Cringe with Marc van Bulck

     The Rev. Dr. Margaret Aymer Oget joins me to talk about Marvel Studios' film, "Black Panther."  She is the First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport, D. Thomason Professor of New Testament Studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and an active speaker and lecturer.  We discuss many issues that intersect in the movie: genre, fantasy, science-fiction, race, feminism, liberation, and yes, even theology.  We al...

     "Weird Al" Yankovic and his band are currently touring with "The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour," and a few of the band members sit down with me over the phone before their show at the Playhouse Square in Cleveland.  Guitarist Jim "Kimo" West shares stories about recording Al's first albums, and his early days performing with bassist, Steve Jay (with whom he's also touring...

     This episode of the podcast, I got to go backstage at the newest production of "Carrie: The Musical" at the Near West Theater in Cleveland and talk to the cast and director of the show to talk in-depth about the themes of Stephen King's classic novel adapted for the stage.  My guests include:

     Anna Parchem (Carrie White)

     Morgan Williams (Sue Snell)

     Statia Rankin (Chris Hargensen)

     Julie Penzvalto...

     Lauren Reid has served as Special Series Coordinator for the Conservation Media Group.  She spent two weeks aboard a boat called the Rainbow Warrior with a film crew from Greenpeace creating a video documentary series called "The Truth About Tuna."  Lauren shares some stories about how this experience opened her eyes to the living conditions for many of the fishermen in the tuna industry out at sea, how the industry h...

     Dacre Stoker is the great-grand-nephew of Bram Stoker, author of the classic novel, "Dracula."  Dacre has devoted himself to the academic research and preservation of his famous great-grand-uncle's literary legacy.  He joins the podcast to discuss how Bram Stoker's real life experiences growing up may have inspired some of the terrifying images and story in "Dracula."

     I am also joined by guest co-...

     Chrysta Bell stars in the third season of “Twin Peaks” on Showtime directed by David Lynch.  She is a recording artist, songwriter, and actress who has collaborated with Lynch since 1999.  They have produced two albums together, “The Train” and an EP, “Somewhere in the Nowhere.”  In 2017, she leaps into the unknown releasing her new album, “We Dissolve" (her first without the involvement of a record label or a famous Holl...

     Leslie Carrara-Rudolph is a performer and puppeteer on “Sesame Street.” She performs Abby Cadabby as well as a variety of other characters. She has performed the Muppets on “Muppets Tonight,” “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss,” the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” and many, many other programs.  Fans may also remember her from the film, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” starring Jason Segel, as the ev...

     Professor Michael D. Coogan is the editor of the Oxford Annotated Bible and the Director of Publications at the Harvard Semitic Museum, and he joins me for a discussion on the book of Genesis.  Professor Coogan is the author of the books, "The Ten Commandments: A Short History of an Ancient Text," "God and Sex: What the Bible Really Says," and "The Old Testament: A Historical and Literary Introduction to t...

     Author and blogger Gordon Atkinson (formerly of RealLivePreacher.com) returns to talk about his new book, "Foy: On the Road to Lost," a collection of short stories about the life of his fictional character, Foy Davis.  Gordon and I talk about some of our favorite Foy stories.  We're given some "inside info" on how much of it is fictionalized and how much of it is based on his own experience.  Gordon also t...

     Howdy!  It's Mac King!  

     Comedy magician, Mac King, has headlined at Harrah's Las Vegas for over seventeen years and has been seen performing on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and all five "World's Greatest Magic" specials on NBC.  He has been praised by the magic community in The Wall Street Journal and was called "the greatest comedy magician working in the world today.  Full stop....

     This year, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted to adopt the Belhar Confession to its Book of Confessions.  This episode, I sit down with four individuals within the denomination to learn more about this confession, its history, what it means, and why its inclusion is significant.  My conversations this episode include:

     Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Pres...

     Award-winning songwriter, speaker and writer, David LaMotte returns to cringe for a second time! David and I sit down in his home in Black Mountain, North Carolina, to talk about his first studio album in a decade, "The Other Way Around." We go track-by-track (more or less...we jump around a fair bit), and David shares behind-the-scenes stories behind every single song from this new record...and David even performs on...

     Broadway star, Rebecca Pitcher, joins the Cringe podcast!  Rebecca is currently performing with the national touring production of the "The Sound of Music" and has starred on Broadway (and toured nationally) as Christine Daaé in "The Phantom of the Opera."  Rebecca wasn't able to appear on the previous 30th Anniversary Phantom episode due to her busy touring schedule, but during a recent break from the tou...

     Actors Gary Mauer and Jan Horvath from Broadway's "The Phantom of the Opera" join me on the podcast to discuss the 30th anniversary of the show's debut on the London stage in 1986. Gary Mauer donned the famous mask on Broadway in 2007 and holds the record for most performances of any actor in the role of Raoul. Jan Horvath is a member of the original 1988 New York company and has played both Christine and Carl...

     Ron Wasserman is a composer for television shows and has written theme songs and musical score for countless television credits such as "Spongebob Squarepants," "Hot in Cleveland" with Betty White, "The Soul Man" with Cedric the Entertainer, "Bella and the Bulldogs" on Nickelodeon, "America's Next Top Model," and "X-Men: The Animated Series." Ron made his big break when he w...

     The Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence is the Peter Marshall Associate Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. She is the author of the book, "Preaching as Testimony," has written several articles, and served as the editor for the book, "Inscribing the Word: Sermons and Prayers of Walter Brueggemann." This episode, Anna shares some of her favorite Broadway musicals and talks abo...