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We put author, actor, and E Streeter Stevie Van Zandt on the couch on the eve of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s 2023 world tour. As we learned from Stevie’s excellent 2021 memoir, Unrequited Infatuations, despite appearing to having lived the most charmed life imaginable, he spent decades being haunted by his early Eighties decision to leave the band of longtime best friend Springsteen on the eve of the “Born In The USA” album. Host and guest explore the meaning of failure and success. It gets a little raw. Plus: Steve on why he didn’t care for Peter Jackson’s Let It Be, and the recipe for keeping bands together. And: Andrew nominates Paul Simon for a dubious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame award for a lifetime of questionable behavior.

Miraculously, Andrew lures icon, 100 million+ record seller and 5 time Grammy-winner Dionne Warwick to the show. Warwick, the subject of the new CNN documentary, Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over, brings her famous wry candor to the following topics: how Burt Bacharach blew it by bolting, what Isaac Hayes did right and Barbra Streisand did wrong, why she very nearly quit the business to teach in the seventies just before recording her biggest hits. Finally learn who really writes those funny tweets. PLUS: did she really hate Lisa Rinna as much as it appeared on her season of The Celebrity Apprentice? 

Legend and icon Sherry Lansing reminds us exactly what it took to become the first woman to be head of production of a studio, as she was at 20th Century Fox, and the first to become overall boss of a studio when she landed atop Paramount in 1992. Impediments covered: Everyone in meetings assuming you're sleeping with someone important and nobody in meetings listening to a word you say. How Fatal Attraction both made her career--and attracted the ire of feminists. Lansing might have gotten the reputation as having the nicest "no" in town, but listeners will be rewarded with some impressively gangsta maneuverings involving Goldie Hawn and Mike Myers. Throughout the hour, Lansing provides a masterclass on the kind of soft power talents required of trailblazers.  

It’s possible you’ve never heard of today’s guest, veteran Hollywood producer Howard Rosenman, but after spending an hour with this master raconteur, you will never, ever forget him. Naturally, he’ll share stories of producing such films as Sparkle, Father of the Bride and Call Me By Your Name, but it’s the stories from his rich, turbulent life that will leave you amused, astounded, and occasionally scandalized. Hear tales of: the veiny clay schmeckle he fashioned as a 4 year-old yeshiva kid that blew his gay cover, how Shirley MacLaine saved him from dying, and that special day in Israel he became acquainted with Leonard Bernstein and his…glorious baton. Marvel at the shocking number of lovers he’s had. Puzzle over the doctor who may have gotten Jane Goodall’s chimps hooked on blow. Featuring memorable cameos from: Katherine Hepburn, Bruce Weber, Anthony Perkins, Richard Gere, Edward Albee, Michael Jackson, Carrie Fisher, Charlie Rose, Bruce Vilanch, Marianne Williamson and Stephen Sondheim.  Mentioned: Andrew’s 2019 interview with Joel Schumacher https://www.vulture.com/2020/06/joel-schumacher-in-conversation.html Andrew, pre-hurl, and son on Air and Space flight simulator https://www.instagram.com/p/Cka8FDhu1-_/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D    

Probably most fun show yet. Andrew spends an eventful day with Emmy-winning actor Joe Pantoliano. Learn how Tom Cruise indirectly inspired Joe to seek rhinoplasty while doing Risky Business. Hear tales of very bad mothering, the wiseguy who fathered him and how a dyslexic, ADD afflicted “closeted actor” came out as a thespian and made his escape from Hoboken. Hear insight on why Joey identified with his treacherous character in The Matrix. Get a masterclass on both acting and how to shoplift expensive shirts. Hear what a three valium can do to an interview subject. Learn the last thing you should ever say to your spouse, and why Joey let it rip right in front of guests at a dinner party. Mentioned: Recommended scene. Ralph Cifaretto confronts Tracee in The Sopranos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYDbiodGMKk Joey’s excellent memoirs: Who’s Sorry Now, 2002, about his Hoboken childhood https://www.amazon.com/Whos-Sorry-Now-Story-Stand-up/dp/0525946772 Asylum, 2012, about his acting career and his mental and chemical struggles https://www.amazon.com/Asylum-Hollywood-Depression-Dis-Ease-Recovery/dp/B00ANY5RCY No Kidding, Me 2!, Joe's 2010 documentary seeking to destigmatize mental illness https://www.amazon.com/No-Kidding-Me-Illness-Documentary/dp/B003B3NGS6  

Minds will be blown by this latest episode, with Toni Basil, a true show business Zelig. Sure, we all remember Basil’s 1981 hit, “Mickey.” But it turns out this might be the least interesting part of her long career as a dancer, singer, and choreographer. Hear Toni’s tales of: dancing with Frank Sinatra in 1964’s Rat Pack vehicle Robin and the Seven Hoods, boogying in and helping choreograph Elvis’ movie, Viva Las Vegas, that time she watched Mick Jagger nearly faint when he realized he had to follow James Brown on stage. She played a hooker in Easy Rider and sat across the diner booth from Jack Nicholson for his famous toast ordering scene in Five Easy Pieces. Oh, and did we mention that she taught Leonardo DiCaprio how to do the twist for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood? Plus, she basically introduced hip hop dance to America back in the Seventies when she founded the street dance troupe The Lockers. You'll never use the term "one hit wonder" again.  Stuff to check out: Toni Basil's House, on youtube, home to the mother lode of clips.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLDiLz79uHGkK4KyIMl7Ljg Toni, Sinatra, and Bing Crosby on set of Robin and The Seven Hoods, 1964 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUZXOdsEPJo Toni does "the dog" for Elvis in Viva Las Vegas, 1964 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLi5PNasbvA Toni in Bruce Conner's "Breakaway" short https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CHtEASlzG8 Peter Fonda (and Toni) in Easy Rider, 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iamsdf-VSQI Jack Nicholson (and Toni) in Five Easy Pieces, 1970 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdIXrF34Bz0 Toni and The Lockers on Soul Train, 1975 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwAZoce7QHY Toni dancing a few years ago (at 74) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xcpjta4q7lc

Somehow, Andrew made it through 26 episodes of the pod without one single guest telling him to fuck off or referring to him as a “cocksucker.” Thanks to novelist James Ellroy, this long national pod-mare is over! The celebrated 74 year-old author of The Black Dahlia came on to promote his new Audible Originals series, “James Ellroy’s Hollywood Deathtrip,” but was not at all interested in discussing his life as a pervert and womanizer, a reputation borne not of tabloid gossip or rumor, but rather exhaustively copped to in his two very dirty memoirs, 1996’s My Dark Places and 2010’s The Hilliker Curse. Whoops! Noted. Come for the swear words and dramatic walk off, stay for the return and the host/guest fragile, edgy détente. Discussed: his father’s alleged “18 incher,” his “Hitler-esque” moustache and John Wayne’s purported life as a crossdresser.  

Andrew Goldman is totally, embarrassingly unprepared for what this week’s guest, comedian Ron White, discloses at the top of the interview. Spoiler ahead. Since appearing in The Blue Collar Comedy Tour, the Texas-born comedian has become one of the highest paid comedians in the world with an act that has consisted of him recounting his exploits as a hard-partying “amok-running motherfucker.” Andrew is shocked to learn that Ron quit drinking 14 months ago. So, how does a performer so associated with drinking that he never appears onstage without a tumbler full of booze navigate life and work without the hard stuff? Though Ron is one of the funniest people alive, it’s an affecting hour about aging, addiction, love, divorce, and the perils of fame. Also, stick around for a lot of poop talk. Plus, Andrew makes amends for failing Ron when they first met eight years ago. Discussed: Ron’s amazing Dr. Phil story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cin0Aiq-ZaY Where to find the best tequila Andrew has ever tasted, Number Juan Extra Anejo: https://numberjuantequila.com Dates for Ron’s farewell tour: https://tatersalad.com

Agree with Observer critic Rex Reed that 2022 is “the worst year in history for Oscars”? If so, have we got an eyebrow-singeing hour for you. Not only does the 83 year-old icon give the business to Best Picture nominees The Power of the Dog (“I fell asleep several times”) Licorice Pizza (“one of the worst movies ever made”) and Belfast (“I couldn't understand more than every third word”), Reed reignites feuds with both the living and the dead. Why Reed believes Melissa McCarthy owes him a big thank you for calling her a “tractor-sized” “female hippo” in a 2013 review. Why John Lennon was “very square.” How Lauren Bacall was “mean as a snake.” As for King of Pop Michael Jackson? “No talent!” Our episode guarantee: No listener will emerge unoffended. PLUS: a torrent of Haterade for Barbra Streisand and Warren Beatty--as well as a defense of “friend” Woody Allen. Fasten your seatbelts! Mentioned in episode: Earbuds Podcast Collective includes The Originals on a Best Of list. The Originals recommends: The Industry With Dan Delgado.  

Through absolutely no fault of this episode’s guests, Andrew shares three interviews that now sound a little odd, a little untimely, maybe even a little creepy owing to the fact that they were all recorded before the deaths of Betty White, Norm McDonald and Halyna Hutchins (the cinematographer killed after the accidental discharge of Alec Baldwin’s prop gun on the indie western, Rust). First up, Joel Thurm, author of the upcoming memoir, Sex, Drugs & Pilot Season: Confessions of a Casting Director, shares his memories of working at NBC on The Golden Girls and reveals how Betty White’s fellow castmates really felt about the comedy legend, who died in January at 99. Next, Legendary Hollywood producer (Fast Times At Ridgemont High, The Untouchables) Art Linson remembers his near death experience producing 1997's The Edge with a very grumpy and very bearded Alec Baldwin. Finally, actor and writer Fred Stoller shares tales of bullying, petty theft and tennis involving his (mostly) friend, the late Norm Macdonald. Mentioned and recommended: Joel Thurm’s Sex Drugs & Pilot Season (available spring 2022) Art Linson’s What Just Happened Fred Stoller’s Maybe We’ll Have You Back Andrew Goldman’s The Desk

In light of Peter Bogdanovich’s January 6 death, “The Originals” releases a never-before-heard 2019 interview in which the Oscar-nominated director narrates his own story. Candid, shocking, and often hilarious, Bogdanovich shares tales of the rapturous reception to The Last Picture Show, the sex that changed his life, the Cybill affair that ended his marriage, the mistakes that bedeviled his career, his affection for Singapore’s hookers, and why he wasn’t broken up when Billy Wilder died. Also, discussed: the shocking 1980 murder of Dorothy Stratten—and how he ended up marrying the sister he met at 11.  A mind-blowing hour with a legend.

A top-to-bottom reassessment of 1986 classic Pretty In Pink with Duckie himself, Jon Cryer. Which team was Duckie playing for? Was Duckie a stalker? Why did Molly Ringwald end up with Blane, “a major appliance” when he was obviously such a dud? Why were co-stars Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy so lame on set to the Duck-ster? Plus, a ten-year retrospective on the testosterone (or was it oxy?) meltdown of Cryer’s Two And A Half Men costar Charlie Sheen, peddler of disembodies vagina pics, and possibly the 47th POTUS. PLUS: Trump v Sheen tale of the tape, No, Jon’s not Matthew Broderick, not-really getting his cherry popped by Demi Moore, and all the HUGE similarities Cryer has with Pete Davidson. AND—an unfortunate Goldman/Cryer duet en español.

Holiday special! Andrew breaks out the horn of plenty to celebrate Thanks-for-giving-us-the-hottest-sex-scene-ever with Jennifer Tilly, Oscar-nominated star of the groundbreaking, super-steamy lesbian thriller, Bound. Tilly, currently reprising her role as murderous doll consort Tiffany in Chucky on USA/SYFY, discusses her ambivalence about her decades-long close association with an evil piece of plastic. Plus: loving, and looking after a dying ex-husband, why she still works even though she has beaucoup Simpsons dough, and the reason she could, but doesn’t, hate her sister Meg. Plus, the real possibility that the self-described poker “degenerate” may well gamble away her entire fortune. ALSO the tale of one very unlucky showbiz bird.    

Scenes from a rock and roll marriage. In this super intimate episode, model and author Paulina Porizkova reveals everything you were ever curious to know about her marriage to The Cars’ Ric Ocasek: what she first saw in him, why they lived together after separating, and why, upon his death, he attempted to disinherit her. Porizkova also shares her thoughts on Tyra Banks who fired her from America’s Next Top Model, one-time beau and Oscars date Aaron Sorkin, and Elite Models founder John Casablancas. (One of them, is, in Porizkova's words, “full of shit.”) Andrew and the 56 year-old fashion icon discuss: parental abandonment, middle aged sex, and why she’s always crying on Instagram. Plus--what the “most beautiful girl in the world" is looking for in a man—and why she hasn’t been able to find it yet. We’ll be breaking some news with this one. Here’s Andrew’s 2011 New York Times magazine interview with Ric Ocasek, in which the late rocker says he’d prefer to listen to William Burroughs grumble than get anywhere near a water slide.

Pre-gaming for the October 1 release of The Many Saints of Newark? Trust us--this is the interview with The Sopranos creator David Chase you need to hear. Chase shares his surprising reaction to the death of James Gandolfini. Andrew timidly says Chase looks like a man who might have murdered dozens. Chase provides all the darkest, most hilarious stories about Norma, his mother, the inspiration for Livia Soprano. Plus, some score settling with the critics who hated The Sopranos finale. AND—some candid and brutal thoughts on Les Moonves, the lame-brained Paramount executives who buried Not Fade Away not to mention the cheapskates at HBO who nickeled and dimed his epic early Hollywood project to death. No Many Saints spoilers within--except that it's really great. 

A deep, dark, sometimes unsettling look into the mind of writer, director Paul Schrader, whose new film The Card Counter, starring Oscar Isaac and Tiffany Haddish hits theaters September 10.  The First Reformed and Affliction director bears all—his bleak Calvinist upbringing, how his dad felt about his “porn” film, the days spent driving around LA with a fifth of liquor under the seat and a gun in the glove box while writing Taxi Driver. Hear about his unwelcome correspondence with would-be Reagan assassin (and Jodie Foster fan) John Hinckley. Why Scorsese, unlike he, just couldn’t be trusted with Scarface piles of coke. Plus: blunt reviews of Joker and The Irishman--and a surprising admission to Andrew about his pre-premiere mindset. Click here to read Stephen Rodrick’s unforgettable 2013 piece about the making of The Canyons, Schrader's crowdfunded erotic thriller starring Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen. (New York Times sub. req.)

Andrew reignites his decades-simmering crush on Kristin Chenoweth, the diminutive Tony and Emmy winning performer with the ungodly soprano range, currently featured on Apple +’s Schmigadoon. Hear it all! The addiction to Jewish guys (Aaron Sorkin among them), the X-rated meteorological talent, the reason she wants to cut off a finger, her murderous rampage in the kitchen, clues about her secret famous biological father, PLUS her shocking end times predictions. Hottest Originals yet. "Glitter and Be Gay" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnJIMSy-o4k "Cheno Note" compilation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouySgzTsGXE

A rollicking special Pride episode with Emmy winner and COVID-19 breakout Instagram star Leslie Jordan. Jordan may be small (he’s 4’11”) and an actor (American Horror Story, Will & Grace), but he’s never been a small actor. Those who only recently discovered his delightful social media presence will find a lot to love here—and guaranteed, you don’t know a fraction of his story. Why did Truman Capote make him throw up? Why did he teach Matt Lauer about teabagging? Who’s the most unpleasant sitcom star he’s ever had the displeasure of working alongside? And what’s it like to get shot with a crossbow during a lover’s quarrel? This episode has everything-- from “momma” to meth. Hands down, the funniest Originals guest yet. Watch him in Fox’s upcoming second season of “Call Me Cat” and buy his hilarious new memoir, How Y’All Doing, here: https://www.amazon.com/How-Yall-Doing-Misadventures-Mischief/dp/0063076195

Moby, the biggest selling electronica artist in history, ponders the question: why did so many people hate my guts? Born Richard Melville Hall (so nicknamed because Moby Dick author Herman Melville’s an ancestor) he grew up on food stamps in fancy Darien, CT, became an NYC DJ and released the huge-in-Europe dance single “Go” in 1991. Fame and fortune (and many threesomes) followed the release of 1999’s Play, but happiness eluded him. His surreal new documentary Moby Doc documents his brutal childhood, his rise and fall from pop stardom, and the drugs and booze that nearly did him in. Host Andrew Goldman goes deep on sex, coke, sex-on-coke, artistic purity and what he learned from that Natalie Portman kerfuffle. Plus! That time he put his penis on Donald Trump.

You may or may not recognize his name, but you definitely know the pictures of, as he likes to call himself, “Paparazzo Extraordinaire” Ron Galella. There was that famous shot of “Fat Liz” [Taylor] at Studio 54, David Bowie and John Lennon at a Grammy afterparty, and Robert Redford rocking mirrored shades. He’s however best known for his decades long pursuit of Jackie O, which resulted in his most famous photo, shot in 1971, “Windblown Jackie.” In this sometimes funny, but often dark encounter with the iconic lensman, we get to hear Galella’s side of the story. Did Jackie O, as Galella professes, actually enjoy the attention? Andrew tracks down a longtime member Jackie O’s Secret Service detail to factcheck Galella’s claims. Catch Andrew talking about this and others episodes on Feb 11, 2021’s episode of the always hilarious pop culture current events podcast, Nope.