House of Crouse

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Rik Emmett. The musician, professor, writer and sometime cartoonist is in three Canadian “Halls” and two “Walks of Fame.” After 12 platinum LPs in his years as one third of the rock band Triumph, he went on to produce 20 indie projects, from rock and blues to jazz, folk, and classical. These days Emmett is trying something new. He’s reinventing himself as a poet. “Reinvention,” his new book of poetry, is available now wherever fine books are sold. It’s the project that followed on the heels of his retiring from touring and the life of a college educator in early 2019. In this book he makes sense of a life that always went in a lot of different directions all at once. Then, Donna Morrissey author of six national bestsellers novels. She has received awards in Canada, the U.S., and England. Her fiction has been translated into several different languages. Born and raised in Newfoundland, she now lives in Halifax. Today we’ll talk about her new memoir Pluck: A memoir of a Newfoundland childhood and the raucous, terrible, amazing journey to becoming a novelist.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast: Remember “The Safety Dance”? Of course you do. The Men Without Hats song was a worldwide hit in 1982 and earned them a Grammy nomination but it didn’t end there. It has since been covered by everyone from “Weird Al” Yankovic to the cast of Glee to a recent version by Angel Olsen. The song’s writer and lead singer, Ivan Doroschuk, joins me today from his home on Vancouver Island to talk about some new music and a reimagination of his biggest hit. Men Without Hats have just released “Again (Part 1),” a five-song EP featuring covers of The Tragically Hip, Lou Reed, The Rolling Stones and Mott the Hoople, along with an all-new version of the group’s signature hit “The Safety Dance,” now called “No Friends of Mine.” Then we meet Emm Gryner. She is a Canadian musician and vocal coach. David Bowie named Emm as one of his two favourite Canadian acts. U2 frontman Bono named her song “Almighty Love” as one of six songs that he wished he had written. Gryner toured in David Bowie’s band, singing and playing keyboards, and appears on the recordings Bowie at the Beeb and Glastonbury 2000. Emm helped make the first music video in outer space with Chris Hadfield and is now the author of a new book called “The Healing Power of Singing: Raise Your Voice, Change Your Life: What Touring With David Bowie, Single Parenting And Ditching The Music Business Taught Me In 25 Easy Steps.”

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we get to know best-selling author Guy Vanderhaeghe. His previous fiction includes the award winning "A Good Man," "The Last Crossing," "The Englishman’s Boy." He is a three -time Governor General’s Award winner. He has the Writers’ Trust Timothy Findley Award, and the Harbourfront Literary Prize. He has received many other honours including the Order of Canada. His first novel in nearly a decade is "August Into Winter" is an epic story of crime and retribution, of war and its long shadow, and of the redemptive possibilities of love. Guy Vanderhaeghe joined me via Zoom from Saskatchewan Then comedian and actor Shaun Majumder joins me to talk about his new CBC television show "Race Against the Tide." On the show 10 teams of two world-class, highly skilled sand sculptors compete to create extraordinary works of art made entirely out of sand while avoiding elimination. Not only are these best-in-show duos competing against each other, they are competing against, as the press release says, “Mother Nature’s unstoppable ticking clock and the world’s highest tide at New Brunswick's iconic and beautiful Bay of Fundy.”

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast I want to tell you about a new short film called Death Doula co-directed by my guests CBC radio and television host Amanda Parris and Lucius Dechausay. It’s the story of a dystopian near-future where our date of death is predicted by an app… but there’s a twist. The death doula, who helps people cope with their deaths, is then tasked with aiding his first love as she nears her final day. It’s an interesting piece of speculative fiction and will be available as part of the CaribbeanTales Film Festival, which this year is available on line across the country via Video-On-Demand screenings on CaribbeanTales-TV. Then we’ll also meet Al Val, a queer comedian, actor, writer and musician who was recently featured on CBC Gem's The New Wave Of Standup and will be seen as part of the all-new season of The Stand-Up Show With Jon Dore. Later in the show we’ll meet Linden MacIntyre. The award-winning former co-host of the investigative news program the fifth estate. He’s also a Giller Prize winning best-selling author with a new novel called the Winter Wives in stores now. It’s a new psychological drama that weaves threads of crime, disability and dementia together into a tale of unrequited love and delusion.

On this special Richard Crouse Show Podcast we talk to "Oscar Peterson: Black + White" director Barry Avrich. "Oscar Peterson: Black + White" is billed as a “docu-concert,” featuring rare concert footage as well as interviews with family members and musicians who performed with Peterson.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show our first guest today comes from a musical family. Martha Wainwright is daughter of folk singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III and singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle. Her older brother is Rufus Wainwright… but she has made her own mark with a series of critically acclaimed albums. Her latest is “Love Will Be Reborn,” a record that appears to cover the period of time where Wainwright divorced her husband after about a decade of marriage. “Love Will Be Reborn” was recorded in Wainwright’s hometown of Montreal, in the basement of her cafe, Ursa which also served as a studio. Martha joins us via Zoom from Ursa in Mile End in Montreal. Then we meet Nicole Dorsey, the director and screenwriter of “Black Conflux,” a film now on VOD after a very successful theatrical run. “The Globe and Mail” praised the story of the lives of a disillusioned teen and an alienated man that converge in 1980s Newfoundland for its “atmosphere of dread and depiction of rural life as a hotbed of sexual fantasies and violence.” Stick around, there’s lots to talk about on that one. Finally, Marvel’s latest superhero stops by. He’s Canadian, you already know him from starring on “Kim’s Convenience,” but very soon he’ll be best known for playing the title character in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.” He’s Marvel’s first Asian superhero, his name is Simu Liu and here joins us today.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Rachel Yoder, author of a new novel called Nightbitch, the story of a stay-at-home mom who becomes convinced she's turning into a dog. The book is a best seller and has been optioned by Amy Adams to be turned into a film. Then bestselling author Terry Fallis stops by to talk about the long-awaited follow-up to his chart-topping books The Best Laid Plans and The High Road. It’s called Operation Angus, and it’s a comic spy story that heralds the return of Angus McLintock. And finally in the show we’ll meet Ali Liebert. She is a Canadian Screen Award winner for her work on Bomb Girls and can now be seen in They Who Surround Us, a poignant drama about a Ukrainian farmer living in Alberta who loses his wife in a tragic accident. It is getting great reviews and we’ll tell you all about it in just a few minutes.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding, author of twenty-nine novels, including acclaimed books like Someone Is Watching, Now You See Her and Still Life. In her most recent psychological thriller, Cul-de-Sac, a shooting lays bare the secrets harbored by five families in a sleepy suburban cul-de-sac. Then, English actress, filmmaker, and former pop star Billie Piper, joins me via Zoom from London to talk about her challenging new movie Rare Beasts. Finally, Rebecca Silver Slayter swings by to talk about her new novel, The Second History, a post-apocalyptic love story about a young couple embarking on a journey to understand, for the first time, what they've been hiding from all their lives.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Jena Malone. She is a Golden Globe nominated actress known for her roles in “The Hunger Games” franchise and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” She returns to theatres and VOD in the critically acclaimed film “Lorelei.” The gritty story of a man released from prison after 15 years who reunites with his high school girlfriend, who is now a single mother of three, has been called a “moving character study” and that contains some of Jena Malone’s best work. We’ll also meet author and a journalist Omar El Akkad. His novel “American War” was an international best seller that has been translated into thirteen languages. He returns to the best seller charts with “What Strange Paradise,” a new book that looks at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child. Finally we chat with Spinmaster President, Jennifer Dodge. She's the producer of “Paw Patrol: The Movie” and has been a part of the Paw brand since the beginning.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast: Do you like to scroll through twitter looking for laughs? If so, I’m sure you already know about my guest today. The Toronto Sun called him Canada’s Funniest Comic recently… and his videos, parody songs and commentary frequently grab hundreds of thousands of likes and views on Twitter. On-line he is known as @Brittlestar but in life his pals call him Stewart Reynolds. In this conversation we talk about his new brand of booze… that’s how you know when you’ve made it… it’s called Sex and Gold Butter Tart Flavoured Vodka. You’ll find out why it’s called that and much, much. Then, singer, actor and all round nice person Shelley Hamilton joins me to talk about her new music, making music videos during COVID and her new habit of writing at least one letter a week to a friend or stranger, a process she details in her new podcast “Mother Love.”

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Tim Long. The Canadian comedy writer has been an executive and consulting producer on The Simpsons for more than twenty years, has written for The New York Times and The New Yorker and on July 30th, a movie he wrote called The Exchange, the true story of a socially awkward teen who discovers that a French exchange student is not as sophisticated and cultured as he hoped, will be available on VOD. Then comedian Jessica Kirson stops by. We will talk about her feature-length documentary Hysterical, which explores the changing landscape of women in stand-up comedy… how she taught Robert DeNiro to be funny and her return to Just for Laughs.

Scottish-born Alan McGee is one of the most famous British record label bosses. He co-founded Creation Records in 1983, and released classic albums by Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Teenage Fanclub and his most famous discovery, Oasis. "Creation Stories," a new biopic starring "Trainspotting's" Ewan Bremner, and now on VOD, is the complete story of sex, drugs and Alan McGee.

On this week's Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Tracey Deer, director of "Beans," which opens in theatres in July 23, joins me to talk about how the Oka Crisis in 1990 affected her life and eventually became the basis for her new movie. Then, comedian Alonzo Bodden has been making audiences around North America laugh for more than 20 years. He’s a winner of the reality show Last Comic Standing, the podcast host of Who’s Paying Attention? (part of All Things Comedy), and a television host who recently released his fifth comedy CD titled Man Overboard… he’s had specials and is a regular at the Just for Laughs festival, and he returns to JFL this year, virtually from Los Angeles.

Richard joins Ryan Doyle and guest host Tamara Cherry of the NewsTalk 1010 afternoon show to talk about Squirt soda and the origin of the tequila-based cocktail the Paloma, and some movies to watch on the weekend, including "Black Widow" and "No Sudden Move."

This week on the Richard Crouse Show director Johnny Sweet joins us from Queens, New York. Johnny is a filmmaker and director who watched his industry come to a halt in the early days of the pandemic, and then turned his eye to another industry… the bar business. His new film asks a question… What happens if the entire bar industry in New York City is laid off in a single day? His film “Last Call : The Shutdown of NYC Bars” explores the social and economic impact of COVID-19 on the NYC hospitality industry. Then, we meet M. Leona Godin, author of “There Plant Eyes: A Personal and Cultural History of Blindness.” Godin—who began losing her vision at age ten—illuminates the often-surprising history of both the condition of blindness and the myths and ideas that have grown up around it over the course of generations. She combines an analysis of blindness in art and culture with a study of the science of blindness and key developments in accessibility to paint a vivid personal and cultural history. Finally, we’ll meet Eric Bauza. He is a Canadian voice actor, who is just the seventh person ever to voice Bugs Bunny on screen. You’ll soon be able to hear him do Daffy Duck, and many other voices in “Space Jam: A New Legacy” which comes to theatres soon! We’ll catch up with him and find out how Mr. DressUp out him on the road to working with the Looney Tunes!

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Chantel Guertin, beauty expert and television personality, well-known to audiences of Canada’s number‑one daytime talk show, The Marilyn Denis Show… she is also a frequent guest of morning news shows. Her new project is a novel called "Instamom." it’s the story of an Instagram influencer who became famous talking about her fun, fabulous and child-free life… her life changes in ways she did not expect when she becomes romantically involved with a chef who has a daughter. Then Ana Golja stops by. The actor/producer/singer is well-known for her role on "Degrassi." She releases her second single “All Night” from her personal pandemic EP, “Strive.” We talk about the single and her work with Kids Help Phone. And then Marci Ien, Member of Parliament for the riding of Toronto Centre, the former host of “The Social” and “Canada AM” and the author of “Off Script,” a collection of personal milestones, tales of resilience and kindness, dramatic moments from her career as a journalist and insights from the many unforgettable people that she's met and interviewed. We get caught up and talk about the power of “no,” about doing “Canada AM,” getting up in the middle of the night when everybody else is still sleeping to go to work, while raising a young family and more.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Dr. Jen Gunter. She has been called Twitter’s resident gynecologist, the Internet’s OB/GYN. She is an OB/GYN and a pain medicine physician. She is Gwyneth Paltrow’s nemesis, a fierce advocate for women’s health and has devoted her professional life to caring for women. She also writes about sex, science, and social media and is the author of The Vagina Bible and her newest book “The Menopause Manifesto,” which is in stores now. Then, Emma Brodie, a Brooklyn, New York-based writer and editor stops by. As an editor, she’s published best selling authors like Awkwafina, Anna Drezen, Nathan W. Pyle and Marlee Grace. She is currently an Executive Editor at Little Brown. She joins me to day to talk about her debut novel, “Songs in Ursa Major,” a love story set in 1969 at the crossroads of rock and folk; where a young musical prodigy falls in love with a hard-partying folk legend.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Deanna Marigliese, the Canadian character art director for Pixar Animation Studios. Today we’ll talk about LUCA, a movie many families will enjoy together this weekend on Disney+. Then, comedian, host of CBC Radio’s The Debaters he’s a Dad to Scarlett and Norah, Steve Patterson joins us to talk about his first book, "Dad Up!" It’s getting great reviews… Denise Donlan said it should come with ‘READ BEFORE PARENTING’ sticker and Brent Butt, creator of Corner Gas, called it a touching and very funny read. Finally, Dan Robson is the author of numerous books about sports, like biographies of former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn and legendary player Johnny Bower but has now turned the focus on his own life, specifically his relationship with his late father Rick. "Measuring Up: A Memoir Of Fathers And Sons" is a tender memoir of fathers and sons, love and loss, and learning to fill boots a size too big.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Griffin Poetry Prize winner Jordan Abel. He joins me to talk about his intriguing new book Nishga. It’s a groundbreaking, deeply personal, and devastating autobiographical meditation that attempts to address the complicated legacies of Canada's residential school system and contemporary Indigenous existence. Drawing on autobiography and a series of interconnected documents (including pieces of memoir, transcriptions of talks, and photography), NISHGA is a book about confronting difficult truths and it is about how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples engage with a history of colonial violence that is quite often rendered invisible. Then, veteran New Yorker staff writer Tony Hiss joins me on Zoom from his home in New York City’s East Village. His new book, "Rescuing the Planet" is an urgent call to protect 50 percent of the earth's land by 2050--thereby saving millions of its species--and a candid assessment of the health of our planet and our role in conserving it.

On this week's Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet two of the stars of "In the Heights," the highly anticipated film adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway smash hit show. You know Jimmy Smits from everything from "NYPD Blue" and "The West Wing" to "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" and "How To Get Away with Murder." He plays Kevin Rosario, owner of his own taxi cab service in In the heights. Joining him is Olga Merediz, who originated the role of "Abuela" Claudia, the loving matriarch of the barrio, in the Broadway show and now stars in the movie. Then, I have a no holds barred conversation with musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist Moby. He has a new album called "Reprise" and a documentary called "Moby Doc" available right now. in the interview we talk about everything from using alcohol and drugs in a misguided attempt to find happiness to screwing up the courage to ask David Bowie to duet on Heroes… on acoustic guitar in his living room!

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet Brad Fraser. Brad is one of Canada's best-known playwrights, his work, plays like Poor Super Man, Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love and Kill Me now have been produced worldwide, in many languages, with highly successful runs in Toronto, New York, Chicago, Milan, Sydney and London… they’ve been adapted into films and named the best plays of their year by Time Magazine. His plays often include frank depictions of sexuality, drug use and violence… and so does his newest work, a memoir called All the Rage, now available wherever you buy fine books. Then Chris Wilson stops by to talk about his new podcast… it’s called This Time It's Different. The premise here is that each episode they do a completely different genre of either a popular existing podcast format OR they will create their own new format.

We can't go to bars right now, so here is a chance to safely soak up the ambiance of the world's greatest watering holes. Last Call is a podcast on the stories behind the places where everybody knows your name. I’m Richard Crouse. I tended bar for seventeen years everywhere from hot spots to dive bars and I thought I had seen it all… In my life behind bars I witnessed everything from first dates and marriage proposals to knife fights and a woman who brought a pet monkey in for a drink. Nothing could surprise me… Or so I thought… Then I heard about how a lion who visited Harry’s New York Bar in Paris inspired Ernest Hemingway to write one of his greatest novels. And why there are century old chicken bones hanging above the beer-stained bar at McSorleys in New York City. And how Vincent Sardi refused to do business with the mob during Prohibition, so his famous Broadway Restaurant didn’t serve alcohol until the 21st amendment passed, six year after they first opened… With the help of the Last Call radio players, music and interviews, I bring these stories, and many more, to life in my podcast Last Call. It’s fact folded in with a sprinkling of fiction, because, well, who doesn’t exaggerate after a few drinks? So, open that bottle of wine or crack that beer and join me for an intoxicating guided tour of some of the strange stories from some of the world’s best watering holes.

On this episode of the Richard Crouse Show we meet Louise Johnson, a writer whose work has been published in The Globe & Mail, The Huffington Post, Darling Magazine and more. Her debut book, “Behind the Red Door: How Elizabeth Arden’s Legacy Inspired My Coming-of-Age in the Beauty Industry,” is equal parts educational biography of a woman whose name we know, but whose biography has been largely lost to time and memoir. Louise says it is a playbook for any woman looking to reconnect with her most authentic self and create a successful, fulfilled, beautiful life on her own terms. Then, later in the show Noa Daniel stops by. Noa is a classroom teacher, consultant, podcaster and keynote speaker, and writer. Her third children’s book, “Strum and The Wild Turkeys,” is a book about finding your voice through a sense of belonging and the transformational power of music and was inspired by a true story.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show, a real-life story that has all the hallmarks of tabloid fiction. New Yorker magazine staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe received international acclaim for his 2019 investigation of the Troubles in Ireland, and now, in “Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty,” he turns his sights to three generations of the Sackler family, the dynasty behind Purdue Pharma — they manufacture Oxycontin — and the modern opioid crisis. Then, The Social host Cynthia Loyst stops by to talk aboput her book Find Your Pleasure: The Art of Living a More Joyful Life. We’ll talk about how to take the guilt out of pleasure and get to the heart of what you need and want in all aspects of life. And finally, we celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Canada with Allan Cho And JF Garrard, the editors of “Belief,” a new collection of Asian writing from the online magazine “Ricepaper.”

This week on the Richard Crouse Show we meet author Jeff Vandermeer. He’s been called "one of the most remarkable practitioners of the literary fantastic in America today.” His novel, “Annihilation,” won many awards and was adapted into a Hollywood film starring Natalie Portman. Several other adaptations of his novels will soon be coming your way from Netflix soon… but today we’re here to talk about his latest novel “Hummingbird Salamander,” a speculative thriller of dark conspiracy, endangered species, and the possible end of all things. Also stopping by today is Jonathan Meiburg… you may know him as the singer of the Austin, Texas based indie rock band Shearwater, but he’s not here today to talk about music. Today we’ll talk about his other passion, a rare bird known as the striated caracaras and his book, “A Most Remarkable Creature: The Hidden Life and Epic Journey of the World's Smartest Birds of Prey.” Then Sonia Manzano, who played Maria on the classic kid’s show “Sesame Street,” for 44 years stops by to talk about a new documentary called “Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street.”

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Oscar nominated musician, bandleader, and television personality Jon Batiste. We’ll talk sbout his new album “We Are,” which was just one of the many projects he’s had going during our last locked down year. From bandleader on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” to scoring the Pixar animated movie “Soul” to writing and recording this album he’s been a busy guy. We start the interview by talking about his earliest musical memories. Then, Golden Arm is a buddy comedy that follows a tough female trucker who trains her timid best friend to compete in the National Ladies Arm Wrestling Championship. My guest in this segment Dot-Marie Jones plays Big Sexy, the rough-and-tumble mentor who puts her trainees through a rigorous schooling in order to create a winner. You know Dot-Marie from her work on the television shows like Glee, which earned her three Emmy nominations, and Lizzie McGuire and movies like Material Girls… but did you know she is also a 15-time world arm wrestling champion? Then we wrap with Gordon Deppe, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for The Spoons. The writer of big hits like "Romantic Traffic," "Nova Heart," "Old Emotions" and "Tell No Lies" is back with a new song called “A Better Ending” co-written virtually with people all across the country.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Blue Rodeo’s Greg Keelor. His new solo album Share the Love is available now and has a fascinating backstory from studio to stores. We’ll also meet June Millington, guitar player for the best 1970s band you’ve never heard of. Formed in 1969, Fanny were the first all-female rock band to release an album on a major label and no less an authority than David Bowie called Fanny one of the finest bands of their time. “They’re as important as anybody else who’s ever been, ever,” he said. “It just wasn’t their time.” We talk about the band and the new documentary "Fanny: The Right to Rock." Then we meet Craig Pryce, director of "The Marijuana Chronicles." It is the fascinating true story of a 98-day marijuana-based medical experiment to assess the scientific, social and physical effects of marijuana use on a group of 20 women that took place in Canada in 1972.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Craig Taylor, author of "New Yorkers: A City and Its People in Our Time." Taylor is a chronicler of some of the world’s greatest cities. His book "Londoners" was called the "best book about London in at least a decade" and the new one on New York City, which is made up of profiles of bodega cashiers, hospital nurses, elevator repairmen, emergency dispatchers; the people who wire the lights at the top of the Empire State Building, clean the windows of Rockefeller Center, and keep the subway running. It’s a book about the New York you don’t often read about and it is already getting rave reviews. The Independent called it, “Jaw-dropping…enthralling…Start spreading the news: Taylor’s book is a stunning work of modern social history." Then Anthony Q. Farrell joins us. He’s a former stand up comedian who has written for "The Office," was executive story editor for "Little Mosque on the Prairie" and is known for his work as a writer on the Nickelodeon sitcom "The Thundermans." He’s back with two new shows "The Parker Andersons" and "Amelia Parker" which you’ll find on the Super Channel. What makes these shows unique is that they are two stand-alone comedy series, each with their own storylines and episodes, but are connected by larger overarching plot lines tying the two independent shows together. Finally, you know my guest Lucas Hedges from his Academy Award nominated performance in "Manchester by the Sea" and you’ve seen him in "Lady Bird" and the film "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri." His latest movie, "French Exit" has him starring opposite Michele Pfeiffer. He joins us to talk about his claim that he took on the role of the son of a soon to be broke Manhattan socialite because he wanted to be bored while playing a character.

When I edit the audio from interviews I clean them up, cutting out "Ums" and "ahs." For your enjoyment I offer up a moment of zen, a compendium of the sounds you don't usually hear on the radio.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Florian Zeller, the Oscar nominated director of "The Father." He discusses his personal connection to the material and what it was like working with Anthony Hopkins. Then, Dylan Playfair, co-star of the Disney+ show "Mighty Ducks: Game Changers" stops by to talk about how playing hockey prepared him for a career as an actor. Then, "Falcon and the White Soldier" co-star (and MMA legend) Georges St-Pierre talks about why he never enjoyed fighting. Finally, we ask our panel, stand up comedian Debra DiGiovanni, Second City alum Darryl Hinds and Just for Laughs co-founder Andy Nulman, to discuss influences in comedy.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast: If you love records like Joshua Tree, Wrecking Ball, and Time out of Mind you know my guest’s work. Daniel Lanois has an incredible resume. His work as a producer for U2, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, the Neville Brothers, Robbie Robertson and Neil Young among many others led Rolling Stone Magazine to say, “His unmistakable fingerprints are all over an entire wing of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” Lanois has moved back to Canada and launched the brand new Maker Series imprint out of his Toronto-based recording studio. First up in the Maker Series is a solo record called Heavy Sun. A soulful, joyous album recorded in Los Angeles and Toronto that fuses classic gospel and modern electronics. He says the intent of the music is to “lift people’s spirits.” Then, we meet Jessica Bruder, author of the 2017 book “Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century,” and Bob Wells, a real-life nomad and one of the stars of the Oscar nominated film “Nomadland.” Then, the man, the myth, the legend William Shatner. His career is so epic it spans generations. Some will remember him as the iconic Capt. James T Kirk of the USS Enterprise. Others know him as the veteran police sergeant in T. J. Hooker. Still others think of him as the host of the reality-based television series Rescue 911 or the "Big Giant Head" from 3rd Rock from the Sun or as attorney Denny Crane both in the final season of the legal drama The Practice and in its spinoff series Boston Legal. He’s an actor, an author a singer and now the star of Senior Moment a new rom com on VOD this week. The romantic comedy focuses on Shatner’s character Victor, a retired pilot whose life goes into a tailspin after he loses his driver’s license, but starts looking up when he finds love with a character played by Jean Smart.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Vivek Shraya. Described as "cultural rocket fuel" by Vanity Fair, Shraya is a Canadian multi-media artist whose art, music, novels, poetry and children's books touch on themes of cultural as well as personal transformation. Her successful one woman show “How to Fail as a Popstar” details a failed career in music from singing in religious gatherings where you sang as a kid, to talent shows in Edmonton malls, to a grab at pop stardom… It’s now a raw and honest book about fame for, as the press release says, “any kid whoever sang into a hairbrush and imagined their name in lights.” Then Eden Robinson, author of the Scotiabank Giller Prize nominated “Trickster” books stops by to talk about her life, quitting a five pack a day cigarette habit and the release of the final book in the troilogy, “The Return of the Trickster.”

On this week's Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet singer, songwriter Thad Cockrell who was about to throw in the towel on his music career when Jimmy Fallon chanced upon one of his songs and changed his life. He’s now a number one selling artists with a great story. Then, Kim Echlin, the award author of the new Bosnian war themed novel "Speak, Silence," stops by to discuss the book and offer tiups for writers. We wrap with a panel, journalist Kevin Donovan author of “Billionaire Murders,” Kristi Lee, host of CDN true crime podcast “Canadian True Crime” and Michael Arntfield, a former detective/ writer, producer, and consultant for the true crime series “To Catch a Killer,” who aim to answer the question of why we enjoy true crime stories.

On this edition of the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet singer, songwriter and now author Kat Goldman. Her book "Off the Charts: What I Learned From My Almost-Fabulous Life in Music" is a funny and heartfelt look at what it's like to meet your first fan, date a rock star (never again!), perform in a grocery store, and rebuild your career after getting hit by a car in a bagel shop. Then, did you know "It's Raining Men," the 1982 disco hit by the Weather Girls, is part Canadian? The upbeat song, which was just inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, was written by Donna Summer’s songwriter Paul Jabara and the Toronto-born musician and former band leader of Late Show with David Letterman, Paul Shaffer, who joins me from Los Angeles. Finally, blogger, columnist, and media personality Perez Hilton, Francesca Bacardi senior Reporter at PageSix.com and reality television personality Roxy Earle, discuss the public’s appetite for gossip.

On this edition of the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Canadian acting icon Jayne Eastwood who talks about working with Cloris Leachman on family drama "Jump, Darling." Then Canadian animator Andrew Lawson talks about working on the big Disney animated film "Raya and the Last Dragon" during the pandemic. The comic book legend Josh Blaylock talks about his new project, a comic book company called PopCultivator, whose fans are its main investor and creators. And finally, Disney Vice President of Marketing Greg Mason talks about the launch of Star.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet rock legend and “Do You Feel Like I Do?: A Memoir” author Peter Frampton, who talks about everything from his early days–his friendship with “Dave” Bowie–and meeting Jimi Hendrix to superstardom and fighting a degenerative disease. Then, the panel, solo artist and STYX keyboardist and vocalist Lawrence Gowan and Grammy and Academy Award-nominated composer, producer, pianist, arranger, conductor and recording artist Stephan Moccio, discuss staying creative in the pandemic and what good we can take away from this difficult time.

On this week's Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet David Fishof who managed some of the biggest names in sports before turning his eye to music. While he was working with Ringo Starr he hatched the idea for the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, a retreat for amateur musicians to play with and learn from professionals like Roger Daltry from The Who and Bill Wyman from the Rolling Stones. He is now the subject of a fun new documentary called Rock Camp that details the wild and woolly beginning of the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp and the role it plays in making people’s lives better. Then, the panel, Denise Donlan, the former president of Sony Music Canada, among many other titles including author and public speaker, Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman and documentary filmmaker Paul Saltzman, whose latest film is about his experiences studying at the same ashram as The Beatles in 1968, talk about what it means to be a legend.

Richard and NewsTalk 1010 host Jerry Agar discuss legendary film director Martin Scorsese's comments about cinema being devalued by on algorithms-based suggestions in streaming.

Today I’ll introduce you to Nicholas Snyder, a Brussell’s based filmmaker and astrologist. Nicholas says his aim is to use film as a language to convey the inexplicable. To that end, today we’re talking about his new documentary “The Astrology Of Pandemics,” a timely film that shows how valuable and useful astrology can be in the prediction of future pandemics and how we could use it as a tool to understand the current pandemic. Nicholas Snyder joined me via Zoom from Brussels.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Rob Baker (The Tragically Hip) and Craig Northey (Odds) of Stripper's Union, the Canadian supergroup whose new album "The Undertaking" is available now wherever you buy fine music. Then Cree composer/artist Nigel Irwin joins us to talk about his new gig as Nagamo’s Co-Creative Director. Nagamo Publishing is the world’s first Indigenous-created production music library for media. Nagamo’s goal is to provide Indigenous composers much-needed opportunities to showcase their talents in the industry, while allowing clients to access this groundbreaking music that spans all genres and nations. And finally, Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo talks about creating musis during the pandemic.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Katherine Gray and Alexander Rosenberg, glass blowers and judges on the Netflix show "Blown Away." It’s a competition show, like "Survivor" of "Hell’s Kitchen," but here the contestants make beautiful hand blown glass pieces with the winner earning a career boosting residency at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. Then Rebecca Reid, author of "Rude: Stop Being Nice and Start Being Bold."

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Karma Brown, the bestselling author of five novels including the #1 bestseller "Recipe for a Perfect Wife." Today we talk about her first non-fiction book "The 4% Fix: How one hour can change your life." It's all about how to find guilt-free time for what you really want to do, and why it matters. Then, Jake Brennan, host of "Disgraceland," the number downloaded music podcast in the world, stops by to talk about where music and crime intersect.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Bill King, a three-time Juno Award nominee who has served as music director for Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt, the Pointer Sisters, Martha Reeves and Craig Russell. He’s a renowned musician, a radio host and now the author of “Coming Through the ’60s: An American Rock ’n’ Road Story,” his second book release in the past year, following the spring debut of “Talk! Conversations in All Keys,” a collection of interviews that King did with everyone from Oscar Peterson and Jeff Healey to Bruce Cockburn and Buffy Sainte-Marie.

On this week's Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Gastronaut, artist and eight time Guinness World Record holder, Bob Blumer. He is the creator and host of the television series Surreal Gourmet, and Glutton for Punishment, and a producer and host of World’s Weirdest Restaurants. His shows air on various networks in over twenty countries world-wide. He is also the author of seven cookbooks including the most recent "Flavorbomb: A Rogue Guide to Making Everything Taste Better," a book he hopes will make you a better cook. Then, comedian Jon Dore stops by to talk about his new TV show "Humour Resources." He stars as a retired comedian-turned-human resources manager for comics, virtually coaching them on the appropriateness of their material and their workplace behaviour. Guests include Sarah Silverman, Tom Green, Eric Andre, Reggie Watts, Nikki Glaser, The Lucas Bros., Aisha Brown, and Scott Thompson.

On this week's Richard Crouse Show we have a look at the art of song writing with an A-list group of artists: Gordon Lightfoot, Bob Geldof, Alice Cooper, Randy Bachman, Bob Ezrin, The Kings, Kevan Staples, Robbie Robertson, Damhnait Doyle, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, Bernie Taupin and Sting.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas... In Toronto, an ode to a weird holiday.

On this week's Richard Crouse Show Podcast we meet Jamaican-American reggae musician, singer and DJ Shaggy who is here to talk about his new reggae-themed holiday album "Christmas in the Island." Next is Harnarayan Singh, host of the Punjabi-language broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada and the author of a fascinating new memoir called One Game at a Time: My Journey from Small-Town Alberta to Hockey's Biggest Stage. In this interview we talk about the FIRST memoir he wrote… when he was six years old, what it was like growing up as a Sikh kid playing hockey in rural Alberta and much more. Then, think you’ve got problems with the family? Robert Lacey’s book would be hard to top for stories of family disfunction. "Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult" is the final word on the battle royale between the two famous brothers. Also, if you’ve been watching "The Crown," and who hasn’t been? You’ve seen his work. He’s the historical consultant on that popular Netflix show. Finally, we meet "Soul" co-directors Pete Docter and Kemp Powers, producer Dana Murray and Canadian story lead Trevor Jimenez.

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast: Anthony Daniels, the actor behind C-3PO Zooms in from London to talk about the paperback release of his book "I Am C-3PO," sing a song and send a very special Christmas wish. Then, "The Star Wars Book" co-author Cole Horton swings by to talk about why "Star Wars" still resonates after more than four decades.

This week on The Richard Crouse Show Podcast we are joined by iconic musician and songwriter Elvis Costello. In an exclusive one-on-one Costello talks about life in lockdown, creativity in isolation and his 33rd album “Hey Clockface.”

This week on the Richard Crouse Show Podcast we answer the age old question, "What are you watching on television?" Culture journalist and co-author of "What to Watch Next," now in bookstores, helps you navigate pandemic viewing. Then, award winning historian and author of "The Company," Stephen R. Bown, drops by to discuss one of the worst villains in Canadian history.