Reliving My Youth

Noel catches up with Melanie Chartoff. She's best known for her comedy work on the ABC series Fridays and in the 1990s Fox sitcom Parker Lewis Can't Lose. She voiced both Didi Pickles and Grandma Minka on Nickelodeon's Rugrats. Melanie played George's girlfriend, Robin, on Seinfeld. Besides being an amazing actress, she's also a very talented author. Melanie's first book, Odd Woman Out: Exposure in Essays and Stories, is an entertaining listen (she does the narration). Melanie will be featured at the Santa Monica public library on July 17 for Home: Finding Our Place in the World. In August, she will be headed to Mohegan Sun for TerrifiCon on August 8-10.

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Noel catches up with Mark Kiely. The actor is probably best known for his role as Gil Meyers on Beverly Hills, 90210. Mark also had a recurring role on 24. His other TV roles include NYPD Blue, Lois and Clark, CSI, The Shield and more. His movies roles include Bruce Almighty, The Edge and The Judge. Mark took a break from acting to become a competitive swim coach in Rhode Island.

I catch up with actor Gregg Henry. He portrayed Grandpa Quill in the Guardians of The Galaxy trilogy. He's also starred in a couple of other James Gunn directed movies, Slither and Super. He starred opposite Mel Gibson in Payback. Gregg had roles in Star Trek Insurrection, United 93, Raising Cain and more. On television, he's appeared in 24, Scandal, The Following and Star Trek Enterprise. Besides being a talented actor, he's also an accomplished musician.

Noel catches up with Raphael Sbarge. The actor's latest movie is Friendship, starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson. Raphael is also an accomplished director. His documentary, Only in Theaters, focuses on the history of the Laemmle Theatres, a beloved 80plus-year-old art house cinema chain in Los Angeles. Raphael got his start at age four on Sesame Street. He's also been in some of the most memorable 80's movies, Risky Business and Vision Quest. He's also guest starred on basically every show in the past three decades.

Noel catches up with Russell Kilbey of The Crystal Set. The Aussie band has reunited after three decades for a tour in their homeland. The Crystal Set released two studio albums in the late 80s/early 90s. The band broke up in 1991. Russell went on to become a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker. Russell is the younger brother of The Church's Steve Kilbey.

Noel catches up with Erik Jensen. The actor, writer, and director is out with his new movie, Brooklyn, Minnesota, which he co-wrote and co-directed with his wife. The movie also features the acting debut of their daughter, Sadie. Erik and his wife, Jessica Blank, co-wrote The Exonerated, a play based on interviews they conducted with more than 40 exonerated death row inmates. Erik is probably best known for his recurring roles on The Walking Dead, Mindhunter, and Mr. Robot. He portrayed the late great Yankee Thurman Munson in ESPN's miniseries, The Bronx is Burning

Noel catches up with Mark Bryan. The guitarist/songwriter of Hootie and the Blowfish recently released his latest solo album, Popped, to rave reviews. We discuss how he decides which of his songs are for his solo projects and which are for Hootie. Speaking of Hootie, their debut album, Cracked Rear View, is one of the most successful albums of all time. The album featured the hits, "Let Her Cry," "Hold My Hand," Time," and "Only Wanna Be With You." Mark talks about the fun he had making that video and the band's appearance on Sesame Street.

Noel catches up with Grahame Skinner of Hipsway. The Scottish new wave band is best known for their single, "The Honey Thief," which reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. The band released two albums before breaking up in 1989. The band reformed in 2016 and released their third album. Smoke and Dreams, in 2018. Grahame also fronts The Cowboy Mouth and The Skinner Group.

Noel catches up with founding member and keyboardist, Marcus Vere, of Living In A Box. The band's breakout hit, "Living In A Box," reached number five in the UK and number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1987. Marcus discusses which came first, the band name or the song title. He also talks about whether or not the band name hurt them. Living In A Box released two albums and broke up in 1990. The song "Living In a Box'" found new life as it was featured in the video game, Grand Theft Auto V. In 2016, Living in a Box reformed with British soul singer Kenny Thomas replacing Richard Darbyshire. In 2022, they announced that they have a new singer, Bryan Chambers. Since they have reformed, the band has appeared at live festival events in the UK such as Let's Rock, Rewind and Flashback.

Noel catches up with Casey Biggs. The actor is known for portraying Damar on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Damar went from having one throwaway line in an episode to becoming the leader of the Cardassian empire. Casey discusses what was in the kanar that he was always drinking. Casey is also an accomplished singer and is in both the Star Trek Blues Band and the Star Trek Rat Pack. Recently, he was in the David O Russell movie, Amsterdam. We discuss his memorable scene in the John Woo movie, Broken Arrow.