The Juice with Jeff

The Juice with Jeff #173

On this episode of the podcast, Annie Andrews O'Dell does a great interview with me thru Zoom. This is Annie's first time on the show.

 

Unlike most other episodes of the podcast, we had no specific topics planned at all. We simply had a real time conversation about things like; Memories and favorite moments from our VHS days, what each of us does in our daily lives, the health issues both of us deal with, and another thing or two. We were flying by the seat of our pants for the entire show.

 

This episode was recorded on Wednesday night September 6, 2023 and runs 36 minutes long. As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #172

On this episode of the podcast, Diana D'Angelo-Wolff conducts and co-produces an excellent interview with me thru Zoom. This is Diana's first time on the show.

 

During this episode of the show, Diana asked me to talk about several topics including how I met Dana Mintzer Leman (who both Diana and I are close with), how Jewish living and Jewish observance plays an extremely important role in my life, the importance of having a healthy balance and having a mix of both optimism and reality in our lives, explain the quote I brought up "Sometimes you need to stop seeing the good in people and start seeing what they show you", my intense passion for The Blues Brothers and several other classic or vintage movies, the kinds of music I enjoy, and a couple other questions.

 

This episode was recorded on Sunday September 3, 2023 and runs 1 hour and 8 minutes long. As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #171

On this episode of the podcast, Dana Mintzer Leman conducts and co-produces a fantastic, superb, and outstanding interview with me in person. This is Dana's second time on the show and this is a special Potpourri episode featuring a mix of open ended questions, long form topics, and one word answer questions.

 

How did you come up with your dog's names?

What is it you love about history?

If you could be any character from a TV Show, movie, or film, who would it be?

Describe yourself in one word

What is your favorite color?

What time do you wake up on the days you go to work?

If you were to decide to write a book on your life, what would the title be?

What advice would you give a parent who just learned their child is autistic?

Do you like garden gnomes?

If you had to choose between the superpowers of being invisible or flying, which would you choose?

What is your favorite gift that anyone has given you?

Who would you bet on to win a battle between Batman and Spiderman?

What is the funniest thing that has ever happened to you?

If you were shipwrecked on an island and had everything you needed in terms of food, shelter, and clothing; what two additional items would you take with you?

Someone gets you a lottery ticket and you end up winning 1 billion dollars, what would you do with the money?

 

We wrap up the podcast with me singing "It's Such a Good Feeling" from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

 

We recorded this episode at Campbell Recreational Area in Clive on Tuesday August 29, 2023 and it is 58 minutes long.  As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #170

On this episode of the podcast, Liz Cox conducts and co-produces a fantastic, superb, and outstanding interview with me in person. This is Liz's first time on the show and we had a two-way conversation on a whole bunch of topics. This is one of those episodes of the show where as we are in the middle of talking about one topic, it leads to another topic being brought up several times.

The two of us have a two-way conversation on a potpourri of different topics such as: My lifetime friendship with Dana Mintzer Leman and several examples of special things that Dana has done for me, the history behind and goals of The Juice with Jeff podcasts, parks and nature, Fred Rogers o.b.m. and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, a small hint of The Blues Brothers, and other stuff.

We wrap up the podcast with Liz and I singing "It's Such a Good Feeling" from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

 

We recorded this episode at Crossroads Park (west of Crossroads Park Elementary School) in West Des Moines on Thursday night August 17, 2023 and it runs a FEATURE LENGTH of 1 hour and 29 minutes.  As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!

 

NOTE: This is a Re-Edited and Revised version of Liz's interview with me. In the original version of the podcast, I said some things which were incorrect concerning the history of the former Des Moines Jewish Academy, The Academy, and Bergman Academy. I re-edited the part of the show which talks about this topic and made the appropriate corrections.

The Juice with Jeff #169

On this episode of the podcast, Rabbi Neil Sandler conducts and co-produces a fantastic and meaningful interview with me thru Zoom. This is Rabbi Sandler's first time on the show and we've made history with this episode because it's also the very first time that we've had a Rabbi be part of the podcast!!! 

 

Rabbi Sandler asked me several questions about how I've arrived at where I am in terms of my Jewish identity and Jewish observance. Plus he also shared what he and his family are up to, told a brief story about a funny experience he had with my mom at our family's synagogue during the early 1990's, and we shared memories about Rabbi Moshe/Marshall and Rebbetzin Sarah/Shirley Berg both of righteous and blessed memory.

 

This episode was recorded on Tuesday night August 15, 2023 and runs 37 minutes long. As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #168

On this episode of the podcast, James Alsup conducts and co-produces a fantastic and meaningful interview with me thru Zoom. This is James' first time on the show.

 

James and I had a powerful two way conversation. During the first half of the podcast, we talked about what each of us has been up to since our Drake University days, and also about the ongoing SARS-CoV-2/Covid pandemic that continues to rage on and how both of us firmly continue to believe in the importance of the non-pharmaceutical precautions that significantly help reduce the spread of a highly airborne vascular virus like Covid,

 

Then during the second half, we share our memories and favorite moments from our Drake J-School days, and we wrapped up the show by each of us talking about a few things related to The Blues Brothers film (1980).

 

This episode was recorded on Monday night August 7, 2023 and runs 1 hour 16 minutes long. As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #167

On this episode of the podcast, Jill Brimeyer conducts and co-produces a fantastic and superb interview with me in person. This is Jill's third time on the show and we had a two-way conversation on a whole bunch of topics.

 

During a significant majority of the podcast, Jill uses the Vertellis/Vertell?s Complete card game series where the slogan is "Less Small Talk, More Genuine Conversations" to guide her in the questions that she asks me. Here are the topics that Jill brings up and asks me questions on from the Vertellis card game during the course of the podcast: 

 

With the knowledge you have now, what would you have done differently?

 

What is something you have not done in your life yet that you would still like to do?

 

Which moment would you most like to relive?

 

What is one of the most valuable lessons that you have learned?

 

Who would you like to thank?

 

What do you want to devote more time to?

 

What three people have influenced you?

 

After both of us finished sharing our thoughts in depth from the questions with the Vertell?s card series, I talk with Jill about how:

 
Between January 1st and July 4th of 2023 I watched all of the TV shows/movies in my DVD collection in alphabetical order from A to Z and gave examples of the DVD's in each letter.

I shared with Jill the history behind how The Blues Brothers came to be both as the musical group and the 1980 film itself, along with a bunch of trivia tidbits about the film. And I gave examples of the things we get to see on the Extended Version 2nd Cut (2 hours 28 minutes) of the film compared to the all too familiar Theatrical Cut (2 hours 13 minutes).

Then we wrap up the podcast by talking about things related to Saturday Night Live, both from the classic first five seasons of the show and a little bit about today's SNL.

 

We recorded our podcast at a photography studio and small group event venue that a friend of mine owns called The Studio in Windsor Heights. This is the third time that we recorded an episode of the show there. Not only is this episode at EPIC FEATURE LENGTH clocking in at 1 hour and 42 minutes, but it is now officially the SECOND LONGEST IN PERSON EPISODE that we have ever done so far!!  We recorded this episode on Sunday August 6, 2023. As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #166

On this episode of the podcast, Anne Royse conducts and co-produces a fantastic and awesome interview with me thru Zoom. This is Anne's first time on the show.

 

On this episode of the show, Anne and I have a two way conversation that is focused on more of an entertainment nature. We kick off the show with me and Anne doing the "It's 106 miles to Chicago..." line from The Blues Brothers movie.

 

One of the several questions that Anne asks me is "What is a question you always wish someone would ask you; something you've always wanted to share with other people if only someone would ask." I answer this question with "What TV show would I love for a company to put on DVD, etc.. that has never been released on videotape or DVD before (and still isn't)?" And I give my answer to that question in two ways: One, I wish that Universal Studios did not destroy or throw away the 35mm or 70 mm film negatives from the 12 to 25 minutes of scenes (including an Intermission) from the original Roadshow First Cut of The Blues Brothers that got completely deleted from the film. In other words, I wish that Universal Studios would have kept the Master 35mm/70mm Negatives of EVERYTHING that was filmed for The Blues Brothers and offered on DVD, etc... the full 2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours full roadshow cut of the movie. Two, I also wish that a company would be able and willing to offer episodes of the original 1970's version of The Gong Show on DVD that was hosted by Chuck Barris (may he rest in peace) and had the LIVE 6 to 8 piece Band with a Thug directed by Milton Delugg (may he rest in peace).

 

Various subjects come up during our 38 minute chat like The Blues Brothers, my social life, Roadshow Theatrical Releases of classic films, summer camp, and concerts.

 

This episode was recorded on Saturday night August 5, 2023. As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #165

On this episode of the podcast, Robyn Wiens and Sarah Stokes conduct and co-produces a fantastic and outstanding interview with me thru Zoom. This is the first time that both Sarah and Robyn are on the show.

 

Robyn, Sarah, and I basically have a very entertaining and occasionally hilarious two way conversation in this episode. We start off the podcast with me taking a few minutes to reflect on the life of Paul Reubens/Pee-Wee Herman a"h, who died the day before we recorded this podcast. In honor of Paul/Pee-Wee, we incorporate a "Pee-Wee's Playhouse" element into the podcast: We decide to have a "Secret Word", and whenever any of us said that "Secret Word", we all had to scream for a few seconds. The Secret Word was "Basement" because that's what people (both past and present) who have been or are students or faculty in the Broadcast section of the J School call the lowest floor of Meredith Hall at Drake.

 

 

But after the first few minutes, the entire podcast had a Drake University theme. For a good chunk of the podcast, Robyn and Sarah asked me a bunch of trivia questions related to Drake University, and between the trivia questions we chat about things related to those questions. And then all three of us shared memories from the years we were at Drake and the J-School there together during the mid to late 1990's.

 

 

This episode was recorded on Monday July 31, 2023 and runs 1 hour and 14 minutes. As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!

The Juice with Jeff #164

On this episode of the podcast, Ali Harms conducts and co-produces a fantastic and superb interview with me in person. This is Ali's fourth time on the show.

 

We start by talking about cookies and baked goods. Specifically about how both of us love both chains/franchises such as Crumbl Cookies as well as local bakeries like The Bake Shoppe.

 

Then I talk with Ali at great deep length about how between December 31, 2022 and July 4, 2023 I watched all of my TV Shows and Movies in my DVD collection in Alphabetical Order from A to Z, and I gave many examples of what I watched in my DVD collection during that six month period from A to Z. As part of the discussion, I told Ali what my Top 5 Favorite Films of All Time are and she also tells me what her favorite films are.

 

As part of the film discussion, I talked with Ali a little bit about the Roadshow Theatrical Release concept and also shared with her the history behind how The Blues Brothers came to be both as the musical group and the 1980 film itself, along with lots of trivia tidbits about the film. I give multiple examples on the additional things we get to see on the longer Extended Version of the film.

 

Ali shares her thoughts and insights on everything that was brought up during the recording session and we have quite a lot of two way conversation. We also talk about our favorite kinds of music, including where Ali asks me to explain how I became interested in expanding my taste of music well beyond the pop and Top 40.

And then we conclude this episode of the snow by doing a short walk between the Amphitheater and Waterfall/Lagoon areas of the park and comment on the peaceful environment we're enjoying in the park, as well as some thoughts on the podcast series itself.

 

This episode of the podcast was recorded on Monday July 24, 2023 at Greenwood Park in Des Moines and it's feature length at 1 hour and 30 minutes. As is the case with all of "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!!