Old People Rock

From playing golf with Arnold Palmer as a young sports reporter to pursuing unusual stories at KPIX and CNBC, Mike Hegedus built a career by following his curiosity and doing things his own way.   In this Old People Rock conversation, Mike shares the stories behind the stories – and explains why retirement hasn't meant slowing down. He's still traveling, swimming, biking, cooking, reading and writ...

What makes music more than a sequence of notes? For composer and pianist Giovanni Marradi, it's the person behind the performance. In this conversation, Giovanni talks about finding his own musical voice, learning from his hero Roger Williams, performing for audiences in China, and encouraging young musicians to play without fear. His message is simple: music isn't a competition. It's something to...

Margie Seaman has spent her life learning how things work. She built a career in marketing, taught herself the technology behind modern websites, became a web designer and SEO specialist, explored Texas as the " Graytripper ," and finally started writing the books she'd been thinking about since childhood – at 84.   Her stories even took her into time travel and scientific theory. Now she's workin...

Jules & Effin Older have never been especially interested in living just one life. Together, they've been writers, travelers, broadcasters and collaborators – but each also followed some wonderfully unexpected paths of their own. Effin became a television host in New Zealand, including co-hosting The Renovators , while Jules taught medical students, hosted a rock-and-roll radio show and even playe...

What if laughter isn't just something that makes us feel good, but something that can actually help us get through life?   For more than 30 years, motivational speaker and author Yvonne Conte has been exploring the positive power of humor, laughter, and joy.  A former sales executive who reinvented herself as a speaker, comedian, writer, and corporate culture expert, Yvonne has entertained and ins...

Ed Faber didn't set out to become one of America's best-known vintage watch experts. In the 1970s, he and his wife Patricia were building a gallery devoted to fine and contemporary jewelry when a watch dealer walked in and suggested they try selling watches.   Ed initially told him to go away. Then he put 25 watches on a shelf. Two weeks later, half of them were gone. That unexpected experiment ev...

Dr. Arthur "Tim" Garson has spent a lifetime inside American medicine – as a pediatric cardiologist, medical-school dean, university provost, health-policy researcher and educator. So when he talks about what's wrong with American healthcare, he's not approaching the subject from the sidelines. In this second Old People Rock conversation, Dr. Garson goes deep into the economics and incentives behi...

What if your job was to travel the world looking for people who were already solving some of its biggest problems? That's essentially what Dr. Sam Hancock has been doing for decades. As creator and host of EmeraldPlanet, Sam searches for innovative ideas in environmental protection, economic development, and sustainable community resilience – and introduces the people behind those ideas to a world...

The Artist Who Chose the Life He Wanted to Paint. James Mueller has lived a life that sounds more like a novel than a résumé.   He grew up in the art colony of New Hope, Pennsylvania, became an artist despite being told his strongest aptitude was math, and within a few years was exhibiting internationally – including in Paris. Along the way, he hitchhiked across America, lived in a teepee, worked...

Karen Brown has spent more than 50 years making art, best known for her one-of-a-kind gold jewelry and unusual gemstones. But her creative life didn't stop there. About ten years ago, Karen discovered glass fusing – and fell in love with it. Today, she teaches a glass-fusion class, introducing the joy of making glass-fusion. Karen also continues a decidedly old-school part of jewelry making: she a...

Dr. Tim Garson graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University, but chose not to join the family's brassiere manufacturing business. Instead, he became a pediatric cardiologist at Texas Children's Hospital. He has since authored ten books, including his latest, "Five Thousand Years of Controversies" – a book he wished he had read years ago. From pediatric cardiologist to health policy advocate...

Meet Carl Giammarese, founding member, lead singer, guitarist, songwriter, and driving force behind The Buckinghams. From the chart-topping #1 hit "Kind of a Drag" to classics like "Don't You Care," "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," and "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)," Carl helped define the sound of the 1960s. More than six decades later, he's still doing what he loves. Now in his seventies, Carl cont...

Meet Sue Moxon—a pilot, world traveler, photographer, author, and adventurer who proves it's never too late to write your next chapter.   After earning her pilot's license in the 1970s, Sue discovered a lifelong passion for exploring the world. She's now visited more than 80 countries, from Antarctica to Iceland, collecting unforgettable experiences along the way. Following successful careers in e...

Proof that age is just a number! Meet 82-year-old Richard Huffman. While most people are slowing down in their 80s, Richard is literally flying through the air.   He fell in love with the trapeze as a kid, but didn't seriously pursue it until his 60s. In his 70s, he leveled up to the aerial sling—and he hasn't looked back since. What he does is mind-bending for any age, but at 82? It's pure inspir...

Meet Danny Grenier, a true powerhouse in the music scene. Over his career, he's played guitar alongside rock icons like Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh.   Today, at 73, Danny is still performing locally across Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. For him, it's never been about stopping – it's about a lifelong passion for music and the people who make it.

Meet Charlie and Susan—our two-for-one feature on Old People Rock. Together since the late 1960s, Susan Rubin and Charlie Deglman have spent a lifetime using creativity as a form of resistance. From protesting the Vietnam War to challenging the social norms of their generation, they've never been afraid to question the world around them. Susan has built an extraordinary career as an actor, directo...

At nearly 75, Kerri Acheson is having the time of her life. A former marketing and public relations professor at Northwestern and USC, she has spent decades writing and publishing academic work. She has co-authored one book, ghostwritten another, and is now helping launch a new public speaking and presentation training firm in New York City. What makes her accomplishments even more remarkable is t...

Bob Katzman has been an entrepreneur for virtually his entire life. He started his first business at age 12, opened a wooden newsstand at 15, and owned a delicatessen by 19. In his late 30s, he launched both a foreign-language travel bookstore and a back-issue magazine store that carried more than 150,000 periodicals dating back to 1576. He has also authored 25 books about his life, selling more t...

In 1986, Mike founded Plus One Health Management, an organization dedicated to helping people achieve optimal health through a customized wellness foundation that includes exercise science, orthopedic medicine, physical therapy, massage therapy, and nutrition. He is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has served on the Dean's Advisory Board at the University of Massachusetts...

Dirk Stubenrauch first came to this country in 1965 as a twenty-two year old exchange student from Frankfurt, Germany. He's had a number of distinguished careers since, including Advertising Executive and Graphic Design. At 65, when most people are retiring, he founded an Interior Furniture Design and Architecture firm in Costa Rica focused solely on international resort design and production. Tod...

Judy Mandell is a freelance writer based in Charlottesville, Virginia. She regularly contributes to publications such as The New York Times, AARP, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Prevention magazine, and many other major newspapers and magazines. Judy has several books published including, What to Expect in Your Fifties: A Woman's Guide t...

John Holly has worked in practically every capacity in theater and musical theater, including as an actor on Broadway and producer/director of hundreds of theater productions. His current passion is Airstreaming across the country, having new adventures and meeting new friends.  

Veteran journalist and broadcaster Mike Hegedus has spent a lifetime telling stories that matter. He began his career in 1971 as Sports Director at KRDO in Colorado Springs, covering everything from Air Force football to Arnold Palmer on the course. He went on to Buffalo's WGR-TV, where he transitioned into news, earning two national Martin R. Gainsborough Awards and a fellowship at Wharton. In 19...

Bob Hartl is the epitome of someone who has said, "Why Not" most of his life. A former Naval Aircraft Commander in the Vietnam War who survived a horrific plane crash, Bob transitioned to a near 40 year career as a pilot for a major airline. Bob's philosophy is, "not looking back, but always look forward to my next activity or adventure." After retirement, Bob has become an award-winning photograp...

Ellen Bloom is a native of Los Angeles with 47 years in the entertainment industry. A former Los Angeles radio personality, Ellen produced and co-hosted KPCC-Radio's "Friday Night Blues Revue." She has engineered live, in-studio performances and conducted interviews with leading blues artists. Ask Ellen about almost any historic building or area of Los Angeles and she will tell you the story. She...