Fascination Street

Mario AndrettiTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Mario Andretti. In this episode Mario and I chat about what brought his family to The United States, and how he and his twin brother Aldo got bitten by the racing bug. He shares some of his favorite memories of his driving career (which spanned from 1959 to 2000). We talk about some of the automotive innovations that started in racing and are now on every passenger car made; He also tells me what it was like to win the Daytona 500, The Indy 500, and the Formula One World Championship. Finally, we close the show out talking about his post racing businesses which include a winery, and the nationwide Andretti Indoor Carting and Games entertainment complexes. (I do challenge him to a race at the one near my house!)Mario is a legend and a national treasure, who has made a name for himself all over the world in his sport as well as his compassion and generosity. It was a great honor to speak with 3 time US Driver of the Year, US Driver of th

Sunday MorningTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Westly Benjunas and Parker Dumont from the pop punk band Sunday Morning. In this episode we chat about what got each of them into music, and what it does for them emotionally, and mentally. We also talk about how the band got together, and what their plans are going forward. Theses guys were nice enough to let me play 2 of their songs on the show; so buckle up! Special thanks to our mutual friend, and previous guest Angela Modifica for connecting us for this episode.Follow Sunday Morning on social media:Twit: @SundayMorningCtInsta: @SundayMorningCtFB: Sunday Morning CtWebsite: SundayMorningCt.com

Jolee KasprzakTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Jolee Kasprzak. Jolee is the Marketing Director for both the French Lick Winery and Spirits of French Lick Distillery; both located in French Lick, Indiana. In this episode, we chat about how she wound up in Indiana after being born & raised in California. Next we jump right into her work at the winery and the distillery. We talk a lot about the products they offer, why they name their spirits after real people, and Jolee gives us a small lesson regarding the history of bourbon making in Indiana. While The French Lick Winery specializes in sweet wines; Spirits of French Lick Distillery makes just about every spirit you can imagine: bourbon, gin, vodka, brandy, aquavit, even absinthe. Follow Jolee on social media:Twit: @SpiritsOfFLInsta: @theTestarossa / @SpiritsOfFrenchLickFB: Jolee Clarke.Kasprzak / Spirits Of French Lick

Chris GronkowskiTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Chris Gronkowski. Chris is the middle of 5 giant humans known as The Gronkowski Brothers. He is also the smallest. In this episode we chat about how being the smallest of the pack helped instill in him a tireless work ethic; and how his natural 'motor' stays running as he strives for success in all aspects of his life. We talk about growing up a Gronkowski in Buffalo, and why all of the brothers were drawn to athletics. Chris shares some fun stories about being one of these crazy kids, and we talk about his NFL career; which spanned 3 teams over 4 years. The we discuss his the many businesses he has started and continues to run, his appearance on Shark Tank, and his podcast: Gronk'd Up!Enjoy.Follow Chris on social media:Twit: @ChrisGronkowski & @IceShakerBottleInsta: @ChrisGronkowski & @IceShakerFB: Ice ShakerTikTok: @ChrisGronkowski

Stephanie Humphrey.Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Stephanie Humphrey. Stephanie is a Technology & Lifestyle Expert who regularly contributes to: ABC News, Strahan, Sara, & Keke, Good Morning America, BlackEnterprise.com, EBONY.com, and tons of other outlets. In this episode we chat about why and how Stephanie came to be an expert in tech, what attracted her to the industry, and some her favorite bits of tech. She shares some "dos & don'ts", I tell an embarrassing Twitter story,, and finally, Stephanie tells us about her website and her book: DON'T LET YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT KICK YOU IN THE BUTT!Stephanie helps all of us BECOME BETTER DIGITAL CITIZENS.Follow Stephanie on social media:Twit: @TechLifeStephInsta: @TechLifeStephFB: Stephanie HumphreyWebsite: TilDeathDoYouTweet.com

Vincent CaldoniTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Vincent Caldoni. Vincent is a filmmaker, a podcaster, and an employee at The Oregon Zoo in Portland. In this episode, we chat about growing up in the Pacific Northwest, some stories from working at the zoo, and what sparked his interest in making films. We also discuss his new feature film CONTACTEE, and where you can see it for free. Plus the story of how his podcast, (The Shocking Details) came to be!Follow Vincent on social media:Twit: @VCaldoni & @ShockingDetailsFB: Vincent Caldoni & Contactee: A Film By Vincent Caldoni & The Shocking Details Podcast

Paul HollisTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Paul Hollis. Paul is a former "Undercover Analyst" for an unnamed United States government agency; as well as the author of The Hollow Man Series (winner of The World's Best Story competition). In this episode, we chat about how he came to work as a secret agent back in the 1970's. We also talk about some of the missions he 'analyzed', and why he decided to write down these exploits and turn them into a novel trilogy. I have read the first of the series and am diving right into the second! Heads up; we never say specifically which agency he worked for and some names have been changed, obviously. Follow Paul on social media:Twit: @HollowManSeriesInsta: @TheHollowManSeriesFB: Paul HollisFB: The Hollow Man SeriesWebsite: TheHollowManSeries.com

John SylvainTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know John Sylvain. John is a podcast host on the Nooner podcast on the Smodcast podcast network; as well as an adjunct film professor at Cal State Poly Tech. John is also the founder of The Sacred Fools theater in Los Angeles, and the creator of You Know It! The Game; my favorite trivia card based game. In this episode we chat about all of these things, plus his time at Yale, and his time in Seattle running a small theater company. There is a giveaway in this episode of his game, so pay attention!Follow John on social media:Twit: @SylvainbbbFB: John SylvainCheck out the game at: YouKnowItTheGame.comWatch the game by searching You Know it The Game on YouTube.John's Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/John-Sylvain/e/B00TUPQ280?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000

Donald CarpenterTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Donald Carpenter. Donald was previously the lead singer for the rock band SubmerseD, and Eye Empire; and currently fronts the new rock band Blisskrieg. Blisskrieg is comprised of Donald, and the three founding members of Days Of The New and Tantric. (Todd Whitener, Matt Taul, and previous guest Jesse Vest)In this episode Donald and I chat about how he got into the music business, how his first 2 successful bands got together, why he took a break from the music business, and how this new band came to be. We do briefly discuss some of the pitfalls and downsides of the music business, as well as some behind the scenes stories about how this new album got made during Covid 19. Donald does let me play one of the songs off of Blisskrieg's new album Remedy (available everywhere), so Thank you Donald!Follow Donald on social media:Insta: @DonaldCarpenterMusicFB: Donald Carpenter (Musician Page)Follow Blisskrieg on social media:Twit: @Blisskri

David MittelmanTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know David Mittelman. David is a PHD and the CEO of Othram. Othram is a DNA testing lab dedicated to helping law enforcement find the identities of both unknown perpetrators, and un-named victims. In this episode we chat about how he got into the DNA scientist game, and why he started Othram. We also talk about exactly what Othram does, and what goes into their end of helping solve a case. We dive a bit into a couple of the more notable cases that Othram has helped law enforcement solve; including the 46 year old sexual assault and murder of Carla Walker. We end the show explaining exactly what YOU can do to join in the fight to bring names to the nameless with justice through genomics.***Special thanks to my buddy Vincent from Gone Cold (Texas True Crime) Podcast for connecting the two of us.***Follow Othram on social media:Twit: @OthramTechSee what Othram does: Othram.comJoin in the fight: DNASolves.com

Jax Hollow.Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Jax Hollow. Jax is a singer / songwriter, and face melting guitarist. In this episode we chat about growing up in rural Massachusetts, moving across the country to go to school in Berkley, and then across the country again to live in Nashville. She tells us why she chose Nashville, and what it was like to have the legendary Michael Wagener produce her first studio album (AVAILABLE THIS FRIDAY!). We discuss the album; and Jax lets me play my favorite track from it. Buckle your seatbelts... this is a great ROCK album!Special THANK YOU to previous guest and friend of the show Angela Lese for making this happen,Follow Jax on social media:Twit: @JaxHollowMusicInsta: @JaxHollowFB: Jax HollowTikTok: @JaxHollowBuy the album at: JaxHollow.com

Barry McClain Jr.Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Barry McClain Jr. Barry is a comic book artist and graphic designer for several publishers including Blue Juice Comics and Valiant Comics. In this episode we chat about how he first got into comics and who showed him how to start drawing characters. (Its not who you think) Then we get into exactly how he was able to get signed to a publisher and was able to finally quit his day job. We discuss several of his projects including: Q Ball, The Accelerators, and Anne Bonnie. We also talk about how influential all of the guys at Tell 'Em Steve Dave and the I Sell Comics podcasts, and Jay & Silent Bob's Secret Stash have been.Follow Barry on social media:Insta: @Stay_BrokeFB: Barry McClain (Comic book artist)

Carole BaskinTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Carole Baskin. You know Carole from the 2020 Netflix sensation Tiger King. In this episode we chat about what got her onto her Big Cat saving mission, her experience on Dancing With The Stars, her ex-husband Don Lewis, and her husband Howie. We also talk a bit about Tiger King, Joe Exotic, and her foundation Big Cat Rescue; before closing out the show talking about how you can help save endangered Big Cats, and her organization's new Oculus Virtual Reality game featuring Big Cats. Enjoy!Follow Carole on social media:Twit: @Carole_BaskinTikTok: @CaroleBaskinCatFB: Big Cat RescueDonate to BCR at: BigCatRescue.org/DonateReach out to your congressperson at: BigCatAct.com

Srinivas RaoTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Srinivas Rao. Srini is the CEO and host of The Unmistakable Creative Podcast; as well as having recently appeared on the smash hit Netflix series Indian Matchmaking. In this episode we chat about what it was like growing up in a small Texas town being the only Indian American, We then get into his podcast and his approach to creativity and branding. Finally; we end the show talking about his experience working on the series Indian Matchmaking... why he did it as well as what gained from it.Check out Srini's podcast everywhere podcasts are available.Follow Srini on social media:Twit: @UnmistakableCEOInsta: @UnmistakableCEOHis website: Unmistakablecreative.com

James DuMont RETURNS!Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know even MORE about James Dumont. James is an actor that has appeared in more than 200 television & film roles. In this episode, we chat about the importance of working to better yourself at your craft, his new Disney film Safety, Spencer Confidential on Netflix, and his new Amazon show The Underground Railroad. We talk about Covid, and other things along the way including his online class geared toward actors called: James DuMont's On Camera Workout On Zoom. Follow James on social media:Twit: @JamesKDuMontInsta: @JamesDuMontFB: James DuMont

Vyasar GanesanTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Vyasar Ganesan. Vyasar is a teacher at a very prestigious high school in Austin, Tx. HOWEVER.... you may ALSO know him as one of the stars of the first season of the smash hit Netflix series Indian Matchmaker. In this episode Vyasar and I chat about growing up as an Indian American in Texas, and why he got into teaching. We spend a short time discussing his stint working for The Food Network in NYC before we get into his time on the Netflix show; why he did it, what his experience was like, and if he would do it again. Vyasar may very well become my new best friend. We had such a great time talking that this could easily have been a 3 hour conversation. What a pulled together nice guy. Seriously, you're welcome!Follow Vyasar on social media:Twit: @NotVyasarGCheck out his writing at: VyasarWrites.com

Jeremiah Chechik Returns!Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know EVEN MORE about Jeremiah Chechik. The last time Jeremiah was on we had a great chat; (go back and check it out), but we missed a bunch of stuff in his story. So he was nice enough to come back and discuss some of the stuff we didn't get to last time. In this episode we chat a little more about his career as a professional fashion photographer and his work with Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace as well as how a timely interaction with Andy Warhol helped change the course of his life. Jeremiah tells an enthralling story about the much darker version of Se7en that he wrote the screenplay for and was supposed to direct, and a sweet story about an as of yet unpublished John Hughes script. Plus we check in on how his podcast is doing during Covid. I could talk to Jeremiah all day; but we just don't have that kind of time!Follow Jeremiah on social media:Twit: @TinroofInsta: Jeremiah_ChechikFB: Jeremiah ChechikCheck out his website:

Liliana TandonTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Liliana Tandon. Liliana is an actress, writer, and producer. In this episode, we chat about why she got into show business, some of her amazing highlights given how long she has been doing this. We talk about her massively successful and award winning original YouTube series Period Piece, her role in the Lifetime channel thriller Indiscretion with Mira Sorvino, and her new film A Ring For Christmas that premiered last month on UPtv. She wrote, produced, and stars in this sweet holiday film!Follow Liliana on social media:Twit: @LilianaTandonInsta: @LTandonFB: Liliana TandonWebsite: LilianaTandon.com

Joe BouchardTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know legendary rock star Joe Bouchard. Joe is the founding bass player for the band Blue Oyster Cult. In this episode we chat about how he got involved with those guys, and we discuss some of their most popular hits during his 17 years in the band. Then we talk about his other project; Blue Coupe, with rock stars from other bands..... sort of a Super Group. Finally, we discuss his newest solo album: Strange Legends. During this wonderful chat we talk about all kinds of musicians & friends of his from KISS to Metallica, and more. Plus.... Joe lets me play a song off the new album!Follow Joe on social media:Twit: @JoeRockStarInsta: @AstronomyJoeBFB: Joe BouchardWebsite: JoeBouchard.com

Herb AlpertTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Herb Alpert. Herb is a multi platinum selling recording artist, producer, multiple Grammy winner, record company executive, philanthropist, and founder of A & M Records. In this episode we chat about when Herb first knew he wanted to play music, why he started a record company (with Jerry Moss), and a few stories behind some of his biggest hits. Herb does let me play a couple of those hits before I talk about his new film Herb Alpert Is... available everywhere now.Follow Herb on social media:Twit: @HerbAlpertInsta: @OfficialHerbAlpertFB: Herb AlpertWebsite: HerbAlpert.com