TV Guidance Counselor

April 30 - May 5, 1977 On today's episode Ken welcomes author, novelist, journalist, musician and all around great guy Rick Moody to the show. Ken and Rick discuss the atmosphere of cookies in Harvard Square, 60s TV, Richard Nixon, Richard Nixon's Teeth, dying of a broken heart, boarding school rules, cold turkey television, Irwin Allen, Disaster Movie fetishes, Airport 70-75, Airplane, all star casts, novelizations of the movie, JAWS, The Rock in San Andreas, man vs. nature, Steve McQueen's assessment that "they'll keep building them, and we'll keep putting those fire out", 70s Subversives, Harrison Ford fighting demons in the Possessed, burying your wife alive, Bad Ronald, Invitation to Hell, The Night Stalker, Gene Hackman, Fred Astaire, Xanadu, Linda Blair's finest work, After School specials, teenager drunks, Scott Baio is Stoned, Helen Hunt is Angel Dusted, The Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Love, cultural capital, Game of Thrones, In Search Of..., Noah's Arc, Bermuda Triangle, John Davidson, PBS, The American Family, Albert Brooks, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, the weird whirlwind of Louise Lasser, bothering Norman Lear, pacing, David Lynch, Fernwood Tonight, Twin Peaks, violating the structure by leaving Thursday Blank, reading, punished with educational programming, seeing Serpico at an inappropriate age so Dad can have "me time", Chevy Chase vs. Richard Pryor, Love Boat III, lack of 21st Century All-Stars, niche programming, Hotels of North America, Motel Room Television, Dateline, Shock Theater, Chiller Theater, Creature Features, WPIX, Thanksgiving with King Kong, The 4:30 Movie, Mothra, Four Fingers of Death's relation to the Crawling Hand, why The Ice Storm and Garden State are period pieces, the Wire, Golden Age of TV, remaking movies, being too upset by horror movies, terrified of "The Thing", David Cronenberg, Hostel, The Mummy's Curse, The Blob, The Monkees, Teen Mom, HBO Go, The Bachelor, admitting addiction to Reality TV, Catfish, loving Mr. Show, Monty Python, Pee Wee's Playhouse and a violent hatred of cooking shows.

September 28 - October 4, 1991 Today Ken welcomes comedian Rick Canavan to the show. Ken and Rick discuss Rick's third visit to Reid Manor, not voting, cartoons, Barbara Bush, Rodeo, The Madison Square Garden Network, Ken's real email, Wrestling House Shows, satellite feeds, Who's the Boss, TV as comfort, new sitcoms on Saturdays, Shark Tank, infomercial nostalgia, meeting Tony Little, door to door salesman, The Topsfield Fair, Cows made of butter, slapping the big old pickle, Black Adder, Women of the Night, The Best of the Worst, Ripping Yarns, special Nurses, Murder She Wrote, Eerie Indiana, blue collar sitcoms, Dream On, Stand up Heavy, Herman's Head, Red Scorpion, Rick's hatred of Action movies, Steven Segal movies being better than Wrestling, Carmen San Diego, wacky acapella, MacGuyver, very special Blossom, Saturday Night's Main Event, Living Coulor, Full House Tuesdays, Baywatch, Vanessa Angel, The Night Stalker, Real People Reunion, NIN, Superman, hating Coach, the worst Van Dyke vs. the worst Van Patton, free surfboards, surfing, ABC's Dangerous Women, WPIX Shocktober!, Horror movies, Friday the 13th The Series, Freddy's Nightmares, Bubble Up soda trouble, The Wonder Years, Night Court, Comedy Club Network, Rick's lack of understanding of the modern world, That's My Dog, confusing Coach for Poltergeist II, Drexel's Class, Michael Olver: Problem Child, Rainn Pryor, Father Dowling Mysteries, Johnny Carson's 29th Anniversary, They Live, Step by Step, Brooklyn Bridge, Ken's hatred of Rod Stewart, Pearl Jam, Dear John, Baby Talk, Car Theft, narration for the blind, and Psycho cereal commercials.

In this episode recorded LIVE! at the NorthEast ComicCon Ken welcomes Claudia Wells (Back to the Future, Fast Times) and John Wesley Shipp (The Flash, Dawson's Creek, The Flash) to the show. First up, Ken and Claudia discuss Fast Times, modeling for the Sears Wishbook and JC Penny Catalogs, Family, growing up in San Francisco, starring in Martin Sheen's directorial debut as a fake pregnant teen, After School Specials, Off the Rack, The Brady Bunch, kissing everyone but Peter, when even Ed Asner can't get you out of a contract, Back to the Future, the divide between television stars and movie stars, Christopher Lloyd, Claudia's Scientist Father, the Back to the Future Video game, BTTF Animated Series, having Michael J. Fox in your back pocket, being shocked where you end up, owning Armani Wells Men's Clothing store for the last 25 years, the changing face of men's fashion, being recognized in civilian life, the difficulties of playing a role already played by someone else in a movie, sneaking into clandestinely see BTTF II and III, meeting and not meeting Elizabeth Shue, Sister Wives, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, the strange world of being a teenage actor, not being asked to the prom, Paparazzi, Jonathan Silverman, the pace of television, having Bob Gale as your travel agent, Family Ties, and having Private Eyes tail you. Next up Ken welcomes John Wesley Shipp to the show. Ken and John Wesley discuss soap opera acting and the pace of soaps, musicals, working with teleprompters, the difficulty of memorizing huge amounts of pseudo-science babble, Fantasy Island, picking up Suand Lucci, The Flash (1990), the expense, making a movie every week for TV, why shows made by true fans are better, David Hasselhoff's music career, having fans at the Zoo, why soap opera fans are the most rabid, The Flash (current), the evolution of special effects, red leotards, celebrity culture and secret identities, how the baseball playoffs and the Gulf War hurt the 1990 Flash, Amanda Pays, the power of serialized drama and the human element, how the "will they won't they" can be an asset and a curse, the problems with metal helmets, Grant Gustin: Superhuman in real life, why Henry Allen left, niche audiences, and the thrill of playing a villain on TV.

In this special Holiday Season bonus episode Ken welcomes illustrator, writer and all around talent Molly Crabapple to the show. Ken and Molly discuss the perils of mispeaking, a natural inclination to introversion, growing up in New York, sneaking into Manhattan, social awkwardness, enjoying things from afar, being a punk rock teen, Fact Sheet Five, the wonder of 90s 'zines, maximumrocknroll, teenage life hacks, anarchists, Dawson's Creek, New York girls, re-writing your teenage years via media, hate watching, social media, D.A.R.E., how scare films can actually give you ideas, MTV, Liquid Television, The Head, Aeon Flux, My So-Called Life, Sassy, Daria, trying not to discount the pain of youth, Gender roles in media, Vice TV, having not watched TV in 16 years due to an uncomfortable couch, Mark Kistler's Secret City, drawing instruction on television, watching television in foreign countries, pro-Assaad regime TV, Propaganda on TV, how the whole world doesn't actually worship American mass media, Havana, being culturally illiterate, animation, translating Arabic to English for fun, loving Kurt Cobain and Hole, Low Low: Lures and Snares of Old New York by Luc Sante, needing to know the language of an art to make it, and having an aversion to being on camera as a proponent of the individual arts.

Today Ken welcomes writer, comedian, actor and podcaster Dana Gould to the show. Ken and Dana discuss the memories of dark failure that hang over Harvard Square, replacing Steven Wright in Stationary, Boston Radio, having a member of the cars stare you down, Dana Hersey's Movie Loft, WSBK TV 38, Creature Double Features, being a Monster Kid, The Midnight Special, Rod Serling and the Night Gallery, Feep, horror hosts, Reel Wild Cinema, cursed used cars, the perplexing Japanese Box Office, TV Guide as the 70s video store, the wonders of stumbling on things, David Chase and the Night Stalker, Vampira, The Medveds, Ed Wood, Planet of the Apes, the strangeness that is Gloucester, Jonathan Ross, Incredibly Strange Film Show, how Dana's Dad became Buffy The Vampire Slayer, how the world has changed, being best friends with Greg Nicotero, intense Tom Savini, Frank Darabont, Mob City, The Simpsons, The Ben Stiller Show, Willfred Brimley, The Mystery of Kurt Russell, Elvis Presley's Moon Landing issue, Change of Habit, Hoyt Axton, Little Richard's innovations, Townies, SNL, George Carlin, SCTV, and the wonders of Martin Short's tiny hands.

Today on the show Ken welcomes musician, partier, motivational speaker and all around personality Andrew WK. Ken and Andrew discuss Top of the Pops, Anne Arbor Michigan, tape trading, the golden age of MTV, when music became visual, Roxy Music, how the arts make room for everything, Miami Vice, the value of having to work for media, not having cable growing up, anti-television parental styles, the horrors of the adult world, cigarette ads, ambition, Star Trek, Little House on the Prairie, Happy Days, 60 Minutes, The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, The Facts of Life's "Over Our Heads Years", Pee Wee's Playhouse, the 80s retro aesthetic, Gary Panter, Memphis Designs, Golden Girls, Murder She Wrote, TV Theme Songs, Learning life lessons from Andy Rooney, why Don Knotts as Mr. Furley was terrifying, physical humor, Three's Company, Animaniacs, Sesame Street, loving Maria, why nobody likes Telly, and having to explain bongs to Grandma because of The Facts of Life.

September 11-17, 2005 Today Ken welcomes writer, comedian Jamie Loftus to the show. Ken and Jamie discuss high school football, being "with" the band, the oboe, Brockton, boxing statues, the best rappers in the school, Cape Verdeans, Musical Theater, Michael Crawford, Kenny Everett, 9-11, the changing TV Guide week, Carnie Wilson's live streamed surgery, Degrassi, school shootings, The N, Radio Free Roscoe, Instant Star, STDs, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Jessica Lynch, The Food Network, Good Eats, growing up in a world that always had the internet, how being into frogs can lead to getting into jam bands, Ken's Hot Topic confession, My Super Sweet 16, wearing a backbrace, sax serenade, Basketball Songs, Mambo Number, Antiques Roadshow, college choices of regret, The Daily Show, being a second generation journalist, sports writing, Gilmore Girls, Ben or Noel?, Bones, Supernatural, O'Grady, the magic three hours, Are You the Girl? with TLC, My Fair Brady, Battle of the Network Reality Stars, the premier of Joey, I Love the 90s, Scrubs, ER, What I Like About You, loving Amanda Bynes, Atomic Kitten, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Supernanny, marathoning the Robocop Series, Gilemore Women, terrorizing your younger brother, Eurotrip, The Butterfly Effect, loving Ashton, Tracy Morgan replacing Shannon Doherty, click it or pick it, and learning the secrets of the World's Strongest Boy.

December 3-9, 1983 December 3-9, 1983 Today Ken welcomes comedian Todd Barry to the show. Ken and Todd discuss A/C removal, David Letterman, watching stand up comedy, Florida, Ft. Launderdale Spring Break, Ken's encyclopedic knowledge of 80s T&A Movies, Todd's first TV appearance in 1982, behind the scenes in showbiz, re-watching your old TV sets, having a Black and White TV way past the time it was ok to have a Black and White TV, watching the Deer Hunter uncut, watching TV in foreign lands, the wonder of international pharmacies, UK Comedy Nerds, getting a first national TV Gig on Conan via Louie CK, being a regular on Dr. Katz, being an in demand voice over artist, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Hawaii Five-O, Todd's Punk Rock Status, CHiPs, Quincy M.D., shivving, lack of comfort shows, avoiding TV comedy, Spinal Tap, Diner, Paul Reiser's musical genius, Rodney Dangerfield's car, meeting Grady from Sanford and Son, opening for Joe Bob Briggs, Richard Butler (from the Psychedelic Furs), where you are really from, Maui, the media infrastructure in Hawaii, Flipper, the slow pace of older shows, Comic Conventions, the strange world of paying for celebrity autographs, the Breaking Bad van, moving from acting into civilian jobs, Joanie loving rental cars, rerun money, singing with Donny Most, James at 15, The White Shadow of Ben Franklin, Leif Garrett, Shaun Cassidy, Happy Days, Henry Winkler, Dick Van Dyke's autograph hunts, celebrity pricing, Miami Vice, The Clash, Ellen Foley, What's Happening!!!, performing for Haywood Nelson, Barbara Walters Specials, 60 Minutes, 20/20, being both the homecoming princess and the Football QB, Barbara Walters as ABC's Marc Maron, Two Johnnies - Carson and Cash, keeping things private, interviewing Steve Martin, Michael Keaton's stand up, Twelve Years a Stand Up, Todd Playing Todd, free donuts, Richard Pryor, Pam Greir's autobiography, Kent McCord, Ralph Macchio's going rate, Trauma Center, the golden age of hospital shows, Lou Ferrigno, TV Theme songs, Orange is the New Black, picking your intro music, Devo's Uncontrollable Urge, letting Joe Jackson know you're the man, picky foodies, Anthony Bordain, auditioning for Larry David, not being pervy enough to play a child murderer, Doug the Tourguide on Spin City, Michael J. Fox, crushing on Justine Bateman, and befriending the cast of Satisfaction.

May 7-13, 1994 Today Ken welcomes comedian Emily Heller to the show. Ken and Emily discuss eating with your mouth full, visiting Boston for the first time, sweeps week, the return of Will Smith's Dad, San Francisco, Gymastics, Breaker High, kitchen TVs, Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, Kid empowerment, Camp Nowhere vs. Camp Cucumunga, what Joey Lawrence's love can fix for you baby, the Little Oscars, COPS, Dave Stevens, The Rockateer, comedians in serious roles, Kids in the Hall, Bachelor Mother, Nancy Kerrigan, the black TV renaissance, Thelma & Louise, Fox-O-Rama, the White Living Single, radio station format changes, The Stand, Evil Disney product placement, Ben Vereen and Zoobalie Zoo, huge orphans, making Nerds in Love for TV, Joseph Bologna, Disney TV animation, Direct-To-Video Sequels, Blossom, Prom vs. The Prom, Rip Torn's real name, baby heart transplants, made for TV madness, the myth of improv, Full House, Little Richard, Rescue 911, Phenom, LIVE! TV, JFK, Roseanne, Tales from the Crypt, JTT's retirement, learning how to have crushes, Virtual Reality, Unsolved Mysteries, The Simpsons, in-Laws getting married, buying things off TV, weird sexy baby dolls "Cute as a Butt-on", Ken's top 90s Sitcoms, secrets of the magic Castle, David Copperfield, Mystery Science Theater Hour, Seinfeld, shrinkage, Fraiser, celebrity voice cameos, TGIF, Bruce Campbell in the Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Family Matters, Boy Meets World, The X-Files, The missing Gs of the 90s, the lighting speed of TV marriage, 20/20, coming back from the dead, and ALL Cheers all the time.

August 12-17, 1967 Today Ken welcomes "King of Pop Culture" Gary Sohmers to the show. Ken and Gary discuss proud hoarders, a place for things, birthdays, 15 year old's lust based viewing habits, the Kennedy assassination, Chicagoland, flight path high schools, the nature of proof, being removed Antiques Roadshow history, psychic appraisals, 20th Century Pop culture antiques, Hawaiian shirts, Frank Zappa's paintings, the lack of vetted experts in the modern age, buying low and selling high, knowing the real value of things, being a human remote control, having the best TV around, Nashville TN, Get Smart, television as school yard cultural capital, Mad Magazine, Jack Webb's hatred of LSD, the beatnik to hippie transition, Serials, Wonderful World of Disney, Ed Sullivan, the heyday of Variety Shows, Penn & Teller Fool Us, It's About Time, trampolines, The Stooges at your high school, being a part of the first great moment for teenagers, Bozo, mystery WGN puppet shows, Zacherle, Chuck McCann, Mr. Terrific, The Saint, The Avengers, the exotic swingin' London, The Prisoner, Star Trek, The Invaders, Larry Cohen, Vietnam, Combat!, Ballad of the Green Berets, Antiques on TV in the 60s, antiques from the 90s, Batman '66, Adam West, Doin' Time on Planet Earth, Bob Cummings, Julie Newmar, Hollywood Palace, Lost in Space, inventing celebrity conventions, the influence of Nick at Nite, Billy West, James Hong, thanking your childhood heroes, Ken's love of Annie Potts, North East Comic Con, A Christmas Story, Computer Match Making, T.H.E. Cat, Gary's favorite show: Wild Wild West, Mailbu U, Time Tunnel, Land of the Giants, Space Travel, Ken's Vintage Motorola, 1990s The Flash, DC's TV Universe, Jim Beaver, and missing The Daily Show.