TV Guidance Counselor Podcast
Ken Reid and his guests explore the tough television watching decisions of our past.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 392: Tony Thaxton
01/20/2020
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 392: Tony Thaxton
September 2-8, 1989 This week Ken welcomes rockstar (Motion City Soundtrack), podcaster (Bizarre Albums) and Alison Rosen's boardman, Tony Thaxton to the show. Ken and Tony discuss backstage life, meeting celebs, free drinks, Carrot Top, Trent Reznor's amazement at skateboarding, Indiana, living in a weird part of Michigan, living on a time machine, Bears and Cubs, ALF, Harry Caray vs. Johnny Most, Saturday Morning Preview Specials, the Yummy Awards, singles, Gummi Bears, Masterpiece Theater 3000, Austin City Limits, Gattlin Bros, cover bands, Nintendo, Empty Nest, confusing Dear John, the theme to It's Gary Shandling's Show, theme song Karaoke, Perfect Strangers, Misfits of Science, having older sisters, My Two Dads, the Jerry Lewis telethon, contests to name things, The Hogan Family, "The Party" from the Mickey Mouse Club, unsold pilots with Ricki Lake, satellite dishes, above ground pools aka AGPs, Who's the Boss?, Rescue 911, Wonder Years, the MTV video music awards, Growing Pains, Michael Damien and Prince, loving the Beatles, The Cosby Show, A Different World, Cheers, Book signings, The Equalizer, why Ken feels good about himself for the first time in two years, Just the Ten of Us, Death of a Salesman, movie reviews, and a Jeer heavy week.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 391: Allee Willis Tribute
01/13/2020
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 391: Allee Willis Tribute
Ken revisits a 2016 talk he had with the great Allee Willis who sadly passed away on Christmas Eve 2019. Ken and Allee discuss The Color Purple on Broadway, hating theater, swearing, having a TV in every room on every wall, growing up in Detroit, TV as a babysitter, a diet of candy, the sophistication of Health Bars, CHiPs, Erik Estrada's tight beige uniform, disco scores, writing songs for Earth Wind and Fire, Wonder Woman's disco devil, American Bandstand, Soul Train, Hullabaloo, Shin Dig, the invention of the teenager, cutting edge Variety, The Smothers Brothers, Laugh In, counter culture, Columbia Records, falling in love with Los Angeles, Freaks and Geeks, falling in love with cable news, Car Chases, 30,000 hours of footage, Just Say Julie, Allee's amazing wonderful house of treasures, rooftop drums, The Breakfast Club, being a music video production designer, The Cars "You Might Think", Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here No More", painting, combining music with art, writing "I'll Be There For You" the theme from Friends, returning the AFI Women's Directing Award in 1991, Kevin Bright, hating the Memphis school's bastardization of mid-century modern, storage spaces filled with treasure, Storage Wars, Sid & Marty Kroft, HR Puffnstuff, Electrawoman and Dynagirl, collecting lunch boxes, Greatest American Hero, the loss of the theme song, R&B, "Friends" at sporting events, a sea lion's love of "Boogie Wonderland", the wonders of the internet, Vice TV, enjoying The Principal's Office, hating foreign real housewives, and having a brand identity.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 390: Jo Bozarth and April Bowlby
01/06/2020
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 390: Jo Bozarth and April Bowlby
October 19-25, 1985 This week Ken welcomes the hosts of the 75Reads Podcast, Jo Bozarth and April Bowlby. Ken, Jo and April discuss jacuzzin', Ken's bad jokes, growing up in California, no bedtimes, screen time, The Furchester Hotel, Star Track star makers, Hollywood, Universal Studios, The Best of Times, Robin Williams, Mork, Taxi, the dark 70s, the perfection of the 1980s, dating baseball players and musicians, loving Niles, fat camp, pregnancy on TV, Cheers, Ted Danson, Golden Girls, Facts of Life, Backdoor pilots, roommates later in life, spin-offs, The Tortellis, 227, Designing Women, how kids hate being tricked, Hunks, beefcake Calendars, Glim Glim, Monsters, Tales from the Darkside, The Twilight Zone, the cotton candy defense, murder, The Brady Bunch, Three's Company, The Regal Beagle, filming locations, visiting the A-Team van by accident, Barney Miller, Night Court, After School Specials, having a fake baby in school, egg babies, Erin Grey, Wait Til Your Father Gets Home, Nick at Nite, Patty Duke, Valley of the Dolls, Dragnet, Westerns, loving basketball, Gidget, Back to the Beach, Kate & Allie, Cagney and Lacey, the Lakers, boxing, Red Vines vs Twizzlers, Alec Baldwin TV movies, bad kissing, the Red Sox blowing it, TV series based on movies, the mystery of Hunk Block, Pat Sajak, Mr. Belvedere, and the wonder of Judith Light.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 389: Lucia Fasano
12/30/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 389: Lucia Fasano
June 10-16, 2000 This week Ken welcomes actor, comedian and musician Lucia Fasano to the show. Ken and Lucia discuss the Manson Murders, knives, OJ, monsters, Monster Kids, masks, Butch Patrick, Sid and Marty Kroft, Shirley Temple, Kid actors, watching TV with your family, growing up in the industry, The Simpsons, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney, Rugrats, Children's Shows, autograph conventions, respecting your elders, Hollywood creeps, not being impressed by normal kid things, designing Halloween decorations for target that then cameo on adult videos, Brendan Cruz, Ben Stiller, Brimstone, 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, A to Z, shows that never make it to the end, SNICK, All That, being disappointed by creeps, The Weakest Link, Who Wants to be a Millionare?, pretending to be Regis, Buffy, The X-Files, Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants, Succession, accents, Kratt Brothers vs. Property Brothers, New York accents, Chariots of the Gods, Roswell, alien autopsy, History Channel, Highway to Heaven, loving James Marsters, being terrified of sea monsters, Jennifer Love Hewitt's "Let's Go Bang", The Flintstones, Fruity Pebbles, snow days, 90 Day Fiance, and appreciating Friends.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 388: 2019 Year End Year in Review
12/23/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 388: 2019 Year End Year in Review
Ken goes solo on this Year End Round up of 2019 including guests, behind the scenes, what's been going on in Ken's life and New (I know right??!) shows he watched and enjoyed this year.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 387: Felicia Michaels
12/15/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 387: Felicia Michaels
December 29, 1979 - January 4, 1980 Today Ken welcomes fellow comedian Felicia Michaels to the show. Ken and Felicia discuss B.Y.O.W., Burbank, The Liar's Club, people's nerves, Charlie's Angels, fashion photography, OJ Simpson, Encyclopedias, growing up in Germany, missing cultural TV references of the 50s-70s, the Farrah poster, the hair, Mustangs, being a Kate Jackson, innovative technology, answering machines, car phones, Triads, working at a strip club, Sam Kinison, videophones, Sony Watchmen, Blade Runner, Y2K, Grizzly Adams, growing up in Colorado, collecting lunch boxes, The Monkees, Magnum PI, Hee Haw, stand up on TV, Star Search Wet T-Shirt contests, lace fingerless gloves, 80s comics on cocaine, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Barney Miller, Disney Sunday Night/Wonderful World of Disney, marine biology, dolphines, horseshoe crabs, Goldie and the Boxer, multi-show crossovers, Mork and Mindy, Blanford's Beauties, Happy Days, bringing things back on ice, seeing Robby Benson, being an extra, Fever Pitch, Dune Buggies, head shops, smoking pot, SNL, popcorn, Rocky Horror, Drive-Ins, and what to watch on New Year's Eve
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 386: Anita Flores
12/08/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 386: Anita Flores
May 7-13, 1994 This week Ken welcomes fellow comedian and podcast host (I'm Listening: A Frasier Fan Podcast) Anita Flores. Ken and Anita discuss being live via satellite, The Stand, Sweeps Week, Rob Lowe's sex tape, play a deaf mute, GrapeVine, Mrs. Fields, Michael Chiklis, being programmed to, The Mommies, Mother's Day, classic TV Moms, Ken and Anita running Peacock and becoming very rich, ice skating, geeking out over celebrities, Nurses, Loni Anderson, Adam West, Nancy Kerrigan, Colbert, crying in public, the upfronts, not growing up with cable, Dollman Vs. Demonic Toys, Married...with Children in 3D, dysfunctional families, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Bob's Burgers, Rip Torn, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Diagnosis Murder, Robin Leach, Tales from the Crypt, Dateline, fear of Ecstasy, To Catch a Predator, Melrose Place, Seinfeld, Pluto TV, The Boston Strangler, serial Killers, Must See TV, Frasier, Revenge of the Nerds IV: Nerds in Love, Smell-o-Vision, Garth Brooks, David Copperfield, Helen Hunt, Trancers, Jack Deth, magicians and models, going to Heaven and meeting god, and Jeering AND Cheering Andy Rooney at the same time.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 385: Sovereign Syre
12/01/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 385: Sovereign Syre
This week Ken welcomes fellow comedian and podcaster Sovereign Syre to the show. Ken and Sovereign discuss having issues, SoapNet, shameful teenage love of Soap Operas, gameshows, talk shows, evening news, Generation X, growing up digital, stumble upon culture, The X-Files, missing Friends, Too Close for Comfort, Star Trek The Next Generation, conspiracy theories, Mad TV, Fox as the working class network, mainstream society catching up with how sex bomb Gillian Anderson is, being very very horribly old, Heavy Metal Magazine, sci-fi, Beverly Hills 90210, the trouble with True Crime, procedurals, the danger of people you know, medical problems, and anxious society, worst case scenarios, Drag, GLOW, Maron, biopics, period pieces, unnecessary boning in media, underdogs, fashion shows, the appeal of confidence, dealing with depression, Manhunter, Chris Elliot, the freeing nature of nihilism, how outfits affect your mood, murder, rebooting Murder She Wrote, why Living Single only works in the 90s (in a good way), Stranger Things, how technology is the new monster, wrestling with identity, trying to reverse engineer a handbook for life, being ok with being alone and independent, retreating to a place with simpler definitions, the beauty of restoration shows and Bronson Pinchot's love of Greek revival architecture.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 384: Jane Seymour
11/25/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 384: Jane Seymour
SURPRISE! It's a Holiday bonus episode of TV Guidance Counselor. This week enjoy an hour of content packed into 30 dense minutes as Ken welcomes start of stage and screen Jane Seymour to the show. Ken and Jane discuss being a TV actor vs a movie actor, James Bond, East of Eden, Winning Golden Globes, Battle of the Network Stars, Steven Spielberg, Captains and the Kings, McCloud, Robert Conrad's fury, ballet, Kurt Russell's Tug-o-War injuries, Battlestar Gallactica, It's a Knock Out, avoiding a series, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Lorne Greene, Amadeus, Emmy nominations, Time After Time, winning despite everything, Oh Heavenly Dog!, Head Office, period pieces, being a character actor, Lawrence Olivier, studying acting, the importance of hair, playing a real historical figure, guesting starring as a version of yourself on The Nanny, Morphine Woman, Funny or Die, Jimmy Kimmel, living a well rounded life, writing, painting, the connection with Open Hearts, and living a kind, purposeful life.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 383: Paul Michael Glaser
11/23/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 383: Paul Michael Glaser
This week Ken welcomes actor, director, poet, author and painter Paul Michael Glaser to the show. Ken and PMG discuss getting lost in L.A., going to grad school, avoiding Vietnam, Boston Winters, doing theater in New York, tending bar, the CBS Milk Barn, under fives, Fiddler on the Roof, "Death at an Early Age", 1968, Charley, The Night James Brown Saved Boston, the union problem, Miami Vice, Starsky and Hutch, Running Man, Amazons, made for TV movies, playing Houdini, almost drowning in the water torture chamber, playing historical figures, the massive fame that came with a hit network TV show in the 1970s, Tevia, doing art for you, how boring film sets can be, re working stunt scenes, the nature of stories, shock humor, stand up comedy, social media, robbing society of our interpersonal skills, the book "Perfume", Band of the Hand, Richard Dawson, The Cutting Edge, casting Moira Kelly, painting, writing poetry, trying to get back to oneness, Kazaam!, working Shaq, consciousness, trying to find an understanding of why we're here, The Edge of Wimsey, and the power of contradiction.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 382: Nancy Valen
11/18/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 382: Nancy Valen
December 2-8, 1978 This week Ken welcomes producer/actor Nancy Valen (Heavenly Kid, Hull High, Baywatch) to the show. Ken and Nancy discuss Ken's great creative idea, being a latchkey kid, learning from television, growing up in NYC, moving to Florida, Queens, Sesame St, Mr. Rogers, culture shock, Miami Vice, Heavenly Kid, Loverboy, SOAP, Richard Mulligan, Fonzie, being able to suppress being starstruck, Ryan's Hope, Garth Brooks, being on Jay Leno, TV Land, Farrah Fawcett, Dick Van Patten,Windmill Entertainment, Black Scorpion, Baywatch, Tim Van Patten, directing, Hull High, musicals, Riverdale, Welcome Back Kotter, Cheers, Rhoda, Good Times, Love Boat, All in the Family, Brandon Tartikoff, Little House on the Prairie, The White Shadow, Made for TV movies, Cindy Williams in Suddenly Love, divorce, Lou Grant, Newhart, video vs. film, to binge or not to binge, Knotts Landing, Dallas, storytelling, Q*Bert, Space Invaders, being obsessive, Three's Company, Taxi, John Ritter, The Jetsons, living in the future, Bing, Charlie's Angels, transcending your time, Friends, The Valentine's Day episode, Saved by the Bell, Kathy Ireland, Variety Shows, The Brady Kids, Barney Miller, checking in on Abe Vigoda, HBO's quality television, committing to a show, and using your connections to binge 24.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 381: Russ Woody
11/11/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 381: Russ Woody
Today Ken welcomes TV veteran and author of the new book "Tuesdays with Ted", Russ Woody. Ken and Russ discuss Burbank, wildfires, worshiping television, Ted Danson, Becker, Cheers, seeing the top of your head, Dick Van Dyke, Working at MTM, Newhart, St. Elsewhere, comedy vs. drama, Barney Miller, multi-cam sitcoms, how hard it is to tell a story in 19 minutes, bad people on TV, Cybill, Roseanne, Cosby, insane stand up comedians, how remarkable it is that anything good ever gets made in Hollywood, Green Acres, Tom Poston, Absolutely Fabulous, The Royle Family, US remakes of UK shows, network censors, Jacob's Ladder, Norsemen, Liam Neeson's improv, Toast of London, working in a writers' room, navigating personalities, Dabney Coleman, Slap Maxwell Story, winning people over, living with depression and anxiety, empathy, perspectives, the solitary nature of writing, Murphy Brown, being perfect like an orange, Jay Tarses, mentors, George Clooney, sticking up for people because you can, treating people right, cost benefit analysis, Ken's respect for Bonnie Hunt and a P.A. who's never had a tomato.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 380: Margaret H. Willison
11/04/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 380: Margaret H. Willison
September 7-13, 1991 Today Ken welcomes librarian, podcaster and best all around Margaret H. Willison. Ken and Margaret discuss shortened versions of your name, feminine flowers, post it notes, ribbons, splitting the bill, The Appointment Television podcast, Northern Exposure, Homicide Life on the Street, Highlander the Series, Twin Peaks, The New Leave it to Beaver, Murder, Murder She Wrote, Permeable vs. Impermeable, Amateur vs. professional, Bringing Up Baby, Who's that Girl?, screwball comedies, Totally Hidden Video, being a family of nerds, Larry's thievery, classic radio, model train people, pretending to be somebody else, alter egos, Spaulding Grey, Herman's Head, Avonlea, Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Judy Bloom vs. Beverly Cleary, being a Private Eye, focus groups, Colombo, The Charles Stuart Murder case, Rescue 9-11, the late Mayor Menino, sidescrapers, cults stealing babies, The Last Prostitute, Night Court, Quantum Leap, The Simpsons, pop culture blind spots, The Office, Poirot, being accused of thievery, why Ken is a monster, Ferngully, yuppie aspirations, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, The Ultimate Challenge, and the Legend of Spanky Spangler.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 379: Halloween Special 2019
10/28/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 379: Halloween Special 2019
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It's a super sized 2019 Halloween Special. This year Ken welcomes back Lamont Price, Sam Furst (Monsters are Good) and Rachel Reid to the show. We watch the first three Halloween episodes of Roseanne (Season 2, 3 and 4) and discuss it and all things Halloween.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 378: Ethan Marsh
10/21/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 378: Ethan Marsh
April 23-29, 1994 This week Ken welcomes comedian Ethan Marsh to the show. Ken and Ethan discuss swingers, Jason Alexander's commercial work, John Candy's death, George Wendt in "Hostage for a Day", what Tammy Faye Baker watches, talk shows, getting your pet spayed or neutered, having a lawyer father, growing up in rural New Hampshire, SNICK, Clarissa Explains it All, Roundhouse, Ren & Stimpy, Dunkaroos, Malcolm X, The Fresh Air Program, Dick Sweat, the power of truck liners, Dollar Bill's, The Mommies, tub time, Judge Shows, The Movie Loft, TV38, pre-ordering Honey I Shrunk the Kids on VHS using identity fraud, teenie weenies, MTV Unplugged, Living Single, Grace Under Fire, Mario Van Peebles, Lifetime comedy specials Dana Gould appeared on but doesn't remember, Blaxploitation, Pam Grier, Ed McMahon is EVERYWHERE, The Fresh Prince, ken getting fired from Newbury Comics, modern country, getting outside your comfort bubble, solving problems, gun violence, simulcasts, Zach Galifinakis on late night TV, Beverly Hills 90210, The B.A.G. and his rap career, Home Improvement, cool teachers, Sons of Anarchy, TGIF, Boy Meets World, and repackaging history however you want.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 377: Michael Grasso
10/13/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 377: Michael Grasso
November 12-18, 1983 This week Ken welcomes writer/editor Michael Grasso (We Are the Mutants/Hold My Order podcast) to the show. Ken and Michael discuss Mr. Big's Toyland, Waltham, MA, The Outer Limits, large Italian families, Hi/Low Brow, decades starting on the 3s, The Beige Age, Candlepin Bowling, commercial jingles, syndication laws, Reagan, MTM, issue sitcoms, The 1996 Telecommunications Act, distribution, gate keepers, how easy it is to find TV Guides, We Got It Maid, first run syndication, Punky Brewster, Too Close for Comfort, Three's Company, MTV, Choose or Lose, Ed Hunt, Roswell, In Search Of..., DB Cooper, The British Ministry of Precognition, Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World, Fawlty Towers, TV38, The Deer Hunter, The Movie Loft, Solid Gold, broken spines, Vietnam, Fantasy Island, Planet of the Apes, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Dancin' to the Hits, WKRP, Chiefs, movie events, Throb, TV68, V66, Rollerball, dystopian futures, when Bill O'Reily worked in Boston, Tom Bergeron, People are Talking, Haverhill is Riverdale, This Old House, Geraldo, Al Capone's Vault, Night Flight, Atomic Cafe,zombies, Ghostbusters, Threads, and how we were all damaged by The Day After.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 376: Rich Wentworth
10/07/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 376: Rich Wentworth
June 12-18, 1978 This week Ken welcomes artist, podcaster, and all around cool dude Rich Wentworth to the show. Ken and Rich discuss voice over, Boston family acts, obnoxious brothers, pupcorn, hut dogs, what hugs, UFOs, Project UFO, Malden MA, The Abandoned Ruderman's Furniture Flea Market, Supah Rahre, Lament Configuration, lighters & video games, thrifting, hot plastic comic book bags, gluing on applications, old man Rob Reiner, obscure live action Disney films, Bionic Woman, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Circus of the Stars, Little Seen Canadian Teen Girlfriends, Lou Rawls on Ice, Thanksgiving episodes, Little House on the Prairie, servitude, The Brady Bunch, Leaves + Crayons + Wax Paper = Art, Cheerwine, Salem's Lot, David Soul, Return to Salem's Lot, Sam Fueller, Laserblast, Deadly Weapon, Lemora, Hunt's Photo & Video, Tobe Hooper's Fun House, Budman, parents smoking pot, Three's Company, Buck Rogers, Barney Miller, Oral Roberts, Grease Day, Drake's Cakes vs. Little Debbie vs. Hostess, Street Trash, TV Guidance Counselor Bingo, Hulk Out List, Percey Rodriguez Excel spreadsheets, and Jeering the Plague Dogs.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 375: Dr. Janet Painter
09/30/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 375: Dr. Janet Painter
April 11-17, 1987 This week Ken welcomes Dr. Janet Painter to the show. Ken and Dr. Janet discuss the North Shore/South Shore rift, bad drivers, Carol Burnett meeting Alton Brown, Mr. Wizard, Science, Sci-Fi, having your brother advocate for you to watch Little House, living in the 18th Century, pre-electricity, ancient recording devices, patents, ghosts, theremins, science trial and error, old car phones, building your own Telervisor, Hiding Out, The Big Dig, 21 Jump St vs. Silver Spoons, Sesame St., getting historical fiction wrong, teen crushes, The Muppets, Ricky Shroeder, child actors, being Bewitched three times a day, Watcher in the Woods, collecting for your paper route, recording your own voice, My First Sony, Brewster's Millions, Ann of Green Gables, The Peanut Butter Solution, The Last Starfighter, Rags to Riches, Baby Jessica, Dawn French, Ab Fab, black and white, Night of the Living Dead, KidCo., Scotty Schwartz, the Summer of Courtney Thorne-Smith, Cybill Sheperd Moonlight and Seducing you at the same time, Max Headroom, and the power of Andy Williams and the NBC Kids combined abilities.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 374: Kimberly King Parsons
09/21/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 374: Kimberly King Parsons
November 13-19, 1993 This week Ken welcomes author of the new short story collection "Black Light", the amazing Kimberly King Parsons. Ken and Kimberly discuss Cambridge Air BnBs, early bed times, the dick in the Fly, when your parents want to be alone, Skinemax, Real Sex, HBO, Taxi Cab Confessions, MTV's Sex in the 90s, Dream On, Llamas vs. Boobs, Playboy vs. Playgirl, psychedelics, when Hillary Clinton met Big Bird, Judy Bloom, Ecco The Dolphin, Mariah Carey, SNICK, babysitters, the wonder of watching TV in your parents' room, being a snoop, Debbie Does Dallas, breaking things, bodies, David Cronenberg, dread, shocks, horror, when plot doesn't matter, character, Columbo, Murder She Wrote, The X-Files, America's Most Wanted, Unsolved Mysteries, Punky Brewster's Very Special Episodes, Mr. Bicycle Man, Alan: World's Biggest Jerk, Glomer, Mork and Mindy, MTV's Week in Rock, Kurt Loder, 120 Minutes, Nine Inch Nails, My So-Called Life, the pressure of being an only child, Full House, Roseanne, Grace Under Fire, True Crime, how all dudes are garbage, doing the best you can, intuition, the nature of touch, Twin Peaks, good writing vs bad writing, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills 90210, hoopsters, Date Rape, David Bowie, The Hunger, Bauhaus, Halloween costumes, Near Dark, the wonders of being the chosen, Sinbad, Seinfeld, molten lava Kraft singles, Family Matters, Boys Meets World, how taboo makes things appealing, and how having tons of kids will (not) cure anxiety.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 373: John Hodgman 3-D
09/15/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 373: John Hodgman 3-D
John Hodgman is back for a third time! This week on TV Guidance Counselor Ken welcomes back noted mustache creep and author of the new book "Medallion Status", Mr. John Hodgman. Ken and John discuss the insanity of Marriott Hotel naming conventions, hotel security, The Boston/TD Garden, The Leonard Zakim Bridge vs. The Bunker Hill Bridge, racism, The Doughboys Podcast, Pizzeria Regina vs. Regina Pizzeria, horny parsley, accents, adding "r" to words without them, gorging as a job, throwing tennis balls, Medallion Status, the nature of fame, televised team sports, bowling, ruining the day of people in like, just really liking rice balls, busting rice balls, trying meatballs, Downeast Dickerers, fucking blueberry pies, Ken's lack of understanding of liquor stores, Tony Bennett, reality TV, The Property Brothers, Restored, Brett Waterman, White Privilege, gripe culture, working class complaints, resentment, fleshy balloons, Frequent Flyer Miles, status, First Class, bathroom reading, pick pockets, hiding money in your shoe, death taxes, not earning things, free stuff, the right now vs the long game, how fame changes you, how fame and infamy are the same thing now, car fluids, the Acela train, Mad Dad Sudes, and famous Corgies of Instagram.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 372: Sharon Marcus
09/09/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 372: Sharon Marcus
June 9-15, 1973 This week Ken welcomes professor and author of the book The Drama of Celebrity Sharon Marcus. Ken and Sharon discuss how TV Guides can summon up memories of hot New York Summers, Queens, staying up late and watching old movies, classic movie theaters in New York, seeing old movies at your local library, sparking an interest in research and academia, The Hollywood system, Bette Davis, the creation of celebrity, how not smiling is fascinating, Liz Taylor, the thrill of the hunt, stumble on culture, Sarah Bernhardt, the 19th Century in theater, being social through live performances, Ina Claire, the transition into talkies, Lillian Gish, Bela Lugosi, traveling shows, New York as the Center of the Universe, Astoria, Wonderama, the craze of theater scrapbooks, the mass press, cheap photographic reproduction, the negative connotation of celebrity, how now isn't worse, the loss of common references, fads, overalls, Maude, All in the Family, shared experience, pop culture and social class, TV Guide's editorializing in movie descriptions, Paul Newman, boxing, James Dean, Sadie Thompson, Joan Crawford, the mysterious Channel 31, Watergate, classical music, discovering pop music later in life, reverse engineering sitcom structure, One Day at a Time, dealing with commercials, serializing movies over several days, the Million Dollar movie, the value of anticipation, WPIX, WOR, and the wonders of Columbo. Buy her new book here!: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=drama+of+celebrity&ref=nb_sb_noss Powell’s: https://www.powells.com/book/-9780691177595 Princeton UP: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/13535.html
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 371: Bill McMorrow
09/01/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 371: Bill McMorrow
October 10-16, 1987 This week Ken welcomes Boston comedian and co-host of the new podcast "Two Boys in a Balcony" Mr. Bill McMorrow to the show. Ken and Bill discuss Weymouth, MA, malls, 80s hair metal, Ken's junk, Building 19, giant underpants, the Harborlights Mall, Minor Threat, Prince, David Lee Roth's ALL Spanish album, destroying cars, drinking, Hit Parader, Circus Magazine, Carnival Mirrors, MTV, V66, Australian Toots, Judas Priest, Billy Squire, Nicole Eggert, notes on stage, Craig T. Nelson, E.T., Get a Life, Cabin Boy, Married...with Children, Fox, Martin Mull's History of White People in America, Kraft recopies, South Shore vs. North Shore, Morton Downey Jr, The Dead Zone, Crime Story, Dressed to Kill, how Parent Teacher night can ruin nudity, Soul Man, movies shot in and/or about New England, Cheers, deaths on television series, Night Court, Max Headroom, Charles Rocket, Spies Like Us, how great Vanessa Angel is, Private Eye, The Vietnam War, complaining about the cost of VHS tapes, Beatles reunions and Phil Collins' movie career.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 370: Mike Dorval
08/26/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 370: Mike Dorval
October 24-30, 1987 This week Ken welcomes actor, comedian and all around entertainer Mike Dorval to the show. Ken and Mike discuss unnatural heat waves, Flirting with Disaster, Alan Alda, Albert Brooks vs. Woody Allen, age appropriate leading ladies, Moon Zapa's father's facial hair, defending Louie's shows, the mechanics of separating the art from the artist, ASMR, StarCase, cable, Rhode Island, a cableless existence, vacation viewing, Hardbodies, Loose Screws, 80s T&A Comedies, Revenge of the Nerds, the darkness of The Last American Virgin, Cannon Films, Lemon Popsicle, Amazon Prime, Force Five, Mr. Big's Toyland, Frankenstein Jr., Moonlighting, Laverne and Shirley's California season, Facts of Life, Over Our Heads, "Funusual", backdoor pilots, re-casting Punchline, Spenser for Hire, Celtic Pride, CHUD money, The Hollywood blacklist, how new media is basically re-building cable, 227, the lie of apartments above garages, Our House, Family Ties, cocaine, Werewolf, Ken's love of Traci Lind, Married...with Children, The World Series of Baseball, Alf, Kate & Allie, Newhart, weirdness on TV, Who's the Boss, how a little Mona goes a long way, dragging on with the will they won't they, Growing Pains, How I Got Into College, Phil Hartman, Nora Dunn, Highway to Heaven, John Ritter's undervalued movie career, Robert Mitchum on The Equalizer, St. Elsewhere, Sledgehammer, Night Court, LA Law, Disney DTV Monster Hits, Miami Vice, *batteries not included, The Hollywood Museum, Denitra Vance, Paul Provenza in The Pursuit of Happiness, and Harry Anderson as Circus Folk.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 369: Billy Wayne Davis
08/19/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 369: Billy Wayne Davis
February 14-20, 1981 This week Ken welcomes comedian and find Southern Gentleman Billy Wayne Davis to the show. Ken and Billy Wayne discuss Ken's great stories, donuts, smoking pot, being born late, waterbed sex, Nashville vs. Memphis, poor people, Mystery Train, letting go on the ridiculous pop culture opinions of your youth, being a Dad, being an early reader, having the spark, being the child of teachers, learning vs memorization, putting together a late night set, bikers, patronizing liberalism, racism, trying to take it all with you, skipping the weekend, Valentine's Day with the Mandrell Sisters, black boxes, Dad porn, Real People vs. That's Incredible!, the birth of clinically extreme close ups, and early love of quality comedy, Diff'rent Strokes, Very Special Episodes, Stranger Danger, being fueled by spite, manipulating statistics, coke fueled hedonism, D.A.R.E. officers, John Candy's food repairman sketch on Lorne Michaels The New Show, Laverne and Shirley, The Truth Game, Burt Reynolds hosting SNL, OJ Simpson's "If I Did It", the strange American fascination with Princess Di, earning wealth, Teacher/Student relations, Ronald Reagan, McCarthy blacklists, Davis Rules, the darkness of Jonathan Winters, the mistake directors made with Robin Williams, Randy Quaid, the "bravest people on earth", Buck Rogers, co-eds, the CIA's secret wetworks programs, Night Court, Andy Griffith, Fridays, The Brady Brides, murder at sea, oil rigs and the mediocrity necessary for large scale success.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 368: DJ Hazard
08/12/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 368: DJ Hazard
March 18-24, 1978 This week Ken welcomes old friend and Boston Comedy institution DJ Hazard to the show. Ken and DJ discuss making DJs bucket list obsolete, The Weekly Week, time travel, TV Guide Boys, The Boston Phoenix vs The Real Paper, Heavy Metal magazine, Gun Molls, Omni, Analog, Petticoat Junction, Hooterville, subversion, Green Acres, ASMR brainwashing, Conspiracy Theorists, Spanish, puking, how it's all one tube, Ken's awful early stand up bits, a self guided education through magazines, short stories, Jack Kirby, string theory, allegory, V, Star Trek, Fringe, confusing Lindsay Wagner with Peggy Lipton, PBS, Alex Rocco, Biograph Studios, growing up in The Bronx, Car 54, Where Are You?, Lawrence Welk, Termites, Orson Wells, descriptive tracks for the blind, God's Smuggler, the people that gave you "Head", meeting the Pope, who you are in the dark, Project UFO, Easter, celebrity suicides, dramas spun off from comedy, Lou Grant, Zacherly, Frank Hennoletter's Brain Damage, Jerry Lewis, SCTV, The Babys, John Waite, Penny Marshall, Patrick Wayne, Rustler's Rhapsody, Andy Griffith, Jim Thompson, just acting, Great Performances, Beatles clones, Elliot Gould in Who?, Barney Miller, The Love God, Inspector Luger, The Incredible Hulk, Bill Bixby's magic skills, Sam Jones, Loni Anderson, zombie cover girls, and social life delivery services.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 367: Ariane Sherine
08/05/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 367: Ariane Sherine
June 2-8, 1990 This week Ken talks with writer, comedian and musician Ariane Sherine on his recent trip to London. Ken and Ariane discuss England vs. America, writing for UK sitcoms in the US writer's room style, not being allowed to watch TV as a kid and sneaking, MacGuyver, Baywatch, The Cosby Show, writing on a sugar rush, hating the competition of jokes, Fraiser, UK vs US comedy, Connie Booth's psychotherapy, Fawlty Towers, Friends, The Good Wife, courtroom dramas, being banned on the BBC, atheism, how religious people often wish you death, god shows, death threats, being too old to be President, Ken's dislike of Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbin, trash TV, serial killers, outing nerdo-nazis, arguing all women are gay or bisexual, arousica, Baywatch, educational TV, how fame can make you lose your mind, USA's Saturday Nightmares, Tom Selleck, Season vs. Series, when US prime time action shows become UK kid's shows, the weirdness of Mormons, Stalin, The Wonder Years, music rights, getting expelled from school, befriending Duran Duran, asking members of the public random questions, Prime Minsters' Questions, the UK's history with race, Janet Jackson, Nasty Boys, Oprah's "In the Name of Self Esteem", Screen Wipe, allegory, and the rise and fall of MTV's Real World.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 366: Denver Pop Culture Con 2019 Day 3
08/01/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 366: Denver Pop Culture Con 2019 Day 3
It's BONUS! episode time. Here are two chats Ken had on Day 3 of Denver Pop Culture Con 2019. First up is Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who, Sabrina). Ken and Michelle discuss The Book Group, being surprised that you're funny, working in the trenches of acting, Green Wing, pretending to work in a hospital while you are in a real hospital, how public service jobs can drive you mad, playing Scottish, conjuring an American accent, moral ambiguity, Doctor Who, being The Master, ADR, playing the roles you're cast, Satanic elements, dealing with the Supernatural, being in The Tardis, Scottish snacks, the freedom of horror, Pride Month, Big Finish books, and embracing your well earned success. Next up Ken chats to former guest of the show Jim Beaver (Deadwood, Supernatural). Ken and Jim discuss idjits, have an unending series of goodbye death scenes, Deadwood, Supernatural, ditch digging pranks, taking some time for yourself, writing, The George Reeves Book, why Life is Better When You're Alive, Dr. Pepper, the evolution of Bobby Singer, pranks vs. goofing around on the set of Supernatural, Psych, Longmire, knowing how to get shot, "Balls", re-visiting Laramine Wyoming, getting a phone call from Guillermo Del Toro, how emotional scenes can really drain you, Jim's favorite episode of Supernatural and why it's all about him.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 365: Denver Pop Culture Con 2019 Day 1
08/01/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 365: Denver Pop Culture Con 2019 Day 1
BONUS EPISODE TIME! It's Day 1 of Denver Pop Culture Con 2019. First up Ken talks with voice acting dynamo and all around amazing human being Tara Strong. Ken and Tara discuss relating to Ponies, Teen Titans, Fairly Odd Parents, collaborative jobs, your kids watching your stuff, the voices that are the most difficult on your voice, Melody from The Little Mermaid 2, aside from your personal favorite what your personal favorite is, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Powerpuff Girls, breaking hearts over the phone, Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, Ben 10, Raven, Rick & Morty, the emotion of getting your wings, Drawn Together, making out with Cree Summer, Rugrats, and the sadness of when things end. Next up it is a Back to the Future panel with Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson. Ken, Tom and Christopher discuss Back to the Future, Taxi, being an icon on The Facts of Life, being iconic, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, dealing with the massive success of Back to the Future, Things to do in Denver When You're Dead, playing an unlikable character, improv and comedy, The Civil War, Andersonville, Jack Nicholson, not meetin gyour heroes, performing at Jimmy Stewart's 80th Birthday, being on a "very special" Facts of Life, having Doc Brown's cowboy shirt from Back to the Future Part 3, reshooting scenes, string theory, being in Batman series, what their characters would be doing today, free snacks, Angels in the Outfield vs. Anastasia, Live Aid, getting cast as a bully, getting back into Rev. Jim's head, reshooting your own death scene in Back to the Future, recasting Marty McFly, chemistry, and how Ken isn't funny.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 364: Jake Mattera
07/28/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 364: Jake Mattera
FALL PREVIEW ALERT! September 12-18, 1998 This week Ken welcomes Philly Comedian Jake Mattera to the show. Ken and Jake discuss the longest they've driven for a gig, growing up in Philly, Rohobeth Beach, Rhode Island, comedy festivals, weird regional foods, Coffee Milk, buying weapons in Chinatown, old Jade, swords, Ghostbusters, WWF, USA Network, being assaulted by your sister, TGIF stitches, Karate's Beast from the East, Dawson's Creek, Fantasy Island reboots, Jacinda Barrett, Wind on Water, Martial Law, Kelly Hu, Ken confusing Sammo Hung with Chow Yun Fat, Cupid, The Army Show, The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer, John Diresta in Not King of Queens, when E.R. meets Deep Space Nine, Charmed, being a big Irish Catholic year, when everything was set in Boston, Buddy Farrow, The Net: The Series, COPS, The Brady House, visiting filming locations, Blobfest, ranting about M. Night Shamalan, Neon Maniacs, Midnight Caller, A League of their Own, Le Femme Nikita, Wrestling, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Happy Days, Hogan, Guinness Book of World Records, news bloopers, awful NYC meathead comedy, racist stand up, turning Japanese, Brunch Patrol, being in punk rock bands, Ken's obsession with generic store brand Dr. Pepper rip offs, WaWa, Conan O'Brien, Drew Carey, Jackie Chan, WCW, Kate & Allie, Millennium, Gargoyles, Buger King vs. McDonald's, the best Cheesesteaks in Philly, and getting rich on the backs of the Amish.
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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 363: Jeff MacKinnon
07/22/2019
TV Guidance Counselor Episode 363: Jeff MacKinnon
July 24-30, 1999 This week Ken welcomes comedian, entrepreneur and Woodstock '99 redeemer Jeff MacKinnon to the show. Ken and Jeff discuss Ken's gift shop, trading card Ken Reid, Bradley Cooper's plastic surgery, eyebrows, Ken's fortress, never leaving your house, New Bedford, hippies, CBD oil, The Illuminati at Dallas International Airport, being a sugar kid, addiction, cherry pie, overeating, giving people wedgies as an adult, "shouties", TV Urban Legends, Paul Pfeiffer is not Marilyn Manson, The Newlywed Game "in the butt" incident, Catholic Guilt, naked comedy, The All That Festival, Amanda Bynes, Greg Proops, mental illness, how 1999 was a garbage year for music, Woodstock '94, Kid Rock, MTV, Sha-na-na, The Omega Man, the invention and cycles of nostalgia, The Golden Girls, George Clooney's doodles, teenagers, the invention of rock n roll, evolution, DIY Punk rock culture, The Real World Hawaii, ICP, not getting the joke, why Pulp Comics was Comedy Central's best ever stand up show, The View, how live music performance presentation has changed, the evolution of The Warped Tour, how failure leads to innovation, not pre-ordaining the outcome, being on The Price is Right, Plinko, how Hollywood executives never want to go out on a limb, starting over, finding your creative voice, the world having enough stand up comedians, Set List with Paul Provenza, interactive media, being present in live media, favorite porn stars, sucking dicks, Ally McBeal, The Hundred Greatest Women of Rock n Roll, hatred of I-talians, anti-heroes, maple syrup urine disease, Baby Boom, the new game "Sex, Marry, Adopt", The Original Kings of Comedy and revisiting Home Improvement.
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