CooperTalk

Steve Cooper talks with musician Martin Barre. Martin is best known for being lead guitarist for the legendary band Jethro Tull. He was with Tull for 43 years and his sound and playing having been a major factor in their success. Album sales have exceeded 60 million units and they continue to be played worldwide, representing an important part of classic rock history. His guitar playing has earned him a high level of respect and recognition; he was voted 25th best solo ever in the USA and 20th best solo ever in the UK for his playing on Aqualung. His playing on the album Crest of a Knave earned him a Grammy award in 1988. As well as numerous Jethro Tull albums, Martin has worked with many other artists including Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Gary Moore, Jo Bonamassa and Chris Thompson and has shared a stage with such legends as Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. He has also recorded many solo albums his latest being Roads Less Traveled which has garnered critical acclaim.

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist Jim Babjak. Jim is best known for being lead guitarist for The Smithereens. The Smithereens are a band out of New Jersey that has recorded 11 studio albums and are known for their hits such as Only a Memory, A Girl Like You, Blood and Roses, Behind the Wall of Sleep and many more. Their television credits include Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, MTV's Unplugged, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Uncle Floyd Show, CBS's This Morning, The Dennis Miller Show, and The Arsenio Hall Show. In 2017 their lead singer Pat DiNizio passed away but they are still touring, switching out lead singers Marshall Crenshaw and Gin Blossom's Robin Wilson. 

Steve Cooper talks with musician/novelist/radio personality Greg Kihn. Greg is best known for being the front man for the group The Greg Kihn Band. In 1981, he earned his first bona-fide hit on The Billboard Hot 100 with the # 15 single, The Breakup Song (They Don't Write Em'), from the Rockihnroll album. He continued in a more commercial vein through the 1980s with a series of pun-titled albums: Kihntinued (1982), Kihnspiracy (1983), Kihntageous (1984), and Citizen Kihn (1985). His biggest hit was Jeopardy, which reached # 2 Pop, in 1983. The groundbreaking video became an MTV favorite and was spoofed by Weird Al Yankovic as I Lost on Jeopardy. Over his career he has released 17 albums, the latest being Rekihndled in 2017 and the band still tours to this day. From 1996 to 2012 he was a morning radio host for the classic station KUFX in San Francisco and he has also published 6 novels.

Steve Cooper talks with musician Joey Allen. Joey is best known for being lead guitarist for the band Warrant. Warrant experienced major success from 1989 to 1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. The band first came into the national spotlight with their 2× platinum debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, and one of its singles, Heaven, reached No. 1 in Rolling Stone and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band continued its success in the early 1990s with the 2× platinum album Cherry Pie which provided the hit album titled song and music video. Throughout their career they have recorded 9 studio albums. Joey left the band in 1994 but came back in 2004. Lately Warrant is busier than ever, recording a new album in 2017 and performing over 60 live dates a year.

Steve Cooper talks with musician Robin Wilson. Robin is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Gin Blossoms. The Gin Blossoms rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, New Miserable Experience, and the first single released from that album, Hey Jealousy. Hey Jealousy became a Top 25 hit and went gold, and New Miserable Experience eventually went quadruple platinum and four other charting singles were released from the album. Their follow-up album, Congratulations, I'm Sorry went platinum and the single, As Long as it Matters was nominated for a Grammy. The band broke up in 1997 and reunited in 2007. Over their career they have recorded 6 studio albums and still tour nationally. Besides fronting the Gin Blossoms, Robin recently signed on to front a few concerts by The Smithereens.

Steve Cooper talks with singer/songwriter Franke Previte. Franke is best known for writing Hungry Eyes and (I've Had) The Time of My Life for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. The latter won him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and he also received a Grammy nomination. His professional music career started with the band Bull Angus which toured with such acts as Rod Stewart and the Faces, Deep Purple and Fleetwood Mac. Later in his career he started the band Franke & the Knockouts that released three albums and were known for their high energy live performances. He recently wrote the uplifting musical Calling All Divas which is currently playing in theaters all around the country.

Steve Cooper talks with actor David Pasquesi. David can currently be seen in HBO's Veep playing Andrew Meyer, in AMC's new hit Lodge 49 and in At Home with Amy Sedaris. His list of movie credits include The Fugitive, Groundhog Day, Natural Born Killers, The Ice Harvest, Leatherheads, Angels & Demons and To Rome with Love. He has been recurring or a regular on shows such as Superior Donuts, The Jamz, Chicago Fire, The Mob Doctor, Boss, Factory and Strangers with Candy and guest starred on Empire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, According to Jim and Madam Secretary to name a few. A veteran of the Chicago improvisational scene he performed at The Second City, iO Theater, Improv Institute and The Annoyance Theater.

Steve Cooper talks with writer/director Rob Burnett. Rob is a five time Emmy winner who is best known for being a writer, then head writer then executive producer for Late Night with David Letterman/Late Show with David Letterman. He also created the TV series Bonnie, Ed and The Knights of Prosperity. He recently wrote and directed the film The Fundamentals of Caring which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and is available on Netflix.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Megan Gallagher. Megan is probably best known for her roles as Catherine Black in the series Millennium and as Jeannie Sanders in The Larry Sanders Show. She has been a regular or had recurring roles on shows such as Hill Street Blues, The Slap Maxwell Story, China Beach, Pacific Station, Life as We Know it, 24 and Suits. She has guest starred on countless series like Designated Survivor, Major Crimes, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Mentalist, Boston Legal, Without a Trace, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Picket Fences and L.A. Law. She also appeared on Broadway in the original production of A Few Good Men.

Steve Cooper talks with writer/director Eric Blakeney. Eric is best known for creating the Fox show Booker as well as writing and directing the film Gun Shy starring Liam Neeson and Sandra Bullock. He was nominated for an Edgar Award for his work on Wiseguy and wrote for other shows including Crime Story, Moonlighting and 21 Jump Street which he ended up being the show runner on.

Steve Cooper talks with TV writer Mark Valadez. Mark got his start by writing comic books and published four short novels in the "Fright Time" series for young readers. In 2009 he earned a spot in the prestigious ABC-Disney Television Writing Program. Since then he has written on the shows Scrubs, Gang Related, Ice, The Oath, Shadow Show and Queen of the South.

Steve Cooper talks with drummer Roger Earl. Roger is best known as one of the founding members of the legendary band Foghat. He is the only band member to have performed with the band throughout all of its various incarnations. He still tours with them and is also a member of the band Earl & The Agitators.

Steve Cooper talks with singer/songwriter Tony Lewis. Tony is best known as co-founder of The Outfield. Together with John Spinks, the two took the 80s by storm with their infectious pop songs, including Your Love, All the Love and Say it isn’t So. Their debut album, Play Deep, was issued in 1985, and would go on to reach triple platinum sales status and the Top 10 in the US  album charts.  Your Love peaked at No. 6 and is still featured in a number of compilation albums, commercials, and has been covered or remixed over 1,000 times by other artists. After the success of the first album, The Outfield went on to record many more albums with various drummers. Tony recently released his solo album Out of the Darkness and performed on the Retro Futura tour.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Seamus Dever. Seamus is best known for playing homicide detective Kevin Ryan for 8 eight seasons on the ABC hit show Castle. In addition he has played authoritative figures on the likes of Army Wives and General Hospital” both of which had him starring as a doctor. Other forays into television include Mad Men, Drop Dead Diva, NCIS, Cold Case, Dark Blue, JAG and all three CSI franchises. He’s also appeared in such films as Hollywoodland with Adrien Brody and Ben Affleck, as well as the independent comedy Ready or Not.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Mark Metcalf. Mark is best known for playing ROTC officer Douglas C. Neidermeyer in the movie classic Animal House, a character he later emulated in the popular Twisted Sister videos We're Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock, portraying The Maestro in Seinfeld and his recurring role as The Master in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He has also been seen in TV shows such as Miami Vice, Angel, Party of Five, Walker Texas Ranger, Hill Street Blues, Teen Angel, Ally McBeal, Melrose Place, JAG and Mad Men.

Steve Cooper talks with TV writer/producer Jeff Astrof. Jeff is the co-creator of the popular NBC series Trial & Error. In a career that has spanned over 25 years he has been a writer or a producer on such shows as Friends, Veronica's Closet, Grounded for Life, The New Adverntures of Old Christine, $#*! My Dad Says, Ground Floor and Angie Tribeca.

Steve Cooper talks with actor/singer Constantine Maroulis. Constantine first came to prominence as the beloved rock n’ roll underdog on American Idol. He then secured his place in pop culture as a Broadway superstar, best known for his TONY-nominated role in Rock Of Ages. Recently he joined forces with legendary Guns N Roses drummer Steven Adler, touring the world as Adler’s Appetite featuring Constantine Maroulis. He has also starred in the Broadway show Jekyll and Hyde, has appeared on various TV shows and has recorded 3 albums.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Michael McGlone. Michael began his career on the screen with his critically acclaimed performance in the Sundance Film Festival Best Film Award Winner, The Brothers McMullen, from where he went on to star in such movies as She's the One, One Tough Cop, The Bone Collector, Dinner Rush, Hard Ball and The Fitzgerald Family Christmas. His TV appearances include recurring roles on Person of Interest, Crash, The Kill Point and That's Life and guest spots on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Psych, and Elementary. He was also the spokeman for Geico insurance posing rhetorical questions and has narrated series for The Learning Channel, Court TV and The History Channel. Besides acting he is an accomplished singer/songwriter who has recorded various albums and EPs and has penned five novels.

Steve Cooper talks with musician Dean Roland. Dean is best known for being the rhythm guitarist for the band Collective Soul fronted by his older brother Ed. He is also part of the rock duo Magnets & Ghosts alongside Ryan Potesta.

Steve Cooper talks with comic Ian Bagg. Ian has had 2 half-hour specials, Comedy Central Presents and HBO’s A Comics Climb and has been featured in 2 seasons of Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution on Comedy Central. His latest one-hour special, Ian Bagg: Getting to F**king Know You aired on Showtime. In 2015, Ian was a fan favorite and placed in the Top 5 on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. Some of his other TV appearances include shows such as Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Make Me Laugh, Showcase Comics with Louie Anderson, Fridays on NBC and the Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.

Steve Cooper talks with singer/songwriter Matthew Sweet. Matthew was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990s. He is best known for his pop-rock album Girlfriend which was widely considered an artistic breakthrough. It quickly garnered impressive U.S. sales and spawning a Top 10 single with the title track. He has released 13 studio albums as well as the Under The Covers series with Susanna Hoffs that consists of 3 records. His music has also been featured in many TV shows and films such as Can't Hardly Wait, Scrubs, The Heartbreak Kid, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, The Simpsons and the first 3 Austin Power's movies.

Steve Cooper talks with comic Kip Addotta. Kip is known for being featured 21 times on The Tonight Show, The Midnight Special, Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, Hollywood Squares and the syndicated show Make Me Laugh. He was also featured on The Dr. Demento Show for his music, "Wet Dream" and "Life in the Slaw Lane," songs featuring a series of fish and vegetable malapropisms that, together, form a storyline; and the song, "Big Cock Roach." He hosted the game show Everything Goes on the Playboy Channel and has made a number of film and TV appearances, including the Larry Sanders Show and he just released Confessions of a Comedian: An Autobiography.

Steve Cooper talks with singer/songwriter Jules Shear.

Steve Cooper talks with comic Pat Godwin. Pat has blossomed into one of the most clever comedians and prolific, award-winning comedy songwriters in the business. He has appeared on every top morning show you can think of, worked for 6 years as a part of Philadelphia’s Morning Zoo, 3 years for The Bob & Tom Show, and was a frequent guest and contributor to both Howard Stern’s radio and TV shows. He also has been charming audiences as a national headliner in comedy clubs, cruise ships and colleges for years and has recorded 4 cd's and his song Gangsta Folk is the Number 1 most requested song on morning radio.

Steve Cooper talks with comedy producer/hypnotist Andy Scarpati. Andy began performing as a stand-up comedian in 1978 and by 1980 he left the teaching profession for a career as a comedy producer and performer. He created Comedy Cabaret, a company that specializes in setting up comedy clubs and at one time had over 15 different venues. He has acted in over a dozen commercials and in 1994 landed a part on the TV Show 'America’s Most Wanted' playing a police officer. In 1994, while studying acting, he enrolled in a self-hypnosis class. Always being curious about hypnosis, he discovered that Self-Hypnosis was a valuable tool for self-improvement. Then, through a series of unexpected events he  decided to shift his focus to helping people. His interest in subconscious programming led him to the prestigious Hypnosis Institute in Manhattan, where he earned his Basic and Advanced Degrees. He still has 3 comedy clubs and privately has hypnosis patients and also does live shows for the public.

Steve Cooper talks with actor William Sanderson. William is best known for his roles on three notable shows HBO’s Deadwood and True Blood, and his eight year stint as a series-regular as “Larry” on Newhart. He is also recognizable for being the spokesman for A & W Root Beer. He has appeared in movies such as Blade Runner, The Client, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Lonesome Dove, Lone Wolf McQuade, Wallace, The Rocketeer, Andersonville, Last Man Standing, Pretty Ugly People, Stanley’s Gig, and Death Hunt and also been a guest star on TV series like Lost, X-Files, Walker Texas Ranger, Monk, and Mike & Molly.

Steve Cooper talks with former NHL hockey player Brian Propp. Brian played in the NHL from 1979 to 1994. A majority of them were with the Philadlephia Flyers where he is a member of their Hall of Fame. He scored over 1000 points in his career and is second in goals, seconds in assists and third in games played for the Flyers franchise. He played in 5 Stanley Cup Finals in his career and also has been a gold medalist in the Canada Cup and Spengler Cup.

Steve Cooper talks with singer/songwriter Jeffrey Gaines. Jeffrey's self-titled 1992 debut drew critical praise from far and wide, and put him on the musical map as an introspective folk-rock artist. The hookier, more rock-oriented Somewhat Slightly Dazed followed in 1994 and marked the end of his tenure with Chrysalis. In 1998 he returned with Galore, this time via the Rykodisc label. Always Be, released in 2001, contained a stripped-down cover of Peter Gabriel's 1986 hit In Your Eyes, a longtime staple of his concerts and a song he'd become associated with by many fans. Later that same year he was invited by producer Nile Rodgers to sing on the album We Are Family, which benefited victims of the 9/11 attacks in New York. Still riding some of the success of the In Your Eyes single, He paired up with producer Mitchell Froom to record 2003's Toward the Sun, his second release for Artemis Records. Throughout the next decade, he focused largely on touring both in the U.S. and Europe, releasing the acoustic Jeffrey Gaines Live in 2004 followed in 2012 by Live in Europe, which was captured during a tour supporting Joe Jackson. In 2018, 15 years after his last studio effort, he returned with his sixth album, Alright.

Steve Cooper talks with boxer/advocate Mia St. John. Mia known as "The Knockout" is the former World Boxing Council champion in the super welterweight division. She is also the former IBA and IFBA lightweight champion. She was in the November 1999 issue of Playboy magazine and has made appearances on such shows as, Jay Leno, Conan O'brien, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, Extra, TMZ, E, and countless others. She has also acted in commercials, played herself on TV shows and has her own Playstation game by EA sports. In November of 2008 she was awarded by the Governor of Zacatecas, Mexico an outstanding achievement award for her role in sports and humanitarianism. The WBC also presented her with the 2008 WBC Goodwill Ambassador Award and In November of 2010, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano joined her and former LA Laker Metta World Peace for an official mental health and suicide prevention training at Napolitano’s district office in Santa Fe Springs. As well as Congress, she speaks in schools and juvenile halls on the importance of education and overcoming hardship. She speaks of her own battles with mental illness, addiction, poverty and overcoming it all, to become a three time international boxing champion.

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist/singer/songwriter Nancy Wilson. Nancy rose to fame alongside her older sister, Ann Wilson, as guitarist and backing vocalist in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame inducted band Heart. She currently is touring and recording with the band Roadcase Royale.

Steve Cooper talks with drummer Kelly Keagy. Kelly is best known for being in the band Night Ranger and singing and writing their smash hit Sister Christian. Night Ranger formed in 1979, broke up in 1989 and then reformed in 1991. They recently released their 12th album titled Don't Let Up. Besides playing with Night Ranger he has recorded two solo albums and was part of supergroup The Mob which also included Reb Beach, dUg Pinnick and Timothy Drury.

Steve Cooper talks with director Fran Strine. Fran is an Award-winning documentary filmmaker. He has toured the world several times over with radio titans NickelBack, Staind, Seether, Dolly Parton and dozens of other artists and made the self-titled documentary for rock band Staind and the Gold Certified live DVD’s with the Iconic Dolly Parton, Dolly, Live in London. He is best known for the in-depth feature documentary Hired Gun, about the hardworking session and touring musicians who are rarely acknowledged for their contribution to popular artist’s work. Completed in early 2016, it’s world premiere was at SXSW, the UK premier was at the Glastonbury Festival and it has screened in over 320 theaters and is now on Netflix where it spent 3 weeks in the “actively trending” category. His new project is a documentary about Ray Parker Jr. titled Who You Gonna Call.

Steve Cooper talks with singer/musician/songwriter Ray Parker Jr. Ray is best known for writing and performing the number one on the charts and Academy Award nominated theme song to the 1984 movie Ghostbusters, for his solo music, and performing with his band Raydio and also with Barry White. He has also written songs and did session work for such acts as Stevie Wonder, The Carpenters, Boz Scaggs, New Edition, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, The Temptations and many more. He recently appeared in the documentary "Hired Gun" and will star in "Who You Gonna Call" which is in production and will be about his life and career.

Steve Cooper talks with stand-up comic/actor Marc Price. Marc is best known for his role of Skippy Handelman in the hughly popular sitcom Family Ties. He has been a working and touring stand-ip comic since his earlty teens and still headlines across the country. He has also appeared in various TV series, movies, hosted Teen Win, Lose or Draw and acted as a writer/producer for cable networks such as Disney Channel, Food Network, Animal Planet, GSN, Showtime and TBS.

Steve Cooper talks with singer/songwriter Katrina Leskanich. Katrina is best known for being the lead singer of Katrina & the Waves who had several international hits, including "Walking on Sunshine" (1985), which has become a summer anthem and "Sun Street" in 1986. They also received a Grammy Nomination for Best New Artist. The hits continued with "Do You Want Crying", "Que te Quiero", "Rock and Roll Girl" and "That's The Way" which reached No. 14 in the U.S.A. The band went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 for the United Kingdom with "Love Shine a Light," which went to No. 2 in the British charts and they performed an unprecedented four weeks running on the BBC 1 TV show Top of The Pops. After the Waves broke up in 1999, she launched a solo career, first as a DJ for BBC Radio 2 and then in 2001 she played the lead role in the musical Leader of the Pack. Since going solo she has released 7 albums and continues to tour around the world.

Steve Cooper talks with stand-up comic Eddie Brill. Eddie he worked as the audience warm-up on The Late Show with David Letterman for seventeen years and for eleven of those years he was the Stand Up Comedy Talent Coordinator and was the creative director of the Great American Comedy Festival which honors Johnny Carson. He has taped more than 100 TV shows in six different countries, including ten appearances on The Late Show.  His many acting roles include the FX hit series, Louie and the film 30 Years to Life with Tracy Morgan. He is also a 3-time MAC (Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs) Award Winner for Outstanding Male Stand-up Comic in NYC.  In 2008, he received the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award by the ECNY (The Emerging Comics of NY) and has been also honored with an Alumni Award of Distinction from Emerson College.

Steve Cooper talks with drummer/singer/songwriter Albert Bouchard. Albert is best known for being one of the founding members of the legendary rock band Blue Oyster Cult who he played drums for an occasionally sang songs. In 1981 he left Blue Öyster Cult and began work on the music that would become the Imaginos record. In the late 80s, he performed with The Mamas & The Papas, Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits) and the Spencer Davis Group (Joe Bouchard was also a part of this). He has also played on records for Mike Watt (fIREHOSE, Minutemen) and Ritchie Stotts (Plasmatics) and produced records for amongst others Gumball, Heads Up and David Roter. In the 90s, his main musical project was The Brain Surgeons, with whom he has released several CDs on his own Cellsum Records label. Cellsum has grown to host a number of other artists, including Les Vegas, The X Brothers, David Roter and Helen Wheels. Most recently, he has reunited with his brother Joe and old friend Dennis Dunaway to form Blue Coupe, a power trio that gigs frequently in and around the Northeast US and Canada.

Steve Cooper talks with singer/songwriter Graham Parker. Graham is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour who he recorded 5 albums with before their breakup and two after a reconciliation starting in 2012. He has recorded 14 solo albums and collaborated with such artists as Bruce Springsteen, Kate Pierson of the B-52s and Bill Janovitz on Buffalo Tom. In addition to his records, Parker published an illustrated science fiction novella, The Great Trouser Mystery in 1980. He published a set of short stories, Carp Fishing on Valium, in June 2000. His third book, the novel The Other Life of Brian, was realeased in September 2003. He also appeared in the Judd Apatow movie This is 40 and recently had a song appear on the HBO hit Crashing.

Steve Cooper talks with chef Brian Duffy. Brian is perhaps most recognized from his abundant television appearances on the wildly popular Bar Rescue, where he tours the country (sometimes on his Harley Davidson) reforming failing bars and restaurants with his “tell it like it is” style. He made his on-camera debut on the Food Network series Date Plate and has appeared on countless segments on the DIY Network, HGTV, NBC, and Fine Living Network. Chef Duffy is also a regular to judge the Food Network series Beat Bobby Flay and has appeared on The Today Show since 2006 for the St. Patrick’s Day Irish cook-off. He even has his own line of signature spices, Duffified Spices as well as a line of T-Shirts, Kitchen aprons, Hats & chef driven Hand soaps and hosts the popular podcast Duffified Live.

Steve Cooper talks with actor Richard Kind. Richard is probably best known for his roles in the TV series Spin City and Mad About you and for his voice work in the hit movies A Bug's Life, Cars and Inside Out. His career has spanned over 30 years and he was recently awarded with a Carney which is a lifetime achievement award bestowed on the best character actors. His many TV credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Young Sheldon, The Commish, Just Shoot Me!, Scrubs, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Burn Notice, Luck, The Good Wife, The Middle, Glee, Elementary, Red Oaks, Gotham, I' Dying Up Here and The Goldbergs. Some of his movie appearances have been in Argo, Suburbicon, Paper Store, Sharknado 2, Bad Seed, Cars 2, Hereafter, Toy Story 3, A Serious Man, For Your Consideration, The Producers, The Station Agent andConfessions of a Dangerous Mind. He has also appeared on stage not only on Broadway but across the country.

Steve Cooper talks with writer/producer Michael Saltzman. Michael has been writing and producing some of Hollywood's top TV series for years. An Emmy nominee and a 2 time Writers Guild of America nominee, his credits include Anything But Love, Wings, Murphy Brown, The Naked Truth, The Middle, Hell on Wheels, Mad Men and Halt and Catch Fire. He also created the series Baby Bob and wrote the screenplay for The Suite Life Movie and had story credit on the 2006 remake of The Pink Panther.

Steve Cooper talks with former NFL star and anaylist Randy Cross. Randy is a 13-year NFL veteran and a three-time Super Bowl champion from the San Francsico 49ers. He is also a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He worked for CBS as a game analyst from 1989-93 and returned to CBS from 1998-2009 and also spent four years at NBC Sports. He currently hosts the popular podcast UnsafeSpaces USA.

Steve Cooper talks with drummer/vocalist Matt Starr. He is currently filling in for MR BIG drummer Pat Torpey on their "...The Stories We Could Tell" World Tour.  He spent the past 3 years as the touring & recording drummer for KISS founding member Ace Frehley, playing on Ace's latest release Space Invader (eOne) which debuted at #9 on Billboard, selling 20,000 copies in it's first week.  He is also a member of Burning Rain (featuring Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich).  In the past Matt has worked with Kevin Dubrow (Quiet Riot), Dizzy Reed (Guns N’ Roses), Love/Hate (Sony), Beautiful Creatures (Warner Bros) & others. He is also the creator of  Who’s Next Publishing  where he creates exposure &  financial opportunities for emerging indie artists. Matt's songs have been placed in dozens of television programs & movies and he is a Modern Drummer contributor & producer.

This episode was sponsored by ROAM CORPORATION. You have to see it to believe it! www.roamcorporation.com

Steve Cooper talks with singer/songwriter Chris Difford. Chris is best known as one of the founding members and lyricist for the band Squeeze who have recorded 13 albums. With Glenn Tillbrook he is half of a prolific writing team that has turned out such hits as Hourglass, Tempted, Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) and Black Coffee in Bed. He has also written songs for various artists in cluding Jools Holland, Elton John and Elvis Costello. He recently wrote his autobiography Some Fantastic Place: My Life In and Out of Squeeze and will do a solo storytelling musical tour to support it.

Steve Cooper talks with singer/songwriter Nick Heyward. Nick is best known as the lead singer for the band Haircut 100 who scored big hits with Love Plus One and Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) in the early 80's. He left for a solo career in late 1982. Early the following year he returned with a couple of chart hits, Whistle Down The Wind and Take That Situation. His debut solo album, North Of A Miracle was a solid effort that sold well and since then he has released 8 solo albums his latest being Woodland Echoes which has received critical acclaim. He will be embarking on a tour to support that album in the near future.

Steve Cooper talks with guitarist Bumblefoot. Bumblefoot is an award winning vocalist, songwriter, producer and world-renowned guitar virtuoso with over 20 years of releasing music, playing international festivals, headlining tours and gracing magazine covers as a solo artist. As lead guitarist of Guns N' Roses for 8 years he toured sold-out shows allover the world playing to crowds of up to 150,000. His unique fretless guitar can be heard through GNR's Chinese Democracy album. He is also an accomplished composer whose music is often heard in TV, film and video games including the theme song to VH1's That Metal Show. His recent collaborations include the rock group Art of Anarchy (featuring Scott Stapp and John Moyer), progressive-metal supergroup Sons of Apollo (featuring Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian, Billy Sheehan and Jeff Scott Scott) and Fragile Mortals (featuring DMC and Rob Dukes.) '5f6wstqg'

Steve Cooper talks with actor/comic Bill Dawes. Bill is a 3-time Broadway veteran and international headlining comic. Most recently, he appeared on Broadway as Mickey Mantle, and has toured as a stand-up comedian with the USO throughout Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan. As an actor, he has appeared in several award-winning independent films, including Adam, Evenhand and Fiona. He’s had starring roles in two MGM Studio children’s films—Just for Kicks and Recipe for Disaster—and an acting role in the DVD cult hit I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. On TV, he has been on several hit shows, including Law and Order, Rizzoli and Isles, Sex and the City, OZ and Criminal Intent, As a stage actor, his first role was on Broadway with Sigourney Weaver and Christopher Durang in the play Sex and Longing. He also co-starred on Broadway in the hit Tony-nominated production of LOMBARDI, where he played a lead role as Green Bay Packer Legend Paul Hornung, the Golden Boy. The new movie he stars in Before the Sun Explodes has received rave reviews and can be found on Amazon Prime.

Steve Cooper talks with singer Jeff Scott Soto. Jeff began his career with Yngwie Malsteem's Rising Force in 1984 and hasn't stopped working since. Some of the other bands he's been singer for include Talisman, Soul SirkUS and a brief stint as frontman for the legendary group Journey. He has also recorded many solo albums and performed with the original living members of Queen. He currently sings for Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the supergroup Sons of Apollo.

Steve Cooper talks with bassist David Ellefson. David is best known as the second-longest serving member of the American thrash metal band Megadeth from 1983 to 2002 and again from 2010. As a member of Megadeth he has been awarded 10 Grammy nominations, countless gold & platinum records and toured the world for the better part of 3 decades. In addition he has lent his playing and writing abilities to several other recording and touring projects including Soulfly, F5, Temple of Brutality, Altitudes and Attitude (With Frank Bello of Anthrax) and Metal Allegiance, the supergroup formed by Mark Menghi with Mike Portnoy, and Alex Skolnick who released their eponymous debut in 2015 on Nuclear Blast. He has also ventured out into other related forays, as president of record label EMP Label Group and with his own coffee brand Ellefson Coffee Co.

Steve Cooper talks with saxophonist/singer Mindi Abair. Mindi is one of the most recognized and sought-after saxophonists/vocalists and a two-time Grammy nominee. She has been electrifying audiences with her dynamic live performances and utter command of the saxophone since her debut album in 2000. She has garnered ten #1 radio hits, six Top 5 solo records and two #1 spots on the Billboard album charts.  In 2014, she received her first Grammy nomination in the Best Pop Instrumental Album category, followed by a 2015 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for her solo LP Wild Heart featuring Gregg Allman, Joe Perry, Trombone Shorty, Booker T. Jones, Keb’ Mo’, and Max Weinberg. She was feautured on two seasons on American Idol and has toured/recorded with artists such as Aerosmith, Gregg Allman, Keb’ Mo’, Joe Perry, Bobby Rush, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lalah Hathaway, Duran Duran, Adam Sandler, Lee Ritenour, The Backstreet Boys, Booker T. Jones, Jimmy Webb, Mandy Moore, Max Weinberg, Bill Champlin, David Pack, Mocean Worker, The Ides of March, Rick Braun, Teena Marie, Bobby Lyle, Jonathan Butler, and Peter White. She is currently touring and recording with her band Mindi Abair and The Boneshakers.