The Pop Culture King with Jon Waterhouse on AM 1690
Entertainment journalist Jon Waterhouse gives listeners a blast of pop culture each week with The Pop Culture King show. Imagine a entertainment-tinged version of This American Life with an Atlanta-centric slant. Waterhouse, a regular contributor to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, picks a topic and weaves in celebrity interviews, fun and funky stories and related music. Past guests include Gene Simmons, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Atlanta Superhero Danger Woman and a whole world of Pop Culture icons.
Dragon*Con, Atlantas biggest pop culture event, is bringing tons of celebrities from the world of film, TV, books and comics into town. Among them are the stars of the classic 60s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie. On this week’s show, Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman and Bill Daily each call in on the Bat Phone. Hear Daily dish on Bob Newhart, Hagman talk about his role as J.R. on Dallas, and Eden chat about sharing the big screen with Elvis. And Jon plays some geeky cuts from Weird Al, The Firm and Jeannie C. Riley.
Kiss, the Hottest Band in the Land, is bringing its rock n roll circus to Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood on August 31. To celebrate, Jon is dedicating the entire show to the band. He's expecting a call from the Starchild himself, Paul Stanley, the co-founder of Kiss. We'll also be playing excerpts of an interview we had with Gene Simmons of Kiss last October. And Jon will be spinning all kinds of Kiss music, both old and new, and wacky audio snippets. We'll also get the scoop on some pop culture news including the casting buzz surrounding the new X-Men prequel.
Jon primes the listeners for DragonCon, Atlantas biggest pop culture event, by interviewing a pair of guests coming to the convention, which drops September 3-6. Actress Kelly LeBrock from the John Hughes classic Weird Science and actor Richard Hatch from both Battlestar Galactica TV shows call in on the Bat Phone. Jon also gets a call from Don Brewer, one of the co-founders of rock band Grand Funk Railroad. Brewer continues to play drums and sing in the band. And Grand Funk will be at the Villages Amphitheater in Fayetteville on August 28. Expect some Grand Funk, a little Oingo Boingo and a shot of pop culture news.
It is time for our annual Elvis Presley show. No single artist has had an impact on pop culture like the King, so Jon dedicates the entire show to a special conversation with Tom Brown, the senior vice president of original programming for Turner Classic Movies. Brown has worked on many Elvis-related projects for TCM and Time Warner including the latest DVD and Blu-Ray release Elvis on Tour. He’ll be chatting about everything Elvis, and Jon spins a few of his favorite Presley platters.
Scott Pilgrim vs The Booze, The Biters and Six Flags
Cozy up for a mess of pop culture goodness. We’ll be hearing from actor Michael Cera, star of the new graphic novel-based movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. We will also have two of our favorite local rock stars in the studio, Randy Michael of The Booze and Tuk of The Biters. We’ll be debuting some of their new music. And for those who havent made it to Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlantas own ginormous theme park, Jon has a special guide on how to make the most out of a summertime visit to the land of screams and dreams. Catch a helping of pop culture news e-"and find out what 60s sci-fi TV series is headed for the big screen. Keep your ears open for music by Otis Redding, The Booze, The Biters and The Black Lips.
Jon returns to the AM 1690 studios after a pop culture tour of Nashville, Tennessee. This week he will be recommending some of his favorite Music City tourist stops including Ernest Tubbs Record Shop, Hatch Show Print and the Country Music Hall of Fame. We’ll also hear from the stars of Toy Story 3, including Tom Hanks and Tim Allen. Jon gets geeky and talks about some of the cool Toy Story 3 toys in stores right now. He will also be spinning classic cuts from Ernest Tubb, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Randy Newman, Gipsy Kings and Red Sovine. And get ready for some pop culture news, including the scoop on who might be the new Hulk in the upcoming Avengers movie.
Things go decidedly supercalifragilisticexpialidocious as iconic actress and author Julie Andrews calls in to promote the new childrens book, The Very Fairy Princess, which she co-wrote with daughter Emma Walton Hamilton, She’ll chat about her work as an author, her legendary film career and the fact she’ll always be Mary Poppins and Maria Von Trapp to countless of children of all ages. In addition to Andrews, other special guests include Randal Kleiser, director of the 1978 big-screen musical Grease starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. Kleiser will be talking about the new version of the film, Grease Sing-A-Long, which opens in Atlanta July 8. And if that’s not enough, singer-songwriter Lindsay Appel treats listeners to a rare in-studio performance.
Jon recently got his sticky fingers on the new Rolling Stones documentary Stones in Exile. He’ll be chatting about the film and playing tracks off of the new remastered two-disc version of Exile, plus some other surprises. Brann Dailor, the drummer for heavy metal rockers Mastodon, comes in the studio to talk about the music the band provided for the new film Jonah Hex starring Josh Brolin and Megan Fox. We’ll also be hearing from Brolin and Fox, and learning more about the movie.
Jon takes us out to the ball game this week as we look at Atlanta baseball in pop culture. And since it’s Father’s Day weekend, he chats with his dad, Herb Waterhouse, about old-school Atlanta baseball, Ponce De Leon Park and the Atlanta Crackers. Herb gives listeners a glimpse at the golden age of baseball with first-hand stories from the stands of Ponce De Leon Park. On the other end of the spectrum, Scott Cunningham, the director of game entertainment at Turner Field, talks about all the fun stuff that can be had at a Braves game today. Jon plays baseball related tracks by Mabel Scott, The Treniers, Abbott and Costello, and King Curtis.
This week, the Pop Culture King celebrates two of Jon Waterhouse's favorite things from the 1980s. First off is the latest 1980s re-make, The A-Team. This includes interviews with A-Team star Bradley Cooper and of course all things Mr. T. Second is Van Halen. Jon talks about his adoration for Van Halen (most notable with David Lee Roth, obviously) and his encounter with David Lee Roth that led to a New York radio appearance
One of the films shot in Atlanta during the recent movie boom is Killers, which is now in theaters. We'll get the straight skinny from the films stars, Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl. Pro wrestling superstar-turned-actor Diamond Dallas Page calls in on the Bat Phone and chats about his Atlanta appearance at the Reunion Pro Wrestling Fanfest. And Jon dedicates a portion of the show to the recently departed Dennis Hopper. Music comes courtesy of Classy Freddie Blassie, Roy Orbison and Fraternity of Man.
To celebrate the upcoming Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival at the Fox Theatre Jon spins tunes related to some of the featured films including Jaws, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club and The Wizard of Oz. It's also a good opportunity to replay Jon's interviews with two original Munchkin cast members from The Wizard of Oz, Margaret Pellegrini and Karl Slover. Expect some classic movie trailers and wacky surprises.
On this show, Jon welcomes his good pal, pro banjo picker and puppeteer David Stephens. David is celebrating the release of his new CD A Year and Some Change. Jon spins a track from the new disc and David picks a couple tunes in the 1690 studio. David talks about his work as a puppeteer, including appearing on Sesame Street and in the stage production of Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. With Jon and David both being Muppet fans, expect Jon to work in a little surprise Muppet action. He'll also do some shameless self promotion by playing the song Bigfoot Mama from the Spookshow CD featuring David Stephens on banjo. Some pop culture news is thrown in for good measure and keep an ear out for some unexpected treats.
The new season of Squidbillies dropped this past weekend. Since Adult Swims Williams Street studios is just around the corner from AM 1690, Jon invites new best friend Jim Fortier back on the show. Dave Willis, who co-created and co-writes the show with Jim, calls in from the road as he wraps up the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live Tour. Widespread Panic is the special guest star on the Squidbillies season opener. So Jon sprays himself with patchouli and plays some Panic, including the bands version of the Squidbillies theme. He also tosses off some pop culture news.
Jon pours a few gallons of high test this week and explores cars in pop culture. Julie Marateck from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta stops in and talks about the new exhibit The Allure of the Automobile. It’s a collection of 18 extremely rare rides including two previously owned by Clark Gable and one owned by Steve McQueen. Car tunes on the playlist: Road Runner by The Gants and The Ballad of Thunder Road by Robert Mitchum. Listen closely and catch nods to classic car flick American Graffiti and Hot Wheels toy cars. And as an extra bonus, we’ll hear from Chris Sanders, co-writer and co-director of the surprise box office smash How to Train Your Dragon.
Repulsor-blasting time on The PCK Show. Jons breathing heavily through his mouth as the release of Iron Man 2 approaches. He is using the entire show to honor the Marvel superheros return to celluloid. Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke and director Jon Favreau all chat up the movie. Jon talks about the onslaught of Iron Man stuff flooding the marketplace and his preferred place to see the movie in the ATL. Listen up for tunes by AC/DC and Hayseed Dixie, and grab a plate of pop culture news.
Our fan boy flag is waving high this week. A pair of comic book-inspired flicks are in theaters. So Jon features interview clips with the stars of Kick-Ass: Aaron Johnson, Chole Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Nicholas Cage. We’ll also be hearing from the stars of The Losers: Jason Patric, Jeffery Dean Morgan and Zoe Saldana. Kyle Puttkammer, owner of Galactic Quest comic book shops in Buford and Lawrenceville, Ga., calls in on the Bat Phone. And Jon asks you to open your ears for a sampling of the Kick-Ass soundtrack.
Unknown Hinson is not only one of the strangest hombres to pick up a guitar, but he wields it like a master. And don't forget his hilariously twisted lyrics. The King of the Country Western Troubadours, who also provides the voice of Early Cuyler on the Adult Swim animated series Squidbillies, calls in on the Bat phone for an exclusive interview. Jim Fortier, co-creator and co-writer of Squidbillies, stops in the studio with some of his fellow Squidbillies creatives to prime us for the show's upcoming fifth season. Jon spins plenty of, you guessed it, Unknown Hinson and dishes some news on Conan O'Brien, Jack Kirby and Death Cab For Cutie.
It's a cavalcade of pop cultureness on this week's show as Jon chats with former wrestling champ Bill Goldberg, host of DIY Network's "Garage Mahal." The head of Elvis Presley's Graceland archives stops in and shows Jon some one-of-a-kind Elvis memorabilia. And Dakota Fanning, star of the new film The Runaways, calls in on the Bat Phone for an exclusive chat about the movie. Music includes tracks by The Runaways and Elvis Presley.
Jon Waterhouse releases the Kraken on this weeks Pop Culture King Show a the new version of Clash of the Titans hits theaters. We will hear from stars Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson, and director Louis Leterrier. We will also talk about the original Clash of the Titans from 1981 and one of its creators, Ray Harryhausen. Atlanta-based entertainment personality and special effects artist, Shane Morton, talks about Harryhausens career and significance. And in honor of Clash of the Titans, Shane picks some of his favorite heavy metal tracks, including songs by Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Mortons own heavy metal outfit Gargantua.
It is retro rock week on the Pop Culture King Show. A total of three Atlanta-based bands who celebrate retro rock and roll will be in the studio for this weeks show. Tuk of The Biters, Randy Michael of The Booze and Warren Ulom of The Judies talk about their influences and day-to-day rock starness. Host Jon Waterhouse will be spinning their music and music that influenced them, including songs by Slade, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie. And expect that weekly dose of pop culture news.
This episode of The Pop Culture King focuses on war-related Pop Culture. Artists like the Doors and the Trashmen are highlighted for their war-themed music. Mike Gardner and Steve Bug stop by from JoeLanta, an action figure and toy conference focusing on G.I. Joe action figures. Also chatting with Jon Waterhouse is Ashton Holmes, one of the stars of HBOs WWII mini-series The Pacific. Of course, as always, Jon Waterhouse keeps you up to date with The Pop Culture Poop, a weekly rundown of all pop culture news and happenings.
Dubbed The Clown Princes of Basketball, the Harlem Globetrotters have been an essential part of pop culture for over 80 years. In celebration of their visit to Atlanta, Jon Waterhouse speaks with Globetrotter Herb Moo-Moo Evans. In addition, Jon plays basketball related tunes from Cheech and Chong, G-Love and of course no basketball set would be complete without Sweet Georgia Brown.
Few things in this world have been a part of pop culture as long as Alice in Wonderland and few things get the Pop Culture King, Jon Waterhouse, as excited as Alice in Wonderland. So it only seems natural that the Pop Culture King would celebrate in style. The show features interviews with Johnny Depp, Tim Burton and other cast members and crew members. Other features of the show include an interview with author Frank Beddor, writer of the book trilogy "The Looking Glass Wars" and the graphic novel series Hatter M, both based on Alice in Wonderland, songs inspired by or written about Alice, and pieces from past movie versions of Alice.
