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Emmy Award winning film producer and director Marc Levin, along with his documentary film partner Daphne Pinkerson, has produced 11 films for HBO's documentary film division, most recently: Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags, and Hard Times: Lost on Long Island. His new film Class Divide, a look into the modern effects of gentrification in the New York neighborhood of West Chelsea is making its world premiere at this year's Hamptons International Film Festival.

Levin is best known for the docu-series Brick City, about the city of Newark, New Jersey, its mayor, Cory Booker, and the people on the frontlines of a city struggling to change. The series won the 2010 Peabody award and was nominated for an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking. It aired on the Sundance channel. Levin's dramatic feature film, SLAM, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Camera D'Or at Cannes in 1998.

Direct download: IWTA_Marc_Levin.....Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 3:15pm CDT

<span "font-size:14.0pt;font-family:candara;="" mso-bidi-font-family:arial;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"="" style="font-family: Aller; font-size: 15px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" data-mce-style="font-family: Aller; font-size: 15px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">Artist Andrea Kowch has been described as “a powerful voice emerging, demonstrating a highly sensitive consciousness that informs a culturally-laced symbolism.” Her paintings are rich in mood, allegory, and precision of medium, reflecting a wealth of influences from Northern Renaissance and American art to the rural landscapes and vernacular architecture of her native Michigan. <span "font-size:14.0pt;font-family:candara;="" mso-bidi-font-family:arial"="" style="font-family: Aller; font-size: 15px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;" data-mce-style="font-family: Aller; font-size: 15px; line-height: 28.799999237060547px;">Andrea has receive numerous Best of Show awards in various juried exhibitions, and her work has been showcased at the Muskegon Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Jacksonville, the Grand Rapids Art Museum, ArtPrize, Art Basel Miami, the Los Angeles Art Show, ArtHamptons, SCOPE NYC, and Sag Harbor’s RJD Gallery.  Kowch resides and works in Michigan where she paints full-time, and serves as an adjunct professor at the College for Creative Studies. She is represented exclusively by RJD Gallery in Sag Harbor, New York.

Direct download: IWTA_Andrea_Kowch...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 1:22pm CDT

Comedian Rita Rudner talk dancing, end-of-summer sales in Westhampton Beach, her love of dresses, men, Botox in Las Vegas, and how an in-flight meeting with Ben Stein lead her to adopt a child- all while delivering one zinger after another. If you need a good laugh, (or twenty), listen to this episode. You won't be disappointed. *Rita will be performing at 54 Below this weekend! For tickets, visit http://54below.com*

Direct download: IWTA_Rita_Rudner_episode_5_encore....Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 10:50am CDT

Joy Behar is a comedian, actress, writer and interviewer, best known as a co-host on ABC's The View for 16 seasons. From 2009 to 2011 she hosted The Joy Behar Show on HLN and Joy Behar: Say Anything! on Current TV from 2012 until 2013. This August, she's bring her new one-woman show Me, My Mouth & I to Guild Hall in East Hampton. In this conversation, Joy Behar talks about the times it got personal on The View, the real reason she left the show and why she turned down their offer to come back. Also- the crazy place she met her husband, why big houses in the Hamptons annoy her, Bill O'Reilly, the afterlife, Star Jones, piercings, death and the reasons it doesn't look good for God. Plus, Joy teaches Walker what the word "shkeaved" means. It's an action-packed 45 minutes.

Direct download: IWTA_Joy_Behar....Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 10:50am CDT

Direct download: Betty_Buckley_On_the_Psychology_of_Grey_Gardens_2.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 3:56pm CDT

Betty Buckley is a Tony award winning singer and actress. Best known to theatergoers for playing Grizabella in the original Broadway cast of Cats (for which she won the Tony in 1983) and for starring as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard both in London and New York, she's also appeared on Broadway in 1776, Pippin, Carrie, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Triumph of Love. She made her big screen debut in the Brian de Palma film Carrie before going to star in Eight is Enough for four seasons on ABC. Other film and TV roles include: Tender Mercies, Roman Polanski's Frantic, Woody Allen's Another Woman and a reoccurring role in the HBO series Oz. To date, Betty has recorded 16 solo albums. Her most recent Ghostlight was produced by T. Bone Burnett. In 2012, she was inducted in to the American Theater Hall of Fame.

In this conversation, Betty looks back at her film and theater career, revealing the moment she knew she could act, the nights she felt most embraced by an audience, and how she always knew she would do her best work in her later years. She talks about what she learned from the late Dick Van Patten while shooting Eight is Enough, dealing with the shock of his death and how the challenges and losses we endure in life prove to be profound lessons in disguise that are designed to help us grow.

Plus-- what was like working on her most recent album Ghostlight with T. Bone Burnett, how she's preparing for the Hamptons' first production of Grey Gardens: The Musical at Bay Street Theater, and why a recent riding accident means she won't have to act when she plays Big Edie.

Direct download: IWTA_Betty_Buckley_draft_3......Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 1:38pm CDT

Sue Costello is an actress, comedian, writer and producer. She's appeared in the Academy Award winning film The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, (directed by David. O Russell), and on countless television shows including NYPD Blue, Comedy Central's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn, NBC’s Last Comic Standing, (where she made it to the finals) and on the Fox sitcom Costello which she co-created and produced. She's been featured twice on Marc Maron’s podcast WTF and hosts her own podcast: The Kadoozie Kast.

In this conversation, Sue talks about her journey from the streets of Dorchester to Hollywood, and how she found herself along the way. She talks about working with David O. Russell and Christina Bale on The Fighter, how her experience in Hollywood taught her to trust that she was enough, what she does when she has the instinct to throw a punch and how she always knew that love was more powerful than fear.

Direct download: IWTA_Sue_Costello...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 5:09pm CDT

Van Hansis is a three-time Emmy Award nominated actor, best known for playing Luke Snyder on As the World Turns and Thom in the dark comedy web series Eastsiders. Currently Van is crowd funding on Kickstarter for his latest project: Ms. Guidance, a dark irreverent comedy which he is producing, directing and starring in. Ms. Guidance tells the story of Jenny Bump, a talented but self-absorbed actress who, after having a mental breakdown on the New York stage, decides to give up her dream of stardom and return to her alma mater, Loch Hill School for the Arts where she becomes a guidance counselor. But listening to her students' dreams only makes her long to act even more, and soon she is scheming for fame and ruining lives, including her own. It's a show about theater kids and the life that waits for them in the real world. It's a show about unrealized dreams, the disconnect between what we hope we will become and the reality that we end up with. It's a show about trying to let go of a dream that won't let go of you. In this conversation Van and Walker reminisce about their days at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, the inspiration (and location) for Ms. Guidance. They talk about who they were then and who they are now. They talk about how unique a place Walnut Hill is, and how the school changed their lives. Also- Van remembers his time on As the World Turns and sheds light on how to stay sane as an actor: never compare yourself with others, define success for yourself and create your own work whenever you can. Plus, tune in to hear Van explain how the character of Walker Pate in Ms. Guidance is different from Walker Pate Vreeland. And there is a difference. :-)

Direct download: IWTA_Van_Hansis...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 11:55am CDT

Jeff Leblanc is a singer/songwriter who has twice broken into the Top 10 of the iTunes Top 200 Singer/Songwriter Chart.  Born and raised in Center Moriches, New York, he  began his career as a street busker in Westhampton Beach.  Jeff tours regularly and has opened for headliners such as Gavin DeGraw, Colbie Caillat, Lifehouse, Chris Isaak, Andy Grammer, Third Eye Blind and Goo Goo Dolls among many others. His music had been featured on Teen Mom, The Real World, The Challenge Rivals, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, FriendZone and Jersey Shore.

In 2011, Jeff was nominated by SiriusXM's Coffee House Channel as Singer/Songwriter Discovery of the Year. In this conversation Jeff talks about his new album Vision, why he worries and what he worries about, how facing his fears helped him grow and evolve as a songwriter, and why he finds it hard to write when everything is going great. Plus- several acoustic studio performances!

Direct download: IWTA_Jeff_LeBlanc...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 10:46am CDT

Sally Struthers is an Emmy Award winning actress, best known for playing Gloria Stivic on All in the Family, and Babette on Gilmore Girls. In 1970 she appeared on the big screen in  Five Easy Pieces opposite Jack Nicholson. She is currently starring in Nice Work If You Can Get It at Gateway Playhouse in Bellport, NY, for which she has received rave reviews and countless standing ovations. In this conversation, Sally and her co-star Jamie Beaman talk about what they love about Gateway, live theater and performing with each other; why comedy is difficult and dangerous and mysterious and the best high there is; and finding the balance between vulnerability and self-protection as an artist. Plus- Sally reveals why she doesn't get residual checks for All in the Family, how her daughter Samantha changed her life for the better, and why it's important for her to keep working.

Direct download: IWTA_Sally_Struthers_Part_II_with_James_Beaman....Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 11:10am CDT

Lori Cuisinier is a painter and photographer whose work has been shown in the United States and Europe. The central theme in her recent paintings and drawings is self-portraiture. Specifically, this theme has led her through interpretation and reinterpretation of "self," as well as the inner world of her dreams. Her photographic images are featured in Academy Award-nominated director Mira Nair's 2006 film, The Namesake, in Adam Brooks’ 2008 film, Definitely, Maybe, staring Rachel Weisz and Mark Mann's 2013 film, generation Um..., starring Keanu Reeves. Lori maintains a studio in Southampton.

 

In this conversation, Lori talks about her many lives: as an athlete, a lawyer, a waitress, a jeweler, a coat check girl, and how one fall down a flight of stairs and a Leonard Cohen song prompted her to reinvent herself once again to become the artist she was always meant to be. Also- what inspired her new photography exhibition Desire, how she began to see her old journal entries as art, the vulnerability that runs through all of her work, and how everything she creates leads back to France.

Direct download: IWTA_Lori_Cuisinier...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 12:39pm CDT

Bob Balaban is an actor, director and producer. As an actor, he's was featured in 1969's Midnight Cowboy, and in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Perhaps best known for his work in Christopher Guest's films and for his cameos on Seinfeld, Bob Balaban has also been seen in Woody Allen's Deconstructing HarryAbsence of MaliceLady in the Water and in Robert Altman's Gosford Park, which he also produced and for which he received an Academy Award nomination. He is currently directly the play The New Sincerity which is making its world premiere at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor and runs through June 14th, 2015. In this conversation, Bob talks about The New Sincerity, living in Bridgehampton, falling in love with the magic of movie making, how being an actor informs his directing, what he's learned from all the great directors he's worked with, and the benefits of being a character actor as opposed to a star.

Direct download: IWTA_Bob_Balaban_draft_1..Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 10:12am CDT

Paula Poundstone is one of the great humorists of our time. A beloved panelist on NPR’s popular weekly news quiz show, Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, she alsotours regularly, performing standup comedy across the country. Known for her spontaneity and ability to engage with an audience, Poundstone has said:  “No two shows I do are the same. It’s not that I don’t repeat material. I do. My shows, when they’re good, and I like to think they often are, are like a cocktail party." Paula's book, There is Nothing In This Book That I Meant To Say was published in 2006, and her new CD, I HEART JOKES: Paula Tells Them in Boston follows her first CD, I HEART JOKES: Paula Tells Them in Maine. In this radio interview, Paula talks about why she hates doing radio interviews, preparing for Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, what Robin Williams did to help her when she started out in comedy, how she discovered her talent for interacting with audiences and why technology makes parenting harder.

Direct download: IWTA_Paula_Poundstone...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 11:06am CDT

Kate Pierson is one of the lead singers and founding members of the world's greatest party band: the B-52's. Formed in 1976 in Athens, Georgia, the B-52s (originally Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson & Ricky Wilson) have sold over 20 million albums and are known for such classic songs as: Rock Lobster, Private Idaho, 52 Girls and chart topping hits Love Shack, Roam and Deadbeat Club. Impossible to categorize, the B-52s emerged during the post-punk underground music scene in the late 70s, and went on to become worldwide superstars in the 80s, thanks to MTV and the success of their album Cosmic Thing which soared to the top of the Billboard Album Chart. In this conversation, Kate talks about the night the B-52's was formed, how Rock Lobster was written, losing Ricky Wilson, and where the real 'Love Shack' is.

 

Direct download: IWTA_Kate_Pierson_B-52s....Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 5:45pm CDT

Ballroom dancer Val Chmerkovskiy is a 2-time World Latin Dance Champion and a 14-time U.S. national Latin Dance champion. The younger brother of Maksim Chmerkovskiy, he's best known for his work on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. Val shares a DWTS record, originally set by his longtime rival Mark Ballas, of having the most celebrity partners to never individually score less than 8 from any judge. He is also the only professional dancer to go three consecutive seasons (16, 17, 18) without ever scoring less that an eight.

In this conversation, Val talks about the biggest misconceptions about ballroom dance, the importance of chemistry and storytelling, the mentality required for competition dancing, whether he and Kelly Monaco were together during season 15 of Dancing with the Stars, and why being a male ballroom dancer is one of the most masculine things you can be.

Direct download: IWTA_Val_Chmerkovskiy....Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 12:06pm CDT

This week, we're revisiting our very first episode of Interview with the Artist, with comedian and actor Mario Cantone. If the show sounds a little different than usual that's because it was our very first show and we didn't know what the hell we were doing. Enjoy.

Direct download: IWTA_Mario_Cantone_Encore...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 11:36am CDT

Love Letters, A.R. Gurney's celebrated play, will be presented at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Bridgehampton on May 8th and 9th at 7pm. The production will star Emmy-Award winning journalist and critic Pia Lindström and Terrance Fiore, and will be directed by Oscar, Emmy and Tony award winner Tony Walton.

Love Letters, which premiered in New York in 1989 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, tells the story of childhood friends Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and their lifelong correspondence through letters. Melissa is rebellious and bold, Andrew is conservative and reserved. As they chronicle their hopes and disappointments, successes and setbacks, failures and realizations, they paint a portrait of their great love, while posing existential questions about relationship, timing and missed opportunities.

 Presented by St. Ann's Church and the Corcoran Group, performances of  Love Letters will take place Friday, May 8th and Saturday May 9th, 7pm,  at St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Bridgehampton, NY. $25.00 includes wine and cheese after the show. All proceeds go towards St. Ann's Outreach Program, benefitting the Dominican Sisters, East End Hospice and Maureen's Haven. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Direct download: IWTA_Love_Letters...draft_1..Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 5:05pm CDT

Pioneer psychotherapist, renowned global teacher and performer Susan Lambert, LCSW, joins us on the show this week to help Walker through a tough time, and offer some insights into the artistic temperament, the creative impulse and the human condition. With 20 years professional experience, her therapeutic process combines cognitive-behavioral and insight-oriented work, while helping her clients move towards self awareness, self-compassion, balance and fulfillment. As an artist herself, Susan specializes in working with creative people, and has been recognized for her innovative 4 week topic-focused workshops, and her unique Online therapy methodology. She is based in New York City and Athens Greece. In this interview/one-hour session, Susan and Walker talk about the purpose of therapy, how to relate to one's own sensitivity, quieting the reactive mind and reframing how we think about "rejection", the importance of creating our own work, finding artistic partnerships that will support us, and how to expel shame and stigma from the subject of mental illness.

Direct download: IWTA_Susan_Lambert_The_Depressive_Episode...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 11:23am CDT

Dubbed ‘Master of the Telecaster’, Jim Weider is a guitarist, best known for his tenure with Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee: The Band. He joined the group in 1985, (replacing Robbie Robertson) and for 15 years toured internationally and appeared on numerous albums, films and videos with original members Levon Helm, Garth Hudson and Rick Danko. Throughout his career, he’s played and recorded with Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Dr. John, Los Lobos, Mavis Staples, Bob Weir and Taj Mahal, among many others. His albums include Percolator (2005), with the Jim Weider Band: Remedy, with Jim Weider & the Honkeytonk Gurus: Big Foot, and with Jim Weider's Project Percolator: Live at Boothbay Opera House, Live at Olde Mistick Village Performing Arts Center and Live at Mystic Blues Festival 2013.A master of classic telecaster and traditional blues slide guitar techniques, he’s admired for his distinctive tone, improvisational prowess and mesmerizing guitar solos. He is one of a select group of musicians to have an endorsement from Fender, and has built an international reputation among fellow musicians worldwide.

 This Friday night, Jim will be playing with The Weight at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY, featuring: Randy Ciarlante, Brian Mitchell, Byron Isaacs and Marty Grebb. For tickets and more information, visit baystreet.org  For more info about Jim, visit jimweider.com

Direct download: IWTA_Jim_Weider...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 10:06am CDT

Casey Wilson is an actress and writer, best known for playing Annie on NBC's Marry Me and Penny on the ABC comedy Happy Endings. For two seasons, she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live. On the big screen, she's appeared in David Fincher's Oscar-nominated film Gone Girl Julie & Julia, The Guilt Trip, and Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration. With her writing partner June Diane Raphael, she co-wrote the screenplay for Bride Wars, (starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway), and the comedy Ass Backwards, in which Casey and Diane both starred. She and her husband, comedy writer David Caspe live in Los Angeles and are pregnant with their first child.

In this conversation, Casey talks about Marry Me, being pregnant, what it's like to work with your husband, why angry people are awesome, how therapy has helped her live a more balanced life, why crazy women are SO MUCH fun to play, and what she really went through after getting let go from SNL. Plus- she clears up rumors about Happy Endings coming back to ABC and admits that the April Fools prank kinda pissed her off.

Direct download: IWTA_Casey_Wilson_Draft_2...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 11:16am CDT

Lemon Andersen is a Tony Award winning playwright, poet and spoken word artist. Frequently featured on HBO's Def Poetry over the course of six seasons, he also starred in the original cast of Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, which earned him a Tony Award and Drama Desk nomination. As a spoken word artist, he's performed to sold-out crowds at Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the Apollo Theater, Chicago Theater, and Hollywood’s Kodak Theater; and his one-man show County of Kings: The Beautiful Struggle had a critically acclaimed off-Broadway run at the Public Theater. On the big screen Lemon appeared in The Soloist with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx, and he's made four movies with Spike Lee, including Sucker Free City, She Hate Me, Miracle at St. Anna and Inside Man. His 2011 TED Talk: Please don't take my Air Jordans won him widespread attention and praise. As a playwright, Lemon's new play ToasT is a tribute to the black oral narrative tradition of 'toasting', and takes place at Attica prison right before the 1971 uprising. The play has been commissioned by the Sundance Institute and will open at the Public Theater for a limited run on April 21st. For tickets, visit publictheater.com

In this conversation, Lemon talks about growing up in poverty, and how PBS and a ballet program opened up a world of possibilities to him as a kid; why prison was the beginning of his training as a poet, the real life characters who inspired his new play ToasT and the importance of having creative control over one's work.

Direct download: IWTA_Lemon_Andersen_draft_2...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 11:37am CDT

Ali Wentworth is an actress, comedienne and author. TV Viewers may remember her as Jerry's girlfriend "Schmoopie" on the famous soup nazi episode of Seinfeld, or as a cast member on In Living Color, where she became known for her impersonations of Cher, Hillary Clinton, Princess Diana, Brooke Shields, Lisa Marie Presley and Sharon Stone, among others. For 3 seasons she starred as Dr. Elizabeth Goode, a self-obsessed therapist-to-the-stars in the Starz comedy Head Case, and she can currently be seen hosting Daily Shot, a short daily talk show segment on Yahoo! Shine. On the BIG screen she's appeared in Jerry MaguireOffice Space and It's Complicated. She and her husband George Stephanopoulos have two children and split their time between Manhattan and the Hamptons. In this conversation Ali talks about being a wasp, how growing up in a political family shaped her sense of humor and desire to push the envelope, how her experiences with horrible therapists inspired her character on Head Case and why George Stephanopoulos is the perfect man for her.

Direct download: IWTA_Ali_Wentworth...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 6:05pm CDT

Kate Mueth is an actress, director, choreographer and producer. In 2008, she founded Neo-Political Cowgirls, a women’s dance theatre company committed to making exciting and provocative theatrical work for and about women. In the fall of 2015, her show EVE will be opening both Off-Broadway and in Berlin. She is also founder of the Mulford Repertory Theatre Company, a summer Equity company in East Hampton, NY. In this second half of our conversation, Kate talks about the future of experimental theater; why an immersive theater experience is important to a world disconnected by technology; how the language of mythology can lead to a deeper understanding of human motivation, and the universal forces that make up the whole self; and why her intention is never to make a social or political statement but always to raise questions. #godeep

Direct download: IWTA_Kate_Mueth_Part_2...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 12:03pm CDT

Kate Mueth is an actress, director, choreographer and producer. In 2008, she founded Neo-Political Cowgirls, a women’s dance theatre company committed to making exciting and provocative theatrical work for and about women. In the fall of 2015, her show EVE will be opening both Off-Broadway and in Berlin. She is also founder of the Mulford Repertory Theatre Company, a summer Equity company in East Hampton, NY.  Kate's directing credits include: Wody Girtch Mama, Trojan Women Redux, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), Sylvia, All in the Timing, Miss Electricity and The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife among many others; and she's worked with everyone from Blythe Danner to Tony Walton to Tovah Feldshuh to Peter Boyle. She has appeared at Lincoln Center with New York City Opera in the world premiere of Monodramas and continues to work in creating exceptional, contemporary dance, theater and film work based in the Hamptons and NYC.

In the first of our two-part conversation, Kate talks about how her formative years shaped her as a storyteller, why finding your voice has the power to heal, what is means to feel fulfilled and supported as an artist, and how- on and off stage- she defiantly breaks down walls by letting her imagination lead the way, and creating work for women that honors the feminine within us all. It gets deep. So get comfortable, press play and hang onto your f***ing hat/pants.

Direct download: IWTA_Kate_Mueth_Part_1...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 12:46pm CDT

Rainbow Connection
by Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher
Arrangement by Jeff Allegue
Guitar and Banjo- Jeff Allegue
Vocals- Walker Vreeland

Direct download: IWTA_Extra_Rainbow_Connection_Walker__Jeff_Allegue...Mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:36pm CDT

Comedian Colin Quinn is best known for his work on Saturday Night Live, (where he worked as a writer, cast member and host of Weekend Update from 1995 until 2000), and for his presence on Twitter, where he posts self-deprecating, abrasive and intentionally provoking statements about fame and life. His show Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn ran on Comedy Central from 2002-2004, and he's been seen in both Grown Ups films with Adam Sandler, on Caroline's Comedy Hour, and on HBO's Girls. More recently Colin has been writing and performing two one-man shows: Long Story Short, which offers a comedic take on world history, and Unconstitutional, which is based on the US Constitution. Currently, Colin is writing and starring in the online web series Cop Show- a parody of popular New York City crime dramas. He's been listed as No. 56 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all-time. In this conversation, Colin talks about the SNL days, his take on evolution, his penchant for the politically incorrect, why NOT joking about someone is often an indication of bias and why it sucks to be more famous than you are rich.

Direct download: IWTA_Colin_Quinn...Mixdown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:10am CDT

Jeff Allegue plays Romance on Interview with the Artist.

Direct download: IWTA_Jeff_Allegue_Snippet_Romance.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:47pm CDT

Jeff and Grant Allegue play Theme from the Rick & Bob Report

Direct download: IWTA_Jeff_Allegue_Snippet_Theme.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:44pm CDT

Guitarist Jeff Allegue was born in Amityville, NY and began his classical training at the age of 10. A founding members of The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, he played bass with the group for 12 years and appeared on their multi-platinum selling albums “Christmas Trilogy” and “The Lost Christmas Eve", as well as their newest release "Night Castle". He was awarded 2 platinum and 4 gold records from the RIAA for his work with them.

Early in his career, his band “The Tallboys” appeared on MTV which led to their appearance on “Star Search,” where they won three consecutive shows and placed in the finals. He went onto work with Jive recording artist Amie Miriello and Taylor Dayne, with whom Jeff toured for many years throughout the country. His latest instrumental guitar album "The Lovely Savages" is available on iTunes or anywhere digital music is sold. Currently, Jeff is a member of the hugely popular Long Island-based band New Life Crisis along with singer/songwriter Paul Mahos, and drummer Steve O'Brien.

Jeff has been profiled in Guitar Player Magazine, Bass Player Magazine and Guitar for the Practicing Musician. He plays Spector basses, Martin, Gretsch, Fender and Alvarez-Yairi guitars. All instruments are strung with D'Addario strings.

Find out more at http://www.myspace.com/jeffallegue

Direct download: IWTA_Jeff_Allegue....Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 12:19pm CDT

Charles Strouse is a 3-time Tony Award winning Broadway composer and lyricist. His first musical was the hit show Bye, Bye, Birdie, with lyrics by his longtime collaborator Lee Adams. Bye, Bye, Birdie won Strouse his first Tony Award and was considered the precursor of the rock musical. He went on to write Golden Boy, starring Sammy Davis Jr, Applause starring Lauren Bacall, (which won him his second Tony), and in 1977, he adapted a comic strip for the stage, creating the hit musical Annie, for which he won his third Tony Award, two Grammys and several Emmys for the television adaptations.In this conversation, Charles Strouse explains what it means to "sweat" over a piece of music, and why it's important to both let go and find the "reason" behind each note. Also, he talks about how accepting the childlike qualities in his music allowed him to find his voice as a composer, and what he's learned about love: "If you love somebody and want that love back, you've got to make them feel like they're doing their best work."

Direct download: IWTA_Charles_Strouse_draft_2...Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 10:36am CDT

Sophie B Hawkins is a Grammy nominated and multi platinum selling recording artist, known best for her singles: As I Lay Me Down and Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover. She's released 9 albums and has sold over 9 millions records worldwide.In this conversation, a wide range of deep existential subjects are covered- from self acceptance and addiction to creativity and the spiritual journey. Tune in to hear Sophie talk about her battle with the music business and why leaving Sony Records was such a risk, what your own music can teach you about yourself and how one song can change your life

Direct download: IWTA_Sophie_B._Hawkins...Mixdown_rev.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 4:05pm CDT

Part 2 of my conversation with actor/comedian/songwriter Rick Crom! Perhaps best known as Louis CK's gay poker buddy on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award winning show Louie on FX, he's also been seen on Chappelle's Show, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Caroline's Comedy Hour. As a comedian, he's a regular at The Comedy Cellar in New York and has performed in clubs throughout the country. As an actor, Rick has appeared on Broadway in The Goodbye Girl (with Martin Short and Bernadette Peters), Footloose, and Urinetown. As a songwriter, Rick wrote the book, music and lyrics for Newsicle, a musical that lampoons current events, celebrities and trends which has been running Off-Broadway since 2009, and has earned him several Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Lyrics. Newsicle is currently enjoying an open-ended run at The Kirk at Theatre Row. In Part 2 of our conversation, Rick continues to makes me laugh A LOT. Plus, he talks about his television work, including the origin of his famous poker scene on Louie, the effect that scene continues to have; the reason he waited so long to come out publicly, and why being a comedian is so therapeutic.

Direct download: IWTA_Rick_Crom_Part_2....Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 10:26am CDT

Rick Crom is an actor, singer, comedian and songwriter. Perhaps best known as Louis CK's gay poker buddy on the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award winning show Louie on FX, he's also been seen on Chappelle's Show, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Caroline's Comedy Hour. As a comedian, he's a regular at The Comedy Cellar in New York and has performed in clubs throughout the country. As an actor, Rick has appeared on Broadway in The Goodbye Girl (with Martin Short and Bernadette Peters), Footloose, and Urinetown. As a songwriter, Rick wrote the book, music and lyrics for Newsicle, a musical that lampoons current events, celebrities and trends which has been running Off-Broadway since 2009, and has earned him several Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Lyrics. Newsicle is currently enjoying an open-ended run at The Kirk at Theatre Row. In Part 1 of our conversation, Rick talks about making his comedy debut in Chicago, and how the harsh competition that greeted him in New York propelled him into a successful cabaret and Off-Broadway career as a songwriter and a residency at The Comedy Cellar; the importance of having an original, unpredictable point of view when writing a funny song; the best way to deal with nerves in an audition; and what it's like to be a swing on Broadway. He also does impressions of Kirk Douglas, Don Pardo and a gay John Wayne that you don't wanna miss. Tune in.

Direct download: IWTA_Rick_Crom_Part_I....Mixdown.mp3
Category:Interviews -- posted at: 11:13am CDT

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