Fascination Street

Shawn's Picks: Herb AlpertHey Streetwalkers. THANK YOU SO MUCH for inspiring me to get to 400 episodes! As you may have guessed; lm taking March "off" from releasing new episodes. HOWEVER; all month long, l will be releasing some of my wife's very favorite episodes, in a "Best Of" style.So expect a re-release of an older favorite every weekday; with an all new intro from my wife, explaining why she chose each specific episode.Keep in mind that these are in no particular order, and l'll be back in April with all new episodes. Like, follow, subscribe and tell a friend!-Steve Owens Fascination Street Podcast 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 b

Shawn's Picks: Joe BouchardHey Streetwalkers. THANK YOU SO MUCH for inspiring me to get to 400 episodes! As you may have guessed; lm taking March "off" from releasing new episodes. HOWEVER; all month long, l will be releasing some of my wife's very favorite episodes, in a "Best Of" style.So expect a re-release of an older favorite every weekday; with an all new intro from my wife, explaining why she chose each specific episode.Keep in mind that these are in no particular order, and l'll be back in April with all new episodes. Like, follow, subscribe and tell a friend!-Steve Owens Fascination Street Podcast 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

Shawn's Picks: Thomas McClaryHey Streetwalkers. THANK YOU SO MUCH for inspiring me to get to 400 episodes! As you may have guessed; lm taking March "off" from releasing new episodes. HOWEVER; all month long, l will be releasing some of my wife's very favorite episodes, in a "Best Of" style.So expect a re-release of an older favorite every weekday; with an all new intro from my wife, explaining why she chose each specific episode.Keep in mind that these are in no particular order, and l'll be back in April with all new episodes. Like, follow, subscribe and tell a friend!-Steve Owens Fascination Street PodcastThomas McClaryTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Thomas McClary. Thomas is the founder of the funk / soul band The Commodores. In this episode we chat about what it was like to be THE FIRST African American to be bussed in his county to a white school. We talk about The Civil Rights movement of the mid 60's and his involvement in that. Then we get into his time at Tuskegee Univers

Shawn's Picks: Chris BallewHey Streetwalkers. THANK YOU SO MUCH for inspiring me to get to 400 episodes! As you may have guessed; lm taking March "off" from releasing new episodes. HOWEVER; all month long, l will be releasing some of my wife's very favorite episodes, in a "Best Of" style.So expect a re-release of an older favorite every weekday; with an all new intro from my wife, explaining why she chose each specific episode.Keep in mind that these are in no particular order, and l'll be back in April with all new episodes. Like, follow, subscribe and tell a friend!-Steve Owens Fascination Street Podcast Chris BallewTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Chris Ballew. Chris is a musician and founding member and lead singer of the alternative rock band The Presidents of the United States of America. Chris is also known as Caspar Babypants; catering music for parents and kids to enjoy together. In this episode we chat about why he was drawn to music, touring as a band member with Beck fo

Dicky BarrettTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Richard Michael Barrett. Better know as Dicky; he is also called The Godfather of Skacore. Dicky is former frontman and founding member of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and current frontman and founder of the new super group The Defiant. In this episode, we chat about how he came to be the bow-tied plaid leader of The Bosstones, and some of the cool things he got to do along the way. He tells the story of getting to open for The Misfits while he was still in high school, as well as getting to play Fenway Park many years later. Dicky shares stories of meeting and befriending Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel when they were just getting started; and some of the fun things he got to do as a result of these friendships. Adam uses Bosstones' songs in the intro and outro of his Adam Carolla Show podcast; and Dicky was the announcer for Jimmy Kimmel Live for nearly 20 years. Of course, I ask Dicky if I can play my all time favorite MMB song... and

Teresa StrasserTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Teresa Strasser. Teresa first came into my heart as co-host / sidekick on The Adam Carolla Show on the radio, then in podcast form. I have wanted to get Teresa on the show for quite some time. Special thanks to Vinnie Tortorich for helping make this happen. In this episode, Teresa and I chat about how she came to work on the radio in Hollywood, in sort of a unique way. Then we discuss her podcast with Gina Grad, called Easy Listening. She explains what the show started out as, and why the show recently ended. Next we get into her book. The book is called Making It Home: Life Lessons From a Season of Little League. Teresa explains why she felt like she needed to write this book, and who it is for. The backstory of the book, is that Teresa and her father are repairing their relationship and coping with grief, while attending every game in a season of her son's little league baseball games. Teresa lost her brother and her mother 4 months

Sam LachowTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Sam Lachow. Sam is a rapper based in Seattle, who was brought to my attention by previous guest John Sylvain. In this episode, Sam and I chat about how he came to be a rapper / hip hop musician; even though he grew up in Seattle, known for it's grunge style of music. Then we get into sobriety. Sam is very open and honest, and even vulnerable when it comes to the reasons he got sober. He shares some of his fears about the possibility of losing his creative passion, and talent without the use of drugs and alcohol. He even shares a bizarre story about having to call the treatment center every day at 8am, just to see if there was an available bed yet. Then we jump right into how much I enjoy his music. We get very deep into some specific songs of his, that I love. He lets me play my favorite of his songs, and he clues me into the meaning behind some of the lyrics. The day we recorded this; he released a new single called "I Might", and he is g

Reed Diamond.Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Reed Diamond. Reed is an actor who has appeared in so many films and television shows that I could spend all day naming. In this episode, we chat about when he decided to become an actor, why he went to the University of North Carolina, and how he got into the Julliard. Then we discuss some of the bands he was in growing up, and the hilarious names & antics that ensued; including making a drum set out of some very unusual items. Next we get into some of his acting credits, including: Dollhouse, Much Ado About Nothing, Homicide: Life On The Streets, and his newest series 'Orphan Black: Echoes'. Reed shares some wonderful stories about working and going to school with the great Andre Braugher, what it is like to be part of the Whedon-verse, and how much fun it is to get to work with his wife on the same show. Along the way; we talk about Reed's 'alter ego' while away at college, reasons to never believe Wikipedia, and how the universe

Lori Fetrick Returns!Take a walk with me as I get to know even more about Lori Fetrick! Since this is a return appearance, we don't really do the 'how did you get to where you are, from where you were' thing. Go back and check out her first appearance for that (5/29/23). In this episode, we catch up on everything that has been happening for her since we last spoke. Two documentaries about The American Gladiators came out, she has been on numerous tv shows, and podcasts, and her podcast (Chillin' With Ice) is nearing the end of it's second season. She tells me about how the show has changed, and her right along with it. I ask about some of her interview experiences, and what is was like to attend the Adam Carolla Show Christmas party. Plus we talk about her new children's book (Playground Warriors), which is set to be released midway through 2024. She tells a fun story about why she declined to appear on The Howard Stern Show at the height of The American Gladiators TV show, and we end the show discussing a ve

Evan Woodward EsqTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Evan Woodward. Evan is an attorney who practices personal injury & family law in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is also a musician under the name Kash Mojo. In this episode, we go on a journey to find out why Evan decided to become a lawyer, and why he chose to practice in New Mexico. Along the way, we discuss journalism, his stint working for NPR (National Public Radio), and some of his law influences. Then we get into his musical side. I ask him why he chose the stage name of Kash Mojo, and what it means. Then we chat about his musical style and dub it "Ghost Rock"; which is a genre we both just made up! We talk about his musical influences, including Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous, and Evan even lets me play his new cover of 'Cow' by Sparklehorse. Look for Kash Mojo's new album 'Buried or Replaced' to drop midway through 2024. Finally, we end the show talking about how he got into listening to podcasts, and what some of his favorit

Raffaello Degruttola Returns!Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as l get to know even more about Raffaello Degruttola, in this RETURN visit! Raffaello was last on the show in June of 2019. This time, we don't do the 'get to know you' thing; so go back and check that out.In this episode, we catch up on how Raff spent his Covid lockdown, and how well his previous film performed. It's called Transference, and it did gangbusters on YouTube. I ask him about one of his early projects called "The Other Side of My Sleep, as well as a television series he is working on.We also discuss his new film project called 'To Love a Narcissist', and stars Lindsay Marshall alongside him, and others. Toward the end, we chat about the disposable nature of the current culture, and how we can learn to focus on the things that are important to us. Of course, we touch on an upcoming film he is acting in, where he got to work with the great David Bautista called 'The Killer's Game's and a Netflix movie called 'Scoop' that whe

J. Logan AustinTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know J. Logan Austin. In this episode, we chat about why Logan, and his partner Dustin created Crazy Ant Farm Media, and what they hope to accomplish with this production company. We also talk about film & television, being a storyteller, and his two podcasts. His first podcast is called 'Inside The Crazy Ant Farm', and it deals with entertainment news, rumors, stories, and general fun in and around show business. The second podcast is called 'Everything's Okay', and it deals with anxiety, depression, loneliness, and overall mental health. We briefly touch on Logan's upcoming wedding, and a bizarre and petty feud between Martin Scorsese and the rest of Hollywood. Logan tells me more about Crazy Ant Farm Media's pending projects, including: an hour-long comedy, a short film, a feature film, and even a half hour animated comedy. This guy is BUSY! For some reason, Logan starts to interview me about halfway through; but what matters is tha

Chris Larson Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as l get to know Chris Larson. Chris has a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from NC State and a degree in Economics with high honors from Princeton. He is Senior Director of clean Energy at Dynapower; a leading developer and manufacturer of grid scale power electronics solutions and power conveters, and recently celebrated its 60th year in 2023. In this episode we get to know why Chris decided to get into the clean energy space, what exactly Dynapower does, and why it's important work. We get into everything from: very large, and very small micro grids, to full scale battery solutions, to developing & harnessing hydrogen energy, and even electric car chargers built into the roads. We even discuss why clean, or green energy is so politicized. This is a wildly fascinating conversation, where we end with a story about Chris being a cotton smuggler! Enjoy my conversation with one of the smartest people out there!This show is part of the Spreaker Prim

Bill WieseTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know New York Times Best Selling author Bill Wiese. On November 23rd, 1998, at 3 am; Bill went to hell. Several years later, he wrote a book about his experience there. In this episode, we chat about a crazy shark attack he survived (unscathed) in Florida as a young man, and how it affected his relationship with surfing. Then we jump right into his out of body experience, trip to hell. He describes in great detail what the trip was like both getting there and getting back. Bill also shares his very detailed account of the sorts of torture that he experienced while there. During this episode, he does share some lighthearted and fun stories, and what he feels his mission is after this experience. I ask him why he thinks he was chosen for this, as well as some tips on how to steer clear of that place. This is the most religious heavy episode ever to be released on Fascination Street. I am not a super religious guy, but when I ran across Bill's sto

James DuMont Returns Again!Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know EVEN MORE about James DuMont! In this episode, we chat about the SAG - Aftra strike, his creative solution to ending pay inequity in the film & television industry, and various projects of his. We dive into HBO's The Righteous Gemstones, and what makes him love to go to work on that show, and the massive respect he has for Danny McBride, and how the show is run. Then we take a slight detour to talk about our mutual friend, and previous guest Joe Lafferty. James shares fun stories of working with; and being friends with Nick Offerman, Danny Pino, and Michael Chiklis, before we jump into his experiences working with Tracee Ellis Ross, and Reggie Hudlin, on the Eddie Murphy led, Amazon Prime film Candy Cane Lane. This is the number one film on Amazon Prime WORLDWIDE! Lastly, James gives us some hints about working with Don Johnson on the upcoming film Unit 234.This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are in

Emily WhitehurstTake a walk with me down Fascination Street, as I get to know Emily Whitehurst. Emily first gained recognition in the pop punk bands Generic Asphalt, and Plinky; before gaining world wide acclaim as the front woman for Tsunami Bomb, and later The Action Design. In this episode, we chat about her getting into music at a very young age, how she came to be involved in each of those bands, and some stories from the road. She also explains what it was like to play a ridiculous number of Van's Warped Tour shows. We also touch on why she moved to San Antonio, Texas, and how that opened the door for her to have her very first Christmas tree as an adult! Then we get into her newest band, Survival Guide, and her new album Death Dreams. I love this album; so we talk about a good bit of it. She explains why she used some household items as instruments on some songs, which songs are actually about death dreams, and she lets me play my favorite track from the album. Plus, she talks about teaming up with a S

Makenzie Phipps Returns!Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know even more about Makenzie Phipps. This is a return episode, so we don't start from the beginning of her story. If you missed it, go back and check out her first appearance on the show (7/3/23). Makenzie is a country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her music has been featured on Country Rebel, as well as television, radio, and all of the streaming platforms. In this episode, we chat about what Makenzie has been up to since we last spoke. We discuss her move to Nashville, the passing of Loretta Lynn, meeting and working with Rhonda Vincent, and various charities that she works with. We then go on to talk about the difference between her country songs, and her gospel hymns, plus some fun stories about her and her writing / music partner Shane Bagley. Finally, we chat about her recent Alice Rising Star Award, he children's charity Amp Up For Kids, and her new singles. While 'You Bring The Beer (I'll Bring The Noise)' is cl

D. Elliot WoodsTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know D. Elliot Woods. Elliot is an actor, and author. In this episode, we chat about how he got into acting, and some of the super talented people that have helped him along the way. For starters, his babysitter was a man who went on to be one of the most celebrated actors of all time! One of his college professors, is one of the most highly regarded, and respected actresses of all time! Even his cell phone number used to belong to a time traveling super star. We discuss some of his projects, including Friends, and Star Trek. Elliot tells me about the differences between working on Friends one week, and Star Trek the next. He shares fun stories from the set, working with: Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, and Jonathan Frakes. Of course, I ask him to tell the story of how "The D. Elliot Woods Rule" came to be, and how he set the bat for Wal Mart commercials. Finally, we dive into his new novel: Rise of the Unicorn. This book is a fantastic sus

Chef Aaron McCargo Jr.Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Chef Aaron McCargo Jr. Aaron was the winner of season 4 of The Next Food Network Star; a reality show competition on The Food Network. In this episode, we chat about what got Aaron into cooking in the first place, and what made him audition for this competition show. We also discuss how the show changed his life, and some of the behind the scenes secrets of his cooking show Dig Daddy's House; which ran for several seasons on The Food Network. Aaron tells stories about growing up in Camden, NJ, and some of the crazy antics he got into with his sister's Easy Bake Oven! Next we jump into Chef McCargo's very own line of The Spice & The Sauce, what he created them for, and where you can get them. Don't sleep on Aaron's cookbook: Simply Done, Well Done. We briefly touch on why he partnered with Fresenius Health Care, & The Family Dollar. Finally, the Big Daddy himself, tries not to cry while he tells me all about his non-prof

David PackouzTake a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know David Packouz. After growing up in Jerusalem, Israel and moving to Miami, David became an international arms dealer; sourcing arms & munitions for The United States Army, to help supply wars and conflicts in The Middle East. In this episode, David tells me how exactly this came to be, how successful he was at it, and how he ended up getting into some serious trouble with The U.S. Department of Justice. David was looking at the possibility of more than 300 years in prison! David's story became the inspiration behind the 2016 film War Dogs, directed by Todd Phillips; starring Miles Teller as David. The film was based on an in-depth article written by Guy Lawson, for Rolling Stone magazine. We also discuss his post arms dealing career as an inventor and entrepreneur. David founded Singular Sound, a company that develops and manufactures innovative new products for musicians. Singular Sound products have garnered huge accolades in the m