The ALL NEW Big Wakeup Call with Ryan Gatenby

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From November 12, 2018: John Flansburgh from They Might Be Giants called in for a chat about the They Might Be Giants Radio Network, of which I was a charter member. We also talked about my cassette (yes, mine, specifically) of Flood  and being mistaken for another bespectacled duo.

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Pam Nisevich Bede is an author and sports nutritionist. Pam shared some heatwave hydration solutions and other safety tips to be aware of in record-breaking heat.

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From April 1, 2016: "Ringo Starr" called in to talk about his book, Postcards From the Boys," and his upcoming tour with the All-Starr Band.

*DISCLAIMER: not Ringo Starr. An incredible simulation. Part of an April Fool's Day show where I talked to guests even more awesome than our usual stellar lineup.

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From November 2013: I had a fun chat with Lisa Loeb about her new album for kids and our shared love of the 70s PBS Kids show "Zoom."

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From October 16, 2012: Susanna Hoffs joined the show to talk about her album Someday.  We also had a fun guitar geek chat about Rickenbacker guitars.

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Chicago's own Amy Landecker called in on September 22, 2017 to talk about an all-new season (season 4) of her critically-acclaimed and Emmy-Award winning Amazon Prime series Transparent.

ABOUT AMY LANDECKER

Landecker is best known for playing the first-born child in Transparent, Amazon Video’s groundbreaking series about a transgender woman and her chaotic yet lovable family. She stars opposite Jeffrey Tambor, Jay Duplass, Judith Light and Gaby Hoffman. Additionally, Landecker made her directorial debut on Transparent: The Lost Sessions, a 10-episode off shoot of comedic shorts for Funny or Die using Soloway's world of Pfeffermans and the cast of characters surrounding the often dysfunctional family.

Transparent‘s fourth season takes the Pfefferman family on a “spiritual and political journey as they dig deep into their family’s history.” That includes a trip to Israel, where Maura is chosen to speak at a conference and makes a “startling discovery.”

On the big screen, Landecker has completed production on A Kid Like Jake, an independent drama also starring Claire Danes and Jim Parsons, which is based on a celebrated Lincoln Center play about a couple trying to raise a 4-year-old-son who prefers to dress up as a princess instead of G.I. Joe. She most recently appeared opposite Salma Hayek and John Lithgow in Beatriz At Dinner.
 

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TV legend Bob Eubanks joined the show on June 8, 2021, to talk about the 55th anniversary of The Newlywed Game.  We also had a fun chat about how he promoted the Beatles 1964 concert at the Hollywood Bowl, where he got paid more than they did! In fact, Bob promoted Beatles concerts on all three of their U.S. tours!

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From July 2015, legendary comedian and Chicago-area local hero Jim Gaffigan called in for a brief but entertaining chat with me about the debut episode of The Jim Gaffigan Show.

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From December 11, 2014: Legendary TV host and comedy writer Dick Cavett called in to talk about his memoir, BRIEF ENCOUNTERS: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks.  We discussed Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, John and Yoko, and many more.  At the end of the interview, Dick complimented me on my interviewing style, which is certainly a highlight of my career,

ABOUT DICK CAVETT

Dick Cavett was the host of The Dick Cavett Show on ABC and PBS, and he also hosted talk shows on the USA, HBO, and CNBC cable networks. He appears frequently on stage, screen, and new media, and was nominated for his most recent Emmy Award in 2012. He is the author of Talk Show and the coauthor of Cavett and Eye on Cavett, and he writes an online opinion column for The New York Times. He lives in New York City and Montauk, New York.

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From June 22, 2018, legendary author James Patterson called in to talk about his new novel, The President Is Missing, a collaboration with former president Bill Clinton. Immediately following our show, the book became the #1 best-seller in the nation. While we take no credit, we still think we helped to move a lot of copies.

ABOUT JAMES PATTERSON
James Patterson received the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community from the National Book Foundation.

 He holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers, and his books have sold more than 375 million copies worldwide. 

A tireless champion of the power of books and reading, Patterson created a new children's book imprint, JIMMY Patterson, whose mission is simple: "We want every kid who finishes a JIMMY Book to say, 'PLEASE GIVE ME ANOTHER BOOK.'" '

He has donated more than one million books to students and soldiers and funds over four hundred Teacher Education Scholarships at twenty-four colleges and universities. He has also donated millions of dollars to independent bookstores and school libraries. Patterson invests proceeds from the sales of JIMMY Patterson Books in pro-reading initiatives.