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
Sophie Flack – Ballerina (NYC Ballet) / Author (Bunheads) / Jewelry Designer (Mad Fine)
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Sophie Flack
Take a walk me down Fascination Street Podcast, as I get to know Sophie Flack. I was first introduced to Sophie as a result of a conversation with previous guest Yul Vazquez. Sophie is a former member of The Corp De Ballet with The New York City Ballet. After she retired from that, she got a degree from Columbia University, and then wrote a best-selling Young Adult novel called Bunheads, which explores the intricacies and heartaches of the life of a professional ballerina. Sophie has written for multiple magazines and publications about her experiences and has helped shine a light on some of the ways that these dancers are treated. Fairly recently, Sophie started a jewelry company which focuses on pieces that help de-stigmatize mental health and eating disorders. Her company is called MAD FINE, and some of the pieces include ‘in the know’ references to: Zanex, Klonopin, Prozac, and the abortion pill. She has pieces that align with emotional baggage, and even silly trophies. All of these pieces are designed to bring these issues to light and for the wearer to engage in conversations with like-minded individuals. These pieces are stunning, and unique. My personal favorite is the mixed metals cassette tape! Sophie is very vulnerable in this conversation. She openly discusses her previous battles with anorexia, self-doubt, and thoughts of suicide. Check out her jewelry, read her book, heck, just reach out and tell her you enjoyed her candor.
Drew Arnott – Musician (Strange Advance)
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Drew Arnott
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Drew Arnott. In this episode, Drew and I chat about his growing up between Scottland and Canada, and why. Then we do a bit of a deep dive on the unique and rare instrument called The Mellotron. Drew shares some fun and nutty stories about his own Mellotron, and then we get into why he and Darryl Kromm started Strange Advance in the first place. Strange Advance signed a deal with Capitol Records and released TWO albums; having never played a single live show. Drew explains how that is even possible, and why that happened. The first THREE records released by Strange Advance sold GOLD in Canada, and then they stopped making music….. for 33 years. I ask Drew what the heck happened, and he gives me the deets. Strange Advance has released a new record. Thier fourth record, aptly titled ‘Strange Advance 4’ is out now, and is a banger! Drew graciously agrees to let me play ‘Flow My Tears’, my favorite track from the new album, and you will understand why that is my fave. Currently, you can catch Strange Advance playing in and around Canada, at various shows and events. Make sure you follow them on social media, specifically Facebook, and check out their website to find out when they will be playing a show near you.
Bård Ylvisåker – Norwegian Comedian & Musician (Ylvis)
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Bård Ylvisåker
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Bård Ylvisåker. Bård is one half of the Norwegian comedy & music duo “Ylvis”. In this episode, we chat about how growing up in Africa and abroad helped him and his brother (Vegard) develop their own sense of comedy. He shares stories of the brothers getting started and finding the way to their own unique sound and comedic voice. I also ask him about some of the variety television shows that him & Vegard participated in and developed. They hosted a radio show for several years on Norway; as well as several comedy television series in the region. Obviously, we talk about his experience on ‘Taskmaster’ (Kongen Befaler) as well as the show “I Kveld med Ylvis”. Then, in 2013, Ylvis rocketed to worldwide stardom with the smash comedy-pop hit song “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)”. This song became a global phenomenon, with over 1.2 BILLION views on YouTube. Bård explains what the song is about, and what the success of it did for him and his brother. He describes what it was like to tour the world, while having a brand-new baby, and how that kept him grounded. We also discuss a 7-episode comedy series made for Norwegian television called ‘Stories From Norway’. This series was based on true events where a group of Norwegian scientists launched a rocket carrying scientific equipment to study the Aurora Borealis. Due to an error in communication within Russia; officials there mistook it for a nuclear warhead headed toward Russia, launched by an American submarine off the coast of Norway. The story is absolutely insane, but true, The Ylvis television series made light of the event, while also spreading the knowledge that it was the closest we have come to an actual nuclear war on Earth. Hard to believe, but the songs from this project are hilarious! You can find those songs on Spotify and elsewhere; but the TV show itself, is nearly impossible to locate. So, if anyone has, or can find it…. SEND IT TO ME! Naturally, Bård lets me play ‘The Fox’, and another song by Ylvis that is also one of my favorites. Check them out at Ylvis.com and see what they are up to.
Matt Borlenghi – Actor (Cobra Kai / Can You Feel The Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story
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Matt Borlenghi
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know actor Matt Borlenghi. In this episode, we chat about growing up in Los Angeles and attending the famed Beverly Hills High School. Then we discuss his godfather Jerry Vale and Matt’s thoughts on nepotism in the industry. Jerry could have helped Matt along in his career, very early on, with an introduction to Martin Scorsese; but Matt turned him down. So, I dive deep on whether Matt has changed his mind about favors from friends and family. Next, we talk about how Matt’s best friend seemingly changed almost overnight, once the friend got famous. Matt was a breakout star on All My Children as Brian Bodine, after having delivered a well noticed performance on the cop drama Hunter. So naturally we cover his time on the soap opera, and how his leaving, led to Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos marrying and building their empire. Then I ask Matt why he has personally participated in over 50 autopsies in Las Vegas. That’s a wild story. Matt i part of the cast of the new film ‘Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story’; which is generating a lot og buzz about the iconic female musician. We close the episode by touching briefly on a few projects that Matt has been working on lately, and then focusing on the skateboard culture themes streetwear clothing line that he has come up with, and why he decided to move forward with it. Check out Matt in these and other projects and follow him on all the things!
Rich Manley Returns! – Illusionist / Adventurer (Culture Shock: Bridging Culture Through Magic)
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Rich Manley Returns!
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as I get to know even more about Rich Manley. This magician, illusionist, actor, and adventurer first appeared on the show 11-30-2020. This is where you find the story of his journey so far. In this episode, we chat about the upcoming SECOND season of his adventure show ‘Culture Shock: Bridging Culture Through Magic’, on TUBI TV. We also discuss being an illusionist, and some of his insane magic tricks. Then we talk about some of the adventures that he has had on his travels, including some of the weird stuff that he has been asked to eat in faraway lands! We do touch a tiny bit on a couple of his acting projects, where he worked with Barry Bostwick on one, and Michael Pare on another. We then get into his touring live show with Wiggle Room Entertainment, called ‘Diary of Magic’, and poke a bit of fun at his producer on that show. Finally, we talk about some of the cool things available on his website. One of which is that he has his own custom set of Bicycle brand playing cards! Pay special attention, because Rich and I have teamed up to give away FIVE decks of these exquisite sets! Follow him everywhere and make sure to tune into his adventures live and on TUBI.
Yul Vazquez – Painter / Photographer / Musician / Actor
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Yul Vazquez
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as I get to know Yul Vazquez. Born in Havana, Yul and all of the women in his family escaped Fidel Castro’s Cuba to make a new life in Miami Beach, Florida. In this episode, Yul and I chat about how difficult it was for his mother, and grandmother to relocate to a new country with two children: having no money, no job, and not speaking the language. He shares how impactful those women, that experience and those early times were in influencing his life moving forward. I bring up some of the thought processes behind Yul’s work as a painter, and as a photographer. We even discuss some specific pieces that I am madly in love with. Next. I pepper him with questions about his music career, where he was signed to TWO different major record labels, under TWO different bands; all before he even thought about becoming an actor. Also, I get him to tell me how he became such good friends with some of music’s most iconic players. Yul is great friends with so many of the folks that we all grew up listening to, including: Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, The Cult’s Ian Astbury, and Maynard James Keenan (Tool / Pucifer / Sessanta 2.0). Yul shares tales of how he came to be the guitarist for the bands Urgent & Diving For Pearls; before being told by a psychic that he would become a successful actor! We go all over the place in this interview. I question him about his member ship in a character actor dinner club that is comprised of about a dozen of his friends; some who are previous guests of my show are. I even get Yul to tell me what he got his wife for their 23rd wedding anniversary, which was about a week after we recorded this conversation. We talk about what made him and some other Latino actor friends start The LAByrinth Theater Company in New York. Finally, I ask all the questions I can about his work on Seinfeld, Magic City, and of course Severance. Yul is such an amazing talent in all areas. Check out his website YulZavquez.com for more insight into his painting and photography and catch Yul on just about every television show or film out there. (Side note, we do talk a bit about a baseball cap that he designed, that I think is slick, and stylish. For more information about that, you may need to hit him up on Instagram.)
James DuMont #4 – Actor (The Righteous Gemstones / Unit 234)
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James DuMont #4 Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I chat with actor James DuMont for the FOURTH time! James has been on every other year; 2019, 2021, 2023, and now 2025. Obviously, we don’t do the “how did you get from where you were to where you are” thing this time. Go back and check out his previous appearances for that. In this episode, we chat about the conclusion of HBO’s hit series The Righteous Gemstones. Season 4 was the final season and was released not long ago. James played Chad on 20 episodes of the series, and James’ real life son Kelton played Pontius Gemstone. James shares fun stories from the set, including some of the things he learned, some of the things he appreciated, and some of the things that he will miss from working with this amazing group of professionals. Next, we move onto a discussion about his new movie ‘Unit 234’, where he stared alongside the great Don Johnson. This was filmed during covid, and it is where James actually caught covid for the first time. So he explains what it was like to be ‘trapped’ in a 4-star hotel on the beach in The Cayman Islands. The DuMonts both recently made a change in management after 30 years, so I ask him all about why, and how it has been going since the change. Finally, we discuss James’ other job. For more than a decade, James has been teaching actors how to properly film and submit self-taped auditions. For over fifteen years, James has himself been booking auditions via self-taped submissions. As a matter of fact, James has book well over a million dollars in acting jobs from self-tapes. He has over 2500 students across many countries and continents, and he gives a couple of tips to the Streetwalkers! Make sure you check out his ‘On Camera Workouts’ Instagram page and reach out to him if you would like to participate.
Will Wesley and Florian Fox Recorded Live At Luckenbach
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Will Wesley and Florian Fox Live At Luckenbach.
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as I traveled 30 minutes from my house to Luckenbach, Texas to see previous guest of the show Will Wesley perform with his buddy Florian Fox. When Will was on the show last time, he mentioned that he & Florian would be playing Luckenbach a few months from then. So, true to his word, Will reached out to me as the date got nearer, and once again invited me to come see the show, and record another episode. This time, he introduced me to his good friend and tour mate, Florian Fox. Florian is a country singer all the way from Zurich, Switzerland! When Florian is in the U.S., he and Will tour together. When Will is in Switzerland, he and Florian tour together. What a great partnership! So my wife and I went to see them play together at The Thomas Michael Riley Music Festival, live at Luckenbach, Texas! My wife and I had never been there before, and this was one hell of a reason to go. In this episode, we get to know Florian, and how he was introduced to, and fell in love with country music. The two of them share the story of how they met, and why they instantly took a liking to each other. They share some tour stories, they explain why their different musical styles work well together, and they talk about some of the similarities in their music. Naturally, they wrote a song together, and they both graciously agree to let me play it! Both of these great country artists play across America, as well as across Switzerland and Europe. If you ever have the chance to see either, or both of them, DO IT! These gentlemen are a ton of fun to talk to and listen to! ******This episode was recorded LIVE at an outdoor music festival during a torrential rainstorm. I cleaned up the audio as good as I could, I hope you enjoy the episode!*****
Keaton Simons – Musician (Keaton Simons / Brett Young)
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Keaton Simons
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Keaton Simons. Keaton has been a Hollywood fixture in the music & film industry since he was a little kid. Keaton’s parents, and grandparents have been in the film & television business for decades. His grandfather was a screenwriter for some of the most decorated & loved films in history, and his parents have both starred in & written some of the most beloved projects in the business. Keaton started off singing and acting in projects as a small child and quickly fell in love with playing music. In this episode, Keaton and I chat about his early years and some of those early projects. We then transition into his diving into the music scene. I ask him about his moving to Nashville, and some of the projects he has worked on as a musician. Keaton has played with some of the biggest names in music, like: Snoop Dogg, Danny Elfman, Jason Mraz, Pharcyde, Darryl McDaniels, Chris Cornell, Gnarles Barkley, and is currently the lead guitarist for Brett Young. I ask him about each of these projects, and Keaton shares fun stories of working with these music icons. Keaton explains what a musical director is and how he has been able to translate artists’ musical ideas, into fully realized products. Naturally we talk about why some of the biggest musical stars of today are moving to Nashville, and what that city has to offer artists in the local the music scene. He even lets me play one of the songs he & Jason Mraz co-wrote! Keaton is currently on a world tour with country music showman Brett Young. If they are playing near you, you won’t want to miss them!
Lips Speak Louder – Rock Band
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Lips Speak Louder
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as I get to know Nashville based rock band Lips Speak Louder. In this episode, we get re-acquainted with previous guests Angela Lese and Rachel Brandsness. Each of these women had their own solo episode, where we got to know their back story. So we don’t do that in this one. Instead, we discuss how they met, why they decided to start a band together, and why it was deemed necessary to make it a duo. Having been previously associated with the bands: Flarelight, The Dead Deads, Taco Mouth, Fingernails Are Pretty, Jax Hollow, and The Raelyn Nelson Band, and Emily Wolfe; this ultra-talented pair has developed their own unique sound. Rachel explains how she had to tinker with pedals and amps to manage a low end, fuller sound coming from her guitar, and the research that went into it. They explain where the name of their band comes from, and how they got Emily Wolfe to produce the album; which was recorded at Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We do discuss their 10 track debut album ‘Consolation Prize’, and some of the tracks available on it. They even graciously let me play my favorite song from the new album! Make sure you follow them on the social medias, and check out their website for vinyl, merch, and tour dates. They will be supporting Emily Wolfe on June 14th at The Levitt Pavillion in Denver for Pride Night.