Conversations with Calcaterra

“It was just my heart was just going like, like 180 or something. It was just that, yeah, just crazy. But then kind of got used to it. You don't get as nervous anymore. Now it's just second nature.“ -James Brown describing the experience of first playing with Geoff Tate on Conversations with Calcaterra “We're not in it for the glory. We're just in it to make sure everything just sounds perfect. An...

“Art or humor can both be defined by taking two things that don't seem to be connecting and connecting them and making a third thing. And I thought, Man, that is really cool. That is an awesome quote.“ – Mike Steimel sharing a quote from a successful band manager on Conversations with Calcaterra “So kind of songwriting is and producing music, it's just about choices, choosing from things that alre...

“Baseball was boring to me…I wanted to get up and down. I wanted to run and jump so Basketball was perfect for me. Now at 5’ 11” and white probably not the best choice looking back at it. I took my body to the limit.” – Mark Morrison on Conversations with Calcaterra “The odds…crazy! Three to 5 years to survive if you survive the surgery. 50/50 chance to survive the surgery, 98% all these different...

“One of my favorites was the metal trivia night. We had tons of people coming in, all cocky with their cool shirts. They left crying because they didn’t know half the answers.” – Rebecca Schaaf on Conversations with Calcaterra “His mad genius drew me to him. Made me fall in love with him a little bit.” – Rebecca Schaaf about Wil Pelly on Conversations with Calcaterra “Cheap Trick was in town and t...

“There is no time to go over songs because they (Darren Vorel and Tom Higginson) literally drop them on me at the last second. So I gave up on learning the songs and found that just going into the studio is like F you guys. You’re going to get what you get. – Eric Vorel on Conversations with Calcaterra “I find all the things I’m immersed in that I don’t have time to think about anything that troub...

“People will give me a recording of a show but I don’t listen. Once I do I’ll realize how bad I am at this.” – Javier Mendoza on Conversations with Calcaterra “Because of Covid I don’t think I’ll ever want to play a show without a drummer anymore…because of playing at home all all the time, playing these live streams.” – Javier Mendoza on Conversations with Calcaterra “There’s never a perfect show...

“There’s an old Disney joke...if you don’t want to work on Saturday, don’t even bother coming in on Sunday.” – Phil Johnston on Conversations with Calcaterra “I suspect Stay Puft (Marshmallow Man) has references back to King Kong also. We’re all fishing in the same pond.” – Phil Johnston on Conversations with Calcaterra “The protagonist is the one who suffers the most. Even though you love the cha...

EP68 – Randy Burns (Music Producer, Engineer – Suicidal Tendencies, Megadeth) – Conversations with Calcaterra “It’s the only band I know that had jazz fusion guys come into a metal band and that set them apart.” – Randy Burns about Megadeth on Conversations with Calcaterra “Dave (Mustaine) looked at my credentials and said if he did Suicidal tendencies he’s okay.” – Randy Burns as stated on Conver...

“Rock and Roll is not dead it’s just seemingly hard to discover. It’s hard to find now because there is so much else out there. It’s not just RGB anymore.” – Jason McEntire on Conversations with Calcaterra “I personally like being the least talented person in the room or at least feeling that way. I’m holding my own so if I’m the least talented person then the room is doing great.” – Jason McEntir...

“Eddie Van Halen…he never did anything that didn’t sound like EVH. His voice was so unique.” – Jimmy Griffin on Conversations with Calcaterra “He’s the Bill Murray of guitar players.” – Eric Grossman about Eddie Van Halen randomly hanging out with fans. (Conversations with Calcaterra) “Dirty faced kid in a garbage can…I was like, Oh. I want to be that.” – Jimmy Griffin on the Van Halen song D.O.A....

“I was raised with a lot of self doubt, so... I walk out of work everyday and think...how can I get a little better?” – Tom Bober as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “If somebody is always sharing something that you have to question and crowd source for them because they haven’t done it themselves…whenever you see that person share an article they’re probably met by you with a bit of skepti...

“The world gets smaller and smaller the older you get so be careful.” – Steve Berry as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “A little story about being Sting’s…Sun.“– Steve Berry on Conversations with Calcaterra “I remember trying to be so artsy for 12 Angry Jurors…It didn’t work.“– Steve Berry as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra In part two of the conversation we talk about multiple sho...

“I graduated college in 1988 and put out a half dozen resumes. My parents who had taken care of the education put out hundreds.” – Steve Berry as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “You know the saying. “Once a Hawk always a Hawk.” So in one sense of the world I’m still a lifer.” – Steve Berry on Conversations with Calcaterra “I Got Friends in Low Places was almost the anthem of the theater g...

Ken talks to the creative team of indie comic classics; The Rough and Tumble, Dead Palace, The Butcher Queen and their upcoming series Butch Queen Planet of the Dead. Jim and Ben begin collaborating about a decade ago and talk about their creative process and influences. Check out their kickstarter and get in on some fun incentives. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/butcherqueenpod/butcher-quee...

“1986 was when Dark Knight Returns came out. And that is probably the single greatest year in the history of comics. Cause, and if for no other reason than you could say Dark Knight returns and Watchman in the same year.” – Jeremy Bohannon as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “For 9 years I essentially ran a comic bookstore, which is in certain communities, the barbershop is the home for all...

“I’m the writer who likes to show up as close to everyday. A friend in my writers group wrote a book about comedy screenwriting, he had a term called ass in chair which I’m an advocate of. You show up each day even if you don’t see output.” – Craig Nobbs as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “There’s talks about remaking Back to the Future. To me I say no! Do not remake Back to the Future” –...

“I will insist professional wrestling is storytelling!” – Jake Cowan as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “Just because you know how to run a $10 million dollar business in the profit world doesn’t mean you know how to run it in the non-profit world.” – Jake Cowan as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “I think I liked Morrissey less because I liked Morrissey, more because I knew you wer...

“It’s a weird incestuous relationship with me and The Killers (band).” – Patrick Lawrence as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “I watch the Oscars and I wonder when is that job going to fall into my lap. When am I going to be able to do that?” – Patrick Lawrence as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “Unlike music, where there is almost a time limit of how profitable you can be by age, f...

“All the initial films were lessons in managing disappointment.” – Marlon West as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “I’m just trying to spark conversation. I’m a guy who makes cartoons for a living not a hard core advocate or anything like that. I felt it was something to do to have a conversation for a solid year.” – Marlon West as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra Marlon West is cele...

“El Monstero is the monster truck version of Pink Floyd…It’s as if Pink Floyd had seen a KISS concert before becoming Pink Floyd.” – Jimmy Griffin as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “You’ve got to love to do it (play music) if you want anybody else to be interested in you doing it.” – Jimmy Griffin as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra When Jimmy Griffin departs this life he wants he...

Thumbnail art by Alex Johnmeyer “One of my favorite quotes that I have read is your future self is talking shit about you.” – Steven Walden as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “The argument is if Leonardo DaVinci was alive today would he be making film.” – Henryk Ptasiewicz as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “Every artist should be on Critical Mass. If you don’t know what Critical M...

“I hate to write but I love having to have written…that’s the biggest bunch of crap I’ve ever heard.” – Craig Hawksley as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “I wish I would have had guys like me now to help me write then. To give me advice that it took me 40 years to learn…the hard way.” – Craig Hawksley as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra Who is Craig Hawksley Get me Craig Hawksley Ge...

“62% of all bankruptcies in the United States are related to medical bills.” – Tim James as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “You have all the power to turn your health around, to get your energy back…to lose the weight. It’s not some mystical deal. You just drink water, clean out your gut and your organs and you put some good nutrition in you. Start off simple and you’re gonna get better.”...

“The idea of starting tomorrow is a lie.” - Adrian Todd Zunica as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra “Do not move to LA unless you have a project.” - Adrian Todd Zunica as stated on Conversations with Calcaterra Adrian Todd Zuniga is the author of the debut novel, Collision Theory (Rare Bird Books), which will release on April 17, 2018. He’s the host/creator/CCO of Literary Death Match (now f...

“Tomorrow is the busiest day for everybody.” – Sylvester Chisom as said on Conversations with Calcaterra “Never let laziness be the reason why you didn’t get something done!” – Sylvester Chisom as said on Conversations with Calcaterra “You don’t have to be great to get started but have to get started to be great!” – Sylvester Chisom as said on Conversations with Calcaterra Sylvester Chisom is a pu...