The Ink-stained Wretch with G. Michael Dobbs, News and Views from Western Massachusetts

One of the things I love about Western Massachusetts is the fact it's home to everyone. There are so many ethnic groups here adding a great deal of culture and diversity to our region. I regularly have promoted small business and businesses owned by what is called minority owners. We frequently see stories about Black, Hispanic and women owned businesses but there is a new group of people who are...

This week on the podcast, I spoke with a fellow Springfield guy, David Starzyk, who has had a very diverse and successful acting career. He has been on stage, in films and on television . He has acted with people such as Valerie Bertinelli, Eva Longoria, Betty White, Don Johnson, Charlie Sheen, James Spader, Robert Urich, Eric Braedon, Mary McDonnell,  among others and has appeared on shows such a...

Today on the podcast is a conversation I recently had with state Sen. Jake Oliveria that was broadcast over Focus Springfield. We talk about what's going on in the Legislature and his opinion about the ballot questions facing Massachusetts voters next month. Also I get a bit peeved at actions in Springfield that resulted in the removal of a 136-year-old granite bench from a historic park.

This week on the podcast, I get to discuss local and state races with a guy whose political acumen I admire and respect, Matt Szafranski. Matt, an attorney and writer,  is the founder of Western Mass Politics and Insight blog (https://wmasspi.com) and has been writing about politics since 2006. We talk about the outcomes of the recent preliminary and what's coming up in November besides the presid...

Hi folks. Every now and then I will be featuring an interview with someone who isn't from Western Massachusetts and this week is one of them.   I traveled up to the Mountains of Madness in Vermont to talk movies with my friend Stephen R. Bissette. For those who may not be familiar with him, Steve is a highly acclaimed and very influential artist whose work on the "Swamp Thing" comic book as well a...

In this week's program, I will be presenting a recording of the debate I moderated for Focus Springfield between incumbent state Sen. Adam Gomez and challenger Malo Brown, a member of the Springfield City Council. There's not a lot of local races here in the region but this is an important one. If you live in Springfield or Chicopee I hope you take time to listen. I want to emphasize the statement...

This week on the podcast I speak with John Dobrydnio of Amherst, who, in my book, is a real renaissance guy. John describes himself as a monster kid, who is someone who fell in love with horror films at a young age and has been enjoying them his entire life. He loves them so much that he has been hosting, along with his friend Marty Caron, their own horror film show called Graveyard Cinema since 2...

Springfield photographer Chris marion is just not well known in the region, his work for the National Basketball Association has brought him new heights of recognition. He has literally been all over the word for the NBA. I spoke to him at his studio in the Gasoline Alley complex in Springfield. https://www.chrismarion.com I also recorded a story about Cookes, the internationally known cannabis co...

Many people in the greater Springfield area have wondered about the former MacDuffie School property. It was sold to John Foley in 2011 to continue its educational mission. To be clear the name MacDuffie and its curriculum was acquired by a company that established a private school in Granby, MA at the site of the former St. Hyacinth's Seminary. I recently sat down to interview Angelene Huang the...

This week on the program we will have Chris Maza. You may know him from his role as a long-time reporter and now managing editor at Reminder Publishing. Yes, Chris survived working with me for years. You might also know him for his podcast called Maza's Musings. We are talking about another of his endeavors – helping foster kids and their families through the work of All Our Kids, Inc.. The sevent...

We have a two-fer with interviews this edition with one about politics and one about a local artist. First up is State Sen. Adam Gomez whose district includes much of Springfield and part of Chicopee  and who is up for re-election. He is being challenged by Springfield City Councilor Malo Brown. I had the opportunity of speaking with Gomez on "Government Matters," the program on Focus Springfield...

Bob Charland has become a bit of a legend in Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut through his non-profit organization, Pedal Thru Youth. Originally starting as an effort in his home's garage to repair donated bikes and get them to kids who want a bike but can't afford one, Bob and his volunteer staff now have programs including getting backpacks of necessities to homeless people, baby cl...

My guest this week is an up-and-comic cartoonist and writer named Tanner T. Ogle. The Easthampton resident has just released two new comics that don't featured a superhero, but instead a mediocre attorney who is the epitome of Murphy's Law – "anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Working in the medium since 2018, he has been featured in two anthology books, and now has completed two solo volu...

Perhaps the best known "lost" film of the past 30 years, the 1994 version of the venerable comic book "The Fantastic Four," is currently the subject of a Change.org petition effort to finally and legitimately release the film. Marty Langford, the director of the acclaimed "Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four," talks with G. Michael Dobbs about the film and the new effort...

Art historian and former teacher David Barsalou of Chicopee, MA, is now featured in the new documentary, "Wham! Blam! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation," by director Jim Hussy. Dave started his reserach years ago that Licentenstein, whose work now fetches milltions of dollars in auction, was ripping off images created by comic book artists. Dave talks to me about his long journey.  Als...

A social media post containing a phone conversation between Springfield School Superintendent Dan Warwick and Lead Chief Schools Officer Kimberly Wells defamed family members of School Committee member LaTonia Monroe Naylor. The call comes days after a tumultuous selection process for Warwick's replacement as he is retiring at the end of June. Mike Dopbbs takes a look at what is known at this poin...

This episode starts a new podcast dedicated to news and opinion from Western Massachusetts by veteran journalist G. Michael Dobbs. In the first episode the mayor of Holyoke, MA, Joshua Garcia, discusses the challenges and recent successes in the nation's oldest planned industrial city. Also Mike shares his weekly rant.