Shows
The Ben Joravsky ShowCharlie Meyerson—Shrimp ScapegoatVeteran journalist Charlie Meyerson analyzes the media’s coverage of the rise and fall of Red Lobster. They could have blamed it on the owners. Instead they went for the shrimp joke. Also, a preview of this summer’s conventions. Can Charlie answer Ben’s 1968 trivia questions? Charlie is the publisher of the Chicago Public Square. Do yourself a favor and subscribe at chicagopublicsquare.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.2024-05-2551 min
Chicago Public Square PodcastsHow tech-savvy author Cory Doctorow got scammedThe American Dialect Society’s 2023 word of the year? Enshittification. And our guest on this edition of Chicago Public Square Podcasts, Cory Doctorow, is the guy who coined it.Hear him define it—and his harrowing explanation of how he, one of the world’s most tech-savvy authors and journalists, got scammed out of $8,000 before he could figure out what was going on. Also: The one “ironclad” rule you should follow to avoid a similar fate.And then, in this—our first conversation since this podcast from 2019—you’ll learn, among many other things, why he thinks Amazon em...2024-03-1200 min
Four Color Rolled SpineAmazing Heroes Podcast: The Origins of “Independent” Comics by Charles MeyersonEpisode #7
00:00:12 Preamble
00:03:53 Part 1: Wally Wood and Witzend
00:10:09 Part 2: Mike Friedrich and Star*Reach
00:16:34 Part 3: Jack Katz and The First Kingdom
00:22:26 Part 4: Wendy and Richard Pini and Elfquest
00:29:03 Part 5: Dave Sim and Cerebus
00:35:56 Part 6: The future of independent comics
00:40:58 Postscript / Amazing Listeners
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The Origins of Independent Comics [1983] By Charlie Meyerson2023-08-0246 min
Charlie Meyerson interviewsScience fiction writer Greg Bear in 1994: The Internet’s future[Updating this original post—from March 1, 2015—on Nov. 20, 2022: Greg Bear is dead at 71.] Science fiction writer Greg Bear in a 1994 interview with me on WNUA-FM, Chicago, on the future of the Internet:
“It’s going to be a huge intellectual telephone line, with graphics and library materials, all available at a few minutes’ notice. That, I think, will be revolutionary. ... We have a lot of people from the entertainment industries thinking it’s going to be a lot of the same old, same old — where they can simply market movies in new ways, and I don’t think it’s going...2022-11-2000 minChicago Public Square PodcastsAxios Chicago’s Monica Eng and Justin Kaufmann: ‘This is a talk show in an email format’She’s worked for Chicago’s biggest newspapers and he’s worked for Chicago’s most successful radio stations. And now … they do email.Joining Charlie Meyerson for this edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks: Axios Chicago newsletter authors Justin Kaufmann and Monica Eng.Listen on Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers or Apple Podcasts.Or if you prefer to read your podcasts, check out the transcript below.And if you’re a completist, check out the behind-the-scenes raw audio and video from the recording of this podcast via Zoom on YouTube—including...2022-09-1100 min
Chicago Media TalksAxios Chicago's Monica Eng and Justin Kaufmann: ‘This is a talk-show in an email format’She’s worked for Chicago’s biggest newspapers and he’s worked for Chicago’s most successful radio stations. And now … they do email. Joining Charlie Meyerson for this edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks: Axios Chicago newsletter authors Justin Kaufmann and Monica Eng.2022-09-1030 minChicago Public Square PodcastsFood critic Louisa Chu’s vivid pandemic moment: ‘Crying so much’The most enduring memory of a restaurant reviewer through the pandemic: “Crying so much … over so many meals with gratitude and relief.”Joining this edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks: Chef, journalist, adventurer and Chicago Tribune critic Louisa Chu—who takes us from her time as a 4-year-old worker at her family’s Chicago restaurant through her stint as a judge on Food Network’s Iron Chef America to what she’s working on next.Listen on Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers or Apple Podcasts.■ Enjoying these podcasts? Help keep them coming b...2022-08-2400 min
RadiogirlCharlie Meyerson - from radio to digital dominationCharlie Meyerson is publisher of Chicago Public Square. He talks about how he's become successful in digital media, what he thinks of the news business, his belief in independent pursuits, his podcast, and more. If you want to know more about his radio and newspaper career, listen to the interview that we did ten years ago. This is from a livestream that we did; watch the full interview here.Click the link below to play, or download it by right-clicking (on a PC) or holding down the CTRL key and clicking on it (for Mac).h...2022-08-1900 minChicago Public Square PodcastsStephanie Skora and A.D. Quig: Reshaping Chicago’s news and political sceneJoining this edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks: A couple of media figures whose work is increasingly shaping Chicago’s news and political landscape.Meet A.D. Quig, a rising Chicago Tribune reporter who sees local government facing “a time of big change”; and Girl, I Guess Progressive Voter Guide author Stephanie Skora—someone unafraid to call a candidate, in her words, “a slimy fuckface—because there’s no reason not to.”Listen in your favorite podcast player, via Spotify, YouTube and Pandora, on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers or on Apple Podcasts...2022-08-1200 minChicago Public Square PodcastsPulitzer winners Hopkins and Reyes: Teamwork ‘wasn’t always easy’Their groundbreaking alliance netted them and their news organizations a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. But that doesn’t mean they always worked together seamlessly.In this edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks, meet Madison Hopkins and Cecilia Reyes, praised by Pulitzer judges
for “a piercing examination of the city’s long history of failed building- and fire-safety code enforcement, which let scofflaw landlords
commit serious violations that resulted in dozens of unnecessary
deaths.” (Recorded June 13, 2022.)Listen in your favorite podcast player, via Spotify, YouTube and Pandora, on Amazo...2022-08-0300 minChicago Public Square PodcastsMeet the Sun-Times’ new executive editor, Jennifer KhoShe’s the first woman—and the first woman of color—ever to serve as Chicago Sun-Times executive editor. She’s facing challenges like none before her, as the paper comes under the control of an organization primarily in the radio business.In another edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks, meet Jennifer Kho, who joins the Sun-Times at a critical point in the evolution of the news business. (Recorded July 11, 2022.)Listen in your favorite podcast player, via Spotify, YouTube and Pandora, on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers or on Apple Podcasts.■ Enj...2022-07-2000 minThe Ben Joravsky ShowCharlie Meyerson--The Public SquareRadio newsman turned aggregator Charlie Meyerson returns to discuss the method to his madness, or the madness to his method, of writing the Public Square, his daily online column. Not sure he calls it a column. And a word or two about classic rock `n roll djs...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.2022-06-2154 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsWhy I should never sing in publicChicago Reader columnist Ben Joravsky was kind enough to invite me on his show this week—we talked Wednesday, the podcast was published Saturday—to answer questions about how and why I do what I do for Chicago Public Square.I was honored along the way to express my admiration for columnists Neil Steinberg and Robert Feder, Reader critic Jack Helbig, The Onion, WXRT-FM News pioneers C.D. Jaco and Linda Brill, Square reader Angela Mullins, radio DJs Bob Stroud and Marty Lennartz, my college radio station WPGU … … and to deliver an ill-advised musical tribute to my alma mater, Car...2022-06-1100 minCharlie Meyerson interviews1995: Peter David, Chris Claremont and Gary Colabuono discuss the comic book industry’s flirtation with disaster[It’s been a while since we dove into the archives. But now that hour’s come round at last—again.]In 1995, the comic book industry was approaching what later became known as “the Great Comics Crash of 1996”—triggered in part by Marvel Comics’ 1994 purchase of the business’ third-largest distributor, converting it to distribute Marvel’s stuff exclusively.So that was a significant topic June 30, 1995, when I sat down at WNUA-FM in Chicago—just ahead of the 20th annual Chicago Comicon*—with acclaimed comics writers Peter David and Chris Claremont, maybe best known then for their work on Marvel’s The I...2022-06-0200 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsEx-Chicago Tribune editor James Squires warned in 1993 about the corporate takeover of America’s newspapersBack in 1993, a former editor of the Chicago Tribune sounded an alarm about the growing conflict between the drive for corporate profits and traditional journalism’s social-reform agenda.That was close to six years before I joined the Trib and close to two decades before that trend inexorably led to a gutting of the paper’s staff.As the paper welcomes a new editor, now seems like a good time to revisit the words of Jim Squires, talking about his book Read All About It! The Corporate Takeover of America’s Newspapers—in an interview recorded Feb. 3, 1993, and aired Fe...2021-08-2500 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsWTTW’s new stars navigate changing news landscape2021-08-1000 minChicago Public Square PodcastsWTTW’s new stars navigate changing news landscapeOdds are good you didn’t know their names a decade ago, when one of them was just breaking into Chicago radio news and another was barely removed from an internship at Chicago’s public TV station. And now they’re two of the city’s most influential journalists.In another edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks, WTTW News’ multiple award-winning reporters and Chicago Tonight co-anchors, Brandis Friedman and Paris Schutz, talk about their careers, the challenges facing local news and recent turbulent times at Channel 11.
Listen in your favor...2021-08-1000 minChicago Media TalksWTTW’s new stars navigate changing news landscapeOdds are good you didn’t know their names a decade ago, when one of them was just breaking into Chicago radio news and another was barely removed from an internship at Chicago’s public TV station. And now they’re two of the city’s most influential journalists. WTTW News’ multiple-award-winning reporters and Chicago Tonight co-anchors, Brandis Friedman and Paris Schutz, talk about their careers, the challenges facing local news and some recent turbulent times at Channel 11 with hosts Charlie Meyerson and Sheila Solomon.2021-08-1030 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsBlock Club Chicago’s origin story2021-07-2700 minChicago Public Square PodcastsBlock Club Chicago’s origin storyWhen a billionaire yanked the plug on a pioneering Chicago digital news site, putting a large team of local reporters out of work, some of them banded together to start another digital news site—for themselves, and for the people of the city.Block Club Chicago editor-in-chief Shamus Toomey joins hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson for another edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks.Listen in your favorite podcast player, via Spotify, YouTube and Pandora, on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers or on iTunes (say “Hey, Siri! Play Chicago Public...2021-07-2700 minChicago Media TalksBlock Club Chicago’s origin storyWhen a billionaire yanked the plug on a pioneering Chicago digital news site, putting a large team of local reporters out of work, some of them banded together to start ANOTHER digital news site—for themselves, and for the people of the city. Block Club Chicago editor-in-chief Shamus Toomey joins hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson for another edition of Chicago Media Talks.2021-07-2741 minChicago Public Square PodcastsMusic journalist Jim DeRogatis: ‘Every system in this city failed … to protect these young black girls’You could trace the evolution of the news business through Jim DeRogatis’ career arc over the last 35 years—as he’s moved from print to broadcast to online and podcasting, and from employer-supported to audience-funded journalism. And along the way, he broke one of the biggest stories in music history.He joins hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson for the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks—to discuss his life, how he broke the R. Kelly scandal, and the state of the media in the 21st century.Also, he recounts the times he was dissed by a couple...2021-07-2100 minChicago Media TalksMusic journalist Jim DeRogatis: ‘Every system in this city failed … to protect these young black girls’You could trace the evolution of the news business through Jim DeRogatis’ career arc over the last 35 years—as he’s moved from print to broadcast to online and podcasting, and from employer-supported to audience-funded journalism. And along the way, he broke one of the biggest stories in music history. He joins hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson for the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks—to discuss his career, the R. Kelly story and the state of the media in the 21st century.2021-07-2152 minChicago Public Square PodcastsAfter a lifetime at the Chicago Tribune, Eric Zorn and Steve Johnson are leaving. What’s next?Columnist Eric Zorn started at the Tribune in 1980; cultural critic Steve Johnson started six years later. Now, they’re among the more than three dozen editorial staffers who’ve left—taking buyouts offered under the Trib’s new ownership.They join hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson for another edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks.
Listen here, or in your favorite podcast player, via Spotify, YouTube and Pandora, on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers or on iTunes (say “Hey, Siri! Play Chicago Public Square Podcasts”).■ Enjoying these podcasts? Keep them coming by joinin...2021-06-2900 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsAfter a lifetime at the Chicago Tribune, Eric Zorn and Steve Johnson are leaving. What’s next?2021-06-2900 minChicago Media TalksAfter a lifetime at the Chicago Tribune, Eric Zorn and Steve Johnson are leaving. What’s next?Columnist Eric Zorn started at the Tribune in 1980; cultural critic Steve Johnson started six years later. Now, they’re among the more than three dozen editorial staffers who’ve left—taking buyouts offered under the Tribune’s new ownership. They join hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson for another edition of Chicago Media Talks.2021-06-2939 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsPulitzer winner Jamie Kalven on the news business: ‘I see no reason to despair’2021-06-2200 minChicago Public Square PodcastsPulitzer winner Jamie Kalven on the news business: ‘I see no reason to despair’Jamie Kalven—journalist, human rights activist and founder of one of Chicago’s newest Pulitzer Prize winners, the Invisible Institute—says he has “deep sympathy for those who wagered their lives and their careers on the stability of legacy media,” but he says “some of the new forms that are evolving … may actually ultimately produce a healthier diet for consumers of the news.”He joins hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson for another edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks, to discuss journalism’s brave new world and his work to help citizens hold public institutions—especi...2021-06-2200 minChicago Media TalksPulitzer winner Jamie Kalven on the news business: ‘I see no reason to despair’Jamie Kalven—journalist, human rights activist and founder of one of Chicago’s newest Pulitzer Prize winners, the Invisible Institute—says he has “deep sympathy for those who wagered their lives and their careers on the stability of legacy media,” but he says “some of the new forms that are evolving … may actually ultimately produce a healthier diet for consumers of the news.” He joins hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson to talk about journalism’s brave new world and about his work to help citizens hold public institutions—especially the police—accountable.2021-06-221h 05Chicago Public Square PodcastsA ‘mouthy black lesbian feminist’ is one of Chicago’s most influential media leadersKaren Hawkins—self-described “mouthy black lesbian feminist over 40” and “recovering mainstream media reporter and editor”—is doing a terrible job of recovering: She’s now co-publisher of the Chicago Reader, the founder of Rebellious Magazine, and a leader of the upstart Chicago Independent Media Alliance. She joins hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson to survey the 21st-century media landscape for another edition of the Chicago Public Square / Rivet360 podcast, Chicago Media Talks.Listen here, on your favorite podcast player, via Spotify, YouTube and Pandora, on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers or on iTunes (say “Hey, Siri! Play Chicago Public Square Podcasts”).■ Enjoying...2021-06-1500 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsA ‘mouthy black lesbian feminist’ is one of Chicago’s most influential media leaders2021-06-1500 minChicago Media TalksA ‘mouthy black lesbian feminist’ is one of Chicago’s most influential media leadersKaren Hawkins—self-described “recovering mainstream media reporter and editor”— is doing a terrible job of recovering: She’s now co-publisher of the Chicago Reader, the founder of Rebellious Magazine, and a leader of the upstart Chicago Independent Media Alliance. She joins hosts Sheila Solomon and Charlie Meyerson to survey Chicago’s 21st-century media landscape.2021-06-1525 minChicago Public Square PodcastsDid Mayor Lightfoot make things better for journalists of color?Pulliam Professor of Journalism at DePauw University and former Sun-Times editor and columnist Deborah Douglas joins host Charlie Meyerson and co-host Sheila Solomon to launch the new Chicago Media Talks podcast—a joint production of Chicago Public Square and Rivet360—with a discussion of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to limit her anniversary interviews to journalists of color.Listen here, on your favorite podcast player, via Spotify, YouTube and Pandora, on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers or on iTunes (say “Hey, Siri! Play Chicago Public Square Podcasts”).■ Enjoying these podcasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians...2021-06-0800 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsDid Mayor Lightfoot make things better for journalists of color?2021-06-0800 minChicago Media TalksDid Mayor Lightfoot make things better for journalists of color?Pulliam Professor of Journalism at DePauw University and former Sun-Times editor and columnist Deborah Douglas joins host Charlie Meyerson and co-host Sheila Solomon to launch the new “Chicago Media Talks” podcast with a discussion of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to limit her anniversary interviews to journalists of color.2021-06-0833 minChicago Media TalksChicago Media TalksWith Chicago media changing so quickly, Rivet360 and Chicago Public Square are teaming up for a weekly show about what it all means. And we’re inviting you to participate LIVE through the Clubhouse app. I’m Charlie Meyerson, sign up now at rivet360.com/talk2021-06-0400 minChicago Public Square PodcastsWho was Stan Lee? Two biographers discuss his life and legacy.Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee so inspired a generation of readers and writers, a multiplicity of biographies was inevitable after his death in 2018.On the occasion of the publication of Oak Park, Ill., native Abraham Riesman’s entry, True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee, the Chicago Public Square Podcast invited Riesman and A Marvelous Life: The Amazing Story of Stan Lee author Danny Fingeroth to join a conversation about Lee’s life and legacy.
Listen here, on your favorite podcast player, via Spotify, YouTube and Pandora, on Amazon’s Alexa-powered devices* or on iTunes (“Hey, Siri! Pl...2021-02-1000 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsWho was Stan Lee? Two biographers discuss his life and legacy.2021-02-1000 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsEmail pioneer Aaron Barnhart interviewed in 1996Of all the interviews I’ve conducted, none have influenced my career more than this 1996 sit-down with Aaron Barnhart, whose Late Show News newsletter pioneered the email news biz.Listen to us discuss his model for how, in my words, “a lot of us in this profession will … do our work in the future” and you’ll hear the siren call that two years later would draw me from radio to the internet—and, not much later, to lead the Chicago Tribune’s email program.Decades later, Barnhart’s work inspired the launch of Chicago Public...2021-02-0800 min
Just A Few Questions PodcastReading Good Journalism: Charlie MeyersonMarc Sims talks with veteran Chicago journalist Charlie Meyerson about the importance of reading good journalism.
Chicago Public Square https://www.chicagopublicsquare.com2021-01-0817 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsChicago 7 lawyer William Kunstler in 1994: That trial ‘changed me totally’Prepping to watch The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix, I revisited my Sept. 16, 1994, interview with The 7’s defense lawyer, William Kunstler, who told me then that the trial “changed me totally. … “I never knew what it was to really fight until I watched Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Dave Dellinger, Hayden and so on fight in a courtroom—do things that would make the jury understand that they were being persecuted: Bringing in a birthday cake for Bobby Seale, a Viet Cong flag on their table, standing out and protesting the binding and gagging of Bobby Se...2020-10-1600 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsCharlie Meyerson interviewed … about Charlie MeyersonThis hasn’t happened much in my career, most of which I’ve devoted to profiling people far more interesting than I am.
But, twice in less than two weeks, I was honored to be interviewed about journalism, politics, radio, the origins of Chicago Public Square and my personal journey:
On Friday, I was a guest on Chicago Reader columnist Ben Joravsky’s podcast—and that was just seven days after Matt Baron had grilled me for the Common Ground Oak Park podcast.
So here, in the Charlie Meyerson interviews series, is—for lack of a better p...2020-09-0600 min
Chicago Public Square NewscastsMayor's apology / Blago's pitch / Medicare's plight Mayor Emanuel says he’s sorry.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player. Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2020-08-2400 minChicago Public Square NewscastsChicago gets Boring / Trump's errant salute / Religion gapImage: The Boring Co.The dark side of that Boring Co. plan for tunnels connecting downtown Chicago and O’Hare International Airport. President Trump seems to have made a mistake. And, (don’t) praise the lord, we have a global religion gap.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and...2020-08-2400 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsBarack Obama's 1st biographer, David Mendell: Michelle didn't care for the book2019-11-2245 minChicago Public Square PodcastsBarack Obama’s 1st biographer, David Mendell: Michelle didn’t care for the bookHe’s Barack Obama’s first biographer. But journalist David Mendell doesn’t expect his award-winning 2007 book, Obama: From Promise to Power, to land a spot in Obama’s presidential library.
Mendell and I were colleagues at the Chicago Tribune through much of the 2000s, but we barely exchanged hellos back then because he was so busy covering Obama’s rise to the U.S. Senate.
So I learned a lot—including just how hard Obama worked to conceal his smoking habit—as Mendell and I finally got to catch up on-stage at Dominican University in River Forest, i...2019-11-2200 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsStar Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in 1974 and 1976You’d think if you’d met the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, in the flesh you’d remember it.
Especially if he told you the real reason he made Mr. Spock look a little … devilish (about 32:17 in).
Well, I did meet him, and he told me that—and I confess that I forgot all about it.
Only when a longtime friend and neighbor lent me a vintage reel-to-reel tape player and I opened a long-filed-away box labeled “Gene Roddenberry” did I recall that I was actually in a studio with Roddenberry at college radio s...2019-11-0700 minCharlie Meyerson interviews1988: Chaos in the Chicago City CouncilThis week’s transformative Chicago City Council development—the historic livestream video presentation of a committee meeting—brings to mind a time when the council was maddeningly tough to follow.
In 1988, I was a newbie City Hall reporter for WXRT-FM. It was an assignment I relished not—partly because the council’s procedures were bewilderingly opaque and byzantine.
But I channeled my journalistic frustration into creation of a series that won a nationwide United Press International award for documentary radio reporting.
So, let’s return to the year 1988. Eugene Sawyer was briefly Chicago’s mayor, and a y...2019-09-0600 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsHow to get your story on the air in Chicago2019-06-2445 minChicago Public Square NewscastsWhat hath Trump wrought? / Veggie warning / Chicago rebootsThis is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2019-03-3100 minChicago Public Square PodcastsScience fiction, Radicalized: An interview with Cory Doctorow
Wanna know what terrible technology is headed your way in the years ahead? Journalist and science fiction author Cory Doctorow says it’s not hard: Take a look at what The Powers That Be are foisting on prisoners and students.
Doctorow joined the Chicago Public Square Podcast for half an hour or so to talk about police brutality; controversial high-rise developments and “poor-doors”; the criminalization of copyright law; and his new book, Radicalized—a collection of four science fiction novellas that the jacket calls “Tales of Our Present Moment.”
Listen here, on your favorite podcast player, via Spotify...2019-03-2400 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsScience fiction, Radicalized: An interview with Cory Doctorow2019-03-2445 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsWe were warned in 1997 of 'underground prejudice'In his 1997 book A Country of Strangers: Blacks and Whites in America,
Pulitzer Prize winner David K. Shipler documented a major split among Americans: "The divide between those who see racism and those who do not."
And he sounded an alarm about what many then might not have perceived: "How much prejudice has gone underground since the civil rights movement."
Here's my 1997 interview with Shipler, aired 19 years ago today.
Sadly, it doesn't sound dated.
Related listening: A panel discussion I led in July on the future of integration.2018-11-1800 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsLeon Lederman, science education hacker, in 1997
The death of Nobel Prize winner Leon Lederman took me back to March 19, 1997, when I interviewed the professor about his then- (and still-) revolutionary ideas on how to overhaul science education. Hear him talk about that—and much more—here …
… or on iTunes or via your favorite podcast player.
And while you’re at it, check out my other interviews with thought-leaders through the years here and here.
(1988 photo: Energy.gov.)2018-10-0500 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsNewspaper editorial boards: Cracking the code2018-09-1845 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsHow Steve James overcame doubt—his and others'—to create 'America to Me'2018-09-1445 minChicago Public Square PodcastsHow Steve James overcame doubt—his and others’—to create America to MeFilmmaker Steve James’s work—including the Oscar-nominated Hoop Dreams and Abacus—has won him critical acclaim galore and goodwill in the town where he lives, Oak Park.
But when he set out to create his 10-part documentary series America to Me—about Oak Park, its historic commitment to integration and its high school’s challenges in living up to a reputation for inclusiveness—he had his doubts.
Hear all about that—and catch up with two of the students spotlighted by this celebrated Starz series—in a Chicago Public Square Podcast. Listen here, on your favorite...2018-09-1400 minChicago Public Square NewscastsClarifying Trump / Home-sharing tax / Nuts to nut-'milk'No one said explaining the president would be an easy job. No one said staying at an Airbnb or other shared home in Chicago would stay cheap. And no one told you you could call “almond milk” milk forever.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast. Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS...2018-07-1800 minChicago Public Square Newscasts'Genius' takes it back / Emanuel unsatisfied / Twitter cricketsPresident Trump says he made a mistake. Mayor Emanuel’s not satisfied. And is Twitter a little less tweety lately?This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-07-1700 minChicago Public Square NewscastsIllinois 'red flag' / Trump's 'disgrace' / CVS's apologyIllinois has new gun protections. President Trump has fresh critics. And CVS says it’s sorry. This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast. Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-07-1600 minChicago Public Square Newscasts'A coward' / Cop in trouble again / 24 shoes dropThe woman in the flag T-shirt speaks out. A Chicago cop is in trouble—again. And 24 more shoes drop in the Russia investigation.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-07-1300 minChicago Public Square NewscastsAn angry defense / Mayor claims 'save' / Fast-food concessionAn FBI agent gets fiery. The mayor claims a win in China. And McDonald's and other fast-food giants are settling a multistate legal issue.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-07-1200 minChicago Public Square NewscastsSCOTUS battle lines / Preckwinkle: Sorry / Peanuts groundedThe battle lines are clear in the fight for the Supreme Court. A Facebook video leads to a politician’s apology. And an airline is swearing off an in-flight snack.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to exper...2018-07-1000 minChicago Public Square NewscastsCTA Damen Station plans revealed / Bike-sharing deflation / Plastic straws suckedThe CTA’s hyping its next new L station, but the city’s bike-sharing biz is suffering a setback. And Starbucks is swearing off plastic straws.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast. Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology2018-07-0900 minChicago Public Square NewscastsTrump finally speaks up / A journalist's voicemail / Annapolis aidChicago Public Square will take off the week of July 2. Be here again July 9. Meanwhile: Updates on Facebook and Twitter.The president says something at last about the massacre in Annapolis, a journalist shares his hateful voicemail, and how you can help the survivors and families of the victims of the Capital Gazette shooting.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Sq...2018-07-0600 minChicago Public Square NewscastsSCOTUS shocker / City Council dodge / A real twisterA Supreme Court shocker. A City Council dodge. And, yes, a real tornado.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-2700 minChicago Public Square NewscastsTrump's victory / 'Meet me at Wells & Wells'? / Toys R Us' endPresident Trump’s big Supreme Court win, Chicago aldermen’s street-renaming compromise, and Toys R Us’ final death knell.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-2600 minChicago Public Square NewscastsProtest could shut I-94 / Alderman passes up papal audience / Prof tells journalists: Snub the presidentPhoto: Daniel X. O'NeilFather Pfleger pflans a pfrotest, an alderman snubs the pope and a journalism prof encourages reporters to snub the president.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-2600 minChicago Public Square NewscastsEmanuel's changed tune / Chicago's immigrant kids / Navy's ominous plansKaren Lewis is signing off, and Mayor Emanuel seems sad. Dick Durbin visits detained kids. The Navy makes immigrant detention plans. And Square readers click on a story bigtime.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experi...2018-06-2500 minChicago Public Square NewscastsCue sad trombone / Sales tax holiday ends / Record wetnessCue the sad trombone for Corey Lewandowski. And for sales-tax breaks. And for dry weather in Chicago. Check out the latest Chicago Public Square Newscast. Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-2100 minChicago Public Square NewscastsA tearful plea / Chicago cops sued / Happy birthday, Divvy(As the regular Chicago Public Square news update takes a break today, check out the latest Square Newscast. Follow Square on Facebook and Twitter. And be here Thursday.)A tearful plea in Congress. Chicago Police sued. And happy birthday, Divvy. This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS...2018-06-2000 minChicago Public Square NewscastsTrump digs in / Best CEOs for women / R.I.P., TroncTeam Trump is digging in on immigration. Big changes atop newspaper companies. And wanna work at a company good for women? Check out the latest Chicago Public Square Newscast. Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-1800 minChicago Public Square NewscastsWe're sinking / Comcast vs. Disney / The Chief, againUh, we're sinking.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-1300 minChicago Public Square NewscastsVoting rights setback / Chicago gang census / Live long and prosper … but maybe not hereThe losing side sees a Supreme Court ruling as a critical blow to voter turnout.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-1100 minChicago Public Square NewscastsSun-Times prognosis / Bourdain's death / Women in chargeHow much longer does the Chicago Sun-Times have?This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.[Correction: The following player has been updated to point to the right audio file.]Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-1000 minChicago Public Square NewscastsFacebook's new oops / Rahm limits? / Conservative powers Another oops from Facebook.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player. Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-0700 minChicago Public Square Newscasts#HimToo / Schools abuse hotline / Amazon Go comingIllinois Democrats’ #MeToo problems just don’t quit.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player. Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians. * Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to experiment with the technology.2018-06-0600 minChicago Public Square NewscastsBaker's break / Underwater Chicago / iPhone speedup The Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling in favor of the Colorado baker who refused to bake a cake for a gay couple’s wedding isn’t a decisive victory for those on his side.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a...2018-06-0400 minChicago Public Square NewscastsSamantha Bee's sorry / Another one bites the Dems / Sears closings The outrage arms race keeps escalating. Submitted for your consideration: Samantha Bee.This is your Chicago Public Square Newscast.Listen here, or on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers*, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.Enjoying these newscasts? Keep them coming by joining The Legion of Chicago Public Squarians.* Even if you don’t have an Alexa smart speaker, you can turn iOS and Android phones into Alexa devices for free—a low-impact way to try the technology.2018-05-3100 minChicago Public Square PodcastsFood Network star Jeff Mauro talks about that time a guy in the audience diedSomething different for the Chicago Public Square Newscast (and Podcast) series this time: A visit with Food Network star and Chicago native Jeff Mauro.
He joined the Wednesday Journal Conversations series May 15, 2018, to talk about his life and times—including that time he was performing improv comedy and a ticketholder died.
And stick around to hear in detail about Mauro’s bathing habits. (Photo: Carmen Rivera.)
Listen here, on your favorite podcast player, via Spotify, YouTube and Pandora, on Amazon’s Alexa-powered speakers* or on iTunes (say “Hey, Siri! Play Chicago Public Square Pod...2018-05-1800 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsFood Network star Jeff Mauro talks about that time a guy in the audience died2018-05-1845 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsAnna Quindlen, talking out loud in 1993
Approaching Mother’s Day 1993, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Anna Quindlen—who shaped a generation’s approach to parenthood—stopped by the WNUA-FM studios in Chicago to promote her then-new book, Thinking Out Loud.
Check out this audio—recorded May 5, 1993—to learn why she objected to the name of a Chicago Tribune newspaper section.
Listen to my interview with Anna Quindlen—on the web, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
(Book jacket cover photo: Joyce Ravid,)2018-05-0500 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsTrump’s precursor? An interview with Pat Buchanan in 1998In many ways, two-time presidential candidate Patrick Buchanan—former adviser to three Republican presidents (Nixon, Ford and Reagan)—set the stage for Donald Trump’s ascendance.
When Buchanan made 2016’s “Politico 50,” the magazine pronounced Trump “Pat Buchanan with better timing.”
How similar are they? Here’s the unheard-since-broadcast audio of my interview with Buchanan, aired on this date in 1998. What similarities—and differences—do you hear?
Listen on the web, iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
(Photo: Bbsrock.)2018-05-0300 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsFrom 1998: The man who REALLY saved Apple
In 1998, Apple’s now-widely-forgotten CEO, Gil Amelio, sat down with me to discuss his relatively brief time atop what was then a struggling company—the subject of his book On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple.
As you’ll hear—and as Engadget noted in 2014—Amelio proved remarkably “accurate … regarding how Apple could get its groove back.”
In at least one way—his decision to bring Apple founder Steve Jobs back to the company—Amelio may truly be the man who saved Apple.
Twenty years to the week after this interview aired—April 26, 1998—you be the judge.
2018-04-2800 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsNational Lampoon's origins, recalled by founding publisher Matty Simmons in 1987Netflix’s comedic biography of National Lampoon co-founder Douglas Kenney, A Futile and Stupid Gesture, sent me back to my conversation decades ago with one of the story’s key figures, who shared his recollection of developments that made their way into the movie.
If you enjoyed A Futile and Stupid Gesture, you’ll get a kick out of this unedited April 30, 1987, interview with the Lampoon’s founding publisher, Matty Simmons.
Enjoy this? Get more on iTunes or via RSS feed.2018-01-2800 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsIn 1998, a look to the future of working womenFrom the perspective of the Women’s March and #MeToo era of 2018, a 20-year-old book that set out to examine “working women and the transformation of American life” offers insight into trends decades in the making.
Here’s my 1998 interview with author Sally Helgesen, who, over the course of three years, put a microscope to women in the Chicago suburb of Naperville—and found dramatic changes, which she documented in her book Everyday Revolutionaries.
One excerpt, as she discussed two-career families:
Helgesen: “Many of the women said to me … ‘My husband is tremendously hel...2018-01-2500 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsHow the Fantastic Four radio series disappointed Stan Lee in 19751975: I was just beginning my radio career at college station WPGU-FM, hosting an investigative mini-documentary radio series, Probe.
What would be more natural to “investigate” than my passion for comic books—with what became the first of several interviews over my career with Marvel Comics impresario Stan Lee?
Presented here far more for the value of Lee’s remarks—including his disappointment in the then-new Fantastic Four radio series and his enthusiasm for Howard the Duck—than for my own stuffy and waaaay-underdeveloped on-air presence: Stan Lee on WPGU Radio’s Probe.
Enj...2017-12-2800 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsThe time I interviewed ‘Chickenman’ creator Dick Orkin in 1976
Radio production, comedy and advertising visionary Dick Orkin’s death Sunday sent me back into the archives—waaaay back in the archives—to my days learning radio at my college station, WPGU. (Image: 2016 Radio Ink cover.)
Aired Feb. 2, 1976, here’s my journalist-in-training report from the time I interviewed Dick Orkin, a man whose creation of the hilarious serial Chickenman led me to love—and seek a career in—radio.
2017-12-2600 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsDavid Simon—before The Wire in 1997
Twenty years ago, journalist David Simon, author of the book that inspired the TV show Homicide—and later the creator of HBO’s acclaimed The Wire, among many others—joined me for a discussion of the then-new book he’d co-authored, The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood.
Simon’s time spent on an urban corner in Baltimore had persuaded him then that the war on drugs was a failure—that the concept of “lockin’ ’em up” was a losing battle that served only to further isolate neighborhoods where the vast majority of residents are victim...2017-11-3000 minCharlie Meyerson interviews'Wait Wait … Don't Tell Me!' host Peter Sagal tells his not-favorite things2017-11-2745 minChicago Public Square Podcasts‘Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!’ host Peter Sagal tells his not-favorite thingsLet Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s incredibly successful Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!, tell you this:
He hates the show’s name.
He also hates the place where he creates that show.
You’ll learn why as you listen to a podcast of my onstage interview with Sagal—part of the Wednesday Journal Conversations series—in which he talks about the show, his career, the Constitution under Donald Trump, the challenge sexual harassment poses to comedy writing, the differences between announcers Bill Kurtis and Carl Kasell, and much more … including Sagal’s affectio...2017-11-2700 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsTurning a live event into a podcast: A case study2017-09-1045 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsDavid Axelrod: From Oak Park to the White House2017-09-0945 minChicago Public Square PodcastsDavid Axelrod: From Oak Park to the White House
When President Obama’s former chief strategist—now University of Chicago Institute of Politics founder and CNN senior political commentator—David Axelrod agreed to return to his old suburban neighborhood to kick off the Wednesday Journal newspaper’s series of public conversations at Dominican University, I was honored by the request to moderate the session with my long-ago neighbor and teammate at Chicago’s WXRT-FM.
It was an enlightening and—by the account of Axelrod’s fans in the audience—therapeutic evening.
Hear for yourself in this podcast, recorded Sept. 6, 2017. Or listen on your favorite podcast p...2017-09-0900 min
The Deerfield Public Library Podcast7: Charlie Meyerson, proprietor of ChicagoPublicSquare.com & longtime Chicago-area "bringer of news"Charlie Meyerson, proprietor of ChicagoPublicSquare.com, a free email news roundup. We talk “fake news” and the state of the media today. Charlie visited us in June as a panelist on our program The Real Story Behind Fake News, you can watch it here. Library News: a new resource for our patrons in the market for a car: Auto Finance Resource. With this resource you can get the inside information on low rates for car loans that car dealers get. Staff Picks segment: I take over for this month, recommending the new novel by Percival Ever...2017-07-1731 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsIf your school kills your student newspaper—or you’re laid off—you can keep going. Cheap.[Headline revised July 15, 2020, to include “or you’re laid off.” Because, well, you know.]
If you were asked to lecture 600 high school journalists and their teachers on the state of journalism, what would you tell them? When the Northern Illinois Scholastic Press Association (NISPA) invited me to deliver the keynote address at its annual conference, we agreed to title the talk “Journalism on a (Really Cheap) Shoestring.”
But the underlying message was more subversive: If your school kills your student newspaper, you can continue the mission on your own. Cheap.
You can see the pres...2017-04-2600 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsMarvel Comics creator Stan Lee in 2017: ‘Nerdism is the highest state of mankind’
(Updated on the occasion of Stan Lee's death, Nov. 12, 2018.)
Here’s Stan Lee, the man who created or co-created the core Marvel Comics universe, sitting down during C2E2 at age 94 for what his staff said was his last Chicago comics convention appearance. As you’ll hear, he had energy and enthusiasm to betray his age.
His interviewers: Adrian F.E. and Paola Alejandra. Recorded at C2E2 Chicago, April 21, 2017. (Photo from that day: @Malcchiato on Twitter.)
More: My interview with Stan Lee in 1998 and my first interview with him in 1975.
2017-04-2300 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsThe gang that used to rule cyberspace: A 1993 interviewAs digital lawlessness holds center stage in the national political drama, doesn’t this seem like a good time to revisit the first generation of internet outlaws?
So let’s set the WABAC machine for Feb. 5, 1995, original airdate for my interview with Michelle Slatalla and Joshua Quittner — authors of the seminal hacking story Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace.
(Quittner, by the way, also holds the historic distinction of being the person who first bought the domain McDonalds.com. What he demanded from McDonald’s Corp. in exchange for giving it up is a tale he...2017-01-1400 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsStan Lee interviewed in 1998 (raw audio)It’s a tradition on the birthday of Marvel Comics’ fearless leader, Stan Lee, for me to revisit one of my favorite encounters with him: A 1998 sitdown at the Wizard World pop-culture convention in Rosemont, Ill.This time, though, something different: Raw, unedited (stereo; he’s in the right channel, I’m in the left) audio of the session we recorded—followed by the sound of one of my Merry Marvel Marching Society membership perks, a record featuring Stan and many of the old Marvel Bullpen team.
As you’ll hear by comparing the session below to the finished product, not...2016-12-2800 minCharlie Meyerson interviewsJune Foray and Bill Scott, the voices behind 'Rocky and Bullwinkle'—in 1983Nov. 19, 1959, brought the debut of one of the greatest cartoon shows of all time: Rocky and His Friends.Bill Scott, Bullwinkle, June Foray(Credit: beyondthemarquee.com).Click for audio.Later known as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and The Bullwinkle Show, it had everything a little kid could want: A protagonist who could fly (Rocket J. Squirrel), a sidekick who was funny (Bullwinkle J. Moose) and parental approval—because it was layered with cultural and political humor a lot of us would only come to understand much later. (Wait: There’s an opera called Boris Gudunov? Real...2016-11-1800 min