Life 2.0

Bill Kurtis

Millions of viewers know Bill Kurtis from his work on A&E, CBS News, and his many documentaries. In his recently released memoir, Kurtis brings us into some of the most iconic moments of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He was in the streets during the riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago; he uncovered the truth about the deadly effects of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War; he was the first US television journalist to return to Chernobyl after the infamous nuclear disaster; and much more. Kurtis also offers an insider look at how television evolved from an emerging news source to the dominating force in American media.

 

We take a deep dive into his career with honesty and insight and he gives a rare picture of American history and broadcast journalism. 

Remembering Joe

Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis, along with the late Mike "Hawk" Hegstrand, were known as "The Road Warriors," the greatest tag team in the history of pro wrestling. Joe passed away in 2020, and on September 12th, he would have celebrated his 65th birthday. I reached out to his daughter, Jessica, to celebrate his life, not just as one half of the best tag-team in the history of the sport, but more importantly as her dad, and to share memories and moments from the 11,368 days she had with him. 

Cracker Barrel Chaos

Yeah, I know, it seems like a year (or a week) ago CCC (Cracker Barrel Chaos) was all over the headlines. The news cycle has gone on to chew on other fodder, like the looming threat of Chagas Disease caused by kissing bugs, but a recent road trip put me smack dab in CBC (Cracker Barrel Country), and I had to stop, not once but twice (within an hour) to feast on chicken covered with sawmill gravy and get the inside scoop on logos, roast beef and good ole Uncle Herschel.

John Berry

Since 1979, John Berry has recorded more than 20 studio albums, including one platinum album and two gold albums. In his career, Berry has also charted 19 songs on Billboard Hot Country Songs, including the Number One single "Your Love Amazes Me" in 1994. A Country Weekly article said of Berry, "John's greatest strength is his pure, soulful tenor," and The Entertainment Nexus described him as "one of the most remarkable voices in music."

His musical journey is hard-won, overcoming a brain tumor and throat cancer along with a list of other challenges that would have stopped most people in their tracks.

It's a great convo about his influences like James Taylor, Neil Young, and John Denver. Time spent with Charlie Daniels, how his version of "O Holy Night" has become one of the most requested renditions on the radio every Christmas, and what it was like to record a duet with the great Patsy Cline.

Any chance I get to support JB's music, I'm all in.

The Human Family

31 years ago this very weekend, I stood on the stage of the Aspen Music Tent for my first "public" speaking event at the Windstar Ninth Annual "Choices for the Future" Symposium by John Denver's invitation. From that point on, my life took a serious turn in ways I could never have predicted, and while discussing the "ripple effect" concept last night at dinner with two of my guys, I was transported back over the decades to the sunny Saturday morning in the Rocky Mountains. Amazing things can happen when you answer the call. 

Godspeed Sarge.

The only hero I've ever known, my cousin Richard C. Hoffman, passed away last week. My life is filled with countless memories of Rich and his pivotal role in our family on so many levels. A highly decorated Marine Corps Sergeant, he served two tours in Vietnam, and eventually Agent Orange would wreak havoc on his body. While he wasn't KIA like so many of his friends in 'Nam, he is very much a casualty of that war, decades after he returned home. I have captured some audio of my conversation with "The Sarge" from Veteran's Day 2023, which now provides invaluable insights and recollections from his life.

 

I'm heartbroken that he is gone, but in the same breath, so very glad he was here. I wouldn't be the man I am today without him.

Living an Uncommon Life

As I prepare to send out a few autographed copies of "Living an Uncommon Life," I realized that I haven't gone through the list of the 21 extraordinary people who are featured in quite some time. So, rolling back the years a bit, with a crib note review of the lessons I learned, and the people who made it all possible to become a perpetual best-seller. 

The Wednesday Rant

Against a background of construction noise, it's another attempt to find the obvious buried in the absurd and dispense common sense during uncommon times. It's a trip back to 1937 and the classic "Lost Horizon" via an article by Alan Cohen, who points out the fact that the tone and tenor of life 88 years ago was of doom, gloom, greed, despair, and "end of the world" kinda stuff. You know, like today. In the end, just as in the beginning, no one will care about how you voted. There are no democrats, republicans or "other" in the cemetery, just dead people. 

A Matter of Perspective

Capt. James Lovell (USN-Ret.) passed away a couple of days ago at the age of 97. He was one of the early space heroes for millions of people, as we boldly went where no one had gone before-to the moon. He was the commander of Apollo 13, who helped turn a failed moon mission into a triumph of on-the-fly can-do engineering and was made famous by the film of the same name, with Tom Hanks as Jim Lovell. My broadcast colleague Charlie Meyerson permitted me to include audio from an interview he did with Mr. Lovell back in 1987, and the importance of perspective when it comes to how we see the world, and our place in it becomes self-evident.

AI B.S.

I've been ignoring the onslaught of AI B.S. for the past few weeks but can longer sit silent as images of Tom Brady attending Ryne Sandberg's funeral (he didn't) Jerry Kramer being honored with a statue outside of Lambeau Field (he wasn't) or Vince Gill sobbing on stage with Joe Walsh (neither of them did) came into my line of sight over and over again. The tipping point is when the AI-generated image of Willie Nelson and John Denver popped up with the headline that "At 92, Willie Nelson shares his TRUE feelings about John Denver!" 

Total clickbait B.S. 

 

As this technology continues to become an invasive species, honing our human intelligence might be the final firewall of common sense for uncommon times.