I was so happy to take my Certified Vegan Life Coaching degree at Main Street Vegan Academy this summer since I couldn't travel for the Summer and it was terrific! I met lots of nice vegan folks that want to change the world! So the first person I want to highlight is Starlet Carbins who has a podcast called Starlet Speaks where she helps women follow a healthier lifestyle.
If you could talk to me for an hour at this particular moment in time this is what exactly what it would look and sound like. I talked about, the Quarantine, catching COVID, My friendship with Suzanne Muldowney (Underdog), Mr. Rogers, Multiple Quantum Realities, Checkerboard Kids, Paz de la Huerta, Veganism, The state of Education, Cults, Beyond Vaudeville, Howard Stern and a bunch more.
I seriously sit on Zoom all day in a space outfit because I feel like I'm in outer space with no clue of what time or day it is. Ask anyone, This is really how I roll. Check out the Questionable Personalities Podcast! Like and subscribe!
There’s no need to fear: Underdog is here! This TV - cartoon canine is the cartoon equivalent of Superman is ceaselessly involved in rescue missions, crime fighting and acts of goodwill . Currently he is donating blood in conjunction with his 55th (emerald) Anniversary this October 3. The distinguished persona, Suzanne Muldowney of Delran, NJ, will [process in the following midstate and oceanfront Halloween Parades Williamstown/ Monroe Township on Sat 19th, Cape May on Sunday the 20th, Ocean City Thursday the 24th and Cape May Courthouse Weds the 30th. Please be respectful when approaching Underdog.
Suzanne has depicted Underdog through dance stage, television and parades since 1966, in 14 states. She has been on television many times including a performance on worldwide TV (Jimmy Kimmel Live In May 2006.)
Suzanne Muldowney contacted me because she wanted to do another episode of Checkerboard Kids that would be a sequel to her "Latin Christmas Carol" episode so who was I to say no? I now proudly present to you the 2018 second installment. Please enjoy! Merry Christmas or should I say"felicem natalem Christi!"
also here is a separate clip of her doing "Go Tell It On The Mountain"
and just in case you missed the first installment of Christmas Carols in Latin from 2016:
I really love the J-Pop group Perfume. They are awesome. the singing the dancing the outfits. This weekend was an all Perfume weekend where Friday the J-Music Ensemble performed a Perfume dedicated set on my show Checkerboard Kids. Saturday we got a whole bunch of Perfume fans from different states and Canada to sing some Perfume, JPop and other stuff. Thank you so much everyone who showed up it meant a lot to me for us to come together and support our girls! It was so much fun. Let's do it again soon! Enjoy! The pictures from the event are located here!
Then Patrick from J-Music Ensemble showed up with his Nocchi shirt and Saxophone in hand.
As a child I watched the exploits of the superhero, Underdog. I never thought I would get the opportunity to actually hang out with the living embodiment of him. Enter performance artist, Suzanne Muldowney. I'd seen her at the Old Creation Comic conventions and thanks to the great folks at the Beyond Vaudeville Program (an old school public access staple that inspired my show Checkerboard Kids) I not only got to meet Suzanne but I got to travel with her to many parades, talk and hang out with her and even after over twenty plus years call her a friend. Before this year is over she would like would like to be on Jimmy Kimmel Live again as well as make the rounds on all the news media. (all except one, if you know who I mean.)
In 1994 we celebrated Underdogs 30th together. Twenty years later, Oct 3rd 2014 Underdog the Superhero Turns 50. She has been looking forward to this day for as long as I've known her. So I'm so pleased to air the Checkerboard Kids: Underdog 50th Anniversary special. In (Hi-Definition no less!)
Right now I'm awaiting the statement Suzanne wrote for this day. Watch this spot. I should post it within the day.
I have been friends with Suzanne Muldowney since May 11th 1992 when I met her at a live performance of the public access show Beyond Vaudeville. She even sang at my wedding. Since June 1993 I have escorted her to the Coney Island Mermaid Parade for 21years straight. Rain or shine. Incidentally this year she took top honors for best Sea Creature. Suzanne has been on my public access show Checkerboard Kids for many years performing as Underdog, Dracula and various other clips. You can catch a play list here and here It is now Underdogs 50th Anniversary and she has returned to celebrate. So here is a behind the scenes clip of the upcoming episode we shot at MNN. For a time Suzanne was doing a show on Sirius XM I hope they'll give her another one. She has so much to bring.
Special thanks to Joe, Errol and Scott of the SFS who came to the set to meet Suzanne!
There was an amusing show I used to TD for called "Moon Juice and Free Advice". I actually found two old episodes when they came onto my program and here it is. Enjoy! 2012
If you don't know Rude Boy George yet, let me enlighten you. It's a cool supergroup comprised of members of Across The Aisle, Bigger Thomas, the Duff Guide to Ska and Marco on the Bass! What's the hook you may ask? They do 80's New Wave tunes in a ska stylee. Tomorrow night they will be on the Checkerboard Kids Program. Don't fret if you miss it. I'll be sure to post it all online if you can't get MNN where you are. Here is a sample of the action:
… And yeah they even get me to do a lil' singing and skanking on the dance floor! I couldn't resist!
Major props go out to the MNNStaff, Especially Drew and Roberto. My crew is equally off the hook: Anne Marie Offer on camera, Paul Ortiz on robocam, my homegirl Jeany Lee on switching and Rolling Rhinos own Vince Lombardi in the directors chair! I am so grateful for my posse! It makes me proud to put great music on the air lo these many years!
I just did a fun webisode with Alicia American where we speak about Ska Music. Note: I am no skaologist. for that I defer to my homegirl Michelle at NYC Ska (http://www.nycska.com/)
The Checkerboard Kids is primarily a ska program. I have to really believe in a band to have a band that is not ska on. Thus was the case with the innovative band The Deuce and a Quarter headed up by artist,animator, actor and general raconteur Vickers "Bastard" Gringo (Paul Vickers Lyon) I met Vickers about 1995, a kid with green hair and big ideas about music and life. I was happy to reconnect with him in 2009 and have the band on Checkerboard Kids. Upon my return from Canada yesterday I received a call from The Deuce drummer, Jerry who told me after the Gig they played on Saturday, Vickers passed away in his sleep. Wow. I'm still processing this but while I'm sitting around scratching my head. Lets never forget the music that he and his bandmates loved so much. My sincerest sympathies go out to his friends, family, girlfriend, and especially Jerry, Patrick, Adam and the entire network of The Deuce and a Quarter who were just putting the finishing touches on a new release. I'm sure Vickers would have wanted that music in the hands of the people. Rest in peace, Vickers. Thank you for everything.
His friend Abbi from Dart Gun Radio put up a touching tribute on her blog so check it out! http://abigailallan.blogspot.com/
I was just reading about Rev Billiy's triumph over NYC and I walked into MNN and there hewas with his choir for the Church of Life After Shopping and everything so I just had to say what's up and he of course was mpre than gracious! You can see what he was doing at his blog: here
What a great Birthday! it was tons of fun! I got lots of sweet messages via facebook, emails and my cellphone runneth over with well wishers. I really feel loved this year. Most importantly, I feel happy about myself. I spent some quality time with my friend Zack Brown who shadowed my whole day from early morning to late evening. We hung as I went on with my days errands. I also called my friend Judy who it was her birthday too (YEAH!) Zack and I laughed and played chess and ran around all over NYC.
Zack in addition to creating Kernel Traffic and working for Google has also also invented a fun new game called Crumble (Patent pending) It's a strategy game along the lines of Chess and Go it starts with a checkerboard pattern so you know I like it! I invited him to come onto the Checkerboard Kids Program and talk about it! I think it would be a perfect candidate for The International Abstract Games Organization (IAGO) I highly encourage everyone to take a look and give it a try! http://sites.google.com/site/crumblegame and don't forget his Crumble blog! http://crumblegame.blogspot.com Go cop that!
My homegirls checkered socks and laces. What is it about those things? I'm reffering to the checks, silly!
I was taking calls on the set of Chess Now and a caller asked what came first for me, ska music or chess? Wow. I hadn't thought of why I like what I like but let me reflect. As a child I was a little on the obsessive compulsive side. When I like something I get way overboard with it. From trading cards to comic books to music, movies, anything. It makes me feel safe in a life of chaos. When I was in high school I started going to Rocky Horror and listening to WLIR the big New Wave station. In College I liked Ska but I didnt get od into until this girl I fooled around with turned me onto this comic called Pirate Corp$ by Evan Dorkin a funny comic about some futuristic universe where people hung with aliens partied fought laughed and cried to a cool ska soundtrack. It made me get my player weight up in the ska world listening to more 2 Tone and even reaching back to the roots. Mad Planet was a cool Zine by Action Girl, Sarah Dyer that helped. I met Evan and Sarah several times at ska shows and some comic cons. They were always were mad cool. They went on to do several cool comics, tv shows, website and more recently created a child! Great for them. They rule and deserve mad success. In any case between them and Hewlett & Martins "Tank Girl" they always rocked a Checkered theme. I like patterns. Black and White work perfect for me. On or Off, Zero or One, Yin and Yang, Good and Evil. At this time I started begging my freind Zack to teach me Chess. He would play chess every day all day against his computer not a million quick games either, ONE LONG GAME. the Chess computer would sit there blinking and blinking for hours then make a decision then Zack would sit there pensive pondering all possible strategies. He showed me a little but I was very intimidated and scared to play. Sal Piro from the Rocky Horror Picture Show was another great chess player who would play people every weekend at the 8th Street Playhouse. His main Opponent was this guy Solomon who never seemed too interested in the movie but the games were big draws. Upstairs people crowded round gawking, trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Sal used to play me without a Queen and ask me what square do I wish to be mated on. I think he grew bored of chess and left it for tournament Scrabble of which he is totally gangster. As for me chesswise I took my lumps and learnt more in the process eventually marrying Cinnamon who was a pretty good chess player herself. Actress and Chess expert, Eva Veronika Klein took a liking to us and was at our wedding and even brought me an autographed copy of her husbands book (FIDE Master, Asa Hoffman) "Chess Gladiator" I was sad to learn Eva passed away on her birthday Dec 3rd 2007. She was cool people. We met on the set of MTV Oddville while I was taking care of Suzanne Muldowney who was performing as Vlad the Impaler. Eva liked my Checkerboard Creepers. The conversation quickly turned to Chess. Cinni said she liked Nimzowitsch or Capablanca whilst I liked Paul Morphy. After that she challenged me and I admit I was way too P word to play her. I was intimidated. Ah well coulda shoulda woulda. In any case (boy I say that a lot) here is the episode of Chess Now enjoy. Rate it up and subscribe!
Christopher X. Brodeur aka Touching You has went to jail for his beliefs. He wrote a couple songs about it HERE. Each song is funnier than the next probably because the things he says is completely true. He appeared on The Checkerboard Kids Program and he performed a song called "The Olympics are Retarded" originally I thought he was just being silly but he then drops all this knowledge in the middle of it! He won me over! Much like Van Gogh, CXB might be a nut but he's a friggin genius. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself then:
