The Juice with Jeff’s Podcast

The Juice with Jeff #75

On this episode of the podcast, Maia (Young) Bauman conducts and co-produces a fantastic and really fun audio interview with me filled with quite a bit of two-way conversation throughout the interview. There were a bunch of things that Sarah and I talked about during this audio interview including:

1. During both the first 20 or minutes of the podcast and also during the last 25 minutes of the podcast; Maia and I talk about some memories from our growing up in Des Moines, and we also share our memories, experiences, favorite moments, etc... from our years together at Crossroads Park Elementary, Indian Hills Jr. High, and Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, and we also touch on friendships during these parts of the interview.

2. Between the 25 minute mark and the 1 hour 5 minute mark of the podcast; we talk about my intense interest and passion for Fred Rogers o.b.m. and the TV show "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", and Maia also shares her thoughts on Mister Rogers and "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood". And I also bring up the movie "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" that is largely based on Fred Rogers' life and "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" during this portion of the podcast.

3. Between the 1 hour 5 minute mark and the 1 hour 10 minute mark, I talk with Maia about how my practicing Judaism plays a very important role in my life, specifically about how I say and take seriously daily prayers and blessings in accordance with Jewish Law and the teachings of Judaism.

4. I do the following a sample of my voice impersonations for Maia at three separate points during the podcast with the following voices: Fat Albert, Mushmouth, Michael Buffer (the "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" announcer), Tom Bodett, Fred Rogers o.b.m., Mr. McFeely, King Friday, Queen Sara Saturday, X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, Daniel Tiger, Lady Elaine Fairchilde, Harriet Elizabeth Cow, Coach Bill Coldiron o.b.m., and Brian Dean Christensen.

This interview was recorded on Friday December 11, 2020 and it definitely is a FEATURE LENGTH podcast as it runs 1 hour and 39 minutes (99 minutes). As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!

The Juice with Jeff #74

On this episode of the podcast, Kim Kivens conducts and co-produces a fantastic and fun audio interview with me filled with some two-way conversation throughout the interview. 

There were three or four things that Kim asked me questions about during the interview:

1.  During the overwhelming majority of this interview (75% of the interview to be exact), I talked in great detail about multiple aspects of my days at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. I was a camper there from 1989 thru 1992, and then I went back to Ramah Wisconsin to work as the Business Assist in their office during the summers between 1994-1996 for 9 weeks and then one more time during the summer of 1997 for 4 weeks.

2.  Then Kim asks me to talk about my intense love/passion/interest for Fred Rogers o.b.m. and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. I spend 10 to 12 minutes explaining to Kim the multiple reasons why I am passionate about Mister Rogers and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

3.  Then for the remaining 10 minutes or so of the podcast, Kim asks me to talk about what positive things I can take from the Covid-19 pandemic, what can I keep in my life from the pandemic once the day comes when things go "back to normal" (e.g. the vast majority of society has received the proper Covid-19 vaccines, masks and physical distancing will no longer be required, etc..) and what things have I been doing during the pandemic that have been keeping positive and happy.

This interview was recorded on Friday December 4, 2020 and it definitely meets FEATURE LENGTH criteria as it runs 1 hour and 26 minutes (86 minutes). As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!

The Juice with Jeff #73

On this episode of the podcast, Sarah (Henry) Suemnig conducts and co-produces a fantastic and super fun audio interview with me filled with plenty of two-way conversation throughout the interview. There were a whole bunch of things that Sarah and I talked about during this audio interview, both on the serious stuff and the fun/entertaining stuff.

1. The first thing that Sarah brings up with me is about my singing as a hobby and remember how I sang in two of the choirs during my years at Valley High School. I talk with Sarah about the really cool karaoke system that I have, how I have been enjoying using it quite a few times over the last 8-1/2 years, and how I brought my karaoke system to the home of a couple really close friends for their big Hanukkah party for the last 8 years. Sarah also talks about her interest in singing.

2. Then I perform 30 of my voice impersonations for Sarah: Fat Albert, Mushmouth, Michael Buffer (The "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" announcer), Trump, Obama, Romney, Tom Bodett, Audrey II the Plant ("Little Shop of Horrors"), Robin Leach o.b.m., Casey Kasem o.b.m., Susan Stamberg (NPR Special Correspondent), Ira Glass ("This American Life"), Terry Gross (NPR's Fresh Air), Lakshmi Singh (NPR Newscaster), Jack Speer (NPR Newscaster), Dwane Brown (NPR Newscaster), Korva Coleman (NPR Newscaster), Giles Snyder (NPR Newscaster/Reporter), Steve Inskeep and David Greene (2 of the 4 co-hosts for NPR's Morning Edition), the longtime KGGO Voice Over Announcer named Joe Kelly, Fred Rogers o.b.m. and a bunch of the characters from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (Joe Negri, King Friday, Queen Sara, X the Owl, Henrietta Pussycat, Daniel Tiger, Lady Elaine Fairchilde, Mr. McFeeley, and the funding credits announcer that came on at the beginning and end of the show). When I do the voices of those three politicians, I do spend a couple minutes sharing my thoughts on the recent 2020 U.S. General Election.

3. Then we talk about how it's extremely important for us to be kind to everyone; and to accept/respect everyone of all colors, all religions, all abilities, all sexual orientations, all nationalities, etc.....

4. Then we talk about how we're handling the COVID-19 pandemic and the physical distancing that goes with it. I talk with Sarah about the things I do to try to stay positive and keep my mental health in check during the pandemic such as listening to my tremendous music collection, my interest in Fred Rogers o.b.m. and Mister Rogers Neighborhood as well as several other TV shows like Fat Albert and Gilligan's Island, and reaching out to friends thru the phone and Facebook Messenger. And then I talk with Sarah more about the series of these "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts as well as how I've learned quite a lot about using Zoom since March 2020. Sarah also shares her thoughts on a bunch of related topics during this part of the podcast.

5. Then Sarah and I address more serious topics about: how the pandemic has taught us about how we cannot take various everyday things for granted, the multiple problems that we've dealt with during 2020 including the recent U.S. General Elections, Religious Fundamentalism, etc.... Then I talk about spirituality and how I try my best to practice the precepts and all aspects of Judaism to the best of my ability in a balanced, moderate, sane, and reasonable way.

6. Sarah and I then spend the remaining 35 or so minutes of the podcast sharing our memories, experiences, favorite moments, etc... from our years together at VHS in West Des Moines, Iowa. Sarah went to VHS for three of the four years that I was also there during the early to mid 1990's.

This interview was recorded on Friday November 27, 2020 and it definitely is a FEATURE LENGTH podcast as it runs 1 hour and 40 minutes (100 minutes). As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!

The Juice with Jeff #72

On this episode of the podcast, Jill Bassman conducts and co-produces an excellent and fun audio interview with me. During the interview, Jill asks me the following questions, and I explain in detail my thoughts and responses to Jill's questions:

1.  Who is my number one hero?

2.  If I could live anywhere in the whole world, where would I live?

3.  When I was little, what did I want to be when I grew up?

4.  If I had unlimited money, unlimited time, and unlimited resources; if I could do anything I wanted to for a week during my lifetime, what would it be?

5.  If I had to pick my top Karaoke song to sing, what would it be? This one was super tough for me to come up with an answer to, so I talked with Jill about my long term interest in doing Karaoke as a hobby at various times.

6.  Did I ever have any nicknames, and if so what were they?

7.  Do I like or dislike surprises? Why or why not?

This interview was recorded on Friday November 13, 2020 and it runs 36 minutes long. As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!

The Juice with Jeff #71 SPECIAL PANDEMIC ZOOM BIRTHDAY EDITION

On this episode of the podcast, we have a very special episode where the entire show features a "live to tape" Virtual Birthday Celebration that was held for my 46th birthday on the night of October 19, 2020 via Zoom!! Around 25 people participated in this birthday celebration for me on Zoom. Dana Mintzer Leman and David Trumble co-host this party with me on Zoom.

The party begins with everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to me. The podcast is basically the audio track from the party that is for the most part unedited, with only the silent moments being edited out. During the party, two rounds of the game "Scattegories" is played, and then toward the end people offer their birthday wishes to me. This special birthday edition of the podcast runs 1 hour and 12 minutes (72 minutes). As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!

The Juice with Jeff #70

On this episode of the podcast, Laura Grisamore conducts and co-produces an excellent and extremely fun audio interview with me filled with lots of two-way conversation throughout the interview. During the vast majority of the podcast, Laura and I talk about memories, experiences, favorite moments, etc... from our years together at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. But there are other topics that are brought up at various points of the interview, and I also perform quite a few of my voice impersonations for Laura!! This interview was recorded on Friday October 16, 2020 and it definitely is a FEATURE LENGTH podcast as it runs 2 hours and 5 minutes (125 minutes). As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!

The Juice with Jeff #69

On this episode of the podcast, Lynn Zimmerman conducts and co-produces a fabulous and really fun audio interview with me filled with lots and lots of two-way conversation throughout the interview. The topics that Lynn brought up with me during the interview include:

1. Lynn asked me what I've been up to since I graduated from Valley High School (West Des Moines, IA) in 1994. So, I give Lynn in a 6 minute summary form all the things I've been up to in terms of University education and what I've been doing for a living over the last 26 years.

2. Then Lynn asks me to talk more about the red zippered cardigan and the Sperry Top Sider shoes that I got back in February 2020 which I use as part of my Fred Rogers o.b.m. wardrobe for the times when I decide to dress up as Mister Rogers. During this part of the interview, I also talk with Lynn for about 10 minutes about how my intense interest and passion for Fred Rogers and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood; and also about a laundry mishap I had on a Sunday in July 2020 when trying to do my red zippered cardigan in our washer at home where it ended up turning half of the laundry in that load pink.

3. Lynn then asks me to talk about what hobbies, interests, and things I have done to keep me entertained and to keep my spirits up since the COVID-19 pandemic became widespread and with the physical distancing recommendations going into effect as of mid-March 2020.

4. Lynn then asks me to talk about any favorite meals that I have made as well as what kind of food I love to eat, both with what I cook at home and what kinds of meals I enjoy from a restaurant (whether it's for taking out or bringing back home, or whether it's for eating out during normal circumstances when we're not dealing with COVID-19 or another similar public health pandemic). I also discuss with Lynn about the restaurant scene in central Iowa and what kinds of places I enjoy eating out at when I have gotten together with friends in the past, and where I'll enjoy eating out in the future when the time comes that things with COVID-19 have improved to the point where the proper vaccines have been distributed to the masses and it's considered safe to get together with friends in person  without worrying about masks, physical distancing, etc...

5. Lynn and I spend the remaining 30 minutes of the podcast sharing memories and favorite moments from our VHS days.

This episode was recorded on Tuesday October 13, 2020 and it runs 1 hour and 11 minutes. As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!

The Juice with Jeff #68

On this episode of the podcast, Katey (Sharpe) Hartzell conducts and co-produces a fabulous and really fun audio interview with me filled with lots and lots of two-way conversation throughout the interview. There were a whole bunch of  topics that Katey brought up with me about during the interview:

1. What is my middle name and who I was named after?

2. What is my favorite color?

3. What my favorite kinds of music are; along with examples of composers, musicians, and performers that I like in each of the genres of music that I love?

4. Have I ever played any musical instruments before, and what instrument I'd like to learn or re-learn how to play sometime?

5. Where I got my singing and musical abilities from, and how music plays an essential and critical role in my life?

6. What things I like to do for fun? Both the things I enjoy doing during normal circumstances, and also the things I enjoy doing during the COVID-19 pandemic that are within the physical distancing guidelines.

7. What kinds of books do I enjoy reading?

8. Various experiences that tie in to the books that I enjoy reading such as the Iowa State Fair, various places around the Des Moines/central Iowa area.

9. What are my favorite qualities in a person, and examples of how various friends have demonstrated these qualities to me at various points of my life.

10. What is my favorite cuisine? Whether it's something I cook at home or whether it's something I enjoy when I eat out at a restaurant. This episode was recorded on Friday October 9, 2020 and it runs 1 hour and 8 minutes. As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!

The Juice with Jeff #67

On this episode of the podcast, Christa Anderson Beeler conducts and co-produces an outstanding and really fun audio interview with me filled with plenty of two-way conversation throughout the interview. There were several fun topics that Christa brought up with me about during the interview: She asked me about any other opportunities I've had (besides the Purim events that I went to at my synagogue in early March 2020) to wear my Mister Rogers wardrobe, and I respond by telling Christa about that one Friday night during the Summer of 2020 that I wore my Mister Rogers red zippered cardigan, etc.. at home with a selfie accompanying that opportunity; I talk about a laundry mishap I had when trying to do my red zippered cardigan in our washer at home where it ended up turning half of the laundry in that load pink; we then talk about the ways in which both Christa and I are enjoying doing the things we love doing during the COVID-19 pandemic that are in accordance with the physical distancing guidelines; and then Christa and I both share memories from the days we went to Valley High School (we both graduated from VHS during the mid 1990's).  This episode was recorded on Friday September 11, 2020 and it runs nearly 33 minutes. As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!

The Juice with Jeff #66

On this episode of the podcast, Ann Kaatz LoBue conducts and co-produces a fantastic and superb audio interview with me filled with plenty of two-way conversation throughout the interview. There were several topics that Ann brought up with me during the interview including: My being autistic and how it affects or plays a significant role in my daily life, in fact I spend nearly the first 30 minutes of the podcast talking with Ann about my being autistic and how I frequently speak up about it. Then for the next 18 minutes I talk with Ann about my experiences and memories during the years that I was a Radio-TV Production major in the J School at Drake University between 1994-1998, and then Ann herself spends about five minutes sharing memories of her years as a Radio-TV Major in the J School at Drake. Then I talk with Ann for 15 minutes about how I have done event video production (for people in the Des Moines Jewish community) from time to time over the last 20 years, about how I regularly do audio production as a hobby and more about these "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts. Then during the last 20 minutes of the podcast, Ann asks me a couple questions about my talent of doing voice impersonations, and this is followed by my performing around 25 of my voice impersonations for Ann. The interview closes with Ann and I sharing our final thoughts.

This interview was recorded on Friday August 14, 2020 and it definitely is a FEATURE LENGTH podcast as it runs 1 hour and 33 minutes (93 minutes). As is the case with all of the "The Juice with Jeff" podcasts, funding for this podcast is provided by Realty With Ahart and RandomKid. Enjoy!