TV Guidance Counselor

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TV Guidance Counselor Episode 614: Sovereign Syre and Ela Darling Jan 01, 2024

Show notes

January 3-9, 1987

This week Ken welcomes adult entertainers, entrepreneurs, and incredibly smart hosts of the fantastic must listen "Ill Repute" podcast, Sovereign Syre and Ela Darling.

Ken, Sovereign and Ela discuss time zones, mountain, Central time, the weirdness of January TV, when VHS rentals first eclipsed theatrical ticket sales, how the Adult industry innovates all entertainment technology, the incredible strangeness of the streaming business model, the movie "The Girl on the Bridge", French films, corporate structure, not knowing what you own as a company, Ela's experience as a Librarian, why Libraries are punk rock, piracy, growing up poor, The ALA Library Bill of Rights, scammers, Merv Griffin, J.Z. Knight, sleazy talk shows, new age scams, Carson, named hosts, meeting Jerry Springer, being built your own tiny house, empowering women, getting drunk underage on a flight to France, Gates McFadden's life advice, Star Trek, the dark Jim Henson Universe, practical effects, Eastern Promises, David Cronenberg, mother's advice about what irons to buy, Ken's friends in 80s print ads, 20/20, a live exorcism on network TV, bad actors acting badly, post Vietnam hope, horses, being a sales person, the murder of Rebecca Shaffer, stalking, how sometimes nothing ever changes, same sex couples fostering healthy happy children, how PSAs could more damage than good, people being literally Institutionalized, PTSD, gangs, and the Ill Repute Podcast.

BONUS! TV Guidance Counselor: Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley LIVE! at NorthEast ComicCon Dec 28, 2023

Show notes

In this very special BONUS episode here is the complete audio of Ken's chat with Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald of The Kids in the Hall. This was recorded LIVE last month at North East Comic Con in Boxboro MA.

If you were a patron you would have gotten a video of this as well!

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 613: 2023 Year In Review Dec 20, 2023

Show notes

As is (now at least) the tradition, Ken flies solo for a warts and all, behind the scenes, stream of consciousness, week by week, episode by episode review of 2023, and anything else that pops into his head.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 612: Sooz Kempner Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

November 17-23, 2001

This week Ken welcomes UK coomedian, actor and official member of the Doctor Whoverse, Sooz Kempner to the show.

Ken and Sooz discuss being outside of the zones of London, Gatwick Airport, how nothing good is ever on TV on Sundays in the UK, Omnibuses, Eastenders, Gladiators, Wolf's gyms, This Morning with Richard Not Judy, Stewart Lee and Richard Herring, Richard and Judy, getting away with stuff on kids shows, Pooh, Ken's Mr. Show bowling shirt, recording babies' dreams, Brexit, how homelessness is a bigger problem than fresh veggies, how UK and Canadian comics always want to make it in American despite being successful in their home countries, traveling to Maine to visit your German Grandfather, Stephen King, nice versions of Threads, Watership Down, David the Gnome, When The Wind Blows, visiting New York city with no money but seeing as many Broadway Shows as you can, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Sting's amazing Broadway musical, singing waiters, Ken's 1st and only Thanksgiving not in America, John Edwards Crossing Over and trying to communicate with the victims of 9/11, prank calling Abu Hamza, the boon of live concerts on TV post 9/11, Brittney Spears, being completely overwhelmed by TV Guide, Showgirls, Skinemax, The Simpsons, satellite TV, Sky Digital, Lenox's Pooh Pantry, sad teddy bears, sexy Lucy Lawless on The X-Files, the weird post 9/11 horniness, Comic Sans font, Seven of 9, Jeri Ryan, Down to You, She's All That, all the millennium pushing teen movies nobody cares about anymore, Soul Man, the nature of tangents, Giuliani, hating ferrets, porcelain eagles, all bears on deck, how hands replaced with bear is never a funny pun, Take That, Boy Bands, how violence is perfectly ok in TV, Coaches vs Cancer, NSYNC, and how It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an amazing cure for temporary depression.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 611: Adrien Behn Dec 11, 2023

Show notes

This week Ken welcomes podcaster, writer, and world traveler Adrien Behn to the show.

Ken and Adrien discuss New York City, growing up in Western MA/NY, people who have never left their hometown, pregnant hippies, life long friends, perusing a life in creative arts, being worldly, having more chickens than neighbors, Lake George, hating touristy spots, teenage identity crisis, doing study abroad programs, Czechs, Prague, Stalin, living in former Soviet Republics, interesting art and beauty, the first place you go to outside of your own country, the film industry in Prague, the "adult" industry in Prague, growing up without cable, Nickelodeon, MTV, binging in college, 9/11, when news takes over all channels, national disasters, negative shared experiences, naming your younger sibling Jessica after Mambo No. 5, all five Spice Girls at once, 30 Rock, Sex in the City, comfort TV, the shows that America exports, Exporting Raymond, the worldwide success of The Big Bang Theory, telenovelas, Croatian soaps, Turkish Soaps, enjoying being places that are not drenched in American culture, Japan, making bad and dangerous decisions while traveling, Albania, action flicks, how comedy doesn't travel, fleeing winter via Mexico City every year, Luchadores, Blue Demon, all soccer all the time, lack of passports in the US, America as a young patchwork culture, the strangeness of Patriotism, traveling to Canada for the first time, not speaking the language, watching Spanish TV so you can read and and hear it at the same time for educational purposes, Narcos, how you crave certain movies and shows, being in the mood to watch certain things, Anthony Bourdain, Obama's pho trip, Vietnam, and how we ALL need to travel more.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 610: Paul Morrissey Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

March 12-18, 1983

This week Ken welcomes comedian and man behind the new Blonde Medicine Comedy lp "Ice Cream vs. Everything", Paul Morrissey.

Ken and Paul discuss Paul's excitement being on the show, why he picked 1983, the early 80s mix of famous people guest stars, The Love Boat, Smokey and the Bandit, Paul Williams, Milton Berle, cocaine, 70s Variety Shows, Solid Gold, Tim Thomerson, Top of the Pops, Steelers Wheel, miming, Richard Marx's Lionel Richie debut, cigarettes, David Bowie playing with Mott the Hoople, Robin Williams, Gen Xers vs. Boomers, buying awful products from TV Guide, horrifying children's decor, having to pay massive fines for ruining a VHS tape, Diff'rent Strokes, video games, Silver Spoons, Jason Bateman, Teen Wolf, how massive Bob Hope was, Jackie Gleason, never flying, Voyagers, the death of Jon Eric Hexum, on set accidents, getting bumped on Letterman so many times it becomes an inside joke, dry cleaning The Jeffersons, Newhart, Fritz Leiber, Jay Thomas, Square Pegs, production values, Little House of the Prairie, The A-Team, Happy Days, James Bond, Remington Steel, Pierce Brosnan, The Celtics vs. The Sixers, the Celtics 80s team, Facts of Life, baby death, Very Special Episodes, Fred Willard, Magnum PI, Vietnam, CHPs, Franken and Davis, Saturday Night Live, when everything was on Ice, Benson, Knight Rider, K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R., Stephen Tobolowsky, Morgan Fairchild, $20k TVs, the power of the mustache, roasts, Beverly Hills Cops, action comedies, and why Real Genius is the greatest comedy of all time.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 609: Joe Pera Nov 27, 2023

Show notes

October 2-8, 1999

This week Ken welcomes certified comedy superstar, and man behind the new comedy special "Slow and Steady", Joe Pera to the show.

Ken and Joe discuss tiny computers, Wargames, Buffalo New York, wings, Anchor Bar, Zoomer goofs, preppers, toilet paper, Joe Pera Talks with You. Jo Firestone, Y2K, cover stories, going mobile, post-Nuke dads, 90s posture, Melissa Joan Hart, Melissa Ethridge's Glamor Shots, the "99 face", Verne Troyer, High School Senior Portraits, photographers, Margaret Cho, Tom Green, awful stand up comedian pilot concepts, oil, mailing post cards to your own depression, Hocky Night in Canada, getting Canadian TV, racist sports announcers, MTV, Red Green, watching movies that look awful, journalism, TV Guide's journalism pedigree, hot Mr. Spock, Charlie Chan, Cousin Skeeter, Couch Taylor from Friday Night Lights, Early Edition, stopping subway murder, Homicide, vigilante nudity, Jim Henson's creature shop, Animal Farm, Kelsey Grammar's pig love, Disney's flirtation with Satan, H.E. Double Hockey Sticks, Tweety Bird Collector's Plates, Oriental Trading Company, Sticky Hands, King of Queens, Home Improvement, The Simpsons, Air Force One, Fresh Prince, Harrison Ford's earring, Johnny Tsunami, smelling donuts a mile away, Smart House, Sci-Fi Channel, The Sentinel, Shasta McNasty, wondering if the blowfish has a sister, the worst joke construct of all time, everyone hating Bill O'Reily, Norm McDonald vs Pokemon, Buffalo movies, Rick James, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Buffalo Sabers, Snow Day, and soothing YouTube travel shows.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 608: Mark Guyer Nov 20, 2023

Show notes

October 18-24, 1997

This week Ken welcomes author Mark Guyer.

Mark and Ken discuss living in upstate/Central New York, how New York State isn't New York City, Halloween viewing, Nostalgiamares Series, Phantom Delivery, classic youth horror books, Fear Street, having your own TV, being a tween, not remembering your childhood Halloween costumes, how dressing as Darth Vader can help with bullying, Due South, Burgess Meredith, Nothing Sacred, Hot Priests, Gene Siskel so Horny, what Siskel did to Betsey Palmer, how awful Saturday Night Fever is, Guides to Halloween episodes, Blackula, Gregory Hines Show, The Night Stalker, Nosferatu, ABC Sitcoms, anti-Trick or Treating, how 21st Century Kids don't get to truly enjoy Halloween, how the world is NOT more dangerous for kids now, the purity of Halloween, how working in retail makes you hate Christmas, Team Knightrider, The Real World Boston, The Tonight Show, bringing Kenan and Kel together again, SNICK, failing the All That! challenge, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, why some 80s actors don't work much these days, Deadly Friend, Wes Craven, VHS rentals, when younger people are smarter and more insightful than you, how rare it is to have a young child as a protagonist, Stephen King, how Horror is inherently left wing, hopeful sadness, Hey Arnold!, Cybill, Alex Mac, how Tuesdays were all about Buffy and Angel, living Annie Potts and Tim Curry, Spin City, being replaced by Charlie Sheen, Baywatch, Meego vs. Boy Meets World, the end of TGIF, You Wish, Teen Angel, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Dee Snider, Millennium, dying standing up, Nash Bridges, and a Cheer in a very negative week.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 607: Dermot Ward Nov 13, 2023

Show notes

October 16-22, 1999

This week we travel to Ireland to talk TV with The Try Channel's own Dermot Ward.

Ken and Dermot discuss why Dermot is even on the show, bad ideas, Dermot talking people out of liking him, Big Trouble in Little China, being a Martial Arts nerd, Ireland's national martial art, awful Boston Irish stupidity, The Streets, the origins of Corned Beef and Cabbage, The 50 Greatest TV Characters Ever, being totally overwhelmed by TV Guide listings, Letterman, weird commercial breaks, prescription drugs, the English, Fifish Finkle, Picket Fences, Joan Collins, Hawk, PBS Mystery, Prime Suspect, Father Ted, AbFab, Roseanne, Cheer, High School, The Avengers, Emma Peele, Taxi, The Prisoner, swears on American TV, NYPD Blue, Comedy Central, Soap, Bob Newhart, Mary Tyler Moore, Man in the Moon, Andy Kaufman, The Simpsons, Friends, The Wonder Years, Full House, visiting weird American states, Ballykissangel, sexy priests, Win Ben Stein's Money, the late 90s gameshow boom, Baywatch, how prime time US shows are afternoon children's shows in Ireland, sleeping on Baywatch Nights, It's a Wrap, Everybody Loves Raymond, Veronica's Closet, the hell of TV tapings, Buffy, Angel, Shasta McNasty, The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeifer, Homeboys in Outer Space, loving crossover episodes, The Addams Family, Must See TV, and loving Ghostbusters.

TV Guidance Counselor Episode 606: George Higby The Antique Nomad Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

November 3-9, 1973

This week Ken welcomes antiques expert, and fellow TV kid, The Antique Noman himself, George Higby to the show.

Ken and George discuss George's YouTube Channel, referencing the stuff on sets, moving around a lot as a kid, living in Cleveland when this TV Guide came out, Washington State, Raytheon TVs, looking for the thing that's the same, being a car and sports guy, Philco, Cigarettes, concept cars, trying to reverse engineer a color TV for free, shared experience, Emergency!, how weird it was that shows not for kids were merchandised to kids, All in the Family, M*A*S*H, topical TV, sad TV shows, the odd cultural moment of the early 1970s, Norman Lear, how the 1970s may have been more progressive, niches, The Committee Against the Public Authority of Maine, antiquing in New England, Time Tunnel, corded TV remotes, Newport Jazz Fest, Lucy, Get Smart! in Spanish, variety shows, Antiques: Make the Most out of Your Hobby with NOT George Michael, the early days of Antique collecting, nostalgia, The Girl Most Likely To, Joan Rivers, Night Gallery, failed pilots, TV preservation, Benny Hill, local edits of TV, Standard Oil, big business, why Debbie Reynolds was NOT allowed in George's house, early Don Johnson, Sandford and Son, trying to get your antiques and collectibles back after you already sold them, The Odd Couple, hating Room 222, passing up The Brady Bunch, buying the Brady House, Sonny and Cher with Douglas Fairbanks, dogs playing poker, Vincent Price, purpose made collectibles, and how Major Nelson's house from I Dream of Genie is George's dream house.

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