TV Guidance Counselor

August 15-21, 1987

In a shocking move, this week Ken welcomes a guest BACK to Reid Manor for a LIVE recording not via satellite, it's old friend, author, bass player of Pete Holmes' favorite Boston punk band and fellow punk rock kid, Tripp Underwood.

Ken and Tripp discuss what it means to be "from Boston", suburban posers, being only the second person to record an episode at the house since COVID hit, Building 19, Tripp's "Have a Cheap Day" book, local discount stores, the RI Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, Ann & Hope, duckpin bowling, algorithms, having a computer guy in your corner, COVID pandemic driven nostalgia, newspaper ads, parodies, 80 year old nana's, artists, Mad Magazine, the original Building 19 flier artist, being yelled at on Facebook by old men, the importance of going through the Sunday Boston Globe as a kid, when Ken gave everyone in the audience a wrapped copy of Kate & Allie Season 1 on DVD at a show, buying a gross of items, TV Preachers, Isaac Asimov reviewing ALF, being on tour in a band, TV merch, discarded merchandise from canceled shows, the marketing, Ken's sick burn against Social Distortion fans, 227, Hunter, Spencer for Hire, Barry Crimmins, Elvis' set list creation, The New Adventures of Beans Baxter, Mr. President, Married...with Children, FOX Weekend Television, Duet, Open House, pogs, friendships fueled by references, the Valerie saga, Newhart, Get a Life, Rockford Files, when TV dads are creeps, Growing Pains, anti-heroes, One Crazy Summer, Christie Elise, MacGyver, Cosby, Cheers, being a "Diane and Woody", cast replacements, trying to guess which Boston area towns, within Rt 128 that various Cheers characters come from/live in, how short TV shows without commercials are now, Family Ties, Garfield, Garfield's 9 Lives, Mr. Belvedere, Barney Miller, progressive 70s shows, Danny Arnold, and the strange Boston protective positive insulting intolerance. 

AND buy Tripp's Building 19 Book, "Have a Cheap Day" here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/145948273839?

2024 Halloween Special!

October 17-23, 1998

Happy Halloween! This week Ken welcomes Allison Pregler BACK to the show, and Phelan Porteous to the show for the first time.

Ken, Allison and Phelan discuss Allison's return to the show, the illusion of time, Ken's household's love of Phelan and Allison's videos, The Baywatch Hulu documentary, E! True Hollywood Stories, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors without the Simpsons Treehouse of Horrors, Nova Scotia, Canadian TV Guide, Canada's love of staples, what US channels they get in Canada, SNL's black face shame, re-watching all of SNL from the start, the lost years of SNL, Billy Crystal, Fear on SNL with Donald Pleasence, why Hersheys thinks change is bad, lazy "homemade" recipes, is Blue Velvet a horror movie?, ex's names tattooed on you, Dracula Knives, a very special Baywatch, TV's depiction of autism, dolphins, animal husbandry, Santa themed wrestlers, Zanta, Halloween Wars, challenge cooking, the disappointing nature of KISS, the shock at Gene Simmons not being on Baywatch ever, Jeremy Piven's balls, Balls Mahoney, people named Bumper, Getting Personal, Jon Cryer's sitcom trenches, the world's greatest Tim Burton interview, Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place, Spooky Specials, Alien Voices, when Fred Savage was Groucho Marx once, best ever costumes, homemade little mermaid costumes, MTV, Much Music, naked babies on TV, My Little Pony rip offs, Adonis' and his tiny Jeep, Walmart Associates, Wind on the Water, The Working Girl sitcom, The Net Sitcom, Xena, the evil Xena, when Ken told Jerry Bruckheimer he didn't like his movie, WWF Wrestling, Kate Mulgrew surprising AOC, 7 Days, Quantum Leap, Beetlejuice, Otherworld, Sliders, House II, Charmed, Werewolves, Buffy, whodoneits, Robin Hood Men in Tights, Michael Jackson's strange questions, John Landis, Sabrina, Ken's crying at the death of Flealig in Babe II, and the strangeness of Red Green. 

June 23-29th, 2008

This week Ken welcomes the very funny comedian behind the new album ,"Country Queer," and the podcast, "Y'all Gay," Ali Clayton.

Ken and Ali discuss growing up with exotic pets, unique regional accents in cartoons, Bugs Bunny's Brooklyn twang, the North Carolina drawl of "The Andy Griffith Show," Andy Griffith's surprising acting range, "A Face in the Crowd,"  Dr. Oz's bizarre Senate campaign, the age-old debate between New York and Chicago pizza, Denise Richards' unexpected shift from the silver screen to reality TV and OnlyFans, experiences with eccentric pets ,bizarre reality TV shows, the absurd premise of "Paralyzed and Pregnant", "20/20," and pet grooming competitions.

February 15-21, 1992

This week Ken welcomes the NY based writer, comedian and actor Laura Merli to the show.

Ken and Laura discuss being a rare person who didn't grow up in Boston or go to school in Boston yet lived in Boston, taking the first job you get offered, growing up in New Jersey, commuting to NYC, panes of glass falling from the Hancock Tower, growing up with the TV Guide channel instead of the physical TV Guide, Jury Duty, the underappreciated chemistry and skill of Regis and Kathy Lee, The Crash Test Dummies, the best chemistry on TV, Chicken Soup, Jackie Mason, how TV Guide thinks most stand up sucks, diversity in comedy, Def Jam, how the major female comedians in 1992 were mostly the same ones in 2022, Paula Poundstone, Communism, shirtless Jacksons, Julia Sweeney as Pat, when sketches don't hold up, lazy comedy, SCTV, how sometimes on a very rare occasion garbage you buy in a TV Guide does actually go up in value, buying everlasting love, Golden Girls, The Winter Olympics, when Hockey is billed last, peaking at 19, Mary Lou Retton, America's Funniest People, never agreeing that the winning video on American's Funniest Home Videos should have won, the serious episodes of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, how you are either Rope or Summer Rental, The Astronomers, inspired by true stories made for TV Movies, convicting Charles Manson, The Women's Super G, Muppets Night at the Museum, Roseanne, Robin Williams as Mork from Ork, Jason Priestly as Teen Priest, Baptism by Lips, Drexel's Class, Digital Underground, The Boy Who Could Fly, handing out condoms at shopping malls, country music variety shows, The Civil War, complaining about PBS, the KGB's view of the Cuban Missile Crisis, University by Television and hating to see good looking people on TV.

November 2-8, 1996

This week Ken welcomes Denver Comedian Geoff Tice to the show.

Ken and Geoff discuss how Denver become a comedy hub reminiscent of Boston's golden era,being both a comic and graphic designer, Colorado's vibrant comedy scenne, Comedy Works,expert insights on the evolution of comedy flyers and the quirky charm of '90s TV Guide advertisements, legendarily bad TV shows like "It's About Time" . underrated gems like "Spin City.", the unique charm of Australian TV and shows like "Beyond 2000". John Cleese's timeless classic "Fawlty Towers," . the controversial airing of an officer-involved shooting on "Cops" . election night of Bill Clinton's second term, sports highlights, peculiar TV movies, the impact of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 on today's media landscape. and "Cheers and Jeers" 

March 24- April 1, 1984  This week Ken welcomes Philly comic Chip Chantry BACK to the show.  

Ken and Chip discuss uninspired TV landscape of 1984, significant TV weddings, his last visit and the evolution of virtual podcasting since then, the fascinating world of VR and hologram technology, take a historical detour into the "Pepper's Ghost" illusion—a magician's trick from the 18th century now revived in modern performances, pranks, writing for a local radio station, psychic mediums like John Edwards, Hill Street Blues, a poignant reading of Lana Wood's poem "Sleep," the Mr. T action figure, Voltron, Dennis the Menace, the bizarre ABC weekend special "The Amazing Bungie Venture," a unique documentary-style episode of "Kate & Allie," and the CBS Schoolbreak Special "Welcome Home, Jellybean."  

AND don't miss Chip's comedy special "Move Closer" streaming now for free on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_QKarKuuTdU?si=keNN0nQqM1dq0tLY

June 19-26, 1976

This week Ken welcomes Professor of Russian & Slavic Studies and Senior Academic Convenor for the Global Network at New York University and author of Marvel Comics in the 1970s: The World Inside Your Head (Cornell, 2022), Meanwhile, in Russia…: Russian Internet Memes and Viral Video (Bloomsbury, 2022),  Soviet-Self-Hatred: The Secret Identities of Postsocialism (Cornell, 2023), Elliot Borenstein.

Ken and Elliot discuss Russian Pop Culture and Propaganda as a day job, The Cold War, anti-Soviet TV, Pussy Riot, Marvel Comics, the innovation of narrative present in 70s Marvel Comics, Howard the Duck, Mary Hartman Mary Hartman, getting paid to watch TV, redeemable trash, terrible awful garbage TV, Barney Miller, the weird state of mid-70s American TV, believing in your audience, Jimmy Carter's American Malaise, post-Watergate, the productive exploration of cynicism, CB Radio, when Columbus OH was the test market of the world, market research, mutli tasking, MTM, Rhoda, Phyllis, The Defenders, Planet of the Apes, spin offs, the horror of Eight is Enough, Maude, Love American Style, variable bed times, Martin Mull, Disco, Fernwood2Nite, Good Times, Jimmy Walker, the famous Heidi Dress, swingers, Barney Miller, Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, premise creep, Phil Silvers, One Day at a Time, Goodnight Beantown, The Incredible Hulk, Misfits of Science, Blue Knight, Monty Python, Grease, being offended by Nostalgia, Hawaii Five-O, tumors, and Russian genre cinema. 

January 3-9, 1998

This week Ken welcomes comedian, filmmaker and all around good dude Jeff Cerulli to the show.

Ken and Jeff discuss documentary films, hot dog eating contests, TV Eating Contests, The Simpsons, Senior Year of High School, The Spin Doctors, mail order CDs, TV Guide appearing in movies, The Ice Storm, The Postman, Equal, smoking bans, beepers, the top 12 Simpsons episodes (circa 1998), winning the REAL Simpsons house, Ice-T, Marky Mark, having no concept of modern country and Christian music, The Wiz, Comics Come Home, Road Rules, The Real World, Star Wars Special Edition, Jackie Mason, Caddyshack II, how Vaudeville could be alt com, Pacific Blue, Baywatch, the extended Baywatch Universe, The Black Out Effect vs. The Trigger Effect, Demi Moore in Striptease, horny viewing, Mannequin being a three star movie, Beavis and Butthead, VH1 Pop Up Video, The Brothers McMullan, Poison Ivy series, Boy Meets World, voice over, Richard Lewis, bOkU, Drew Carey Show, the horrors of White Grape, Buffy the Vampire Slayer the movie, The Cronenberg Dynasty, Scanners II, MTV as a home channel, when we all hand to witness Anthony Michael Hall break out of being a nerd, Johnny B Goode, Bill Paxton, Weird Science, Seinfeld's final season, the return of Larry David, Bulls, Michael Jordan, Oliver Stone vs. Oliver North, Celebrity Jeopardy, and a particularly angry Cheers and Jeers.

May 18, 2018

This week Ken welcomes comedian Caitlin Peluffo.

Ken and Caitlin discuss chipper hellos, being pumped, Caitlin's partner's love of Alice Cooper, Chubby Checker, Alice Cooper's Elvis story, growing up in the Bay Area, moving to NYC, depicting cities for the wealthy, Golden Retrievers, The Property Brothers, twins, the not twin sibling, home renovations, Jonathan Knight's farm house fix ups, black and mild cigars, the Royal family, pancakes for the table, Ken's food love, Grandma's TV Guide, having a "home" channel, Forever Home, HGTV, Canadian home buying, Love it or List It, Flip it, hate watching renovations, Paige Davis,  loving the Napiers, Rock the Block, This Old House, The Sassy Cat Wine Glass Collection, respectful murder mysteries, Elementary, Ken's famous coat, crazy Victoria's Chicago make overs, freezing your d off, getting made to cry, Reality TV, Storage Wars, Guy's Grocery Games, American Ninja Warrior, Flip or Flop, divorce, Family Feud, Bob the Drag Queen, my Super Sized Life, Skin Tight, touring with Madonna, My 600 lb Life, when pals get hunted by a blind man, Frasier, and why Niles Crane is the best character ever on TV. 

February 26 - March 3, 1972

RETURNING guests to the show comedians Irene Bremis (watch her special Sweetie) and TV's Frank Conniff join Ken this week.

Ken, Irene and Frank discuss growing up in New York, the horrors of Staten Island, good pizza, racism, Mary Tyler Moore, Sherlock Holmes cigarettes, Doral Cigarettes, True Cigarettes, killing women, Rain Barrell, questionable protein stains, fabric softener, The Old Man Who Cried Wolf, movies vs tv series, where Irene and Frank met, Brian Denehy, the map of Ireland on Frank's face, Maureen O'Hara, psychic detectives, Saturday night death slots, MTM productions, strong women, Maude, how awful Bill Cosby is, dying on stage, Bob Hope, Dana Gould, Bing Crosby and Friends, women's lib, Ear Stoppies, wigs, Rowan & Martin, Gene Hackman, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, comic comradery, Sid & Marty Kroft, Hart to Hart, the show with the woman, James Garner, Left Behind, Kirk, Christians, losing your mind, cycle cell anemia, Greeks, Cannon, William Conrad, MeTV, It Takes a Thief, Carson, Serling, meeting Dick Cavet, Adam 12, Dick Clark, Hellzapoppin the TV series, Dom DeLuise, George Wallace, working on Sabrina, That Girl, Cannonball Run, Eddie Murphy, Red Foxx, Sandford and Son, Soap, Room 222, and watching MeTV at 2am.