Paige Lewis' first novel is called "Canon," and it’s a real pleasure. Thoughtful,  idiosyncratic and epic, and very funny. Paige is also the author of the poetry collection "Space Struck" and coeditor of "Another Last Call: Poems on Addiction and Deliverance." Paige also teaches at the University of Iowa, so we appreciate them making the trip. 

Our next show is at FitzGerald's on Aug. 20. It's a Dinner Party, with chef John Manion and music from Gia Margaret.

https://www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com/tm-event/the-interview-show-dinner-party-w-mark-bazer-ft-chef-john-manion-and-musician-gia-margaret/

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.

We saw Friko perform a sold-out album release show at Metro and had been looking forward to having them on The Interview Show ever since. They didn't disappoint. 

We hope you'll enjoy this brief convo with all four members of the Chicago-based band, along with a performance of "Seven Degrees," a song on their wonderful second album, "Something Worth Waiting For."

It's taken from our show at The Hideout, June 12, 2026. Thank you to everyone at The Hideout, including Keith on sound. Thanks as well to Todd Tue for the photos of the night, Marco Morales for putting this podcast together and David Nagler for our theme music. As well as to everyone who came out to the show.

You can find out more about The Interview Show at: www.theinterviewshowchicago.com. Or: @theinterviewshow on Instagram.

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.

Hi there. Well, I loved this conversation with Richard Osman. The author of "The Thursday Murder Club Mystery" series, including the latest one, "The Impossible Fortune," was as funny and as warm as his books. We also talked about his pre-author days as a quiz show (using the UK term out of respect) creator/producer/host in England. 

Big thanks to The Book Cellar for inviting me to moderate, City Winery for their hospitality, the great audience and Pamela Dorman Books/Viking. I highly recommend these books! And that you share this podcast episode. Happy holidays!

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.

Sometimes it's good to meet your heroes. 

WBEZ, Chicago's wonderful public radio station, brought director Rob Reiner to Chicago on Sept. 17, as part of its Events series. Reiner is the author of the new book "A Fine Line Between Stupid and Clever: The Story of Spinal Tap." 

Some 800 people filled The Music Box to hear Reiner discuss all things "Spinal Tap," along with share a few stories about "The Princess Bride," "The American President" and more. Like when Harrison Ford built his bookshelves.

It was a real thrill to share the stage with Rob Reiner. Thank you so much to WBEZ and the entire events team, Mary Dixon, Exile in Bookville and The Music Box.

And thank you to David Kindler (@dtkindlerphoto) for the photo, Marco Morales for the podcast's audio postproduction and David Nagler for the theme music.

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.

Evan Dando, frontman of The Lemonheads, has a memoir out, "Rumors of My Demise." He made Chicago—more specifically our show on Oct. 5 at FitzGerald's, in Berwyn—the first stop on the book tour. 

The Lemonheads also have a forthcoming album. He didn't perform any songs off it on our show. Instead, in between talking, he played a couple Rolling Stones covers and even some Steely Dan. (He outs himself in the book as a closet Dan fan.)

Thank you to FitzGerald's and their team for everything.

Marco Morales for the audio in post.

Gina for the beet salad and Dave for the spaghetti carbonara. 

Thank you to David Kindler for the photo here. And David Nagler did the theme music.

And thank you to Evan and his wife, Antonia.

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.

Sarah Spain is one of my favorites, she is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning sports journalist; is the host of the first ever daily women's sports podcast, iHeart's “Good Game with Sarah Spain;” and has been a jack of all trades in her more than two decades in the sports business.

But here we mostly talk about Sarah's first book, “Runs In The Family,” which tells the truly unbelievable story of Deland McCullough. He’s the running backs coach for the Raiders, but the book tells the incredible story of how Deland got to where he is today. 

More on The Interview Show at: www.theinterviewshowchicago.com.

And, you know, please subscribe, like, etc.

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.

Our interview with author Samantha Harvey. Her latest book is "Orbital," which won this past year's Booker Prize. We recorded the interview at FitzGerald's, in Berwyn, right outside Chicago, on March 20, 2025.

Next on our live show front is a show at The Hideout, in Chicago, on May 30, with Austan Goolsbee, Sarah Spain and the band Moontype.

More at: https://hideoutchicago.com/event/the-interview-show-with-mark-bazer-6/hideout-chicago/chicago/

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.

Our interview with actor Carrie Coon, from Jan. 10, 2020, as she prepared for "Bug" at Steppenwolf Theatre, in Chicago. Filmed at The Hideout, also in Chicago. Originally aired on WTTW, Chicago's PBS station.

Our next live show is March 20 at FitzGerald's! 

https://www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com/tm-event/the-interview-show-w-host-mark-bazer-ft-samantha-harvey-jonathan-weismen/

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.

We thought we'd revisit this interview with the late chef Charlie Trotter from ... 2010. June 4, 2010, to be exact. We had a great time that night at The Hideout. Chef Trotter has very much been on people's minds of late — thanks to the "Love, Charlie" documentary (of which video clips from this interview appear!) that's now on Netlfix (https://www.netflix.com/title/81633762) as well as word that Trotter's son is resurrecting his namesake restaurant. Charlie Trotter changed fine dining in Chicago (and everywhere, really), and it was a thrill to have him on the show.

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.

The first podcast episode from the long-running live, Chicago-based talk show The Interview Show With Mark Bazer!

Interview guest is:

— Actor Robert Sean Leonard (House, Dead Poets Society), who is in the  Goodman Theatre's production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal, alongside Helen Hunt and Ian Barford. More at: https://www.goodmantheatre.org/

Musical guest is:

— Sima Cunningham, who is one half of the duo Finom along with Macie Stewart and has a new solo record out called High Roller. More at: https://simacunningham.bandcamp.com/album/high-roller

Recorded before a great audience at The Hideout, in Chicago. (https://hideoutchicago.com/). 

Thank you to everyone at The Hideout, along with producing help from Todd Tue and Ben Chandler. Plus photos by Todd and music by David Nagler. And a live intro at our show by David Markus, an opening video montage by Steve Delahoyde and an intro by The Hideout's Tim Tuten.

Learn more about The Interview Show With Mark Bazer, including how to see our next live show at theinterviewshowchicago.com.