Conversations.buzz

This morning on KLIF, Dallas, Dave & Amy talked about a man who has published 97 short novels in nine months using ChatGPT. We're told they're lousy. Everyone is a critic. Still, this new Artificial Intelligence technology is the newest toy to delight users and abusers. Dave & Amy took ChatGPT for a spin.

Chuck Blore was the most celebrated radio programmer and advertising genius in history. Everything he created sang of heartfelt emotion. His daughter, Jessica, was his most beloved creation. In this conversation, Jessy talks lovingly about her life with Daddy and his passing.
Audio and video bonuses, including the Master, himself, talking about his favorite ad. Special thanks to Dan O'Day for sharing his copyrighted video. And to my old friend, Zack Boles, for reading Chuck's words with the honesty they deserve.

Tuesday, April 18, 2023
SPIKE O'DELL is one of the legendary personalities who graced the airwaves of WGN, Chicago when it was simply the best small-town radio station ever to dominate a major metropolitan city. WGN Radio and Spike were rightly branded, "Chicago's own..." and today, nearly 20 years after he retired at the age of 55 he is still beloved in the Windy City and in Davenport, Iowa, the first city he owned by virtue of his remarkable talent. We start this conversation with "Spike at the Mike" at KSTT and conclude with a hilarious collection of bits he performed on WGN. Enjoy!
 

This episode opens with a wonderful recording of BOBBY OCEAN at his dynamic best on San Francisco's iconic Big 610, KFRC. It was 1983, forty years ago and nearly twenty years after the golden age of music radio was forged by Bill Drake and starring legendary deejays Bobby Ocean, The Real Don Steele, Robert W. Morgan, Charlie Van Dyke, and many others. Together these brilliant performers combined their unique individual talents with Drake's "More Music" branding to create the tight, high-energy sound still revered today as Boss Radio.
Now in his seventies, Bobby Ocean is healthy, happy, grateful for his blessings, and in awe of the Universe.  Here, we talk about his Boss Radio days but we also veer off into astrology, metaphysics, and the Zen of billiards.
Don't worry, KHJ fans, we go there, too, with a trip back to 'Osh' in 1977.
-- Dave Williams, March 2023
* ALSO ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@conversations-buzz/featured

"Hear ye, hear ye! Let it be known to all that a wondrous spectacle doth unfold. Lady Penelope, a veritable muse of the arts, shall now regale us with one of her own original sonnets!"
Stage and screen actress Penny Peyser has a fancy for iambic pentameter and has written a book of very funny sonnets. In this episode of Conversations.buzz we begin with Penny as Lady Penelope appearing in one of her wonderful YouTube performances from her book, Sonnets From Suburbia. Then, we talk.

In 1975 I was the program director for RKO Radio's Memphis radio station, WHBQ. I hired a talented, high-energy air personality named SHEILA, who, at the time was one of the few female pioneers into the man's world of top-40 deejays. Now, 47 years later, she is a successful novelist known as SHEILA YORK. https://sheilayork.com/welcome/ I caught up with her, proud of the fact that I had brought her to WHBQ. This episode includes airchecks, actual recordings of Sheila doing her thing on the radio in 1976. - Dave Williams
(Thanks to Rob Grayson for the aircheck!) 

ROBYN FIVUSH, PhD, is the world's leading authority on autobiographical memory and its connection to parent-child conversational practices, gender, and self-identity. Her decades of research have concluded that storytelling, especially among families, is how humans maintain generational development and well-being.

A licensed clinical social worker spent 20 years helping people survive personal traumas; when her son was killed by a friend she suddenly had to help herself and her family. JAMIE WEHMEYER tells her moving and inspirational story.

WARREN ECKSTEIN has spent his life helping people and animals bond and communicate through his unique “Hugs and Kisses” approach to animal behavior, care, and training.
He has hosted a call-in syndicated radio show for forty years, worked with the biggest Hollywood stars, has been featured on too many network TV shows to list, and has written many books.
Warren has also developed Warren Eckstein's Hugs & Kisses vitamin and mineral supplement/treat for dogs and cats, which funds the Hugs & Kisses Animal Fund, a not-for-profit organization he founded in memory of his wife Fay who died in 1990. Its mission is to fund hundreds of small animal organizations across the US.
Learn more about Warren here, on his home page.

DR. BENJAMIN NEUMAN is a biology professor and internationally known virologist who oversees the Texas A&M University Global Health Research Complex, which identified a variant of the COVID virus. He has also served on the international committee on the taxonomy of viruses and has been doing important research into COVID. With all that scientific knowledge you'd think he might be difficult to talk with and understand. Nope. He's a hoot.

DAVID G HALL started working as a radio station gofer when he was 12. Ten years later he was the Program Manager of KFI, Los Angeles, making it the most successful news and talk station in the country. His successes multiplied, his stock soared and now he is widely considered to be the greatest radio programming mind of our generation. As an international consultant, David has guided the talents and fortunes of major market stations across the U.S. and around the world. His formula is simple: passion, energy, and a spark in his eye.

DR. HAROLD BURTON is a retired OB/GYN who practiced for 50 years in Roseville, California, just outside of Sacramento. Among his thousands of adoring patients was Dave Williams' wife, The Lovely-and-Feisty CarolAnn. Dr. Burton is one of those old-fashioned docs who took time to sit down with his patients and their husbands to talk about medical and family issues. Generous with smiles and hugs he earned their trust and eternal respect.

As the war in Ukraine rages on, Russians in exile are making plans to replace Putin and create the world's next great democracy. This is happening now. GREG STEBBEN tells Dave Williams the true story of Ilya Ponomarev and of the historical event that will take place in Warsaw within weeks of this conversation, recorded October 25, 2022.

RAELYN NELSON is the increasingly famous granddaughter of country music icon Willie Nelson. She inherited the singer/songwriter gene from the man she proudly calls, "Papa Willie". Here she talks with Dave Williams about the Family, the loss of her daddy, Willie (Billy) Jr., her kids, her divorce, her songwriting, and the Nashville band that bears her name. ALSO ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbk4pyr_1Aw

JEFF BELL is an author, health advocate, and former radio news anchor. His two books, Rewind, Replay, Repeat and When in Doubt, Make Belief, have established Bell as a leading authority on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In this episode, he tells former radio colleague Dave Williams of his personal battle with his borderline crazy OCD and how he eventually overcame it.

STEVEN RAICHLEN is arguably the most famous barbecue and grilling expert and educator in the world. He has written 32 books, produced and starred in countless TV shows, and circled the earth four times to exchange outdoor cooking cuisine with other cultures. 
As you enjoy this conversation, visit Steven's website.

KEN LEVINE is one of the most successful TV writers in the history of the medium. A former head writer for M*A*S*H, along with his partner David Isaacs, Ken has also written, directed, and produced such iconic shows as Cheers and Frasier, plus many others. But that's just the beginning of his amazing creative achievements. In this conversation, Ken explains how he worked hard to become a deejay, a talk host, a Major League Baseball play-by-play announcer, an author, and a cartoonist for the New Yorker. As the late, great John Houseman surely would have said, "He earned it."

DOUG MCINTYRE is one of those rare people who can apparently do anything they try (except math) and do it brilliantly. Who graduates college, moves to L.A. and lands work as a TV writer/director/producer? Doug. Who parlays that into success as a talk radio host, a newspaper columnist, and an emcee/interviewer to the stars? This guy. And, who has his first attempt at a novel going to press as we speak? Your old Red Eye Radio pilot.
We're lucky to have him.

If you've ever thought of traveling alone you need to hear this. If you've never thought about it, you need it even more. Kirsteen is a woman of the world with no permanent address. She counsels and teaches the tranquility and joy of solitude.
As my dear dad told me: "If you don't learn to love yourself you'll never be worth a damn to anyone else."

MARK AUSTIN THOMAS recently retired after a long and distinguished career as a broadcast journalist. Here, he talks with Dave Williams about the people and experiences that influenced his life and about race relations. Mark is an optimist, he thinks we'll find our way, and has an idea for how we can get there.

ELLEN JOVIN is a modern Joanie Appleseed, sowing vast groves of grammatical wisdom throughout the realm. Schlepping her folding table and library of reference books, Ellen and her husband, Brandt, have set up shop on the streets, at the malls and outside the libraries of America to spread the Word: 
"The rules of grammar are but guidelines, not commandments. Go forth and clarify!"

JIM DAVIES is an American/Canadian cognitive scientist and one of the leading authorities in the world on imagination. What is it? How does it work? In this episode, he explains the difference between imagination, creativity, and memory. And get this: he says ALL imagination is based on memory.

DAVID COALE is widely regarded as one of the top appellate lawyers in Texas. He's the guy the networks call for explanations. Here he explains the recent Supreme Court decision overturning the Constitutional right to abortion. More to the point, he explains the Court itself, how it works and why.

JOHN LEVEY has four primetime Emmy awards for casting major TV hits The West Wing, and E.R. The actors he cast in those two shows have more than 50. He was also Casting Director for Third Watch, China Beach, Southland, Torchwood, Animal Kingdom, SEAL Team, Shameless... The list goes on for decades. John loves his career and has written about it in a new book, RIGHT FOR THE ROLE, available soon.

BOB SHERWOOD owns a distinctive voice, delightful wit, and the capital city of California. Sacramento still remembers Bob and his all-star lineup of deejays at top-40 powerhouse KROY. As an executive with Columbia Records he guided and occasionally battled some of the biggest stars in the business.

I asked KENNY LEE LEWIS how he got so damned good. He told me, "It's a gift".  And, he continued, "It's what we in the industry call 'the curse'." Explanation straight ahead.
For 40 years he has played lead and bass while singing, writing, and producing for the legendary Steve Miller Band. Along the way, Kenny Lee has collaborated and performed with Bonnie Raitt, Eddie Money, Dave Mason, Billy Preston, Peter Frampton, Boz Scaggs, Brian Wilson, Steve Stills, and many, many others. 
Kenny is a family man and an avid fly fisherman. He speaks of the Bible and of the paranormal; he's written a novel steeped in both.
He is a fountain of great tales.
The dude is cool as they come.

TOMMY JOHN is a baseball legend. He was a four-time Major League All-Star and has the third-most wins (288) of any pitcher since 1900 not in the Hall of Fame. Ironically, that may be due to the fact that he is world-famous for the elbow surgery named for him that rescued his career. 
He has nothing to do with the underwear company of the same name and says he won't watch major league baseball these days.
Tommy is a motivational speaker now. He lives happily in Florida with his devoted wife, Cheryl.

ANITA FAYE GARNER grew up a gospel gypsy, traveling across the South with her Pentecostal preacher father, Brother Ray Jones, her famous singer-songwriting mother, Fern Jones, and her reluctant brother, Leslie Ray. Here, she tells their story and shares Fern’s original songs that changed the direction of American music.
To learn more about Anita's wonderful book, The Glory Road, visit her website: https://www.anitagarner.com/

Singer/songwriter, JD HINTON has composed songs and music for Hollywood films including Gloria, Tik Tok, and Mark Medoff’s film, Children on Their Birthdays, which features his song, I Have to Dream, sung by Celine Dion.
JD takes his original music into Los Angeles and New York clubs for sold-out shows at Rockwood Music Hall, Vitello’s, Rockwell, House of Blues, and the Viper Room.
A personal highlight was singing at the Vatican for the Pope.
As heartfelt as the late, great Hank Williams, Hinton’s music has been compared to everyone from Leonard Cohen to Peter Gabriel and Robbie Robertson.
Before his music work began, JD was the midnight to dawn disc jockey on a highly rated R&B radio station that kept L.A. dancing the night away. Hinton began using improvisational skills he developed as a disc jockey to land acting roles in television and films. His name continually popped up starring on TV shows like “Dynasty”, “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles”, “Mork and Mindy”, and recently in the hit show “Jane the Virgin” for CBS. Look for him soon in Reese Witherspoon’s new project “The Morning Show” for AppleTV.
JD Hinton never met a stranger and thinks any day is a good day for chili.
His original music is available everywhere Learn more here: http://jdhinton.com/

In 2009 the city of Oakland, California, sent WALTER HOYE to jail for standing quietly outside an abortion clinic holding a sign that read, “Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help.” Investigative journalist Robert Artigo wrote Walter's story, Black and Pro-Life in America. It's a shocking indictment of the for-profit abortion industry and its supporters in City Hall.I talked with both of them just three days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Here's our conversation