Dudeism on the Radio Highway

Hey Dude, I tearfully recount Stan Hillas' celebration of life where I had to call upon my inner Dudeist priest to help lead the ceremony.

ARTISTS: The Beatles, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Joe Frank, (DJ) Peter Hillas, Lenny Bruce, Jim Morrison, Spalding Gray, The Dude, Jim Rueland

PLACES: Glendale, Guitar Center, South Pasadena, Descanso Gardens

THINGS: baseball, soccer, karma, Dudeism, Pendleton, Westerly Sweater, Shamanism, The Little Prince, Irish Music

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "The Dude and Stan on the RadioHwy" shot on my iPhone5

SOUNDS: palm trees, wind, birds, jet airplane

RECORDED: March 3, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly presented rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Lost on the Radio Highway

The sudden passing of my longtime friend and collaborator, the artist and musician Stan Hillas, leaves me feeling lost and in shock.

PEOPLE: Jamie Kennedy, Leonard Cohen, Britney Spears, Joe Frank, Spalding Gray

PLACES: Hollywood, Eagle's Coffeehouse, North Hollywood, Raven Theatre, Santa Monica, Tarzana, Descanso Gardens, Twain's Coffee Shop, Coldwater Canyon, Ventura Blvd., Burbank

THINGS: Continental Cable, Media One, open mic, Calvin and Hobbes

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Palm Brothers at Descanso" shot on my iPhone5

SOUNDS: palm trees, wind, dogs

RECORDED: February 24, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly present rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Visions of Lance in the Rain

Hey Dude, I howl like a wounded animal searching for other solo personal narrative podcasts. Then an old North Hollywood High School classmate reminds me of my weird connections to Lance Armstrong.

PODCASTERS: LA Podcasters, Dan Klass, Cush, Tim Coyne, Libsyn, Elsie Escobar

MUSICIANS: Sheryl Crow

SONGS: "Steve McQueen"

PLACES: Millie's

THINGS: Jeopardy, Tour de France

GENRE: storytelling, personal narrative, personal journal

PHOTO: "Observation Deck in the Rain" shot on my iPhone5

SOUNDS: Rain

RECORDED: February 15, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly present rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

"Your Grandmother Loved Sam Cooke"

Hey Dude, while having lunch with my dad at the Smoke House to celebrate my mom's birthday, I mentioned that I watched the Sam Cooke documentary, which unlocked a few clues about my mysterious grandmother.

PEOPLE: Charles Kuralt

MUSICIANS: Bob Dylan

SONGS: You Send Me, Blowin' in the Wind, A Change is Gonna Come

PLACES: Warner Bros., Camarillo State Mental Institution, Burbank

THINGS: CBS Sunday Morning, Rhythm and Blues, Civil Rights, Mob, saxophone, flapper, Jazz Age, Pick's Disease

PHOTO: "My Sax Playing Grandmother" shot on my iPhone5

SOUNDS: Cool Jazz, dogs, birds

RECORDED: February 11, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly present rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised

Cheez Whiz Critic

Hey Dude, an unguarded moment on my mom's birthday allows an anonymous critic to land a body blow, so I throw a haymaker of my own with the help of Bob Dylan and my dad.

PEOPLE: Trump, James Jeffries, Gorgeous George, Ira Glass

WRITERS/MUSICIANS: Johnny Depp, Scott Warmuth, Ernest Hemingway, Woody Guthrie, Ramblin' Jack Elliott

PLACES: Jeffries Barn, Burbank, Dinkytown, Minneapolis

THINGS: snowflakes, demolition derby, Chronicles Volume One, Serial, podcast, New Yorker, podcasters

PHOTOS: "Mustard and the Moon at Dusk" shot on my iPhone5

RECORDED: February 9, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly present rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Podcast Artwork

Hey Dude, I take a moment to remember my mom on the eve of her birthday. Then I riff on how cool podcast artwork and the quality of the show are related.

PEOPLE/ARTISTS: Tim & Emile Bourquin, Michael W. Geoghegan, Bob Dylan, "John in the UK", Dan Klass, Krissy Tee, Grace Duncan, Christopher Reeve, Heath Ledger, Adam Levine

PODCASTS: Verge of the Fringe, New York Said, Beyond and Back Podcast, Scary Stories Podcast

SONGS/MUSIC: Every Grain of Sand, Christian rock

PLACES: Descanso Gardens, Orange County, United Kingdom, Anaheim, Angel Stadium, Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium, San Gabriel Mountains

SPORTS/TEAMS: Angels, Liverpool FC, Dodgers, Super Bowl

THINGS: podcasting, LA Podcasters, Portable Media and Podcast Expo, branding, indie podcasts, vintage pin-up, antenna TV, oasis

SOUNDS: crows, helicopters, squirrels, sirens, wind

PHOTO: "Verge of a Business Card" shot on my iPhone5

RECORDED: February 7, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly present rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Analog Day

Hey Dude, the relentless rain knocked out my power, so I went analog for the day, writing my novel with a fountain pen and time traveling back to the 20th century.

PEOPLE: Zane Grey

PLACES: Sonoma, Humboldt

THINGS: Podcast, Podcasting, oak tree, #LArain, novel, composition book, "Murder Mountain", NPR, KPCC, The Takeaway, digital recorder, Generation X, rotary phone

PET: Sweet Leaf

RECORDED: February 4, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly present rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Dream Gardeners

Hey Dude, I'm planning on re-recording my best stories from the early days of Verge of the Fringe, so I turned to my old buddies from Reed to help me realize my dreams.

PEOPLE: Krissy Tee

MUSICIANS/BANDS: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Matt Lazarus, John Bird, The Gluey Brothers, Jim Goulden

PODCASTS: Beyond and Back Podcast, Scary Stories Podcast, Love + Radio

PLACES: Altadena Library, Glassell Park, South Los Angeles, North of Victory

THINGS: #LArain, podcasting, coyotes, rock 'n' roll, dreams, commune, winter garden

PETS: Sweet Leaf, Rizzo & Jett

PHOTO: Zane's Winter Garden shot with my iPhone5

RECORDED: January 31, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly present rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

Millie's Memories

Hey Dude, this morning I went to Millie's in Pasadena, which took me on a trip back in a time to my younger, hipper days in the late 90s, when I lived in Echo Park and was a regular at the "Original" Millie's on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake.

PEOPLE: Keith Morris, Jerry Seinfeld, Sarah Silverman

BANDS: Black Flag, Circle Jerks

PLACES: Spaceland, Lumpy Gravy, Disneyland, California Adventure, Alcatraz, Santa Barbara, Redwoods, The Haunted Mansion

THINGS: Seinfeld, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, Performance Art

SOUNDS: siren

PHOTO: "Millie's Memories" shot with my iPhone5. No Filter.

RECORDED: January 28, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly present rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.

See How We Are

Hey Dude, a rough week makes me feel sad and lonely after the loss of my old friend Garry Paskwietz, the end of my storytelling gig at the Altadena Library and the profound arrogance of some podcasters on Facebook.

PEOPLE: Trump, Dr. David Viscott, Elsie Escobar

BANDS: X, Traveling Wilburys

SONGS: See How We Are, Congratulations

PLACES: USC

THINGS: Storytelling, Podcasting, NPR, This American Life, Snap Judgement, The Moth

SOUNDS: Wild Parrots

PHOTO: "Lonely Path at Descanso Gardens" shot with my iPhone5. No Filter.

RECORDED: January 25, 2019 on the observation deck at the Zane Grey Estate in Altadena, California

DISCLAIMER/WARNING: Proudly present rough, raw and ragged. Seasoned with salty language and ideas. Not for most people's taste. Please be advised.