Tom Kenny Squarepants

SpongeBob SquarePants makes no sense. Created by marine biologist turned animator Stephen Hillenburg, the character lives in an underwater pineapple in a place called Bikini Bottom. He keeps company with a lumpy starfish named Patrick, a cranky neighbor named Squidward, a greedy crab of a boss and an evil plankton.
But now, 10 years after SpongeBob made its on-air debut, the show is still wildly popular. One week last month, nine of the top 20 shows on cable were SpongeBob cartoons.
Tom Kenny, who provides the voice of SpongeBob, calls the character "pretty bipolar ... his highs are very high but he can also be dashed into the most abject sorrow."
Kenny says he'll gladly be the voice of SpongeBob for another 10 years.
"Even if the show doesn't go for 10 years, I'll be the guy pushing a grocery cart around with a tinfoil hat on his head going 'Hey you know who I used to be?' " he jokes.
NPR story, podcast & video HERE
Terry Gross interview w/Tom Kenny HERE

Rivers Cuomo Was Scared

Rivers Cuomo, the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of the rock band Weezer, has released a solo set of at-home demos called Alone and Alone II. The CDs feature demo versions of songs from Weezer's albums, as well as a few original songs and outtakes not heard before.
In March 2008, Cuomo asked fans to submit song ideas via a collaborative project on YouTube called "Let's Write A Sawng." The project featured YouTube videos of Cuomo walking fans through his process of songwriting as he worked with submissions from fans.
NPR's Terry Gross interview's Cuomo...listen HERE

pre-Depression Economics

The bankruptcy of financial services giant Lehman Brothers and the 500-point drop in the stock market on September 15, 2008 have sent shock waves through the financial community. Law professor Michael Greenberger tells Terry Gross that government's decision to bail AIG out is a sign that the economy is "teetering on the brink."
NPR story and podcast HERE

Interview Nerd

Listen to the Rainn Wilson interview with NPR's Terry Gross HERE

Cancer, Comedy and Robert Schimmel

As one of the most respected working stand-up comedians of our time, Robert Schimmel, has for more than 20 years, made thousands of comedy fans laugh as well as influenced a huge crop of up-and-coming comics, as he’s constantly likened to Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Richard Pryor. But since he beat the non-Hodgkins lymphoma he was diagnosed with in 2000, his comedy has done a lot more than create laughs.
more HERE
interview w/NPR's Terry Gross HERE
book and more available HERE