Life 2.0

Yep, you read that right. Only these two guys could have an unscripted conversation that covers everything from Garry's impressive mane to John's follicle- challenged dome and the time Carol Channing wanted to meet John for a date (and he was the dessert!) Then there's the guy who carved his way out of a frozen grave with a dagger made of his own feces. Add in Garry's comments on air conditioning...

GM and JSA are back at it for episode zwei (that's number two for your non-Germanic types), and besides exploring the dark corners of each other's minds, it's a show chock-full of Dracula stories (John's dad had a Bela Lugosi crush) Garry's thoughts on how AARP needs to let us live in denial as long as possible and of course beating up a little bit on the radio industry in light of the recent "iHe...

What happens when artificial intelligence intersects with human intelligence? Well, since humans have a hard enough time discerning what reality is, chances are if you don't have your firewall of common sense up, AI is gonna take you to the cleaners, because behind the beauty that insists they have your best interests at heart, is a lower life form human who doesn't. After getting a text from a fr...

What happens when you put a Radio Hall of Fame broadcaster (Garry Meier) and an award-winning radio voice (John St. Augustine) in the same podcast space? Not really sure, but certainly worth a listen! In this first episode, we go behind the glass in the world of radio with war stories about Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, and hate mail. Add in "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis," a discussion about Disclos...

Legendary stand-up comedian and favorite son of Harvey, Illinois, Tom Dressen, passed away on June 17th at the age of 86. From hardscrabble beginnings, to forming the Tim and Tom comedy duo with Tim Reid in 1969, to finding himself as the opening act for Frank Sinatra and 61 appearances on the Tonight Show, Tom was an everyman who made it big, but most importantly, never forgot where he came from,...

Jim Alstott’s spiritual awakening didn’t happen on a mountaintop in Nepal; it happened on a Florida beach at nearly 400 pounds, exhausted, broken, and ready to give up. That night, a voice that wasn’t quite his own told him things would change. And they did. Blending irreverent humor with profound spiritual inquiry, Did I Just Have a Spiritual Awakening, or Was it Something I Ate? traces one man’s...

I arrived at Coast Guard Air Station Chicago in June of 1980. After my 4 years were up, I returned to civilian life, but I always wondered what happened to the men and women I served with...Joltin'Joe, The Penguin, Doc, The Sheik, Metz, Brenda, DJ, Strolie... Fast forward to 2019, when Coastie veteran Mike Phillips came across one of our helicopters, CG 1459, sitting outside in a parking lot. What...

In an age when most people get their news from a handheld device locked into the platform of their choice, which feeds their confirmation bias, Charlie Meyerson stands as a testament to old-school journalism and fact-based reporting. He's a winner of the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for his work, a relentless purveyor of truth at all costs, and add to that. a mighty fine flautist. Charlie is...

Let me be clear. There's nothing "happy" about Memorial Day. It was created as "Decoration Day" shortly after the Civil War to commemorate those who lost their lives. Somehow over the years, it's become a three-day weekend, and an excuse for retailers to sell more tires, mattresses, and televisions. It's the official start to summer. But for two fathers, Memorial Day is filled with the memories of...

It's a glorious morning in the outskirts of Chicago. A light rain is falling; the baby robins in the nest under the overhang of the house next door are looking for breakfast, and a slight rumble of thunder interrupts the early-morning silence. All of these things have me remembering my friend, the late, great Earl Hamner. This Saturday Rewind takes us back to November of 2001 and my conversation w...

Ah, nothing like a colonoscopy to bring a little perspective! It occurred to me as I went through the wonderful pre-procedure flush that sometimes getting totally cleaned out and starting all over again is a really good thing. Add to that a short preview of an upcoming podcast project with radio legend Garry Meier, a few hours digging in my sister's garage and finding evidence that at one time, I...

On this overcast spring morning, I am reminded of a different place and time, when my whole life was encased in a massive two-story building that my family lived in until 1966. It was just this side of heaven to me, as every adventure was in our backyard, or just down the street with my best friend, Garry. 50 plus years later, so much has changed outside, but inside, where it counts, it remains th...

On this, the 56th anniversary of the first official Earth Day in 1970, I pulled a few of the "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" episodes that aired in national syndication on the radio for a decade. It was a great project that shed light on some of the darker environmental issues we face, as well as a few reminders that if you think globally and act locally, you can make a world of difference.   Mus...

There are as many definitions of love as there are hearts in the world. But what about that which lies above and beyond the human experience? My guest, Glenn Aparicio Parry, writes, "What we are experiencing is tantamount to a shamanic dismemberment. We need to dismember to remember; we need to put ourselves back together again in ways that are healthy and whole. We are compelled to reconstruct th...

After 9 days and over 600,000 miles, the crew of Integrity has safely returned to Earth after taking a lap around the Moon. I couldn't wait to talk with Ashlee Nichols, the award-winning producer and content creator, who is currently working with NASA+ in telling the story of Artemis II. It's a listen behind the scenes about the massive amount of effort that goes into the media end of things, and...

It's been quite a week for your host. First, watching Artemis II break the surly bonds of Earth brought me back to being a 10-year-old boy as we rocketed to the moon in 1969. Then, I received a message from someone who used to listen to my show nearly 30 years ago, who took the information they heard and applied it to their own life, which led them to their own life's calling. It's the perfect seg...

At 14, Christian Picciolini went from naïve teenager to white supremacist -- and soon, the leader of the first neo-Nazi skinhead gang in the United States. How was he radicalized, and how did he ultimately get out of the movement? He is the best-selling author of Romantic Violence: Memoirs Of An American Skinhead. This Saturday Rewind goes back to 2017 as Chris and I discuss his riveting, revealin...

The Saturday Morning Rewind takes us back to 2015, and my conversation with the late, great Arun Gandhi, the youngest grandson of Mohandas Gandhi. In going through more vintage audio, I came across our conversation (one of many over the years) and was sad to find out that Arun had passed away in 2023, which makes this conversation even more important. Its an exercise in the idea of non-violence th...

So, what do Bill Kurtis, Jean-Michel Cousteau & Ed McMahon all have in common? They're all part of the ongoing purge of my vast Aurora Media Productions audio archives. These vintage clips are like digging up buried treasure, because I haven't heard this stuff for years. Add in a current offering from radio hall of famer Garry Meier, and you've got a solid half hour of common sense for uncommo...

Just about a month ago, I was watching Super Bowl LX and waiting for the highly anticipated and controversy-stirring halftime show featuring Bad Bunny. Since I survived everyone singing the Macarena in the 90s, I could endure 15 minutes of Spanish music. But imagine my surprise when the camera panned over Bunny's shoulder, and I caught a glimpse of Rose Crelli in a tuxedo playing the violin at the...

This is one of those episodes that created itself out of bits and pieces of life stuff over the past week. It started with me finding an email from March 1st, 2020, about a radio concept that would become a reality, bringing my voice to Beijing, China, for a year. Part of that team was Cimcie Nichols, who also floated into my orbit again, and it was great to catch up on her latest effort called Ha...

Yesterday, the budget axe fell on the careers of nine on-air personnel at WGN-TV, including notable names like long-time entertainment critic Dean Richards and sports anchor Chris Boden, along with stalwart news anchors Ray Cortopassi, Sean Lewis, and Judy Wang. Reporters Julian Crews & Bronagh Tumulty, as well as meteorologist Mike Janssen and political analyst Paul Lisnek, have all been give...

She's one of my favorite gal-pals, and a true force of nature for all things good in the world. After leaving the "If it bleeds, it leads" media world (with a few awards in hand), Jen Weigel decided to turn her talents to creating content that lifts people up, not pushes them down. As always, it's a rousing conversation about the human condition and how each of us can make a difference in our own...

Three days a week, I watch the ebb and flow of discarded items get dropped off at the local Goodwill Store. From my perch on the treadmill at the gym, I have a ringside view of this $6.1 billion industry that takes in discarded items, slaps a price tag on them, and the re-sells it to people who wait in line for 30 minutes for the doors to open. But it wasn't until I inadvertently dropped off an it...

Once again, we are out buying cards, candies, and roses for our beloveds. But how did this all start? Why is it celebrated on February 14th? Beyond all that, this is the date that I remember when a bunch of 2nd graders helped me find my heart again, during a very turbulent time in my life, and how the power of love triumphs over all.