WELCOME TO THE SHOW
My name is Steve Owens and I meet a lot of people; sometime in my travels, sometimes in my own home town. Several times (quite by accident), I have stumbled into what I consider to be fascinating stories. So after way too many got away, I decided to start recording them. Some of these conversations will be fascinating ONLY to me. Some will be fascinating to you too. In the end, I guess this podcast is just an excuse for me to get to travel, meet, and talk to more people. So if you are so inclined…
Walk with me, down Fascination Street!
Recent Episodes
Courtney Gains – Musician / Actor (Back To The Future / Children of the Corn, Colors, Etc)
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Courtney Gains
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as l get to know actor & musician Courtney Gains in this episode, we chat about his growing up in some rough parts of Los Angeles, and why he decided to become an actor. We also talk about why he eventually moved to Savanah and embedded himself into the local music scene there. Naturally, l ask him about several of his films, including Back to the Future, Can’t Buy Me Love, Colors, The Burbs, Queen Bees, and most notably, Children of the Corn. Courtney shares fun anecdotes and the reason for his longevity in show business. Then we discuss his music. Courtney has been a musician for just about as long as he has been an actor. He has released several albums and is part of a new project that came out December 6th. Marshes to Mountains is a compilation album with more than 100 songs. 100% of the proceeds from this album got to support those affected by the recent hurricane that impacted areas from Savanah to Asheville. The album can be found on Bandcamp or Fakefangs.com. Speaking of music, Courtney tells wonderful stories about working with Matt Sorum & Slash on one of Courtney’s songs, plus he lets me play one! Finally, we talk about the new projects that he has coming out, including Cowboy Christmas, The Barn 3, and Infernal. Follow Courtney on social media, and be sure to check out his music everywhere you listen.
Ollee Owens – Musician (Nowhere To Hide)
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Ollee Owens
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Ollee Owens. Ollee is a Canadian born and raised Country / Folk / Blues Southern Rock singer songwriter. In this episode, we chat about when she was first called upon by the music gods to be a performer. We discuss her writing and learning to play instruments at a very early age, and then why she decided to take a break from music for fifteen years. Ollee tells me what she was doing during that long hiatus, and what made her jump back into her passion. We talk a little about her debut record “Cannot Be Unheard’ and how the energy of that release drove her to write and record her second album. Her sophomore album is titled ‘Nowhere To Hide’, and was released earlier this year. We break down some of the tracks from this record and she even let’s me play my favorite track from it. We do a little bit of a deep dive on this particular song, and she tells me who the inspiration for it is. We do touch on the importance of her daughters seeing their mother lead by example in putting her passion on hold for a very good reason; but then going back to it when the time was right. This album was recorded in Nashville with some iconic Muscle Shoals musicians, and a legendary producer. Follow Ollee on Instagram, and check out her website for upcoming tour dates and new release info.
Don McLean Returns! – Songwriting Legend
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Don McLean Returns.
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know even more about Don McLean. You know this legendary singer songwriter as the artist behind some of the most iconic songs of Americana music. In this episode, we chat about his new children’s book ‘Vincent: Starry children’s Night’. This is the second children’s book based on one of his classic songs. The first one was titled ‘American Pie, The Fable By Don McLean’. There will be five books in total, so 3 more to come! The books are written by Judith A. Profer, illustrated by Yoko Matsuoka, and released by Meteor 17 Books. In this episode, we also discuss his newest studio album called ‘American Boys’. The album came out earlier this year, and as Don tells it; this may be his last studio record. He explains why, and we do a bit of a dive into a couple of the songs on this record, plus he lets me play the title track! I ask Don what he is listening to these days, his thoughts on the current state of songwriting, and he fills us in on some upcoming projects. Make sure you check out these children’s books, and Don’s new record American Boys. Also, for more information about upcoming projects and tour dates; go to DonMcLean.com
Jeff Smith – Hickoids, Flagship Records, The Corn Pound, SausTex Records
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Jeff Smith
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Jeff Smith. Jeff is an icon in the local south Texas music scene. I caught up with Jeff in San Antonio, at his multi-use arts facility called The Corn Pound. In this episode, we get to know Jeff, and how he got into music. From his brother’s involvement with The Krayolas, to his friendship with filmmaker Richard Linklater, we go everywhere in this episode. Jeff tells me about: Flagship Records, the Jett Bass Studio, High Voltage Music Program, Tex Pop In Exile Music Archive, and SausTex Records… all housed at The Corn Pound. We discuss some of the musical acts Jeff has worked with at SausTex including Pinata Protest, and DiNOLA. Then we get into how Jeff came to be part of Richard Linklater’s Woodshock documentary short film, and why Jeff’s scenes were cut from Linklater’s early film Slacker. Jeff and I chat about how streaming services like Spotify have essentially gutted the already small income streams for the smaller, independent artists. Plus we talk about a recent collaboration between SausTex Records and Cacophony Clan Records on a super cool album to support some charities. Naturally Jeff and I talk about his band Hickoids, which has been around for decades, and he even lets me play one of their more recent songs! If you are even in or around San Antonio, you MUST check out The Corn Pound… and tell ’em you heard about them on Fascination Street Podcast.
Special thanks to Peter Illing at Cacophony Clan Records for putting this together.
Spencer Garrett – Actor (Literally Everything)
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Spencer Garrett
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Spencer Garrett. In this episode, I get to know the actor and how he got to where he is. We chat about his family, and what made him decide to get into show business. We trade Hollywood stories; although he has many, MANY more! We take a little detour, when Spencer tells me what he was doing between college and acting; while working in Washington D.C. Next we Talk about how and why he studied with Sanford (Sandy) Meisner, and how Spencer came to be in several of Emilio Estevez’s film projects. From behind the scenes on some of the greatest films ever made, to some fun down time with Mike Nichols, and Dustin Hoffman; Spencer is full of stories. I ask Spencer about his involvement in the super popular scripted fiction podcast called America 2.0, and he hints there may be more on the horizon. That leads into an unbelievable story about a group of character actors who meet every month for dinner and have a BLAST together. The CADS, is a group of like-minded actors including: Michael McKean, Lawrence Fishburne, Steven Weber, Titus Welliver, Kevin Pollak, Richard Kind, and so many more! I want to attend this dinner just once!!. Make sure you check out Spencer in the upcoming Korean spy thriller on Disney+ called Tempest (2025), and tell him you heard him on Fascination Street Podcast!
Corinne Britti – Actress (Saturday Night)
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Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Corinne Britti. Corinne is a comedian and an actress. Her recent projects include: For Sale, Condor’s Nest, Take Care of Emily, and Saturday Night. In this episode, we chat about what made her want to be an actress, and why she felt NYU Tisch was the place to go. We discuss some of the things that you DON’T learn in acting school, and some of the things she learned at the Stone Street Conservatory. Corinne shares funny audition stories, and even a story about why there were bodies strewn all over her apartment during Covid! I ask her about the live comedy show / therapy session she co-created, and whether she plans to bring it back. She shares how she came to work on an ICE T music video, and we talk about some of her previous projects, and some of the weird ways that filmmakers find their talent. Naturally we touch on her new film SATURDAY NIGHT; which is in theaters NOW. In this film, Corinne plays real life comedian Valri Bromfield; and the film covers the back stage events in the hour or so leading up to the LIVE pilot of Saturday Night Live. Since this film is directed and co-written by Jason Reitman, naturally I ask what it was like to work with him, and I ask if she would ever work with him again. Her answer may surprise you….. but probably not!
GO SEE SATURDAY NIGHT!!
A.J. Lambert -Singer / Songwriter / Filmmaker (The Junction)
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A.J. Lambert
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know A.J Lambert. AJ is a singer, a songwriter, and now a filmmaker. In this episode, we chat about her new short film THE JUNCTION. We discuss why she wrote it, why she made it, and why she decided to make it a short film. She also shares where it can be seen, and what she hopes to gain from this project. AJ is also the daughter of Hugh Lambert and Nancy Sinatra, as well as the grand daighter of Frank Sinatra. We talk about her Siruis XM show caleld Seriously Sinatra, and how that came about, plus, i ask her if there are “gate keepers” in the music business. Naturally we talk about her family; but she also discusses losing her father at a very young age, and some of the things she missed out on; as well as some of the ways that affected her. I ask AJ about her music, and she even lets me play one of her songs! Look for AJ everywhere that you listen to music, and wherever you see short films.
Justin McKenzie – Founder of Das Greenhaus (Incubator)
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Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Justin McKenzie. Justin is the founder of Das Greenhaus, a business incubator located in Boerne, Texas. In this episode, we discuss his growing up in south Texas, Europe, and the Midwest United States. We chat about his firsthand accounts of transitioning entire production facilities from the Midwest US to Mexico; and what it did to each of those local economies. Justin has a passion for economic development and helping businesses get started. This is why he created Das Greenhaus, as well as the Boerne Kendall County Angel Network. We discuss a little about what each of those things are, and why these projects are so important to him. Along the way, we discuss NAFTA, ARPA, innovation, and the importance of leadership at the local level. Finally, we discuss Justin’s podcast called The Building Texas Show, and why he decided to bring this show to life. You can follow him and his show, just about everywhere, including the video episodes on You Tube.
John Pirruccello Returns Again!
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John Pirruccello Returns Again!
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know even more about John Pirruccello. In John’s 3rd appearance on the show, we discuss The Mandela Effect; and some of the instances where it haunts John. Then we talk about the British playwright Patrick Marber, and some of his projects. John will be working with Partrick soon, and I pepper him with questions about it. Naturally, we talk about some of John’s previous projects like: She Hulk & Twin Peaks, and john shares some behind the scenes stories involving David Lynch & David Mamet. We chat about Comicon and his experience there, and then I ask John questions about his life, some of his past experiences, and people from his past. He shares a story of trying to get in the movie The Godfather 3, and the time he spent with Father Guido Sarducci. Then we jump into some of his upcoming work. Season 3 of The Lincoln Lawyer comes out this week! John plays a prosecutor in most of the new season. He talks about playing ping pong on the set with the lead actor from the show, We do talk a bit about John’s time on Mayans MC, and what a fun show that was to work on. Finally, we discuss John’s role in The Sex Lives of College Girls, and his upcoming debut on The Simpsons! John and I close out the show talking about The Olympics, and the break dancing kerfuffle.
Willa Rudolph – Singer (November Girl)
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Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Willa Rudolph. Willa is a music publicist, visual artist, and the singer / songwriter of the Grunge Rock band November Girl. In this episode, we chat about growing up in New York and Los Angeles, and being around a family of musicians. Then we turn to what led to Willa becoming a publicist, and then making the switch to become a music publicist in particular. We discuss how she gained the confidence to front a band, and the hilarious way she found the other members of November Girl, We chat about the New York music scene and I find out what the hell “Shoe Gaze” music is. Naturally we talk about The Great American Mud Wrestling Show, and what that is, and whether or not we are still in a singles world; where bands don’t feel the need to release albums. Of course Willa and I talk about November Girl’s new EP called Heart Prayer, and she lets me play one of the tracks from it.