Vicki Abelson's Broadcast: The Road Taken

We only had David Bowie's Piano Man, Mike Garson, for 45 minutes, but boy did he make every second count. His stories, golden treasures, were matched by the mastery of his impromptu music. I first saw Mike play on the Diamond Dogs Tour, where Bowie soared above the audience in a cherry picker to sing Space Oddity. Here, 47 years later, Mike told the tales of that tour (and Ziggy Stardust) with Mick Ronson, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Carlos Alomar, and bookended the show with an original Bowie Variation of said song––stunningly beautiful, soulful, and emotional. I’m still a bit teary. From backing Mel Torme, Gregory Hines, and hundreds of singers in the Catskills starting at 14, studying with Herbie Hancock and Stan Getz amongst other jazz icons, to an 8-week gig with David Bowie that endured through 40 years, 150,000 hours of playing has sure paid off. Mike’s classical training to the fore, he treated us to a few improvised gems weaved betwixt sensational stories––how he started, got the gig, played

When you’re writing with Ringo, lunching with Linda (McCartney), sharing royalties, and frolicking with the Friends, life doesn’t suck. Such is the earned, charmed life of Peabody and Emmy-winning television writer and producer, longtime Rolling Stone writer and editor, New York Times best-selling author, and prominent pop culture commentator, David Wild. When Dylan requests you, Prince plays privately for you, Van Morrison runs from then succumbs to you, life doesn’t suck. David worked at Esquire straight outta Cornell, was hand-picked by Jann Wenner to be the editor, and then wrote countless stories for the cover of The Rolling Stone, segued to television, where David’s written and produced well over a hundred high profile TV specials including all of The Grammy Awards (since 2001), all of The CMA Awards (since 2002), as well as countless other award shows and network specials, including The Academy Awards, and The Emmy Awards, garnering nominations and an Emmy win hisself. David’s written jokes for Jon

So what's 9 years between a star and a stalker? George Wendt was worth the wait and then some. It's been a rough week, a rough month, a rough two years... this time with George was the antidote to the heavy crap that's overshadowed seemingly everything. George was fun, hysterical, surprising, a little shocking, informative, self-effacing, entertaining, and a whole lot of other great adjectives. For a man whose future was based on “What won’t I hate?” he sure made good for himself. 6 Emmy nominations, three starring roles on Broadway, innumerable screen and stage appearances from high Art, to schtick, George’s iconic, NORM! to his Chicago Super Fan, The Bears! George is cross-generationally cherished, and beloved. And, it’s deserved. What a damn delight. Got the pandemic blues? Treat yourself to some “TV star who’s also just a regular guy.” One who had a 0.00 GPA at his dad’s alma mater, slept on the streets of some of the world’s most exotic cities, swept floors at Second City to becoming one of the most

Ken Levine On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson by Vicki Abelson

Hot, hot, hot, and it t'weren't global warming. Actor, producer, singer, songwriter, Constantine Maroulis, who rocketed to stardom on American Idol (I met him in the green room at his first appearance on The Tonight Show that season), filled us in on the before, during, and after, even singing us a bit of his audition for Simon & company. Always passionate, fun, and full of energy, Constantine gave us the skinny of growing up with a talented older brother (and sister), playing sports, doing theatre, and fronting a band, wanting and doing it all. Before Idol fame, he'd already gotten his Equity card and toured with Rent. Humble ending there led to the life-changing opportunity that he seized big time. Such great insights into the behind-the-scenes. His premature departure (placing 6th) was all part of his master plan in a way, he used being an underdog to his advantage anyway. In a big way. Starring on Broadway in Rock of Ages and garnering a Tony Award, followed - as well as more Broadway, playing and rec

Do not pass Go, do not collect $200, just hit play. Now. Please. Teen idol, Willie Aames, shares heart, romance, love, sensitivity, thoughtfulness, emotional intelligence, great ideas, humility, humanity, forgiveness, speaks of destiny, success, bottoming out, addiction, recovery, reinvention, study, diligence, persistence, getting everything, losing it all, rebuilding, and, in the end, winning… Winnie. One of the greatest love stories ever told, coupled with one of the most sobering tales of abuse and excess which took an overachiever and kicked him to the curb. From TV screens at 9 - The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Odd Couple, Medical Center, hanging around soundstages with Lucille Ball and John Wayne, to co-starring on Family, Eight is Enough, Zapped. Paradise, Charles in Charge, to Bibleman, Willie had it all and then was suddenly uncastable. An injury led to Oxycotin which led to losing everything–– money, his marriage, children, his home… and how he rebuilt his life, studying, training, and becom

Powerfully empowering. Wow, did today pack a perfect pre-New Year punch. Emmy- nominated Dee Wallace, iconic mom in the iconic ET, author, teacher, dancer, and actress in film, television, and on stage, gave us the perfect pandemic prescription for jumpstarting 2022. As detailed in her just dropped spiritual bestseller, Born https://amzn.to/33XgjZ2, Dee chronicles how to give birth to a new you. A new me. And boy is the current me happy to hear it. Dee gave us the basic roadmap, and cited examples in her own life, in my life, and a couple of the viewers, as well. It was a life-changing Gamechangers. I've already put into play Dee's methodology and feel focused and empowered. I've been employing Dee's Self-Creation techniques for a decade or more, my resolve and discipline fade and then renew with each visit in Dee's great company. May I hang onto it this time. Born will reside on my night table to keep me there. With over 250 screen credits to her name, including, The Howling, Cujo, 10, and most notably

Third time is the charm! Twice scheduled to grace my living room pre-pandemic, what a Thanksgiving gift Academy Award and Golden Globe Winner, George Chakiris is. Perfectly timed. Ridiculously easy on the eyes, he defies the passage of time and is as gracefully humble in word and deed as he is gliding across a dance floor, or the streets of the barrio, as the case may be. Forever, Bernardo, we dove into a multitude of his other films, from his first, singing with a boys choir opposite Katherine Hepburn in Song of Love, to background dancer alongside Marilyn Monroe, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosalind Russell, and Cyd Charisse, to name but a few. Taking his first dance class at 19, he did over a dozen films almost immediately, and went from gypsy to starring in the London production of West Side Story, as… wait for it, Riff. George had not only never acted, he’d nary taken an acting class, and yet in short shrift, he was earning an Oscar, as Bernardo opposite Rita Moreno, in the winningest m

What fun and gorgeousness! Time flew with two-time Emmy-nominated actress, Lee Purcell, and, world’s collided all over the place. It is a small world, after all. From her runway days at three (I know!), Native American ancestry, multi-generational military mantle, to dancing, singing, regional TVing’, Lee went on to best 500 hopefuls, handpicked by Steve McQueen hisself (who mentored Lee in all things life, career & fitness––sweet surprise story there), to co-star with Kirk’s son, fairly green, Michael Douglas. Lee later co-starred with Kirk, and they’re not her only father/son dynasty co-stars. Not a bad place to start. Follow that teaming with Orson Welles, earning an Emmy nomination alongside Mark Harmon, and then another co-starring with Beau Bridges, and father Lloyd. In fact, Lee had lots of Bridges. Hysterical. Old friends with Jeff and his later girlfriend, Candy Clark, well, there are stories then and now, there, too. There’s Malcolm McDowell, Chadwick Bostwick, Jon Voight, a brand spanking new, Ni

What a gift to be able to look iconic drummer Russell Kunkel in the virtual eye and say, thank you. A lifetime fan, I’ve seen and heard Russ play more times than I can begin to count. His beat literally weaves through the musical Tapestry of my life (see what I did there). Add to that, a sweet, gentlemanly, romantic soul, he's all that and a bag of sticks. We started with The Immediate Family and came back around, full circle. I honored the time promised (it's Russ's last night with his beautiful bride for a spell, so we kept it to a tight hour), and he kindly indulged a few personal questions about Leah Kunkle (Cass Elliot's sis), his kids, Nathaniel, Elsie, Owen, Carly Simon, Nicolette Larson, and how he met his beloved, Shauna. Love that Leland played a hand without a bass in it. Of the almost uncountable iconic recordings and tours that Russ has played on, we started with John Stewart (Daydream Believer) of The Kingston Trio, where Russ claims to have been schooled by the talented consummate profess

Sometimes all that glitters is gold. Actress, dancer, philanthropist, pisser, Ruta Lee, is one bodacious, bawdy broad, absolutely gorgeous, inside and out. This was not the time to be having a bad hair day and wardrobe issues. Sitting across the virtual desk from this stunner I felt like an ill-kempt man. I couldn’t take my eyes off the perfectly coiffed and made-up woman whose lipstick never lost its luster through an hour of conversation, whilst mine disappeared faster than Florence Griffith-Joyner at the starting gate. And yet, Ruta, at every turn, was warm, inclusive, and oh so kind to me. Literally giddy with her attention, I consider my ass well kissed. And, what a conversation it ’twas! From her earliest days in Montreal with her adoring Lithuanian parents who sacrificed everything to get their Ruta to Hollywood. Dance lessons, acting classes, and live theatre swiftly led to teenage Ruta being featured on The Burns and Allen Show, The Adventures Superman, to starring in the Academy Award Nominated

It was a long time coming! After meeting Denny Tedesco at NAMM two years ago, having seen his unforgettable, moving, stellar film, The Wrecking Crew, I jumped. Scheduled BC (Before COVID), at long last, here we finally were. Denny had completed most of the interviews (Carole King, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt to name but a few icons weighing in on The Section (Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkle, Waddy Wachtel, and Danny Kortchmar), for his upcoming doc on thier The Immediate Family (with relative youngin’ Steve Postel), as a sort of followup to his doc, The Wrecking Crew, when we met. He was heading to Sundance just before the pandemic hit. Undeterred by the inerminable shut down, Denny’s managing to complete the film, getting a masterfully produced iPhone self tape from Keith Richards, remote interviews with Stevie Nicks and Lyle Lovett, and sitting down, with caution and testing with the boys, themselves. How I can’t wait to see it! This collective has played on most of the soundtrack of my l

It was wonderful to sit down at last with multi-BMI Award-winning composer, conducted, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, Bennett Salvay. Scheduled to join me on March 11th, 2020, I chickened as he and wingman, Pete George, had very r4ecnt;y flown (and boy were their arms tired), and the COVID threat was ever-growing. Two days later we were in lockdown. Here, 19 months later we be. Some things, and people, are worth waiting for. Bennett was working on the Linda Ronstadt doc, Linda and The Mockingbirds, with Jackson Browne, a follow-up doc to Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice, which Bennett scored, which won the Critics Choice award for Best Music Documentary of 2019, when the crazy hit. We talked about the projects Bennett's completed during the pandemic, including a new feature, Bonded as well as various and sundry other projects. What makes it all so stunning is that he's doing all this, as well as playing, keys and golf, fishing, all after a nearly fatal accident which affected... well, no spoiler

Stories! Man does my old pal, Kenny Aaronson, have them, and, he was in them when their monster hit, Brother Louie, was #1. I love rock ’n roll, and savored every word of Kenny’s incredible career from Dust with Marky Ramone, to his current gig with The Yardbirds, a 50-year dream come true. There’s so damn much betwixt and between and stories for all of it. How he got each gig, highlights, and how they came to a close. Playing with Hall & Oats before they hit huge, opening with them for Lou Reed, suing Tommy Motolla to get paid, that takes balls, but nearly as much as when Mick called and asked Kenny to audition for The Stones. Kenny’s interactions with Keith are… well, one for the book, and I heard it made Keith’s. Google was wrong about Hendrix but not about Ginger Baker, hanging with Cream, Beck, Rod Steward in ’68, amazing reminiscences. Playing with Leslie West, Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Graham Parker, great until it was time to get paid, recording with George Harrison, Rick Derringer, opening monster conce

'Twas Doody, no shit! Barry Pearl, my fab new friend was such a delight, tonight. Grease is the word, and Barry’s got lots of ‘em. Great stories about Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Jeff Conaway. We talked his beginnings from tap class in Lancaster Pa to the original Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway at 11, and then Broadway’s Oliver with The Monkees Davy Jones, right after, where I saw him! I was but a little girl, my first Broadway show, literally life-changing. Great story about the cast on Ed Sullivan, with The Beatles. What! There was C.P.O. Sharkey, starring Don Rickles, a humbling story, also, life-changing, Barry’s this time. The National Tour of Grease before the movie, where Travolta played Doody and Barry, Sonny. We talked Days of Lives, and The New Love American Style, both recurring roles. Oliver again, Fiddler on the Roof, and the important work he’s doing this very day. There were a few stump the geezers, where Barry and I searched for names of people and shows… kind of hysterical how that happens.

What a treat to meet the artist behind more cross-genre iconic licks than I can count. Fellow Bronxite, Eddie Martinez, surrounded by platinum records, without a trace of a New York accent, was fun, whip-smart, thoughtful, articulate, inclusive, with stories to spare. Inspired by the Beatles, Hendrix, and Beck, Eddie started out when his neighbor, Nile Rogers, lead him to his first professional gig with Mother Night. Eddie took us through his time with LaBelle, game-changer, rocker, Nona Hendrix, Blondie, at the height of their heyday, cross-over to jazz with Lenny White and then Stanley Clarke and George Duke, She’s The Boss, with Mick Jagger, getting to play with Beck, and at Live Aid, Tina Turner, his years with Robert Palmer, so many gold nuggets there, Addicted to Love to Simply Irresistible, Run DMC (Guitar World ranked Eddie’s contribution to Rock Box Number One on its list of The Top Uses of Guitar in Hip Hop, David Lee Roth when he was it, with Crazy From The Heat. We talked his time with Joe Cocker,

James Lee Stanley is chicken soup for my pandemic weary soul. I’m talking Grandma Katz’s soup, the most flavorful, soothing, healing, and delicious. I was having a kinda funky day, an hour and a half in James’ good company… hearing his stories, listening and watching him play, was just what the doctor ordered. There’s a reason this man has opened for everyone from Bonnie Raitt, Art Garfunkle, Bill Cosby (before we knew), Robin Williams, Dionne Warwick, and Robin Trower, to name just some. His 50+ years friendship and musical partnership with Peter Tork was covered from start to bottom when Peter was felled by rare cancer under his tongue. Shockingly, James survived his own bout of tongue cancer months later, when his beloved wife Evelina suggested an endoscopy, without cause. James recounted the discovery, cause, treatment, and his miraculous, speedy recovery to health, singing at a gig a mere few months post-surgery. He detailed the diet to boost his immune system and, from which he lost 35 pounds, and ha

Iffn' you missed the fabulousness that is Wendy Waldman - tada! So what if it took years - this was the perfect moment. On the eve of the high holy day, two Jewish girls being of service, as Wendy put it. Happy New Year! This was indeed a joyous celebration of life and art. What a glorious sit down with the singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, recording artist, Grammy nominee, and multi-platinum-selling hitmaker. Our conversation ran the gamut from indigenous agriculture, early COVID, childhood influences, Taj Mahal, for one, Fred Steiner, her wildly successful composer father, early days in LA, waiting on line behind Jackson for her moment in the spotlight, getting an ovation, touring first as a solo, becoming We the youngest member of the Warner Bros. brain trust - a group of artists who were known for their innovative approaches to music. The pack included Maria Muldaur, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Captain Beefheart, forming Bryndle with Karla Bonoff, Andrew Gold, and Kenny Edwards. Opening for Linda Ron

So lovely, so chill, to sit down with actress, comedian, writer, activist, Mo Gaffney. We talked about the recall... VOTE, please, Californians... the unimaginable in Texas, the 4 yr mess that's spilled all over us, COVID craziness, vaccines, the cost of the unvaccinated to all of us, work in the time of corona, binging food and TV, reading, writing, no arithmetic! How it started at 4, it was always there... improv, The Kathy and Mo Show, San Diego to New York, Off-Broadway, Obie Awards, Ab Fab, Tracey Ullman, Mad About You (then and now), That 70s Show... motherhood, sobriety, to what's next. A coupla white wominz sittin' around chattin'. Always stimulating, illuminating, and fun with Mo. Mo Gaffney Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wed, 9/8/21, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/3E0GEmr All BROADcasts, as podcasts, also available on iTunes apple.co/2dj8ld3 Stitcher bit.ly/2h3R1fla tunein bit.ly/2gGeItj Also on iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, Voox, OwlTail,

From forced piano lessons at 8 to adding multiple instruments through the years, including his voice, to studying with Dave Stroud (who's worked with Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Kelly Clarkson, for a few), Korel’s developed his own style of teaching voice, his great passion. He explained how it’s possible to teach pitch and harmonies, and says, yes, pretty much everyone can be taught to sing. He does so on Zoom. You can connect with him and find all things Korel here: koreltunador.com A devoted husband and father, more time coaching on screens (guitar as well) and less time touring suits him. The pandemic, in a way, supported his decision, made before COVID became a 4 letter word. As much as Korel loves playing, husbanding, parenting and teaching are his primary focuses. For now. He sure does love playing with Rob Thomas and the band he’s created. I sure do love sitting down with this funny, smart, sweet, versatile artist. Korel treated us to two beauteous tunes, Total Surprise, which was a su