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Rock 'n Roll Ghost

Rock 'n Roll Ghost

By Brett Hickman

Rock 'n Roll Ghost is an entertainment podcast specializing in interviews with people in the film, TV, music, literary and restaurant worlds.
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Currently playing episode

Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E08 - filmmaker Zach Cregger (Barbarian) [Bill Skarsgaard, Georgina Campbell, Justin Long]

Rock 'n Roll GhostSep 30, 2022

00:00
29:60
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S15 E02 - Chef Jonathon Sawyer (Kindling)
Mar 27, 202452:26
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S14 E07 - musician Stella Rose
Dec 13, 202326:51
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S14 E06 - filmmaker Mel Eslyn (Biosphere)

Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S14 E06 - filmmaker Mel Eslyn (Biosphere)

Welcome back to the Rock ‘n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with filmmaker Mel Eslyn about her new film Biosphere starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass, which is available in theaters and on video now.

Eslyn talks about working with Mark and Jay Duplass' production company, co-writing the film with Mark and working with both him and Brown in this unique film centering on possibly the last two men on Earth.

Links:

Biosphere - https://www.biosphere.movie/

Mel Eslyn - https://www.instagram.com/meleslyn/?hl=en

Jul 20, 202326:42
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S14 E05 - musician Peyton Bighorse (Skating Polly)
Jun 23, 202329:09
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S14 E04 - actor/filmmaker Jennifer Esposito (Fresh Kills)
Jun 21, 202327:09
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S14 E02 - musician Louise Post (solo / Veruca Salt)
Jun 19, 202328:49
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S14 E03 - musician Glen Phillips (solo / Toad the Wet Sprocket)

Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S14 E03 - musician Glen Phillips (solo / Toad the Wet Sprocket)

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with musician Glen Phillips about his most recent solo album, There Is So Much Here, available via Compass Records, as well as coming back together with his bandmates in Toad the Wet Sprocket for a summer tour which is already underway (see dates below). Toad the Wet Sprocket also have a remastered greatest hits album out now, All You Want, featuring the bonus track “Best of Me.”

Phillips discusses recording his new solo album, touring solo, the pleasure of Toad the Wet Sprocket’s music resonating to this day and gives an overview of the band’s history, including the band’s breakup and regrouping. He and the Ghost also go down a rabbit hole about the modern political landscape and how society has coarsened over the last several years. Conservatives may be triggered.

Toad the Wet Sprocket Tour Dates:

JUN 20 / FAIRFIELD, CT @ The Warehouse

JUN 21 / NEWTON, NJ @ The Newton Theater

JUN 22 / CANADAIGUA, NY @ Lincoln Hill Farms (MP)^

JUN 23 / GLENSIDE, PA @ Keswick Theatre (MP)*

JUN 25 / KENT, OH @ The Kent Stage (MP)

JUN 26 / CINCINNATI, OH @ Taft Theatre (MP)

JUN 27 / KALAMAZOO, MI @ Bell’s Eccentric Café (MP) (SOLD OUT)

JUN 28 / EVANSTON, IL @ Cahn Auditorium (MP)*

JUN 30 / BEAVER CREEK, CO @ Vilar Performing Arts Center

JUL 1 / TELLURIDE, CO @ Sheridan Opera House

JUL 2 / BELLVUE, CO @ The Mishawaka

JUL 3 / ARVADA, CO @ Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities

JUL 5 / OJAI, CA @ The Canyon @ The Libbey Bowl

JUL 6 / MENLO PARK, CA @ The Guild Theatre

JUL 7 / NOVATO, CA @ HopMonk Tavern (SOLD OUT)

JUL 8 / SACRAMENTO, CA @ Crest Theatre

JUL 11 / SPOKANE, WA @ Bing Crosby Theater

JUL 13 / FEDERAL WAY, WA @ Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center

JUL 14 / EDMONDS, WA @ Edmonds Center for the Arts

JUL 15 / PORTLAND, OR @ Revolution Hall

JUL 16 / BOISE, ID @ The Egyptian Theatre

JUL 18 / REDDING, CA @ Cascade Theater

JUL 19 / NOVATO, CA @ Hopmonk Tavern

Links:

Glen Phillips

Toad the Wet Sprocket

Jun 19, 202301:22:24
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S14 E01 - musician Michael Timmins (Cowboy Junkies)
Jun 05, 202328:33
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E10 - actor Adrian Martinez (Universal’s Renfield)

Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E10 - actor Adrian Martinez (Universal’s Renfield)

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with actor Adrian Martinez about his role in Universal’s Dracula film, Renfield, which is in theaters and available digitally now.

Martinez, who is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company, discusses how he prepared for the role in Renfield, where he plays a New Orleans policeman, by asking for advice from NOLA locals. He also talks about his relationship with the film’s star Nicholas Cage, as well as working with the film's other stars Nicholas Hoult and Awkwafina. New Orleans is also where Martinez filmed a good portion of the 2015 film Focus, which starred Will Smith and Margot Robbie and for which he was the third lead.

He also discusses his directorial debut, iGilbert, which is available now on digital and streaming and his upcoming role in a Netflix film about the creation of the infamous breakfast treat, Pop-Tarts.

“Some people walk into a room and you know they’re a star. And that’s me.”

Renfield is on digital and in theaters now.


Links:

Adrian Martinez

Renfield

iGilbert

May 05, 202301:03:19
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E09 - actor John Hoogenakker (Showtime's Waco: The Aftermath)
Apr 17, 202329:59
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E08 - filmmaker Tim Bogart (Spinning Gold)
Apr 03, 202328:13
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E07 - actor David Dastmalchian (Boston Strangler, Count Crowley) [Dune, Blade Runner 2049, The Dark Knight, The Suicide Squad, Ant-Man, Marvel, DC, Oppenheimer, The Boogeyman]

Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E07 - actor David Dastmalchian (Boston Strangler, Count Crowley) [Dune, Blade Runner 2049, The Dark Knight, The Suicide Squad, Ant-Man, Marvel, DC, Oppenheimer, The Boogeyman]

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with actor David Dastmalchian (The Suicide Squad, All Creatures Here Below, Dune, Blade Runner 2049, Prisoners, the Ant-Man series, Animals, The Dark Knight) about his most currently-in-release projects. Those would be his role in 20th Century StudiosBoston Strangler, available now on Hulu. As well as the second volume in his Count Crowley graphic novel series.

Dastmalchian discusses his love of all things horror and how he displays his horror artwork across his home with the help of his wife, Eve. Additionally, he gives some insight into his role in Boston Strangler as the lead suspect Albert Salvo.

He also dives into how important the city of Chicago played in his life. From going to DePaul University to his time at the Shattered Globe Theatre (which he’s hoping to collaborate with again soon), to his beginning in acting. Specifically, he discusses his pivotal role as one of the Joker’s thugs in Chrisopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. It’s one of the most indelible short appearance by an actor I have ever seen and Dastmalchian’s performance in it has led to a lot of interest from other major filmmakers such as James Gunn and Denis Villeneuve.

He reunites with Nolan in this summer’s Oppenheimer. Additionally, he’s working on a third volume of Count Crowley, as well as making appearances in the Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman this summer and Last Voyage of the Demeter, which draws its inspiration on the Transylvania to England voyage of Dracula.

Count Crowley is available at your local comic book store and Boston Strangler is currently available on Hulu.

Photo of David Dastmalchian by Nicholas Chalmers

Links:

David Dastmalchian Instagram

Count Crowley from Dark Horse Comics

Boston Strangler on Hulu

Mar 24, 202322:23
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E06 - actor Roman Zaragoza (CBS' Ghosts)
Mar 23, 202326:33
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E05 - actor Adam Goldberg (CBS' The Equalizer, Saving Private Ryan, Dazed and Confused)

Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E05 - actor Adam Goldberg (CBS' The Equalizer, Saving Private Ryan, Dazed and Confused)

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with actor Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan, Dazed and Confused) about his role on CBSThe Equalizer starring Queen Latifah. On the show, a remake of the 80s hit series (which begat two successful films starring Denzel Washington), Goldberg stars as Harry Keshegian, a computer hacker working with Latifah’s character Robyn McCall to help people in desperate situations.

Goldberg, who is also a musician, photographer and filmmaker, discusses taking on the role and having to make a snap decision about moving to New York for filming during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. He gets into who Harry is and how he’s been able to work with the role since joining the series.

The conversation also turns into a look at his filmmaking and music career, before diving into his roles in Dazed and Confused and Saving Private Ryan. Goldberg gives an in-depth look into filming his agonizing death scene in Saving Private Ryan as well as the recent passing of Tom Sizemore, his co-star in the film.

The most recent episode of The Equalizer (season 3, episode 11) features Goldberg in a larger role as he deals with being a Jewish man amid a series of anti-Semitic attacks that the team is investigating. He stated the following on Instagram about this episode: “As you know, my day job doesn’t often make the grid. But tonight on @theequalizercbs I punch a Nazi—not for the first time in the public realm, but perhaps most relevantly. No longer the stuff of WWII movies and evil Santas, you only need to google hate crime stats to discover that the antisemitic variety is second only to those perpetrated against gay men in the United States.”

The Equalizer airs on CBS on Sundays at 8 PM EST/7 PM CST, and on Paramount+ the day after.

Links:

Adam Goldberg 

The Equalizer 

Mar 17, 202357:29
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E04 - Filmmaker Jamie Winterstern (Supercell) [Anne Heche, Alec Baldwin, Skeet Ulrich]
Mar 16, 202334:53
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E03 - Filmmaker Balin Schneider (Out of Time: The Material Issue Story)
Mar 10, 202351:17
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E02 - actor James Badge Dale (1923, The Departed, Iron Man 3, Hightown, Rubicon, The Grey, 24)

Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E02 - actor James Badge Dale (1923, The Departed, Iron Man 3, Hightown, Rubicon, The Grey, 24)

Mar 03, 202352:23
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E01 - Celebrity Chef Tiffani Faison (Sweet Cheeks Q, Tournament of Champions III Winner, Guy's Grocery Games, Chopped, Top Chef)

Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S13 E01 - Celebrity Chef Tiffani Faison (Sweet Cheeks Q, Tournament of Champions III Winner, Guy's Grocery Games, Chopped, Top Chef)

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with celebrity chef Tiffani Faison (Partner/Chef in Boston’s Big Heart Hospitality which includes Sweet Cheeks Q, Tenderoni’s, Bubble Bath, Dive Bar and Fool’s Errand, as well as the runner up on the very first season of Top Chef and the winner of Food Network’s Tournament of Champions III).

Faison discusses the changes she and her company have had to make in the wake of the Covid pandemic, including closing a couple of restaurants (Tiger Mama and Orfano’s) and opening three concepts in the food hall at High Street Place in Boston (Tenderoni’s, Dive Bar and Bubble Bath) and the difficulty of the changes coupled with her divorce during the same period of time.

She also talks about her beginnings - not only as an Army brat jumping from base to base with her family and how she got her start in the restaurant business (note: she never went to culinary school, unlike the false information that keeps following her), and how she learned what not to do from terrible restaurant environments.

The conversation also wades into the topic of LGBTQ concerns, a subject that Faison, who identifies as queer, holds close to her heart. She works hard to break down barriers on women and LGBTQ people in the food world, including on food TV. As shown in my introduction, I’m not as eloquent as I expected myself to be, but Faison indicates that at least we’re having the conversation, which is important for everyone to be doing in order to move things forward.

You can see Faison competing to retain her Tournament of Champions title every Sunday on Food Network.

Links:

Tiffani Faison

Big Heart Hospitality

Tournament of Champions IV 

Feb 24, 202357:48
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E10 - filmmaker/podcaster Mike Pecci (12 KM, In Love With the Process)

Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E10 - filmmaker/podcaster Mike Pecci (12 KM, In Love With the Process)

Welcome back to the Rock 'n Roll Ghost Podcast. On this week's episode, the Ghost speaks with filmmaker (12KM) /podcaster (In Love With the Process) Mike Pecci.

Pecci discusses what drove him to filmmaking, the pull from Boston to Los Angeles to invest in himself and his career from that point on, including his podcast, In Love With the Process.

He also dives deep into his much buzzed about short film 12KM (see my review here), about a science team’s confrontation with something paranormal. Pecci has been shopping the film around as a proof of concept to hopefully make a feature version. He talks about working directly with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free production company and his hopes of making the feature a reality, while also pursuing other projects, such as other feature films, more short films and videos in the meantime.

In Love With the Process is one of the very few podcasts I actually listen to. There’s something about the inquisitive, deeply ruminative nature of Pecci’s style that is intriguing whether or not he has a guest to interview and is just talking to the audience.

Links:

Mike Pecci
In Love With the Process

Feb 10, 202301:41:01
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E09 - actor Melissa Ponzio (Teen Wolf: The Movie, The Walking Dead, Chicago Fire)
Feb 02, 202327:48
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E08 - filmmaker/novelist Eric Garcia (Kaleidoscope)
Jan 24, 202301:04:56
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E07 - musician Vonda Shepard
Jan 20, 202331:21
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E06 - actor Amy Landecker (SHO's Your Honor, Missing)
Jan 17, 202348:43
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E05 - actor Gabriel Luna (HBO's The Last of Us)
Jan 15, 202329:09
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E04 - Filmmaker Andrew Baird (One Way)
Dec 30, 202201:04:02
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E03 - actor Paul Calderon (Bad Lieutenant, Fear the Walking Dead, Four Rooms, Pulp Fiction, Bosch, King of New York, Bosch, Out of Sight, Sea of Love)
Dec 16, 202249:54
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E02 - Rockaway Records co-owner Wayne Johnson
Dec 09, 202237:54
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S12 E01 - musician Josh Robins (The Invincible Czars) [Nosferatu]
Oct 21, 202223:59
Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S11 E10 - filmmaker Walter Hill (Dead For a Dollar) [48 Hrs., The Warriors, Johnny Handsome, Extreme Prejudice, Geronimo: An American Legend, Streets of Fire]

Rock ‘n Roll Ghost S11 E10 - filmmaker Walter Hill (Dead For a Dollar) [48 Hrs., The Warriors, Johnny Handsome, Extreme Prejudice, Geronimo: An American Legend, Streets of Fire]

Oct 14, 202227:38
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E09 - filmmaker Mark Pellington (Going All the Way, Survive, Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies)
Oct 07, 202232:06
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E08 - filmmaker Zach Cregger (Barbarian) [Bill Skarsgaard, Georgina Campbell, Justin Long]
Sep 30, 202229:60
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E07 - actor Warren Burke (Dead for a Dollar) [Walter Hill, Christoph Waltz, Rachel Brosnahan, Benjamin Bratt, Brandon Scott, Willem Dafoe]
Sep 29, 202235:32
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E06 - filmmaker Allan Ungar (Bandit) [Josh Duhamel, Mel Gibson, Elisha Cuthbert]
Sep 28, 202227:38
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E05 - actor/author Richie Stephens (The Gangster's Guide To Sobriety) [NCIS, Blue Bloods]
Sep 16, 202224:12
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E04 - actor Mike Starr (Goodfellas, Dumb and Dumber, Ed Wood, Chicago Fire)
Sep 01, 202201:38:07
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E03 - Chef Van Johnson (Hog Diesel)
Aug 26, 202235:33
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E02 - Chef Richie Farina (Ever Restaurant)
Aug 17, 202236:09
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S11 E01 - Author Meg Gardiner (Heat 2) [Michael Mann, Unsub, China Lake]
Aug 11, 202233:16
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E10 - Musician Brandon Curtis (Secret Machines)
Aug 09, 202249:12
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E09 - Chef Gene Kato (Momotaro)
Aug 05, 202247:41
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E08 - musician George Porter Jr. (The Meters, The funky Meters, Joyride) [The Neville Brothers, New Orleans]
Aug 05, 202230:51
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E07 - actor Garret Dillahunt (Where the Crawdads Sing, Sprung) [Raising Hope, Widows, The Mindy Project, Justified, Fear the Walking Dead, Ambulance, Army of the Dead]
Jul 15, 202227:33
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E06 - actor/filmmaker Tim Matheson (Virgin River) [Animal House, Fletch, A Very Brady Sequel,, Burn Notice, Criminal Minds, Psych, 1941]
Jul 08, 202251:06
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E05 - filmmaker Emily Carmichael (Jurassic World: Dominion, Pacific Rim Uprising) [Jeff Goldblum, Bryce Dallas Howard, Colin Trevorrow, Chris Pratt, Laura Dern, Sam Neill]
Jul 06, 202227:49
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E04 - filmmaker Richard Wong (The Valet) [Eugenio Derbez, Samara Weaving, Max Greenfield, Carmen Salinas]
Jul 01, 202241:21
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E03 - filmmaker Alfonso Pineda Ulloa (There Are No Saints) [Jose Maria Yazpik, Tim Roth, Ron Perlman]
Jul 01, 202222:23
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E02 - filmmaker Gaz Alazraki (Father of the Bride)
Jun 28, 202225:14
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S10 E01 - musician Omar Doom (Straight Razor) [Quentin Tarantino]
Jun 17, 202224:37
Rock 'n Roll Ghost Archive Interview: Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included) [Overboard, The Valet, How to be a Latin Lover]
Jun 10, 202213:16
Rock 'n Roll Ghost S09 E10 - 100th Episode! - The Loyal Seas (Brian Sullivan & Tanya Donelly) [Dylan in the Movies, Belly, The Breeders, Throwing Muses, 4AD]
Jun 03, 202241:06