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
Evan Woodward Esq. – Lawyer / Musician (Kash Mojo)
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Evan Woodward Esq
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Evan Woodward. Evan is an attorney who practices personal injury & family law in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is also a musician under the name Kash Mojo. In this episode, we go on a journey to find out why Evan decided to become a lawyer, and why he chose to practice in New Mexico. Along the way, we discuss journalism, his stint working for NPR (National Public Radio), and some of his law influences. Then we get into his musical side. I ask him why he chose the stage name of Kash Mojo, and what it means. Then we chat about his musical style and dub it “Ghost Rock”; which is a genre we both just made up! We talk about his musical influences, including Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous, and Evan even lets me play his new cover of ‘Cow’ by Sparklehorse. Look for Kash Mojo’s new album ‘Buried or Replaced’ to drop midway through 2024. Finally, we end the show talking about how he got into listening to podcasts, and what some of his favorites are. Special shout out to Vincent from Gone Cold Podcast for connecting me with Evan. Thanks Vincent, I appreciate you, buddy.
Raffaello Degruttola Returns! – Filmmaker (To Love A Narcissist)
[Powerpress]
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as l get to know even more about Raffaello Degruttola, in this RETURN visit! Raffaello was last on the show in June of 2019. This time, we don’t do the ‘get to know you’ thing; so go back and check that out.
In this episode, we catch up on how Raff spent his Covid lockdown, and how well his previous film performed. It’s called Transference, and it did gangbusters on YouTube.
I ask him about one of his early projects called “The Other Side of My Sleep, as well as a television series he is working on.
We also discuss his new film project called ‘To Love a Narcissist’, and stars Lindsay Marshall alongside him, and others. Toward the end, we chat about the disposable nature of the current culture, and how we can learn to focus on the things that are important to us.
Of course, we touch on an upcoming film he is acting in, where he got to work with the great David Bautista called ‘The Killer’s Game’s and a Netflix movie called ‘Scoop’ that when worked on too!
Stay tuned for ‘To Love a Narcissist’ to come out midway through the year, and check out Controvento Films for other great independent projects!
J. Logan Austin – President & COO (Crazy Ant Media)
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J. Logan Austin
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know J. Logan Austin. In this episode, we chat about why Logan, and his partner Dustin created Crazy Ant Farm Media, and what they hope to accomplish with this production company. We also talk about film & television, being a storyteller, and his two podcasts. His first podcast is called ‘Inside The Crazy Ant Farm’, and it deals with entertainment news, rumors, stories, and general fun in and around show business. The second podcast is called ‘Everything’s Okay’, and it deals with anxiety, depression, loneliness, and overall mental health. We briefly touch on Logan’s upcoming wedding, and a bizarre and petty feud between Martin Scorsese and the rest of Hollywood. Logan tells me more about Crazy Ant Farm Media’s pending projects, including: an hour-long comedy, a short film, a feature film, and even a half hour animated comedy. This guy is BUSY! For some reason, Logan starts to interview me about halfway through; but what matters is that you should check out his two podcasts, and the cool stuff on their You Tube channel.
Chris Larsen – Senior Director of Clean Energy (Dynapower)
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Chris Larson
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as l get to know Chris Larson. Chris has a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from NC State and a degree in Economics with high honors from Princeton. He is Senior Director of clean Energy at Dynapower; a leading developer and manufacturer of grid scale power electronics solutions and power conveters, and recently celebrated its 60th year in 2023. In this episode we get to know why Chris decided to get into the clean energy space, what exactly Dynapower does, and why it’s important work. We get into everything from: very large, and very small micro grids, to full scale battery solutions, to developing & harnessing hydrogen energy, and even electric car chargers built into the roads. We even discuss why clean, or green energy is so politicized. This is a wildly fascinating conversation, where we end with a story about Chris being a cotton smuggler! Enjoy my conversation with one of the smartest people out there!
Bill Wiese – Author (23 Minutes in Hell)
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Bill Wiese
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know New York Times Best Selling author Bill Wiese. On November 23rd, 1998, at 3 am; Bill went to hell. Several years later, he wrote a book about his experience there. In this episode, we chat about a crazy shark attack he survived (unscathed) in Florida as a young man, and how it affected his relationship with surfing. Then we jump right into his out of body experience, trip to hell. He describes in great detail what the trip was like both getting there and getting back. Bill also shares his very detailed account of the sorts of torture that he experienced while there. During this episode, he does share some lighthearted and fun stories, and what he feels his mission is after this experience. I ask him why he thinks he was chosen for this, as well as some tips on how to steer clear of that place. This is the most religious heavy episode ever to be released on Fascination Street. I am not a super religious guy, but when I ran across Bill’s story, I had to know more. Bill also has a weekly podcast called ’23 Minutes in Hell’, as well as Bill Wiese TV on You Tube. Get the book, check out his podcast, and see if any of this sparks a change, or an inspiration to do so.
Merry Christmas!
James DuMont Returns Again!
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James DuMont Returns Again!
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know EVEN MORE about James DuMont! In this episode, we chat about the SAG – Aftra strike, his creative solution to ending pay inequity in the film & television industry, and various projects of his. We dive into HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones, and what makes him love to go to work on that show, and the massive respect he has for Danny McBride, and how the show is run. Then we take a slight detour to talk about our mutual friend, and previous guest Joe Lafferty. James shares fun stories of working with; and being friends with Nick Offerman, Danny Pino, and Michael Chiklis, before we jump into his experiences working with Tracee Ellis Ross, and Reggie Hudlin, on the Eddie Murphy led, Amazon Prime film Candy Cane Lane. This is the number one film on Amazon Prime WORLDWIDE! Lastly, James gives us some hints about working with Don Johnson on the upcoming film Unit 234.
Emily Whitehurst – Singer / Songwriter (Survival Guide / Tsunami Bomb)
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Emily Whitehurst
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street, as I get to know Emily Whitehurst. Emily first gained recognition in the pop punk bands Generic Asphalt, and Plinky; before gaining world wide acclaim as the front woman for Tsunami Bomb, and later The Action Design. In this episode, we chat about her getting into music at a very young age, how she came to be involved in each of those bands, and some stories from the road. She also explains what it was like to play a ridiculous number of Van’s Warped Tour shows. We also touch on why she moved to San Antonio, Texas, and how that opened the door for her to have her very first Christmas tree as an adult! Then we get into her newest band, Survival Guide, and her new album Death Dreams. I love this album; so we talk about a good bit of it. She explains why she used some household items as instruments on some songs, which songs are actually about death dreams, and she lets me play my favorite track from the album. Plus, she talks about teaming up with a San Antonio country band, to play some shows, and release a song together! Check out Death Dreams, available everywhere, and follow her to see where she tours next!
Makenzie Phipps Returns! – Singer / Songwriter (Life Gives You Love)
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Makenzie Phipps Returns!
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know even more about Makenzie Phipps. This is a return episode, so we don’t start from the beginning of her story. If you missed it, go back and check out her first appearance on the show (7/3/23). Makenzie is a country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her music has been featured on Country Rebel, as well as television, radio, and all of the streaming platforms. In this episode, we chat about what Makenzie has been up to since we last spoke. We discuss her move to Nashville, the passing of Loretta Lynn, meeting and working with Rhonda Vincent, and various charities that she works with. We then go on to talk about the difference between her country songs, and her gospel hymns, plus some fun stories about her and her writing / music partner Shane Bagley. Finally, we chat about her recent Alice Rising Star Award, he children’s charity Amp Up For Kids, and her new singles. While ‘You Bring The Beer (I’ll Bring The Noise)’ is climbing the charts, Makenzie released an even newer single called ‘Life Gives You Love’; which she graciously allows me to play in this episode! Don’t miss her Christmas tune ‘Christmas Snow’, and catch her debuting songs left and right on RFD-TV, and stay tuned for 2024 tour dates across the country.
D. Elliot Woods – Actor (Everything) / Author (Rise of the Unicorn)
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D. Elliot Woods
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know D. Elliot Woods. Elliot is an actor, and author. In this episode, we chat about how he got into acting, and some of the super talented people that have helped him along the way. For starters, his babysitter was a man who went on to be one of the most celebrated actors of all time! One of his college professors, is one of the most highly regarded, and respected actresses of all time! Even his cell phone number used to belong to a time traveling super star. We discuss some of his projects, including Friends, and Star Trek. Elliot tells me about the differences between working on Friends one week, and Star Trek the next. He shares fun stories from the set, working with: Patrick Stewart, Michael Dorn, and Jonathan Frakes. Of course, I ask him to tell the story of how “The D. Elliot Woods Rule” came to be, and how he set the bat for Wal Mart commercials. Finally, we dive into his new novel: Rise of the Unicorn. This book is a fantastic suspense thriller. It is action packed, with great storytelling, and even an underlying message of morality, and justice. The audiobook is available EXCLUSIVELY through Audible; but the dead tree version is available everywhere. We do touch a little on his forthcoming novel: Eleven Minutes and Fourteen Seconds. Enjoy!
Chef Aaron McCargo Jr – The Next Food Network Star (Season 4 Winner)
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Chef Aaron McCargo Jr.
Take a walk with me down Fascination Street as I get to know Chef Aaron McCargo Jr.
Aaron was the winner of season 4 of The Next Food Network Star; a reality show competition on The Food Network. In this episode, we chat about what got Aaron into cooking in the first place, and what made him audition for this competition show. We also discuss how the show changed his life, and some of the behind the scenes secrets of his cooking show Dig Daddy’s House; which ran for several seasons on The Food Network. Aaron tells stories about growing up in Camden, NJ, and some of the crazy antics he got into with his sister’s Easy Bake Oven! Next we jump into Chef McCargo’s very own line of The Spice & The Sauce, what he created them for, and where you can get them. Don’t sleep on Aaron’s cookbook: Simply Done, Well Done. We briefly touch on why he partnered with Fresenius Health Care, & The Family Dollar. Finally, the Big Daddy himself, tries not to cry while he tells me all about his non-profit: Play To Win. Also, Chef Aaron tells me about the new food education and restaurant space he, and some partners are opening up in Camden.