EricCast

EricCast

Music and art, science, politics, business and more!

Episodes

July 22, 2024 74 mins
With the 2024 Summer Olympic Games underway, we're here to talk about the Olympics – and Milwaukee. As in, could Milwaukee host an Olympic Games? Even if it could. why? What’s in it for the city and the greater region? Answers exist in a fascinating book called Greater Than The Games, Volume 1: MKE2028, created by broadcaster Jay Sorgi. He began researching the topic out of curiosity. Unearthing more information led to the belief t...
Mark as Played
Ruben Studdard won the second season of American Idol. Clay Aiken was runner-up. Thus began two major music careers and a friendship that became akin to family. Now, in 2023, the two Idols are going on tour together. In this episode, we talk about how friends were the only reason they tried out for Idol, how music, technology, and social media has changed the landscape, which older artists they've gained appreciation for and which ...
Mark as Played
Country music star Kathy Mattea broke out in 1986; she has seen and experienced many changes in the music industry since as she continues to tour. We spoke with her about the community spirit for artists, how you can now cut and distribute a hit record using your phone, her experiences in the Midwest (including her bus getting boarded by Oprah's show) and how she lost her voice for a time and was able to regain it - with a little h...
Mark as Played
Foreigner burst onto the scene in 1977 and immediately impacted the rock world. Bassist Rick Wills joined the group in 1979 for the "Head Games" album and has been with them on and off ever since. Still touring with Foreigner, I sit down with Rick for 15 minutes to discuss his origins with David Gilmour and Peter Frampton, why it pays to hang out in pubs, trying to cash a big check in NYC in the 70s, what it's like touring now vs. ...
Mark as Played
Ray Parker Jr. is known for "The Other Woman," songs with Raydio like "You Can't Change That," and of course "Ghostbusters." But his roots in Detroit meant he was playing clubs in his teens and was lead guitarist for Stevie Wonder on his 1972 tour with the Rolling Stones. Parker Jr. wrote hits for Rufus & Chaka Khan and played with everyone from Diana Ross and Barry White to The Carpenters and Boz Scaggs. He has a new documentary c...
Mark as Played
A farm boy from Nebraska discovered cable - sorta - and became a huge comedian with the help of morning radio and a friend he met during Atlanta Braves spring training games named Jeff Foxworthy. Larry the Cable Guy hooked audiences up with laughter across the country in the Blue Collar Comedy Tour and is still at it. Ahead of his Milwaukee show, I talk with Larry about his Wisconsin-native wife (and how their wedding - the least f...
Mark as Played
Lewis Black has been described as "a passionate performer who is more pissed-off optimist than mean-spirited curmudgeon." He rants on everything from politics to how Starbucks showing up on opposite corners of the same street corner is a sign of the end. His observations skewer everything, and offers more insight at times than serious commentators. Ahead of his Milwaukee appearance, Eric Paulsen talked with Lewis about his days wor...
Mark as Played
He was the first person to say "Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!" He hosted Weekend Update and then got into movies from Foul Play to Caddyshack to Fletch, and of course the series of National Lampoon's Vacation movies. Ahead of his coming to Milwaukee for a screening of Christmas Vacation where he'll do Q&A, I got to talk with Chevy Chase about falls with President Ford, working with the cast of Caddyshack characters, what...
Mark as Played
Lou Ferrigno turned near-deafness as a child into motivation to become Mr. Universe and a series of other bodybuilding titles, which led to acting and his role as The Incredible Hulk. Since then, he's acted in movies, led exercise programs as the behest of a President, has been deputized in 22 states, and can be seen shortly at Wizard World. Eric talks with Lou ahead of his Madison appearance, October 25-27, 2019.
Mark as Played
For all the controversy around the Jerry Springer Show and its reflections on our culture, Jerry Springer himself remains. Born in England after his parents fled Nazi Germany, Springer followed passions of politics and law; becoming a mayor led him into news, which led to the ascent of The Jerry Springer Show in 1991. Now, as 2020 nears, his law experience takes center stage as he begins a new career and show as a legal judge decid...
Mark as Played
Toto is celebrating 40 Trips Around the Sun and then some with a tour. Ahead of a show in Madison, Wisconsin, Eric Paulsen talks with guitarist Steve Lukather about the band, its origins, his career as a legendary guitarist playing with everyone from A (Aretha) to Z (Zevon) and more.
Mark as Played
What it's like to go from computer programming in 1975 to touring the world as Air Supply, opening for Rod Stewart, a year later? What's the best term for their music? How have they been able to ride the roller coaster of music and touring all the way to successful shows in 2019? Soaring tenor Russell Hitchcock, one of the two anchors in Air Supply, talks about all that and more in advance of a Milwaukee show (September 7th, Pabst ...
Mark as Played
If you haven't heard of Them Coulee Boys, you will. This Wisconsin band named after unusual geography (and technically, incorrect grammar) blends bluegrass, rock and punk into a style of Americana that's expanding to new audiences with a new album and tour. Lead singer Soren Staff talks with Eric Paulsen about what's ahead and what they've seen in the changing music business since they formed - at camp, of all places - in 2013.
Mark as Played
Between 1917 and 1932, a little-known activity was taking place in small-town Wisconsin: inside a chair factory, some of the earliest Blues, R&B, Jazz, and Country classics were being recorded, pressed into 78rpm records, and distributed by Paramount Records, often bringing up African-American artists from the Mississippi Delta. Today, music fans around the world are becoming aware of how monumental - and unique - these early music...
Mark as Played
The Little River Band formed in Australia in 1975, in a sense as a "supergroup." Wayne Nelson, bass player and lead singer, joined the group in 1980. Before and during Wayne's tenure, lineup changes have continued and both their classic and newer songs have been enjoyed by millions worldwide. Wayne joins Eric for a discussion about the band, changes, new and old music, playing for what you believe in, and why "yacht rock" is so pop...
Mark as Played
Cream puffs and bug tacos(?!?), carnival games to thrilling rides, street performers to major national touring acts, and animals from newborn chicks to prize heifers adorn the 2019 Wisconsin State Fair, which runs August 1-11. There's so much to see and enjoy - some traditional, some new. In this EricCast, Eric sits down with Wisconsin State Fair Director of Public Affairs Kristi Chuckel to cover everything from the Fair's history ...
Mark as Played
Harry Casey, better known as "K.C." all his life, started KC & the Sunshine Band in 1973, incorporating a love of horns and R&B rhythms. By the mid-1970s, the band was leading the way in dance clubs. KC talks with Eric about all the action then and since, from an accident that sidelined him for a year to how Arsenio Hall coaxed him out of retirement. They continue to tour in 2019, shaking booties and getting down at night - because...
Mark as Played
Loverboy formed in 1978, where their name caught attention (especially in Japan) and the legacy of numerous Canadian bands coalesced to form his rock and hits machine that made us all work for the weekend. Eric talks with co-founder and lead guitarist Paul Dean, where topics include how an 8-year-old's indifference to their original name caused them to change it, how to play the washboard properly, what Harley events can do to thei...
Mark as Played
Styx is a classic rock and roll band, touring and ready to play great venues like Summerfest in Milwaukee, Eric Paulsen had a chance to talk with their bass guitarist Ricky Phillips about the band, his previous bands like The Babys and Bad English, and the industry and touring as a whole - including the completion of excellent 10x10 album, which features a variety of rock legends in the wake of Ronnie Montrose's passing.
Mark as Played
Make-A-Wish Wisconsin works to grant wishes for children battling serious - often terminal - illnesses, making dreams come true for them and their families. Eric Paulsen sits down with Make-A-Wish representatives to discuss how they accommodate these kids' wishes and how an upcoming Milwaukee area event on 6/29/19 will help. More details on the event are available at wisconsin.wish.org.
Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    2. Dateline NBC

    Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.

    3. Crime Junkie

    If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.

    4. The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

    5. The Bobby Bones Show

    Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc.