Off Air with Slater

Anthony Giovani grew up hard in the Dower Square area of Pittsfield and eventually became addicted to drugs and alcohol. He got sober about 5 years ago - but he's still addicted to the chaos. Giovani says he wants to be a journalist and a newsman for Pittsfield and the surrounding Berkshires - so he took it upon himself to go live and report on things happening in the area. Unfortunately, Giovani...

In this episode, I sit down with Pittsfield Police Chief Marc Maddalena. He is 5 months into his new position as Chief and get right into the current state of Pittsfield. We begin with the recent homicide on Tyler St. and where they are on the investigation and whether the city has a gang problem. The conversation segues to Pittsfield's nightcrawler and social media based "news" reporter Anthony G...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Mark Kryskow, a trauma critical care and general surgeon with a focused interest in chest wall injury at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, MA. Dr. Kryskow is the man who is going to save your life, or at least try like hell to, if you get shot or stabbed, if I can speak in layman's terms for a moment. In this episode, we get into the nitty gritty of the j...

The Pope just released a major encyclical on AI - and invited an atheist AI billionaire to stand beside him at the Vatican. In this episode, my friend Craig and I react to Pope Leo XIV’s powerful warning about Artificial Intelligence. He called for AI to be "disarmed" from logics of domination and exploitation. We also break down Chris Olah’s (co-founder of Anthropic and creator of Claude AI) spee...

In this episode we feature Harmony Edwards-Persip who was a contestant on America's Next Top Model during cycle 20 in 2013. She made it to the top 50 and was subsequently cut due to a pending case after a CORI check. She was devastated. What she learned from that experience, however, shaped what she has become today - a successful realtor, as well as, someone who speaks to women who struggle with...

A crazed gunman started shooting in Cambridge, MA in broad daylight after he told his parole officer he was out for reckoning on Monday. He fired 50-60 rounds from a rifle and struck two people in cars. A "good guy with a gun", a retired marine, assisted Massachusetts State Police in stopping the threat. A lenient judge in 2020 sentenced the man to 5 years in prison after shooting at officers. Plu...

The Herberg Middle School teacher in Massachusetts that was placed on paid leave after allegedly dropping the N-word and homophobic slurs in class. We react to Dr. Debra Soh’s appearance on Bill Maher's podcast "Club Random" where she promotes her Sextinction book, the brutal 666 dating rule, and the disturbing rise of looksmaxxing & hardmaxxing. Who is Clavicular? The 20-year-old streamer was...

This episode features Pittsfield native Mike McInerney. The now 45 year-old McInerney reflects on his years of being a young troublemaker and partier, to excelling at motorcross sports, and eventually landing in Texas as a successful timeshare specialist. Over the last few years Mike, (while living together), was trying to help his son, Cameron, another gifted motorcross sportsman, battle mental h...

This episode features Jake McCandless, a tenured teacher, principal and superintendent within the Berkshire County school system. McCandless has been with Lee, Pittsfield, Mt. Greylock, and now W.E.B. DuBois. Join us as we weave through things like how important a male role model (father, uncle, grandfather) is in a student's life, why students study the subjects they do, and the need for financia...

This episode features Alex Carusotto, co-owner of Rip City Baseball Academy in Pittsfield, MA. Join us as we talk about Tiger Woods' latest woes regarding his DUI arrest, plus discover Carusotto's story. From Taconic High School baseball to UMASS Boston, to the Pittsfield Suns to running the training facility.

This episode features Bill Wright, an employee of Blue Q in Massachusetts, a photographer, and health enthusiast. Bill was a skater dude turned Air Force and ultimately lost over 100 pounds after realizing he wasn't healthy in his 40's. Wright is avid cycler and runner. Join us as we talk about RFK, tribalism, looking cool, his mom being a Merry Prankster, his time in the Air Force, and more.

This episode features Tuan Nguyen, a tenured fitness instructor in The Berkshires who currently works at Bousquet Sport. Nguyen, whose parents were immigrants from Vietnam, hails from Oakland, CA who ended up going to college at UMASS Amherst - fell in love with the Northeast region, Western Massachusetts and the four seasons. Join us as we talk about his recent trip to Puerto Vallarta just before...

This episode features Pittsfield, MA ward 2 councilor and General Dynamics employee Cam Cunningham. Join us as we weave through topics like the power of nuclear deterrence when it comes to war, geopolitics, the Lenco Bearcat and why market rate housing can trickle down to affordable and low income housing in Pittsfield.

This episode features Tyler Alderman, owner of Quick Fix on North Street in Pittsfield. Alderman was a recent victim of a smash and grab robbery - he suspects he knows the perpetrator based on an altercation with an alleged drunken man days earlier. The man assaulted him which ultimately led to Alderman needing to defend himself. You can hear the story here as well as conversation on gaming cultur...

This episode features Pittsfield City Council President, Earl Persip. Persip, a lifelong Pittsfield resident, gets candid about his father's jail time, the reason he choices his daughter to Lenox schools, the positives and negatives of the city, voter ID laws, being a gun owner and much more. 

This episode features Lee, MA legend Josh Cohen who opened up Moe's Tavern in 2007. The idea was a craft beer bar with a focus on micro brews - certainly not domestics like Coors Light. In fact, it became so well known that Moe's did not serve the Golden, CO staple, that Moe's website was nocoorslight.com Well, hell has frozen over because in 2026, they now offer it. Join us as we talk about the c...

Season 2 launches with Evan Valenti of Steven Valenti's Clothing for Men as the podcast shifts its focus entirely to Pittsfield and the Berkshires. Valenti addresses the current challenges facing North Street businesses, particularly concerns related to the homeless population downtown. The conversation covers emerging trends in men's fashion and fragrances, the store's decision to expand into wom...

This episode features 7th degree Karate black belt Connie Flynn—also a 2nd degree black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and certified in Sitodyong Muay Thai—as she reveals the unfiltered truth about martial arts training. As the owner of Zenquest Martial Arts in Massachusetts, Connie draws from decades of experience to answer all your biggest questions: Does martial arts truly build unbreakable confidence? How...

Nicole Ferry spent 12 years as a CSX Railroad Police officer—one of the most dangerous jobs nobody talks about—where every 3 hours in America someone is hit by a train, and she saw the aftermath up close. From chasing armed thieves across moving freight trains and protecting the President’s rail route, to watching a colleague take his own life on duty, being tricked into 140-day rehab for “addicti...

We pivot a bit for episode 28 - Marjo, for the first time since the movie's release 40 years ago, has watched "Back To The Future". The main takeaway? She has the hots for George McFly! (has anyone ever said this?) We break down the most uncomfortable love story in movie history, and we ask the biggest question of all: Is Biff Tannen a villain the world would still tolerate today?

This episode features Adam Graney, an AI tool expert. Enjoy as we break down the AI landscape - from ChatGPT vs Claude to the creepy FRIEND bracelet that wants to be your companion. Then we tackle what Elon Musk and Joe Rogan got right (and wrong) about AI taking jobs and universal income and more.

In this episode, we sit down with Mike Maddalena, a retired detective lieutenant with an accomplished 28-year career on the force. He opens up about his journey in law enforcement, the reasons behind his early retirement and the emotional weight he still carries today. Mike also talks about what it’s like working in law enforcement in today's evolving world. Then, we shift gears a bit to learn abo...

In this episode, our own Marjo Catalano recounts in detail a horrifying situation that has haunted her for years. In 2003, after being let into her apartment in the wee hours of the morning, her upstairs neighbor, in a botched robbery attempt, stabbed her roommate multiple times. Ronald Kyse was ultimately arrested for the crime, served 22 years in prison and was released last year. 

This episode features Clayton Cowdrey, a 19 year-old U.S. Marine, who recently graduated from boot camp in Parris Island. Cowdrey was injured during infantry school, became depressed and made the mistake of being honest about it - so they kicked him out. He gets candid about his experience, how he handled boot camp, became an expert rifleman, and what the hit Netflix show "Boots" gets right and wr...

This episode features Mig Girard, a mother of three and a small business owner with her husband in Massachusetts. Girard, a native of Puerto Rico, moved to the U.S. mainland when she was an adolescent with her mother and siblings to avoid their abusive father. This is her story of growing up in poverty, having a tenacious drive to learn English, assimilate, become successful, join the military and...