TV Guidance Counselor

June 9 -15, 1979 Today Ken welcomes comedian, actress and fellow New Englander Jan Davidson to the show. Ken and Jan discuss Los Angeles' lack of seasons, school year clocks, school shopping, LL Bean, Pretty Plus at Sears', store brands, Everett, loving gentrification, Malden Catholic, hoity toity Melrose, John Pinette, Donna Peskow, Angie, TV theme songs as pop music, Finders of Lost Loves, Solid Gold, Out of This World, being adopted, Jordan Marsh, never controlling the remote control, CHiPs, stoop sitting, Ken's Jimmy Neutron vibe, Mother/Daughter Beauty Pageant, Love Boat, virginity and the bible, having the same dad, Fantasy Island, stuck on Jan Brady, is Mr. Roarke Satan or God?, Church on 19, The Debolt's 19 Kids, Diff'rent Strokes, Superman The Musical, Carrie, telling Barbara Streisand she'd be a star after she's a star, Little House on the Prairie, White Shadow, blind deaf and dedicated, Newhart, putting words to instrumentals, Gary Marshall's universe, Santa Monica's Three's Company Sleaze, unmarried women, marrying Paul Lynde, Zuma Beach, refusing to buy Priscilla Barnes, Barney Miller, anti-punk TV, The Incredible Hulk, the terror of submarines, and the insane crazy world of McGunk.

March 15-21, 1980 Today Ken welcomes writer, broadcaster, all around personality Dan Savage to the show. Ken and Dan discuss lack of choices, Zoom Pride, Bonnie Hunt Chicago vs. Cabrini Green Chicago, being a middle child, special events pre-empting TV, Alienated suburban teams, Baretta, the Reagan era, the 70s grit vs. the 80s aspirational media, how the American Dream is the American Scam, the lack of post-Roseanne Blue Collar sitcoms, family love through ballbusting, hot wives with fat guys, hitting the age as an actress when you have to be a non-sexual D.A., growing into Love Boat, Archie's Place, Maude, Mary Tyler Moore Spin-Offs, Phyllis, Rhoda, Lou Grant, why Marty Tyler Moore is a gay man, Family, Leif Garrett, the importance of re-runs, Lucy, saving a marriage with infidelity, Billy Crystal on SOAP, fixing gay men, Love Sydney, shock that Tony Randall isn't gay, not knowing Liberace is gay, asking for tickets to A Chorus Line, Paul Lynde and his filthy gay jokes, CHpS, crushing on Erik Estrada, undercover punks, becoming conservative as you get older, celebrating 70s hair, Shaun Cassidy, Baseball Pin Ups, Billy Ripken's Fuck Face Bat, Ricardo Montalban introducing S&M to Fantasy Island, Burt Convey, Jiggle TV, The Battle of the Network Stars no Bras Rule, dishonest sleaze, contempt for your audience, Horny Don Knotts, 70s TV homophobia, Three's Company, Bosom Buddies, sneaking comedy albums, the golden age of SNL, pillaging the underground, Diff'rent Strokes, Laugh in loving Richard Nixon, being a secret magical princess from another dimension, orphans, Gimme a Break, Race Relations, Kate & Allie Lesbians, sexless marriages, Ron Reagan Jr., The Brady Bunch, Fake Jan vs. Fake Cindy, Gilligan's Island, The Bradys, The Muppet Show, how Kermit is just "into pigs", the subversive wonder of Jim Henson, how you need to love something to properly parody/satire it, vaudeville, the golden age of TV variety shows, Hogan's Heroes, M.A.S.H., live TV musicals, tracing cultural history through character actors and the conundrum of John Waters.

February 2-8, 1991 In this episode Ken welcomes comedian, musician and man of New Hampshire Nick Lavallee to the show. Ken and Nick discuss cat based allergies, Bob Saget, SNL, MC Hammer's connection to Julia Roberts, Sweeps Week, banning Pumps N a Bump, British Knights, confusing Michael Jackson with Magic Johnson, New Hampshire Ghetto Boys, Howard Stern, Uncle Buck vs. Amen, Chubby Checker's Superbowl Conspiracy, Ken's hatred of Puff the Magic Dragon, Primetime 3.2.1 Contact, being attracted to the deaf girl, Sega Genesis, BJ's Wholesale Club, Nintendo, Patrick Swayze, loving Sally Struthers, Golden Girls lulling you to sleep, Unsolved Mysteries, The wonder of the PXL 2000, In Living Color, Get a Life, AFV vs. In Living Color, Howie Mandell in Good Grief, Fresh Prince, Voices that Care, Make Out Parties, Ireland's pub based tongue games, Co-Ed Pillow Fight Leagues, Baby Jessica, staying up all night because you watched Murphy Brown, falling asleep to Dragnet, "shifting", Rescue 911, Davis Rules, Roseanne, Empty N esters love of Hot Tubs, Beyond Tomorrow, crying during The Wonder Years, Growing Pains, drinking yourself to sleep, family times, Doogie Howser vs. Night Court, Fathers and sons, killing your Sony Watchman, Seinfeld, stealing cable, bootleg Bart Simpson, flea market clothes, The Flash, TGIF, the sad life of Big Earl, and missing it by a pubic hair.

By popular demand Ken welcomes returning guest, comedian and Wrestling superfan/expert Will Smalley back to the show for a very special Wrestling Special. Ken and Will discuss the r-word, older brothers introducing you to the world of Wrestling, Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon's reinvention, regional Wrestling organizations, Rock N Wrestlin', carnies, territories, Wrestling on TV, Ted Turner, WCW, MTV, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Wrestling Schools, UFC, under the counter Wrestling magazines, Lady Wrestlers, Animotion's "Obesssion", Saturday Night's Main Event, Brother Love, American Gladiators, USA Network, TBS, TNT, Monday Night Wrestling, Midget Wrestling, KAFABE, backyard wrestling, jerk off plaza, Cable Access, Tony Rumble, "snapping your carrot", vigilante justice, Lucha Libre, soap opera storylines, the "attitude era", Japanese extreme wrestling, sneaking into the Undertaker's hotel room, real fighting techniques, G.L.O.W., WWE re-writing history, tape traders, Faces of Death, low culture, Donald Trump, Ravishing Rick Rude's rudeness, your heroes being failures, using up human capital, and the allure of California Cool.

March 4-10, 1995 Today Ken welcomes writer, cartoonist and graphic novel creator Liz Prince to the show. Ken and Liz discuss Ken's strange home, hoarding comic books, autobiographical comic books, Disney's TV Animation, wanting to be a cartoon character, Adventure Time, punk rock, 90s zine culture, New Mexico, discovering punk via Green Day on MTV, only having one cool record store, missing cartoon sex humor, Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, Thundar The Barbarian, post-nuke kids shows, THreads, The Day After, When the Wind Blows, Watership Down, The Plague Dogs, the holocaust at the end of the original Transformers movie, Archie, Ariel Schrag, Nicktoons, faceless cartoons, Comic Book Confidential, Duck Tales, Robin Hood, Tom & Jerry, the television being quarantined into your parents' room, pitching TV shows, the unique format of comics books, Demolition Man, Taco Bell, inherent anti-military anti-group anti-authority brain wiring, Cops, John Tesh, The Simpsons, The Critic, The Ghostbusters movie being based on the Real Ghostbusters cartoon, Wayne's World 2, hating The Doors, Unsolved Mysteries, Ren & Stimpy, keeping dead bees, The Deadly Invasion, Fringe, pulling the rug out from under you, Claymation, Seinfeld, Bill Wray, paying creativity forward, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, TGIF, PBS' Punk Documentary, Freaks and Geeks, The X-Files and Jared Leto's sweat

Today Ken welcomes singer/songwriter/author/all around talent Marshall Crenshaw to the show. Ken and Marshall discuss how the third time is the charm, seaside music venues, Club Passim, Marshall's book "Hollywood Rock", The MTV age, the hub of hitchiking, That Thing You Do, La Bamba, Buddy Holly, the early 60s, The Adventures of Pete & Pete reunion, Beatlemania, SCTV, being surprised by Robert Gordon doing your song on your favorite show, The Merv Griffin Show, Wayland Flowers and Madame, The David Letterman Show, Detroit Rock and Soul, The MC5, The Stooges, Jackie WIlson, Jack Scott, scored due to failure, growing up in the anonymous suburbs, watching shocking amounts of television, getting a classic cinema education via TV, showing your children Citizen Kane, realizing that the Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special is 30 Years old, Gilligan's Island vs. The Monkees, Jack Parr, Anglophilia, Steptoe & Son, Malcolm Muggeridge, The Beverly Hillbillies, the variety of true classic top 40, Solid Gold, no dancers but a Beach Boys' studio backing track, your children revisiting your work, Wild Guitar with Arch Hall Jr., Ray Dennis Stecklar, Psychotronic Video, Johnny Cash in Five Minutes to Live aka Door to Door Maniac, Jonathan Ross' Incredibly Strange Film Show, Night Flight, Catalina Caper with Little Richard, That Tennessee Beat, the power of documentaries, Hail Hail Rock n Roll, Let the Goodtimes Roll, MC5: A True Testimonial, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, The Blacklist, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Larry Wilmore, John Oliver, and talking to Dr. Licks.

October 12-18, 1991 On today's show Ken welcomes writer, Thrilling Adventure Hour head honcho and host of the Nerdist Writer's Panel Ben Blacker to the show. Ken and Ben discuss growing up in the Boston area, Hal Hartley TV, the early 90s, CBS Monday Night, hereditary sci-fi fandom, American Gothic, Dark Shadows, Spenser for Hire, James at 15, Creature Double Feature, horror as metaphor, the humorless grim 21st Century, Supernatural, American Horror Story, Golden Girls and the Torkelsons, when Saturday Night isn't funny, Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, Just the Ten of Us, totally retooling shows, Bob, Family Ties, why it's not worth it to make a show for everybody anymore, taping Young Riders, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr, Sightings, the troubles of serialization, Young Guns II, Westerns turning into TV Cop Shows, The Comish, Life Goes On, low concept TV, blue collar TV, AIDS, Eerie Indiana, Parker Lewis, James Garner, evil John Stamos, Full House, Herman's Head, The early days of Fox, Women in Prison, Werewolf, Monday Night Hebrew school keeping you from Alf, Evening Shade vs. Davis Rules, Bonnie Hunt, hating Southern shows, Newhart, Get a Life, dumb characters, why it's hard to re-watch Seinfeld, Blossom, Murphy Brown, Julia Duffy, Northern Exposure, Lord of Illusions, great guest stars on Chuck, I'll Fly Away is not Brooklyn Bridge, Rescue 911, why friction can make a great show, Roseanne, Jackie O, the Mini-Series, Coach, Jobeth Williams, Dinosaurs, Unsolved Mysteries, CNBC is paying to watch your neighbors make love, Wonder Years, Doogie Howser, the final season of Night Court, Quantum Leap, Cosby, A Different World, The Simpsons, loving bottle episodes, the finale of Cheers, George Wendt, missing The Monster Mash, loving Tim Daly, LA Law, Perfect Strangers, Baby Talk, replacing George Clooney with Scott Baio, Cheer Heavy Weeks, making the big time as a Jeopardy Question, Murphy Brown's single motherhood, the heartbreak of Fall Previews and complaining about reality TV in 1991.

In today's special BONUS! episode to start 2016 right, Ken welcomes actress, writer, musician and mom Jenna Von Oy to the show. Ken and Jenna discuss Jenna's status as a frequent point of discussion on the show, Tales from the Darkside, Christmas Episodes, E.G. Marshall, being an old Soul, growing up in CT, the way New York City used to be, how an illustration of the flexibility of Jordace jeans leads to a career in acting, being the anomaly in your family. letting your kids act, the changing face of a television year, The Gritter, Monsters, "Glim-Glim" RIP, having a Goldfish memory of your own work, The West Wing, re-visiting your past via DVD, Jenna's status as the hardest working person in showbiz, Don Reo, working on Lenny and Blossom at the same time, being the one true Six, the foolproof disguise if crimped hair, places your bets on Lenny Clarke, discovering the great untapped resource of teenage girls, normal kids, Warren Littlefield's daughter single-handedly saving Blossom, The John Larroquette Show, awkwardly doing the Roger Rabbit, respectfully homaging sitcom cliches without the snark, Full House as the modern Brady Bunch, coining "A Very Special Episode", The Sassy Generation, opening talking about divorce and drugs, timeless storylines, getting hooked on Melrose Place, watching the Disney Sunday Night movie on a black and white TV as a family, acting opposite Tom Cruise in Born on the 4th of July without knowing who he is, not being a showbiz kid, being a victim of merchandising, what Joey Lawrence's love can't fix, crushing on your co-star, being the hardened veteran, Miss Mayim Bialik, Little Richard's definition of silk, recording a heartbreak album, Joey Lawrence's luscious locks, the wonder of TV theme songs, Parks and Rec, being in Nashville without being on "Nashville", wanting to be on The West Wing, Arrested Development, obsession over the X-Files, the difficulty of a changing business, being a mom, carving out your niche, "Situation Momedy", the terror of Ken's pregnancy, the power of laughter and benign self-deprecation, Blossom's syndication status, TiVo blowing your cover to your children, and how Mommy is a book author.

September 13-19, 1997 FALL PREVIEW Today Ken welcomes comedian Guitler Raphael to the show. Ken and Guitler discuss the official Team Reid pizza, spinach, Haiti, Fall Preview, sibling bargaining, The Pretender, COPS, Maurice the Pants Man, Garth Brooks, The Real World, Xena, Miss America, Wet T-Shirts, being a bouncer, fooled by strippers, The New England Patriots, The Omega Man, the golden age of Video Stores, Malden, In the House, doing your best to identify with bad TV, the best "black" show, LL Cool J's Radio, Dateline NBC, Football vs. Wrestling, learning comedy via TV, past life regression, Malcolm and Eddie, good business ideas, teenage hangouts, B.L.L.T's, Step Dad murder, Brian De Palma, Breakin' Boobs, Cannon Films, Keeping Up Appearances, PBS, Ken's David Bowie, Toys, wall posters, Janet Jackson, Spin City, Isaac Mizrahi, Sister Sister, Jackee Harry, Smart Guy, .com bubble, cops teaching history, buying stocks, Keith Sweat, The Wayans Brothers, OJ, Steve Harvey, twins causing racism, Must See TV, Living Single, Martin, how Montel Jordan do it, Will Blacksmith, Beauty and the Beast, Fraiser, the sad death of Brandon Lee, Family Matter moving to CBS, Sabrina and the Little People, Boy Meets World, and the illustrious acting career of Shaq.

April 30 - May 5, 1977 On today's episode Ken welcomes author, novelist, journalist, musician and all around great guy Rick Moody to the show. Ken and Rick discuss the atmosphere of cookies in Harvard Square, 60s TV, Richard Nixon, Richard Nixon's Teeth, dying of a broken heart, boarding school rules, cold turkey television, Irwin Allen, Disaster Movie fetishes, Airport 70-75, Airplane, all star casts, novelizations of the movie, JAWS, The Rock in San Andreas, man vs. nature, Steve McQueen's assessment that "they'll keep building them, and we'll keep putting those fire out", 70s Subversives, Harrison Ford fighting demons in the Possessed, burying your wife alive, Bad Ronald, Invitation to Hell, The Night Stalker, Gene Hackman, Fred Astaire, Xanadu, Linda Blair's finest work, After School specials, teenager drunks, Scott Baio is Stoned, Helen Hunt is Angel Dusted, The Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Love, cultural capital, Game of Thrones, In Search Of..., Noah's Arc, Bermuda Triangle, John Davidson, PBS, The American Family, Albert Brooks, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, the weird whirlwind of Louise Lasser, bothering Norman Lear, pacing, David Lynch, Fernwood Tonight, Twin Peaks, violating the structure by leaving Thursday Blank, reading, punished with educational programming, seeing Serpico at an inappropriate age so Dad can have "me time", Chevy Chase vs. Richard Pryor, Love Boat III, lack of 21st Century All-Stars, niche programming, Hotels of North America, Motel Room Television, Dateline, Shock Theater, Chiller Theater, Creature Features, WPIX, Thanksgiving with King Kong, The 4:30 Movie, Mothra, Four Fingers of Death's relation to the Crawling Hand, why The Ice Storm and Garden State are period pieces, the Wire, Golden Age of TV, remaking movies, being too upset by horror movies, terrified of "The Thing", David Cronenberg, Hostel, The Mummy's Curse, The Blob, The Monkees, Teen Mom, HBO Go, The Bachelor, admitting addiction to Reality TV, Catfish, loving Mr. Show, Monty Python, Pee Wee's Playhouse and a violent hatred of cooking shows.