MAPSO Podso

In the final episode of Season 1, resident actor Matt Servitto sits down to talk about his start in soap operas, his problem with South Orange gas lamps and playing Agent Dwight Harris for six seasons on The Sopranos.

We cover it all in the longest episode yet: sharing the screen with James Gandolfini, the show's rock star success and the infamous series finale. Plus, South Mountain Reservation misses it's change to be a part of Sopranos history.

Thanks to Adam and Naz Heydt of SOMA Brewing Company for introducing the episode.

#BreakForJedBennett

You may have seen National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski on Animal Planet, NatGEO WILD or on his regular TV appearances with Conan O'Brien. The Maplewood resident stops by the house to answer all of my crazy wildlife questions.

Where do bears come from when they're spotted in town? What could eat you when you're hiking in the reservation? What are the coolest local animals to look out for? Plus, crazy pets that are legal to own in New Jersey and how to attract butterflies to your backyard. Associate producer Crosby the Cat is starstruck!

Buy David's book National Wildlife Federation: Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard Animals wherever books are sold - or get a signed copy in the MAPSO Podso shop!

"Bearded Boomer" (Marco Hurtado) has over a million TikTok followers who devour his countless feel good dance videos - which landed the Maplewood resident a spot as a contestant on the NBC show Dancing With Myself. He tells me how it all started and shares his philosophy on life.

And the great Matt Boren (How I Met Your Mother) is back - in the co-host chair! Plus, nobody walks more than Jed Bennett!

All things Marco: https://beacons.ai/bearded__boomer

Matt on Audible: https://www.audible.com/author/Matt-Boren/B07CLGVLJL

You might know that tennis great Althea Gibson broke the color barrier at the U.S. National Championships in 1950. You probably don't know that the path to that moment ran directly through MAPSO.

I talk about her legacy and explore the history of racism in our community with Althea's second cousin and South Orange resident Don Felder as well as former Maplewood mayor Fred Profeta, co-founder of the Community Coalition on Race. As a child, Fred's family were members of the then segregated Maplewood Country Club.

Have I been mispronouncing the name of my own podcast? Almost three months into the show, I finally address the critics! Plus, I dig into the history of our area's two nicknames - MAPSO and SOMA.

There was big trouble on South Orange Avenue in 1961! Seton Hall basketball, a top team at the time, was rocked by a major point shaving scandal that destroyed the program for years to come.

​I tracked down Frank Besson, a 6'3" backup forward on the '61 squad, to help me run through the details.

You've probably read the sign: "On October 29, 1929 baseball legends Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played an exhibition game on Cameron Field" in front of "more than 12,000 spectators." Baseball historian and NJ Historical Society Chairman John Zinn joins me to help fill in the details and separate fact from folklore.

Check out John's books and blog at https://www.zinnbooks.com.

Before he was a member of the rock band Ween, Claude Coleman Jr. spent his teenage years banging his drums in the basement of his family's home on Bowdoin Street.

Claude joins me from his new home in Asheville, NC to talk about his musical upbringing at Columbia High School, the inner workings of Ween and the near death experience that changed his outlook on life.

Ween: https://ween.com/

Amandla (Claude's band): https://amandlanet.net

SoundSpace @ Rabbit's (Claude's Rehearsal Studio): https://www.soundspaceavl.com

As the longest tenured host of the PBS series This Old House, Maplewood native Kevin O'Connor has been helping educate viewers about home improvement for two decades. ​

I chatted with Kevin about the inner workings of the show, his unlikely TV stardom and his love of The Roman Gourmet. Plus - he answers some of your home improvement questions!

One of my favorite novelists, Joshua Braff, joins me from the West Coast to talk about his books, the world of publishing and finding inspiration in his hometown of South Orange.

​Learn more about his writing, music, art and photography at www.joshuabraff.com. And check out his band North Beach Gritty on Spotify.

(And yes - they're related.)