The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby

Send us Fan Mail Pete Correale called in to the show for a chat about his new stand-up album "For Pete's Sake."  We talked about the adventures of being a marathon spectator, listening to classic comedy albums, and juggling a show from city to city.   (From 10-21-19)

Send us Fan Mail It was an honor to have Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin on the show to discuss her book "Leadership in Turbulent Times," which is now out in paperback.  I think I managed to not sound like a dullard in the interview, which was all I could hope for. (From 10-4-19)

Send us Fan Mail Cybercrime is evolving as consumers and businesses – from healthcare to finance to manufacturing --- are facing increasingly sophisticated threats. Now, Verizon’s 18th Annual Data Breach Investigation Report has analyzed 22,000+ security incidents and their impact across 139 countries, providing insights about the critical need to take proactive measures to protect data from bad a...

Send us Fan Mail The Great Barrier Reef is a jewel of Australia and a designated UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. The Reef is alive and thriving and now people around the world are signing their support to recognize this treasure as part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Champions of the Earth Awards, with a Lifetime Achievement Award, as the world’s first non-human recipient.   Nat...

Send us Fan Mail Chrissy Metz returned to The Big Wakeup Call to talk about her new movie, "Breakthrough." We discussed the challenges of playing a character based on an actual person, how she prepared to play a mom, and how she's working on recording some tunes. (From 4-18-19)

Send us Fan Mail After a lengthy absence, Ed Begley Jr. called in to the show for a chat about Earth Day and what we can do to help take care of our planet as we take care of ourselves.  (From 4-20-20)

Send us Fan Mail Garrett Morris called in to talk about his new movie "Granddaddy Day Care" and share stories about working in Chicago, his time on SNL and owning a comedy club. (From 1-31-19)

Send us Fan Mail Legendary sportscaster Verne Lundquist called in for a chat about his new memoir PLAY BY PLAY: Calling the Wildest Games in Sports - From SEC Football to College Basketball, The Masters, and More. Topics: reminiscing about the Bears-Eagles "Fog Bowl" in 1988, being present for so many historical sports moments, and making a memorable call for the ages. (From 10-16-18)

Send us Fan Mail Andrew Zimmern visited the show for a third time, and on this visit we discussed his new MSNBC series "What's Eating America," a travel show that connects the links between food and politics.  (From 2-13-20)

Send us Fan Mail  Parkinson’s disease affects nearly one million people in the U.S., with more than 90,000 newly diagnosed each year. John L. Lehr, President, CEO of the non-Profit Parkinson’s Foundation, and Dr. Kathleen Blake, a person living with Parkinson’s disease, let people know some of the early signs of PD, such as tremors, small handwriting, loss of smell, trouble sleeping or walking, a...

Send us Fan Mail Vanessa Bayer, who was currently in her 5th season on Saturday Night Live, talks about the "Trainwreck Comedy Tour" coming to the Harris Theater in Chicago, an all-star evening featuring Vanessa, Amy Schumer, Colin Quinn, Judd Apatow, Mike Birbiglia and Dave Attell.  (From 6-10-15)

Send us Fan Mail   Monica Mohindra is the Director of the Veterans History Project (VHP) of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. In over 15 years with the Project, she has coordinated major initiatives with Members of Congress, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Endowment for the Humanities, PBS, Ken Burns/ Florentine Films, the HISTORY Channel, and many m...

Send us Fan Mail The legendary Henry Rollins joined the show to talk about his role in a new four-part docuseries "Punk." We also discussed how music and fashion were attached to the English punk rock scene, why he embraced the punk rock community as a teenager, and the reason he turns down most punk rock documentaries (and why he chose to appear in this one). [From 3-7-19)

Send us Fan Mail Songwriting icon Diane Warren discusses her legendary career. (From 2016)

Send us Fan Mail William DeWitt  is the Director of Global Security at Verkada, where he is building a best-in-class corporate security program. Prior to Verkada, Will spent nearly 12 years at Palantir, where he served as Global Safety and Security Lead, building the company’s corporate global security and government security programs. Under his leadership, Palantir’s government security program o...

Send us Fan Mail Author Jacqueline Friedland’s books have been called ferociously insightful, wholly engrossing and unputdownable! Her newest is  Counting Backward , which is being called "An Erin Brockovich for our times." Next month, she delivers her most thought-provoking book yet with: COUNTING BACKWARD . This “ripped-from-the-headlines story is an Erin Brockovich for our times.”

Send us Fan Mail I had a fun chat with author Tanisia Moore about her new book for children (and parents, too) "Wash Day Love." Tanisia Moore views writing as her avenue for giving hope, sharing life's lessons, and sparking imaginations. Her companion picture books I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams and When Black Girls Dream Big empower young readers to dream and live big, and...

Send us Fan Mail Tom Carroll is the writer director of “The Stress is Killing Me,” which is now available to rent/own on all North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms.  He is also the director or “Big Bad Budget,” which aired on PBS stations nationwide, and the writer director of “Who Stole the Tasmanian Devils?” Tom is also the author of several novels, including “The Dog...

Send us Fan Mail Annasophia Robb of The CW's Carrie Diaries discusses her new film DOWN A DARK HALL.   (From 8-17-18)

Send us Fan Mail MLB Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt called into talk about his serious battle with skin cancer (Stage 3 Melanoma) and a new initiative from CancerCare, " Your Cancer Game Plan. "  It was also a thrill to talk to Mike about baseball memories of him always destroying my Cubs and his thoughts on whether the Cubs can repeat. (From 9-20-17)

Send us Fan Mail Lauded by David Baldacci, Karin Slaughter, and Stephen King, among others "The Oligarch's Daughter" by Joseph Finder is already on the bestseller list. The hero, Paul Brightman, is a regular finance guy who by accident falls in love with an Oligarch’s daughter. The U.S. intelligence community traps him into spying on his father-in-law and his activities. 

Send us Fan Mail Celebrated New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry returns to the show to discuss the latest installment in his wildly popular Cotton Malone series—now in development as a streaming series. The Medici Return takes Cotton to Italy to solve a five hundred year-old mystery. 

Send us Fan Mail Jim Jefferies is coming to the Vic Theater in Chicago for two stand-up shows being taped for a new special.  We discuss the state of the world, the state of comedy, and the state of our minds.

Send us Fan Mail Renowned rock and roll photographer Mick Rock, who has taken iconic photographs of David Bowie, Queen, Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop, Ramones, and especially Lou Reed, called in to discuss a limited-edition book of pictures and stories, Transformer, out now to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the LP that, with the magic help of David Bowie and Mick Ronson, launched Lou Reed into the he...

Send us Fan Mail Marg Helgenberger called in to talk about her movie, "Almost Friends" as well as her play "What We're Up Against." Plus: Chicago geography and filming in Alabama in the summer -- on purpose. (From 11-14-17)