The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby

Send us Fan Mail From October 5, 2018: Paget Brewster joined the show to talk about her new movie The Witch Files . We also discussed Criminal Minds and working with Paul F. Tompkins on The Thrilling Adventure Hour. Plus: an inside scoop on the making of a Drunk History segment.

Send us Fan Mail From September 26, 2016: Comedy legend and Chicago's own Tom Dreesen discusses his comedy career and his appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (more than 60!), along with a DVD set:  THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON: THE VAULT SERIES.   ABOUT TOM DREESEN (2016 BIO): Tom Dreesen’s life is equal parts comedy and philanthropy. He excels at both, and has creat...

Send us Fan Mail Heidi Brasher is the Senior Director of Movement Engagement, Strategy, and Innovation at YMCA of the USA.  In this role, she helps leverage innovation and strategy at the national level in support of the diverse needs of the 2,600+ local YMCAs and their communities across the country. Heidi’s work within the Y Movement spans over 20 years, with local program development experience...

Send us Fan Mail Singers, Songwriters, Partners, and YouTube stars Sam Tsui and Casey Breves joined the show for a fun chat about their new book Why Do We Sing? Sam & Casey also sang a song inspired by the book!  Sam Tsui and Casey Breves are married singers, composers, and content creators who live in Los Angeles with their daughter, Elaia, and cat, Alfie. They are graduates of Yale Universit...

Send us Fan Mail Andrew Nelson discusses his new book from National Geographic, Here Not There. An award-winning writer and editor for National Geographic Traveler , Andrew Nelson has roamed all 50 states as well as numerous countries for the magazine and website. He served as director of editorial projects for National Geographic Travel in Washington, D.C., and has taught in institutions such as...

Send us Fan Mail Aida Salazar chats with Ryan about her new book Ultraviolet. Aida Salazar is an award-winning author and arts activist whose writings for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. She is the author of the middle-grade verse novels The Moon Within (International Latino Book Award Winner), Land of the Cranes (Américas Award Winner), the picture book antholog...

Send us Fan Mail Chantal Nchako visited the show for a fun and lively chat about her childhood growing up in Cameroon, her early career, current project Diarra From Detroit, now airing on BET+, and working with the incredible Eddie Murphy in her upcoming role in the much-anticipated Beverly Hills Cop: Alex F , premiering on Netflix July 3rd. Chantal Nchako is a French West African actress. Her mul...

Send us Fan Mail It was fun re-living childhood memories of action figures and local UHF TV programming with Brad Balukjian as we chatted about his new book  THE SIX PACK: On the Road in Search of WrestleMania .  Brad Balukjian  has chosen two careers – journalist and scientist – which converge on pursuit of the truth. He has been published in Rolling Stone, Smithsonian, National Geographic, and m...

Send us Fan Mail It's always fun when we have a returning guest, and after talking about weirdness in the Middle Ages last time, we discussed weirdness in the U.S. Government with his book WEIRD BUT TRUE!  KNOW IT ALL: US GOVERNMENT. Michael Burgan is a historian specializing in writing biographies and current events for younger audiences. His published works include Who Was Henry Ford? , Who...

Send us Fan Mail Joey Angelo , a liquor industry entrepreneur, launched products such as VIVA XXXII Tequila; MARGS – the canned margarita beverage; and Su Casa Mezcal – which, in less than a year after its launch, is now one of the top-selling brands in the mezcal category. Outside of the liquor industry, Joey Angelo was a seed investor in the celebrity fitness concept Rumble Boxing and played a k...

Send us Fan Mail Joe Yogerst returned to the show for a fun chat about his new book 50 States, 1000 Eats: Where to Go, When to Go, What to Eat, What to Drink . During more than three decades as an editor, writer, photographer, and speaker, Joe Yogerst has lived and worked in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. His writing has appeared in Conde Nast Traveler, CNN Travel, Islands magazine, the...

Send us Fan Mail Affectionally dubbed the “octopus whisperer”, acclaimed author SY MONTGOMERY , returns to the species she knows and loves, offering current and compassionate stories about the scientists on the front lines of octopus research and conservation.    In SECRETS OF THE OCTOPUS , Montgomery, dives deep into the extraordinary life of one of nature's most intelligent and complex anim...

Send us Fan Mail While Eric Cogorno is best known for the golf lessons he gives to more than 400,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and Instagram, he’s actually spent nearly 20 years building a reputation as a highly respected Performance Golf Coach.  He intuitively combines the art and science of golf to teach to each individual student (seemingly) simple strategies that lead to cutting handi...

Send us Fan Mail From October 27, 2021: Anthony DeCurtis called in for a fun and lively discussion of his book THE ROLLING STONES: UNZIPPED.  For almost 60 years The Rolling Stones have helped shape popular culture around the world. The Rolling Stones: Unzipped traces their impact and influence on rock music, art, design, fashion, photography, and filmmaking. Packed with evocative archival photos,...

Send us Fan Mail From September 17, 2017: Jorma Kaukonen, founding member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, talked about his career and his memoir  Been So Long. ABOUT JORMA KAUKONEN As a founding member of two legendary bands, Jefferson Airplane and the still-touring Hot Tuna, Jorma Kaukonen has achieved incredible success. A member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and a Grammy recipient, Ka...

Send us Fan Mail From September 23, 2020: Comedian, actor, SNL alum, Spinal Tap bassist and Simpsons legend Harry Shearer  discusses his career and his new album,  T he Many Moods of Donald Trump.

Send us Fan Mail Award-winning author Ann E. Burg discusses her latest book Force of Nature: A Novel of Rachel Carson. ANN E. BURG’s debut novel, All the Broken Pieces , was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Jefferson Cup award winner and an IRA Notable Book for a Global Society, among its many honors. All of her subsequent novels in verse have garnered multiple awards and starred reviews...

Send us Fan Mail Best-selling author Steve Berry discusses his latest Cotton Malone novel, THE ATLAS MANEUVER.  Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of eighteen Cotton Malone novels, five stand-alone thrillers, two Luke Daniels adventures, and several works of short fiction. He has over twenty-six million books in print, translated into forty-one languages. W...

Send us Fan Mail Worldwide #1 best-selling author and friend of the show Mark Greaney talks about his latest Gray Man novel,  THE CHAOS AGENT. In THE CHAOS AGENT , someone is killing the world’s leading experts on robotics and artificial intelligence. Is it a tech company trying to eliminate the competition or is it something even more sinister? It’s an irresistible lure for most, but not for the...

Send us Fan Mail Ryan talks with #1 bestselling author Tiffany Jewell about her latest book, EVERYTHING I LEARNED ABOUT RACISM I LEARNED IN SCHOOL. TIFFANY JEWELL is the Black biracial #1 New York Times bestselling and #1 Indie bestselling author of This Book Is Anti-Racist and The Antiracist Kid . She is a twin sister, first-generation American, cisgender mama, and anti-bias antiracist (ABAR) edu...

Send us Fan Mail From May 9, 2018: Rock journalist Steven Hyden called in to discuss his new book Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock . We discussed the Classic Rock upbringing of Gen X'ers, why Lennon-McCartney will be discussed like Mozart, and 90s bands becoming the new classic rock. Plus: we share our love of Styx: Behind the Music.

Send us Fan Mail March is National Ladder Safety Month, and in this special public service episode, Ryan Moss, President of American Ladder Institute discusses important safety tips for DIYers and home renovators.

Send us Fan Mail From May 9, 2018: Music legend Michael Bolton called in to talk about a special documentary film, Michael Bolton Presents American Dream: Detroit.  We discussed his love of the Motown sound, why other great music coming from Detroit should not be overlooked, and the cultural importance of a city on the rebound.

Send us Fan Mail From March 17, 2017: Comedian Todd Barry chats about his book  Thank You For Coming to Hattiesburg. From the veteran comedian and actor from The Wrestler and Louie comes a hilarious book of travel essays from his time on tour through secondary markets in the US, Canada, and Israel. Hello. It’s Todd Barry. Yes, the massively famous comedian. I have billions of fans all over the wor...

Send us Fan Mail From June 28, 2018: TV legend Marc Summers called in to talk about the reboot of Double Dare! We discussed the legacy of the original show, why aging Gen-Xers like me continue to have such a fondness for show (and how many of us now have kids old enough to be contestants), and how he became a part of the 2018 edition.