Vicki Abelson's Broadcast: The Road Taken

Thaao Penghlis Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Looking as fit, youthful, and handsome as ever, thrice Emmy nominated, Thaao Penghlis, was a model of class, sophistication, charisma, and information. As has always been the case, the conversation flowed and the time flew. We talked about Thaao’s travels to Egypt and Greece, how to best visit his family’s homeland, The Lost Treasures, his podcast, his passion for cooking, his first appearance on a cooking show, and what he cooked, the recent drop of the paperback of his Seducing Celebrities One Meal At A Time, why he’s no longer on Days of Our Lives, and the illness that he faced without fear, with grit determination to best, which indeed he did. Diagnosed with colon cancer early in the pandemic, Thaao, who’s spent his life with extreme discipline––a Mediterranean diet, little to no junk food, regular exercise, daily meditation, yet he was predisposed to the disease which took his mother. With the same no-nonsense directness, Thaao faces everything in

Susan Seidelman Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson I’ve been desperately seeking Susan Seidelman for 14 years… some things, some Susans, are worth waiting for! Loved every second with this film maverick whom I’ve admired since we were both kicking around Greenwich Village, kinda “bad girls,” who looked, good. There’s so much common thread (well, except the whole success thing), as Susan points out when we traded books, do all Jewish girls from New York have the word “Mother” in their subtitles? That’s how I finally got the affirmative nod. Susan’s memoir, Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls, drops on June 18th, a few days after my mother’s birthday. Fitting. I’ve been flying through it, unable to put it down, and rewatching Susan’s classics. How many times have I seen Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna’s first and best film role, how Susan fought for her, Roseanna, how she struggled a bit with her, lessons learned, and success beyond imagining. Smithereen’

Toto’s Joseph Williams Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Hold the line! What a way to reenter this arena - with arena rockstar Joseph Williams of Toto! I had the best time - can’t stop smiling. Joseph could not have been more accessible, personable, humble, willing, thoughtful, informative… entertaining, and warm––like a fuzzy blanket on a cool summer night. Just loved every minute. I watched quite a few interviews with Joseph to get to know him a bit before sitting down with him. All that I saw were centered around the music of Toto and Joseph’s solo work––the songs, the musicians, the concerts. Fascinating! I wanted to know about the kid, the son, the man, the artist, the vocalist, the composer, who thrived, who struggled, who acted out, who cleaned up, and that’s exactly what generous Joseph gave us, no holds barred, no lines held, as it were. From his earliest days with his dad, John Williams, making genius in the other room, his actress-singer mother, Barbara Ruick, turning life into songs, he

I’m filled to the brim with love, compassion, and inspiration. I so enjoyed every moment in Lydia Cornell’s most excellent company. A strong, talented, generous, capable woman, who knows who she is, where she’s been, and where she wants to be, allowing for godshots that may alter her future at any turn, AFI Best Actress nominee and People’s Choice Award winner Lydia, best known for her starring role in Too Close for Comfort, is all that and a standup comedienne, writer, director, public speaker, and activist. We went back to Lydia’s early days in El Paso Texas, her Russian father, and challenging mother… the haircut, the Barbies, the boys, oh my! Moving to Scarsdale, starring in High School plays, college in Boulder., Colorado, and Hollywood by way of the music biz, Caribou Ranch…. some great stories there… Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, Dennis Wilson, Henry Diltz, dating Paul Stanley and Donnie Most, and how her naive approach to breaking into the biz, worked! On her third audition, she landed a starring role

Rick Vito Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson What a lovely way to spend a sunny afternoon. Grammy-nominated guitarist, singer, and producer, Rick Vito, probably best known as a member of Fleetwood Mac, was a sunny delight, hisself. Coming to us Live from Franklin TN, following the release of his recently dropped latest album, Cadillac Man, we wiled away the hour talking his tastes… The Stones, Duane Eddy, BB King, his passions, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Green, his custom guitars, and his history… a 41-year marriage, two great kids, starting out with Delaney and Bonnie and Eric Clapton, what a story there! Moving to LA, crashing with Todd Rundgren, Something/Anything? Could I have played that album more freshman year? John Prine’s Common Sense… oh please! An all-time favorite! Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, with our friends Russ Kunkel and Kootch, Bob Seger, and that idea of Rick’s to play slide on Like a Rock, a tasty choice that would become an iconic anthem for Chevrolet and a generation. A great story ab

Hal Linden Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Does it get better than this? Someone’s gonna have to prove it to me. Wow, what a time with Hal Linden! As nice, charming, handsome, and tall (well, I’m guessing on the last), as his Barney Miller, Hal was all that and a hefty bag of Cheetos. Absolutely age-defying - I want to see his birth certificate. It’s unfathomable that he’s 93. Still dashing, his voice strong, mind sharp, wit crackling, and his talent will be on display next weekend in Flat Rock, co-starring with Marilu Henner in Ed Weinberger’s, The Journals of Adam and Eve. I wanna go! Road trip? Hal took us through his early days, one of six cousins, all professional musicians, he a clarinetist first, classically trained, in the musicians union at 15, then the sax called, a hysterical story there, the army, and then the theatre… to hear Hal tell it, it all makes sense. From summer stock to Broadway as an understudy in Bells Are Ringing with Judy Holliday. I won’t dare ruin that story. It was 8 ye

Warren Ham Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson What an absolutely delightful sit down with multi-instrumentalist and vocalist, Warren Ham. As much as I was blown away seeing him do his thing (s) Live with Ringo and his All Starr Band, singing lead, background vocals, playing flute, sax, harmonica, keyboards, and percussion, I’m exhausted just typing it, let alone watching him work the entire multi-level stage, I was equally impressed chatting with him. What an engaging, fun, open, self-effacing, lovely, ridiculously talented, accessible, human. Warren started us with his family’s gospel group, recording his first album at 5. What a slacker! Country music and mandolin with his guitar-playing older brother Bill followed. While Warren sang and played harmonica with every garage band in Fort Worth, Bill was playing on TV on The Sonny & Cher Show, paving the way for things to come. Bloodrock and three albums followed and then dueting with Cher for three years in Vegas and meeting… well, pretty much everyon

Butch Patrick Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson What a fun chat with Butch Patrick, aka Eddie Munster, who’s warm, easy and so comfortable in his skin that it’s impossible to not feel like an old friend coming home. Butch makes everyone in his path feel seen, heard, and important. What a gift. We talked about current events… living in Arkansas, his Munster Mobiles, getting out and meeting his fans, his girlfriend, how they met, and how they keep it going. And we went back… how a 7 yr old got his start in film, had a career in TV, and at the age of 10, a starring role on one of the most iconic and endearing television shows of all time. Thank goodness Bill Mumy took a pass. There are no accidents. This was Butch’s path. We talked Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis, Yvonne De Carlo, The Cowsills, and The Monkees, and his amazing episode and time shooting with them at the height of all of their fame. There were crazy days and trouble. Pot, booze, and drugs, and then, 13 years ago, getting sober. Butch’s ease a

Rudy Sarzo of Quiet Riot Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson I got to sit down again with bassist extraordinaire, Rudy Sarzo... Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, The Guess Who, Blue Oyster Cult - who's also a modern-day humanist, animal rights activist, author, mentor, CG artist, and an evolved, spiritual, gentle soul. And what a time it was! Originally from Cuba, we talked Rudy's early days, his family's struggle to get here, and the struggles they continued to face when they arrived. Barely speaking the language, work shortages, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Kennedy Assassination, to the shining light of the Beatles, which shifted almost everything. Rudy's foray into music... Kevin Dubrow, the original Quiet Riot, a partial cover band at the time doing some originals, Ozzy Osbourne, the fame, booze, and the crazy, Randy Rhoads, who opened the doors, filled the world with magic and then took the joy when he left way too soon, Frankie Banali, more Quiet Riot, Metal Health, Whitesnake, the gir

OMG, where has George Schlatter been my whole life? I could've been a contenda! George Schlatter relishes the accidents and has made a career and created a legacy spinning them into comedy gold. Sock it to me! Here comes the judge! Look that up in your Funk and Wagnells! It’s not everyone who creates language that becomes part of the lexicon. 25x Emmy Nominee, 3x Emmy Winner, Golden Globe WInner, Producers Guild Winner, and Directore’s Guild Man of the Year, George Schlatter is all that and so much more. A television icon, I’m beyond thrilled to have had this opportunity to chat and get to know him with y’all. Creator and producer of Laugh-In, for that alone he should be canonized, George changed the face of television. He also created and produced Real People, produced the first 5 years of the Grammy Awards plus series and specials starring Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Eddie Murphy, Cher, Elton John, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Liza Minnelli, Michael Jackson, Doris Day, Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor, Shi

Federico Castelluccio of The Sopranos Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson I knew Federico Castelluccio, Furio Giunta, on the Sopranos, is a crazy talented artist on screen and canvas, is charming, easy on the eyes and ears, but damn! I was unprepared for one of the most fascinating, spectacular conversations I’ve had to date. I know little to nothing of the art world beyond what I like. Federico made it all sound so straightforward and accessible. He demystified his process of collecting, making so much sense, and almost making it sound… simple! Alas, I’m well aware it’s so not. Federico’s decades of study, his photographic memory, and his passion paved the way for finds, well, one so extraordinary… sweet dreams are made of these. What joy to ask if it would be possible to view a piece of his work only to discover that the photograph behind him was not a photograph at ‘tol, but rather a charcoal Federico had done. The beauty of the library behind him, from the rich orange wall, gold frames, and perf

Rock ’N Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Hanging out with Rock’N Roll Hall of Famer, Ricky Byrd, is like going home. Back to the days… when we were both in a daze. I was booking the Rock 'N Roll Café on Bleecker Street, Ricky was already a rockstar, center stage as lead guitarist with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, playing those iconic riffs in the fab MTV Music Video Days... when there were ashtrays on restaurant tables, and MTV played music videos. Just found a great pic of Ricky and Elliot Easton sitting in on our tiny stage in ’87ish. All those years ago, and yet how fun to have seen Elliot play live last week with The Immediate Family and Zoom tonight with Ricky. One big difference, both Ricky and I are sober. 36 years for him, and the last many, being of service and giving back with his time, and his music. His current passion, partnering with AllSober.com to aid those struggling with addiction to gain inspiration from their sober heroes. He treated us to his Ain’t

Simon Kirke of Bad Company Live on Game Changers With Vicki I was Live with Simon Kirke, co-founder of Free and Bad Company, two of the greatest rock bands in history. A huge lifelong fan, it was a thrill to sit down and hear how it all went down, including how Snuffy, a guitar player kinda close to my heart, ended up playing on Free’s Heartbreaker. We heard about Simon’s very humble beginnings with neither running water nor electricity, talk about building character, his transistor radio, listening to big bands, pre-Beatles, making his own drumsticks, and finding his way back to London from the countryside with a time limit to make it and joining Paul Kossoff’s Black Cat Bones just under the wire. How they formed Free, All Right Now, the song that made them, and perhaps, destroyed them. The unrelenting touring, and then Kosoff’s unrelenting drugs. How the band evolved before imploding. Ultimately, in part, morphing into Bad Company, one of the greatest straight-up rock bands of all time with Simon co-wr

James Morrison Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson How fortuitous that my first show back after an 8-week hiatus was with the stunningly soulful James Morrison––actor, writer, filmmaker, musician, husband, father, fellow, and stellar human. James was Chicken soup for my post-COVID soul. Discovering just before we went on the air that my treasured friend, Christinna Guzman had passed from cancer opened the door to an emotionally charged conversation about relationships…parent/child, James’ son, Seamus, is a brain cancer survivor… love partnerships, how James and Riad have thrived through their 35 years together, including through their son’s illness… art, which Christinna championed, and shared with me and oft shot for me, including my Women Who Write Literary Salons, and these Game Changers talk shows, where James has read and sung numerous times and Christinna and I bore witness. To honor her and James’ talents, James gifted us with a reading from his show, Leave Your Fears Here, sang, at my fervent re

Vincent Curatola of The Sopranos Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson I’m not sure how it’s possible to meet a person once on Zoom and feel like they’re a treasured friend that I’ve known forever, but that’s exactly how it is with Vincent Curatola, aka Johnny Sack of The Sopranos, whom before meeting I feared would whack. Me. On this our second sitdown we talked how a businessman who’d nary graced a stage in a few short years under the tutelage of acting coach Michael Moriarty, took on Law & Order, then wrote and starred in his own short film, Dearly Beloved, co-starring Tony Sirrico, and then was soon his Sopranos co-star. Vincent shared the story of that relationship, his casting, and how the work played out. We talked about the Mafia as if there is such a thing, David Chase, James Gandolfini, Ginny Sack, and Sydney Pollack. We talked about acting, how I’ve never caught him doing it, how he was trained, and how he trains, the upcoming reinvention of his short film Dearly Beloved, and his mother, fa

Lori Lieberman Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Being with Lori Lieberman, the very first musical guest at Women Who Write, and the only artist to perform at every WWW location over the past decade-plus is like going home. Five years since our last midday soiree, it was so wonderful to reconnect and catch up. We got the unabridged Killing Me Softly scoop, from its inception with Lori’s pen on a napkin at a Don McLean show, to it getting fleshed out with her managers, Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, her recording it, getting airplay, Roberta hearing it, Lori making the rounds credited as a collaborator, then written off, and finally getting vindicated only recently. There’s lots more to the story, all fascinating and aided greatly by its mostly happyish ending. Lori’s first five albums and self-imposed hiatus that followed. Motherhood, Joe Cali, falling in love and finding her way back to the music. 20 albums later, her latest releases, The Girl and The Cat, her most emotional and personal work to dat

Steve Lukather Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Hold the Line! Steve Lukather may be a bonafide rock star, but he’s also down-to-earth, self-effacing, self-aware, open-minded, hearted, reflective, enthusiastic, passionate, thoughtful, generous, and perhaps sweetest of all, a fanboy like us of his heroes. From the 6-year-old boy blown away by The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, George’s guitar specifically, to the grown man who came to play and friend not only George, but Paul, and closer than close with Ringo, his “boss” for the past decade. Fab stories of all three, not to mention much about Steve and then Jeff Porcaro, David Paich, with whom he began being a serious musician whilst still in high school. Stories about Steely Dan and their various incarnations, one which almost included him, Boz Scaggs, his first major gig, the formation of Toto, sessions, sessions, and more sessions, Dean Parks, Ray Parker, Jim Keltner, Larry Carlton, touring, alcohol, drugs, wild times, Michael Jackson, Thriller, Eddie

Marshall Herskovitz Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Masterclass! I’ve had many stimulating, fascinating, brilliant, talented, fun guests. None more so than writer, director, and producer, Marshall Herskovitz. There’s a reason this human has won more Emmy, Golden Globe, Writers Guild, Directors Guild, Peabody, and Humanitas Awards than I can count… not to mention an Academy Award nomination. Wow, just wow! You don’t get all those awards for writing, creating, and making great television and movies without being a great storyteller, and boy is Marshall that! From his eighth-grade short story to his first attempt at filmmaking, AFI––miracle-ing his way in, meeting Ed Zwick the very first day––a partnership that would change both their lives and all of ours… Snuffy’s specifically and significantly. We talked thirtysomething from throw-away lack of interest to the cataclysmic creative shift in what was possible on series TV. From Day 1 to the present commitment to the reboot usurped by the pandemic. Mar

Today I got to hang with Ed Begley who makes me laugh and think and feel and want to do better and be better. 7x Emmy Award Nominee - St Elsewhere, Better Call Saul, Best In Show, Saturday Night Live, Spinal Tap, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, Going South, She Devil, My Three Sons, The Dating Game, oh yes he did… even winning a date to Australia… we talked them all and then some… Nicholson, Brando, Streep, Cindy Williams, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby, Charles Manson, John Belushi, Harry Nilsson, Harry Dean Stanton, Lorne Michaels, Michael Richard’s… Ed Begley Sr, the Chinatown connection, addiction, recovery, slips, righting wrongs, and righting so much right. A power of example in so, so many ways. We talked his just dropped sure to be a bestseller, To The Temple of Tranquility… and Step On It! The book’s a provocative, oft shocking, thrilling peek behind the Hollywood scene… get his book… and step on it… you’ll be so glad you did. https://bit.ly/40gzHtb Ed’s humble, honest to the max, self-effacing, and self-aw

Steve Porcaro Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson I loved every second with 3x Grammy Winner, founding member of Toto, Steve Porcaro. A down-to-earth sweetheart of a guy who just happens to be one arm of the iconic legendary musical Porcaro family. These ain’t no lip-sinking, TV frontmen, the Porcaros define chops. World-renowned drummer, Joe, who left sticks and skins around, brother Jeff, who picked them up and banged them to new heights, Mike who segued to bass, and Steve who found his passion and his niche with keyboards, programming, and sythns. Separately, and together they made musical history. We talked beginnings influences, The Beatles, Keith Emerson, from playing school proms to clubs with David Paich, Hungate, and Lukather, to Boz Skaggs to Toto, Bobby Kimball, Hold The Line, Rosanna, Arquette, and the song, success fulfilling all childhood dreams and then some. Sessions and side work for all of them, Bette Midler, Chaka, Earth, Wind & Fire, Quincy Jones, which led to Micheal Jackson and Hum