Tv Guidance Counselor Podcast

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

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, C

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 ne

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 Gre

June 27-July 3, 1959 This week Ken welcomes producer, composer and all around great guy Fred Mollin to the show. Ken and Fred discuss Memphis, The Peabody Hotel, ducks, Toronto, SCTV, making records, improv, Godspell, Paul Schaffer, David Cronenberg, Fast Company, growing up on Long Island, being the baby, Perry Mason, Ed Sullivan, Wanted Dead or Alive, Western Detectives, wish fulfillment, fantasy, the rifleman, being fascinated by guns on TV as a kid, Jean Carrol, plate spinning, Lloyd Price, Frankie Avalon, Dick Clark, Ray Boulger, 77 Sunset Strip, Johnny Mathis, Ricky Nelson, Zacherly, Disney's music side, children's music, lullabies, Friday the 13th the movies and the series, Forever Night, synths, Faith Healer, televised Blood Drives, Life of Riley, Love that Bob, Bob Cummings, Wyatt Earp, Hugh O'Brian, John Carradine, Highway Patrol, Dragnet, growing up Jewish, comparing your family to television families, Donna Reed, Zorro, Burns and Allen, having access to everything, Newark vs Las Vegas, old school

This week Ken welcomes real life married couple, improv royalty, and hosts of the Generation Gap podcast Rachel Rosenthal and Sam DeRoest. Ken, Rachel and Sam discuss icky years, age differences, American Idol, how artificial "reality" talent shows are, Ken seeing Kelly Clarkson have Lady GaGa open for her at a Grammy Party, Bel Biv Devoe, live shows, from Justin to Kelly, William Hung, Clay Aiken, Reuben Studdard, Crystal Lite, Oregon, Dale Earnhardt, Kenan Thompson, The Secret of My Success, Wall Street, Broadway, Nathan Lane, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying, musicals, Carrie: The Musical, Jeff Goldblum, Curb Your Enthusiasm, grid confusion, The Wedding Planner, CB4, Shakespeare in the South, Patrick Stewart: Cowboy, The Bachelorette Alaska, seeing plays in London, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Brendan Fraiser, The Town, putting a whole town in your rearviews, getting the VIP Disney hook up from Chelsea Nobel's cousin, Everybody Loves Raymond, the horror of 24, why torture is ineffective, No W

This week Ken welcomes author, cartoonist, podcaster, artisanal pencil sharpener and co-creator of Dicktown, David Rees to the show. Ken and David discuss the Moon Landing, not growing up in Washington D.C., North Carolina, Journalistic Independence, Dead Dogs, sexy Mods, Bonanza, Wild Wild West, Mystery Shows, walking on the Moon, "that other thing", Miss Universe, Hogan's Heroes, VCR dupe machines, punk rock, The Minutemen, complaining about Spot's production, SST Records, Night Flight, The Residents, not knowing young people, Ted Turner's End of the World sign off video, Bounty Hunters, classic talk shows, Eva Gabor, the difficulties of hand laying out TV Guide issues, "Fem-Pain", Green Acres, Ian Oglevie, Vincent Price, The Saint, Pluto TV, Danny Peary's Cult Movies books, El Topo, Secret Agent Man, The Prisoner, The Coolidge Corner Theater, Charles Dickins, Mike Watt and the absolute world changing greatness of Preston Sturges.

This week Ken welcomes the amazing writer, performer, podcaster and Sister from Another Mr, Pam Ribon to the show. Ken and Pam discuss Blue Ribon Panels, regional name variations, mayonnaise, Doctor Misses Doctor Mister Doctor Misses, tangents, secretly dating John Travolta, why you never share secrets with your parents, younger sisters, Today's Special, Punky Brewster, St. Elsewere, visiting shooting locations, Valerie Bertinelli in HELL, Billy Graham IN HELL, discovering new artists, Jody Foster, Peter O'Toole, creepy dudes, Wizards and Warriors, Julia Duffy, Soaps, crashing a plane to impress a woman, John "Not C" Riley, Love Boat, avoiding grown ups, forbidden Diff'rent Strokes, humorless parents, hating truth, getting into Stephen King too young, being dared to read Salem's Lot, Ken's embarrassing love of Beautiful Girls, how Natalie Portman was done wrong, Drew Barrymore, SNL, Hank Williams Jr. : The Movie, The Legend of Fred Asparagus, Bikers, Invitation to Hell, the magic of club soda, The Demon Murde

This week Ken welcomes author of Prince of Thieves (which became the film The Town), co-author of The Strain series and a ton of other amazing stuff, and fellow Massachusetts citizen Chuck Hogan. Ken and Chuck discuss space travel while sitting in your house, time shifting, streaming, the church like experience of experiencing something day and date, Spenser for Hire, James at 15, shooting things in Boston, The Brinx Job, Vincent Price and Milk, Stephen King, Square Pegs, drug scares, the bitchy anonymity of TV Guide, exposes, the nature of fame, Saturday Night Live, doing your best to stay up late, Mr. Bill, TJ Hooker, Claude Akin, The Love Boat, Didi Conn, National Lampoon's Class Reunion, NY Hot Trax, Solid Gold, Night Flight, MTV, the world changing event of getting cable, Facts of Life, Gimme a Break, musicians gust starring on sitcoms, Bloopers, Angel Dusted, Jerry Lewis' replacement show for Thicke of the Night, Gloria Loring, The A-Team, Missy Gold: Licensed Therapist, how Hart to Hart is like Batman

This week Ken welcomes Less than Jake drummer, lyricist and author of the new book "6/19" Vinnie Fiorello. Ken and Vinnie discuss full tilt Summer in Gainesville Florida, growing up in New Jersey, City Gardens, Jon Stewart, secret jocks in the punk rock scene, The Ramones on the Uncle Floyd Show, buying Asian weapons in Chinatown, The Master with Lee Van Cleef, The A-Team, moving from punk to Thrash Metal, no bed time, The Love Boat, It's Your Move, Mama's Family, Unlikable character on TV, Buffalo Bill, fist fighting for what you want to watch on TV, The World at War, Bloopers, POWs, M*A*S*H, KISS Alive II, Three's Company, ruining shows you paid to go see for some weird reason, Bad Brains, Rollins, how there were no deaths on 1980s action shows, Golden Girls, loving Mona on Who's the Boss?, crushing on Allyssa Milano, Commando, Blue vans and moving to CT, loving TV Jingles, Less Thank Jake's TVEP, Taxi, Runaway, Lee Ving, Webster, The Golden Child, Friday Night Videos and how Night Flight changed lives.

This week author Scott Ryan returns for a THIRD time to discuss his new book A Moonlighting Oral History. Scott and Ken discuss The Wonder Years, ABC in the 80s, Reagan's deregulation, ABC Circle Films, shows produced by networks, endless budgets, hour long dramadies, Cybill Sheppard, Bruce Willis, ratings, movie stars, Die Hard, the insane production schedule of Moonlighting, breaking the fourth wall, murder mysteries, innovation through mistakes, Remington Steele, Detective shows, breaking ground, I Married Dora, series finales, being sad that your own show was picked up, Alan Arkish, Curtis Armstrong, Will They Won't They?, backstage stuff, Clean and Sober, song rights, subsidizing corporations, streaming mysteries, Spenser for Hire, IMDB TV, SCTV, asking for anything, messing up the DVDs, not promoting Orson Wells, and the ongoing trauma of the people who worked on Moonlighting.

This week Ken welcomes actor Anne Dudek (Mad Men, House, Friends) to the show. Ken and Anne discuss The Book Group, being a theater actor, multi cam sitcoms, Friends, bloopers, Head of the Class, Robin Givens, being miserable under contract, the changing nature of celebrity, how late night shows are irrelevant, Patch on Days of our Lives, casually wearing a boa constrictor, Soaps, And Now the Screaming Starts, Too Scared to Scream, Golden Girls, Murder She Wrote, Anne's Murder She Wrote Fan Fiction, 227, being isolated via media, Family Ties, Rags to Riches, Baby Jessica, the greatness of Angela Lansbury, "Mom" names, retro shows, The Wonder Years, Happy Days, what kids watch today, political divisions, could Family Ties be made today?, blaming Newt Gingrich, The Company of Wolves, guest starring, having two careers, being a movie actor or a TV actor, Magnum P.I., DRUGS, Just say No, being terrified of drugs, urban legends, school yard scare stories, The Long Hot Summer, Hardhat and Legs, Ruth Gordon, Bobby S

January 2-8, 1971 This week Ken welcomes comedy writer and co-host of The Amazing Collosal Podcast with Gilbert Gottfried, Frank Santopadre to the show. Ken and Frank discuss Jello Biafra, Fred Schneider, Ken's impressive bookings, interviewing Ken, the idea for where TV Guidance Counselor came from, Ken's days in bands, reviewing the Partridge Family, USA Network's 90s originals, Duckman, working with Paul Fusco, Lost on Earth, Claude's Crib, Ralph Mazza, recognizing character actors, loving "that guys", the fun part of living in L.A., Bruce Kirby, all the New York character actors, deep dives, musicians, variety shows, vaudeville, impressionists, Petula Clark, owned and operated TV stations, Ed Sullivan, The Monster that Challenged the World, New York in the 1970s, All in the Family, MTM Productions, Adam West, Lost in Space, Old Man rivalries, Paul Lynde, Bob and Ray, Mad Magazine, Lucy and Bob Hope dressing like hippies, terrifying Lucy, hippies, Stone Pillow, Amos and Andy, Mods, Wilt Chamberlain, Alias

October 8-14, 1994 As promised Jim Aquino author of the new book If You Haven't Seen It, It's New to You: The Movies and TV Shows Some of Us Regretted Not Catching Until Later returns for The Young Guns II of this week's episodes. Ken and Jim discuss Goonies II NES, Star Trek vs Star Wars, Ken's love of Just the Ten of Us, The Juggernaut, Terror on the Britannic, Weird Science, The Smolletts, On Our Own, bad animation, The Simpsons, Dr. Demento, The Adventures of Lois and Clark, Bruce Campbell, Season 2 of Seaquest DSV, MTV Unplugged, spoken word, LL Cool J's deodorant caked armpits, In Living Color, Roger Corman's love of free popcorn, Steve Park, Breakfast Time, Tom Bergeron, the early days of FX, Animaniacs, Batman the Animated Series, Casey Kasam's Transformers boycot, Donnie Simpson, Lavert, the last days of Soul Train, The Jon Stewart Show, Northern Exposure, Tom Arnold, Tom Noonan, Robocop, Roc, murderers on TV, All American Girl, Models Inc., Walt Disney World Inside Out, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

This week Ken welcomes author of the indispensable book If You Haven't Seen It, It's New to You (as J. John Aquino) Jim Aquino. Ken and Jim discuss blogs, accidental Star Trek cosplay, The Bay Area, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Ken's brief meeting with Kate Mulgrew, having three Spocks, crying on panels, back stage drama, creepy lighter mascots, Saturday Morning Cartoons, Small Wonder, Batman the Animated Series, not having Cartoon Network or Sci-Fi Channel, the annoying phenomenon of streaming services splitting seasons of a series, Benson, Quinn Martin, The Fugitive formula, reboots starring dogs, Revenge of the Nerds, Big John Little John, failed TV pilots based on movies, Aaron Slick from Punkin Chick, ReBoot, The Tick, lame catch phrases, Public Enemy, Soul Train, Stevie B, Brownstone, BET, Video Soul, My Best Friend's a Vampire, Baywatch Nights, Vanishing Son, martial arts, depictions of Asian Americans on TV, choreography, Leonard Nimoy, Donnie Yen, The Comish, Devon Odessa, My So-Called Life, In Living C

This week Ken welcome author of the new book on Nickelodeon in the '90s (and the old book The Comic Galaxy of Mystery Science Theater 3000: Twelve Classic Episodes and the Movies They Lampoon) Chris Morgan. Ken and Chris discuss growing up in Detroit, being very unsuccessful, failing in L.A., Kid Rock, Comedy Channel, early cable networks, Canadian content, Fifteen, Welcome Freshman, Cousin Skeeter, My Brother and Me, Alex Mack, Shelby Woo, how bad My Brother and Me was, Third Rock from the Sun, 10 Things I Hate About You, Alanis Morrisette, Moesha books, Rugrats, Halloween, All That!, teenage HIV suicide pact Summer camps on Touched by an Angel, Thora Birch, Munsters, Chevy Chase, Pop up Video, VH1, WCW, WWF, Hulk Hogan in Assault on Devil's Island, Beavis and Butthead, Drew Carey, The Flintstones, Ken's love of Caddyshack II, Seinfeld, Rock n Jock, Bob Ballaban Baseball, Bike Blades and Boards, Saved by the Bell, Tori, the last year of Trick or Treating, Family Matters, Stevil, Rocky Horror Picture Show, th

This week Ken welcomes co-creator of Sleepy Hollow and co-host of Podcast like it's 1999 Phil Iscove to the show. Ken and Phil discuss escaping the North East, growing up in Toronto, CTV, ER, The George Clooney narrative, people the Networks Love, Felicity, Owen Wilson, The Minus Man, Janeane Garofalo, Clay Pigeons, the 90s low point of SNL, bad 90s suits, Swingers, film festivals, indie movies, horror films, Eric Lasalle, Anthony Edwards, gore on TV, Michael Crichton, pulp, being the Stephen King of medical fiction, West World, Spielberg, Disclosure, evergreen genres, why latex gloves are the hardest park of medical acting, USA Network, 1999, grids, Awards Season, Blue Collar Shows, Werewolf, the early days of Fox, Married...with Children, why simple premises are best, The Simpsons, Fish Police, Melrose Place, why apartments are every writer's dream, The WB, high school years, UPN having no identity, Beavis and Butthead, wish fulfillment, Ren & Stimpy, Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer, Chicago Hope, Love

This week Ken welcomes Kliph Nesteroff back to the show to discuss his new book "We Had a Little Real Estate Problem", in addition Ken welcomes one of the subjects of the book, Native American comedian Jon Roberts. Ken, Kliph and Jon discuss Dave Evans, Will Rogers, Native American representation in media, Musso Frank, Red Lake Nation, scaring your own kids, never meeting a man you didn't like, Wrestling, having very limited channels, Eddie Murphy, Dukes of Hazard, I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, stereotypes, Canada's Residential Schools, Rutherford Falls, journalism, Roseanne, Dennis Wolfberg, stand up on TV, age appropriate comedy, how hard life is on a reservation, being isolated, the wide variety of native comedy, Buddy Bigmountain, Westerns, casinos, new cliches, how eye opening seeing somebody get laughs can be, racist Boston, dehumanizing, colonialism, coping with tragedy through humor, Thanksgiving, Elizabeth Warren, Charlie Hill, Pow wows, weird old man shows, Mad About You, GI Joe, Refrigerator Perry, being

This week Ken welcomes actor (The New Gidget, The Bradys) Caryn Richman to the show. Ken and Caryn discuss their failed attempts to do the show in person over the years, Gidget, The Bradys, 1966, growing up in Long Island, going to High School with Joey Buttafuoco, being in Grease in Broadway, the age you're stuck at, embracing your age, playing sweet and wholesome, how hard sitcom acting is, breaking the fourth wall on Gidget, the wave of "New" shows in the 80s, The Bradys, dramatic reboots of comedies, Gilligan's Island, I Dream of Jeanie, Donna Reed, Wandavision, Lawrence Welk, Ed Sullivan, The Wonderful World of Disney, the Saturday Night Movie, seeing Broadway shows, being in a singing group, Tuxedo Junction, Dance Fever, Hollywood Squares, what impressed your parents, Win, Lose or Draw, Soaps, the weirdness of having understudies on television, The Young and the Restless, Batman '66, wiping tapes, lost shows, Encyclopedias, the public library, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres, having Patty Duke's father,

Today Ken welcomes RTE broadcaster, Dublin resident and Try Channel Allstar Callyann Brennan to the show. Ken and Callyann discuss being exciting, being in the future, middle child syndrome, how twins count as one person, the beauty of VHS tapes, Saved by the Bell, visiting NYC, J-Lo's booty bench from Maid in Manhattan, taking a solo horse carriage ride in Central Park, cannolis, Los Angeles, Ice Cream Trucks, Seth McFarlane's albums, The Big Big Movie, Jaws, Orcas, Whale Watches, Free Willy, RTE, darts, Snooker, Sunday TV, growing up with a father who tests ice cream flavors, immunity from brain freeze, keeping the ocean for yourself, Father Ted, The Nanny, Made for-TV Movies, Fair City, being on the soaps, things looking bigger on TV, Home and Away, covering everything in gravy, Neighbors, Dads getting into soaps, understanding Friends, how Seinfeld didn't do anything in Ireland, Baywatch, OJ's "If I Did It", the greatness of Judge Judy and how Friday in Ireland is all about The Late Late Show.