The Talk About Las Vegas Podcast | a podcast by Ira Sternberg

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Master Magician Lance Burton and comedy magician Fielding West about the legacy of Siegfried & Roy in Las Vegas. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, the two magicians talk about the first time they met Siegfried & Roy; how the famous duo opened the door for magic in Las Vegas; how Siegfried & Roy wrote the book on how to do a magic show and created the business model; when Siegfried knew they had something special; Lance’s favorite S&R act; Fielding’s fun with “The Magic Box” and the duo’s book; and the future of magic in Las Vegas.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Marta Soligo, author of an original research article, “What Happens Here? Educating Las Vegas’s Guests During COVID-19,”  published in the UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Soligo talks about the need to raise the consciousness of Las Vegas visitors about their impact on the community; why some people think Las Vegas is not authentic; the optimal relationship between tourists and communities; utilizing the unique Las Vegas private-public partnership to get the message out to tourists about the destination’s new expectations; and long-term solutions to the challenge of visitors thinking anything goes here.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Jackie “The Jokeman” Martling, who for 18 years (1983-2001) was a fixture of Howard Stern’s radio & television shows and for seven years had his own radio show, “Jackie’s Joke Hunt” on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Martling talks about his early career and who was responsible for naming him “The Joke Man”; how he was influenced by Red Skelton; why he doesn’t consider himself a comic, but just tells jokes; why he views his life as a pinball game; how he created a dirty joke line, “Use Your Finger! Dial (516) 922-WINE!,” which has been in uninterrupted operation since 1979; and his earliest memories of Las Vegas, as well as his three perspectives on the town.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with producer, director, choreographer, entertainer, playwright and songwriter Eric Jordan Young, who takes the stage in “In This Moment” at the Space in Las Vegas (with renowned pianist Philip Fortenberry) March 13 at 6 p.m. (and also streamed live). In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Young talks about his first performances in Las Vegas in the 90’s; why he chose to stay in Las Vegas as a artist; his admiration of Sammy Davis Jr. (which explains his signature piece in every show); why he likes to collaborate with others in creating shows; how he coped with a difficult year and saw it as an opportunity to decide what was important as a performer; his unique relationship with Philip Fortenberry that translates on stage; and his belief that it’s important to be vulnerable on stage, and that to receive love from the audience, you have to give love.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Claytee White, inaugural director of the Oral History Research Center for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, White talks about famed architect Paul Revere Williams and his contributions to and impact on Las Vegas; his projects, including Carver Park, the La Concha Motel, the Guardian Angel Cathedral, and Berkley Square; why his designs were so different from anything else in Las Vegas; and why, despite Williams being highly successful, there was her bittersweet awareness of the loss of potential due to racism.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with comedian Adam Hunter, headlining in the Laugh Factory at the Tropicana Las Vegas February 18-21. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Hunter talks about how wrestling in school gave him a focus in life; how he began stand-up in New York (including performing in laundromats!); his experience as a finalist on season six of “Last Comic Standing”; why he likes old-school comics; his affinity with the MMA; his approach to comedy from the point of view of a Mexican boxer, as he delivers as many jokes as he can during his set; and the importance of tenaciousness.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with award-winning “Best of Las Vegas” trumpeter, composer, producer, and conductor David Perrico, who fronts his Pop Strings Orchestra in a salute to Black History Month, February 26 at 6 p.m. in a live stream from The Space. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Perrico talks about his ongoing (for the last seven years) commitment to paying tribute and honoring the excellence behind the music of black artists; his love of live music and the interaction it provides; the challenges of performing when the audience is not in the room; how he balances all his roles in a given day; and the importance of live music to the future of Las Vegas.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with Tsvetelina Stefanova, executive director of the 17th Annual Dam Short Film Festival, which is going online as a virtual event beginning February 11. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Stefanova talks about the history of the festival and how they put it together each year; the unique aspects of presenting the festival online due to COVID; the entries that are based on genres and themes; the unique filmmakers lounge; and how films are submitted and reviewed for consideration.

This week, Ira Sternberg spoke with John Krause, who will be performing in “Bit of Your Time,” a retrospective through the last eight years of his career, at The Space in Las Vegas January 29 at 6 p.m (and also streamed live). In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Krause talks about why he got a little late start in show business; how his high school drama teacher saw the spark for creativity in him; why Las Vegas was where he discovered that he could have a career, and a Las Vegas show enabled him to get his Equity card; his Broadway debut in “Hadestown”; keeping a balance between focusing on one thing and creatively multi-tasking during COVID; and why he married Molly McCook at the Santa Barbara Zoo!

I met Larry King ten years ago in the elevator of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (ironically the same hospital where he died on January 23). He was down-to-earth and accepted my spontaneous invitation to appear on my radio show (then called Lunchtime With Ira). He had an upcoming performance at The Mirage in Las Vegas, part of a tour across America as part of his post-CNN career.

In this episode, King was charming, curious, complimentary and direct (asking me if I was coming to see the show, which I did).The broadcasting icon talks about his new act; his unprecedented 25- year CNN career; the classic story about getting Frank Sinatra to appear on his show for the first time; the importance of luck; his unique interviewing style; his curiosity as a “why” guy; his 16th book (“Truth Be Told”), which he called his “goodbye book”; his fight with prostate cancer and his decision to get radiation treatment (and his occasional second thoughts about it); and the most significant people he interviewed, including the one he thought the most significant (it may surprise you).