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Only a rare few know what it's like to write for the President of the United States.  And a rarer few know what it's like to write comedy for the President of the United States.  Mark Katz knows.  He wrote all eight of President Clinton's White House Correspondents' Dinner speeches.  I saw Mark's wit up close a long time ago...at summer camp in the early 1970's.  He made me laugh then.  He makes me laugh now.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Chris Gethard has given his many admirers the gift of laughter, a wonderful gift.  And he's given something more.  By talking about his own mental health issues, he's started conversations in thousands of homes, like a key to a door that opens up to a discussion about topics that often don't get discussed.  That gift is priceless.  His work makes us laugh and feel and think.  Same for his interviews.  Thanks Chris.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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If you're writing about American icons like Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali, you better bring your A game.  And Jonathan Eig has.  His latest book is "King: A Life," the first biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in more than 30 years.  It's beautifully written, a must read.  Jonathan Eig fell in love with the written word and the feel of the newsroom while working for his local paper in high school.  The love affair continues to this day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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It's refreshing to interview a rising star during the first chapters of the story.  And Zora Howard is a rising star, in theater, film and the spoken word.  Her love of the arts started young, very young, and the stories of her youth in Harlem play a tangible role in the art she is creating today.  The "Before The Cheering Started" years were not that long ago for Zora, and the cheering has most definitely begun.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The word unique is vastly overused.  But Kelefa Sanneh has a style of writing and speaking about music that is most definitely his own.  It’s on the pages of his articles in The New Yorker and in his critically acclaimed 2021 book “Major Labels: A History Of Popular Music In Seven Genres.”  He heard a lot of music growing up, especially the African music of his parents.  But it was a mixtape at the age of 14 that opened the door to the rest of his life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Gabrielle Hamilton isn’t a musician.  But she makes sweet music on the page and in the pantry, hitting all of the right notes.  Her admirers have an emotional attachment to her New York restaurant Prune.  How good is her memoir “Blood Bones and Butter?”  Anthony Bourdain called it “the best memoir by a chef ever.  Ever. “  And her 2020 New York Times article about the closing of Prune in the first months of Covid perfectly captured the despair of the moment.  This episode is a bit longer than most in this podcast.  Such is the eloquence of Gabrielle Hamilton.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The journey for any actor can be long and winding. For Jordan Donica, it started as it did for many actors, going to shows as a kid and then hitting the stage in high school.But once he got to New York at the end of college, his ascent in the theater world was rapid. Quite rapid.The talent was always there.Same for the love of performing. And athletics.  Many of us had a tough time bridging those two passions in high school. ButJordan made it work, even cajoling his fellow football players into trying out for the school show.He eventually chose the stage. His many admirers are glad he did.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Listening to Russ Titelman talk about music is a blessing. His passion for music has never waned. He grew up with it in his home in Los Angeles. It soared while listening to the LA radio of his youth, especially his beloved doo-wop. And it culminated in him producing a wide variety of our greatest musicians, from James Taylor and Paul Simon to John Pizzarelli and Rufus andChaka Khan. What’s it like to produce these great artists, like Randy Newman, Eric Clapton and so many more? Grab a coffee and settle in for a conversation about a lifetime love affair with musicSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Bobby Sanabria lives and breathes music.  It's not just what he does.  It's who he is.  His vast musical knowledge is built on a bedrock of experiences growing up in the Bronx, surrounded by all types of music in his home, on the block and in his city.  Then there are the lessons he learned from teachers and students at the iconic Berklee College of Music in Boston (and numerous lessons that they learned from him).  And finally there is a lifetime of performing, recording, conducting, teaching and experiencing music that has taken him around the world.  His latest record is called "Vox Humana" by the Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band, the latest chapter in a journey of musical joy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We are taking a week off from the interviews this week on "Before The Cheering Started with Budd Mishkin" as we prepare new conversations with comedian Chris Gethard, Grammy Award winning record producer Russ Titelman, Grammy Award winning musician Bobby Sanabria, chef and writer extraordinaire Gabrielle Hamilton and more.So this week, another of my own "Before The Cheering Started" stories, a story of fame, albeit fleeting. Very fleeting. All I had to do was be somebody else. For 15 minutes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices