Big Conversations, Little Bar

On this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans and Randy Florence , the tables turn as legendary Coachella Valley journalist Bruce Fessier steps in as guest host to celebrate the podcast’s 150th episode milestone . What follows is a lively, heartfelt, and often hilarious look back at three years of unforgettable conversations, iconic guests, and behind-the-scenes moments that...

On this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans and Randy Florence , Patrick sits down solo with media entrepreneur and digital thinker Baratunde Thurston for a wide-ranging, deeply human conversation about technology, identity, and community . Randy is away due to a family loss on this episode. The discussion takes on an intimate tone as Baratunde shares his perspective on art...

On this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans and Randy Florence , the hosts welcome musician and humanitarian Eric Frankson for an inspiring and deeply human conversation. Eric shares his journey from professional musician and piano bar performer to becoming a driving force behind local outreach efforts helping unhoused individuals in the Coachella Valley. Through his work w...

On this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans and Randy Florence , award-winning journalist Hank Plante shares an extraordinary career journey from copy boy at The Washington Post to one of television news’ most respected voices . He reflects on covering the AIDS crisis in San Francisco, where his reporting helped inform and save lives during one of America’s most challenging...

On this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans and Randy Florence , music photographer Jimmy Steinfeldt shares the incredible journey that took him from a simple Minolta camera to photographing some of the biggest legends in rock and entertainment . Jimmy explains how a cross-country trip sparked his passion for photography and led him into the electrifying world of concert ph...

Filmmaker Ron Nyswaner joins Patrick Evans and Randy Florence on this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar for an engaging and emotional conversation about his remarkable journey from a tiny Pennsylvania town to the heights of Hollywood. He reflects on the early break that changed his life, the mentorship that shaped his career, and the making of landmark projects that helped redefine cultural...

In this lively episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans & Randy Florence , the hosts welcome performer and tap dance powerhouse Miss Jane Guy for a wildly entertaining conversation packed with humor, showbiz history, and behind-the-scenes stories . From her upbringing in a theatrical family in Melbourne to building one of Australia’s largest tap dance communities , Jane shar...

Recorded in the corner booth at Skip Paige’s Little Bar in Palm Desert, this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans & Randy Florence blends local pride with big-league music history. The hosts open with a playful recap of an unexpected onstage moment at the McCallum Theatre for Patrick, then welcome musician Brian Ray — best known as a member of Paul McCartney’s band since...

Step into Palm Springs history with a conversation that feels like slipping into a poolside cabana in 1970. This episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans & Randy Florence welcomes Nelda Linsk —soon to be honored as First Lady of Modernism —for stories spanning fashion, philanthropy, architecture, and the golden era of desert social life . Nelda shares the behind-the-scenes t...

From the corner booth at Skip Paige’s Little Bar, the conversation swings from karaoke dreams to the real work of building a thriving arts scene. Singer-producer Scott Coulter shares how his company, Spot-On Entertainment , grew from performing to creating concert experiences for orchestras and performing arts centers nationwide —plus how the Palm Springs Pops Orchestra and Plaza Theatre programmi...

Recorded at Skip Paige’s Little Bar, this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans & Randy Florence welcomes musician, actor, and award-winning composer Tommy Fields for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, career pivots, and life in the desert. Tommy shares how growing up in small-town Indiana led to guitars, garage bands, and a leap to Los Angeles with little more...

From the coveted corner booth at Skip Paige’s Little Bar in Palm Desert, Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans & Randy Florence turns to one of Palm Springs’ biggest preservation wins: reopening the Plaza Theatre as a public venue. Architect, preservationist, and former city council member J.R. Roberts recounts how a shuttered landmark nearly became a gutted nightclub, then survived...

Recorded live from the cozy corner booth at Skip Paige’s Little Bar in Palm Desert, this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans & Randy Florence explores the many chapters of an artist’s life—from musical theater beginnings to iconic television moments and beyond. Actress Sharon Lawrence joins the conversation to revisit career milestones, including her memorable work on N...

From the coveted corner booth at Skip Paige’ Little Bar , this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar dives into how improvisation can reshape the way we communicate, create, and connect . The conversation traces a winding artistic path—from Chicago theater roots and a self-directed college experience to global adventures that tested resilience and deepened empathy . Along the way, the Melanie B...

Last May, Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans & Randy Florence , featured one of our most popular episodes ever. Patrick and Randy dove deep into the poignant yet humorous journey of Molly , a woman who faced terminal cancer with remarkable strength and a quest for self-discovery . Nikki Boyer, the creator of the podcast and television series "Dying for Sex," shared intimate stori...

It’s another fantastic episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar in the corner booth as Patrick Evans and Randy Florence welcome acclaimed director, writer, producer and gin-maker Paul Feig to Skip Paige’s Little Bar . From his Michigan childhood, standup gigs in Detroit biker bars and early TV roles to creating Freaks and Geeks and directing hits like Bridesmaids , Spy and Ghostbusters , Feig trac...

This week at Skip Paige’s Little Bar , Patrick Evans & Randy Florence welcome acclaimed entertainer Lucie Arnaz for a deeply personal, lively, and often hilarious conversation. Lucie opens up about her new book, Lucy and Desi: The Love Letters , a poignant collection of her parents’ intimate wartime correspondence , digitized and preserved over decades. She shares candid stories about family l...

Big Conversations, Little Bar goes into Thanksgiving week 2025 with an extraordinary episode recorded at Skip Paige’s Little Bar . This week, Patrick Evans and Randy Florence welcome beloved actress Kathy Garver , known worldwide as “Cissy” from A Family Affair , along with her brother Lance Garver, whose own career spans acting, commercial real estate, and decades of global adventures . Kathy sha...

Music industry veteran Eddie Gilreath pulls up to the Corner Booth at Skip Paige’s Little Bar to trace an extraordinary journey from Philadelphia’s sound to global stages . With hosts Patrick Evans and Randy Florence , he recalls faking his first bass gig at 14, serving in Panama during tense Cold War days, then rising through Motown and Warner Bros. to help break artists like the Spinners and Geo...

From a Philadelphia classroom to Malibu boardrooms, trailblazer Dolores Robinson unspools a life of firsts, grit, and sly humor on this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans and Randy Florence . The first Black female talent manager in film and television recounts launching LaVar Burton after Roots, guiding Martin Sheen post–Apocalypse Now, and negotiating a game-changing mil...

This Big Conversations, Little Bar episode spotlights a life steeped in swing, storytelling, and the American Songbook. Patrick Evans and Randy Florence welcome guest Billy Stritch who shares how a Houston kid with a portable cassette recorder became a New York mainstay—shaping shows, accompanying legends, and commanding intimate rooms like the Purple Room and Birdland . He recalls opening for Mel...

Season 9 of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans and Randy Florence debuts with actress Stephanie Czajkowski , whose turn as a Vulcan on Star Trek: Picard sparked a fandom embrace as fierce as her resilience . She opens up about discovering multiple cancers, the grit, humor, and partnership that carried her through surgery, chemo, radiation, and life after . We talk Coachella Valley ro...

Legendary maître d’ Brian Ellis pulls back the velvet rope on five decades at Melvyn’s and the Ingleside Inn , where stars, moguls, and locals mixed like martinis as he opens up on this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans and Randy Florence from the corner booth at Skip Paige’s Little Bar in Palm Desert.. From overbooked New Year’s Eves to Sinatra’s rehearsal dinner, Ellis...

From the corner booth at Skip’s Little Bar , this episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar explores modern radio, community impact, and the power of local voices . Our guest Brad Fuhr charts a path from teenage on-air shifts to rebuilding KGAY 106.5 as a public-benefit station, acquiring MeTV 103.1, and keeping nostalgia fresh with today’s tools . Patrick Evans and Randy Florence unpack voice trac...

This episode of Big Conversations, Little Bar with Patrick Evans & Randy Florence dives into how passion, persistence, and service shape a life in film and community . Our guest Teddy Grouya — founder of the AmDocs Film Festival —traces a path from UCLA film studies and foreign-exchange days in Denmark to a State Department posting in Australia, then back to Hollywood and ultimately to creatin...