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

This week, Ira spoke with Gary Talley, one of the founding members and lead guitar of the Box Tops, performing at The Suncoast Showroom February 15 at 8:30. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Talley talks about how the group got its name (it wasn’t the original name); why he wasn’t pleased with the name (but after the hits came, he got used to it); growing up with the Memphis sound around at the time; how music and church were the biggest things in his life; the influence of Reggie Young, a leading session musician; and the impact of their hit, “The Letter” on Vietnam Vets who come to the group’s live shows.

This week, Ira spoke with Comedian Steve Byrne, headlining in The Comedy Works at The Plaza February 6-8. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Byrne talks about his atypical persona as a non-neurotic comedian; his experience being raised by a Korean mother and Irish father; his decision to become more vulnerable with his material; why traveling is the worst part of show business; who he considers his comedic role models, including Colin Quinn and Bill Burr; and his decision to produce a documentary on The Amazing Johnathan.

This week, Ira spoke with magician Mat Franco, headlining at The LINQ Hotel in “MAT FRANCO: MAGIC REINVENTED NIGHTLY (and where his show has just been extended for the next five years). In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Franco talks about his fascination with magic at an early age; his pipe dream as a kid to perform on the Las Vegas Strip (which came true!); his magic habit that keeps him learning about the craft; his unique approach to magic, including improvisation and interaction with the audience; why Donny Osmond holds the answer to a lengthy show business career; and why his goals are large, which allows him to accomplish more over time.

This week, Ira spoke with comedian Tommy Davidson, who is performing in The Access Showroom at Aliante Casino Hotel January 25 at 9 p.m. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Davidson talks about overcoming the odds and achieving success through comedy; why he became “The Happy Dude”; why his business is his life and his life is his business; how he instilled purpose into his life; why entertaining the troops and veterans gave him new insight into the world and history; and who are his models for his life and career.

This week, Ira spoke with comedian Augie T., who will be headlining in The Comedy Works at The Plaza, January 16-18. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Augie talks about growing up in the projects and getting inspiration from teachers who cared; boxing at an early age; deciding at an even earlier age (four) to pursue a life of comedy; why he works “clean”; the best career advice Ray Romano gave him; and how he achieves success despite being dyslexic and dealing with ADHD.

This week, Ira spoke with veteran journalist Ron Futrell, who has been covering sports in Las Vegas for decades and has reported on the growth and challenges for both college and professional sports. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Futrell talks about the incredible expansion of sports here and a historical overview of the industry; why major sports leagues changed their views on Las Vegas sports betting, and more importantly, to authorize teams here; why the Raiders decided to move to Las Vegas and issues regarding the new stadium; and the impact of the Vegas Golden Knights and the new ballpark in Downtown Summerlin. https://talkaboutlasvegas.com/talking-with-ron-futrell-january-6-2020/

This week, Ira spoke with Comedian Johnny Sanchez, headlining in the Laugh Factory at the Tropicana Las Vegas January 1-5. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Sanchez talks about growing up in the San Joaquin Valley and developing a taste for comedy at an early age by listening to Richard Pryor and later watching “In Living Color”; making the decision to give up working at a turkey plant to move to Los Angeles and pursue his dream to become a stand-up comedian; sharing an apartment with two musicians, two stuntmen, one actor and one comedian-and one phone; and meeting the “other” Johnny Sanchez. https://talkaboutlasvegas.com/talking-with-johnny-sanchez-december-30-2019/

This week, Ira spoke with Karan Feder, Guest Curator of Costume & Textiles at the Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas, who’s been responsible for organizing and presenting showgirl exhibits featuring the original costumes from Les Folies Bergere and Jubilee. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Feder talks about her first encounter with Las Vegas costumes at the Liberace Museum; her decision to pursue her passion to curate the costumes from classic Las Vegas productions; the reason why there are so few costumes around from the original production of Les Folies Bergere; the historical contributions of Debbie Reynolds and Nancy Williams; and the most interesting character she has met in her search for Las Vegas show artifacts.

This week, Ira spoke with singer Bob Anderson, performing at the Italian American Club showroom, December 27-28 at 8 p.m. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Anderson talks about beginning his career as a singer who also does impressions; how he steps into a character, keeping it authentic and never exaggerating it; performing on the Mike Douglas show and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; the development of his Sinatra show; and a tribute to Vincent Falcone. https://talkaboutlasvegas.com/talking-with-bob-anderson-december-16-2019/

This week, Ira spoke with singer-songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard, who will be performing December 12th at The Golden Nugget Las Vegas. In this 30-minute episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Hubbard talks about how he got into songwriting (blame it on a high school assembly); why he writes what he wants to write; why he’s never really fit in anywhere; how humor helps his story telling; and what it was like to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. https://talkaboutlasvegas.com/talking-with-ray-wylie-hubbard-december-9-2019/