Tv Guidance Counselor Podcast

January 3-9, 1987 This week Ken welcomes adult entertainers, entrepreneurs, and incredibly smart hosts of the fantastic must listen "Ill Repute" podcast, Sovereign Syre and Ela Darling. Ken, Sovereign and Ela discuss time zones, mountain, Central time, the weirdness of January TV, when VHS rentals first eclipsed theatrical ticket sales, how the Adult industry innovates all entertainment technology, the incredible strangeness of the streaming business model, the movie "The Girl on the Bridge", French films, corporate structure, not knowing what you own as a company, Ela's experience as a Librarian, why Libraries are punk rock, piracy, growing up poor, The ALA Library Bill of Rights, scammers, Merv Griffin, J.Z. Knight, sleazy talk shows, new age scams, Carson, named hosts, meeting Jerry Springer, being built your own tiny house, empowering women, getting drunk underage on a flight to France, Gates McFadden's life advice, Star Trek, the dark Jim Henson Universe, practical effects, Eastern Promises, David Cronen

In this very special BONUS episode here is the complete audio of Ken's chat with Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald of The Kids in the Hall. This was recorded LIVE last month at North East Comic Con in Boxboro MA.  If you were a patron  you would have gotten a video of this as well! Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

As is (now at least) the tradition, Ken flies solo for a warts and all, behind the scenes, stream of consciousness, week by week, episode by episode review of 2023, and anything else that pops into his head. 

November 17-23, 2001 This week Ken welcomes UK coomedian, actor and official member of the Doctor Whoverse, Sooz Kempner to the show. Ken and Sooz discuss being outside of the zones of London, Gatwick Airport, how nothing good is ever on TV on Sundays in the UK, Omnibuses, Eastenders, Gladiators, Wolf's gyms, This Morning with Richard Not Judy, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring, Richard and Judy, getting away with stuff on kids shows, Pooh, Ken's Mr. Show bowling shirt, recording babies' dreams, Brexit, how homelessness is a bigger problem than fresh veggies, how UK and Canadian comics always want to make it in American despite being successful in their home countries, traveling to Maine to visit your German Grandfather, Stephen King, nice versions of Threads, Watership Down, David the Gnome, When The Wind Blows, visiting New York city with no money but seeing as many Broadway Shows as you can, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Sting's amazing Broadway musical, singing waiters, Ken's 1st and only Thanksgiving

This week Ken welcomes podcaster, writer, and world traveler Adrien Behn to the show. Ken and Adrien discuss New York City, growing up in Western MA/NY, people who have never left their hometown, pregnant hippies, life long friends, perusing a life in creative arts, being worldly, having more chickens than neighbors, Lake George, hating touristy spots, teenage identity crisis, doing study abroad programs, Czechs, Prague, Stalin, living in former Soviet Republics, interesting art and beauty, the first place you go to outside of your own country, the film industry in Prague, the "adult" industry in Prague, growing up without cable, Nickelodeon, MTV, binging in college, 9/11, when news takes over all channels, national disasters, negative shared experiences, naming your younger sibling Jessica after Mambo No. 5, all five Spice Girls at once, 30 Rock, Sex in the City, comfort TV, the shows that America exports, Exporting Raymond, the worldwide success of The Big Bang Theory, telenovelas, Croatian soaps, Turkish S

March 12-18, 1983 This week Ken welcomes comedian and man behind the new Blonde Medicine Comedy lp "Ice Cream vs. Everything", Paul Morrissey. Ken and Paul discuss Paul's excitement being on the show, why he picked 1983, the early 80s mix of famous people guest stars, The Love Boat, Smokey and the Bandit, Paul Williams, Milton Berle, cocaine, 70s Variety Shows, Solid Gold, Tim Thomerson, Top of the Pops, Steelers Wheel, miming, Richard Marx's Lionel Richie debut, cigarettes, David Bowie playing with Mott the Hoople, Robin Williams, Gen Xers vs. Boomers, buying awful products from TV Guide, horrifying children's decor, having to pay massive fines for ruining a VHS tape, Diff'rent Strokes, video games, Silver Spoons, Jason Bateman, Teen Wolf, how massive Bob Hope was, Jackie Gleason, never flying, Voyagers, the death of Jon Eric Hexum, on set accidents, getting bumped on Letterman so many times it becomes an inside joke, dry cleaning The Jeffersons, Newhart, Fritz Leiber, Jay Thomas, Square Pegs, production val

October 2-8, 1999 This week Ken welcomes certified comedy superstar, and man behind the new comedy special "Slow and Steady", Joe Pera to the show. Ken and Joe discuss tiny computers, Wargames, Buffalo New York, wings, Anchor Bar, Zoomer goofs, preppers, toilet paper, Joe Pera Talks with You. Jo Firestone, Y2K, cover stories, going mobile, post-Nuke dads, 90s posture, Melissa Joan Hart, Melissa Ethridge's Glamor Shots, the "99 face", Verne Troyer, High School Senior Portraits, photographers, Margaret Cho, Tom Green, awful stand up comedian pilot concepts, oil, mailing post cards to your own depression, Hocky Night in Canada, getting Canadian TV, racist sports announcers, MTV, Red Green, watching movies that look awful, journalism, TV Guide's journalism pedigree, hot Mr. Spock, Charlie Chan, Cousin Skeeter, Couch Taylor from Friday Night Lights, Early Edition, stopping subway murder, Homicide, vigilante nudity, Jim Henson's creature shop, Animal Farm, Kelsey Grammar's pig love, Disney's flirtation with Satan,

October 18-24, 1997 This week Ken welcomes author Mark Guyer. Mark and Ken discuss living in upstate/Central New York, how New York State isn't New York City, Halloween viewing, Nostalgiamares Series, Phantom Delivery, classic youth horror books, Fear Street, having your own TV, being a tween, not remembering your childhood Halloween costumes, how dressing as Darth Vader can help with bullying, Due South, Burgess Meredith, Nothing Sacred, Hot Priests, Gene Siskel so Horny, what Siskel did to Betsey Palmer, how awful Saturday Night Fever is, Guides to Halloween episodes, Blackula, Gregory Hines Show, The Night Stalker, Nosferatu, ABC Sitcoms, anti-Trick or Treating, how 21st Century Kids don't get to truly enjoy Halloween, how the world is NOT more dangerous for kids now, the purity of Halloween, how working in retail makes you hate Christmas, Team Knightrider, The Real World Boston, The Tonight Show, bringing Kenan and Kel together again, SNICK, failing the All That! challenge, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, wh

October 16-22, 1999 This week we travel to Ireland to talk TV with The Try Channel's own Dermot Ward.  Ken and Dermot discuss why Dermot is even on the show, bad ideas, Dermot talking people out of liking him, Big Trouble in Little China, being a Martial Arts nerd, Ireland's national martial art, awful Boston Irish stupidity, The Streets, the origins of Corned Beef and Cabbage, The 50 Greatest TV Characters Ever, being totally overwhelmed by TV Guide listings, Letterman, weird commercial breaks, prescription drugs, the English, Fifish Finkle, Picket Fences, Joan Collins, Hawk, PBS Mystery, Prime Suspect, Father Ted, AbFab, Roseanne, Cheer, High School, The Avengers, Emma Peele, Taxi, The Prisoner, swears on American TV, NYPD Blue, Comedy Central, Soap, Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore, Man in the Moon, Andy Kaufman, The Simpsons, Friends, The Wonder Years, Full House, visiting weird American states, Ballykissangel, sexy priests, Win Ben Stein's Money, the late 90s gameshow boom, Baywatch, how prime time US shows

November 3-9, 1973 This week Ken welcomes antiques expert, and fellow TV kid, The Antique Noman himself, George Higby to the show. Ken and George discuss George's YouTube Channel, referencing the stuff on sets, moving around a lot as a kid, living in Cleveland when this TV Guide came out, Washington State, Raytheon TVs, looking for the thing that's the same, being a car and sports guy, Philco, Cigarettes, concept cars, trying to reverse engineer a color TV for free, shared experience, Emergency!, how weird it was that shows not for kids were merchandised to kids, All in the Family, M*A*S*H, topical TV, sad TV shows, the odd cultural moment of the early 1970s, Norman Lear, how the 1970s may have been more progressive, niches, The Committee Against the Public Authority of Maine, antiquing in New England, Time Tunnel, corded TV remotes, Newport Jazz Fest, Lucy, Get Smart! in Spanish, variety shows, Antiques: Make the Most out of Your Hobby with NOT George Michael, the early days of Antique collecting, nostalgia,

August 5-11, 1978 This week Ken welcomes The Horror Timelines guy himself, author, YouTuber and fellow horror fan Josh Spiegel. Ken and Josh discuss LA heat, cats, dogs afraid of flies, growing up in Pittsburgh, working at The Monroeville Mall, George Romero, Horror Conventions, Dawn of the Dead, being born in the 1930s, being older than you look, The Jeffersons, the weird English neighbor, cable, non-24 hour HBO, movie rentals, Full Moon Features, TV Violence, when computers take over, cigarettes, cufflinks, The Bionic Woman, The Eighties Project, The Archie Situation Comedy Musical Variety Show, Moose, drugs that totally are not weight loss drugs that are weight loss drugs, Diff'rent Strokes, M*A*S*H, how the Korean War stood in for the Vietnam War, Vietnam vets on TV, why 9/11 doesn't show up in fiction, Charlotte's Web, Jack Albertson, Poor Devil, Sammy Davis Jr. Christopher Lee, needing something light hearted and dumb, Three's Company, Super Hero Disco, proto-Firestar, comic books, Santa Monica's "Littl

March 24-30, 1979 This week Ken welcomes writer, podcaster, and lover of all things Mego, the man behind Plaid Stallions, Brian Heiler to the show. Ken and Brian discuss Canada, how long Ken has been following Brian's work, memorizing TV Guide as a kid, being the TV Oracle, late night horror and monster movies, Crestwood books, V, tourist traps, Hollywood Museum, Slim Goodbody, Mr. Rourke as devil or angel, Fantasy Island, toothless Animal House TV rip offs, fountain pens, how small pop culture used to be, being a smoker, Canada vs US buying cigarettes, loving cigarette machines even though you don't smoke, The Frozen Dead, The Last Man on Earth, Dracula '79, Cliff Hangers, Track and Field for women by Colgate, disco, Forever Night, Silk Stalkings, Steve Guttenberg, Merv Griffin, movie parodies, George Kennedy toys, Computer Dating, Rack Toys, Bruce Villanch's song writing career, Herve Valechez, Wendy Schaal, Susan Tyrell, Pyschotronic Films, Charlton Heston, marketing cases, Aydes weight loss product, made

  November 9-15, 1985 This week Ken welcomes comedian, and haver of a new album called "Gettin' By", Liz Barrett to the show. Liz and Ken discuss the backroom of comedy clubs, CT, the invention of the hamburger, growing up in a Military Family, German Military Bases, having a much  younger sibling, 13 year olds, Lady Di, iconic sweaters, loveless royal marriages, Boy George, Ken's sister (RIP)'s Make a Wish, ferrets, fancy TV Guides, the greatness of Peter Scolari, 1985 SNL, NBC Saturdays, sensitive human portrayals of people with AIDS, Martin Sheen, creepy dolls, We Are the World, North and South, 227, Fred Dryer, noticing the intentional humor in things later in life, Touch of Class, sophistication, full page ads for Soap Operas, Lifetime, Dwarves, Dance of the Dwarves, Diane Cannon in a face based WWII drama Jenny's War, crushing on Hal Holbrook, Defiance with Jan Michael Vincent, vagueness, Kenny Rogers' acting career, when you "need the money", freeloaders in Boston, The Insiders, Hell Town, St. Elsewher

December 26, 1992 This week Ken welcomes old friend, now NYC based comedian Greg Johnson. Ken and Greg discuss 20 years ago, Comedy Doyles, Kenny Z, Ken's first time doing stand up in Massachusetts, Eugene Mirman, Tim McIntire's Thursday Night Fights at The Comedy Studio, growing up in Wellesley, white suburban towns, being a notable alum from your town's High School, Greg's album Greg Johnson 1, how Mass and NY really aren't all that different, listening to episodes from ten years ago, Danny Tamberelli, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, getting to meet your heroes, Cheers, how Ken books guests, TV stars who should have been movie stars, Angela Lansbury, Madonna: Just a Peeler, clean and dirty covers, The Real World, Barney the Dinosaur, 1992, how football is a stupid fun waste of time, how the love of True Crime isn't new, Amy Fischer the Long Island Lolita, Ryder Strong, favorite VJs, the mystery of John Norris, SNICK, Roundhouse, In Living Color, The Simpsons, Sexy Dana Carvey, Chris Rock, live TV fights, i

This week Ken welcomes the incredible actor, singer and all around impressive human being (despite famously playing an alien) Jane Badler (follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/janebadlerworld/) Ken and Jane discuss Australia, always being a New Yorker despite living in Australia for over 30 years, the changing nature of accents, botanical gardens, the ever traveling American, moving from Long Island to New Hampshire at 15, Mission Impossible, the 1988 writer's strike, working with classic actors, working with Kim Novak, Falcon Crest, working on Soaps, Angela Lansbury, Murder She Wrote, the divide between TV and movie actors, The Doctors with Alec Baldwin, Neighbors, Margot Robbie, doing comedy, V: The Series, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Ken Johnson, fascism, playing it straight, allegory, The Twilight Zone, Argentina, having more of an impact than you can anticipate, V toys, Barbie, going into the city, being shy growing up in Great Neck Long Island, coming out of your shell in New Hampsh

July 7-13, 1973 EPISODE 600! By popular demand! He's BACK! This week Ken welcomes wrestler and fellow TV weirdo, RJ City. Ken and RJ discuss RJ being disappointed with Ken's year end review endorsement of his last appearance, neurosis, people giving RJ TV Guides, RJ getting the wrong date for the recording and being excited, pop culture dog whistles, Dick Cavett, Mason Reese, "The Beige Age", the Caldor Brown Rainbow, Orson Wells, made up stories, when SCTV gets mean, Spielberg, local TV Guide variation, Children's cigarettes, great moments in television, how weird it is to have a glass of anything beside your bed, where did dentures go?, Dom DeLuise, sheet music, singing your own favorite songs, the mystery of the Ginger Bread House, wasting food, why Jaqueline Suzanne can go f*ck herself, how Twitter is today's TV Guide, video editing, Sabrina the Teenage Witch the cartoon, Scooby Doo's weird guest stars, Don Knotts and concrete, Rich Little, serious actors who shouldn't be, the final iteration of the Frank

January 23-29, 1993 This week Ken welcomes original Real World reality TV star, true story teller and country music man Jon Brennan to the show. Ken and Jon discuss fancy studio equipment, The Real World LA, being 18, the origin of Road Rules, not going back and watching old video of yourself, calling Irene Mom, people in their 20s feeling like old people, the death of Andre the Giant, WWF, watching The Real World while you're ON the Real World, MTV removing your television, the origins of "true stor-ay", Jon's new single True Story, when WWF went R Rated, loving NWA wresting, Rick Flair, Sting, Dusty Roads, meeting celebrity fans of The Real World, Garth Brooks, The Miz, Will Smith, Amy Grant, when Christians go pop, men's jeans, Rescue 911, being on Celebrity Death Match, Beavis and Butthead, having your Celebrity Death Match puppet, The Hat Squad, mid season replacements, Parents Just Don't Understand, Chris Rock vs Will Smith, kids who don't know what life was like before smart phones, streaming, Napster,

  July 7-13, 1979 This week Ken welcomes former adult actress, Howard Stern Show Hall of Famer, world's greatest Assistant movie theater manager and all around gem of a human Tabitha Stevens to the show. Ken and Tabitha discuss end of the world heat waves, Death Valley, Las Vegas, moving from Long Island NY to Las Vegas as a teenager, dressing up to go into New York for culture, Barney Miller, having a great disdain of cigarettes, tanning booths, skin cancer, bleach, frosted tips, heavy Long Island accents, being scared of New Yorkers, being bullied, Vegas Showgirls, The Brady Bunch, having your fan mail accidentally send to Erin "Tabitha from Bewitched" Murphy, Tabitha Soren, The Rainbow Room, the Sunset Strip, pagers, booking everything yourself, having a work ethic,  why the adult business moves technology forward and will always be economy and technological innovation proof, having your bank account seized, Utah, owning and living in a historic hotel, bring art to the masses, art photography, the difficul

  April 3-9, 2006 This week Ken welcomes musician, comedian and brains behind the new Off-Broadway Show "The Writing on the Stall" (playing NOW in NYC, every weekend in September) Caitlin Cook to the show. Ken and Caitlin discuss Ken's rude dogs, surprising Ken, post 2000 media, Ken learning things, strict TV watching rules as a kid, being in love with what you can't have, being reference-less as a kid, being too old for Lizzie McGuire, growing up in Los Angeles, being the child of a choreographer, being acutely aware of pop culture in LA, going to the movies, pop music, tv themes, Caitlin's grandfather's invention of the Wah Pedal, Charmed, how some work is for the love and some is for the money, cute murder, SVU, Law and Order, pregnant Mariska Hargitey, Jeremy Piven's forgotten travel show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Punk'd, reality TV, America's Next Top Model, Tyra Banks' house, living in the UK, UK remakes of US shows, US remakes of UK shows, getting a degree in Aquatic Archeology, comedy songs, do

November 16-22, 1985 This week Ken welcomes former NBC Page, game show royalty, and writer of the new memoir "My Peacock Tale", the great Shelley Herman. Ken and Shelley discuss North Hollywood, Allee Willis, growing up in Calabasas, ideal childhoods, The Tonight Show, Johnny Carson's son, going to tapings of The Midnight Special, working at Sears, seeing Elvis in Vegas as a teenager, the unique role NBC Pages played, being mistaken as Erik Estrada's girlfriend, forced police uniform wearing, drunken celebrities, SNL, watching the East Coast feed, Gilda, the NY and LA TV production differences, The Not Ready for Prime Time Players, The Dating Game, chaperones, serial killers, Susan Elliot, stand up comedy, Off the Wall, replacing people in a syndicated package, reunions of shows nobody watched, sketch comedy, Mac and Jamie, voice over, The Colbys, movie stars on TV, meeting Charlton Heston, tall people, NBC tours, Vincent Price, Richard Pryor's variety show, putting attractive people up front, dealing with th