lord: Kind of the Teddy Boys, John Hurt, Donny and Marie, being terrified of Little Jimmy Osmond, "The Mystery Artist", Paul Lynde, An American in Paris, The Fight Against Slavery, Roots, how human adaptation and survival scares Ken, and living in scary unprecedented regressive times.

October 21-27, 1978 This week Ken welcomes author, TV movie genius and all around cool chick Amanda Reyes to the show. Ken and Amanda discuss living in Texas, movie around as a kid, being via satellite, glamour, Las Vegas, LA, Vegas with Robert Urich, The Nightstalker, being a BYOTVG guest, WKRP in Cincinnati, being a horror fan, being an expert, Made for TV movies, how Amanda became an expert, Eddie Brandt's Saturday Matinee, Are You In The House Alone? a TV Movie compendium 1964-1999 , Bad Ronald, soaps, how TV movies are often just "movies" in the UK and Europe, Kate's Secret, Meredith Baxter-Bernie, representation for women's stories, older women's stories and classic Hollywood actors, Black Christmas, slasher flicks, exploitation directors, Special Bulletin, the amount of TV movies and specials in the 1978-1979 season, Peyton Place, The Bradys, Escape from Gilligan's Island, Rhoda, Carter Country, reunion movies, Westerns, The Hardy Boys, Battlestar Gallactica, Gallactica 80, cult deprogramming, Max Gayle, hunks, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Stratton, Star 80, Judith Crist, Kim Basinger, Blind Date, Killjoy, Katie: Portrait of a Centerfold, lost TV movies, blaming the adult industry, cannibals, Happy Days, Laverene and Shirley, Donner Pass, House II, Shauna Grant, The Waltons, The Grass is Always Greener over The Septic Tank, Alex Rocco, Charles Grodin, Leg Men, Leg Work, Parterns in Crime, loving Burt Convy, being distant from your family, watching TV families to learn how familes work, Can't Stop the Music, Steve Guttenberg, Bruce Jenner, how Eat My Dust! led to Ron Howard's directing career, Cotton Candy, Halloween is Grinch Night, the punk rock episode of Quincy, CHiPs, Shatner being a jerk directing TJ Hooker, Witches Night Out, things being very 70s, the Odd Couple starring Sherman Helmsly and Pat Morita, Jim Belushi, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Kindertrauma, TV Casualties, It's Your Move, CBS Storybreak, PSAs and being absolutely terrified of The Incredible Hulk.

October 1-7, 1966 This week Ken welcomes legendary punk rock icon, record collector and raconteur Jello Biafra to the show. Ken and Jell discuss becoming part of the Zoom generation, cigarette ads, the wonders of muck raking journalism, out scooping your competitors, watching the news as a kid, The Vietnam War, being a newshound, seeing Oswald get shot on live TV, having parents who don't shield you from stuff, Chef Boyardee, Kars for Kids, the 2012 vote, how cameras change everything, Route 66, Dragnet, Lee Marvin, good acting and good writing, Hulabaloo, Batman '66, the incredible music in the original Spider-Man cartoon, surf music, Star Trek, country music, Martin Luther King Jr, Bobby Kennedy, The Night James Brown Saved Boston, growing up wanting to be the Penguin, Eric Burdon and the Animals, River of Blood, The Midnight Special, Suicide on TV, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Elliot Ness's drinking problem, The Untouchables, being paid in exposure, How Ariana Huffington may be a lost Gabor, Free Speech TV, Green Acres, documentaries on Al Jazera, Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax Records, Al Jorgenson, James Bond themes, Beat Girl, These Are The Damned, Julie Newmar, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Bill Maher, the horrors of Crosscheck and kicking people off voter rolls, why you NEED to vote, Colorado, Lon Chaney, the wonders of TV soundtrack LPs, and Mrs. Miller's psychedelic lp.

April 24-30, 1971 This week Ken welcomes writer/comedian and author of the excellent new memoir "My Dirty Life in Comedy", Lois Bromfield. Ken and Lois discuss German, how in Europe "American" is the Children's menu, growing up in Toronto, getting the crap kicked out of you (emotionally) in NYC, the greatest of L.A., appearing on the Dick Clark show with Oingo Boingo and Joan Jett, free therapy, British Sitcoms, the oxymoron that IS German Sitcoms, Bonanza, Lorne Greene, writing checks in the 19th Century, SCTV, Westerns, Masterpiece Theater, The Muppets, the mystery of all your siblings going into comedy, The Honeymooners, working with drunks, Grace Under Fire, working with Brett Butler, Roseanne, the great insanity of working on Roseanne, asking "Who's Jackie?", The Jackie Thomas Show, getting good breaks, pitching stories, cigarette ads, celebrity bowling, 1971 women's hair care products, wanting to be or be with, black characters on Westerns, Mary Tyler Moore, the studio where it was all shot, being a part of television history, doing stand up in London, The Comedy Store, Michael Nesmith's Television Parts, becoming a gay icon, Ed Sullivan, not knowing how much things cost, layaway and expense accounts secretly being introduced on sitcoms, Things you Must Do Before You Die, worrying/not worrying about it, the threat of watching The News, The Mod Squad, how Bell Bottoms might save the environment, Fox TV, Patty Duke, hating Southern Shows, Green Acres, The Beverly Hilbillies, Golden Girls, broadcasting, narrowcasting, Norman Lear, The Mike Douglas Show, and being the wind beneath Pierce Brosnan's Wings.

December 28, 1996 - January 3, 1997 This week Ken welcomes NPR TV critic, musician and author of the great book Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation, Eric Deggans to the show. Ken and Eric discuss Eric's smooth radio voice, growing up in Gary Indiana, being a touring musician, becoming a TV critic in 1996 in Florida, getting sick of pop music, how hard jobs were to get as a teenager, Letterman, watching TV late night, being a fan of weirdo comedy, SCTV, Ernie Kovacs, being signed to Motown, making sure you always have an HBO Subscription, touring Japan, getting a VCR, the importance of phone trees when black people would be on TV, the paranoia of Dark Skies, the importance of criticism, Siskel and Ebert, Cybill, committing mail fraud with Columbia House to exponentially increase you record collection, experiencing White Rock Music, Quincy Jones, The original Bill Cosby Show, Saturday Morning Cartoons, Saturday Night Live, Eddie Murphy, jamming, In Concert, The Midnight Special, Meet The Press, all the people we've lost, Tim Russert, Regis, Steve Harvey, stand up sitcoms, Robert Townsend, how wrong The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer was, Larry Wilmore, difficult stars, Bernie Mac, NYPD Blue, anti-heroes, re-examining shows you liked, Ellen, good and bad network notes, lack of diverse casts, suspension of disbelief, and the absolute greatness of Homicide Life on the Street.

In this BONUS! episode Ken welcomes former private eye, current Dog Rescue super hero and daughter of the late, great James Garner, Gigi Garner. Ken and Gigi discuss LA vs Boston, living all over the world, being a licensed P.I. in Tennessee, living in the U.K., putting out records, writing three #1 Christian songs, having no acting talent, The Rockford Files, having to drive your Dad's work car to High School, not feeling like a Hollywood kid, getting a late start acting, James Garner's purple hearts, always being able to revisit your relative who's passed, David Cassidy, loving the Partridge Family, continuing her Dad's Legacy, the James Garner Animal Rescue Fund (jgarf.org), kill shelters, how trying to quit smoking led to having a dog, product endorsements, Mazda, Polaroid, having a natural charm, running a talent management company, The Americanization of Emily, Awards nominations, Murphy's Romance, keeping treasures from a life well lived, Grand Prix, The Cinerama Dome, being good at golf, The Notebook, voice over, and being Steve McQueen's neighbor.

July 19-25, 1986 Today Ken talks to writer, host, podcaster, and bizarro Ken Jake Fogelnest. Ken and Jake discuss the Stuff, John Waters, being a "precocious" kid, Larry Cohen, Squirt TV, Cable Access, Night Flight, working from home, branding, Midnight Blue, The Comedy Store, supportive parents, Cypress Hill, The Beastie Boys, seeing Rocky Horror live, refusing to recognize authority, Channel J, Channel 23, watching Degrassi for the first time, getting an idea of what a cool teenage room is, Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains, rebuilding cable, being an advocate for lost media, being Star Struck, Valley Girl, Steve Jones, dead malls, Kevin Smith, Tom Green, Jerri Hall sitcoms, unsold pilots, Criterion, MTV's 120 Minutes, the children of Night Flight, Maron, stand up comedy, Rachel Sweet, The Gong Show, lost movies, Penelope Spheeris, Ken's huge balls, Albert Brooks, The Day the Clown Cried, Harry Shearer, owning film prints, Private Parts, Howard Stern, 4k UHD, Vamp, James Cameron's pitch of Aliens, Evening Magazine, PM Magazine, Cheers, Meatballs vs. Meatballs II, Wet Hot American Summer, Fridays, Spenser for Hire, Back to the Beach, tours of shooting locations, Alan Thicke's Teenage Years, discogs, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Hitler's Teeth, the genius of Martin Short, Doug Benson in Captain EO, Mr. Belvedere, Working for Marvel, writing on Runaways, The Sopranos, Three's Company, The New Twilight Zone, pretentious movies, Brendon Tartikoff and Jake's promise to never assault you with his serious musical aspirations.

June 1-7, 1968 This week Ken talks to former actor, producer, current investment banker and long time good dude Scott Valentine. Ken and Scott talk about Ken moving to L.A., Scott moving back to New York, Scott's true love, climate change, when Scott got run over by a truck, Knight Rider, Family Ties, The Art of Being Nick, the cast of Family Ties, working with smart people, the best sitcom lines, not being no Charles Bronson, visiting the Smokey Mountains, Ginger vs. Maryanne, Raymond Burr, facing Andy Griffith while wearing tight leather pants, Petticoat Junction, My Demon Lover, Pizzatskis, movie acting, being on the stage, being blamed for film failure, The Actor starring Alec Guinness, voice over, Phantom 2040, The DC Animated Universe, Rob Paulsen: Good Dude, entitled actors, coke heads, being caught in a battle between Gary David Goldberg and Brandon Tartikoff, Aaron Spelling hating you, awful executives, becoming a producer, Maverick Pictures, being incredibly lucky, a life well lived, working with Melissa Gilbert, real heroes, digging ditches, The Killing Fields, actors without range, being method, meeting Al Pacino, Bridge on the River Kwai, striving for realism, how art should make us better people, shock humor, Twister, Pierce Brosnon, meeting a killer, The Thomas Crowne Affair, Billy Bob Thornton and Harvey Weinstein's slap fight, knocking out Weinstein, why there is never a good reason to belittle somebody, working people, your kids not being interested in y our work, mean spirited comedy, Steven Wright, Fosse, how great Sam Rockwell is, Restored, and Scott's very nice compliments.