Life 2.0

Saturday Rewind-Earl Hamner

It's a glorious morning in the outskirts of Chicago. A light rain is falling; the baby robins in the nest under the overhang of the house next door are looking for breakfast, and a slight rumble of thunder interrupts the early-morning silence. All of these things have me remembering my friend, the late, great Earl Hamner. This Saturday Rewind takes us back to November of 2001 and my conversation with Earl about "The Waltons" as well as life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the book he had out at the time (that I still read on occasion), The Avocado Drive Zoo.

Music used by permission of the John Denver Estate.

THE BIG FLUSH

Ah, nothing like a colonoscopy to bring a little perspective! It occurred to me as I went through the wonderful pre-procedure flush that sometimes getting totally cleaned out and starting all over again is a really good thing. Add to that a short preview of an upcoming podcast project with radio legend Garry Meier, a few hours digging in my sister's garage and finding evidence that at one time, I had really good handwriting, along with some incredible artifacts and the reminder comes that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Music by Mark Cleveland used by permission.

Fletcher Street Memories

On this overcast spring morning, I am reminded of a different place and time, when my whole life was encased in a massive two-story building that my family lived in until 1966. It was just this side of heaven to me, as every adventure was in our backyard, or just down the street with my best friend, Garry. 50 plus years later, so much has changed outside, but inside, where it counts, it remains the same.

Darcy's Guitar by Pete Huttlinger used by permission.

Earth Matters 2026

On this, the 56th anniversary of the first official Earth Day in 1970, I pulled a few of the "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis" episodes that aired in national syndication on the radio for a decade. It was a great project that shed light on some of the darker environmental issues we face, as well as a few reminders that if you think globally and act locally, you can make a world of difference.

 

Music used by permission of the John Denver estate.

Orginal Love

There are as many definitions of love as there are hearts in the world. But what about that which lies above and beyond the human experience? My guest, Glenn Aparicio Parry, writes, "What we are experiencing is tantamount to a shamanic dismemberment. We need to dismember to remember; we need to put ourselves back together again in ways that are healthy and whole. We are compelled to reconstruct the whole out of what has been torn apart; we are being called to dig deeper into our psyche." Get ready to take a deep dive into the source of love and how you can recognize, understand, and reconnect to that which binds all things together.

Mission Accomplished!

After 9 days and over 600,000 miles, the crew of Integrity has safely returned to Earth after taking a lap around the Moon. I couldn't wait to talk with Ashlee Nichols, the award-winning producer and content creator, who is currently working with NASA+ in telling the story of Artemis II. It's a listen behind the scenes about the massive amount of effort that goes into the media end of things, and the the amazing connection she has through her father, the late, great Roger "The Immortal" Nichols who always wanted to be an astronaut, but ended up being a GRAMMY Award winning sound engineer for everyone from Steely Dan to John Denver. 

Saturday Rewind-Dan Millman

It's been quite a week for your host. First, watching Artemis II break the surly bonds of Earth brought me back to being a 10-year-old boy as we rocketed to the moon in 1969. Then, I received a message from someone who used to listen to my show nearly 30 years ago, who took the information they heard and applied it to their own life, which led them to their own life's calling. It's the perfect segue to roll back the years to 2000 and my conversation with the brilliant Dan Millman, best known for "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior" book and many others. Finally, when I got a call from my son in the middle of the week so my twin granddaughters could say hi and warble out a few lyics from "Country Roads" in my ear, all was right with the world.

Music used by permission of the John Denver Estate.

Saturday Rewind-Christian Picciolini

At 14, Christian Picciolini went from naïve teenager to white supremacist -- and soon, the leader of the first neo-Nazi skinhead gang in the United States. How was he radicalized, and how did he ultimately get out of the movement? He is the best-selling author of Romantic Violence: Memoirs Of An American Skinhead. This Saturday Rewind goes back to 2017 as Chris and I discuss his riveting, revealing journey from hate-monger to peace activist.

 

 

SMR-ARUN GANDHI

The Saturday Morning Rewind takes us back to 2015, and my conversation with the late, great Arun Gandhi, the youngest grandson of Mohandas Gandhi. In going through more vintage audio, I came across our conversation (one of many over the years) and was sad to find out that Arun had passed away in 2023, which makes this conversation even more important. Its an exercise in the idea of non-violence that Arun made his life's mission and an opportunity to share a few words I wrote at a peace conference back in 1997 that are sadly, still true today.

"It's About Time" used by permission of the John Denver estate.

Saturday Morning Rewind

So, what do Bill Kurtis, Jean-Michel Cousteau & Ed McMahon all have in common?

They're all part of the ongoing purge of my vast Aurora Media Productions audio archives.

These vintage clips are like digging up buried treasure, because I haven't heard this stuff for years.

Add in a current offering from radio hall of famer Garry Meier, and you've got a solid half hour of common sense for uncommon times.