Not So Famous in NJ - Coffee Talk and Candid Conversations With Lucille

He's a full time father and music hobbyist with a background as diverse as it gets. After working with hip hop artists Andy B. Bad and Salt-N-Pepa, his journey took him through rock, pop, country and even faith-based music. His passions? Music, his sons and . . .  affordable housing. . . really!

Death. Polio. Burt Bacharach. Not terms you usually associate with the founder of Holiday Express. But nevertheless, Tim is a complex guy and we delve into these issues and more. As well as him being the worst soldier ever.

Does anyone other than bass players like bass solos? I love to tease Tony about this, but he actually has an answer that you might not expect. This freewheeling conversation is from 2021 - over Zoom - but that didn't hold either of us back!

Yes, you may know a lot of things about Tim McLoone. But if you really think you know him. . . well, you don't. From his solitary childhood to his life as a philanthropist and restaurateur, the story of Tim McLoone may just surprise you.

Can rape be funny? Part two of my conversation with comedian Vinnie Brand hammers away at this and also some misogynistic male comedians - Louis CK, Bill Cosby (of course) - but some good guys like Ray Romano & Eddie Murphy as well. There's a reason why a certain comedian is the only one no longer welcome in his clubs, and it might surprise you.
Can comedy be like sex? What drove his mother crazy? And how I land this interview? You gotta listen!
 

He may be a comedian and own his own comedy club (the Stress Factory), but that doesn't mean I can't ask him how often he bombs or can he seriously consider himself eye candy. He does a good job at handling hecklers, but let's see if he can handle me.

When I remember my college days, it’s with a fog of late nights and parties and dancing… And classes, of course. The college students I interviewed from the Livingston theater Company production staff apparently had a different experience, because they’re incredibly articulate and able to answer my interview questions about the company’s  performance of beauty and the beast and their backstage roles without hesitation. What is this generation coming to?

I lost my mother about two years ago and think about her every day. Even though she was approaching 101 when she passed away, it was still too early. Luckily, I had interviewed her when I was doing an earlier podcast (Hazlet Coffee Talk), to ask her about what it was like moving to a farm community from Jersey City.
I'm posting this on Mother's Day in her honor. And because those who loved her - basically everyone she knew - will probably enjoy hearing her voice and her laugh one more time.

How difficult is it to have a successful career in the arts when your big brother Steven Van Zandt is a rock and roll icon and a TV star to boot?
As a long time friend, I hit Billy Van Zandt with this question- and other embarrassing ones - before we talk about what it takes to get a TV writing gig, his decades working with his long-time writing partner, Jane Milmore,  a zany almost-meeting with Lucille Ball and an quasi deja vu moment when he actually did meet his comic idol.
https://www.amazon.com/GET-CAR-JANE-Adventures-Wasteland/dp/1734401710/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3J1LCIWQZ80QE&dchild=1&keywords=billy+van+zandt&qid=1615924749&sprefix=billy+van+zan%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1

Royce Meier found his place in the arts not in his native NYC roots, but in Asbury Park at the Showroom. Royce and I  discuss how LGBTQ characters - so accepted in the 20s and 30s - end up being victims or villains in later films, why you’ll never see “I Shot Andy Warhol” at the Showroom and who we like better: Tonya Harding or Nancy Kerrigan.