Hey, did you know that “Scooby-Doo” was inspired by “Dobie Gillis”? Putting aside the semi-coherent dog for a moment, you’ve got Fred (Dobie), Velma (Zelda Gilroy), Daphne (Thalia Menninger) and Shaggy (Maynard G. Krebs of course). Now that inspiration was only a starting point–of the four main characters, only Shaggy bears any resemblance to his … Continue reading We’re Goin’ To A Jubilee
All performance photos in this article were taken by the late, great Lyle Fodnes. He really was everywhere. Say, did I ever tell you that I played fussy-photographer-with-sinus-condition Felix Ungar on the off-off-off-off-Broadway stage? Well, you probably need to add about 306 more “off”s in there. But I co-starred with my pal Dangerous Dave Kuskie … Continue reading The Odd Couple
In my Junior year of high school I got the nickname “Papa Smurf” in chorus. We were on a trip to Washington D.C. to participate in a mass chorus thing called “America Sings”. I still have my “America Sings” sweatshirt hanging on the wall in my bedroom, bedecked with a variety of buttons and pins. … Continue reading $60®
So, about a year after I moved to Nebraska, Denise Marcoe (then Denise Chase) drafted me into the Main Street Players, Alliance’s community theater group. The first show I did was “The Fatal Fifties Affair”, a murder mystery set at a reunion of a 1950’s sitcom. For many years interactive murder mysteries were our big … Continue reading Gilligan’s Shirt
In 2004 my friend David Kuskie and I started doing what we call “internet radio shows”. They’re not podcasts because they are scripted and produced stories with sound effects and music. Dave and I have done dozens of these, joined most frequently by Kalin Krohe and Jeremy Fifield. (Kalin, Jeremy and I do our own … Continue reading “SCARE ON THE AIR: Flatfoot Fenster Christmas Show”
Kalin Krohe is one of my best friends. He makes every creative endeavor I attempt better; he is my lunch buddy; he has helped me through some of the hardest times of my life and shared in my greatest achievements. But sometimes, as friends do, we get into a good old fashioned donnybrook. Yesterday at … Continue reading “Handle With Care!” (Or, “Pay The Damn 18 Dollars”)
Nine years ago, my friend David Kuskie and I started our second internet radio series, “The Dr. J And Dangerous Dave Dog and Pony Show.” It’s a sketch comedy show with hosting segments (and wildly uneven musical numbers) reminiscent of 70’s variety shows. Today I’m posting a “clip show” we did a few years back. … Continue reading Doc and Dave Take A Satellite Tour
There are some things you learn pretty quickly when you arrive in a new town. One of them is where the best places are to eat. I don’t think I lived in Alliance for more than a month before my first visit to Martin’s Restaurant. My Alliance story is filled with memorable evenings and lunches … Continue reading Remembering Martin’s Restaurant
Let me tell you about my friend Tracey. We worked for old man Claus up at the North Pole back in the early ’90s. She sang and danced. I perpetuated fraud on small children by pretending to be a talking Christmas tree. Tracey brought me Readers Digests so I had something to read on rainy … Continue reading The Recycled Rainbow Connection
(Okay, so I’m the team. “Team Coverage” just sounds impressive on local TV news.) Tonight at Newberry’s in Alliance, Kalin Krohe Reference (backed by Raging Derelicts members Derek Johnson and Darin Jelinek) gave a live demonstration of the increasing complexity and dimension of his original music. Copies of “Neon Halos” were selling briskly at the … Continue reading Team Coverage Of “Neon Halos” Album Release Party
