CooperTalk

Michael Wilton - Episode 629

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist Michael Wilton. Michael is one of the founding members in 1982 of the band Queensryche. The band has released 14 studio albums, 1 EP, several DVDs and continues to tour and record. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, including over 6 million albums in the United States. The band received worldwide acclaim after the release of their 1988 album Operation: Mindcrime which is often considered one of the greatest heavy metal concept albums of all time. Their follow-up release Empire, released in 1990, was also very successful and included the hit single Silent Lucidity. The band has received three Grammy nominations for songs from both albums. His nickname is The Whip for how fast his fingers "whip" around the guitar fretboard and he also has his own beer called Whip Ale.

Bill Knoedelseder - Episode 628

Steve Cooper talks with writer Bill Knoedelseder. Bill is best known for his book I'm Dying Up Here which recently was turned into a Showtime series. Bill was a staff writer from 1977 to 1989 reporting on the entertainment industry for the Los Angeles Times. His series of articles in the 1980s into corrupt practices in the record business formed the basis for the book Stiffed: A True Story of MCA, the Music Business and the Mafia. In 2012, his book Bitter Brew, which spans five generations of the Busch family and the foreign takeover of Anheuser-Busch made the New York Times Bestseller list and his latest book Fins: Harley Earl, the Rise of General Motors, and the Glory Days of Detroit is slated to come out in early 2018.

 

W. Bruce Cameron - Episode 627

Steve Cooper talks with writer W. Bruce Cameron. W. Bruce is best known for his book the New York Times bestseller A Dog's Purpose. He is also the author of 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter (that became an ABC sitcom), The Dog Master, A Dog's Journey, The Midnight Plan of a Repo Man, Bailey's Story, Repo Madness and many others. In 2011 he was named Columnist of the Year by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and recently wrote a book geared to school age kids.

Eric Martin - Episode 626

Steve Cooper talks with singer Eric Martin. Eric is best known for being the front man for the band Mr. Big. Mr. Big was orginally together from 1988-2002 and recorded six albums. They had worldwide success playing sold out shows everywhere and had a huge hit with the single To Be With You. They recently re-united and just released a new cd titled Defying Gravity. Before, after and in between his career with Mr. Big he has recorded solo albums and been involved with many other bands including 415, Tak Matsumoto Group and Scrap Metal.

 

Rocky LaPorte - Episode 625

Steve Cooper talks with actor Rocky Laporte. Rocky has performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and appeared on A&E‘s Evening At The Improv and VH1‘s Stand-Up Spotlight, along with sitcom appearances on Cheers and his own NBC pilot called the Rocky LaPorte Show. He has become one of the most sought after comedians in the country, and appeared on on the season 8 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing! where he came in 5th place. He was a featured comic on Showtime‘s The Godfathers of Comedy, a special starring five of America’s most hilarious Italian-American comics and the big screen, he has been seen in two Tim Allen movies, Crazy on the Outside and The Shaggy Dog. He has also traveled to Iraq to entertain the troops, was seen on the Showtime special Patriot Act: A Jeffrey Ross Home Movie and has opened for the likes of Garry Shandling, Drew Carey, Tim Allen, Louie Anderson, Hootie and the Blowfish and the Righteous Brothers, just to name a few.

Ginger Gonzaga - Episode 624

Steve Cooper talks with actor/writer/director Ginger Gonzaga. Ginger is best known for her role as Christy on the Duplass Brothers’ critical darling Togetherness, on HBO and as Jim Jefferies’s frustrated and immature girlfriend Peggy in FX’s dark comedy Legit. She can currently be seen in Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here. She was also the lead of ABC’s Mixology, and TBS’s Wrecked, as well as the host of Hulu’s comedic daily pop culture recap show The Morning After, for which she also wrote. Other television credits include her recurring roles on Tad Quill’s Jane Lynch comedy Angel from Hell for CBS, NBC’s Trial and Error, and Comedy Central’s Key and Peele.  

Joel Hoekstra - Episode 623

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist Joel Hoekstra. Joel plays for Whitesnake and Trans Siberian Orchestra. He’s also well-known for his work with Night Ranger, the Broadway show Rock of Ages and his fill in work with acts like Foreigner and most recently, Cher. Frontiers Music recently released the critically acclaimed debut from his new side project Joel Hoekstra's 13 entitled Dying to Live. He has also released 3 solo albums that you should own!

Tammy Pescatelli - Episode 622

Steve Cooper talks with comic Tammy Pescatelli. Tammy was part of the Final Five on NBC's Last Comic Standing 2 and headlines comedy clubs across the country as well as performing many Corporate gigs. She has appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Dennis Miller and has been a featured comic on An Evening at the Improv, PAX's Balderdash, National Lampoon's Funny Money and Comedy Central's The World Stands Up. She has added her comedic observations to specials on VH1, E!, G4, Country Music Television and TV Land and is featured weekly as part of the Fashion Police panel for US Weekly. She has also had her own half-hour special for Comedy Central, Comedy Central Presents: Tammy Pescatelli and a Netflix one called Finding the Funny.

Kyle Turley - Episode 621

Steve Cooper talks with former NFL all-pro Kyle Turley. Kyle was selected 7th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft and played for 8 season. He played for the New Orleans Saints and a year with the St. Louis Rams before a serious back injury sidelined him for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He returned to football in 2006 as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent the last two years of his career before announcing his retirement in December 2007. His high level of play earned him all-pro honors for the 2000 season and a Pro Bowl invite following the 2001 season. His career is best remembered by many for a 2001 incident in which he ripped off an opposing player's helmet and tossed it downfield, playing a key factor in his team losing the game but also earning the respect of many Saints fans for his defense of the quarterback. He has also been outspoken and involved in a number of player health issues post-retirement, particularly in regards to the neurological problems resulting from his football career.

Mark Slaughter - Episode 620

Steve Cooper talks with singer/musician Mark Slaughter. Mark is one of the founders of the band Slaughter. They have sold more than 5 million records world-wide. The group has had numerous top hits on the Billboard charts such as Fly To The Angels, Up All Night, Spend My Life and Mad About You. They also won the 1991 American Music Award for Favorite New Artist. Mark recently released a solo album Halfway There and tours both solo and with the band.

Mike Watt - Episode 619

Steve Cooper talks with bassist Mike Watt. Mike is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, Dos, and Firehose; was also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the group Banyon as well as many other post-Minutemen projects. CMJ New Music called him a seminal post-punk bassist and in 2008 he received the Bass Player Magazine lifetime achievement award, presented by Flea. He has also had a very successful solo career relasing many albums and touring the world, has written three rock operas and hosts a radio show called The Watt from Pedro Show.

 

Janet Gardner - Episode 618

Steve Cooper talks with singer/guitarist Janet Gardner. Janet is best-known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the all-woman hard rock band Vixen. She recently recorded her first solo album that will be released this year. Her band Vixen signed with EMI and recorded their self-titled debut album which was released in September 1988. Their lead single Edge of a Broken Heart became their signature hit song. It was co-written, arranged, and produced by Richard Marx. They would go on worldwide tours in support of Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, and Bon Jovi along with their own headline shows. Vixen recorded and released their second album "Rev It Up" in July 1990. They toured for another year alongside KISS and Deep Purple before the band split up in the middle of 1991 citing musical differences. They have reformed with a different line-up in 1997 and recorded another album in 1998. They currently are back together and do occasional live dates.

Steve Lynch - Episode 617

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist Steve Lynch. Steve is best known for his work with the band Autograph. Steve has published several books and instructional videos on his guitar style throughout his career. He also works as a guitar teacher, teaching: the art of composition and his tapping technique. His band Autograph left an everlasting imprint on rock 'n' roll. The platinum-selling Southern California hard rock juggernauts gave the world the ubiquitous hit Turn Up the Radio, seminal albums such as Sign In Please [1984], That's The Stuff [1985], and Loud and Clear [1987] as well as unforgettable sold out shows alongside everybody from Mötley Crüe and Ronnie James Dio to Van Halen and Aerosmith. They disbanded in 1989 and got back together in 2011 and are touring again.

Jonathan Katz - Episode 616

Steve Cooper talks with comic Jonathan Katz. Jonathan is best known for his Emmy and Peabody Award winning lead role in the animated hit series Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. He has done Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson twice, Leno twice and Conan 7 times. He has had animated roles in many shows including Home Movies, Bob's Burgers, Adventure Time and Explosion Bus and has appeared in movies such as Daddy Day Care, State and Main, The Spanish Prisoner, Things Change and Are We Done Yet and also created Raisng Dad which aired on the WB network. He recently returned to his most popular character in Dr. Katz: The Audio Files which was just released on Amazon and the Audible channel.

Michael Sweet -Episode 615

Steve Cooper talks with musician Michael Sweet. Michael is best known for being the lead singer, guitarist and song writer for the popular band Stryper. Stryper was formed in 1983 as Roxx Regime, the band soon changed their musical message to reflect their Christian beliefs, and the band's name was also changed to Stryper. They went on to become the first overtly Christian heavy metal band to gain acceptance in the mainstream. In 1983, they signed with major label Enigma Record and released their debut album The Yellow and Black Attack. In the mid-1980s, Stryper enjoyed their most successful period beginning with the release of To Hell with the Devil, which achieved platinum sales status. Stryper went on to release two more gold albums before breaking up in 1992. In 2003, Stryper came out of retirement for a reunion tour and subsequently signed a multi-album contract with Big3 Records in 2005. In 2013 they signed a multi-album deal with Frontiers Records, and have released Second Coming, which includes 14 re-recorded songs from their first three albums and an album, No More Hell To Pay, released on November 5, 2013, and Fallen on October 16, 2015. He also was lead singer for the legendary band Boston for 4 years and has released 7 solo albums and is currently on tour.

See Michael this Wednesday 6/14 at Market on Main in Hickory, NC.

Fred Stoller - Episode 614

Steve Cooper talks with comic/actor/writer Fred Stoller. Fred started his career as a stand-up comic and has performed on shows such as Late Night with David Letterman, Comics Only, HBO's The 13th Annual Young Comedians Special and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to name a few. As an actor he has appeared in over 70 TV programs and movies since the late 1980s. His first role was in Big Man on Campus. He has since held recurring roles in the series Murphy Brown, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, Suddenly Susan, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and been a guest star on numerous shows. He can also be seen in the films Dumb and Dumber, Daddy Day Care, and Joe Dirt. He was a writer for one season of Seinfeld and appeared in an episode the following season and chronicled his life as a sitcom writer in his book My Seinfeld Year. He recently just released his 3rd book, Five Minutes to Kill: How the HBO Young Comedians Special Changed the Lives of 1989's Funniest Comics.

James Stevenson - Episode 613

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist James Stevenson. James started his career with the London based punk band Chelsea in 1977 and joined Billy Idol in Generation X in 1980 around the time that band's "Dancing with Myself single was released. After Gen X he played with Kim Wilde and performed in all of Wilde's early videos including Kids in America and then formed Hot Club with former Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock In 1985, he was asked to join post-punk band Gene Loves Jezebel and still plays with them today. In 1994 and 1995, he provided additional guitar playing for the Cult during their world tour and rejoined them in 2013 and 2014. In 2000 he became guitarist for The Alarm who he will be touring with the next few months. He has also been a member of The International Swingers, Holy Holy recorded a solo album.

 

Joey Kola - Episode 612

Steve Cooper talks with comic Joey Kola. Joey has worked at countless comedy clubs, colleges, casinos, theatres, cruise ships and corporate functions. His TV credits include, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman, The King of Queens with Kevin James, The Martha Stewart Show, Comedy Central Presents Joey Kola, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Comedy Central's Premium Blend, The Rachael Ray Show, Jimmy Fallon and CBS's hit show Kevin Can Wait staring Kevin James, where he also plays the role of Larry Anderson, the corn eating Assistant Principal on the show. He has been voted Best TV Warm-up Comic 5 years in a row by Time Out NY magazine. He has warmed up many shows, such as The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with Meredith Viera, The Late Show With David Letterman, The Apprentice and Survivor Finales, The Jane Pauley Show and CBS's Wake-Up with Ali and Jack, Rachael Ray Show, The Marriage Ref produced by Jerry Sienfield, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Chew.

Paul Gilbert - Episode 611

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist Paul Gilbert. Paul is best known for his guitar work with the bands Mr. Big and Racer X. In 1986 he started Racer X. Their debut album, Street Lethal, appeared later that year, but in the wake of the follow-up, 1987's Second Heat, that he exited to join Mr. Big, which in 1992 topped the pop charts with the ballad "To Be with You." Mr. Big disbanded in 1996, and a year later he made his solo debut with King of Clubs. He also re-formed Racer X, who had enormous success in Japan with the 1999 LP Technical Difficulties and 2000's Superheroes. The ensuing years saw him continuing to release solo albums while recording and touring with Racer X, and in 2011 he teamed back up with Mr. Big and released the album What If. The following year he issued his 12th solo outing, Vibrato, followed by the 2014 covers LP Stone Pushing Uphill Man, and in 2015 the Heatseekers-bound I Can Destroy. In July Mr. Big will be releasing their album Defying Gravity and will tour.  

Jim Florentine - Episode 610

Steve Cooper talks with comic Jim Florentine. Jim was the co-host of VH1's That Metal Show and was Special Ed from Comedy Central's Crank Yankers and made his mark on the comedy scene not long after his Terrorizing Telemarketers' prank CD exploded shortly after it's release. His hilarious, unapologetic deadpan style has him not only among the top touring stand-up comedians in the country, but lending his unique comedic skills to a multitude of shows, films, comedy albums and radio programs including The Howard Stern Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Chelsea Lately and far too many others to mention. He also hosts the podcast Comedy Metal Midgets, the radio show Metal Midgets on SiriusXM and recently released a dvd/cd A Simple Man.

Sue Kolinsky - Episode 609

Steve Cooper talks with producer/writer/comic Sue Kolinsky. Sue started her comedy career at the NY Improv and for 20 years performed at clubs and colleges and did numerous tours with the USO, along with appearances on The Tonight Show and Bob Hope’s Young Comedians Special. She has written on Brotherly Love, Sex and the City and The Ellen Show. In 2001, she got a call to be a producer on the groundbreaking reality series, The Osbourne’s and after garnering her first Emmy nomination, she went to produce a new MTV show called, Newlyweds, a reality series that documented the early-married life of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. In 2009 she landed a job as supervising producer of the highly touted culinary competition series, Top Chef. She eventually became co-executive producer, garnering two more Emmy nods. Adding to her many hats, she also co-hosted a morning radio talk show with Steve Mason, on NY’s iconic WNEW. She recently produced a season of Last Comic Standing, is writing an animated feature, has the sports blog Sue's Got Game and writes for the website Metsmerizedonline.

Young MC - Episode 608

Steve Cooper talks with rapper/director/writer Young MC. Young is best known for his rap mega-hit Bust a Move and for writing the Tone Loc hits Funky Cold Medina and Wild Thing. In January 1990 he won the American Music Award for Best Rap Artist. In February 1990 he won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance and won the Billboard Award for the Best New Pop Artist in December 1990 and to date he has recorded eight studio albums. Songs from his later albums have been featured in network television shows including NBCs Scrubs and Knight Rider, ABCs Ugly Betty, HBOs Entourage and numerous others. They were also used in trailers for the films Four Brothers, Crossover and Barnyard. He has acted appearing in movies like The Player and Up In The Air and most recently directed, wrote and co-starred in the motion picture Justice Served. He also still hits the road performing concerts with an all-star 90's tour.

Bill Leverty - Episode 607

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist/singer/songwriter Bill Leverty. Bill is best known for being a founding and current member of the band Firehouse. Firehouse reached stardom in the early 1990's with many hit singles and ballads. They also remained very popular in Asia, South America and Europe throughout the early 2000s. During his tenure with the band, Bill has also released multiple solo albums including an instrumental one and a Christmas one and he is currently working on new material.

Brian Forsythe - Episode 606

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist Brian Forsythe. Brian is best known for being the guitarist for the band Kix. Kix achieved major popularity throughout the 80's and 90's on both the record charts and performing around the world and still tour together today. When he isn't busy with them he plays for the LA based band Rhino Bucket.

Jeffrey Jena - Episode 605

Steve Cooper talks with stand-up comic Jeffrey Jena. Jeffrey is one of the top corporate and cruise comics working today. His thirty three years of live performance experience and over forty national television shows,both as an actor and comic give him the ablity to work for any audience. In his years as a stand-up comic he has appeared on over forty national television show, including Comics Unleashed, The Bob and Tom Show, The Dennis Miller Show, HBO, MTV, Evening at the Improv, NBC Friday Night and The Showtime Comedy Club Network. As an actor he has been seen on Murder She Wrote, Hunter, appeared in shows with Jenny McCarthy and Weird Al Yankovic and in several films including Raising the Dead with Allison Eastwood. He has played over 1000 venues including clubs, Las Vegas, and cruise ships. He has opened for acts as varied as Barry Manilow, Jeffrey Osborne, The Temptations, Delbert McClintock, and Englebert Humperdinck and has also written jokes for a wide variety of comedians including Ron White and Marty Allen.

Troy Patrick Farrell - Episode 604

Steve Cooper talks with drummer Troy Patrick Farrell. Troy is appearing on CooperTalk for the second time. He is best known for his stick work with White Lion and Gilby Clarke. He has toured the world 7 times, North America 14 times, performed in nearly 40 countries and has played with the Bulletboys, Jani Lane of Warrant, CC DeVille of Poison, John Corabi, Ugly Kid Joe, Enuff Z'Nuff and jams with a super group Cheap Thrill that includes members of Cinderella. He also drums for The Raskins and did a 60+ city tour where they opened for Motley Crue and Alice Cooper.

 

Xander Berkeley - Episode 603

Steve Cooper talks with actor Xander Berkeley. Xander makes his second appearance on CooperTalk. He started off playing minor roles in 1981, with appearances in Remington Steele, Miami Vice, Moonlighting and countless other series. Much later, he also appeared on The X-Files, CSI, ER and Law & Order. As for the big screen, he counts Sid & Nancy, North Country, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Gattaca, The Rock, Air Force One, Spawn, Amistad, and Timecode as some of his credentials. In 2001, he bagged a recurring spot as George Mason, head of the Counter Terrorist Unit on the hit series 24. His character was killed off in season 2. In 2009, he was cast on the NBC sci-fi series Day One, which follows apartment residents who survive an unknown worldwide catastrophe. From 2010 to 2012, he starred on The CW’s Nikita as the villain Percy. In the following years, he was seen on Being Human, Longmire, Louder than Words, Salem, The Mentalist, Justified, 12 Monkeys, Aquarius and numerous other shows. Most recently he played Gregory in The Walking Dead and co-stars in LAbrynth with Johnny Depp and Forrest Whitaker.

Richie Kotzen - Episode 602

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist, singer, songwriter Richie Kotzen. Richie has released a long series of more than twenty albums with musical influences ranging from Rock, Hard Rock, Pop, Blues, Blue-eyed-soul, R&B and Funk to Jazz Fusion. In 1991, at age 21, he joined glam-metal band Poison and in 1999 played for the rock band Mr. Big. In 2006 he opened for the Rolling Stones in Japan and recently was in the supergroup The Winery Dogs with Billy Sheehan and Mike Portnoy. He currently is embarking on a tour to promote his latest album Salting Earth. 

Peter Onorati - Episode 601

Steve Cooper talks with actor Peter Onorati. Peter makes his second appearance on CooperTalk. He has amassed quite the resume over his years in the business. He has starred in the TV series such as Cop Rock, Civil Wars, Murder One, Murer in the First and Joe's Life and has appeared in shows that include How to Get Away with Murder Kate & Allie, Tales from the Crypt, The Pretender, NYPD Blue, Nash Bridges, Walker Texas Ranger, ER, Sex and the City, Everybody Hates Chris, Monk, NCIS, CSI:NY, Cold Case, Boston Legal, Desperate Housewives, The Mentalist, Glades, Rizzoli & Isles, Sons of Anarchy, Blue Bloods and Castle. He also lends his voice to many different projects including Teen Titans, Justice League and Batman Beyond. He recently had a recurring role on This Is Us and is currently shooting a pilot for the remake of SWAT for CBS.

Chuck Darrow - Episode 600

Steve Cooper talks with Chuck Darrow. Chuck is a freelance writer and host of a weekly, entertainment-based radio program in Philadelphia who has been covering the Philadelphia/Atlantic City entertainment scene for more than 40 years. During his 23 year run During his time at the Courier-Post, he published thousands of articles on everything from the legendary Live Aid concert at Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium to the opening of multiple casino-hotels to feature stories filed from the 2005 Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla and later wrote for the Philadelphia Daily News. He has also been the creative partner of entertainer and former Saturday Night Live star Joe Piscopo for 25 years and together, the two have written TV and film scripts, as well as material for Joe’s acclaimed nightclub act.  Currently, he hosts “That’s Show Biz with Chuck Darrow” on Philadelphia’s WWDB-AM. It is that market’s only regularly scheduled radio program dedicated exclusively to entertainment, the arts, dining, casinos and special events.

Stephen Pearcy - Episode 599

Steve Cooper talks with rock star Stephen Pearcy. Stephen is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the heavy metal band RATT and has released four solo albums under his label Top Fuel Records, the latest being SMASH. He has also written music for NHRA ESPN2 Drag Racing, co-sponsored Top Fuel cars since the mid 1980s and has written the book 2014 Sex, Drugs & Ratt n' Roll and has another in progress.

Troy Luccketta - Episode 598

Steve Cooper talks with drummer Troy Luccketta. Troy is best known for the drummer of the band Tesla which is celebrating 30 years together of making music and touring the world. He also produces other artists and has played drums on recording sessions in the studio with artists like Ronnie Montrose, Marc Bonilla, Eric Westphal, and others.

Liz Vassey - Episode 597

Steve Cooper talks with actor/writer Liz Vassey. Liz is best known for her roles as Emily Ann Sago on All My Children, Captain Liberty in The Tick, Wendy Simms in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Nikki in the Web series Nikki & Nora. She has been a regular or recurring character in many other series including Maximum Bob, Brotherly Love, Necessary Roughness and Two and a Half Men. She has also guest starred or co-starred in many other shows such as Castle, Dharma & Greg, Dawson's Creek and Early Edition. Lately she has been writing and selling screenplays and TV projects and is producing and directing the documentary The Human Race. 

 

Ace Von Johnson - Episode 596

Sreve Cooper talks with guitarist Ace Von Johnson. Ace is currently the lead guitarist and tours nationally with the popular LA based band Faster Pussycat. He was previously a member of metal bands such as Cheap Sex, Madcap, The U.S. Bombs, The Generators, Unwritten Law and Murphy's Law.

Tony Harnell - Episode 595

Steve Cooper talks with singer Tony Harnell. Tony is an American singer, best known for his work with the Norwegian hard rock band TNT. As a vocalist, songwriter and producer, he has led a career as a recording and touring artist since the mid 80's. He has sold close to two million albums worldwide, has been a solo artist and been involved with such bands as Morning Wood, Westworld, Starbreaker and SKid Row. He also did tracks for the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series.

 

Slim Jim Phantom - Episode 594

DISCLAIMER: There were technical difficulties in the first 18-19 minutes of this interview. The dialogue is a little choppy but listenable. At 20 minutes it reverts back to normal and is a great interview with a iconic figure in music.

Steve Cooper interviews Slim Jim Phantom. Slim Jim is best known for being the drummer for the legendary rock trio the Stray Cats. Alongside band mates Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, he spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 80s. He continues to play music with very respected artists, heads up the Slim Jim Phantom Trio and just released his autobiography A Stray Cat Struts: My Life As A Rockabilly Rebel.

Jeff LaBar - Episode 593

Steve Cooper talks with musician Jeff LaBar. Jeff is best known as Cinderella's lead guitarist. He joined the band when original guitarist Michael Smerick left in 1985, and remained with the group through its subsequent configurations and revivals through the first decade of the 21st century, as well as working with side projects like Naked Beggars and Cheap Thrill. He released his first solo album, One for the Road, in 2014, in which he played all the instruments himself except for drums, and handled all the songwriting and singing.

Kenny Aaronson - Episode 592

Steve Cooper talks with bassist Kenny Aaronson. Kenny has had a very prolific career playing with many rock bands over the years. Some of the highlights of his career include playing with Foghat, Bob Dylan, Hall and Oates, Billy Idol Sammy Hagar, Leslie West, Billy Squier, Rick Derringer, Dave Edmunds, and Graham Parker. He also was one of Joan Jett's Blackhearts for 5 years and was named Bassist of the Year by Rolling Stone Magazine in 1988. He currently plays for the Yardbirds.

Stuart Pankin - Episode 591

Steve Cooper talks with actor Stuart Pankin. Stuart is a five-time nominated, CableAce Award winner for HBO's award-winning series Not Necessarily The News and is well-known for providing the voice of Earl Sinclair, the blustery father, on the Emmy award-winning Dinosaurs. Some of his film credits include Honey We Shrunk Ourselves, The Hollywood Knights, Mannequin on the Move, The Dirt Bike Kid, Second Sight, The Artist and Fatal Attraction. He has also been a series regular on nine prime time television productions and pilots, has guest starred on over 300 television shows and has provided many cartoon voices for the popular series Animaniacs, Batman, Superman, Aladdin, Lilo and Stitch and Darkwing Duck.

Sam Jones - Episode 590

Steve Cooper talks with photographer/director/host Sam Jones. Sam is an acclaimed photographer and director whose seminal portraits of President Obama, Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Bob Dylan, Kristin Stewart, Robert Downey Jr, Amy Adams, Jack Nicholson, and many others have appeared on the covers of Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, Time, Entertainment Weekly and Men’s Journal. He is also an acclaimed director, creating numerous national commercials for Skype, Sonos, Canon, Target, Dove and many others and is a sought after music video director who won MTV’s music video of the year for Foo Fighters Walk. He has directed videos for Mumford and Sons, Tom Petty John Mayer, and many others. In 2002, Jones started his feature-length documentary career with I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, which chronicles beloved indie-rock band Wilco’s tumultuous recording of their acclaimed fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and most recently he launched Off Camera with Sam Jones on Directv’s Audience Network. Off Camera is an hour long show created out of his passion for long form conversational interviews.

Mike Royce - Episode 589

Steve Cooper talks with Mike Royce. Mike has co-created the shows Men of a Certain Age and the remake of One Day at a Time. He has also won two Emmys for writing on Every Loves Raymond and has written on such shows as Spin City, Lucky Louie, 1600 Penn, Enlisted and The Carmichael Show.

Tracy Newman - Episode 588

Steve Cooper talks with producer/writer/musician Tracy Newman. Tracy is a founding member of the improvisational theater troupe The Groundlings and was co-creator and executive producer of the 2001-09 sitcom According to Jim. Her TV writing credits include Cheers, The Nanny, The Drew Carey Show and Ellen which she won an Emmy and a Peabody Award for. She also is the lead singer/songwriter of the folk music band Tracy Newman and the Reinforcements and has released three albums, her latest being I Can Swing Forever which is for children and was released with a coloring book.

Mike Starr - Episode 587

Steve Cooper talks with actor Mike Starr. Mike is best known for his roles as Frenchy in Goodfellas, Joe in Dumb & Dumber and Frankie in Miller's Crossing. Over the years he has worked with top directors in movies such as Born on the Fourth of July, Clockers, The Bodyguard, Last Exit in Brooklyn, New York Stories, Funny Farm, Billy Bathgate, Son of the Pink Panther, Mad Dog and Glory, Ed Wood, Cabin Boy, Summer of Sam, Bad Santa 2 and many more. His numerous TV credits include Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Bones, Public Morals, Chicago Fire, Elementary, Psych, CSI: Crime Investigation Scene, Black Dynamite, The Office, CSI: NY, NCIS and Scrubs.

Laila Robins - Episode 586

Steve Cooper talks with actor Laila Robins. Laila has had a very successful career on both stage and screen. She has appeared on Broadway in such shows as Hearbreak House, Frozen, The Herbal Bed and The Real Thing and has toured the country in many major theatre productions and starred in the fiftieth anniversary production of A Street Car Named Desire at the legendary Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. She has also landed roles on the small screen, including Victoria Heller on ABC’s Gabriel's Fire, as the younger version of family matriarch Livia Soprano on HBO’s The Sopranos, as Claire Williams, the mother of lesbian Reese Williams on the daytime drama All My Children, playing Tammy Kent on HBO’s In Treatment and many others on shows such as Murder in the First, Homeland and Quantico. Some of her popular movie credits include The Book of Daniel, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, A Walk on the Moon and The Good Shepherd.

Robin Thomas - Episode 585

Steve Cooper talks with actor Robin Thomas. Robin may be best known for his roles as Mark Singleton on Another World, Geoffrey Wells in Who's the Boss and Vice Principal Phil Gills in Summer School. He has had recurring roles in many series such as Murphy Brown, Matlock, Life Unexpected, Queer as Folk, Fuller House, The Division and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and has appeared in numerous films like Pacific Rim, About Last Night..., The Contender and Banger Sisters. His long list of television appearances includes the shows Midnight Caller, Party of Five, NCIS, Pacific Blue, CSI: NY, NCIS: Los Angeles, Criminal Minds, CSI: Miami, Manhattan, Franklin & Bash and Castle. He is also an accomplished sculptor.

Sarah Colonna - Episode 584

Steve Cooper talk with comic Sarah Colonna. Sarah is well known as a popular roundtable regular on the hit late night talk show Chelsea Lately. She also served as a full time writer on Chelsea Lately, as well as a producer, writer and star of the show’s spin-off scripted series After Lately. Her first book, Life as I Blow it, debuted at number 5 on the New York Times Bestseller list, followed with a sold out book tour in several major cities in the country. It was also sold to NBC to be developed for television with producers Happy Madison two years in a row. Her second book, Has Anyone Seen My Pants? was released in March 2015 to the same rave reviews and tour. Her writing success has led to a current collaboration with pop star Demi Lovato on Lovato’s upcoming memoir. She continues to tour across the country headlining comedy clubs regularly and has appeared on several other TV shows, including The Steve Harvey Show, The United States of Tara, Scare Tactics, and Monk, and was a semi-finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing.

Mike Score - Episode 583

Steve Cooper talks with singer Mike Score. Mike formed A Flock Of Seagulls with his brother Ali in Liverpool in 1979. By 1981, with the addition of Frank Maudsley and Paul (Reno) Reynolds, the classic line up was complete. With being the first band signed to Jive Records and (BeBop Deluxe guitarist) Bill Nelson and (Gong bassist, OMD and Teardrop Explodes producer) Mike Howlett at the production helm the third single, I Ran from A Flock of Seagulls' 1982 eponymous debut, became a worldwide hit charting at number 1 in Australia and Top 10 in the US. The album achieved similar acclaim, winning a Best Rock Instrumental Grammy Award for the song D.N.A.. More success, including the UK Top Ten smash Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You) from their second album Listen in 1983 and The More You Live, the More You Love from 1984's The Story of a Young Heart followed as they became one of the darlings of MTV. Unfortunately, personnel problems forced the original band members apart in 1986. Since then he continues taking a current Seagulls line up on the road and is working on his second solo album.

Wendy Liebman - Episode 582

Steve Cooper talks with comic Wendy Liebman. Wendy returns to CooperTalk for the sixth time. She has been doing stand-up for over 25 years and has been a regular on the Late Show with David Letterman and has appeared on the Tonight Show with both Johnny Carson and Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Jimmy Kimmel Live! In addition she was the first comedian to appear on the Rosie O'Donnell Show and has done comedy specials for HBO, Comedy Central and Showtime. She has also performed or been seen on dozens upon dozens of various other TV shows, was seen on America's Got Talent and continues to headline across the country.

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Clay Heery - Episode 581

Steve Cooper talks with comic/writer Clay Heery. Clay is one of the founding fathers of the comedy scene in Philadelphia. After starting comedy nights at different bars in Philly he eventually opened up the legendary Comedy Factory Outlet that brought some of the biggest names in comedy to the city. He also was the character Captain Cranky on the top rated moring show in town during that time. He currently lives in LA where he is writing and producing various screenplays and television projects.

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Kevin Corrigan - Episode 580

Steve Cooper talks with actor Kevin Corrigan. Kevin is best known for his roles as Eddie Finnerty in Grounded for Life, Milkshake in Dice and Jackie Moreno in The Get Down. He has recrurred in Tv series such as Community, The Mentalist, Public Morals, Damages, The Mob Doctor, The Black Donnellys, Fringe, Pearl and others and has guest starred in countless shows like Claifornication, CSI: Miami, Law & Order, Medium, Freaks and Geeks and Portlandia. His long list of Movie credits include Goodfellas, Pineapple Express, Buffalo 66, Big Fan, Seven Psychopaths, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, American Gangster, Superbad, The Departed and Love Bites. 

Sponsored by Blowfish for Hangovers. Get 20% off with the promo code COOPER at www.forhangovers.com