Mike Safo

Joined today by car enthusiast, podcast and YouTube host of the “The Smoking Tire”, Matt Farah. Matt and I talk about cats, from being a cat dad to flooding his Instagram with his 4 cats. We talk about the building of the “Westside Collector CarStorage” and his podcast compound. Matt tells us about how his infatuation with cars started at a young age and what car jump started his love. We also hear about how his early days at a carwash, and how YouTube changed his entire career. He convinces me to put a down-payment on the new Telsa CyberTruck. After all the car talk, Matt tells us about how he got into Opie and Anthony, and we talk about our friendships with the late and great Carl Ruiz. From podcasting with Joe Rogan to his last speeding ticket, we find out why Matt is more than just watches, cars and cats. Follow Matt on the following platforms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesmokingtire/ twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSmokingTire website; http://thesmokingtire.com/

Joined today by the legendary comedian Reverend Bob Levy. Bob and I Talk about what got him banned from Twitter for over a year after his beef with Alyssa Milano. We chat about his car accident that had him laid up for almost 18 months, how he’s dealing with recovery and what has changed in comedy during his time out. He tells us about growing up on Staten Island, being in a band and how starting bar fights led him to be a comedian. The Reverend shares with us what it’s like working on the radio now with Kidd Chris, his thoughts on Trump and why he prefers terrestrial radio over satellite.   We talk about the glory days of talk radio and why he wasn’t on Opie and Anthony as much as he wanted to be. Bob reminisces about his first Howard Stern appearance and how that changed his career. We chat about rehab, the ziti in jail and how he got the name Reverend. Bob shares what it was like touring with Jim Florentine, the legendary hotel furniture story, and all the tricks he used to get girls. From the origin of th

Joined today, for his annual prefight podcast, the pride of Ireland, undefeated boxer Michael “Mick” Conlan. Mick’s been doing a ton of press so we tried to make this one a little different. We reminisce about our first show 4 years ago when he only had 2 fights under his belt and how we’ve progressed to podcasting from a romantic booth in midtown Manhattan. Being a father and husband, we talk about his expiration date on boxing, managing to stay grounded, and why Legacy doesn’t mean much to him. The Champ and I talk about the craziness that is NYC during Christmas time, what he’s doing with his time here and how he’s cutting weight for the upcoming fight. We talk about his close friend Paddy Barnes, what their friendship means to him and why I shouldn’t let him room with me. He tries to sell me on visiting Belfast, but we also touch on the unfortunate drug problem there as the important election takes place this week. We talk about the current state of boxing ,talking Joshua/Ruiz 2 and Wilder/Fury 2. From hi

Joined today by travel blogger, author and host of the podcast “Counting Countries” Rick "Global" Gazarian. Rick and I talk about elite characters that have visited every country in the world and what makes him want to achieve this tremendous feat. We hear about how losing his job and traveling the world for 11 months changed his life. He tells us about his podcast “Counting Countries” and interviewing the people who have visited all 193 countries. Gaz takes us through some of his unique travels, such as: sleeping in the exclusion zone in Chernobyl, spending two weeks all over Afghanistan and why he’s still left speechless by the Kowloon in Hong Kong. As an author of 3 books he talks about his famous list of 193 books, 1 from each country and how a certain book about Thailand made him move there. From watching the Patriots in Bangkok to his lack of love for Ethiopia, Global Gaz takes us around the world with his eyes and mouth. Follow Global Gaz here: Website: https://globalgaz.com/ Instagram: https://www.

Joined today by former Boxing Heavyweight Champion and actor Michael Bentt. Although he’s British born, he tells us about missing his mom’s Jamaican home cooking and his friends back in Queens, NY where he grew up. We talk about his successful Netflix docuseries “Losers”, and how it touches on his tumultuous relationship with his father. As one of the most decorated NY amateur fighters of all time, he talks about how boxing became an escape for him and appreciating the ups and downs of boxing. He shares his mindset after losing his first debut fight to Jerry Jones. How the embarrassment of the loss took him to a dark place where he hit rock bottom, but it also fueled him in his triumph against Tommy “The Duke” Morrison, which turned into a redemption win. The champ takes us on the journey of how he went from writing an article about being knocked out to acting in Hollywood. From sparring with Evander Holyfield to becoming Will Smith’s assistant trainer in Ali. Check out his docuseries “Loser” on Netflix and F

Joined today by former NFL WR and current WR coach at The University of Virginia, Marques “Biscuit” Hagans. Marques and I talk about his recruiting process and how his Grandmother was the deciding factor in his choosing UVA over Indiana. We spend some time talking about his time at Virginia, his roommates and of course that historic win in 2005 over #4 ranked Florida State. “Biscuit” tells us how he met his basketball star wife, and who would win in a game of horse. Coach Hagans takes us back to the 2006 NFL Draft and where he was when he got the call that he made it to “The League”. We hear about rookie hazing, stepping on the field in his first game and seeing Ray Lewis, meeting Peyton Manning and the difficulties of moving from team to team. After his NFL career, Marques moved to the sidelines to become one of the best Wide Receiver coaches in the country. Coach tells us what that entails, what’s the most rewarding part of coaching, and why he loves teaching so much. We look ahead to the potential monster

From Jack Demsey’s and taped before a live audience of NYPD, joined today by the REAL DEA agents from the Netflix show “Narcos”, Agent Javier Peña and Agent Stephen Murphy. We talk about the release of their book “Manhunters: How We Took Down Pablo Escobar”, and what made them want to be law enforcement. We hear about how Peña left a bride at the altar to join law enforcement, and their undercover careers before joining DEA.  Bringing it back to Narcos we learn about the first time they heard about Escobar. They tell us about their day to day activities down in Colombia while hunting Pablo. Of course, we talk about Murphy and the iconic photo the day Pablo Escobar died. We also discuss their assignments after Escobar was killed, the current war on drugs and the opioid epidemic. From sleeping in Don Pablo’s bed to the story of a DEA Legend Kiki Camarena. Find out how their story got turned into one of the most popular Netflix series. All this and much much more!! Check out the boys here: https://www.deanarc

Joined today by Kentucky Sports Radio’s own Drew Franklin. Drew tells me about his recent engagement, setting up the proposal and how he fumbled the most important line. Drew and I talk about New York City, his go-to places to eat, secret bars and of course Jack Demseys. We hear about how Drew got involved with KSR, how Matt Jones discovered him, the evolution of the show from a website to what it is now. Kentucky sports is of course on the forefront and we talk about last year’s magical 10-win football season, why he’s giving this year’s team a pass, and what’s next for the Wildcat football team. Drew helps break down the 2019-20 Kentucky Basketball Team. We hear his thoughts on Hagans, Nate Sestina, Whitney, Maxey, Nick Richard and more. We talk about the insanity that is Big Blue Nation, how Kentucky needs to hang a banner and what his expectations are for this season. From drunk dialing Marilyn Manson, to his John Robic clipboard acquisition and of course a Jared Lorenzen story. Drew Franklin shows why he

Joined today by former editor of Ring Magazine, the youngest commissioner in boxing and co-host of “At The Fights” on Sirius/XM radio, Randy Gordon. Randy tells us about the death of Rocky Marciano and how running to Ring Magazine to meet with Nate Fleischer changed his entire life. We hear about his time at the head of Ring magazine. The Commish then talks about his time calling fights for ESPN and how his love for the sport and his integrity cost him his dream job with the worldwide leader. Despite believing it was a prank call we hear about Governor Cuomo handpicking Randy to be the youngest commissioner of boxing in New York State. Obviously we talk about his incredible book Glove Affair, how long it took him to write it and the difficulty of putting himself out there and making the book so emotional. Randy opens up about his lifelong friendship with Muhammad Ali, from their private lunches to revealing how he was going to quit during the Thrilla in Manila and how the Commish finally got Smokin’ Joe Frazi

Joined today by former New York Yankees outfielder Slade Heathcott. Slade and I talk about the current ALCS and if the Yankees being down 2 games to 1 means the series is over. We talk about what’s REALLY going on in the clubhouse, what the players are thinking and the pressure that is October baseball. Slade lets us know what he thinks the Yankees should do in the offseason and offers his predictions for the rest of the playoffs. We talk about all the non-profit charity work he’s involved in, especially what he’s doing for the clean-up efforts in the Dominican Republic. Slade tells us about the harsh conditions and pay of a minor league ball player, what can be done to improve it and what happened to him 2 days after “Slade Runner” night when he was playing. We touch on Tyler Skaggs and the tragic opioid epidemic and why his foundation morethanbaseball.org can be the buffer MLB needs. He shares his passion of flying, how he got his pilot’s license and some of his dream destinations. From not being able to ge

Joined today by former NHL and international hockey player Rob Schremp. Rob and I talk about the current state of the NHL with all the young players taking over the league, the importance of long term contracts and what players he love to watch. We talk about his illustrious junior career that took him from upstate New York to dominating the OHL at the age of 15. Rob takes us through his 2004 draft day, getting the call up to the NHL and his welcome to the NHL. We talk some travel and Rob’s time playing hockey all over Europe, meeting his wife, and when did he know it was time to hang up the skates. Rob and I talk about his lifelong battle with depression, fighting the demons as a teenager and how he made changes in his life to combat it.  He tells us about the new company he’s involved in VEDA (Endocannabinoid Nutrition); how it changed not only his life, but the importance of CBD in fighting the opioid epidemic. From regrets of getting autographs to his thoughts on hockey in Brooklyn, Rob really opens up.

Joined today by Chess Grandmaster Sam Shankland. Sam and I talk about the rigorous travel schedule of a chess player, and how he can decompress after a big match overseas. We discuss the pros and cons of the various Chess tournaments in the world, how Saint Louis became the hub of the chess world and what makes him choose a tournament to play in. Sam is one of the rare chess superstars that didn’t start as a very young age so we talk about if that helped or hindered his development, how he balanced school and chess. Sam tells us the moment he chose chess as his profession, why it’s more nerve racking to face a lesser opponent and he finally explains to me what those numbers are next to his name (2705). We talk about arguably the greatest chess player in the world, Magnus Carlsen, their friendship and how they spar together. Sam takes us through his career leading to becoming a Grandmaster. We talk about the 2018 US Championship that he shockingly won and took the chess world by storm. Sam gives us his opinion

Joined today by the 5th ranked heavyweight boxer in the world, and brand new father Adam “BabyFace” Kownacki. Adam tells us what it’s like being a father to a 20-day year old baby boy, from what scares him to what caused his wife to get mad at him during labor.  He shares with us how being a father is making him think a lot about his boxing career. We talk about the UFC fights that are happening in Abu Dhabi as we podcast and which fighter he likes to watch. Adam takes us through his fascination with Bitcoin and how much money he’s making on it. We talk about the WAR that was his fight with Chris Arreola and how he could possibly decompress from that fight, both mentally and physically. Babyface opens up about regrets he might have on passing up the Anthony Joshua fight that led Ruiz to win the title. Adam lets us know about his budding friendship with Polish Legend Andrew Golata, how it feels to fight with the weight of a nation on his back, and more talk about his baby boy Kaz. All this and more with the fu

Joined today by former Judge, Retired Lieutenant with the New York State Department of Corrections and author of the book “Dannemora”, Charles Gardener. We talk about the unique perspective he had writing this book, not only as a retired C.O. from Clinton but also as a resident  where the escape happened. We delve into the earlier crimes of David Sweat and Richard Matt and then Charles tells us the gruesome and heinous crimes that put Matt and Sweat behind bars for life. Lt. Gardner explains the thin line between prisoners and C.O.’s and how one little favor cost Officer Palmer his freedom and ruined a 27-year career. We talk extensively about Joyce “Tillie” Mitchell and how a schoolgirl crush on the inmates turned into a smuggling story for the ages with weapons being hidden in frozen meat. Lt. Gardner tells us not only about the convicts 3 weeks on the lam in the foothills of the Adirondacks, but also what the citizens were going through during this intense time. We hear his thoughts on the Showtime hit “Da

Joined today by UFC Lightweight fighter and inspirational speaker Jared “Flash” Gordon. We talk about his recent engagement to his fiancé, how he proposed and also talk about her career as an American Ninja Warrior. We talk about his new hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the food scene there and how it compares to his hometown of Astoria. Jared tells us about the bro-mance of the decade between him and Belal Muhammed, how it got started and how its evolving. Flash tells us about the call from the UFC that they renewed his contract after tearing his hamstring off his pelvis in a previous fight. We touch on his dominating performance against Daniel Morat in Minneapolis and the decompression time after a fight. Jared, as always, talks openly about his battle with addiction. He continues to speak about his desire to continue the Gordon family legacy and fight at Madison Square Garden in November and who he wants to fight. We hear about Jared’s plan to go to Abu Dhabi with Belal for the Khabib match this weekend,

Joined today by the face of true crime reporting, Nancy Grace. Nancy fills us in on a little trick she would do inside the courtroom to get the jury’s attention. We hear why she had to escort her twins to sleepaway camp and how that caused her to get sick. Nancy tells us about her incredible new show “Injustice with Nancy Grace” on the Oxygen channel and why she doesn’t consider it a show. She explains why she handpicked every case on this new show and talks about this week’s show with Shele Danishefsky and the heartbreaking way her daughter had to find her. We talk about the true crime world and what Nancy does to decompress from it. Nancy tells us the inspirational story about how her fiancé’s murder led to her pursuing a law degree and going on to prosecute a ton of cases in Atlanta. The queen of true crime lets us know how she “conceived” her husband to propose, why she is up every morning cleaning gerbil tanks and why she thinks so many women accidently fall in the bathroom. From Nancy’s time as a prosec

Joined today by one of the youngest people to ever visit every country in the world, plus more, Dr. Dustin Pfundheller. Before we talk travel we hear about Dustin’s upbringing in small-town USA Wisconsin, and how losing a college election as a freshman started his thirst for travel. We hear about him wanting to become a dentist at the University of Florida and how a 6-month job in Singapore turned into years and years of wandering the world while still holding a full time job.  He tells us about the difficulty of dentistry in an Asian country, the perks of visiting countries on a 3 day weekend and when he started to count countries. We discuss Instagram travel “influencers” who travel for the wrong reasons, and why he hates loopholes when visiting countries. Dustin shows us how he used the popular app, Tinder to make friends all over the world. We go over how he obtained visas for some of the world’s most difficult countries to visit, and his tips on visiting some unknown countries, like Micronesia, by using

Joined today by 3x World Series Champion, 216 game winner, 6x All-Star and future Hall of Famer, Curt Schilling. Curt and I talk about the current state of baseball, how much of it he watches nowadays and which players are a must watch for the veteran pitcher. He describes the mentality of pitching and how he had a 67 point checklist when a batter came to the plate. Curt talks about the genius that is Theo Epstein, why clubhousechemistry is more important than sabermetrics and what makes a good leader. We hear a few good clubhouse stories involving Manny Ramirez, David Ross, Orlando Cabera and others. Curt takes us through the epic, at bat showdown with Soriano in game 7 of the 2001 World Series and how he felt when he saw Mariano Rivera warming up. We hear about his warrior-like performance with the infamous bloody sock in 2004 and when the Red Sox knew they would win the World title. Curt tells us about how a quick comment after the 2004 World Series set him down road to politics, and how President Bush cal

Joined today, from the Mike Francesa studios, by legendary WFAN host Steve Somers. Being one of the original voices on the WFAN airwaves we discuss the early times of the Fan and hear stories about the dingy, cramped, yet historic Astoria-Kaufman studios. Steve tells us about being on the tv in California and how he made his high school yearbook dream come true by making it to the airwaves of the Big Apple. We hear about him dominating the NYC airwaves as Captain Midnight and why he never wanted to leave the overnight shift.  Steve breaks down his tumultuous relationship with his midday partner Ruzz Salzburg. We talk about Steve’s famous monologues, the pros/cons of working his crazy hours, and what WFAN hosts impress the Schmooze the most. Steve and I talk a bunch about “Jerry From Queens”; we hear about the Urban Legend that Jerry Seinfeld called the station ranting and raving when he thought Steve was fired, the first time meeting Jerry in a bodega in Manhattan and co-hosting with the sitcom superstar. We

Joined today by 38-year veteran of the NYPD, former Chief of Transit and Brooklyn South, Joe Fox. Before we discuss his legendary career in law enforcement we talk about the Chief’s passion of traveling and photography. We hear about his vacation to Hawaii and participating in the lantern lighting festival to traveling to Washington D.C., and hanging in the White House and being in the same room as President Trump. We talk about his involvement with the incredible organization 5 Star Alliance. He discusses what made him follow in his father's footsteps to serve and protect. Joe shares some hilarious stories, such as declaring a woman D.O.A. while he was a rookie cop only to find out she was still living. We hear about policing NYC in the 1980’s during the crack wars, riots and record setting crime rates. He also tells us a never before told story about the tragic assault on Loumia and how his reputation helped somewhat heal community problems. The tragic event of September 11th hit close to home and we hear h