Episodes

Who was the woman talking to a log on primetime TV — and why can't anyone forget her? Phil and Ted sit down with filmmaker, actor, and singer Richard Green, whose documentary "I Know Catherine, the Log Lady," chronicles the life of Catherine Coulson, Twin Peaks' most unforgettable oddball. Green was Coulson's friend for decades, and he brings real stories: what it was like on David Lynch's iconic sets, how Coulson built a legacy from one strange, indelible role, and what it takes to survive — a...

Is America's system of checks and balances already broken, or just badly bent? Phil and Ted sit down with Professor Michael Genovese — presidential scholar, author of 50 books on the office, and, improbably, a stand-up comedian — to take stock of a presidency that's tested every boundary it could find, and cashed in along the way. Genovese walks through Trump's "runaway presidency": the monetizing of the Oval Office, the abuse of presidential power for personal enrichment — his own and his in...

Takeaways: Paul Wilson, an exceptional comedian and improviser, shares insights from his extensive career in comedy and television, notably his time on 'Cheers'. The discussion highlights the evolution of comedy improv and its significance in today's entertainment landscape amidst political and social challenges. We delve into the personal anecdotes of Paul Wilson, illustrating the camaraderie and competitive spirit among comedians throughout their journeys. The conversation addresses the cu...

Your phone isn't just a phone anymore. It's a checkpoint. Phil and Ted dig into the quiet, relentless buildout of America's surveillance state — the one where government agencies and private data brokers have quietly merged into something neither the Constitution nor most Americans ever signed up for. Nicole Bennett, PhD candidate and assistant director at Indiana University's Center for Refugee Studies, breaks down how we got here: the long history of U.S. government surveillance, the explosiv...

Takeaways: The significance of the 1964-65 and 1939 World's Fairs, highlighting their cultural impact and technological showcases. Robert Moses played a pivotal role in shaping the 1964 World's Fair, emphasizing his complex legacy as a master builder and controversial figure. The 1939 Fair introduced groundbreaking technological concepts, while the 1964 Fair faced societal challenges amid the Civil Rights Movement. Attendees of the 1964 World's Fair experienced a juxtaposition of optimism fo...

Five years after January 6th, Phil and Ted ask the question nobody wants to say out loud: is the Constitution actually built to survive this, or are we finding out the hard way that it's mostly an honor system? Turns out the document holding democracy together runs less on ironclad law than on the character of whoever's in charge — and that should worry you. Guest Brian Kalt is a constitutional law scholar and author of Constitutional Cliffhangers, a book that predicted this mess before it happ...

Hollywood's in free fall, and David Poland's got the play-by-play. Phil and Ted sit down with the veteran film critic for a candid, funny, occasionally brutal look at how the old studio model is collapsing under the weight of streaming, YouTube, and a creator economy nobody saw coming this fast. Festivals dying. Theaters emptying. Studios panicking. It's all here, and it's a lot more entertaining than it has any right to be. Along the way: the industry's long, weird history of cycling between d...

Phil and Ted sit down with Lisa Graves — author of the bestseller Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights — to ask the question nobody in a robe wants to answer: who bought the Supreme Court, and what did they get for their money? Spoiler: dark money, billionaire puppet strings, and a decades-long plan to gut your rights one ruling at a time. Lisa names names, connects the dots, and lays out exactly how we got here — an...

The new voices of Bugs Bunny and Mr. Potato Head walk into a podcast. Phil and Ted are ready. Jeff Bergman is the new Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 5 — and the current voice of Bugs Bunny and the entire Looney Tunes universe, following in the giant footsteps of Mel Blanc and Don Rickles. His wife, playwright and vocal powerhouse Carla Delaney-Bergman, is right there with him. Together they unpack the invisible art of voice acting — how you honor a legend, become a character, and make a plastic p...

Not Insane! Firesign Theatre, Psychedelic FM Radio, and the Comedy That Rewired Your Brain Before the internet taught us to layer memes inside memes inside memes, four guys in Los Angeles were doing it with reel-to-reel tape, and it changed everything. Phil Proctor and Ted Bonnitt sit down with Cornell professor Jeremy Braddock — author of Firesign: The Electromagnetic History of Everything as Told on Nine Comedy Albums. If you're a Bozo on this bus, you're in for fresh treats. If you've never...

Twenty thousand Ukrainian kids — ripped from their families, shipped into Russia, renamed, re-educated, erased. And some of their parents are slipping behind enemy lines to get them back. Dr. Olga Popel, President of the Southern California Holodomor Genocide Committee, has seen this playbook before. Russia didn't invent the erasure of Ukrainian identity — it perfected it. From the engineered famine that killed millions to the drone wars reshaping the front lines today, she traces the through-l...

What does it take to build a subway under one of the most car-obsessed, earthquake-prone, politically tangled cities on Earth? Turns out: a lot of explosions, a few sinkholes, and an almost heroic tolerance for bad faith. Phil and Ted climb aboard with Ethan Elkind — Climate Policy Director at UC Berkeley Law and author of The Fight for Los Angeles Metro Rail and the Future of the City — to trace L.A.'s wild transit saga from the forgotten golden age of electric streetcars, through the smoggy s...

What do a Moscow sitcom and a Romanian punchline have in common? John Vorhaus has probably written both. A comedy writer, author, and globe-trotting laugh merchant, John has spent decades teaching the world to be funny — including Russia, which got its own version of Married With Children. (We have questions. John has answers.) His book, The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even If You're Not, is basically a Swiss Army knife for humor — and Phil and Ted are putting it to the test. Tune in for a c...

House lights down. Phones down. There's a human on stage — and apparently, that still matters. Turns out the wild, improbable comeback of live theater is being led by the generation everyone assumed was glued to a screen. Nike Doukas of the Antaeus Company makes the case — passionately and persuasively — for the unrepeatable experience that no phone, no stream, no home theater system can touch. The stage is alive. Nike, Phil and Ted dive into the vibrant world of Los Angeles theater, exploring ...

The Moon is having a moment — and Phil and Ted are all over it. Space journalist and author Leonard David joins the show to unpack Artemis 11's triumph, space travelers returning forever changed, NASA's earthly headaches and brain drain, and China's Taikonauts racing to claim lunar real estate. Oh, and why did Edward Teller — father of the hydrogen bomb — carry a brick in his briefcase? We have answers. Strap in for a fascinating, funny, and genuinely out-of-this-world conversation. Takeaways: ...

M. L. Liebler is an internationally recognized Detroit poet, university professor, literary arts activist, and arts organizer. M.L. blends his poetry with music, collaborating with Al Kooper, Country Joe, and Charles Bukowski, among others. And he went bowling with Ken Kesey in Detroit at Kesey’s request. His just-released book, "Hound Dog: A Poet’s Memoir of Rock, Revolution & Redemption,” is about growing up in Detroit and discovering the world through his love of music. M.L. took his...

Emmy-nominated comedy writer and comedian Debbie Kasper talks about her one-woman show, Monkeys on My Back and Everywhere Else — part confession booth, part stand-up set, and 100% unforgettable. Debbie takes us on a wild ride through growing up in 1950s and 60s New Jersey, navigating a household where white-collar alcoholism was a hobby, her own battle with addiction, the gladiatorial sport of writing for Roseanne Barr, and the heartbreaks and hard-won healing in between. It's raw, it's hilariou...

Phil and Ted celebrate their 100th episode with special guest actor John Goodman, who was also the first Sexy Boomer Show guest. They discuss their 30-year friendships and John's amazing career, from working with the Coen Brothers to hosting SNL 13 times. John's had a busy few years, working double duty on the TV shows The Righteous Gemstones and The Conners, all while losing his home in the LA wildfires. He's now peacefully living where he doesn't have to lock his doors. John gets candid abou...

Authoritarianism is reshaping our society and the world, and we can't afford to ignore it. UCLA's Edward Dunbar, a leading expert on authoritarianism, hate crimes, and the darker aspects of political power, uncovers how the Trump administration is ruling as an autocratic regime, extra-legally eroding freedoms, manipulating media, and fueling corruption. The psychological toll on everyday Americans is heavy, and it's time to recognize the warning signs, challenge the status quo, and empower...

Attention Sexy boomers feeling lonely and a little hungry! There are angels among us. With Trump's cuts to SNAP and inflation, older adults are financially squeezed across the country, even in affluent areas of Los Angeles. Kaylee Hawkins discusses how Meals on Wheels serves over 700 clients from Malibu to Marina Del Rey, and Santa Monica, helping them stay in their homes and avoid making impossible choices between rent, medical bills, and food. With only 10% of their operating budget coming f...

The Cover-Up Wasn't About UFOs — It Was About You Believing in Them Phil and Ted take a fun dive into the deep end of the enigmatic world of UFOs and UAPs, joined by paranormal investigative author Greg Bishop. Together, they unravel the story of Paul Bennewitz—a physicist whose obsession with unexplained lights over Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, drew him into a web of government intrigue, disinformation, and psychological manipulation that drove him to madness. Adding to...

Phil and Ted welcome back Thom Hartmann to tackle a U.S. legacy of rigged elections, unprecedented political and financial corruption, and the dangerous collusion of oligarchs, billionaires, and foreign actors shaping the fate of democracy. Esteemed progressive talk show host Thom Hartmann elucidates the concerning connections between Trump and foreign adversaries, particularly emphasizing his long-standing ties with Russia and the chilling specter of compromise that may ensue. Hartmann's lates...

On this lively episode of the Sexy Boomer Show, hosts Ted Bonnitt and Phil Proctor welcome the multitalented musician, producer, and radio personality Ben Vaughn. You may know Ben as the composer behind the iconic "Third Rock from the Sun" theme, but his journey spans from humble beginnings in New Jersey with a one-string guitar, to recording a classic album inside his Rambler car, and producing legends like Nancy Sinatra and Los Straitjackets. Together, they swap tales of wild club promotions ...

John Fugelsang was raised in a contemporary Christian household with traditional values of love and compassion, while observing the growth of the conservative Christian movement, starting with Jerry Falwell. In his book "The Separation of Church and State," John is a fierce and funny critic of the Christian right for abandoning Jesus's traditional teachings in pursuit of political power. Takeaways: John Fugelsang's upbringing in a contemporary Christian household instilled in him the values of...

"The Mommies" (Carol Christensen & Marilyn Kentz) hilariously spill the beans (and chili) on their accidental rocket ride from a suburban cul-de-sac to Hollywood TV sitcom and talk show stardom, and the perks that came with it, like scoring bloody ringside seats at the ear-biting Tyson Heavyweight fight in Las Vegas. They share the absurdities of navigating the entertainment industry, from the exhilarating highs of sold-out performances to their re-entry to reality, selling crockpots to crackpo...

Phil and Ted welcome acclaimed horror fiction author Whitley Strieber (“The Wolfen" and "The Hunger”), best known for his groundbreaking book "Communion," which recounts his encounters with non-human entities that changed the course of UFO history. Strieber has meticulously chronicled experiences of missing time, encounters with non-human entities, implants, and the trauma and ridicule that follow people who live through them. Ted shares how separate chance encounters with Whitley Strieber and...

Phil and Ted welcome the delightful standup comedy veteran Wendy Liebman for a lively, laugh-filled conversation. From her early days in Boston and a serendipitous comedy class to performing on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Kimmel, Leno, and more. The trio dives into the art of joke-writing and handling on-stage bombs. Wendy opens up about her accidental path into comedy, the nerve-wracking moments of performing on TV, and how she crafts her signature rapid-fire, wordplay-driven punchlines, and reveals her all-time favorite jokes. Tune in for stories about brushes with legendary comics, comedy club camaraderie, growing bolder with age, and why Wendy Liebman believes it’s never too late to build strong friendships (or find the perfect bra).

Nikki Nash is no ordinary Valley Girl. Growing up in the 1960s, her unconventional musician father and politically radical mother would throw weekend-long and wild parties. The Black Panthers hung out at her home, and the FBI was watching. At age 14, Nikki fixated on Warren Beatty, determined to win his heart. And she did! Nikki went on to pursue a vibrant career as a TV associate director, comic, writer, and actress. Her celebrity-infused journey of sex, drugs, religion, and Hollywood culture ...

While Trump spends millions on a military parade for himself and directs cruel kidnappings on the streets across Los Angeles and across the country, Americans are getting ready to exercise their civil rights and duty to defend this attack on democracy. Thousands of peaceful protests are planned across the world on Saturday, June 14, for “No Kings Day,” which promises to be a consequential weekend in what is shaping up to be a long, hot summer. Phil and Ted speak with Hunter Dunn, an organizer f...

Phil and Ted welcome veteran actor Kurtwood Smith, perhaps best known as the stern father, Red Forman, on “That '70s Show.” From his dramatic turn as Neil Perry's strict father in Dead Poets Society to his iconic villainous role as Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop, Smith seamlessly transitions between drama and comedy. Kurtwood talks about his favorite roles and the tectonic shifts reshaping Hollywood.

Today's show begins with the filmmakers behind “Drop Dead City,” a new documentary about the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis. Eight million people in a crumbling city were brought to the edge of bankruptcy and social chaos by a perfect storm of greed, incompetence, ambitious social policy, and poor governance. The striking parallels with current America are unmistakable; dismantling public institutions in the name of austerity and public outcry. Then, veteran sound engineer, producer, and Holly...

The Sexy Boomer Show celebrates the birth of The Firesign Theatre Comedy Group, with clips of their live radio performances in the 1960s—1970s. Radio Free Oz began as a free-form radio show hosted by Paul Robbins and Peter Bergman on the Los Angeles station KPFK in July 1966. Bergman invited three friends, Phil Austin, the show's producer; David Ossman, the radio station's former dramatic director; and Sexy Boomer Show co-host Phil Proctor, an actor and Bergman's former college mate, to form Th...

With the Trump administration defying U.S. Supreme Court orders, the United States faces a constitutional crisis unlike any in the Republic's history. Will democracy prevail? The courts don't have physical enforcement capabilities, or do they? Professor Justin Levitt, a nationally recognized scholar of constitutional law and the law of democracy, was President Biden's White House Senior Policy Advisor for Democracy and Voting Rights. He also served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the U....

Imagine getting a knock on your door, being taken away to a locked facility, then declared incompetent by a judge, and having a stranger allowed to take over your affairs and sell your homes and possessions. It’s a for-profit healthcare scandal known as guardianship abuse, and it’s happening to seniors across the country. You'll hear a never-before-heard pre-recorded interview with Shelley Thomson, before she died in captivity. Today’s guest is her lawyer, Philip Ross, who tried to save her. Tho...

Danny Goldberg has spent a lifetime in the music business as a personal manager, record company president, PR man, and journalist. He’s worked with many artists, from Led Zeppelin to presently with Steve Earle. His latest book is Bloody Crossroads 2020: Art, Entertainment, and Resistance to Trump. Previous books include Serving The Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain, How The Left Lost Teen Spirit, Bumping Into Geniuses: My Life Inside The Rock and Roll Business, and In Search of The Lost Chord: 1...

Public outrage is exploding over the radical Musk/Trump Administration, and the emerging "FiftyFifty.One" movement is leading nationwide public protests. "50501" is a group of grassroots organizers aiming to “uphold the Constitution and end executive overreach, and fight for a government that serves the people, not the powerful." Hunter Dunn is 50501's southern California spokesman and a Pepperdine College senior. Hunter is a breath of fresh air and a brilliant young man working hard to save dem...

With a constitutional crisis in Washington, D.C., there are legal ways to protest. We talk to two veterans of the successful 1960s anti-war movement about how to resist today’s extremist political environment effectively. Author/activist Judy Gumbo was one of the original Yippies (Youth International Party) with Abbie Hoffmann and Jerry Rubin. Her insider feminist memoir, "Yippie Girl: Exploits in Protest and Defeating the FBI,” tells of her involvement with the counter-culture protest movement...

Nina Knierim and her family lost their house in the Pacific Palisades fire. Their life has been wholly up-ended, and sadly, the nightmare is not ending soon. Nina shares her family's story, from the moment they saw the fire racing toward them and how they are struggling to put their lives back together in Los Angeles' challenging housing environment. Nina also works as a climate action strategist and a (wildfire) disaster preparedness and resilience expert for CORE- Community Organized Relief E...

Special wildfire coverage with Dr. Peter Kalmas, a climate scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, located near the monstrous Eaton Fire that devastated Altadena. Dr. Kalmus lived in Altadena and moved away two years ago because he saw what was coming. Bryan Thompson has decades of wildfire fighting experience, including in Southern California. He gives a firefighter’s perspective on wildfire behavior, mitigation, and how to protect ourselves from this increasing threat.

Phil and Ted are celebrating the party of the season, "Bob's Holiday Office Party!” The cult favorite, now in its 27th year on stage and playing at LA’s Odyssey Theater, is a hilarious take on a small-town insurance office holiday party for its high-risk clients. Endless booze results in a bawdy holiday farce not quite ready for the Hallmark Channel. Show creators and stars Joe Keyes and Rob Elk are joined by fellow performer Mark Fite to give Phil and Ted holiday party tips and cheer, and you'...