As projects have been mounting up, I'm going to take a two-week break to reassess the show and where it's heading...

Today's guest is Melissa. She goes by her first name only because she is an activist and Bernie Sanders delegate in California. She was at the infamous Sacramento Democratic Convention where nurses advocating for single-payer healthcare were told to "shut the f**k up or get out." She actually was among the people filming said incident. She introduc…

Minda Wilson is recognized as one of the nation's thought leaders on the topic of the Affordable Care Act and healthcare in America. She is the voice of, and an advocate for, the general American citizen, and in her new book "Urgent Care" she spells out 10 cures for America's ailing healthcare system in detail. Ron Placone and Minda discuss the fai…

Felicia Michaels is an American stand-up comedian. She was nominated twice for Funniest Female Comic by the American Comedy Awards; in 1999 she won the award. She has released one album, Lewd Awakenings, on the What Are Records label. She has appeared on such networks as Showtime, MTV, VH1, NBC, as well as appearing twice on ABC's Full House. She w…

Brett Detar is a musician and film composer. He was the front man for the pop/emo/rock outfit The Juliana Theory, whose success catapulted him into a world of touring and recording shortly after high school graduation. 10 years later the band broke up, but they'll be touring again to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the band's origin. Being from w…

Jim Vallely has been a television writer since the 1980s. His story begins with a potentially-life-as-he-knew-it-ending drug charge, making his way to New York City, living in a creative commune with Larry David, finding success as a comedian and auditioning with Jim Carrey and Richard Pryor, to writing for Golden Girls, Arrested Development and mo…

Maggie Rowe got bit by the extreme Christianity bug as a child and it implanted paranoia and fear. By 19, she was terrified of eternal damnation and checked herself into a Biblical-based psychiatric ward. Her book, Sin Bravely, chronicles her experiences in the ward. We walk through her story from childhood to entrance into the ward, and how she wa…

In honor of 2 new affiliates on the dial Ron revisits one of his favorite moments from the vault, the Billy Bragg interview. Ron and Billy discussed what socialism means in context in different countries, Americana, compassion and more! Also in this episode, Ron talks about an upcoming music show, pushback from the Billy Bragg interview when it ini…

Joe Sib runs a record label, does stand-up comedy, plays music, raises children and in his spare time breathes. He's the co-founder of Side One Dummy Records and via the skate parks in California discovered a world of music, creation and scene cultivation. Ron and Joe talk about skateboarding, meeting Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins, the early days o…

Svetlanas are an Italian punk band that tours the world relentlessly. Their front-woman, Olga, was banned from Russia. We talk about why (hint: it has something to do with that whole no free speech thing a la Pussy Riot). This interview was conducted in downtown Los Angeles after their show outside of the venue. At one point it is broken up by a po…

Derek Sheen is a comedian. From his website: "Derek Sheen is a cuddly mess of insecurities, a gifted, one of a kind, storyteller. He’s quickly becoming a favorite among comedy fans all over the globe! He’s toured with Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Janeane Garofolo and Rory Scovel! His debut album “Holy Drivel” was recorded by iconic metal producer M…

Dave Landau is a Detroit-based comedian. His life has been wrought with police brutality, drugs, suicide, addiction, and that was just before his 18th Birthday. He recently released his first movie, "The King." In this interview, he opens up about his past, including his father losing his fortune as a result of the for-profit health care industry, …

Ron Placone sits down this week's co-host, Carmen Morales, and the two discuss SOTU, David Bowie, amusement parks, touring and Florida in the winter. Later, after seeing his set in Charlotte, Ron and TJ Miller (Silicon Valley, Chelsea Lately) have a raw and candid discussion about Philosophy, Nihilism, Love, Time, Language, Science and how Absurdis…

Craig Finn, best known as frontman for the Hold Steady, sat down with Ron Placone at a coffee shop in East Nashville. Topics include the Punk and Hardcore movements of the 80s and 90s, Poetry and Literature, Spirituality and Religion, Rock 'N' Roll, Songwriting, why Craig doesn't like Jim Morrison, the comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, Minneapolis,…

Ron Placone was fully aware that Mack Dryden had first hand experience with Hunter S Thompson. So, he ended their interview by asking Mack to share some of those stories. Mack recalls Hunter's fireball trick, where he would literally blow a flame towards someone, Hunter's impulse to buy a boat one day in Key West, and more. These are just a few fir…

Interview with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Ian will be performing at the Ryman Auditorium October 1 and is currently promoting his new album, Homo Erraticus. We talk the new album, the recent departure of long-time guitarist Martin Barre and his new project, and album art and the delivery systems of music today.…