Mr. Media Interviews By Bob Andelman

2011: Imagine my surprise when my former agent showed up in the email asking to come on Mr. Media to talk about his first novel, "Primacy. Fortunately, it is a really fine first effort. The action is fast and furious and its stars are both female: Liane, the animal researcher, and Bea, the talking bonobo. Yes, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" fans, the" Primacy" apes talk and it’s purely a coincidence of timing that "Primacy" followed on the heels of a great ape flick. I highly recommend you read "Primacy

2010: Doug Glanville is a different cat—scratch that; “cat” doesn’t seem the right reference. Let’s call him a gentleman. I’ve got a lot of questions for this veteran of 15 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers. But I’m going to start with this one: why does singer John Oates—that’s right, the second half of “Hall & Oates”—rate an entire paragraph in the acknowledgements of your book?

2010: If anything, "Outsourced" is “Community” relocated to India. The community college study lounge has been replaced by a call center. Ben Rappaport is Joel McHale and the better part of the ensemble cast of characters consists of Indian kooks instead of California kooks. As for being racist? The only people who think that haven’t watched the show. It’s sweet, it’s funny, but it no more makes fun of Indians than “The Office” picks on Scranton, Pennsylvania natives.

2019: Joining me today is Aaron Hart, lead singer of the Denver glam rock band Love Stallion, which is a bit of a throwback to a kinder, gentler age, and yet it seems pretty damn fresh today. Hart will be performing two songs live on the show today, the Love Stallion single, “Slow Release,” plus “Valentine.”

2011: "Wake Up and Dream" takes the triumph of James Maddock's "Sunrise on Avenue C" and successfully builds upon it. The lyrics are sharper, the hooks catchier, and the overall sound consistent from the first song to the last. If you’ve never heard him before, I'll give you a little taste of James Maddock’s work. When we talk about classic rock, I don’t think of music I’ve been forced to endure a thousand times in life – I’m looking at you, Pink Floyd.

2011: Who could possibly lie in the face of NBC correspondent Harry Smith? (Other than soulless CBS News executives, that is.) C’mon – that face, those eyes? He’s got Honest Abe written all over him.

2011: When Keith Morrison is telling a story – excuse me, reporting a story — his tone is so steady, his timing so perfect, you might just miss a crucial detail. That is to say, if silk had a voice, it might sound like Keith Morrison of NBC News. And wait till you hear what he has to say Lester Holt and Brian Williams... arm-wrestling!

2011: If I were you, and you were interested in getting a job in the entertainment industry, I’d listen to today’s interview with writers Mark Scherzer and Keith Fenimore. Then I’d order their new book, Hire Me, Hollywood: You Behind-the-Scenes Guide to the Most Exciting—and Unexpected—Jobs in Show Business. Trust me, it’s that good. Frankly, even if you don’t have stars in your eyes, this book is a great read.

2011: Chase Thompson and Tyler McMullen, now recording professionally as Goodnight Argent, is beginning to see the payoff for their dedication. In 2009, they won the Grand Prize in the John Lennon International Songwriting Competition. In 2011, Goodnight Argent produced a 7-song EP called “Ignorance is Paradise.” On today's show, they perform two acoustic songs exclusively for Mr. Media viewers and listeners: "Don't Get Sentimental" and a cover of One Republic's "Everybody Loves Me."

2011: Kate Snow is a veteran of “Dateline NBC” who jumped ship to guide rookie newsmagazine host Brian Williams through these early days of “Rock Center.” Okay, that may not be how anyone will officially explain the situation at NBC News, but who you gonna believe? Them or Mr. Media?

2011: The danger of writing the “Ultimate Book” of anything is if you wind up demonstrating that you ultimately don’t know much about anything. That didn’t turn out to be an issue for George Anastasia and Glen Macnow, co-authors of The Ultimate Book of Gangster Movies. Their list of the 100 greatest gangster films of all time includes just enough of the films you’d expect to see and enough surprises to convince the skeptics among us that they did their research.

2011: 2011: Natasha Leggero has multiple fall-back positions. She’s a stand-up comedian, so she can always work, and always bring the funny. She’s a solid talk show guest, as evidenced by numerous appearances on the “Chelsea Lately” panel. And she’s an actress, having appeared in the movie He’s Just Not That Into You and co-starring as Emma in the short-lived NBC series, “Free Agents.”

2012: Joining me today will be Trek The Musical parody co-creators Lauren Field, Gaetano Rodriguez and several members of the cast to preview the show.

Guest Interview by Eric Deggans, 2011: Sometimes, I like causing trouble. So whenever people ask me who is the most influential TV journalist of the modern age, I never say Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite. I always say Barbara Walters. That's because she pioneered the mixture of emotion and news, serious and celebrity, personal and political that drives every modern TV news program, from the today show and 20/20 to Nancy Grace, Access Hollywood and beyond.

2019: Ayser Salman’s new book, "The Wrong End of the Table: A Mostly Comic Memoir of a Muslim Arab American Woman Just Trying to Fit In," delivers the goods exactly as promised in the title and I swear – sorry, Mama Salman – I couldn’t put it down. A really good book takes you to a place you’ve never been. For most Americans, that might be the everyday life and times of a Muslim Arab American woman born in Iraq and raised from the age of two in the United States.

2019: From very early on, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee sparred about credit for who did what. As editor, Lee always got the final word and took whatever credit he wanted. Usually, that meant words by Lee, art by Kirby. John Morrow, who joins me today, is the man behind Twomorrows Publishing, which just produced his new book, "Kirby & Lee: Stuf’ Said! The Complex Genesis of the Marvel Universe, In Its Creators’ Own Words." He is also the editor of the "Jack Kirby Collector," now in its 25th year.

2009: For a good time, try typing www.CollegeHumor.com into your web browser’s window. Joining me today are CollegeHumor.com writer-comedians Amir Blumenfeld and Streeter Seidell. The pair is world renowned for pulling elaborate pranks on one another. I’m hoping to learn a little about their site and what makes a good stunt. That, and how they haven’t killed each other in the process of getting revenge. (Seidell is now an SNL writer.)

2019: The first time that singer Madelyn Victoria and her brother, guitarist Albert Vallejo, were on Mr. Media, I was struck by their talent and charm. That was four years ago, so I imagine they’ve only gotten better at both since then. When last we spoke, Madelyn was riding the success of her country music single, “He Only Loves Me on the Dance Floor.” Today she is promoting a new song that is climbing the charts, “Right Here With You.”

2019: Richard Lynch is a country singer/songwriter who ended 2018 with a surprise honor – a place in the Ohio Country Music Hall of Fame. He is the kind of guy people think of when they think of country. And his music is well-known for Lynch’s inclusion of his faith in its lyrics. If you’re unfamiliar with the Richard Lynch Band, never fear; Lynch will be performing two songs live on today’s show, “Old Feed Store” and “Pray on the Radio”!

2019: Editorial cartoonist Clay Jones expresses his political thoughts and emotion in art every day. He has a somewhat silly style—reminiscent of the late Wayne Stayskal—that for the last two decades belies a most serious message. You can find Jones’ funny, biting work where I first discovered it – on Instagram – or self-syndicated daily to newspapers nationwide. His work can also be found on GoComics.com.