Mr. Media Interviews by Bob Andelman

Today's Guest: Jeffrey J. Fox, author, How to Be a Fierce Competitor: What Winning Companies and Great Managers Do in Tough Times Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above I can honestly and modestly say that I know a thing or two about fierce competitors in business. If you know anything about my background as a journalist, you probably think I'm referring to the CEOs with whom I've worked on books-"Chainsaw" Al Dunlap from Scott Paper and Sunbeam, Home Depot founders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, or Commerce Bank founder Vernon Hill. But I'm actually thinking of one of my first bosses, George Tenenbaum. Jeffrey J. Fox, author, The Transformative CEO George was a huge S.O.B., a world-class sonuvabitch. And I think he'd take pride in that description. And it's not that I didn't like and respect him, either. JEFFREY J. FOX audio excerpt: "Fierce is not an animalistic beast growling in the jungle. Fierce is a relentless, tireless competitor who wants every customer he can get."  I worked for him when I was 15, buying and selling comic books at a flea market in East Brunswick, N.J. and at conventions everywhere from Manhattan to Philadelphia. George treated me well- paying me fairly and feeding me decently, too. But he was a tough guy with whom to do business, especially considering the nature of his weekend business. Every transaction was a negotiation, a deal, a haggle. Buy a little, he'd try to sell you money. Come in to sell him your old comics, he'd talk you into taking a pittance for that prized Fantastic Four #1. He'd chase people down the aisles to get them to reconsider. No one walked away from George! But my favorite story about George Tenenbaum was when he explained how life worked in his world. It came about when he made a mistake that cost him more than a few bucks. It was just he and I that day and in talking to a customer, he He blamed the mistake on his wife, Rona. Order 'The Transformative CEO' by Jeffrey J. Fox, available in print or ebook from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! When the customer left, I said, "George, why did you blame Rona? It was your mistake." He said, "Bob, let me explain life to you. When I screw up, if you're here, I blame my wife. But if she's here and you're not, I blame you. And I guarantee you that if she's here and I'm not, she'll blame everything on me. "And when neither of us is here and you screw up, I fully expect you to blame me." The Harvard Business School, this was not. And this isn't one of the 60 lessons in Jeffrey J. Fox's latest book, How to Be A Fierce Competitor: What Winning Companies and Great Managers Do in Tough Times, but it certainly could be. Fox is the author of a growing series of business management books, including How to Become a CEO and How to Become a Rainmaker. He has a smart approach, producing compact how-tos that the average businessperson can read, absorb and apply in the course of a plane or train ride. Jeffrey J. Fox Website • Twitter • Order How to Be a Fierce Competitor from Amazon.com Mean Business: How I Save Bad Companies and Make Good Companies Great by Albert J. Dunlap with Bob Andelman. Order your copy now by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Jeffrey J. Fox, author, The Transformative CEO: Impact Lessons From Game Changers Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience who will make one-hundred times as much money in the next 30 minutes as you will in the next 30 days… in the NEW new media capital of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida!   Order from Amazon.com by clicking on the book above! What do the founders of The Home Depot, 1-800-Flowers.com and Paul Mitchell Systems and the CEOs of Black Entertainment Television, Marvel Entertainment and Campbell Soup have in common? According to consultant Jeff Fox, author of The Transformative CEO, they all have the key traits and characteristics of great and successful business leaders. JEFFREY J. FOX audio excerpt: "When Douglas Conant went to Campbell Soup, they had lost 50 percent of their market share value, morale was plummeting, sales were down, profits were going away. The current management was taking chicken out of chicken soup to save money!"  Fox, who previously appeared here to discuss his last book, How to Be a Fierce Competitor, has created a cottage industry in identifying great management tips and dispensing them in short books that even a CEO can stay focused on from cover to cover. The Transformative CEO is no different. I have to admit Fox had me at “Bernie Marcus”–as the guy who wrote Built From Scratch with the founders of The Home Depot—I had to know what Fox made of their remarkable success. He promises to help you transform yourself. Jeffrey J. Fox Website • Twitter • Order The Transformative CEO from Amazon.com Mean Business: How I Save Bad Companies and Make Good Companies Great by Albert J. Dunlap with Bob Andelman. Order your copy now by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Brian Walker, daily comics writer, "Beetle Bailey," "Hi & Lois," comics historian, The Comics   Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of small-bodied talking animals with giant heads and more wisecracks than Don Rickles… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! The Comics by Brian Walker. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   Comics are Brian Walker’s life. It’s the family business, after all: his dad, Mort, created or co-created "Beetle Bailey," "Hi & Lois," and the legendary but short-lived strip and strips, "Sam’s Strip." Brian and his brother Greg have written and inked "Beetle Bailey" and "Hi & Lois" alongside their dad now for years. (Another second generation comics creator, Chance Browne – son of "Hi & Lois" co-creator and "Hagar the Horrible" creator Dik Browne – draws "Hi & Lois.") But starting back in college in the early 1970s, Brian carved out a corner of the industry for himself. It started when he profiled fledgling “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau in 1973 for Greg’s alt-weekly newspaper, The Silver Lining. BRIAN WALKER audio excerpt: "The New Traditionalists: 'Zits,' 'Baby Blues' and 'Mutts' were not revolutionary in any particular way, but they took all the best qualities of all the great strips." Order from Amazon.com by clicking the book cover above In the years that followed, Greg followed a dual path, writing gags for his father’s strips but also helping Mort Walker and his fellow comic strip masters see their dream come true: He is a founder and former director of the International Museum of Cartoon Art, where he worked from 1974 to 1992. More recently, Brian has turned his attention to preserving and sharing comic strip history. His latest book, The Comics, puts together in one massive, exquisite volume what had previously been two pieces. It is an awesome collection of wonderful strips to the beginning of the medium and all the way to the present day, a must-have collectible for any comics fan. And a few months ago he published another marvelous book, Doonesbury and The Art of G.B. Trudeau. Reading through it, I fell in love with the work of Jane Pauley’s husband all over again. Brian Walker Hi and Lois website Order Will Eisner: A Spirited Life (2nd Edition) by Bob Andelman, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Lillian Glass, author, Toxic Men Order 'Toxic Men: 10 Ways to Identify, Deal with, and Heal from the Men Who Make Your Life Miserable by Lillian Glass,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! All through this interview, I will quietly repeat the following mantra: She’s not talking about me… She’s not talking about me… And in my imagination, I will have a finger in each ear, singing La-la-la-la-la-la… DR. LILLIAN GLASS audio excerpt: "Charlie Sheen is the biggest success in the world in show business but in his personal life, he's not... A woman who falls for him doesn't have a lot of self-esteem." I don’t what I was thinking when I booked Dr. Lillian Glass, author of Toxic Men, as a guest. Isn’t she likely to come on the show and reveal what a jerk and a fraud I am as a husband and lead my wife to leave me? Hmm, maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea, after all. Welcome to 30 minutes of female empowerment, ladies! Lillian Glass Website •  Twitter • Facebook • Order Toxic Men from Amazon.com The Millionaire's Convenient Arrangementby Jane Peden. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Brandi Chastain, Kerri Strug, Olympic athletes Kerri Strug, U.S. Olympics gold medal winner, gymnastics This is a very special Mr. Media podcast. As a member of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, Brandi Chastain participated in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and helped the Americans win the gold medal by playing every minute of every U.S. game. She is best known for her game-winning penalty kick against China in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final – perhaps the greatest goal in U.S women’s soccer history. Kerri Strug was a member of the “Magnificent Seven,” the gymnastics team that also represented the U.S. at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Despite a serious ankle injury, she overcame adversity and performed a stunning vault to help clinch a gold medal for the women’s team competition – one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history. Between these two athletes, they have won five Olympic medals -- three gold, one silver and one bronze-- and two World Cup championships. Brandi Chastain Facebook • Twitter • Merck Pharmaceuticals Active Family Project website • US Youth Soccer • Order It’s Not About the Bra from Amazon.com Kerri Strug Website • Twitter • Wikipedia Order 'Why Men Watch Football' by Bob Andelman, available as an e-book from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Actor Colin Ferguson, star of Syfy's "Eureka" and "Haven" EUREKA -- Season:4 -- Pictured: (l-r) Salli Richardson-Whitfield as Allison Blake, Niall Matter as Zane Donovan, Joe Morton as Henry Deacon, Erica Cerra as Jo Lupo, Neil Grayston as Douglas Fargo, Colin Ferguson as Jack Carter, James Callis as Dr. Grant -- (Photo: Art Streiber/Syfy) As Sheriff Carter on the Syfy series “Eureka,” now in its fourth season, Colin Ferguson is the kind of guy I’d like to be: a manly man but a technological doofus who the ladies nonetheless find endearing and sexy. Seriously, Carter is the kind of doofus you wouldn’t mind owning up to if real life came with the charm and earnestness with which Ferguson embues the role. COLIN FERGUSON podcast excerpt: "Carter and Allison still have problems. It's not a done deal: 'They're dating, so the show is over.' Everybody was saying if you hook them up, it's the death of the show. But critically, and by the numbers, it was our best season ever." Order 'Eureka: The Complete Series' (Amazon Exclusive), available from Amazon.com by clicking on the DVDs above! “Eureka” is one of the great hidden gems of all cable television. I caught a few minutes of it early in season three for the first time while switching channels in the kitchen one night and was hooked by a contentious discussion between Sheriff Carter and his kickass deputy, Jo. Shortly thereafter, my wife ordered the show on Netflix and we watched every episode with my daughter until we caught up. It is one of our favorite all-time shows and one of the few TV programs around which we will all rearrange our schedules. Until you see an episode, this may sound crazy, but “Eureka” is kind of an earthbound “Star Trek: The Next Generation” with streaks of “Moonlighting” and “The Big Bang Theory” thrown in. When it crossed over with another SyFy network favorite, “Warehouse 13” a few months ago, we were in heaven; I keep hoping NBC can figure out a way to let it eventually cross paths with the tech nerds of “Chuck.” “Eureka” is back for an all-new Christmas episode on Tuesday, December 7th at 9 p.m. We can’t wait! Colin Ferguson Twitter • Eureka website on SyFy Order Will Eisner: A Spirited Life (2nd Edition) by Bob Andelman, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Parvesh Cheena, actor, "Outsourced" Anisha Nagarajan and Parvesh Cheena, stars of NBC's 'Outsourced' Mr. Media is recorded live before a studio audience of people who may think they can top my Whack-a-Gupta score of 725… in the new new media capitol of the world… St. Petersburg, Florida! A few things I learned about “Gupta,” perhaps the nuttiest sitcom character on network TV in years: • He can’t drive. Not a bike, not a car. • He likes to watch. His boss. In bed. Sleeping. Not sleeping. • He loves the break room cookies. Sorry, Madhuri. Order from Amazon.com by clicking the DVD cover above! • He looks a lot like his glasses-wearing cousin. • He knows how to wear a giant ear and spy on his bosses. • And he can break into Bollywood-style song and dance at a moment’s notice. When “Outsourced” debuted on NBC last September, I have no doubt that Gupta – played to perfection by actor Parvesh Cheena – was one of the characters that set the tongues of TV critics wagging. He was a stereotype and not a good one at that they thought! But given some space to become a three-dimensional figure, Gupta was discovered to be the essence of sweetness, with a few necessary quirks. He could just as easily have been Kenneth the Page on “30 Rock” or even Creed on “The Office.” PARVESH CHEENA podcast excerpt: "I secretly always thought Gupta would one day be with Madhuri in a spinoff: 'Madhuri Tolerates Gupta.' As opposed to 'Joanie Loves Chachi.'" And as the actor playing Gupta, Cheena – like his goofy, guileless counterparts on other NBC Thursday night shows – had to let go of all inhibitions. He succeeded magnificently. Parvesh Cheena Website • Twitter • Order Outsourced: The Complete Season from Amazon.com  Parvesh Cheena, star of NBC's 'Outsourced'   Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Larry Manetti, actor, "Magnum, P.I.," "Black Sheep Squadron"     Order 'Aloha Magnum: Larry Manetti's Magnum, P.I. Memories,' available from Amazon.com by clicking on the book cover above! Larry Manetti brought a tremendous amount of natural charisma and boundless cockiness to his role as a restaurateur named Rick—Tom Selleck’s Vietnam War buddy and sidekick—on the long-running CBS adventure series, “Magnum, P.I.” He brought that same strong sense of self-awareness to his role as author in his 1999 autobiography, Aloha Magnum. It’s action packed with… well, action, as Manetti recalls a life that never knew the meaning of the word dull. LARRY MANETTI podcast excerpt: "Tom Selleck was born gorgeous.When you're born ike that, you kinda know inside of you that you're special. He does have little idiosyncrasies. He's a dear friend; he's there if you need him. He's a great guy. And I don't lie. If he were a big jerk, I'd say he was a jerk."  Besides out of school tales of his friends Selleck and co-stars Roger Moseley and John Hillerman, Manetti regales readers with his encounters with: the Chairman of the Board—Frank Sinatra; the King—Elvis Presley; Tony Curtis; and his pal and mentor Robert Conrad. Best of all, this isn’t one of those self-told stories of how wonderful Larry is. It’s a warts-and-all portrayal of a regular guy who has led a pretty friggin’ great life. Larry Manetti Website • Facebook • Twitter • IMDB • Wikipedia • PM Show with Larry Manetti on CRN Talk • Order Aloha Magnum from Amazon.com Order 'Magnum P.I.: The Complete Series,' The Millionaire's Convenient Arrangementby Jane Peden. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Red Peters, comedian, singer, Red Peters Presents The Summer Song Sizzler, Howard Stern Show regular Order Red Peters Presents The Summer Song Sizzler, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above!   Red Peters’ dulcet tones have undoubted lulled you into listening to music that your mother would likely not approve of. The singer-songwriter takes standard, common melodies and gives them a hysterically filthy twist that makes you go, “What the f---?” And if you’ve never heard Peters’ work, let me be the first to introduce you to a few samples, including “You Promised Me the Moon (But I Prefer Uranus)." RED PETERS audio excerpt: "I did a phoner with Howard. I was on for 40 minutes. He played a little snatch—so to speak--of each song. When he played 'The Ballad of a Dog Named Stains,' Howard just loved it. He flipped out. Within several months, I was in his studio singing it live. We became friends from that point on. He injected quite a bit of life into the Red Peters Project, that's for sure." Red Peters came to the attention of America’s preeminent radio personality, Howard Stern, not long before Stern made the move from CBS to Sirius Satellite Radio five years ago. Stern created a place for him on his Howard 101 channel, where you can often hear Peters playing his own tunes and dirty music from a variety of other composers and performers. His latest CD, “Red Peters Presents: Summer Song Sizzler,” is available on iTunes and is full of charming ditties such as “Vagina” by Pig Vomit and “There’s a Homo in the Bunkhouse” by Bob Garrett’s “Banned.” A little later, I’ll play “The Sex Song” by TastiSkank. Red Peters Website • Twitter • Facebook • MySpace • Song Snatch • Order It's A Red Peters Christmas from Amazon.com Order Ol' Blue Balls Is Back by Red Peters, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above! More Howard Stern related interviews on Mr. Media Radio: Red Peters (June 2010) Stuttering John Melendez (April 2009) Stuttering John Melendez (March 2014; video) Mr. Skin (March 2011) Mr. Skin (March 2010) Mr. Skin (December 2009) Mr. Skin (October 2007) Robert Schimmel (June 2008) Robert Schimmel (April 2008) Lisa Lampanelli (June 2009) Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!   The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!

Today's Guest: Red Peters, comedian, singer, "It's A Red Peters Christmas! Volume 1," Howard Stern Show regular Order It's A Red Peters Christmas! Volume 1 [Explicit], available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above! Red Peters is back on Mr. Media today to celebrate Christmas his way -- which means putting in your earbuds and getting ready to laugh your ass off. We had such a good time playing Red’s salacious sounds over the summer that when he offered to spend an X-rated Christmas with Mr. Media, how could I refuse? RED PETERS audio excerpt: "I was home from college one year, up in my room wrapping Christmas presents. My mother came walking into my old room. I was smoking a joint and she said, 'Red, aren't you crazy enough without smokin' that sh!t?" In today’s show, we’ll play Red’s latest contributions to the grand canon of holiday tunes. So step aside, Little Drummer Boy. Cover your ears, Silent Night. And don’t come to town yet, Santa Claus. Here come his new instant classics “Have a Wonderful Hawaiian Christmas” and Red’s duet with comedian Margaret Cho, “The Christmas Gift.” We’ll also dip into the vault for a Red favorite from Christmases past, “Holy Sh!t! It’s Christmas.” If you don’t know who Red Peters is, here’s a quick recap: First of all, Red Peters is not his real name. He does, however, live and work in the Boston area. His great joy in writing snappy X-rated songs was recommended to the masses when radio legend Howard Stern first heard and featured him on his terrestrial show. At Sirius XM satellite radio, Howard gave Red his own show. Red Peters Website • Twitter • Facebook • MySpace • Song Snatch • Order It's A Red Peters Christmas from Amazon.com Order Ol' Blue Balls Is Back by Red Peters, available from Amazon.com by clicking on the CD cover above! More Howard Stern related interviews on Mr. Media Radio: Red Peters (June 2010) Stuttering John Melendez (April 2009) Stuttering John Melendez (March 2014; video) Mr. Skin (March 2011) Mr. Skin (March 2010) Mr. Skin (December 2009) Mr. Skin (October 2007) Robert Schimmel (June 2008) Robert Schimmel (April 2008) Lisa Lampanelli (June 2009) Kicking Through the Ashes: My Life As A Stand-up in the 1980s Comedy Boom by Ritch Shydner. Order your copy today by clicking on the book cover above!     The Party Authority in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland!