Life 2.0

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

 

 

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.

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.

 

Just about a month ago, I was watching Super Bowl LX and waiting for the highly anticipated and controversy-stirring halftime show featuring Bad Bunny. Since I survived everyone singing the Macarena in the 90s, I could endure 15 minutes of Spanish music. But imagine my surprise when the camera panned over Bunny's shoulder, and I caught a glimpse of Rose Crelli in a tuxedo playing the violin at the biggest event in the world! There are few people I know who have had a greater journey than Rose, from being adopted from an orphanage in China, to living without electricity off the grid as a child in Canada, to becoming one of the premier violinists in the world. 

Time & Space by Rose Crelli ft. Tyler Reese, produced and recorded by Rossy Angelo, used by permission.

 

This is one of those episodes that created itself out of bits and pieces of life stuff over the past week. It started with me finding an email from March 1st, 2020, about a radio concept that would become a reality, bringing my voice to Beijing, China, for a year. Part of that team was Cimcie Nichols, who also floated into my orbit again, and it was great to catch up on her latest effort called Hatchet Granny. Add to that a profound Facebook post (there aren't many) from Rolland Smith about the impact that John Denver's Windstar blueprint had around the world, and you realize the importance of being bridge builders, no matter who you are.

Music used with permission from the John Denver Estate.

Yesterday, the budget axe fell on the careers of nine on-air personnel at WGN-TV, including notable names like long-time entertainment critic Dean Richards and sports anchor Chris Boden, along with stalwart news anchors Ray Cortopassi, Sean Lewis, and Judy Wang. Reporters Julian Crews & Bronagh Tumulty, as well as meteorologist Mike Janssen and political analyst Paul Lisnek, have all been given pink slips.

I can tell you from the inside out, that the inner workings of the media is often built around the good, the bad and the ugly and cutting out trusted names, is a real blow to the community they serve and only benefits the shareholders. I remember my time at WGN Radio and when my ID stopped working...so did I.