Wisconsin’s Cinematic Secrets Unveiled (Hour 1)

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Broadcasting live from the Civic Media Studios in Green Bay, this is Night Light with Pete Schwabach.

Your inside source on everything entertainment from Wisconsin to Hollywood.

A guy who travels so he can pretend he's on the lamb.

Pete Schwabba.

Welcome to Night Light, ladies and gentlemen.

I'm not pretending I'm on the lamb.

I actually am on the lamb.

And trying to sneak in a radio show before the, before John Q. Law catches up with me.

Welcome to Night Light, folks.

It's a Friday edition.

You made it through the week.

We are heading into the weekend here.

It's been a good week, a short week here on Night Light.

It was off on Monday.

But we're going to close it with a bang here.

We got a great show tonight.

And I hope you had a great day.

Whatever your day brought your way, it's great to have you here.

And let's chill out and charge into the weekend.

Conrad, how are you?

I'm doing great.

Yeah.

Doing

good?

Yeah.

I'm excited.

There's football tonight.

Yeah, Friday.

Rare Friday football.

The Chiefs play the Chargers in Brazil.

OK.

It starts at 715, I believe.

And then Sunday, I'm just super excited.

What's going on Sunday?

Three Stooges marathon on the comedy classics.

A little team called the Packers are playing.

Yeah.

What time do they play?

They play at 325 against the Detroit Lions.

And they're home, right?

Yes.

Are you going to be there?

No, not this game, but the week after, the Thursday game.

Against the commanders.

Yeah, I will be taken a night off to go to the Packer game.

It's just I don't know if that shows real commitment to your craft But

it's it's my second love, you know,

what's your first love?

Well

nightlight.

Well, I'm putting it right there out for you.

I'm putting it right there for you Nightlight with peach

wawa.

Okay.

Well, we could say that

We're gonna get a talking to when we go to a commercial

All right, how are the Packers expected to be this year?

It's kickoff on Sunday.

This is the Friday before the NFL season.

It's already started, but

it's really funny.

I've heard a lot of different things.

Before we got Micah Parsons, they're like, this defense sucks.

No, we're not going anywhere.

We get Micah Parsons, and it

magically fixes every single depth of issue that we have.

So it is weird.

I think we're gonna be I think we're gonna be in the playoffs.

I don't know if it's a Super Bowl team just yet But we're I think we're gonna be in the playoffs this year.

I have two thoughts on this

and You know as a bear fan, I will say That I was not expecting much out of the Packers this year, but now I don't think Parsons is enough to get you to the Super Bowl Yeah, but I think he could be enough to win the division or like you say make the playoffs a lot of it still

Hinges on

Jordan Love.

We have a lot of depth issues in our secondary.

So I'm a little scared about that.

Okay.

But other than that, yeah, Jordan Love needs to play, you know, I mean, last year he was injured.

So I'll give him that, you know, he didn't play his best, but he was injured this year.

I hope to see a big step,

you know,

because this is all say, okay, you know, Brett Favre, 27 traded for a huge defensive player.

I've heard this.

Aaron Rodgers, 27.

Is that when they got Charles Woodson?

Yep.

Charles loves Charles Woodson.

And, uh, well, you know, Jordan loves turning, uh,

27.

He's 26, though, now.

But, and I, I believe, yeah.

No, November, he'll turn, uh, 27.

Just saying.

If I was going to play lawyer ball with you, I'd say he's 26.

Yeah, he's

closer to 27 than you is 26, though.

I object, your honor.

Uh, yeah, that is kind of weird.

You know,

Oh,

that worked

out.

It's funny.

I don't know if you ever heard of Big Cat.

Oh, sure.

On Barstool?

Yeah.

You know, he's a Bears fan.

He's the exact same when it comes to me with teams, because I go to Wisconsin College or my teams in Chicago.

Yeah, exactly.

Well, today, he said something.

He said, the Packers are the best team in the NFL, and it's not even close.

He said that, and he's a Bears fan, which I was like, hmm, all right.

I mean, I've never heard him.

say that about Packers, you know?

I

mean, who knows?

We'll see if he's right, but that is a bold... Based on what we know now and how they played last year, I wouldn't say that.

I would say, yeah, who knows though?

Yeah, I'm super excited for the season.

It all starts this Sunday.

I'm excited.

I am to do you watch every game like like let's say let's say the Packers are done There's another game on after they played it noon.

Do you watch the next game to and Sunday night football?

I'll tell you this I'm really sad right now because red zone is Wasn't you know my go-to?

Yeah, and so now they have ads

right

so now instead of Scott Hansen saying seven hours commercial free football.

He says seven hours of football Doesn't hit the same.

I can't I can't do it.

I watch my team

I even get antsy during that.

The commercial breaks are brutal.

It's a 60 minutes of football and it's three and a half hours.

And another team forget it.

I'll kind of keep my eye on the game that's on.

And if it's close, I'll watch like the last half of the fourth quarter.

But I can't sit there and watch, you know, an entire game.

Unless it's two great teams.

Okay.

I love football.

I'll watch a terrible game go on.

And I'll still love it.

It's just, it will also, I'm in like eight different fantasy leagues.

So.

That's insane.

I've trial.

I'm in one this year.

I guarantee I'll be the guy that doesn't change his roster on the by

weeks.

I'm in a redraft league.

What does that mean?

So it's

you redraft your whole team every year.

Okay.

And then I'm in a dynasty, which is you draft once, which we drafted in 2020.

And I still the same team from 2020, but we get draft picks.

Everything like that.

Oh, wow.

That's like

and then a keeper is where you keep three players and then it's another it's a draft still

You've already lost me like that's how that's why I can't be in that league.

Yeah, you know,

it's did they do a civic media one this year?

Yes, I'm in it How do I not get that email?

I

don't

know you just rocker tick I think I ticked rocker off a couple years ago because I didn't update my roster a couple times He goes hey, I just want to let you know you're in the you're in the big league one here.

Yeah, there was an introductory level

Fantasy League at Civic Media a couple of years ago, and I said, no, I know football.

I don't even think I looked at my roster.

You know, it was an auto draft league, so you didn't

get to

make a pick, but I still got second one, so I was happy.

All right, so there you go, folks.

Good luck to your Packers.

We'll see what happens this year.

I don't, there's just too many variables.

Like the NFC North, like I think there are question marks about the Packers.

I think there are question marks about the Lions.

They both coordinators are gone.

They lost players.

Minnesota's got a new quarterback who hasn't, I don't even think he's taken a snap in the NFL yet.

He tore his ACL in a pre-season game last year.

Pre-season game, right.

So Sam Darnall took over and look, I mean, he was fantastic last

year.

Sent

him packing.

Yeah.

I mean, he wanted big bucks.

And then you got the Bears, who knows?

I mean, I love Ben Johnson.

He should.

That clown, Matt Eberfluss, cost them four wins with his stupid clock management.

Yeah, he was bad.

He had a bad team and still, like if the Bears win three of those, they got a winning record with that moron.

So I gotta feel like the Bears are gonna have a winning record, but that's a variable too.

I don't know.

Well, you know, something's unproven.

You just don't know.

Good luck to your Bears.

I hope they suck, but you know.

How do

I turn your mic off?

So I was on Twitter today.

I can't stand this.

Twitter is such a cesspool.

And I'm on it because of this show.

And we have Twitter, we have viewers often on X, whatever you want to call it, but these people, I don't know where they come from, but somebody commented on something somebody else said, and it was like a reasonably intelligent comment this person made.

And one of the comments said, yeah, well, I think you are retarded.

First of all, kind of not a cool word anymore, but they spelled it R-E-T-A-R-T-E-D.

Retarded, like you're making it tart and you had to remake it or something.

What do you, like my first inclination is I want to tear into that guy.

He doesn't know how to spell.

He doesn't know how to, like 10 years ago I would have.

I've learned my lesson.

I just don't get into it with people.

You don't even know who you're arguing with.

He could be a complete idiot or she or whatever.

But man, I got my day off to a bad start.

You're boiling.

Just bothered me that that guy's allowed to have an account of any kind.

Credit card, Twitter, driver's license.

Yeah, I don't know.

It's awful.

Even spell check doesn't spell check it because it knows, like, you should say this.

Spell check just

to say, hey, come on, man.

Have a little class with me.

Yeah, right.

It's like, you can say it if you want, but why?

Keanu Reeves turned 61 this year.

Yeah, this year.

It was his birthday this week.

And our... Oh, I should probably get to the question.

I was gonna say... I almost like buried the lead there.

All right, let's go to our nightlight question of the night.

Let's talk about the question.

Okay, question.

Question.

Question.

Pregunta.

Question.

Question.

Okay, I have a question.

Questions.

This question.

Domanda.

Question.

Questions.

That's right, folks.

Neo is 61 this week.

What is your favorite Keanu Reeves movie?

He's one of those guys.

He's got a track record.

He's done so many movies He's not Tom Cruise or Harrison Ford.

He's got some clunkers Quite a few he's also got some great movies for every lake house he did he did a Matrix or a John Wick so I'm gonna say I thought about this a little bit.

I'm still actually perusing a list as I talk because

I don't wanna commit to her.

I'm gonna say Bill and Ted's, I've got a three way tie for first.

I know that's push league, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

Because Keanu Reeves is supposed to be a great guy.

And by all accounts, everybody who talks about this guy says he's like, just like a badass when it comes to being a good person.

He gives money away like crazy.

He rides the subway in New York and talks to people and gives up his seat

Crazy into martial arts.

I think I can still take him.

And he's not a bad actor.

I always used to think he did that voice.

He was hard to watch, but he's just got his own way.

And I really like the guy.

He's one of those guys that is just, he's a grinder.

If you can call an A-list movie star who's made billions of dollars a grinder, I think that's what he is.

So I'll say point break, speed.

I don't think speed holds up necessarily, but I loved it at the time.

and Bill and Tets.

I got a three-way tie.

What about you?

You know, just as we're saying this, and this is my pick too, the 414, no name, but said knock, knock.

And that is my favorite Keanu Reeves movie.

I don't even know that movie.

What is that?

It is fantastic.

Knock, knock.

It's kind of like a horror, it's kind of, it's thriller, I would say.

Huh?

He plays kind of like a suburban kind of dad, you know.

And he gets these two people that knock on the door.

These two girls.

And he's like, well, they need a place to stay.

So he lets them in.

And well, it breaks loose after that.

OK.

They're young girls?

Yeah.

Well, they're like kids.

No, they're like, I'd say like 20s somewhere on there.

OK.

And well, they

want

something from them.

We'll look that

up.

All right.

That's good.

So Conrad says knock, knock.

He reads with our texture.

I have a three-way tie.

I know that's kind of lame.

Bill and Ted's.

My favorite my favorite line in the entire movie Bill and Ted's is when the dad they see the dad with his young girlfriend closing Those bill or Ted's bedroom door.

He's dude your dad's gonna go for it in your room

You know, it's such a good movie and I don't know if the the latest one did the first, you know justice But it was still funny the the latest one.

Yeah

And speed and a point break counter.

It says knock knock.

What is your favorite Keanu Reeves movie?

Let us know at 855-752-4842-855-75 Civic.

You can drop us a stream comment if you're watching the radio on YouTube X or Facebook.

Give us a like or a follow if you don't mind.

And you can also listen on the app when I come back after this very short break.

I'm going to tell you who our really cool guests are tonight.

You probably guessed one, as it's a Barbie on Friday night, but I will tell you the other guest who is right around the corner and a really cool dude.

And he is our latest entrant in our Window Nightlight Window Love category.

So that's all coming up next.

This is Pete Schwabba in Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio

Network.

You're listening to Civic Media.

Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.

Visit civicmedia.us slash email to get started.

It's a Friday night, folks.

You made it.

The NFL starts this weekend.

I know that's a big deal to some people.

I always enjoy Sundays in the fall.

Who do the Badgers play tomorrow?

You know, I don't even.

After that first game,

I was so unenthusied.

Yeah, I lost

interest in the Badgers, to

be honest.

Our question of the night, folks, is it's Keanu Reeves.

Well, he turned 61 this week, earlier in the week.

What is your favorite Keanu Reeves movie?

And we're starting to get some new texts in here.

But knock, knock, I've never heard of that.

So I'm gonna check that out.

But I think, well, let's introduce our guests because we have a great show tonight.

It is a Bar Band Friday night, ladies and gentlemen.

That means Terry Barr from Max Inc Radio on WMDX.

She is our Wisconsin music expert.

She's a contributor to New Wisco Weekend.

She does a great job for the entire Civic Media Company.

And she's great.

She'll be here with new music at 735.

I listen to the songs she has.

They are outstanding.

And then in just a few minutes, our pal Danny Wills is here, Conrad.

I don't know if

you knew that.

Daniel Wheeler will be on the show.

He is one of our most consistent textures.

Love reading his texts.

And he's been on the show before.

He's a filmmaker and an actor and an artist.

And he's got a couple new projects he's gonna talk to us about.

And how's this for a title?

Daniel needs to leave.

You know, he's at a party and the movie's called Daniel needs to leave it.

He's Daniel.

I saw the little trailer.

It looks awesome.

I

didn't see the trailer.

Where's the trailer?

I think he posted it on Facebook.

Oh, really?

Yeah.

I don't really do Facebook.

So Daniel will be here at 6.35.

He's always fun to talk to.

We got to do a text.

We got to get to this text from last night because our pal Bud touched base with us during the rebroadcast between 4 and 6 a.m.

when Bud is out doing whatever Bud, what if Bud's like a criminal or something?

He's out.

What if he's

ripping people off?

Assassin.

Could be.

That would be a whole different kind of window picture with, oh, I should have taken a picture of that guy that just walked by.

From the 608, this is Bud from Jamesville.

He says, hey, Pete and Conrad, loved your make out talk.

Hold on a second.

That was my make out talk.

I was not talking about making out.

We were not talking about that.

That was my weird, awkward moment when you open your eyes.

What is the most awkward thing or time to make eye contact?

I said when you're making out.

So that's what Bud is referencing.

For those of you that weren't here last night, he says, should be a regular segment.

Makeout talk?

What's new in makeout

news this week?

Is there a new technique we don't

know?

There is about like eight articles a week that's like, oh, look at who this actor kissed her.

Yeah, but they don't really give you pointers or anything.

Yeah, I could use a refresher course.

I mean you could go on Google and just type in how to kiss.

Yeah, I'm sure.

WikiHow.

Get some really, uh... WikiHow.

That's great.

WikiHow sounds so...

Strange.

In response to your question, when you're at a stoplight and you glance over and catch the driver knuckle deep in his nose, if I get caught doing in nostril maintenance, I make like I'm putting the debris in my mouth and start chewing.

I'm about to vomit.

I literally just ate before the show.

He says, put the debris in my mouth and start chewing followed by an exaggerated swallow.

Love your show.

But I usually love your texts.

That one, I don't know.

Here's

the problem, I think we haven't heard from Bud in a while and he's a little rusty.

So let's keep your fingers out of your nose.

He says, PS, are you two going to be at the listener party this Saturday?

Is there a nightlight listener party?

Seems like something I should probably be invited to.

What if you planned the whole thing?

I just didn't invite you.

Where's Pete?

Oh, you didn't hear about it.

Great text.

Thank you, Bud.

As always, so much fun.

It is, we got a couple of birthdays.

So I mentioned Keanu Reeves.

It's Michael Keaton's birthday today, Bob Newhart's birthday today.

Or no, I'm sorry.

Yes, it is his birthday, but Bob Newhart passed away a couple of years ago.

But our question of the night is, what is your favorite Keanu Reeves movie?

I love Keanu Reeves.

He is totally just like, and I was weirded out by Tom Cruise about 20 years ago.

And then I just like, this guy's so great, you can't help but love his work.

Same thing with Keanu Reeves.

And they both seem like good guys, but Keanu Reeves off screen,

You just never hear a bad word about the guy when people capture him on social media He's always doing something cool.

He's donated millions and millions of dollars to charity Just a good dude Amanda Nimmer on the stream says Keanu is one of the most precious men in Hollywood Wow, that's interesting.

That's a great great phraseology man.

I love that.

Thank you

Dave on the stream says Bill and Ted's excellent adventure speed matrix and central Tennessee State University.

Is that the

replacements?

What is actually I'm not I thought he's talking about um,

it's not Bobby Boucher

Middle, Tennessee is who the Badgers are playing tomorrow with

3 p.m.

Middle central using the ballpark.

Yeah, good choices to with the movies Dave I like the matrix a lot.

I don't know that it holds up 100% though

you This is gonna

Sound crazy to you, probably.

I've never seen the Matrix.

Check it out.

All right, here, speaking of that, let's go to that Keanu Reeves clip I sent you today.

It's about 45 seconds long.

This is Keanu Reeves talking to, do you have it?

Oh, you don't have that clip?

Okay.

Well, it would have been great, folks, if I could paraphrase it, but I won't do that.

So let's read some more texts.

From the 414.

That's our knock-knock suggestion, Keanu Reeves movie.

He says seduced by two young women while his wife was away, not his usual typecast.

Yep, that's true.

He says, and then 401-4 says, Anna DeHarmes.

That's

who?

It's the new John Wick.

She's one of the girls?

Yes, and

that's funny that I actually didn't think about that.

She's now kind

of the new star.

She's the new, yeah, Ballerina.

Yeah.

John from Addison says speed or point break?

Melissa, John's old lady, as John calls her, I don't call her that.

Melissa says, point break and the first speed movie.

Tyler from Wisconsin Rapids, he's in the 608 says, the river's edge, great movie, Tyler.

I kind of forgot about that until right before the show and I remember liking it.

I just don't remember enough about it to make that my movie, but Tyler also says the replacements and threw a glass darkly.

I've never seen that one.

Keep those texts coming, folks.

Keanu Reeves has a great body of work.

Let us know your favorite Keanu Reeves movie.

We're going to do a quick break here for news.

Civic Media's news team is going to keep you informed.

I was just going to pitch something, but I'm not sure about that either.

So I'm just going to sit here in awkward silence until we go to the news.

All right, Daniel Wheeler is coming up next, folks.

We're going to hear about his new movie, Daniel Needs to Leave, The Speechwab and Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Welcome back.

This is Nightlight.

I am Pete Schwabba.

I hope everyone had a wonderful news break.

Our question of the night is what is your favorite Keanu Reeves movie?

He turned 61 this week.

I never would have guessed he was 61, but he's got a great body of work.

Like I said, he's not, he's made a few clunkers, but he's had some incredible franchises too.

And he's a good actor.

He's just stuck with that stigma of that kind of like surfer voice.

But it's work for him.

All right, my first guest folks, this is exciting.

He's been on the show before.

He's a very talented local artist, filmmaker, and now actor.

Have you acted before Daniel, before this new film?

I did, yeah.

So I acted in The Last Witch in Wisconsin.

And then I did, like 15 years ago, I did some shorts for Funny

or Die,

where I was playing a Bigfoot Hunter.

We're gonna talk about Bigfoot, too.

You got all kinds of stuff I need to talk to you about tonight.

But that is the voice of my first guest, Daniel Wheeler, who, if you're on Facebook, check out his nightlight window-love photo he left us.

It's very, very interesting.

And hey, hand me that picture, will you?

This is a cool thing.

Daniel did this.

He's an artist.

And...

as well as an actor and a filmmaker.

And he made this for Nightlight.

This is a picture of, if you're watching on the stream, you can see this is a picture of me and Conrad.

And it's pretty darn, pretty, I mean, you can tell who's who and you could have dropped 10 pounds for me in the picture, Daniel.

It killed you to make us a little thinner, but- I took out 50% of wrinkles, so I'm giving you that.

All right, this is fantastic.

Thank you very much.

It says

Nightlight with Peach Wobbin.

It's a picture of me and Conrad.

So very, very cool stuff.

I don't know where I'm gonna put this.

I've got, you have like a wallet home, you put all your pictures up, or you just kind of scatter them through the

house?

Well, my wife is an artist too, so

we have,

yeah, I mean, we just have stuff that is behind doors and in closets, behind winter boots, yeah, it's almost, yeah, there's just not enough room to put everything, you know.

What

kind

of artist, what kind of

artist your wife do?

She's a painter, yeah, she got her masters in,

painting from Indiana University.

We met

in our class back in high school at Nina.

Really?

Yeah.

So we've been together ever since.

So you are truly a Northeast Wisconsin kid.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

That's exciting.

High school sweethearts.

Oh

yeah.

Yeah.

Do you guys, how does that work?

Like I feel like, you know, do you critique each other's art?

Do you get temperamental?

Is there ever a vicious exchange based on creativity?

No, I mean, she's, you know, one of the producers that

works with me on the films and everything.

So yeah, I value her eye very much.

And no, we've always, you know, respect is such a foundation of our relationship that, you know, if back in college, if I did a painting and I know there's something wrong with it.

She'll find it for me.

Yeah.

Yeah, now we're we're so in tune.

We can just look at each other and be like,

oh, yeah,

yeah, you're right.

That's a good start, Daniel.

Let me tell you what you did wrong.

It sounds like marriage.

That's great.

So well, this is cool.

How did you draw this or how did you do this?

Yeah.

So I took a grabbed a screenshot of you and Conrad from the from the show.

And then I kind of looked for one that

Conrad wasn't behind the microphone too much.

I get that nice smile and dimples.

And then I picked one that because I love, you

know,

Conrad has this very youthful kind of kind eyes, you know, where I think you and I, we have the jaded Gen X thing going.

So

yeah.

I am not liking where this conversation is headed.

Usually people attack Conrad and tell me how great I am.

You're doing a little switcheroo here.

Yeah, right.

Yeah.

Don't feel the kid's head.

Don't get him to... No, this is great.

And yeah, you're right.

Conrad is a very youthful... I never... How old do you think Conrad is?

Oh, boy.

I

would say... If you had to guess, you might be surprised.

Yeah, I'd say 23.

26.

Oh, Lord.

Wow.

Well, you're an artist.

All right.

So that's great.

Thank you very much.

I love the painting.

Let's get into some stuff, some of the things you're working on.

Craig Kinnit has been on the show before.

Love Craig.

You guys are part of this sort of Northeast Wisconsin filmmaker network that I love.

You guys are all busy, you're always doing stuff, whether it's shorts or features or whatever.

And we had Dan Davies on earlier in the week, who's also part of your group.

This picture of...

Guess it's a movie poster.

It's a short film, but the name of the film is Daniel needs to leave.

Yep, and I Miss read this because in the picture You look like you're being this annoying guy and they all want you to leave their party But what I read about it was kind of not really what it tells about the movie.

That's a good point I never read it from that angle.

It's very funny

poster.

You have a

great expression

No, it's

Yeah, so from the mind of Craig Kinnit, and he assembled about 20 of us in his film Friends Circle, and we all met at Tom Thorn's and Lonnie Thorn's house, and it was very kind of loose.

There was some things he wanted lines to be hit, but otherwise he was really, you know, wanting that improv feel.

And so, and he wanted to shoot it real simple.

He shot it on his Apple phone.

And we, yeah, he just kind of follows around everybody on this, you know, with a gimbal and basically, you know, it's, it's pronounced gimlet, but that's okay.

And he, he wants me to leave at one point and, you know, in a very Wisconsin goodbye manner, you know, that's when everybody wants to talk to you, you know, like,

catch up

before you go.

I'm like, no, so it's me trying to.

you know work my way out and uh it escalates from very kind like no i don't want any more cringle or yeah pizza's coming great i gotta go um

to, uh, it kind of escalates to this almost night of the living dead where nobody wants me to leave.

Um, yeah.

So it's, it's, uh, it's comical and, uh, it definitely fits with Wisconsin.

That is so true.

That's why you got to do the Irish goodbye.

You just got to make sure.

I respect that.

Yeah.

And no one cares.

They're not going to go.

They're going to think they weren't around when you left.

Nobody remembers.

It's healthy.

It's not dysfunctional.

Yeah.

And because you risk getting pulled into that vortex, like I saw someone recently in Marinette who I hadn't seen.

I wasn't even really friends with, but I hadn't seen him since high school, like, you know, 30 years ago.

And I go, I go, well, I haven't seen you in 30 years.

Catch me up real quick.

Obviously kidding.

Kind of a great, he did.

He told me.

And I'm stuck.

I'm like, I just gonna look like a jerk.

Cause sometimes people in small towns don't understand abruptness.

You can't say, I'm sorry, I was kidding.

I don't really want to hear all this, but you

don't.

No, directness is kind of impolite.

Yeah.

We have that Wisconsin friendliness though.

He's a friend and a good guy.

So I, I just smiled and nodded the whole time and I could tell you what I know

about

Steve.

Um, no.

Okay.

So who wrote the, did Craig write the film?

He did.

Yeah.

He wrote it.

Uh, I believe he wrote it with Tom Thorne.

But yeah, like I said, Craig wanted a lot of kind of just improv in there.

And yeah, it turned out great.

It's about 10 minutes and it will be showing tomorrow down in Milwaukee at the Milwaukee International Short Film Festival.

I love it.

It's tomorrow and it's a block of films at the Avalon, I believe you said.

Yeah, the Avalon Atmospheric.

I love it, and it starts tomorrow at, where is that, 4.15?

Yeah, it's part of the 4.15 block of shorts,

yeah.

Block of shorts, the Avalon atmospheric.

I didn't know what the atmospheric was.

I thought you were just kind of doing a character there.

So there's more info at the website, Milwaukee independent film society.org.

So check it out.

I think this looks so much fun.

How did they decide to let you be the guy?

Did you have the acting chops?

Did you have a look?

Did you bring creativity to it?

How'd you do that?

I think,

you know, Craig never, I got bits and pieces of what, you know, Craig knows that I am kind of this person, this very kind of people pleaser and, you know, always smiley and.

So I think he saw me as a good, you know, Rube for this.

And yeah, then, you know, but he, he and I, we were in both, you know, the last witch in Wisconsin.

So, and he knows kind of my quick wit and that it would be, you know,

it

would work out.

My guess is Daniel Wheeler.

He is a Northeast Wisconsin based filmmaker actor and artist and His film that he's an actor in is Daniel needs to leave you can see it tomorrow at the Avalon Atmospheric in Milwaukee for part of the Milwaukee independent.

I'm sorry was the Milwaukee shorts.

I'm getting international.

Okay, there you go.

So that's tomorrow at 415 definitely check it out

So how long, tell people that are listening that might not know.

He's had the films about 10 minutes long.

He shot it with an iPhone.

That makes it sound like he just went to a party and did all this.

How much prep went into that?

Cause it sounds like a very casual, let's just do this, but prep, you're always prep, over prepping, right?

And it takes longer than you think in the shoot.

Even though it was a casual laid back set, probably took longer.

How long did all that take?

You know, it was pretty remarkable.

I think we got it done in four to five hours.

It

was like a, I think a Saturday night and we all got there around, I think I got there at five, people came at six, we were done around 10.

But yeah, Craig, he definitely had, you know, there was...

you know, the walk through the whole party and we kind of see everybody and then we get to the patio.

Then you want to, at one point, I sneak away and go into the bathroom to kind of just gather myself.

And he did a real fun thing where I'm at the sink and I'm looking in the mirror and he cuts it as such that I'm talking to myself in the mirror.

You know, I'm kind of trying to...

boost myself up and the person in the mirror is like, you know, get out there, you know, could be so nice just say goodbye, you know, stuff like that.

So it's, uh, yeah, he thought, you know, a lot a bit about a lot about it.

And at one point I'm trying to leave, I sneak around the corner of the house and I run into Elvis impersonator.

So, you know, there's that.

That'll

either ruin your night or take it to a whole new level.

The film is called The Comedy Horror.

Is it more comedy or horror?

I have to, so far, based on what you've told me and what I've read, I feel like it's all comedy.

It is.

I would say it's more comedy than horror.

And at the end, it feels kind of like...

I'm trying to drive away and everybody's underlit by my car lights.

And so it feels very much like night of living dad, you know.

Oh,

sweet.

Everyone's like, Dan, where you going?

Hey, they're kind of clinging to the car.

And so, yeah, there's not jump scares or anything, but psychologically, it can be horrific trying to leave a Wisconsin party.

It can.

Do you go to a lot of parties or you're a party guy?

You know, I'm one of those that I like.

A party I like karaoke.

I like but I don't get my energy from it.

I'm more of an introvert That's where I so I like going out and having fun But then I need to get back to home base like a room bun recharge You

know you need to do you need to get home and create some more art like you created here Conrad are you an introvert or an extrovert?

I would say I never really thought of that.

I'm kind of in between.

Yeah

You

know, I

like to go and have fun, but also like my days where I'm just Chilling at home.

Yeah, what happens when you have a few beers?

Do you kick it up a notch?

Are you dancing on the bar?

Are you just kind of read withdraw?

You know, I kind of just chill.

Okay.

I

don't go dancing or anything

When I've had enough beers, you'll know because then I start challenging everyone to arm wrestling in the bar.

Are you pretty good arm wrestling?

I'm pretty good.

Really pretty good.

I think I have that quick twitch muscle

And I can still be my son, you know, sorry, sorry, sorry.

Oh

man, you just called him out.

We gotta have him come down here to the nightlight studio and do an arm wrestle.

Conrad will officiate.

That is a skill, isn't it?

Like, I always see these guys with huge forearms, but.

Yeah, I mean, those guys are.

Yeah, ridiculous.

And they can hardly put their hands down.

But yeah, I think it's a lot of like who gets off the, you know,

the road, you know, the Twitch fast.

Absolutely.

All right, Daniel Wheeler is here, folks.

When we come back, I'm going to ask him about a film I just saw of his that he shared with me that was outstanding.

I can't go into it too deeply.

I've been instructed because it's about to embark on a festival run.

So and no spoilers about Daniel needs to leave.

You'll just have to see the film tomorrow.

But we're coming right back with Daniel Wheeler and we

We're gonna talk a little bigfoot too, so that's exciting.

Don't go anywhere.

It's Nightlight with Pete Schwabba on the Civic Media Radio

Network.

Find the latest news, information, and archives of all your favorite shows on the Civic Media website, civicmedia.us.

Welcome back to Nightlight, folks.

I'm Pete

Schwabba.

Happy Friday, everybody.

It is great to have you here.

We are about to close out the first hour here with our first guest,

Daniel Wheeler.

It is a bar band Friday night.

Terry Barr will be here at 735 at Bringing Great Music.

Did you see one of the people?

Conrad is Marta Hansen.

Yeah,

she's been on the piano gal, right?

Yeah, so she's one of the artists, but she's got two.

It's gonna be great at 735 with Terry Barr right now.

We have some time left with our pal Daniel Wheeler who, you're the guy that said in a text,

To say the name Schwabba properly, you have to wet your lips first.

Can you explain where that came from in your artist brain?

I

don't even remember

what the

question was, but yeah.

There's a lot of kind of swishy,

you know, swishy

sounds in there.

So if you have a dry mouth, I feel like it's, we'd be hard to say.

Okay, that's fair.

I probably should have had a name like Jack or Frank, Frank Schwabba.

Jack Schwabba, like Pete Schwabba, just, it's.

I can't do anything with it.

Sounds like a

dessert, you know.

Private investigator, Frank Schwabba.

Gumshoe.

Daniel Wheeler is a Northeast Wisconsin based artist, actor, and filmmaker, so let's talk about this movie you can't talk about.

Give us a tease.

You were nice enough to share it with me.

It's called The Voice in the Vessel.

It's so well, I mean...

You're an artist I would expect something you do to look good and to look you know like the the production quality is there, but How do you do that?

How do you have a great camera?

Like I know people haven't seen it and I know you don't want to say too much about it But it's very creepy.

It's it's on a great set

your set decorating was great, you know, which again, as an artist, I expect that, but tell us about the film and where the idea came from, or just tell us what you can about it.

Tease us a little bit.

Yeah, yeah.

So, wet your

lips first.

The cinematography, amazing.

That was done by Nate Haban out of Green Bay, and it stars Jason Busse, another member of the Northeastern film community.

And I wanted to work with Jason because he has this very kind of Jimmy Stewart kind of everyday man feel to him.

And that's what I saw for this character that encounters, I'll say, an automaton up in his grandmother's attic.

Now, the attic was that was scouted out by Jason and Nate.

And it's amazing.

It's a historic home in the Aster.

Park area here in Green Bay.

Okay.

And, uh, yeah, Jason got in contact with the homeowner.

We, we visited several places.

There's some really nice choices, but when you see this one, I mean, just a huge like cathedral vaulted ceilings, but we're talking, you know, uh, an attic, you know, there's old Christmas trees and lights and nativity scenes and boxes and, you know, everything up there.

So didn't have to set anything up there.

And it came with this amazing basement that when you see it, you think you walked into something from Harry Potter.

jars and jars and jars and jars of, you know, whoever put this together had, you know, a jar for Philip Scrooge, this one, this one's for Nance.

Yeah.

So one of those type of people.

Yeah.

And so

that wasn't even part of the original script.

I'm like, we, you know, everyone's like, you got to write this into the script.

All right, well, let's get Jason down into the basement at some point.

So,

yeah.

So what was the inspiration for that film?

And again, I know people

And tell us when we can see it because you're about to embark on a festival run with that as well, right?

Yes.

Yeah.

So yeah, it's

been submitted to several festivals.