The Bridge

Don Wilson and Bob Bogle first met in 1958, when Bogle was looking to buy a car from a used car dealership in Seattle owned by Wilson's father. Finding a common interest in guitars, the two decided to play together, while Wilson joined Bogle performing masonry work. They bought two used guitars in a pawn shop for about $10 each. Their goal was to make extra money by playing at weddings, but instead they became the foundation of The Ventures and would go on to sell over 100 million records and become the best-selling instrumental band of all time. Don Wilson's son, Tim, joins John & Heyang to talk about their incredible rise to international success and the new documentary on the band called "Stars on Guitars." I get the chance to drop the needle on some of the biggest hits of The Ventures, including "Walk Don't Run" and "Hawaii 5-0." Their recording of "Walk, Don't Run" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for its lasting impact, and in 2008 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

BeBei starts the show with a cryptic question for John, asking if he's ready to meet a new woman, and after a little back and forth BeiBei introduces Li Ziqi, a Chinese vlogger, entrepreneur, and internet celebrity. She is known for creating food and handicrafts, preparation videos in her hometown in rural Sichuan, China, often from basic ingredients and tools using traditional Chinese techniques. She was orphaned at a very young age and in an interview with Goldthread, Li stated that she moved in with her grandparents after her stepmother mistreated her. Her YouTube channel has more than 2 billion views  and 14.1 million subscribers, as verified on 25 January 2021, which is a Guinness World Record for "the most subscribers for a Chinese language channel on YouTube." BeiBei and John discuss the positive impact of Li Ziqi, as millions of city dwellers are inspired by her life.

Annie Crawley is an internationally known, award-winning producer, underwater photographer, author, and motivational speaker. "Ocean Annie" joins John and BeiBei to discuss her commitment to educating people all over the world, so they become more connected to the blue planet we call home. Incredibly, John and Annie went to the same high school in Chicago and BeiBei shares her fears about the underwater world that came from a snorkeling experience. The conversation covers the decimation of sharks for their fins, the obscenity of plastic in the ocean and how human activity has put a major strain on the life support systems of Earth.

BeiBei insisted that Gregg Fraley make an immediate return visit to The Bridge, as she ran out of time in the previous episode. The conversation continues, as the three take a much closer look at how creative problem solving can be a major force for change in the world. They apply various remedies to everything from student loans to the major gap in careers related to structural engineering to the latest news that the USA is now ranked 11th in the world for innovation. John interjects his thoughts on how to create a crossover of creativity when it comes to making the shift from fossil fuels to more sustainable options.

John and BeiBei welcome best-selling author and internationally known creative consultant Gregg Fraley to the show. John met Gregg when they both spoke at TEDxNASA in 2009, and have stayed in touch over the years. BeiBei is ready with a slew of questions for Gregg, digging deep for what sparks creativity, how can it be applied and how anyone from the regular person on the street to a major corporation, can benefit from creativity, which is usually that last resort when it comes to problem solving, instead of the first option.

The pandemic has forced some serious changes on the worldwide human population. In this episode BeiBei and John begin by discussing how some businesses and individuals have learned new survival skills as a result of Cyrus The Virus. The conversation then goes to what steps might be taken by anyone who is looking to make a change in their life career-wise, and how each generation has its own challenges, that are often opportunities disguised as liabilities.

Super Producer Cimcie makes her weekly appearance on The Bridge. It's a wide-ranging conversation that starts out with some of the foods enjoyed during the Chinese New Year, to John's admission of his difficulty in dealing with the loss of more friends in the past year, than in any other year of his life, and BeiBei offers some insight into making micro-adjustments in order to stay centered. John also shares his experience attending a "virtual" memorial mass for a friend. The conversation turns to those things that might have gone "undone" and Cimcie makes the point that she's had a hard time shifting gears, like so many others. Finally, the conversation rolls back to food, and BeiBei admits that she's a "butter hoarder" and John shares a bit about a book he's been working on for 5 years.

As a kick-off to the Spring Celebration in China, Heyang offers a powerful piece entitled "Prelude to Spring" performed by the Beijing Symphony Orchestra as well as music from George Benson and Whitney Houston. John offers up songs from Frank Sinatra, from George Benson (a double play)  and the full-length version of "American Pie" by Don McLean. Finally, Heyang closes the show with a "feel good" song-that celebrates the Chinese New Year.

The announcement on Super Bowl Sunday that 35 new EV (electric vehicles) will be hitting the market in the next year sparks a conversation around the effectiveness of this emerging technology. BeiBei shares her thoughts as China has been using EVs for years, and they both discuss the challenge of switching over from an old power sources like oil, to the newer concepts of solar, wind, electric and alternative fuels. Included is another edition of "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis."

Originally from Xian, China, Linda Yu moved to Hong Kong with her family at the age of three, later migrating to the United States in 1951. Upon arriving in the States, Linda only spoke only Mandarin; knowing just two words of English ("hello" and "thank you"). Her family finally settled in California when she was 12, and Yu graduated from the University of Southern California, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism in 1968. She would go on to break new ground when she became Chicago's first Asian–American broadcast journalist when she began her news career in Chicago at WMAQ-TV in 1979. Then she went on to the Eyewitness News for ABC in Chicago from April 1984 until November 2016. For her broadcasting work, Yu has received a total of five local Emmy Awards including one for her report examining the aftermath of 9/11 in 2001. In 1984, Yu was honored with a National Gold Medal from the National Conference of Community and Justice for her documentary, "The Scars of Belfast." Linda shares her incredible journey and life lessons with John and BeiBei on another powerful episode of The Bridge.