Onstage and Backstage Podcast

Bob Elliott of the famous Bob and Ray joins his biographer David Pollock to tell stories from David's new book, Bob and Ray, Keener Than Most Persons (Applause Books). Get ready for some amusing "backstayge" anecdotes from one of the funniest broadcasters in radio history.

About the Book
Bob and Ray, Keener Than Most Persons traces the origins and development of the pair's unique sensibility that defined their dozens of local and network radio and TV series, later motion picture roles, Carnegie Hall performances, and hit Broadway show Bob and Ray – The Two and Only.

Bob Elliott is a comedian, actor, and broadcaster, formerly one half of the comedy duo Bob and Ray. 

David Pollock is the author of Bob and Ray, Keener Than Most Persons. With his writing parner Elias Davis, he has written for The Steve Allen Show, The Don Rickles Show, The Carol Burnett Show, All in the Family, M*A*S*H, Cheers, and Fraiser, as well as nightclub material for Jack Benny. Their play Points in Time was produced at South Coast Repertory. They've won an Emmy, Peabody, Writers Guild, and two Humanitas awards.

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Applause Theatre and Cinema Books is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. It is America's foremost publisher of theatre and cinema books, including books on acting and biographies of theatre and film luminaries, as well as playscripts and books on television. Visit applausebooks.com.

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below:

In a Wicked-themed episode of The Patrick Phillips Show, Patrick chats with Carol de Giere about her Stephen Schwartz biography, Defying Gravity. This episode has been cut down and reposted with permission of Patrick Phillips. Visit his site for the full episode, including interview with Schwartz himself.

About the Book
Defying Gravity takes readers into the creative world of Broadway and film composer Stephen Schwartz, from writing Godspell's score at age 23 through the making of the megahit Wicked. 

Carol de Giere  A former librarian, Carol holds master's degrees in library science and writing. She launched her freelance writing career with this book project that involved over 80 hours of interviews with Schwartz as well as with about 100 of his colleagues, friends, and family members. She and her husband, Terry, are website publishers. They reside in Connecticut.

Patrick Phillips is the host of The Patrick Phillips Show. 

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Applause Theatre and Cinema Books is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. It is America's foremost publisher of theatre and cinema books, including books on acting and biographies of theatre and film luminaries, as well as playscripts and books on television. Visit applausebooks.com.

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below:

Little Blue Book for Filmmakers authors Carl Gottlieb (Jaws) and Toni Attell (The Attell Method of Acting) join Off the Meter radio host Jimmy Failla for a discussion of the writing process, tips for actors, and movie-making! This has been reposted on Onstage and Backstage podcast with permission of Off the Meter. This is an excerpt. Visit Off the Meter for the full interview.

About the Book
The Little Blue Book for Filmmakers discusses issues faced by all beginning filmmakers, with a historical perspective that explains problems and solutions that reach back to the invention of movies at the turn of the last century, and stretch forward to include new digital technology and the popularization of videography as global self-expression.

Carl Gottlieb is a veteran of more than 40 years in theatre, film, and television. He was nominated for the Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his screenplay for JAWS. He is the recipient of an Independent Spirit Award, an Emmy, a Clio, and the Morgan Cox Award.

Toni Attell is an Emmy-nominated actress, acting coach, motivational speaker, and creator of the Attell Method coaching style. She is an adjunct professor at the USC School for Cinema and currently teaches at the UCLA Extension. 

Off the Meter is a radio program hosted by Jimmy Failla: cabbie, comic, writer, and radio machine. Visit Off the Meter for more episodes.

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Limelight Editions is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. For more than 20 years, Limelight has been one of the world's leading publishers of books on the performing arts, including film, theatre, music, and dance. Visit limelighteditions.com.

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below:

Carole King, Bobby Darin, Neil Sedaka, the Monkees, the Archies: These are just a few of the talents discovered by Don Kirshner, the man with the golden ear. Today, Don Kirshner's biographer Rich Podolsky chats with Ed Robertson on TV Confidential. This episode is reposted on Onstage and Backstage podcast with permission of TV Confidential.

About the Book
Don Kirshner, the Man with the Golden Ear (Hal Leonard Books): In 1958, long before he created and hosted Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, the most dynamic rock-and-roll series in television history, before he developed the Monkees and created the Archies, Don Kirshner was a 23-year-old kid with just a dream in his pocket. Five years later he was the prince of pop music. He did it by building Aldon Music, a song publishing firm, from scratch. This is about how he did it.

Rich Podolsky, an established reporter and writer since the 1970s, has been a staff writer for CBS, and has written for TV Guide, ESPN, the Philadelphia Daily News, the Palm Beach Post, and the Wilmington News Journal. His passion for the music of the '60s led him to Don Kirshner and the amazing teenage songwriters he discovered.

TV Confidential is a two-hour radio talk show about all aspects of television that directs itself to the Baby Boomer, Generation X and senior markets. Each edition features lively interviews with special guests on topics related to popular network TV shows and the state of the medium in general. Visit their website.

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Hal Leonard Books is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. Hal Leonard Books publishes books, DVDs, and books with DVDs on the music business, audio technology, instrument history, and more.  

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below:

Actor Charles Grodin joins Ed Robertson in this episode of TV Confidential. As you may have seen on Jimmy Fallon, Charles Grodin has a new DVD out called The Perils of Show Business. His real-life advice for would-be actors, screenwriters, directors, and entertainment business professionals is invaluable, and not without Grodin's typical wry, straightforward humorous style. This episode has been reposted on Onstage and Backstage podcast with permission of TV Confidential. 

About the DVD
In The Perils of Show Business, Charles Grodin has created a frank, no-nonsense, no-question-about-it, one-hour video that reveals his personal experience of working his way through the world of acting schools, agent representation, auditions, and the rest of the real-life world that makes up what's called show business.

Charles Grodin studied acting under the guidance of Lee Strasberg and Uta Hagen before making his 1962 Broadway debut. He is best known for his roles in The Heartbreak Kid, Midnight Run, Beethoven, and Dave. He currently hosts a daily talk-radio show on WCBS Radio. He is the author of 6 books.

TV Confidential is a two-hour radio talk show about all aspects of television that directs itself to the Baby Boomer, Generation X and senior markets. Each edition features lively interviews with special guests on topics related to popular network TV shows and the state of the medium in general. Visit their website.

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Limelight Editions is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. For more than 20 years, Limelight has been one of the world's leading publishers of books on the performing arts, including film, theatre, music, and dance. Visit limelighteditions.com.

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below:

Guitar historian Walter Carter chats about the history of the Epiphone guitar. This episode is reposted on Onstage and Backstage podcast with permission of Ed Driscoll at PJ Media.

About the Book
The Epiphone Guitar Book: The story of Epiphone, one of the oldest and most famous guitar companies, is told by former staff historian Walter Carter. It's an epic story spanning three centuries, from Old World roots in the 19th century to the golden age of American makers in the 20th century and onward into the global market of the new millennium. It's the story of America's business, from an individual luthier to a family business and on to corporate ownership. And it's the story of American popular music, powered by Epiphone guitars, from big-bodied Emperor that drove the swing bands of the 1930s, to the electric hollowbodies of the 1960s used by The Beatles and studio ace Howard Roberts, to custom solidbody models for such modern rockers as Noel Gallagher (Oasis), Jeff Waters (Annihilator), and Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance). Beautifully illustrated with photos of all the important Epiphone instruments and the extraordinary musicians who played them, this is a fascinating history of an iconic name in the world of the guitar.

Walter Carter is the former historian for Epiphone's parent company, Gibson Guitar Corp., and the author of a dozen books on vintage guitars and guitar companies. A graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, he has been involved in Nashville's music business for over 40 years as a songwriter, musician, and journalist.

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Backbeat Books is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. It offers publications for performers and fans passionate about music, including: discographies, band bios and memoirs, and books on music equipment, instruction, recording, and more. Visit backbeatbooks.com.

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below:

Nancy Nelson joins Patrick Phillips to talk about her time working on the lecture circuit with actor Cary Grant and the book that came out of those experiences, Evenings with Cary Grant (Applause Books). This episode has been reposted on Onstage and Backstage podcast with permission of Patrick Phillips.

About the Book
Evenings with Cary Grant: In this sublimely truthful and candid portrait, biographer Nancy Nelson draws on interviews with Grant, as well as material from his personal papers, along with loving, revelatory reminiscences from some of his closest friends and loved ones – including Katharine Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Quincy Jones, James Stewart, and many more – to reveal the vaudevillian, actor, lover, and father. 

Nancy Nelson at first persuaded Cary Grant to make public appearances and then represented and accompanied him and his wife for his superb one-man show called A Conversation with Cary Grant. She is the presient of the Nelson Agency and lives in New York.

Patrick Phillips hosts The Patrick Phillips Show.

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Applause Theatre and Cinema Books is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. It is America's foremost publisher of theatre and cinema books, including books on acting and biographies of theatre and film luminaries, as well as playscripts and books on television. Visit applausebooks.com.

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below:

Dave Thompson, author of If You Like Led Zeppelin..., joins Patrick Phillips on The Patrick Phillips Show to talk about the band's influence and the bands who were influenced by the mighty Zep. Not to mention really odd things about band nicknames, where the name of the band came from, and playing records backward.

About the Book
If You Like Led Zeppelin... is the unique story of how Led Zeppelin came together not just as players, but as influences and ideas. It unearths the music that the musicians themselves were listening to, to open up an entire new world of experience and excitement for both casual and committed fans. It then travels beyond Led Zeppelin, to the bands and artists who in turn took their own lead from the Zep.

Dave Thompson has written over 100 books, most of them about rock and roll. These include Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell, Bad Reputation, Hearts of Darkness, and Doctor Who FAQ.

Patrick Phillips is the host of The Patrick Phillips Show, which you can listen to for free here. 

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Backbeat Books is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. It offers publications for performers and fans passionate about music, including: discographies, band bios and memoirs, and books on music equipment, instruction, recording, and more. Visit backbeatbooks.com.

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below:

In 2013, Actors' Equity Association turns 100 years old. To celebrate, they've written a book, penned by Robert Simonson, called Performance of the Century. In this episode of Onstage and Backstage podcast, Simonson, actors Lee Roy Reams and Danny Burstein, AEA president Nick Wyman, and the book's cover illustrator "Squigs" come together at Drama Book Shop in New York City to talk about this beautiful publication and 100 years of AEA.

About the Book
Performance of the Century: 100 Years of Actors' Equity Association and the Rise of Professional American Theater by Robert Simonson: To read this resplendent new book, lavishly illustrated with historical images and stunning photographs, is to learn not only the union's glorious past, but that of American theater itself.

Robert Simonson has chronicled American theater for a quarter of a century. His is the author of The Gentleman Press Agent and two collections of theater profiles, Role of a Lifetime and On Broadway, Men Still Wear Hats. In his other life, he drinks cocktails and then writes about them for the New York Times.

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Applause Theatre and Cinema Books is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. It is America's foremost publisher of theatre and cinema books, including books on acting and biographies of theatre and film luminaries, as well as playscripts and books on television. Visit applausebooks.com.

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below:

Ho ho ho. Alonso Duralde, author of Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, joins Off the Meter radio host Jimmy Failla as they discuss Christmas films and nearly-Christmas films. This episode has been re-edited and reposted on the Onstage and Backstage podcast with permission of Off the Meter radio program. 

About the Book
Don't waste another second of your valuable holiday time on another boring Christmas movie. Film critic Alonso Duralde highlights the best – and worst – movies of the Yuletide season with this fun and informative film guide. Whether you're looking for the classics, family favorites, holiday horror, Christmas-themed crime epics, or the most wonderfully awful cinematic lumps of coal, Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas will point you and your rental queue in the right direction. 

Alonso Duralde is the author of 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men. He has written about film for MSNBC.com and the Advocate, among others, and programmed film festivals, including Outest and the USA Film Festival/Dallas. A regular contributor to The Rotten Tomatoes Show, Duralde has been featured in documentaries for IFC and Starz, and on the Brokeback Mountain and Valley of the Dolls DVDs. Follow him on Twitter.

Off the Meter is a radio program hosted by Jimmy Failla: cabbie, comic, writer, and radio machine. Click here to listen to the entirety of this episode. 

About this Podcast
A performing arts podcast, Onstage and Backstage features authors who write about theatre, music, film, or television with guests of their choice. This podcast is brought to you by Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. All books can be found at halleonardbooks.com, Amazon, B&N, and independent bookstores.

Limelight Editions is one of five imprints of the book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group. For more than 20 years, Limelight has been one of the world's leading publishers of books on the performing arts, including film, theatre, music, and dance. Visit limelighteditions.com.

Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group is the trade book division of Hal Leonard Corporation. We have the largest collection of books and DVDs for aspiring and professional musicians, producers, engineers, directors, actors of stage and screen, and discerning fans of pop culture, cinema, television, Broadway, jazz, blues, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, and more! Visit our imprint websites below: