Let's Talk Ten

A remix/re-edit, originally released on May 24, 2024.

Fulfilling a personal bucket-list item, Dan spends time with one of his childhood heroes, the legendary DICK DEBARTOLO, “MAD’s Maddest Writer” and a founder member of the Usual Gang of Idiots.

Besides comparing what they each find funny, Dan and Dick talk about MAD and its founder William M. Gaines, with fond memories of the artists and writers who made MAD great – Al Jaffee, Don Martin, Nick Meglin, and many more.

 They also discuss the classic game show “Match Game”, for which Dick was the head writer.  PLUS: Gizmos!  Gadgets!  And more!

With improved sound (Dan was in the hospital when this was recorded via Zoom), this descent into MADness is worth the trip.  (What, us worry?)

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Comedian, actress, and master impressionist NADYA GINSBURG’s career has encompassed the stage, film, and network television – with a global cult following for her absolutely uncanny impressions of Madonna and Cher.

Nadya's also written jokes for Joan Rivers, has appeared on “2 Broke Girls” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, and had a small but memorable part in the feature film “Friendsgiving”.  She’s been profiled in the New York Times and L.A. Weekly, with her many fans including Jennifer Coolidge, the Village Voice’s Micheal Musto, and Al Roker (“Ginsburg rules!”).

In their wide-ranging conversation, Dan asks Nadya about the artists and pop cultural moments that have influenced her as a performer and as a person – with a lot of surprising choices that contribute to a discussion that is, at times, hilarious, dead-serious, poignant, provocative – and memorable.  

With Nadya slipping in and out of various celebrity voices (Karen Lynn Gorney from Saturday Night Fever?), she and Dan both occasionally breaking out into song, and a terrific assortment of clips, it's a thoroughly entertaining and invigorating listening experience.

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CHRIS MOLANPHY -- pop culture critic, music industry chart analyst, and host of “The Hit Parade” (one of my never-miss go-to podcasts) – is on the show to lend his very specific expertise, as he talks about his all-time favorite #1 SINGLES in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.  

 Chris isn’t just a chart geek – he genuinely loves music from all eras, so he and Dan go through a very wide range of artists and songs: from The Beatles to Madonna to Taylor Swift; from the 60’s girl groups to disco to new jack swing; to country and hip-hop converging into the record-smashing “Old Town Road”. 
 
Packed with cool stories and amazing trivia -- plus clips from some of the greatest #1 singles of all time – it’s a celebration of popular music, featuring killer hooks and a beat you can dance to.  

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Assistant director SIMONE FARBER returns to the show -- which is always a lot of fun – as she and Dan discuss their favorite MOVIES ABOUT MAKING MOVIES – classics like Singin’ in the Rain, Sunset Boulevard, even smaller-scale films like Living in Oblivion or the documentary American Movie.

With over 70 years of production experience between them, Dan and Simone share plenty of their own “behind the scenes” stories, as well as their thoughts on which films get the details right, more or less.  

 Featuring amazing clips from some of the greatest movies ever made (with plenty of laughs, too), it’s very nearly a cinematic experience for the ears.

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HUGO BURNHAM -- drummer and founding member of GANG OF FOUR – is on the show to talk about some of his all-time favorite DRUMMERS and how they’ve inspired him -- as well as his own history behind the kit for one of most critically-hailed and influential post-punk bands of the late 70’s/early 80’s.  

Though he’s made much of his living by bashing the living hell out of snares, toms, and high-hats, Hugo also happens to be a charming and knowledgeable raconteur – in his “other” life, he’s been a university professor for the past two decades.  On this occasion, Dan was more than happy to have been the eager student, as Hugo shared his thoughts on seeing Keith Moon for the first time on television, touring with the Buzzcocks, performing for the late Clem Burke’s memorial...and the only drummer that Hugo was ever genuinely frightened of.

With over twenty astonishing clips, this is a podcast worth listening to.  For maximum enjoyment, crank it up to Eleven.

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We’ve all been asked this question at least a few times in our lives: “If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring only one thing – what would you bring?”

Now -- narrow that selection down to just one movie, one album, or a boxed set of the entire run of a television series.  If that were the case, what would you bring?

LT10 returning favorites MICHELE MANTYNEN and JOSH CHAMBERS play along with Dan, as he forces them to make tough pop-cultural choices in such categories like So-Bad-It’s-Good Movie, TV Comedy or Variety Series, and the complete works of just one Musical Artist or Band. 

Like the castaways on Gilligan’s Island, these two made the best of their unusual situation, and a fun time was had by all.  Listeners can join in the fun, by playing along with their own desert island pop-culture picks.

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It’s Let’s Talk Ten’s THIRD birthday, which Dan celebrates by collecting his favorite moments of the show from the past year from his amazing guests:

Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Legs McNeil, Robyn Kincaid, Dan Riba, John Ashton, Will Harris, Ally Harris, Lori Cardille, Larry Karaszewski, Kristen Lopez, Danny Peary, Rick Goldschmidt, Simone Farber, Matthew Rhys, Rachel Wax, Abdul Malik Abbott, Dari Silverman, Thom Shubilla, John Sayles, Adam Sank, Billy Smith, David Kamp, Mark Nelson, Virgil Cardamone, Todd Graff, Eric Todd, and Andy Skurow.

No need to BYOB nor RSVP: Just click and come join us.

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As Pride Month 2026 comes to a close, music executive and events producer ANDY SKUROW confides with Dan about the importance of music in his life and how it helped him to overcome his shame and fear of coming out to the world as gay – during a not-long-ago era when that still carried an enormous amount of personal risk and societal stigma. 

He also talks about how artists as diverse as Ashford and Simpson, Barry Manilow, RuPaul, Whitney Houston, Madonna, The Village People, Diana Ross, and many, many more – helped Andy to not only accept himself and his place in the LGBTQ+ community — but to embrace his own joy, stay out on the dance floor all night long, and live his life with honesty and pride.

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A remix/re-edit of an early “mini-episode” from 2023.

 MICHELE MANTYNEN and JOSH CHAMBERS, social media caretakers for "Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast" and “Fun for All Ages with Frank Santopadre”, are both certified "Twilight Zone" fanatics.  Dan, on the other hand, is more of a casual fan. For this “round table” discussion, each had the tricky task of choosing just three of their favorite TZ episodes to talk about.

As usual, the discussion is not as much about "which one was better than that one" (nobody chose "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"?) as it is a mutual appreciation of one of the greatest television series of all time -- and why "The Twilight Zone" still matters to us.

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Dan celebrates Father’s Day a few days early with fellow podcaster ERIC TODD (This Week in Charles Bronson) as they talk about their favorite depictions of fatherhood in movies, TV shows, and pop songs – while also discussing, with frankness, sensitivity, and humor, their relationships with their fathers and with their own children.  

 There’s plenty of surprises in the lists, plus a lot of amazing sound clips – and a cameo appearance by Eric’s 10-year-old son, Noah.  Because the duties of a father cannot be easily put aside, even for a podcast – and Eric is one proud and dutiful dad.

This is a fun and occasionally touching episode that should appeal to fathers, mothers, or their offspring.  

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