Let's Talk Ten

Award-winning horror writer and Halloween historian LISA MORTON and Dan talk trick-or-treating – the history, the rituals, the costumes and candy, classic movies and T.V. shows, and a whole bag full of all sorts of yummy and interesting goodies, no tricks.  Plus, fond and sometimes funny memories of their own childhood trick-or-treating experiences, and a recommendation for an excellent scary movi...

New York area prop master JEFF BUTCHER has worked with everybody from Jim Jarmusch and Darren Aronofsky to Wes Craven and Steven Spielberg…to Dan Fisher.  They’ve been close friends since they met on the set of Matewan 40 years ago. This is kind of a “hang out” episode, with two veteran prop masters recounting their experiences – and spilling just a bit of celebrity tea (Bill Murray, Philip Seymou...

A remix/re-edit, originally released on May 24, 2024. Fulfilling a personal bucket-list item, Dan spends time with one of his childhood heroes, the legendary DICK DEBARTOLO, “MAD’s Maddest Writer” and a founder member of the Usual Gang of Idiots. Besides comparing what they each find funny, Dan and Dick talk about MAD and its founder William M. Gaines, with fond memories of the artists and writers...

Comedian, actress, and master impressionist NADYA GINSBURG’s career has encompassed the stage, film, and network television – with a global cult following for her absolutely uncanny impressions of Madonna and Cher. Nadya's also written jokes for Joan Rivers, has appeared on “2 Broke Girls” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, and had a small but memorable part in the feature film “Friendsgiving”.  She’s...

CHRIS MOLANPHY -- pop culture critic, music industry chart analyst, and host of “The Hit Parade” (one of my never-miss go-to podcasts) – is on the show to lend his very specific expertise, as he talks about his all-time favorite #1 SINGLES in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.    Chris isn’t just a chart geek – he genuinely loves music from all eras, so he and Dan go through a very wide range o...

Assistant director SIMONE FARBER returns to the show -- which is always a lot of fun – as she and Dan discuss their favorite MOVIES ABOUT MAKING MOVIES – classics like Singin’ in the Rain, Sunset Boulevard, even smaller-scale films like Living in Oblivion or the documentary American Movie. With over 70 years of production experience between them, Dan and Simone share plenty of their own “behind th...

HUGO BURNHAM -- drummer and founding member of GANG OF FOUR – is on the show to talk about some of his all-time favorite DRUMMERS and how they’ve inspired him -- as well as his own history behind the kit for one of most critically-hailed and influential post-punk bands of the late 70’s/early 80’s.   Though he’s made much of his living by bashing the living hell out of snares, toms, and high-hats,...

We’ve all been asked this question at least a few times in our lives: “If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring only one thing – what would you bring?” Now -- narrow that selection down to just one movie, one album, or a boxed set of the entire run of a television series.  If that were the case, what would you bring? LT10 returning favorites MICHELE MANTYNEN and JOSH CHAMBERS play a...

It’s Let’s Talk Ten’s THIRD birthday, which Dan celebrates by collecting his favorite moments of the show from the past year from his amazing guests: Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Legs McNeil, Robyn Kincaid, Dan Riba, John Ashton, Will Harris, Ally Harris, Lori Cardille, Larry Karaszewski, Kristen Lopez, Danny Peary, Rick Goldschmidt, Simone Farber, Matthew Rhys, Rachel Wax, Abdul Malik Abbott, Dari Silver...

As Pride Month 2026 comes to a close, music executive and events producer ANDY SKUROW confides with Dan about the importance of music in his life and how it helped him to overcome his shame and fear of coming out to the world as gay – during a not-long-ago era when that still carried an enormous amount of personal risk and societal stigma.  He also talks about how artists as diverse as Ashford and...

A remix/re-edit of an early “mini-episode” from 2023.  MICHELE MANTYNEN and JOSH CHAMBERS, social media caretakers for "Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast" and “Fun for All Ages with Frank Santopadre”, are both certified "Twilight Zone" fanatics.  Dan, on the other hand, is more of a casual fan. For this “round table” discussion, each had the tricky task of choos...

Dan celebrates Father’s Day a few days early with fellow podcaster ERIC TODD (This Week in Charles Bronson) as they talk about their favorite depictions of fatherhood in movies, TV shows, and pop songs – while also discussing, with frankness, sensitivity, and humor, their relationships with their fathers and with their own children.    There’s plenty of surprises in the lists, plus a lot of amazin...

Filmmaker, actor, and one-time Tony Award nominee TODD GRAFF joins Dan to talk about some of his favorite Broadway musicals and plays – especially the ones that were significant influences on his life and career. Todd’s a gifted and hilarious storyteller, so we are all treated to memories of his first live theater experience (You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown), his co-starring with Robert Downey, J...

In this re-mixed/reedited episode from March 2024, Dan talks with comedy historian Jeff Abraham and writer-filmmaker Burt Kearns about their book THE SHOW WON'T GO ON, which chronicles the unfortunate final moments of actors, singers, comedians, circus performers, and more -- as they expired in front of their audiences, mid-performance.   From the famous (Dick Shawn, Tiny Tim, Karl Wallenda)...

VIRGIL CARDAMONE and MARK NELSON – owner/operator and general manager, respectively, of the famous Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, PA – join Dan for a fun and lively  conversation about DRIVE-IN MOVIES.  Of course, there’s talk about movies first seen at their local drive-ins, as well as memories of swing-sets, tinny metal speakers, and kids wearing pajamas worn under their clothes.  But V...

Re-mixed and re-edited version of episode that originally debuted on December 4, 2023: Dan welcomed two very special guests --  his twenty-something children APRIL FISHER and PHOEBE FISHER to compare musical notes on SONGS THAT MAKE ME WANNA DANCE.  Though there are some inevitable Boomer/Gen X versus Gen Z/Millenial comparisons,  many of their choices just might surprise you.  Let's just say...

Re-mixed and re-edited version of episode that originally debuted in September 2024: It's THE NEW ZOO REVUE!  COMING RIGHT AT YOU! After nearly fifty years away from the public eye, Doug and Emily (Emmy Jo) Momary are back, and they’re everywhere – appearing at comic-cons and pop culture conventions, posting on social media, and now…they're Dan's guests on Let’s Talk Ten. Doug and E...

Can you tell me how to get…how to get to SESAME STREET?    DAVID KAMP can.  He’s the author of the national best-seller “Sunny Days: The Children’s Television Revolution That Changed America”, which chronicles the behind-the-scenes stories of Sesame Street (as well as other classic shows like Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Zoom, and Schoolhouse Rock) and the seismic impact it had – not just in America,...

Re-mixed and re-edited version of episode that originally debuted in January 2026:  COME ON DOWN to join Dan and his guest Adam Nedeff -- as they talk about their all-time favorite television game shows. Adam's not just a fan -- game shows have been his lifetime's obsession.  Currently an archivist and researcher for the National Archives of Game Show History -- and a published author of...

BILLY SMITH – owner and operator of Billy’s Midway Arcade in Hawthorne, NJ – joins Dan to talk about their favorite all-time old-school arcade games: Pinball, Skee-ball, Pong, Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Pole Position, Tetris, House of the Dead, even claw machines. It’s a fun and fast-paced conversation about the histories of these games and the tech wizards who created them; the enormous impact on they...

Stand-up comedian and podcaster ADAM SANK joins Dan for a fun – and sometimes even a little serious – conversation about the stuff that makes him laugh. They talk a lot about television – Adam’s obsessed with the Bravo Network, “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, and sitcoms – as well as comedic influences like Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, Howard Stern, and MAD Magazine; how Adam dealt with growing up as a queer Je...

Acclaimed filmmaker and author JOHN SAYLES joins Dan to talk about the movies he’s made (Dan’s worked on three of them: Passion Fish, City of Hope, and Matewan, which was his first-ever job in the film industry) as well as the price one pays to be “independent”, the movies John watched while he was growing up – and his “other” career as a novelist, with his latest, CRUCIBLE, out in bookstores righ...

Author (“James Bond and the 60’s Spy Craze”) and pop culture expert THOM SHUBILLA returns to Let’s Talk Ten, to talk about his new book “King Kong Versus Godzilla: The Most Colossal Conflict the World Has Ever Known”, Toho Studio’s cult classic giant monster flick from 1962. Not only was this the first occasion for these two gargantuan cinematic legends to meet head-to-head – the outcome of their...

All right, Let’s Talk Ten listeners – ARE YOU READY TO ROCK???? Artist and entrepreneur DARI SILVERMAN is on the show, and we’re talking about some of the greatest performers of all time, LIVE and IN CONCERT: Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beatles, Janis, Jimi, The Boss….   Dari’s seen them all and hundreds more, and she’s got amazing stories to tell, each one more jaw-dropping than the one before. Meanwhil...

ABDUL MALIK ABBOTT’s story is one of inspiration, determination, and excellent timing, as he got into filmmaking just when hip-hop was about to rule the world.  Working his way up from production assistant to sound technician to editor, he eventually became an in-demand director for music videos, especially those featuring Black artists.  Among Abdul’s credits are a number of videos he made with J...