Vicki Abelson's Broadcast: The Road Taken

Third time is the charm! Twice scheduled to grace my living room pre-pandemic, what a Thanksgiving gift Academy Award and Golden Globe Winner, George Chakiris is. Perfectly timed. Ridiculously easy on the eyes, he defies the passage of time and is as gracefully humble in word and deed as he is gliding across a dance floor, or the streets of the barrio, as the case may be. Forever, Bernardo, we dove into a multitude of his other films, from his first, singing with a boys choir opposite Katherine Hepburn in Song of Love, to background dancer alongside Marilyn Monroe, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosalind Russell, and Cyd Charisse, to name but a few. Taking his first dance class at 19, he did over a dozen films almost immediately, and went from gypsy to starring in the London production of West Side Story, as… wait for it, Riff. George had not only never acted, he’d nary taken an acting class, and yet in short shrift, he was earning an Oscar, as Bernardo opposite Rita Moreno, in the winningest m

What fun and gorgeousness! Time flew with two-time Emmy-nominated actress, Lee Purcell, and, world’s collided all over the place. It is a small world, after all. From her runway days at three (I know!), Native American ancestry, multi-generational military mantle, to dancing, singing, regional TVing’, Lee went on to best 500 hopefuls, handpicked by Steve McQueen hisself (who mentored Lee in all things life, career & fitness––sweet surprise story there), to co-star with Kirk’s son, fairly green, Michael Douglas. Lee later co-starred with Kirk, and they’re not her only father/son dynasty co-stars. Not a bad place to start. Follow that teaming with Orson Welles, earning an Emmy nomination alongside Mark Harmon, and then another co-starring with Beau Bridges, and father Lloyd. In fact, Lee had lots of Bridges. Hysterical. Old friends with Jeff and his later girlfriend, Candy Clark, well, there are stories then and now, there, too. There’s Malcolm McDowell, Chadwick Bostwick, Jon Voight, a brand spanking new, Ni

What a gift to be able to look iconic drummer Russell Kunkel in the virtual eye and say, thank you. A lifetime fan, I’ve seen and heard Russ play more times than I can begin to count. His beat literally weaves through the musical Tapestry of my life (see what I did there). Add to that, a sweet, gentlemanly, romantic soul, he's all that and a bag of sticks. We started with The Immediate Family and came back around, full circle. I honored the time promised (it's Russ's last night with his beautiful bride for a spell, so we kept it to a tight hour), and he kindly indulged a few personal questions about Leah Kunkle (Cass Elliot's sis), his kids, Nathaniel, Elsie, Owen, Carly Simon, Nicolette Larson, and how he met his beloved, Shauna. Love that Leland played a hand without a bass in it. Of the almost uncountable iconic recordings and tours that Russ has played on, we started with John Stewart (Daydream Believer) of The Kingston Trio, where Russ claims to have been schooled by the talented consummate profess

Sometimes all that glitters is gold. Actress, dancer, philanthropist, pisser, Ruta Lee, is one bodacious, bawdy broad, absolutely gorgeous, inside and out. This was not the time to be having a bad hair day and wardrobe issues. Sitting across the virtual desk from this stunner I felt like an ill-kempt man. I couldn’t take my eyes off the perfectly coiffed and made-up woman whose lipstick never lost its luster through an hour of conversation, whilst mine disappeared faster than Florence Griffith-Joyner at the starting gate. And yet, Ruta, at every turn, was warm, inclusive, and oh so kind to me. Literally giddy with her attention, I consider my ass well kissed. And, what a conversation it ’twas! From her earliest days in Montreal with her adoring Lithuanian parents who sacrificed everything to get their Ruta to Hollywood. Dance lessons, acting classes, and live theatre swiftly led to teenage Ruta being featured on The Burns and Allen Show, The Adventures Superman, to starring in the Academy Award Nominated

It was a long time coming! After meeting Denny Tedesco at NAMM two years ago, having seen his unforgettable, moving, stellar film, The Wrecking Crew, I jumped. Scheduled BC (Before COVID), at long last, here we finally were. Denny had completed most of the interviews (Carole King, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt to name but a few icons weighing in on The Section (Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkle, Waddy Wachtel, and Danny Kortchmar), for his upcoming doc on thier The Immediate Family (with relative youngin’ Steve Postel), as a sort of followup to his doc, The Wrecking Crew, when we met. He was heading to Sundance just before the pandemic hit. Undeterred by the inerminable shut down, Denny’s managing to complete the film, getting a masterfully produced iPhone self tape from Keith Richards, remote interviews with Stevie Nicks and Lyle Lovett, and sitting down, with caution and testing with the boys, themselves. How I can’t wait to see it! This collective has played on most of the soundtrack of my l

It was wonderful to sit down at last with multi-BMI Award-winning composer, conducted, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, Bennett Salvay. Scheduled to join me on March 11th, 2020, I chickened as he and wingman, Pete George, had very r4ecnt;y flown (and boy were their arms tired), and the COVID threat was ever-growing. Two days later we were in lockdown. Here, 19 months later we be. Some things, and people, are worth waiting for. Bennett was working on the Linda Ronstadt doc, Linda and The Mockingbirds, with Jackson Browne, a follow-up doc to Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice, which Bennett scored, which won the Critics Choice award for Best Music Documentary of 2019, when the crazy hit. We talked about the projects Bennett's completed during the pandemic, including a new feature, Bonded as well as various and sundry other projects. What makes it all so stunning is that he's doing all this, as well as playing, keys and golf, fishing, all after a nearly fatal accident which affected... well, no spoiler

Stories! Man does my old pal, Kenny Aaronson, have them, and, he was in them when their monster hit, Brother Louie, was #1. I love rock ’n roll, and savored every word of Kenny’s incredible career from Dust with Marky Ramone, to his current gig with The Yardbirds, a 50-year dream come true. There’s so damn much betwixt and between and stories for all of it. How he got each gig, highlights, and how they came to a close. Playing with Hall & Oats before they hit huge, opening with them for Lou Reed, suing Tommy Motolla to get paid, that takes balls, but nearly as much as when Mick called and asked Kenny to audition for The Stones. Kenny’s interactions with Keith are… well, one for the book, and I heard it made Keith’s. Google was wrong about Hendrix but not about Ginger Baker, hanging with Cream, Beck, Rod Steward in ’68, amazing reminiscences. Playing with Leslie West, Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Graham Parker, great until it was time to get paid, recording with George Harrison, Rick Derringer, opening monster conce

'Twas Doody, no shit! Barry Pearl, my fab new friend was such a delight, tonight. Grease is the word, and Barry’s got lots of ‘em. Great stories about Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Jeff Conaway. We talked his beginnings from tap class in Lancaster Pa to the original Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway at 11, and then Broadway’s Oliver with The Monkees Davy Jones, right after, where I saw him! I was but a little girl, my first Broadway show, literally life-changing. Great story about the cast on Ed Sullivan, with The Beatles. What! There was C.P.O. Sharkey, starring Don Rickles, a humbling story, also, life-changing, Barry’s this time. The National Tour of Grease before the movie, where Travolta played Doody and Barry, Sonny. We talked Days of Lives, and The New Love American Style, both recurring roles. Oliver again, Fiddler on the Roof, and the important work he’s doing this very day. There were a few stump the geezers, where Barry and I searched for names of people and shows… kind of hysterical how that happens.

What a treat to meet the artist behind more cross-genre iconic licks than I can count. Fellow Bronxite, Eddie Martinez, surrounded by platinum records, without a trace of a New York accent, was fun, whip-smart, thoughtful, articulate, inclusive, with stories to spare. Inspired by the Beatles, Hendrix, and Beck, Eddie started out when his neighbor, Nile Rogers, lead him to his first professional gig with Mother Night. Eddie took us through his time with LaBelle, game-changer, rocker, Nona Hendrix, Blondie, at the height of their heyday, cross-over to jazz with Lenny White and then Stanley Clarke and George Duke, She’s The Boss, with Mick Jagger, getting to play with Beck, and at Live Aid, Tina Turner, his years with Robert Palmer, so many gold nuggets there, Addicted to Love to Simply Irresistible, Run DMC (Guitar World ranked Eddie’s contribution to Rock Box Number One on its list of The Top Uses of Guitar in Hip Hop, David Lee Roth when he was it, with Crazy From The Heat. We talked his time with Joe Cocker,

James Lee Stanley is chicken soup for my pandemic weary soul. I’m talking Grandma Katz’s soup, the most flavorful, soothing, healing, and delicious. I was having a kinda funky day, an hour and a half in James’ good company… hearing his stories, listening and watching him play, was just what the doctor ordered. There’s a reason this man has opened for everyone from Bonnie Raitt, Art Garfunkle, Bill Cosby (before we knew), Robin Williams, Dionne Warwick, and Robin Trower, to name just some. His 50+ years friendship and musical partnership with Peter Tork was covered from start to bottom when Peter was felled by rare cancer under his tongue. Shockingly, James survived his own bout of tongue cancer months later, when his beloved wife Evelina suggested an endoscopy, without cause. James recounted the discovery, cause, treatment, and his miraculous, speedy recovery to health, singing at a gig a mere few months post-surgery. He detailed the diet to boost his immune system and, from which he lost 35 pounds, and ha

Iffn' you missed the fabulousness that is Wendy Waldman - tada! So what if it took years - this was the perfect moment. On the eve of the high holy day, two Jewish girls being of service, as Wendy put it. Happy New Year! This was indeed a joyous celebration of life and art. What a glorious sit down with the singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, recording artist, Grammy nominee, and multi-platinum-selling hitmaker. Our conversation ran the gamut from indigenous agriculture, early COVID, childhood influences, Taj Mahal, for one, Fred Steiner, her wildly successful composer father, early days in LA, waiting on line behind Jackson for her moment in the spotlight, getting an ovation, touring first as a solo, becoming We the youngest member of the Warner Bros. brain trust - a group of artists who were known for their innovative approaches to music. The pack included Maria Muldaur, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Captain Beefheart, forming Bryndle with Karla Bonoff, Andrew Gold, and Kenny Edwards. Opening for Linda Ron

So lovely, so chill, to sit down with actress, comedian, writer, activist, Mo Gaffney. We talked about the recall... VOTE, please, Californians... the unimaginable in Texas, the 4 yr mess that's spilled all over us, COVID craziness, vaccines, the cost of the unvaccinated to all of us, work in the time of corona, binging food and TV, reading, writing, no arithmetic! How it started at 4, it was always there... improv, The Kathy and Mo Show, San Diego to New York, Off-Broadway, Obie Awards, Ab Fab, Tracey Ullman, Mad About You (then and now), That 70s Show... motherhood, sobriety, to what's next. A coupla white wominz sittin' around chattin'. Always stimulating, illuminating, and fun with Mo. Mo Gaffney Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wed, 9/8/21, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET Streamed Live on my Facebook Replay here: https://bit.ly/3E0GEmr All BROADcasts, as podcasts, also available on iTunes apple.co/2dj8ld3 Stitcher bit.ly/2h3R1fla tunein bit.ly/2gGeItj Also on iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, Voox, OwlTail,

From forced piano lessons at 8 to adding multiple instruments through the years, including his voice, to studying with Dave Stroud (who's worked with Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Kelly Clarkson, for a few), Korel’s developed his own style of teaching voice, his great passion. He explained how it’s possible to teach pitch and harmonies, and says, yes, pretty much everyone can be taught to sing. He does so on Zoom. You can connect with him and find all things Korel here: koreltunador.com A devoted husband and father, more time coaching on screens (guitar as well) and less time touring suits him. The pandemic, in a way, supported his decision, made before COVID became a 4 letter word. As much as Korel loves playing, husbanding, parenting and teaching are his primary focuses. For now. He sure does love playing with Rob Thomas and the band he’s created. I sure do love sitting down with this funny, smart, sweet, versatile artist. Korel treated us to two beauteous tunes, Total Surprise, which was a su

He's all about the bass. And, keys, who knew? Carmine Rojas has dug the groove on so much iconic music of our time. Not sure I've ever seen more gold and platinum records in one room. I’ve been circling Carmine’s orbit since the streets of Bleecker and the Club of China. There were jams, loads of mutual friends, attempts to get him on this show, A Bowie Celebration show at his invitation, some Facebook messages, but this is the first time we’ve had an extended conversation in all these years. Now that we’ve chatted, it seems there were more than a few concerts we both attended a gazillion years ago growing up in NY, too. A long time coming, Carmine was worth the wait. What a glorious and gracious human. We had a most animated conversation about his rock through his ages. He’s cross-genre’d all over the place, and we touched on much of it. Touched on, because, with a playlist like Carmine’s, long and deep (that’s what she said), it could take days. We started with the kid from Brooklyn Heights, who pick

Some dreams really do come true. It may take 40+ years, but SO WHAT?!? Greg Mullavey, Greg Mullavey was worth the wait. A die-hard Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman fan, who missed nary a one of the 325 episodes, which in 1977, pre VCRs, and COVID, when I actually had a life and did stuff, required some effort and diehard devotion, spent today in fangirl heaven. Best part, Greg exceeded all of my very high expectations. Having heard how lovely he is, witnessing his grace first hand, his exemplary social conscience, his authenticity, warmth, thoughtfulness, intelligence, off-the-charts talent, and generosity of spirit moved me… more like blew me away. We talked about Fernwood, of course. His audition with Louise Lasser, to being cast by creator Norman Lear and director, Joan Darling… Mary Kay Place, Dabney Coleman, Graham Jarvis, Dody Goodman, the genuine laughs and fun of it all. We circled back to growing up in Buffalo NY with his major league ballplaying father, Greg Mulleavy, a White and Red Sox, to coaching th

I knew I was about to be face-to-face with five-time Grammy Nominee, producer, composer, arranger, vocalist, and guitarist extraordinaire, Johnny Gale, for the first time in three-plus decades, when I was booking rock, and Johnny was playing it, back in the heady daze of the New York club scene. What I didn't know is that we actually met five decades ago. What?!? Earlier today, listening to an interview Johnny did recently, at the tail end, more than an hour and a half in, he mentioned his friend, Vinny Graffeo. I knew Johnny was from Queens. I lived in Queens. My boyfriend in 1970, Vinny Graffeo lived in Queens. Could there be another guitar/bass player at that time, in that place, with that name? I screen-shared some pics. Turns out no. We shared the same Vinny. Upon seeing the pics, Johnny recognized 15 year old me. What a way to kick off a conversation. The fun didn’t stop. We talked the early days, the music he was listening to, his ascent to playing, the bands, the gigs, the players, from Vinny and Ma

John Waite Live On Game Changers With Vicki Abelson by Vicki Abelson

Days don’t get much happier than spending them in Donny Most's good company. What fun this was! Don ran the gamut from how he got to be Ralph Malph on Happy Days, not the role he auditioned for, turning it down, and getting a persuasive bump from Garry Marshall; backtracked to The Jolson Story and how it changed his life. His training and launch with a Borscht Belt revue, which crazily I saw, his sleepaway camp best friend who a few years later became my longtime boyfriend… more Happy Days––the show which became family, and a traveling softball team, his relationships with each of his costars, close encounters with his baseball hero, and his singing and acting idols; becoming a director, theatre, and finding his way back to his original passion, singing standards, recording Mostly Swinging and performing in venues around the map. In LA, you can catch Donny (I can’t help it!) at Catalina Jazz Club, on Saturday. August 14th. Stick around after the show for a warm, friendly, hello. I trust he’ll be happy to si

What a delight going Live with actor, and friend, Michael Gross. A pro, he handled the intro whilst I dealt with FB frustrations. We touched ever so briefly on the pandemic, jumped into Michael’s humble beginnings in Chicago, as a lower middle class, parochial school-going alter boy, raised by a fair-minded before his time, father, and a fearless, creative, impromptu mother who inspired and gave permission to Michael and his younger, one day to be SNL success-story, Mary Gross. With a mid-western work ethic, a chance role in High School as the comic relief in Oklahoma at an all-girls school wetted Michael’s thespian tastes as well as his awareness of where the girls “are.” Pre-med, in a commuter college, he soon found his way to the stage, getting his MFA at Yale School of Drama, which led to three years in Louisville Rep, Regional Repertory, Yale Rep, before finding his way to NY, with dollars saved and the ability to say, “no.” Like to co-starring with Richard Gere in what would be his first Broadway play…

Had a great time chatting and getting to know Mr. Squeeze, Phil Parlapiano. From the meaning of his name, and how he got his nickname, what he did over his pandemic staycation, his grandma's guidance, to his first keys, early influences, not The Beatles... at first, pre-teen gigs, touring with Joan Baez, his first big gig at 22, his deal at Geffen, John Prine, 9 years with JOHN PRINE, sigh, Elvis Costello, Jon Bon Jovi, Iron Butterfly, placing music and scoring film, and appearing on it (he's on the shortlist when they want accordionist)... Barry, Shameless, Titanic, sessions, and his ongoing current gig with Kiefer Sutherland, recording, and touring... the man's a multi-instrumentalist on multi-platforms. Talent. Smarts. And, oh so fun. Phil took us out with his, The Road Is Not My Home. You can find Phil and his music at parlapiano.com and on iTunes and Spotify. He's FAB, on everything. Phil Parlapiano Live on Game Changers with Vicki Abelson Wed, 7/14/21, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET Streamed Live on my Facebook R