Rock 'n Roll Ghost

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with actor Mike Starr (Goodfellas, Dumb and Dumber, Ed Wood, Clockers, Chicago Fire).  

Starr goes through his career, including a look into his role in Martin Scorsese's iconic gangster film, Goodfellas. He also takes a number of detours along the way, talking about his family, his time living in Chicago, favorite restaurants and more.   

Links: 

Mike Starr IMDB

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with BBQ competition chef Van Johnson of Overland Park, Kansas' Hog Diesel. Johnson talks about how he got his start in BBQ, what drove him to compete and where he's going next. Johnson also dives into some of his favorite movies as well.   

Links: 

Hog Diesel Facebook

Hog Diesel on Food Network's BBQ USA with Michael Symon

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with Richie Farina, sous chef of Chicago's 2-Michelin Star rated Ever Restaurant.   

Farina discusses his career, including his years at MOTO learning under the tutelage of chefs Homaro Cantu and Chris Jones, as well as his stint on Top Chef Texas (along with Jones), his Cooking Channel show Carnival Kings, and his time at Chicago's Monteverde - from fellow Top Chef Texas Sarah Grueneberg.   

But most of the discussion centers on Farina's time at Ever Restaurant, under executive chef/owner Curtis Duffy and chef de cuisine Justin Selk. Ever has been open since summer of 2020.  

Links: 

Ever Restaurant

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with author Meg Gardiner (Unsub, China Lake) about her collaboration with filmmaker Michael Mann on the newly released Heat 2. The book, a sequel and a prequel to Mann's revered crime thriller Heat (1995) that starred Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro and Val Kilmer, takes the reader through the aftermath of the film while also exploring the characters lives before those events.  

Gardiner discusses her collaboration with Mann - the logistics of working together during the pandemic and the research they both did to get as authentic a depiction as possible, as well as her love for the original film.  

Links: 

Meg Gardiner Official

Heat 2

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with musician Brandon Curtis of rock band Secret Machines. Curtis discusses the band's new double EP, Dreaming of Dreaming and Day 21, as well as the September 23rd reissue of their s/t album. Curtis and Josh Garza remain the two sole members of the band after Curtis' brother, Benjamin Curtis left the band to form School of Seven Bells. Benjamin sadly passed away in 2013 and Brandon and I discuss having lost our brothers at an early age. Secret Machines is not currently set to tour, but Brandon has been a touring member of Interpol for years now, so you can see him on the road with them this fall.  

Visit our new website, rocknrollghostpodcast.com to hear an exclusive, revamped version of the s/t album's track "The Fire Is Waiting."  

Links: 

Secret Machines Official 

Secret Machines Bandcamp

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with Gene Kato, executive chef at Chicago's Momotaro. Kato discusses his time living and working in North Carolina, his time running his acclaimed restaurant Sumi Robata Bar and his transition to running Boka Group's stunning Japanese restaurant Momotaro in Chicago's Fulton Market neighborhood.  

Links: 

Momotaro Site

Momotaro Instagram

Gene Kato Instagram

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with legendary New Orleans musician George Porter Jr. (The Meters, The funky Meters, Joyride, GP Jr. & the Runnin' Pardners) about his career, his current touring schedule and what it means to be a musician from New Orleans.  

Links:  

George Porter Jr. Official 

George Porter Jr. Instagram

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with actor Garret Dillahunt about his roles in the just released film Where the Crawdads Sing, as well as his upcoming Freevee series Sprung, which reunites him with Raising Hope creator Greg Garcia and his co-star Martha Plimpton.  

Dillahunt discusses working on both Crawdads and Sprung - especially about his reunion with Garcia and Plimpton, as well as his relationships with master filmmakers Andrew Dominik (Assassination of Jesse James) and Steve McQueen (Widows), as well as his connection with the work of author Cormac McCarthy (The Road, No Country for Old Men - in which he appeared in both). He also digs into working with Timothy Olyphant on Deadwood (where he played two different characters) and on Justified, as well as the difficulty that was being a part of Fear the Walking Dead. And, if that weren't enough, he talks about working with two of the premiere action directors of this century, Michael Bay (Ambulance) and Zack Snyder (Army of the Dead).  

It was a truly special pleasure getting to speak with Garret. I hope you enjoy this one.  

Links: 

Garret Dillahunt on Instagram 

Where the Crawdads Sing 

Sprung Trailer

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with actor/filmmaker Tim Matheson (Animal House, Fletch, Criminal Minds, The West Wing) about the new season of Netflix's Virgin River where he has played Dr. Vernon "Doc" Mullins for 3 seasons.

Matheson discusses the character, the world of streaming, his time directing an enormous of amount of TV episodes (Psych, Hart of Dixie, Burn Notice and Virgin River), as well as delving into some of his iconic roles, including his co-starring performance in A Very Brady Sequel.

Virgin River season 3 is now streaming on Netflix

Links:

Tim Matheson on Instagram

Virgin River on Netflix

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with filmmaker Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim Uprising) about co-writing this summer's blockbuster sequel, Jurassic World: Dominion with director Colin Trevorrow. 

Carmichael discusses her pathway to big-budget screenwriting from her years of making independent short films. She also talks about the difference between co-writing Pacific Rim Uprising and collaborating with Trevorrow on Dominion. Carmichael is also excited for people to see the new version of Disney's The Black Hole, which she wrote the script for. She gives a sneak peek into how she changed the robot Maximillian and how she hopes fans like it as much as she does. All of that and some talk about being in the filming "bubble" with Dominion stars Jeff Goldblum and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Jurassic World: Dominion is in theaters now.

Links:

Emily Carmichael on Instagram

Jurassic World: Dominion