Interview with Thunder S Hawk of Cosmos Astrum Radio Network by Dave Wolff

Interview with Thunder S Hawk of Cosmos Astrum Radio Network

You are the creative force behind Cosmos Astrum Radio Network’s Thunder Cave Radio Show on which you air independent artist submissions as well as albums on CD, cassette, and vinyl. Did your love for multiple genres and experience as an amateur indie musician have a bearing on the show’s format?

I would say so for sure! I've always had a very diverse taste in music thanks to my parents, haha. I eventually found my way with my own taste via metal and hip hop. I felt as an independent musician that there needed to be more help getting the music out there and in my opinion there seemed to be more indie artists than people willing to play them, at least at the time of me starting my podcast interviewing various musicians, independents and majors. This ultimately led to my love affair with live radio on SLE radio thanks to the man Jay over there for my first shot at it. I've now found a home at Cosmos Astrum Radio network, I felt like there was a huge disconnect nowadays between consuming and appreciating music, maybe it was the pandemic but I found I really missed liner notes and inserts and CD booklets and having something to hold onto while actually listening to music. I had acquired a fairly decent vinyl collection so I thought wouldn't that be fun to play vinyl on the air in the year 2021. Then it became "well wouldn't it be fun to play cassettes! CDs! Why not indie artists and major artists too?!?!" And thus Thunder Cave was born. A lot of love for listening to music and an understanding of the thankless amount of work that goes into being an indie artist and a splash of ADHD and that's what you get when you listen to the show. I hope people enjoy themselves but more than likely won't as it's a hell ride of mixed genres and mindless rambling, haha.

Metal and hip hop have been crossing over since the mid-80s and early 90s, though to this day people still seem to create division between them. What do you think are the reasons for this, and are you doing anything to thin the lines between the two genres?

Honestly, I don't know why there's a divide between the genres. Obviously, people have different tastes but it seems metal fans are vehemently against hip hop and vice versa. I'm glad I'm not like that because I'd miss out on a lot of great stuff, haha. I've always been of the opinion "if it's good it's good". There are plenty of metal bands and hip-hop artists I don't care for but still love those genres. As far as my own music I've been fortunate enough to always find people who would give me a shot at vocals. I can’t carry a tune in a paper bag singing wise but I can rap and growl fairly well. I had a project called The Promised Land Band that goes from Spanish flamenco guitars to reggae to pummeling synthesizers to hip hop all in one with great powerhouse vocals (not me) and then me with my hip hop-esque flavor. Have another project now called Dark Matter Will Flow and it's basically a mash-up between Pink Floyd some black metal and hip hop all in a blender. It's a cool worldwide collaboration with me in Canada the main songwriter Jeff in Finland, JB on bass guitars and additional vocals from Virginia and finally, our man Craig aka Zero Point Projects our mad man extraordinaire of all things drums and low end related. Each member of DMWF is a phenom in their own right so to join forces has been truly awe-inspiring at least for me. I've always wanted to sound different. I once remember telling a friend of mine after recording that I hated my voice so much, he asked why I said because I don't sound like anyone else... he stopped me and asked "well isn't that the point"? That's always stuck with me. I've taken that approach to every project I've been a part of since.

Do you watch any vocal coaches at Youtube demonstrating the techniques of singing death and black metal vocals? They show there are different styles by which you use your vocal cords so as not to damage them.

I have watched some videos for curiosity's sake. I watched a great one called “The Zen Of Screaming”. I don't think people take into account how much work goes into screaming safely without shredding your vocal cords. “It's just screaming” after all heh. I have never applied any techniques; I'm sure if I ever did anything more substantial with music I would certainly use any tools possible to stay at the top of my game.

Voice Hacks is a Youtube channel offering a lot of information about using your vocal cords and applying the different techniques to death and black metal vocals. More channels like it are appearing on social media; do you think they’ll further validate extreme music?

I'm not so sure it needs or wants validation to be honest hahaha. It's tried tested and true, it works. I hope that yes maybe people who are checking out the genre for the first time will think it's more than just noise and understand and respect the talent needed to be an extreme musician.

Did you have support from your family as far as becoming an independent musician? Did they also support you in expanding your own horizons and developing your tastes?

My family's role was just always exposing me to every genre of music possible from Michael Jackson to the Eagles, they've always supported everything I've done. They came out to a show one time and that meant a lot to me that they were there. They may not have been my loudest cheering section but they weren't holding me back from trying either. My mom still listens to my stuff, hahaha.

Given the different genres your family exposed you to, how accepting are they of you pursuing metal and hip hop as a vocalist?

My parents don't really care about my music or radio show, haha! I still send my mom stuff to check out every now and again which she says she enjoys but let's be honest all moms say that, haha.

How do you account for vinyl and cassette formats remaining relevant in the early 2020s? Do you have rare releases on vinyl and cassette to air on Thunder Cave? What reactions do you receive from your listeners?

I honestly don't know why cassettes and vinyl withstood the test of time. The media itself is clunky and the equipment needed to play this stuff isn't as portable as a cell phone and it can be quite expensive, but I think in a massively digital age that is exactly what people missed. I know I did. In particular, during the pandemic, I had many instances of just reading old CD booklets or record liners. Really just sitting and being in that moment with a good piece of music is very therapeutic for me and I think for a lot of people too. There are guys who are just discovering this world of hi fi, some have never seen a cassette or a CD or even know how to use a record player. There is nothing like putting your fav album in whatever form of media you prefer on the big stereo and jamming out. I put out a call for people to just donate their old media to me rather than throw it away. Some didn't want to take their old memories to thrift stores or no one would buy them whatever the reason but many were generous enough to trust me with their old collections. I've been very fortunate. I know that. I love everything I get. I have had people message me saying how cool it is to hear the spools on the tape deck or the needle drop on the vinyl. Vinyl comes with its imperfections for sure the cracking and popping and occasional skip is all authentic and a huge part of the experience. I hope it makes everyone as happy as it makes me.

Name some of the bands you air on your program that other radio and net radio shows don’t usually air? How much does Thunder Cave rely on giving exposure to indie artists?

I am trying to think of a list of indie bands I play there are so many! I doubt I'm the only show playing them as they are hardworking and supremely talented but for sure some indies I play are groups like Twelve Years Today. (Such a full-sounding band for only having two members. Great riffs, great vocals) Amphibious Assault, Titanosaur, Chris Scheler, Void Stare. I could go on and on. I would say the Thunder Cave show is a place to hear your favorite artists with a great mix of "unknown artists" mixed in. I try to do an indies only show once a month. I respect everyone who's working on their craft and trying to find their audience. I'm happy to be a part in the fight to be noticed.

Between your program and the others airing on the internet, how much more of a chance are indie and unsigned bands getting to be heard compared to traditional rock and college radio? How much is this changing the game?

I think the huge push for Internet radio is leveling the playing field left and right. I know the station I am on now "Cosmos Astrum" people have flat out canceled their Spotify subscriptions and solely listen to it. I think it gives indies one more place to exist. Of course nowadays with the music business being how it is numbers are driven by streaming and units sold. No one is buying physical media as much as they used to and Spotify "pay" is a joke. I had a friend tell me he got around 200,000 streams on a track. That worked out to about 25 bucks. I really hope Bandcamp continues to gain ground. Selling even one unit on their site at even a "name your price" model you have the potential to make money hand over fist over the streaming services alone. I hope it's putting the commercial stations on notice. We don't have corporate sponsors telling us what to play. We play whatever we want and that makes us dangerous to the mainstream. Haha.

Back to the bands you’re currently working with, The Promised Land Band and Dark Matter Will Flow, have these bands been actively releasing material for some time? If so, where can it be streamed or ordered online?

I have been releasing music through various projects since about 2010. The Promised Land Band released our first album “Limbo” in 2019. We played shows locally quite a few and we were set to hit the festival circuit right around the time the pandemic hit. It's slowed down a bit but we are still active. The Promised Land Band can be found on all the streaming platforms and Bandcamp. I don't have any physical units left, unfortunately.

Dark Matter Will Flow materialized around the same time, in 2019/the beginning of 2020. We've put out two full-lengths and are about to release a brand new four-song EP. These are exclusive to Bandcamp. If you wanna check it out let me know! I'm happy to send a link your way.

How has “Limbo” been received through the pandemic, and how soon do you expect to work on another full length?

I like to think it was fairly well received! It’s very much a genre-bending album. For only having two members it's pretty crazy, we recorded much of it in my friend’s car and we actually did all the mixing before we sent it off for mastering in the same car. That's not to discourage anyone from listening but in true DIY Indie musician fashion we are all resourceful and do whatever whenever to put music out. We've got a couple tunes in the works but no real plans as far as a deadline goes at this time.

Why did you decide to make Dark Matter Will Flow exclusive Bandcamp releases? When is the new EP supposed to be released?

We did it the first two DMWF releases to Bandcamp simply because it was the cheapest with most return for us if we sold anything. We make no allusions as to the commercial success of this project. It's not realistic to think this music we make would ever turn a profit and we aren't in it for that either. We wanted to make music that was "Slow, heavy and uncompromising”; that's from our leader Jeff.

The new EP is done at this point. We are waiting for the final artwork and then we will put it on Bandcamp and the other streaming services in an effort to try to find people to listen. There seems to be a divide between average listeners and Bandcamp for some reason. People don't take you seriously if you aren't on Spotify these days. It's unfortunate but we will be there soon.

Does releasing your material independently help your bands reach more listeners? How hard is it these days for a band to find a label to sign to?

I doubt it, haha, that's the biggest challenge for any artist is to find someone to listen. In my opinion record labels are all but obsolete nowadays. Many indie labels have popped up and they are a great help getting artists in the right direction but the million-dollar recording contracts are long gone.

Besides The Promised Land Band and Dark Matter Will Flow, what projects of note have you worked on for the last ten-plus years?

I've had various other projects probably the most notable at least locally was a project called None Shall Sleep Tonight which later became Revenge Of The Fallen. It was a straight-up hip hop effort with amazing vocal hooks (in my opinion) and passable rapping (I did the rapping, haha) I was just starting out and I've gotten way better I think. That was my longest-running project; about seven years and three albums. As good things do they often come to an end, I was on my death bed in a hospital in the middle of nowhere Canada seven years ago now and I've never really looked back. I'm still proud of the tunes we released and the pile that never saw the light of day. It's always a nice reminder to see where you came from.

What is some of the subject matter you incorporate into your raps? Is there any kind of approach you use while writing verses? Is it easier to write beforehand or do you make verses up on the spot?

Most of my subject matter is about inward struggles and injustice. I have a hard time writing fantasy lyrics about money and cars or even happy shit. I'm a fairly dark person so the content is definitely on par with that. I pretty much just sit down and free-write then I go back over it and “trim the fat” as I say. Cut out extra syllables or add a couple that sorta thing. I don't have any special techniques or secrets hahaha. Usually, I just sit there and stare at a page until I get in a mood and away I go. I can write verses fairly quickly but I can also drag my ass, hahaha. Sometimes I can write a verse on the spot when recording sometimes I don't write shit for five months; hahaha it ebbs and flows. I usually have something written or can write something quick but I can’t freestyle on top of my head and record as I go I need it written down.

Quote some of the lyrics you’ve recently written for your hip-hop project. What social or societal topics inspired them?

Here's a quick quote from a new Promised Land Band song called “Window”: “Skin color doesn't matter we're on the same rotation, ask yourself what you would do in the same situation.” The song on a whole has to do with refugees and why people are such assholes about giving people a shot at a better life free from their war-torn countries and persecution. Also about how that's the first thing they find when they move to the land of dreams...persecution, racism, etc.

Do you often showcase your projects along with the indie bands you air on Thunder Cave?

I don't showcase my stuff maybe as much as I should. I try to use my platform for other artists but I've definitely snuck the odd tune in for sure! I just feel sleazy doing it for some reason hahaha.

Which of your projects and which of their songs do you occasionally give listeners a chance to hear?

Lately, I've been playing Dark Matter Will Flow “Malediction” and Promised Land Band “Ghetto”. That's probably our most popular. I get a pile of submissions from all over the world. There is a great group called Munatix that sends me their stuff from The Netherlands. They are upbeat pop/dance-type stuff; not my usual go-to but I enjoy it. Titanosaur from New York. JD Eicher has sent me a few most recently one called “Back To Me”. He's a fantastic singer songwriter from Ohio I believe.

How often do you accept submissions from your listeners who play in bands? Do you prefer physical copies or streaming links?

I have a ton of submissions constantly from my friends and listeners. I will always take them. I prefer either physical or a link where I can download an mp3. I appreciate that everyone is on Spotify but I get tired of seeing Spotify links in my inbox. I can't use them for airplay because of several copyright issues. Spotify is a big jerk. Just send me mp3s, CDs, cassettes or records; hell I've even got an 8 track player!

As Cosmos Astrum continues to move forward with more bands on its roster, would you consider hiring additional deejays for airing time? Would this be less or more complicated as an option?

Great question! I don't think I'd ever hire anyone to do what I do hahaha I do it for the love of music big and small and I'm not ready to pass the reins over yet.

Considering you’re in contact with so many bands, would arranging special events like music fests be something you’d do to gain more exposure?

I had never thought about it, part of me would love to do a concert where the station is based only to really give the community here something to enjoy. That said there are a lot of logistics to sort out etc. I'd do it maybe for the sake of doing it but I'm not too worried about gaining listeners per se. People know where to find me and they are either gonna tune in or not I'll be there either way ha-ha.

Would you like Cosmos Astrum to break aboveground in the near future, or are you generally satisfied running it independently, and keeping creative control of your own program?

Honestly I have to maintain creative control. I'm very fortunate to be a part of Cosmos Astrum with Matt and Alyson running the helm but only running it in a way that they want each show to be something the respective host is totally proud of. If we are happy they are happy and I've never been happier with a station or show.

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-Dave Wolff

Radio Host Interview: Daniel J. Harris (The SoupyGato Show) by Dave Wolff

Interview with Daniel J. Harris of THE SOUPYGATO SHOW

What is The SoupyGato Show and how did it start?

The SGS is a music podcast that plays submitted music of any and all genres-styles-vibes-categories from every and all over the unknown Earth. Maybe even has played some from unknown too. Having it be artist or artist management saved us from the every and always changing legal aspects. But also the show has always been free to be on as well as heard. It is a one-hour mp3 audio file that can either be played on SGS.com or downloaded. We try to keep each and every episode as eclectic as the music submitted allows but often there will be a little bit of a theme though neither mentioned nor listed just for my own personal enjoyment. Music seems to flow with the physics idea of 'like attracts like'. We'll get a bunch of Western-style one week and Funk the next for example with no rhythm or reason to why. We try to play music sent in on physical copies sooner and more of than digital out of respect for doing so. As a cat with a cd being re-released I totally understand the time and how costly getting your music to those that get it into the ear of the matrix can be. Though we will have to come up with ways to keep the show free for both the artist and listener we must generate something to continue. Listeners have been awesome when blatantly asked for donations for the website server or we might even be doing this piece on the show at all, but glad we are.

It started in a way because of Wiffle Ball if you know what that is. A good buddy of mine calls me one day and says "Hey, I joined a Wiffle Ball League". I paused because I was still letting that soak in when he says "Oh, by the way, you are on my team too so be ready tomorrow at 1 to play". Well, the conservation went something on those lines at least and The Brewers played 2 seasons at The Wiffle House that Alan Garcia owns and created a bit of a Field Of Dreams in his backyard. The 3 main field looked like a little league field and had two more for... maybe they are like cats... you have one so it isn't all that much more to have a couple more. Anyways, over time I got to know Al better and he was also into podcasting even before it was called that term used today. If you are under 18 please do not go to this site but if you are older and enjoy R-rated movie humor and naked ladies Goin Deep was where I became even aware of the idea of creating a show and having other hear it. They are still at it and though Al and I had a bit of a falling out right before I moved here I still love all the guys over there. I really really really upset one of the guys but that is also why the show is what it is instead of whatever it would have come to be if I would not have grabbed the ball and ran. Mr. Clean (the name is a paradox for sure) said, "Hey I know you are not really about the locker room humor stuff more than once, twice a month. What do you think of us starting something different? You are really into music? Maybe that?" I agreed, had a name (soupygato was right from start), then said..."I think it should just be a one host show". I look back at that as the right move but maybe I could have done nicer. Telling someone they are not that funny is sort of funny. So I was told not to worry about the text stuff and all that and didn't. Started getting music and went back over to the studio and recorded 3 truly bad episodes and was told that the files were too big and if I was going to continue I needed to elsewhere. I still get a little twinge of red when I think on that. "You gave me enough rope to hang myself" was what I said (or at least how I have in retellings). Fear is an amazing motivator and by the following week, I was doing episodes on my own with a Logitech headset that I mic to just have the mic and a ruler-pin-cushion that I duct taped it to use as a stand. Over time people wanted studio pix and such and had to skate those questions fast. No way in hell was anyone going to look at the jagged broken ruler end and thin 'Professional" so behind the curtain the whiz stayed for a year plus.

Why did you decide to host your own net radio station instead of looking for a traditional radio station to broadcast from?

The idea not only never crossed my mind but at that time I don't even know how it could or would have worked. Nobody knew about podcasts back then. I would like to know if The SGS really is the first of its kind and as far as I can tell it is but I haven't done any major research to give up that wee little taste of 'the 1st' just to replace with being the 2nd or 7th. Plus it is always better for promotion via word of mouth if you are #1. Podcast Alley was the big deal back in the day and from 2007 to 2009 we were the monthly top music show 35 out of 36 and it had a huge part to do with being the top show. I am very competitive while on the court or field but once off, in general, it isn't something that concerns me much. Yet I do know that a young band will tell every single person they know or cross paths with that they are going to be on a #1 music show. So we really tried to blend a mix of brilliant jams and decent up and comes to both have a solid worth well music show as well as continuing to grow.

I was also very anti-morning talk show BS and all their bells and whistles. I am not a morning person and used to just glare at the radio while some yahoo talked and talked as I waited for music on the morning ride to work or what have you. Hearing the tagline from 'Joe-FM, We Play Everything" and then hearing the same shite day after day. I knew I didn't want to be a part of that world at that time. We'd have lost too much control and have had real issues since with larger stations wanting out show to be a part of their network. Before I had 'Banged Funny Bone Syndrome' and then the surgery we were syndicated on stations in LA, Chi, Clev, London, Essex and another two in the UK. I so dug that we were on in Essex in the UK, as I am from Essexville and lived for years in the haunted Essex House that founded that lil city next to where Madonna and I were born. Not only were we born in the same town and hospital but even the same room. I like just to see reactions when I tell that little bit of personal info. But where I am from most people can say the same (laughing).

The SoupyGato Show is an ‘All Styles from All Over the World’ music podcast started in 2005. I grew up with my Grandparents (Irish Grampa and French Canadian Gramma). Grampa couldn’t carry a note if it was stapled to him but did so daily and Gramma could really sing but did so rarely. So I heard a lot of classical and Rat Pack, then sort of stole Beatles, Rod Stewart, Burl Ives from my Uncles mostly. And yeah I know Burl is an odd addition; he was the singing Snow Man in the early Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer if the name doesn’t ring a bell. Then Kiss came alone and well… that for sure was life changing and I will always be grateful even if both I and they have changed over the years.

I found out I have an extra vertebra after moving here to Holland, and I think that very likely is a ‘Travelin’ Bone’. My Mum had always been into Country music and that was not an area I had any appreciation for until after living in Austin, Texas. I took a train from Flint, Michigan all the way there and it’s funny how life and art inter-link as Cat Stevens’ Peace Train just came on the player. And worth mentioning is that the name of the show comes from the mother of one of my best mates who I was moving down to stay with. I had a cat named Soup for years, and when the friend and I were living in East Lansing his mother and stepfather came for a visit. You know how some cats want to lay on that one person that just doesn’t want that nor even like them? “Dan I Love You But I Hate Soupy Gato!!!” she would say in her heavy Spanish accent. Her father was President of Paraguay, and no BS, was assassinated by poisoned soup. Straight up. Years later when I would call on her and say hello she would reply “I know no Dan”. “You remember, SoupyGato?’ “Oh Yeah I Love SoupyGato!” It just sort of stuck, and when thinking of a name for the show it was an easy choice due to Cat being a Jazz slang term for fellow musicians. Gato being Spanish for cat and there being a billion types of soup.

Some friends were doing a podcast even before it was coined a podcast called ‘Goin Deep’. They did an awesome show and I will always have a ton of respect and gratitude even if we sort of had a falling out over the years. It was trashy locker-room humor, and though I have no problem with that and enjoyed all the time I spent on it wasn’t truly my vibe. So when one of them asked me about a spin-off show focused on music I excitedly agreed. I sort of took the ball from him and ran. Maybe it wasn’t my nicest move but I still have the ball and am still running. It was supposed to be hosted through the tech whiz of the group, Al Gracia, but after three shows he said it was taking up too much space to continue. I can still recall how I felt; I am not a tech savvy dude and felt like he gave me just enough rope to hang myself with. But in a week I had learned how and why, and with Myspace’s help was in touch with hundreds of artists all over the world each day.

How long after you started The SoupyGato Show did you start contacting bands daily? What were your prerequisites for airing them on the show? What genre or genres of music most speak to you?

I started contacting bands before recording the first show and I pretty much recorded daily right from the get go. It was about late November 2005 that I started reaching out and requesting bands to submit music and on December 26 (I am pretty sure) that episode 1 was recorded. January 3rd or 4th 2006 was when it was published. For prerequisites there were but one: no hate. I have said at time ‘radio quality’ but I have been pretty lenient with that. If a band has two versions with one being in English and the other being their native tongue, we have always played the non-English version.

For me personally? It would be easier to discuss what I dislike as what it is speaking to me is ‘turn that shite off!’ But so I do not offend the folks that live next door (hah). I will be polite and keep my trap shut. Kidding aside, I might dislike a song or even a certain act but honestly I love Dean Martin, Stevie Wonder, Soul Coughing, King Crimson, Judas Priest, Dave Brubeck, Morphine, Dio, Charles Mingus, Towns Van Zandnt, Cyndi Lauper, Prince, Steve Earle, Jaco Pastorius, Pharcyde, Sex Pistols, Los Lobos & the Latin Playboys, and the list could go on. I think I made at least the most basic of the point, and that is I humbly am an open minded lover of orchestrated audio chaos. There was no radio show or anything where I was from, so like they say ‘don’t complain, get off your ass and do something about it’. So for better or worse I put years of my life and blood, sweat and even a few tears into it over the years.

To what extent was Myspace a help in finding bands to correspond with? Are you still on Myspace today or did you migrate to other social media sites since the switch to Myspace Beta?

Myspace was HUGE! It was just perfect timing, truly. It had been up and running long for maybe a year, so many bands were there and I literally would contact each and every single band almost to OCD diligence. It became clear that it was a total numbers thing. If I connected with 3000 that week; 300 would reply and CDs from 30. I do still have a page, but honestly I never could get the swing of it after it changed. I still like the first version better than Facebook. I just went to look on The WayBack Machine to see if I could find and post anything that might be entertaining, but I started to lose track of time [Harris' Myspace link is below. -DW].

Do you maintain a decent correspondence network since you switched from Myspace to Facebook? What is The WayBack Machine and what services does it offer?

For the most part, yes. We played so many acts on the program for the first time. And that means something special on both ends. It is crazy to look back at the amount of episodes and showcases we did before the switch, but my life had some bumps at that time too. In the archive of Facebook emails I have tons from 2010 from bands like Faster Pussycat and Tesla. Most I don’t even recall getting but it’s fun to look through them when I even remember they are there.

The WayBack Machine is a site that takes a picture of the entire surface web a few times a month. When we lost the first site I still thought the inter-web was like a pool; once you pee in it you have to drain the whole thing to get it out… This was not the case, and thank Gawd for Howard Baily who saved each and every show (500+ episodes) and gave me copies or I’d screwed the pooch. Valuable learning for certain. Honestly I am not an expert on WBM and have just used it to look for lost playlists and things like that. It can be fun to find your old Myspace at a fixed time in the past and recall what was going on in life at that time.

How open has mainstream audiences been toward underground metal (all genres) in the last ten or fifteen years? Or is it more often written off as noise for unintelligent people?

My guess is it would be the same as it always has been and always will be. Some of us are compelled by sound. It resonates or goes to crazy levels. Wanting to hear a song over and over and having to move the needle or rewind the cassette. Now it is easier with a finger. Some of us love to be that person who is always playing something different and loves both the sharing of something new, but also for the extra notch of respect and admiration it gives. Maybe if the underground became mainstream we would ease into utopia or absolute anarchy? My guess is the latter.

Does the show have an official site you broadcast from? Where on the web can people hear it?

The SoupyGato Show is located at SoupyGato.com and can be streamed or downloaded as an hour long mp3. It is funny to see a band change their mind when I say the show is downloadable but never as individual tracks. For a person to go through all the work to take a single song more they likely would have taken some other way. Of course, there are many other ways to snag a song. It is similar to the effort I made to record a song off the radio. So to any band that hesitates for this reason, please know there will be ten times more listeners that hear your music than the few that have one song from your entire catalog, and because they have it they don't buy it. If they are that worried about a single dollar compared to people who hear them that week and in the future, I don't care much to have dealings with them. As an artist I never hesitate when having a chance to have my music on a show. But I do take time for research before I just send it.

Do you have an official staff working with you, or do you run it independently?

Both in a way. At the peak of the show from 2007 to 2010, there was a staff of five: Assistant, Researcher, Promotions, Tech and me hosting. Two went off to do their own thing for a period of time. I admit I wasn't happy at first and less when one took all the contacts and a Myspace page made for the show. Anyone would have been upset to find that out. The fact that others were consulted about it and I was told after. Later I did become a big supporter for them though neither is still being made. Rich Hamilton who started out as tech has recently come back to the fold. But with all the moving I did there have been breaks in the action. In 2014 I stopped for an entire school year to homeschool my girlfriend's son Yal, who I have affectionately nicknamed Yalbert Einstein, and The Southern Many (that sounds more like the moniker of a WWF big-time wrestler).

How many of those 500-plus episodes are archived on the net, for fans to listen to? If not all of them are archived, how many have you uploaded and on what media platform?

We do not have enough space on site with our server. The techy stuff is not my strong point but I am always trying to pick up something that will make it faster, sound better, be easier to locate and such so I am open to ideas. I would guess there are maybe 120 or so up, give or take.

How much of a task was it to choose from so many bands for each episode of the program? Did you have episodes dedicated to one genre or was each and every one of them mixed?

At times it can be quite daunting. In 2010 and ’11 I was living in a large apartment building and getting 30 CDs a day. The postal service didn’t think it was as cool as I did. There is even a good sized backlog now but I have always made an effort to make sure that more CDs got on sooner. I was even more aware of it after releasing Water Is Conscience with Nico Jongenelen as NaMet in 2016. I swap out music on an iPod about every two months and keep it on random. I love it when a song makes me stop dead and look. Those songs make it on fast.

There are showcases of the music of Israel, Scotland, GLBT acts (I pissed off more than a couple with my “Are You Gay?” posting), Tibet (we timed that one for when I saw H.H. the Dali Lama give a lecture and lead a meditation. We teamed with Tibet Aide Dot Org and the listeners raised more for Tibetan kids’ education that month than the rest of the year combined. Still proud of that), and the most recent larger one was ‘Let The Artist Do The Talking’ in which the band or artist would introduce the song and a little about how it came to be (hearing the different accents was pretty cool). I had an operation on my elbow a couple years back and started to get a Healing Music Showcase, as it has always been a big interest for me as well as hoping to mend faster if possible. But due to a PC crash it never panned as well as one on Lichtenstein that one day will air.

But to answer your question all episodes are as diverse as can be. We seem to get similar vibes in groupings often and noticeably. I guess the science backs for ‘like gravities to like.’ To come up with a way to get the NagMet music out I asked some labels we have worked with for years if I did a mini show called SoupyGato’s Smoke Break. So I would take three songs from three different acts on the same label and they would do an e-blast for us. Those I would say are of the same vibe. I have used that to air interviews also. A smoke break being fifteen minutes though that isn’t PC anymore I guess. I even have a patch on and am kicking butt.

How well were your episodes on Israeli bands, Tibetan bands and Scottish bands been received when they aired?

They went over great. Maybe there is some social scientist that has created a term for this but for I can tell I am an odd man out in that I never listen to the show nor ever check the numbers. Right from day one, I didn't want to know because only two things can happen, you are insecure because no one is listening or you freak because so many are. I had a Dutch whiz kid that had either created the computer system for a hospital or bank. I forget but he did the first one I had here. Then he said he was going on a trip to France with a couple friends and I have yet to see him again, straight up. He is teaching English in China now. He is a real sweet kid but that crumbed my cookies a bit. While in the site I saw how many site visits right after posting my talk with Rocky Dawuni a couple years back. That is the only time I saw numbers. It was 41K and I was flat out floored. One thing I really found fun was that I could see individual listeners and there were Google Maps too. No idea if this is still the case, but I kid you not I found Buckingham Palace, the Kremlin in St. Petersburg and that freaked me out. After some updates it wasn't an option anymore. Sorry to go a little sideways with that but I have always really enjoyed the showcases. I had to cut it at 100 with Scotland, and when I was asking one of the bands how they heard of it when submitting because a bunch were coming in unasked, he replied 'you don't get it... yours is The Show, we have little parties and listen'. That moved me pretty hard ya know.

As far as metal bands from other continents, have you heard anything about the metal underground in South Africa? Or the punk underground from that area? If you have, what South African bands have you heard of recently?

I'd have to think a bit on who all we have had on and the truth is I have. I never refer to a band as being within a genre, maybe it’s another of my out of the norm things but that is what makes a question like so specific whereas what I do is so general. The Future Primitives came in from Voodoo Rhythm Records with a poster that is on the wall. They are a three-piece from South Africa. This is slightly unrelated but I befriended through my Dutch classes a dude from Nigeria who was really into reggae. Megladon I am pretty sure are from SA and they are hot. I am going to see what I can and maybe have more input on this before all is said and done.

On soupygato.com it states you played French horn and bass guitar, but not much more. What exactly did you do and how did it help your show? Are you still playing?

My Grandmother and I would watch symphonies play on PBS, both with and without TV remotes, depending on if I was home or not. I have always loved classical music and still do, especially in Euro-Metal like Yngwie Malmsteen and Mercyful Fate. As much as I love classical I despise marching bands just as adamantly! Plus I went to school at 8 a.m. in Michigan into the fall and well into the winter. You don't use a French horn to march, you use a Mellophone that is almost as big and directly in front of you. You can't see a damn thing, so when the dude in front of you stops without warming you crash into him and have bloody lips and cracked teeth. The music doesn’t gel with me either, though we did play stuff by Herbie Handcock, Stevie Wonder, Chicago; a group with more than twelve members. My mouth hurts just thinking about it. The band director caught me at a game while I was supposed to be too sick with the flu to play. I went with no fuss and even came back to him occasionally to go over different things. J. Thomas, R.I.P. One of my favorite teachers and later a real friend.

My first bass was a yellow Hondo II I took out of a rickety old chair and shouldered it snapping its neck. I was seventeen at the time and living for the summer in my grandma's house. (before my parent's house - mom and stepdad Tom - burned down during one of the worst storms in Essexville’s history). I brought the bass to show my Mom and asked for help to replace the neck (not understanding a replacement neck was twice as much as the bass) and left it on the kitchen counter out of the way. When the insurance inspector asked me what type it was, seeing it melted to the counter, I blurted "Fender! Fender Performer!" I have no idea why but it did happen. I saw a buyers’ version of Guitar Player Magazine at 7-11 a few days before. After asking for $5 I jumped into my red Omega and zipped on down to grab before gone.

Last night after dinner Natasja and I were making some noise. We were mucking about on the acoustic guitar and noticed I was playing a riff from Jesus Christ Superstar. I must have been about 24 when I ran into a friend who was directing said musical but there was no bass player. The stage was extended so that the first three rows of seats were covered and high enough back at the curtains that the six piece rock-band-orchestra was spider webbed with wires under the stage. Closed circuit TV was used to monitor the action above. The cast were all in their 20's and on the hippie trail. It was written in a psychedelic time, and on the last performance I made sure it was kept true to its origin. The guitarist 'Pete The Kid' was going to my alma mater and I would pick him up daily for rehearsals. He talked me into Into the Woods that I still haven't seen, then Bye Bye Birdy, Hello Dolly and The Sound of Music at The Players Club. I had the flu so bad I kept a bucket next to me and the drummer had to whisper the notes because of my blurry vision. It was a wonderful experience.

Sneak Preview was an R&B/pop cover band I did for six months. They had a Casio keyboard with 120 songs programmed. They would hit a button and it went, but no one knew what song it would be. I was faking R. Kelly before I knew of him; that is another story to say the least.

I happened across my cheat sheet full playlist the other day with some other paperwork. Mostly Prince, Baby Face and Commodores. Each gig they would say "ok tonight we go with black and purple'. More than once I borrowed a jacket from Desi Phillips (Prince produced once of his CDs) and I didn't need to push the sleeves up to play. One night as he and Rico ran out to do their routine on the dance floor the cord got caught and took his feet up to chin level. BANG! Knocked the fuck out! But that was almost normal.

We were doing our first out-of-area gig and playing as the house band at The White Horse Thursday to Saturday, then Monday to Wednesday at The Watering Trough. It was nice to have a break as I was doing construction work by day.

I spent time in Muddy Gumby, and learned that my replacement used tapes with me playing as when they recorded later. He told me I needed to teach him the Arabic scales I was using; I didn't have the heart to tell him I didn't know what he was talking about. I was in an Irish band called Hoolie (slang for Hooligan). Shinola was a Dan & Dan combo playing dinner music at a Tommy V's restaurant and were given a respectable amount of beer to do so. The name came from the movie The Jerk staring Steve Martin, "Boy you don't know the difference between shite and shinola". A couple years doing crazy-standup-poet shows with four other gifted singer song-writers. The S.N.A.P. Revue Savvy Northern Acoustic Players Revue was the name I came up with as words were supposed to be my area of talent. I have a poem (now song created by Luis Drayton) called My Dildo's Death that has almost gotten my kicked out for reading. I used it when no one would listen but boy by the end you heard crickets, haha. I will see if I can dig it up for you just to have your opinion maybe at the end of this.

NagMet was me on lyrics and vocals and Nico Jongenelen engineering. We have a conceptual album titled Water is Conscience. It got awesome reviews every single time. One day we got rated A on a rap site and we had a block of five songs played on a prog-rock show. Those are not two genres that cross over. After the third completed piece, we were asked to be on London radio. Thirty minutes before the talk we changed from Magnet to NagMet; ten minutes later we lost connection and freaked out, hehe. The label that released it has been bought out, and because of their huge catalog, we may not be available through them again. So we have opened talks with Jongleur Books and Music, who recently published my first book, Thy Looney Bin Journal.

Do you do anything else creative besides music?

I love to write. There are two CDs ready and waiting to be released. The first is Tim Jones & Rob Kirtely's versions of a bunch of my words. They asked for one story for Cassette Day UK and it sold and that so sparked that lite in me again and I think Tim too many times, hah. Also Busting Onions Out Of Jail is myself and Erik & Danny in Sweden. We have a Reverbnation as well as a 5 song EP in the wings. I mention these because I have enjoyed thinking of or even making the covers. Justin Jackey has been making a bunch of Prog covers and Stoner vibe ones also. I met him through Tim and he did NagMets amazing cover, still just look and marvel at it as well as my book cover too. F'ing great dude too. Art teacher in Austin. Music has always been there no matter what good or bad was in my life. It was a rock steady friend and always will be. I think too often if you ask a person 'what is rock and roll?' or 'what is good music to you?' they will answer what was on the airwaves when they were seventeen or eighteen years old. Most of us lacked judgment so why continue to hold that notion true? I also understand if you are going out you want to hear the songs you know. All of a sudden there is a break but can help to create a really good time. But for me, writing is what I have loved more over the years moved more and more. I also really do enjoy crayons and they are a bitch to find here in Holland. I call my stuff Ameba Jazz Art From The Inside Of Closet Doors.

Tell the readers about the recent release of Thy Looney Bin Journal and how well it has been received.

Thy Looney Bin Journey is literally a word for word account of my time in the nut-house just down the road from the Detroit Zoo. On June 16th, 2002 I tried to end my own life and I explain why as well as the sometimes very humorous climb out of the hole I had dug myself into. Without being too 'punny' It was a very crazy time for me. I could have published more than a few things before this and maybe I should have, but I still feel this is important and not for me but for others. Some can see themselves and the possibly shameful path they lead and others can form a better understanding of friends and family members. Though sales are low the publisher informed me that talks of a movie had already begun and that flipped my wig for certain. And the reviews or just emails I have gotten have been amazing and I think readers of this blog would really get where I am coming from much more so than your average book reader.

Do you have any plans to further expand the show’s format? And how would you like The Soupy Gato show to be remembered in the future?

I went a few years without speaking to a fellow Yankee (go Tigers) and I’ll tell you that really gets to you. And then along came Andros from L.A. Love at fight site, haha. I totally love the dude, he has super powers as well as some screaming video talents. So yes but not certain as to what. For The SoupyGato Show to be remembered? That we were the first. If you dispute me show me an ‘all styles from all over the world’ that came before. I have been asked for music from at least two shows that used our line. I really don't know; just to be remembered is coolness for this cat. Just to be thought of and not even if it is all good. I made mucho mistakes along the way and still do. I didn't do radio like those with bells and whistles coming out of their wazoo, and play the same shite they are programmed to play. Being the Grandfather, the Ol' Skool, who had music truly give me the moralistic and romantic vibes since the Beatles and Rod Stewart and Kiss that impacted the show.

Have you ever thought dj'ing a music show would be cool and want to learn how? I was recently asked to do a demonstration and if there is enough interest I will do so. Also looking for a couple of young people that want to learn about running a show and what all goes into it on a regular basis.

Because I have had a few health issues the amount of music we have is huge so we are going to take a break from accepting submissions for the rest of the season, October 1 is my birthday and what I consider the first day of fall too, So not long.

Please indicate the nature of you contacting in the subject and can send any thoughts or questions to soupygato@gmail.com and can find info on the book and music as well as the show.

Thanks For Reading!

https://www.soupygato.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Soupygato (LIKE US)

https://twitter.com/SoupyGato

https://www.facebook.com/soupygato.show (personal)

https://myspace.com/danielj42

nl.linkedin.com/pub/daniel-j-harris/75/b84/258/

-Dave Wolff

Radio Host Interview: Mark Torres of IT CAME FROM THE RADIO by Dave Wolff

Interview with Mark Torres, host of IT CAME FROM THE RADIO

How did It Came From The Radio come to be Big Apple Con’s official radio program, as your promotional poster states?

I had known Mike Carbonaro (who runs Big Apple Con) for some time. After a few years of working together (covering his con/having him as a guest on our show), I thought that our show needed to have an official sponsor. I had come up with the idea after during one of (I forget what year) the New York Comic Cons. So I scheduled a meeting with Mike on the show floor (at one of his booths that he had there and pitched the idea. He liked it and that was that. At the time Mike was filming some kind of reality show and it was all caught on tape (somewhere in the universe).

How did you meet Mike Carbonaro and develop a working relationship with him?

I met Mike like ten years ago at the Big Apple Con when it was still at the church (it now has a place at the Penn Pavillion). I think I was either looking for advertisers at the time. Funny thing is with Mike, I have met him for the first time many times.

Who did you found this program with, and where was it meant to air? What resources did you have to work with in the beginning?

The show was originally called "The Comic Book Novice" and it was (sort of) like "The View" of comics. So with that in mind I needed a panel. I had an aspiring artist who would cover the news (Todd Wright), a person who worked for Wizard Magazine at the time (to give that insider information), Hassan Godwin, a female who served as the "everyman" (Jennifer Smith) and myself as the original four co-hosts. The show aired originally on 1240AM WGBB (Long Island's oldest radio station) which had live audio streaming. At the time we didn't have any type of archives beyond the cassette tape that they gave us after the show aired (this was 2003).

WGBB was a very small station (they have since moved to a new location and upgraded their equipment) and I was not very tech savvy (still not), so all we really had to go on was what the station had. We were a live show and could only record/broadcast during our time slot. As the years went on, we got hand held recorders to do audio interviews away from the station (to be played on air at a later time) as well as a spiffy laptop which we use sometimes as a mobile studio for live on the spot recordings.

What were the similarities between The Comic Book Novice and The View?

It’s basically the same show (at the time we started at least). It was Live, you had 4 people (Star Jones, Meredith Vieira, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Joy Behar and sometimes Barbara Walters) all with different backgrounds and different opinions on the news and the topic of the day. They had guests and also did reviews/discussions of things that they saw or interested them. I Felt I was the combination of Barbara and Meredith (being the leader and steering the ship), Elisabeth was Jennifer, the youthful one, Hassan was Joy, the cynic and the one who often clashed with Elisabeth the most, and Todd was Star (being the journalist presenting the news). Of course our show was only 30 minutes long.

Did you intend from the beginning to have a fan run show? How do you explain the increased popularity in fan run programs?

From the beginning it was planned as just the four of us with our different backgrounds talking about comics, movies, and entertainment. While we were fans, Todd was a freelance artist, and Hassan worked for Wizard Magazine (and eventually I did get two comic books published) so I wouldn't say we were "fan run". As for other shows (podcasts being the most prevalent) I say that due to the increased accessibility and decreased cost it makes it easier for anyone (or everyone's) voices to be heard.

How much promotion has It Came From The Radio given Big Apple Con since the sponsorship was agreed upon?

Quite a lot. The tag line "the official radio show of the Big Apple Con" is on all of our fliers, shirts and is now incorporated into our logo. In addition to that, on our show we always mention the Big Apple Con and their website and upcoming convention. So in essence it has become who we are through and through.

Besides Big Apple Con, do you appear at other New York City conventions to promote? Or Long Island and New Jersey?

Either by having a table or just covering the event (taking photos, doing interviews). We haven't missed a Big Apple Con for as long as I can remember. We also cover New York Comic Con, Inbeon Con, Eternal Con, Winter Con, Em Con (just to name a few) which are all New York and/or Long Island based. We also have done a few New Jersey cons, the latest being the Garden State Comic Fest in Atlantic City (we had a table there).

How long has the Garden State Comic Fest been hosting events? Did you interview any of the guests there?

I had only heard of the Garden State Comic Fest two or three years ago. They've expanded to three shows a year, the "main" one in Morristown, New Jersey, a second one in Great Adventure (of all places!) and a third one in Atlantic City. I personally hadn't interviewed anyone there, but the Bitten Apple guys have for our Youtube page.

Explain how the first panel of The Comic Book Novice formed. How much input did each member have?

I had always wanted to be in comics. Ever since I was a kid all (and I mean ALL) I wanted to do was draw for Marvel. No fireman or policeman; nothing but comics. As I grew older, I realized my penciling ability a job at Marvel was not going to get me (oddly enough, and perhaps fortunately, it was around the same time that I found out that the writer was the one who actually told the story). So one New Years' Eve (actually it was already after midnight) I was driving home from the cemetery and heard a radio ad on WGBB. It said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "Do you have a passion or interest for a particular subject? Want to interview professionals in that field? Why not have your own show where you can do just that?" So I thought a radio show would help me network my way into having my own comic published; this might be a good idea. It was then that I reached out to my friends and peers (as I usually do with any big project or idea I have) to see if it was plausible to turn into a reality. Todd, Hassan, and Jennifer were on board. As mentioned before, I had a "The View" type of show in mind, and each one kind of just filled that role naturally. Everyone just was themselves and followed my lead. For the very first episode we did (what we now refer to as) a movie discussion episode for the film "Daredevil" (starring Ben Affleck). Whenever we record a full show the format was (and still is) pretty much the same. We start off with the intro, take it away with the week's news, take a break then do our "subject of the week" and then (of course) the wrap up (which hasn't changed much over the years either).

Which Marvel characters did you most want to draw? Were there any from DC Comics or other companies that made an impression on you?

Hulk was the number one guy for me. I also liked Iron Fist and maybe the Fantastic Four would have been on my list to draw. As for DC, I always liked the original Outsiders and Geo-Force specifically. You know, I was this close to getting to write for Marvel with Penciler Brian Kong and Inker Peter Palmiotti. I had pitched an idea to continue the "What If?" story about the Children of Secret Wars had the original heroes had remained on the Battleworld. The editor liked the idea, but there was something else going on where we couldn't use those characters.

Looking back, was starting out on a smaller radio station with live streaming a good way to start the program?

WGBB will always be considered my first home and I would love to go back there sometime in the future. The best thing (at the time) of WGBB was the relationship I had with the station's Manager Jeff Lo and the rest of the staff. I still keep in touch with Brian the engineer as well as Cara the intern to this day. Keep in mind that at the time WGBB was one of the few local stations that had online streaming so that our reach was more than that of just those in the listening area. We were worldwide on the internet!

Were the movies discussed on The Comic Book Novice mostly mainstream or were some independent films discussed?

If I remember correctly, the movie discussion episodes were always mainstream. We had (and still do have) the indie filmmakers as guests on our show. I prefer to talk to them and get to know their work better that way. We also cover the Macabre Faire Film Festival (also in Long Island) where we talk to (and discuss) a slew of indie shorts and films as well as the creators behind them. In addition to the radio show, there are a few videos from the red carpet on our YouTube page that you can view.

When did The Comic Book Novice become It Came From The Radio? Where did the program move to after WGBB?

September 1, 2011 was the first official broadcast of "It Came From The Radio". I'm not 100% sure when the actual change was made. After (might have been *just* before) leaving WGBB we became syndicated airing on 88.1FM WARY in Westchester County along with an online radio station BTD Radio. Starting in July we're going to be using the Grindhouse Radio Studio for all future in-studio recordings. Of course, as I mentioned before, with technology the way it is, we still have the option to use our mobile studio to do live on the spot episode recordings.

Where did the inspiration come from to name the show It Came From The Radio? Was it a nod to old pulp science fiction?

The name change came about in two phases. First, about one to two years into "The Comic Book Novice", Hassan regularly told me that we should change the name as we didn't just cover comics. Soon others (by their own accord) did the same. The second part is a little more complicated. We were on hiatus and during this time I had befriended Herman Senercia (wrestler Taz's brother). He was a HUGE old school movie guy as well as a sci-fi/horror lover. Herman also happens to be our current Senior Correspondent Charlie Saladino's best friend. Since we worked together at a movie theatre (he was the projectionist, I the manager) we talked about movies and comics all the time. During one of our many conversations he hinted an interest in bringing the show out of hiatus and being a new co-host. I reached out to Terminal Press' Brian Ferrara to also be a co-host and he really hit the idea home that we should have a new show name. So one night, just before a movie screening for the employees, Brian, Hassan, Herman and I had a mini meeting. We each came up with new titles for the show and boiled it down to two. We then took the name to captive audience downstairs and had them vote on which one they liked the best. And "It Came From The Radio" was born. It is a nod to the old timey horror movies.

What movies from the pulp science fiction era do you most remember for the impressions they made upon you?

Maybe Logan's Run, The Blob, Godzilla movies (are they considered pulp sci-fi?). I think our senior correspondent would have a better answer to this question. I'm the product of late 70's early 80's when it comes to pop culture.

Those movies you mentioned all have dystopian, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic themes. The first Godzilla movie Gojira, released in the mid-1950s, was a kind of allegory for the nuclear age. What movies of this kind do you know of from the 70s and 80s?

Return to Oz was (sort of) post-apocalyptic (at least in Oz), Mad Max (the original), and Blade Runner pop into my mind.

How much did your listenership increase upon your moving to WARY and BTD Radio? What additional opportunities did an online forum present to your show? Are there any other stations you are broadcasting on or are you still with WARY?

According the station managers, WGBB has a reach of 20,000 listeners and WARY has a reach of 50,000 listeners. As for additional opportunities, I'd say it allowed us to branch out just a bit. We can do a show at a movie theatre as opposed to waiting for the weekly show to talk about it for example. However, I do prefer traditional studio as it gives us more structure. We are currently on one terrestrial station (WARY) and one online station (BTD Radio). Soon we'll be part of the GHR network, but they haven't launched as of yet.

What is the GHR network? What format will they take on once they launch and where will your show fit into its schedule?

GHR (Grindhouse Radio) is a soon to be launched network from Entrepreneur Brimstone. I believe they are going to be another online radio station, but heavily Long Island focused. Our show will air on a yet to be determined day and time on a weekly basis. I'm leaning towards either Wednesday night, or Sunday late afternoon/late evening.

Many hosts cast live discussions on Youtube. Was there ever talk about It Came From The Radio moving to this format?

We teamed up with "The Bitten Apple" for most of the Youtube stuff. So on our Youtube page you can see that they're "convention correspondents". There has been talk about doing a "TV" show while recording, but it's just talk for now. I have done a few "live stream events", but I didn't like how they came out. We are a radio show first and foremost.

For what reasons were you dissatisfied with your attempt at a live stream? In what ways is radio and net radio preferable?

Keeping in mind I am not a tech guy, I just couldn't figure out why the actual recording of the live streams (which you can see on our Youtube page) were too choppy in video quality but during the actual live streams, the video was fine. Being an actual radio station has and continues to open doors for us that a podcast simply cannot. The biggest benefit would be the press passes and networking opportunities. As mentioned earlier, with the way technology is today, everyone has a voice. Not everyone can (in my case) be lucky enough to be on an actual radio station. The best comparison I can give is this: Despite certain Youtube channels regularly having more (or as many) views and subscribers as some of the highest rated network shows, it still "means" more to have a network TV show than a Youtube channel.

How many interviewees involved in independent productions have appeared on the show? With more independent and nonprofit movies being made, would you consider spotlighting more of them?

You have to factor that we've been doing this since 2003. Even with a few hiatuses over the years, that's A LOT of shows, A LOT of interviews. And yes, we are always looking to spotlight more of them, of course their project must be something that we can get behind (or they are a really nice person and have a passion for their work). As a matter of fact, during our 8/8 live show (in front of a studio audience at the East Meadow Public Library) we're going to have Award Winning Indie filmmaker Lee Kolinsky as our guest.

How did you arrange to have Lee Kolinsky appear as a guest interviewee? What movies has he worked on in recent years?

I met Lee at the Macabre Faire Film Festival a few years back. He's a published comic book writer and award making filmmaker. We have kept in touch over the years and I ran into him at Cradle Con in June, so I just asked if he would like to come down for our 10th Live Studio Audience Show. I've seen three of his shorts ("Junkie Heaven", "Bullified" and "Stand Up Guy"), which I believe are his most recent, but there is a lot more content that he has produced.

How would you rate Lee’s work in "Junkie Heaven", "Bullified" and "Stand Up Guy"? What are the plots of those film shorts and how would you say they’re relevant to indie horror cinema?

"Junkie Heaven" was about a Vet who through a unique set of circumstances has to fight both personal and physical demons. "Stand Up Guy" which is more of a straight forward short is about a guy from prison coming to visit an "old friend". "Bullified" which, in my opinion is the best of the three, centers on a person being accused of murder (or maybe he was up for parole) and the DA (or maybe it was a reporter) who confronts him. Lee isn't just a horror guy, but he is an indie filmmaker.

How many New York Comic Cons have you covered since you started attending them? Which of your experiences there have been most memorable over the years?

NYCC isn't that old. As a matter of fact, when they were starting out, we had the head (Lance Fensterman) as a guest. That being said, we have covered each one (excluding the very first one, only because it was overcrowded and we couldn't get inside the building). My most memorable one...... I'd have to say when I got to interview Mark Hamill. He was with the New Gen guys at the time as a consultant and I was just at the right place at the right time to be lucky enough to speak to him. Interviewing Amber Benson was a close second. Oh... and it was the first time ever I felt some Power Ranger validation/love.

What did you and Mark Hamill get to discuss when he guested? Was any of it to do with the latest news on Star Wars? Or were his other current projects discussed?

The Mark Hamill interview was well before Disney bought Lucasfilm, so there really wasn't much inside info on that. He was there to help promote "New Gen" (a Marvel Comic Project). He talked about (at the time) his current project which was "How to Train your Dragon".

What projects was Amber Benson involved in when you guested her on the show? How easy was she to work with when you discussed her recent jobs?

Amber not only was interviewed by myself at the New York Comic Con; she followed up by being a call-in guest a few months later. At the time Amber was promoting her latest book (if I remember correctly) "The Witches of Echo Park" and I think she briefly mentioned her latest film SHEvenge. She was such a great interview and it was a great experience when she called in. She even gave us a compliment during that episode.

Of the other conventions you have visited’ Inbeon Con, Eternal Con, Winter Con, Em Con and Macabre Faire Film Festival et cetera; recall the most memorable interviews you have featured on the show?

The most memorable (and best in my opinion) interview I had ever conducted for the show (which is funny because it never actually aired) was waaay back in the 2008 San Diego Comic Con. I interviewed Robert Culp. He was so amazing, had such great responses with such insight, and on top of that he was such a nice person. At the time he was promoting the "Greatest American Hero" comic (along with William Katt and Connie Sellecca). Locally, the most memorable one was with the head of the Macabre Faire Film Festival, Elsie Ginsberg. Another wonderful and amazing person. At the time she was running Immortal Con (all proceeds go to cancer patient families) and she had a few minutes to sit down for the interview. That one was aired.

Was San Diego Comic Con 2008 your first visit? How did it compare to the local conventions where you have appeared?

2008 was my first (and only) time ever going there. It was more than just a con, it was an experience. Luckily (as this interview has been progressing) I just (happened yesterday) was presented with an opportunity to go back this year and be on a panel promoting my comic!

How much insight would you say Robert Culp had conversing about his career with you? What did you and Elsie Ginsberg talk about as a guest on It Came From The Radio?

Keeping in mind I had interviewed him ten years ago, he had an insight on the (at the time) reality "stars" vs people who "paid their dues". How the craft of acting and how it is perceived and received were changing for the worse. He talked about his ground breaking TV show "I Spy" which at the time had the very first black Male lead (Bill Cosby) in a series. Robert had a "presence". Elsie, we talked about her work (as I mentioned, she runs at least three different events, Haunt-Faire, Immortal Con, The Macabre Faire Film Festival and a few other smaller events), as well as the fact that she has stage four cancer and what that means to her.

How well is Ginsberg coping with having stage four cancer? Was she being treated for it around the time you interviewed her? Is Haunt Faire another of the events Ginsberg has hosted?

Elsie has good days and bad days, but I am amazed how well (at least outwardly) she has been handling it. She keeps fighting and keep working on all those cons and events. I interviewed her almost two years ago, but I see her at all her events and still am in contact with her on Facebook. As a matter of fact I saw her at the Eternal Con on a panel that she and I was a part of. Haunt Faire is hers also. She does so much. Twitch Productions is her company.

Have your interviewees included any musical guests? If so, discuss some of the interviews you helped arrange?

Off the top of my head I can name the (now disbanded) K-pop Idol group Nova Drop, the international rock star Demon Boy, Singer Hitomi Himekawa, The Gata Negra, and my personal favorite Carole Demas and Paula Janis from the Magic Garden. Just like everything else, booking guests comes from either reaching out to them, or they reaching out to us. Some we meet at cons or events, others, I just email them. I'm always pleasantly surprised when they respond and/or follow through. Each one that I mentioned have something specific I remember about the interview. Hitomi sang for us in the studio (as did Nova Drop), Demon Boy came in full costume for his interview, The Gata Negra was just such an interesting person, and Carole and Paula sang to us. If you were a fan of the show, you know what a big deal that is!

Do your shows with musical guests receive as much of a response as your actor based shows? Do you have bands or performers in mind for future episodes?

The feedback we get is usually positive regardless of who we have as guests. Except for an author scheduled in September/October and a filmmaker sometime in August, I don't have anyone currently booked for future shows. I kinda plan guests and shows) as they come along.

Do you remember the Long Island convention I-CON that was held yearly from 1985 to 2017? If so, did you ever host an episode there?

I am familiar with the I-CON. I remember getting to interview Ernie Hudson and all the panels with Peter David and (the late) Harlan Ellison. We covered a few of those cons, but did not host anything from the actual event. Way back then, if a convention fell on a day of our live in studio recording, I had the option to call into the station to give a (brief) live update. Otherwise we talked about the con on the following episode.

Have you happened to appear at Star Trek conventions as part of your show? If not, are there any you might want to visit?

I think "Star Trek" (Creation) conventions had stopped being a thing by the time our show began. Wizard was in full swing however, and I covered a couple of those. I would like to cover a con in Japan (but probably because I always wanted to go to Japan) and (of course) would like to go back to San Diego Comic Con at least one more time, but I don't think there's any other specific con I would like to attend. Living in New York, there's just so many as it is, and there is no shortage of creative people right here.

Star Trek Creation conventions remain active today. One is taking place in Las Vegas this August. There are also the Shore Leave and Farpoint conventions held in Maryland each summer. After researching those shows would you consider appearing at one or more of them?

I was referring to any New York Star Trek conventions. That being said, any con that far out of state really wouldn't interest me (which is probably why I didn't immediately think of those). I am lucky enough to be in New York so I don't have to make those Treks (pun intended) to get to a con of that level. Maybe sometime down the line, I may reconsider doing all that traveling, but I'd probably would prefer to send one of my other co-hosts (or even the convention correspondents).

How long do you think it would be before you start traveling out of state to promote your program? Which states in the U.S. would you most likely visit first?

"Out of state" means out of the Tristate area (New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut) as I have promoted in those places (also Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). I'm not big on flying but I suppose when the show is big enough to send (at very least) one of my co-hosts (all expenses paid) to other states, then I'd consider it heading out beyond what we do currently. If I had to pick another state/con that I would be interested in attending would be C2E2 in Chicago, Illinois.

Tell the readers about the convention scene in Philadelphia and the C2E2 convention in Chicago.

I've never actually been to C2E2 (it's one of my goals), but I can say that the cons in Philly have a different feel than the cons in NY. Perhaps it is because it is "The City of Brotherly Love", but it's just a more happy and positive attitude amongst the con goers. Remember there are three different experiences that one can have at a convention: the casual fan, the hard core fan, and the people on the other side of the table (vendors, celebs, etc). For those of you who don't know C2E2 was Reed pop's (the guys behind the New York Comic Con) second convention expanding into different cities. I hear nothing but good things about it.

Are there new local conventions you’ve heard of that you would consider visiting?

There's always new cons popping up and I'm always interested in checking them out. There always a connection to be made! Cradle Con is a great example of that. It was their first show and I think we have a great relationship with them.

Where would you like to see It Came From The Radio years from now? Do you have any plans to make the show more unique?

A daily show would be nice. Perhaps one or two more correspondents. Just recently we started a monthly book review segment called "Bookworm Batson". As for making the show more unique, maybe including an old timey episodic show to the broadcast where we have actors perform a multi-part story of some sort.

How has your Bookworm Batson segment been received since you started airing it? Want books have you covered so far?

So far people seem to like it and we're even getting some books sent to us to review, so that's always a good sign. So far she's reviewed A Simpsons trade paperback, "Survivor: Aron's Story" by Alex Teplish, "Inside Pee Wee's Playhouse" by Caseen Gaines, "Reminant" by Roland Allnach, "Warcross" by Marie Lu and our 7/9/18 show will include "Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero" by Charles E. Yallowitz.

Would you consider a nostalgia segment in which you and the others discuss classic sci fi and horror movies you like?

I don't know about a separate segment, but Our Senior Correspondent Charlie Saladino is all about the nostalgic movies and regularly, older references find their way into our weekly episodes as it stands now. 

Are there any final acknowledgements and/or announcements you want to make?

First I want to thank you for this extensive interview. Hopefully your readers will enjoy it and become fans of my show. Second, I have to thank Jeff Lo (WGBB's station manager), his right hand man Trevor Vassil, our first engineer Tom Ross, and Byran Graves (our most recent engineer) as he took the show to the next level. I would be remiss if I didn't give special mention to Hassan Godwin who was my Ed Norton (meaning I couldn't have done it without him), Jennifer Smith for all her support in the beginning, Social Media Steve (Steven Guillaume) for his help giving us a social media presence, Maria Peterson for helping us get an online presence (apparently that's two different things!), Senior Correspondent Charlie Saladino who brought that special something to the show that I didn't even know we were missing and our newest co-host Pronto Comic's Dominic Sparano who not only had his own insight into the comic book world (being an indie comic book publisher), but also managed to make the show more mobile. Those, Along with Alan Rothman, Herman Senercia, Peter Palmiotti, Jerron Smith, Todd Wright, and Sharon Batson made the show into what it is today.

IT CAME FROM THE RADIO official

-Dave Wolff