So Important: The Interview Podcast!
Episodes
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Benny Becker on HIS INVESTIGATIVE WORK IN APPALACHIA!
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Wednesday Mar 18, 2020
Hello friends and welcome to a new episode of So Important! My guest is Mr. Benny Becker, an investigative reporter focused on issues in the Appalachian region of the United States. Benny is compassionate, thorough, and incisive - as his many stories on the challenges faced by the towns and people of Appalachia bear out. This is the story of Benny's journey, and we also talk about some of Benny's most recent stories.
It was a great pleasure to speak with Benny, and I urge everyone to read his stories, and spend a few minutes hearing what he has to say. Here's a link to his website, as well as a direct link to his most recent reporting on clean water issues in West Virginia. And here's a nice link to many of Benny's stories.
I hope you enjoy this episode, and I am grateful to Benny for speaking with me about his fascinating, and important, work.
See you soon with a new episode of So Important!
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
Steve Hackett on GENESIS, HIS SOLO WORK, AND HIS AMAZING TOUR!
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
Sunday Mar 08, 2020
Well my friends, I notice that I tend to describe every episode as "very special," but this one is for sure. I talked with legendary Guitarist Steve Hackett, who was the guitar player in Genesis from 1971 to 1977, when they were at the height of their progressive rock powers. There is nothing like the early, pre-pop music of Genesis, and along with Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins (who did ok for himself btw), Michael Rutherford, and Tony Banks, Steve was a big reason why that is the case. He has gone on to record over 25 solo albums and he continues to tour to this day. I saw him and his stellar band a couple nights ago and it was a truly transcendent experience. SEE HIM!
Special thanks to Steve for his time and while the audio quality wasn't quite as good as I would have liked, a number of audio engineers, including David Martin in the DC area and Trebor at the Audacity Windows Forum site, helped significantly to improve it - which I really, really appreciate. Ultimately there was only so much that could be done, but thanks to these guys it came out ok. And special thanks to my wife Nancy, who had to endure my obsessive work on this particular episode!
You will find a number of musical excerpts sprinkled throughout the show. With a musician as accomplished as Steve Hackett, one should look for any opportunity to let the music speak for itself. So, that's what I did. I created a special playlist for those who want to hear each of these songs in their entirety, as well as a few others curated for the show. Here's the link:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/56ilQhAtzQI6gDXgYeWKbh?si=-mY7gEQCQ9ePGzNfuyKa5Q
Check out Steve's website, and don't forget to check for tour dates. It's an amazing show and you owe it to yourself to see a true master of the craft in action.
See you soon with a new episode, and THANK YOU STEVE HACKETT!