Travel, Trash Talk, and 20th Anniversary Tales (Hour 2)

Transcript

Travel, Trash Talk, and 20th Anniversary Tales (Hour 2)

Nite Lite with Pete Schwaba and Greg Bach · Tue Dec 2, 2025

Kathryn Lake

You're listening to Civic Media.

You can tune into any of our live shows on any radio station across the state with the Civic Media app.

Find us in your phone's app store and listen anytime,

anywhere.

And now, a guy who likes to talk trash, but only when he's at the dump.

Pete Schwabba.

Pete Schwaba

Hey, welcome back.

What a fun night.

Boy, I'm telling you folks, as Tuesdays go, this is about as Tuesday as it can get.

We got Giving Tuesday, which we're celebrating here.

I'm going to give you some details in just a moment on that.

It's Travel Tuesday.

I've got a guest I'm about to introduce who has traveled a lot.

and was also part of the Godfather of Green Bay in the cast, and he made this great behind-the-scenes video.

We're gonna bring Mike on in just a minute.

Everything is tying together, Conrad.

Have you noticed that?

It is.

It's just a very well-conceived, composed show.

And that's what I pride myself on.

A lot of it's an accident, but I'll take it up for you.

Good work, good work.

Yeah, thank you.

That is Conrad Krieger.

He's back, folks, from seven days in Florida?

Seven days, yeah.

Wow.

Well, eight, I guess, but eight was the travel, you know?

Pete Schwaba

Yeah.

The plane was probably warm like Florida, but then what, when you got off in Wisconsin, that's when the- That's when it hit

me.

I was like, all right.

Pete Schwaba

Yeah, I'm really doing this.

It's fucking

Pete Schwaba

to get ready.

We've got a really fun show tonight, folks.

If you're just joining us here in act two, Jim Kanepfel was here, an author who is premiering a movie.

His book was turned into a movie.

They're showing it at the Tarleton Theater just down the street here in downtown Green Bay this weekend.

It sounds like a really fun event.

Mike Siegel's about to join me.

Bill Leff is here.

He is the host of Tune In With Me, a nationally syndicated morning show on MTV, a great TV show that Bill hosts, and he's a very funny comedian too.

Bill was our first guest here at Nightlight two years ago.

That's right, we are doing a soft celebration of Nightlight's second anniversary tonight and tomorrow night.

And Bill will be here.

He was our first guest.

He was our guest last year on the first anniversary, and now he has agreed to come back and be on the show again, which will be fun to talk to Bill.

And he and Conrad have a running feud.

We'll get that all worked out, hopefully.

And then author Brett Kissinger will be here at 7.20 in hour number three.

So lots to talk about.

Conrad and I will probably get into a little Bear's Packers discussion at some point.

Lots going on all week though.

We've got Lauren Holly on the show tomorrow night and the mad moms of comedy.

We've just worked them into the schedule too.

So that'll be fun.

We've got some, I always like to have some comedy on the show.

Conrad, you know that.

Well, yeah.

Pete Schwaba

And we have a celebrity chef Chad Visker will be on the show tomorrow night as well.

But right now,

I've got to tell you all about Giving Tuesday.

This is really cool, folks.

This is a national movement, national event.

And please go to your local stations website here at Civic Media, slash give and click on the Giving Tuesday banner to help local nonprofits in your area.

This is such a great thing to do and talk about a way to ring in the holidays.

These are just great organizations and it's a great movement here to help people that are really in need and your contribution.

are much appreciated, and we thank you for your kindness.

But we're on statewide here.

So if you're listening, in Madison is WMDX, WASA's WXCO, Waukesha, or Milwaukee, 540 AM, 100.3 FM, and WFHR in Wisconsin Rapids, WRCE in Richland Center, WISS Oshkosh, WGBW Green Bay, WBZH Hayward, WLCX La Crosse, and the tap.

in Eau Claire.

Go to those local stations website, wherever you listen to your civic media radio shows, and slash give and click on the Giving Tuesday banner.

Help your local nonprofits in your area.

Such a great thing.

We will be, you know, kind of reminding you all week if you want to do it.

I know I always sometimes forget, so it's good to have those reminders, but just give what you can.

And that's a great way to ring in the holidays.

It's a text to win, multi-state, civic media.

text-to-win contest.

We love our text-to-win contest.

We'll have more information on that in our three.

But right now, I think we need to keep the show moving along, Conrad.

Oh, I have to remind people that the question of the night is in honor of Travel Tuesday.

What is the crappiest state or city you've been to?

We're going to use some negative energy here.

to talk about places that need to be talked about.

Your crappiest state or city.

I said state was North Dakota, city was Winnipeg.

Conrad said Green Bay, which I did not think was a nice

answer.

Whoa, whoa.

I said, I said Illinois.

Pete Schwaba

You said Athens, Greece at

first.

I did.

Well, no, that's, that is the city.

Yeah.

And

Pete Schwaba

the state.

Illinois is the state.

Yeah.

And is this, is this a, just I don't like the bears, so I'm going to pick Illinois.

I expected a little more maturity out of you.

You know, out of the states I've been to, it's the most like Wisconsin.

So, you know, it's just, it's the same.

So to me, I want to travel outside of the normal, you know.

Pete Schwaba

And our pal Frank Anderson last week said Chicago should be part of Wisconsin.

He said, they're more like us.

It should be Chicago, Wisconsin.

And as a guy who spent time in both places, I would welcome that.

All right.

Speaking of Chicago, Wisconsin, the Godfather of Green Bay and traveling.

This rolls up nicely into a description of my next guest.

He is the host of the Travel Tales podcast.

He was in the film, The Godfather of Green Bay.

You've seen him on such shows as If Walls Could Talk, What You Get for the Money, TBS's Movie Break.

I could go on and on.

Mike Siegel joins us now over the stream.

Hey, buddy, how are you?

Good.

Hi, Pete.

How you doing?

Doing very well.

It's great.

I'm really glad you could make this work because

We have this great screening sponsored by Civic Media and Doundrens Distilling in Madison at the Atwood Music Hall, a brand new beautiful facility on Thursday night to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Godfather of Green Bay.

And I thought, you know, I've had Thomas Lennon, Lance Barber, Lauren Holly's coming on tomorrow night, Brian Edding is coming out tomorrow night to produce her.

But you made, you just as a pal went a little further.

and made this great behind-the-scenes video that people can see if they're interested.

You have Tony Goldwyn, Lauren, Tom, and Lance, and Eric Price, and Steve Segrin, and Mike Toomey, and all these people talking about the experience.

It was such a great, my family's gotten a lot of mileage out of that.

So I thank you for making it, but check it out, folks, on YouTube.

Just Google YouTube, Godfather of Green Bay, behind-the-scenes.

Thanks a lot, Mike.

Have a great night.

It was good to see you.

Can

you see me at all because I can't

Pete Schwaba

even see myself on the on the camera here.

Oh, no.

Yeah, we can see you.

Pete Schwaba

We got

your your handsome mug

Pete Schwaba

is front and center.

Absolutely.

OK.

No, Pete, it was it was really fun to make.

But, you know, like anybody who's ever been on a on a TV set or a film set or any kind of thing, there's a lot of downtime, a lot of trailer time, a lot of right.

So I knew I was going to have some downtime.

My part was essential.

Let's let's be honest.

But a little small.

Oh, it's totally essential.

Yeah, I was in a handful of scenes, but I knew I was going to be sitting around a lot.

I think I was in Marinette for almost a week, maybe about five days or so.

And I said, let me try to document this thing.

It was fun.

I never really had been on location for multiple days shooting something.

I shot stuff in LA, but never on location.

So it was very Hollywood things.

I was like, let me document this thing.

And I had known you for a long time.

We had been friends for a long time.

Document this thing you got a movie off the ground and I thought that was really I thought that was great

Pete Schwaba

Well as it for a guy who's been in some pretty I mean you had you were in traffic with Michael Douglas Yeah, you had this great scene, but I guess that was was that a day roll or just a couple days?

Okay, well that was a thing I booked it.

I was like wow.

This is a big Hollywood

Movie, you know, I'm gonna I can't wait to go on I heard they were shooting a location in South America and you know all around the country and I was like, where am I gonna go?

And they that finally got the assignment and it was a half day at the Paramount lot And they shot it because I seen took place in a airplane

Kathryn Lake

So it could

have been shot anywhere and it was shot anywhere was in the studio in a mock airplane

Interior and so it's like well at least I'll get some nice food out of this maybe a nice craft service table and So I was like the 53rd day of 55 days of shooting.

It was they were over it You know the whole crew is exhausted.

They had been around the world without me and I thought Okay, so I was done with my it took all morning to shoot and then I was like, okay So where's lunch and they said well we have to go to Pasadena to shoot a the rest of

Kathryn Lake

the

day on location

But there's the commissary over there if you want to go.

Really?

Oh, so I guess I'll just go sit in the cafeteria then.

And that was my day.

Where anybody can go.

Yeah.

That's that cool.

Right.

But I had a blast doing Godfather Green Bay as we all did.

It was so fun.

Yeah.

It was a lot of fun.

Pete Schwaba

And you really captured in this video

You really captured like I was telling Lance when he was here last week He has a great line where he says I think each one has a bright future not directing of course, but you know just that funny

Kathryn Lake

Lance

Pete Schwaba

and yet Eric Price and Seagrin and It's just so many funny people on the set and you managed to get all of it like they were just as funny offstage as they were on it was great

Well, it was funny at the time.

I thought maybe this could be a DVD extra

when DVDs were a thing.

Right?

And it was like, but now with YouTube it lives on because I've only sent like, originally I just made some copies and sent them to you guys and like you and a few other people.

And there was no place to show them.

And then now we have YouTube.

So I was like, well, here's the link if anybody wants to, anybody wants to see

Pete Schwaba

it.

I think you gave me a disc or maybe even

a

Pete Schwaba

VHS.

But yeah,

when you gave it to me, it was on a disc, I think.

Pete Schwaba

Yeah.

And I had it, and I kept it as a keepsake, and now I love that it's just out there.

So as I said before, you could just go to YouTube, Google Godfather of Green Bay behind the scenes, and you can hear Tom Lennon and Lance Barber and Tony Goldman and Lauren Holly, all talking about their experience catalogued by Mike, a very cool thing you did.

Who did you enjoy talking to the most, Mike?

I didn't know Tony Goldman was the one person I knew.

of well Lauren him and Lauren were like the two big you know the stars of the film so I didn't know if they would talk to me and and Tony was just super uh open you know it was like hanging out in his trailer he was like you know a child of Hollywood so

Kathryn Lake

yeah he might as

well have been on Mars you know being in Marinette he didn't know what the hell he ended up but he was just totally cool and he seemed like having a really nice you know a fun time and he was really nice to hang out with so that was a great surprise and of course meeting Lauren

who was, uh, I was very excited to meet.

That was all, that was very cool.

And of course, Beach Wabba.

Oh yeah.

Of course.

But I had the, you know, I didn't know...

I didn't know Tom Lennon then, I didn't know Eric and Lance and those guys, and they were all fun.

It was really great to be with.

Pete Schwaba

So much fun.

And

Pete Schwaba

if you look closely, folks, if you do go to the screening in Madison Thursday night, Mike plays one of Tony Goldman's henchmen, who his character's name is Driver, because he drives them around.

That's how creative.

But

there's a great scene.

Good call, Pete.

Now my credits, because it says Driver, people think I was an actual crewman.

Oh, you've done transpose.

That's great.

Pete Schwaba

Yeah, could

have given me a name.

I don't know if we ever heard

Pete Schwaba

your name during the film though, but

I will

Pete Schwaba

say there's a great I think he says play my tune and you walk over to the DJ and of course you request the Macarena because that's what big Jake wants and Mike's in the background dancing the Macarena and it's so funny like you just crushed and there's a scene with you and Tony at the urinal and you lean over and sneak a peek

And then say his girlfriend's a lucky girl.

It was just beautiful.

You really took the role and made it even funnier than

I thought it was.

And yeah, I got to wear a mullet, which I'd never had growing up, even though I grew up in the 80s.

It was never a mullet guy, but there I had a nice mullet and then a stash.

Kathryn Lake

Was never a

mustache guy.

Because a lot of people don't even know it's me if they know me.

And like, you were in the movie?

I go, yeah, I was a guy.

Mullet mustache like holy crap.

That was you.

I tried to disappear into a character Pete.

I

Pete Schwaba

tried not to let anybody know you were in the film I gave you a very generic name

And I disguise you so no one would know or even believe you were in the film.

All right, Mike Siegel is here.

He is the documentarian, if you will, of the godfather of Green Bay behind the scenes video that is available on YouTube.

We're going to talk to you, Mike, for a couple more minutes and find out what his time was like with Tony Goldman and where in the world he is right now, because he is an avid traveler, which is apropos as it is travel Tuesday.

And we're going to read some of your texts.

Conrad and I are going to get into it over the Bears and Packers and Bill Leff is coming up at.

We're going to do a very short break.

We'll be back with Mike in just a few minutes.

It's Pete Schwabba and Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Kathryn Lake

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

Pete Schwaba

started.

I'm Pete Schwabber.

This is night light.

Great to have you with me on this frigid.

Have you been outside Conrad?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Don't don't remind me.

I know what I was thinking.

Like I live in Wisconsin and I still go out and when it's cold I get mad.

Like what was I expecting?

Bill left will be here in a few minutes folks.

He is the host of tune in with me on me TV a nationally syndicated morning show He's helping us do kind of a soft celebration of our two-year anniversary here at night light right now My pal Mike Siegel is here.

Where are you

Mike?

Well, first of all Pete, I can't believe after starting comedy 35 years ago in Chicago.

I'm still opening for Bill left.

I can't

Kathryn Lake

believe this

Famously Bill left the

The meanest guy in show business, right, Pete?

I think we can both agree.

Pete Schwaba

How about that?

I know he, Bill does have, he's a very nice guy, comes across as very friendly, but you know, you get him in the right mood.

He'll go off on someone behind, you know, in private.

I still have not heard it.

Still

have not heard it.

What a

Pete Schwaba

sweet man.

One of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

Absolutely.

And he, I don't know, you know, if you were listening earlier, Mike, probably not, but he said Conrad threatened to kill him.

Up the air.

On night number one, and Conrad didn't really even know me that well.

I don't know, were you really freaked out Conrad?

Were you kind of like, obviously you knew he was

kidding?

I just didn't expect it.

I was like, oh, all right.

Pete,

I am talking to you from my

hotel room in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Oh, wow.

Wasn't it one of the

Pete Schwaba

love boat stops?

Oh, absolutely.

And still is.

I'm actually boarding a princess ship tomorrow, so.

So Gopher might

Pete Schwaba

have stayed in that hotel room for all we

know.

Gopher did.

Pete Schwaba

Or Bernie Koppel might have had

like a piece on there.

Oh, you know Doctor.

Yeah, exactly.

Pete Schwaba

Absolutely, you know Doctor.

And Isaac Ted watching, or Ted Lang,

she did the...

Pete Schwaba

What a great cast.

That's fun.

Well, that's cool, Mike.

I wish you safe travels.

Where are you off to next?

You know, you do this great podcast called Travel Tales.

Where are you off to or where haven't you been that you want to go?

Well my next trip is I'll be heading back up to LA on this ship this week performing comedy and then I'm leaving in a couple weeks to Jamaica which I'm hoping it's still standing you know what I mean I'm like I'm flying into Montego Bay and I know they got a lot of a lot of damage so I'm hopefully you know hopefully things will still be will be functioning but

And then I'm going to hang with Florida for a little bit with my family and then home back in LA for Christmas.

And then the new year, I got tons of weeks booked, mostly in the Caribbean and Mexico and in the winter.

And then the summer actually got a month in Europe, which I'm really looking forward to.

Pete Schwaba

Oh, wow.

OK.

Yeah.

All of August, I'll be in Europe.

And that'll be great.

Yeah.

Pete Schwaba

That's awesome.

But where I haven't been, I still got a bucket list.

I got Egypt, obviously, is really high on there.

I still haven't been there in Morocco and Chile and a couple other places.

Pete Schwaba

Mike, I think it's pronounced child.

I didn't want to embarrass

you on the year.

Ooboo

Pete Schwaba

child.

Do you

have any?

Congratulations, Pete.

I should say congratulations on two years and 20 years with this movie.

I can't believe

Pete Schwaba

it's been 20.

I couldn't believe it either.

When someone at Civic Media suggested it, I'm like, my God, it hasn't been that long, has it?

I just wanted to ask you.

Yeah, I'm sorry, but I don't mean to interview you, but you know, it's what kind of what I do too.

But I mean, when it came out and now is the reaction amongst Wisconsin people to the movie different than when it came out than it is now?

Or is it about the

Pete Schwaba

same?

Yeah, it's interesting because I feel like half the people loved it the other half like mostly it was people in small town It actually even though we shot it in Marinette a couple people like he made fun of our town I'm like no that's not Marin and like how do you even explain to someone like that?

And

Kathryn Lake

you know

Pete Schwaba

it was fun.

We had fun with small town bar characters But yeah, I think the response has been pretty good and we have good user ratings and all that so I'm happy with it.

I think it it's politically incorrect

for the time, but that's to be expected.

I mean, you know.

Most things are.

Yeah, exactly.

So before I let you go, Mike, though, I have to ask you, do you have a favorite Tony Goldman memory, or was there something that a stolen moment between the two of you or something?

There was no stolen moment, but I don't think he knew in the bathroom scene we were peeing together that I was going to check out his junk or try to pick a fight with the paper towel dispenser.

Oh,

Kathryn Lake

that

was I like to improv on the set.

Yeah, you know, so that's my those are my two gifts to the movie.

Pete Schwaba

Well, you're both

professionals and my dancing.

Pete Schwaba

It's two things you had done tons of research on.

I was always wondering why you like leered over it other men at the urinal, but it was very well.

But you really nailed it as us as comics and all those times we played in the Chicago those Wisconsin bars.

And if the if the emcee really wanted to screw you, they would say you were from Chicago.

Right, and that's- Ooh, bear suck!

And that's all

Pete Schwaba

we ever heard.

Exactly.

I feel like it could have been in any small town through the Midwest, but, you know, as an independent filmmaker, you go where you have opportunity

and

Pete Schwaba

people that might help you, and they did.

Like, everybody in Marinette was fantastic.

So, buddy, I can't thank you enough.

Thank you again for making the video.

Thanks for jumping on tonight.

And whatever loveboat character was in that hotel room, just think about that whatever you're doing later, whatever your nocturnal habits are.

I will.

I'll be thinking of them and you the whole

Pete Schwaba

time.

Oh, now I'm blushing.

Okay,

buddy.

Thanks,

Pete Schwaba

Mike.

Have a great screening, Pete.

Thank you, Mike.

Safe

travels, pal.

Pete Schwaba

We'll talk soon.

All right.

All

right.

Pete Schwaba

Take care.

That's Mike Segal, ladies and gentlemen.

Check out the TravelTales podcast.

He does such a good job.

And I lived with Mike Conrad for a couple months.

Okay.

When we moved back here, I still had business out there.

And he has a map in his office and thumbtacks of all the places he's been.

And I have like, I would have like three.

It's embarrassing.

Now he's been, the guy's been everywhere.

And he says we've known each other for 35 years and that's true, but we've been friends for 15 of those years.

I thought you were gonna say six months.

Pete Schwaba

No.

All right, your texts, thank you folks.

We will get to these texts.

Al in the 262 says, for state, it's Michigan.

The Sene stretches awful.

What does that mean?

It must be a highway.

Yeah, probably what that is some type of trap also says Pittsburgh worst traffic anywhere Pittsburgh does have bad traffic Al And you wouldn't think that they've all these tunnels gets kind of crazy all right folks when we come back Bill left will be here at the host of tune in with me on the me TV comedy comedy network Bill brings the comedy, but it's just a network.

We'll talk to Bill and he's our first guest ever and he's coming up after the news It's peach wabbit and nightlight on the civic media radio network

Welcome

Pete Schwaba

back.

This is Nightlight IMP Chihuahua.

You've got the Civic Media radio network.

You know, I just noticed that that ad is for retinitis pigmentosa.

And that's the condition Jim had.

Yeah.

Pete Schwaba

Have we been running that for a while?

I think so.

See, here's the interesting thing.

I was blind before Jim showed up here and opened my eyes to that ad.

Wow.

You're trying not to laugh.

or whatever.

Hey folks, it is our second year anniversary.

Here, we've been on the air for two years.

And our first guest was a guy named Bill Leff.

Bill is a friend of mine from our stand-up comedy days.

He also was a very talented and successful radio artist.

And now he is the host of the nationally syndicated Me TV show, Tune In With Me.

And he does a great job.

If you haven't checked out the show, definitely do that.

But he is here tonight to help us celebrate, our soft celebration, if you will, of Nightlight with Peach Wabba since he was our first guest.

Bill, how are you?

Well, first of all, thank you, Pete.

Second of all, it's not a soft anniversary.

To achieve two years in this business, that means something, Pete, and you did it.

Congratulations.

Pete Schwaba

Well, you got us off to a great start, Bill, and I know you're being a little sarcastic, and that's okay.

You are on the radio for like, you're 84 years old, and people

will never guess that.

I'm 85 years old.

I just had a birthday.

I'm 85.

Do we have to have a Tony Goldwyn's story tonight?

Is that a must?

Pete Schwaba

It's yeah, it's like passing a dish when you

got one, but I don't know.

Should I share it?

Pete Schwaba

Absolutely.

All right.

Tony Goldwyn, my wife and I had been house hunting for years.

We finally found this house, the house we live in, but it was a little out of our means.

And Tony Goldwyn, who I had never met before, bought my wife and I our house.

He paid for the house.

He is a swell guy, isn't he?

What a nice man he is.

He's a great actor, but an even nicer human being.

We could all learn a lesson or two from Tony Goldwin.

Pete Schwaba

You know, I cast him in a movie, Bill, and he just gave me a sawbuck one day when we were in the lunch line.

Out of nowhere?

Out of nowhere.

He's just that kind of guy.

I mean, he didn't buy our house for us, but.

Can I tell you something?

If somebody said to me, guess who gave me a sawbuck, my first guess would be Tony Goldwin.

I go, was it Tony Goldwin?

It was Tony Goldwin.

He's the most generous human being.

Don't get me wrong.

His acting credits are amazing.

But to be that generous, I can't even imagine.

Can you?

Pete Schwaba

I know the guy from Ghost who was basically laundering money to be that generous off camera.

I don't know if that's ever been achieved before.

It's

never been done before.

That's the first.

Pete Schwaba

Hey, Bill.

Yeah.

It says on your, you're joining us over the stream.

And thank you for

that,

Pete Schwaba

by the way.

But it says Rodney Allen Rippy.

Now, I don't

know

Pete Schwaba

if you just mistyped or what happened there, but I just want to call your attention to that.

The keys, if you'll look at your keyboard, do you have a QWERTY keyboard right now in front of you?

Yes, I do.

All right, look where the keys are for Rodney Ellen Rippy and look where they are for Bill Left.

They're almost right next to each other.

Sometimes they'll flip a little bit.

Do you know who Rodney Ellen Rippy is?

Pete Schwaba

They are not at all close to the other keys, but that's a good... I had to Google him, but I did, yeah.

You know, I would love to hear your motivation for using the name.

He was very popular in 1966 or 67.

He was a child actor, and he did a bunch of Jack-in-the-box commercials, and America fell in love with him.

And I hear that Tony Goldwyn bought him a unicycle at some point.

That's the story that I've heard.

Pete Schwaba

Or a Jack-in-the-box taco.

Yeah.

Wouldn't you love it?

How are you, Pete?

Forget enough about me.

How are you doing?

Pete Schwaba

I'm doing okay.

You know, I've been on the air for two years and I have a 20th anniversary movie.

America has not fallen in love with me, though.

I'll be honest with you, Bill.

I'm nowhere near Rodney Allen Rippy.

Well, not

Pete Schwaba

yet.

Yeah, but you... That doesn't happen overnight, Pete.

You got to give that some time.

Pete Schwaba

Well, you're 85.

I'm not far behind you, so... I'm doing well, Bill.

It's great to have you here, too.

And... Thank you.

You know, I want to say that...

What I thought was so funny in your first appearance on this show two years

ago

Pete Schwaba

You appeared as the first guest and you said off you told me on air that off the air Conrad threatened to kill you.

He said if I didn't do a good job on your first show He would kill me and then he started calling the house in the middle of the night and threatening my family

Pete Schwaba

He's just looking out for me.

I hope you know that I know that I get it.

He's the kind of guy that has your back

and is willing to go to the wall, regardless, even if you're a nationally syndicated TV host.

Yeah.

Well, he's the guy you want on your side.

You don't want to fight against him.

Pete Schwaba

Exactly.

What can you bunch now, Count 280?

Seriously?

That's pretty good.

Pete Schwaba

Yeah, he's a strong guy.

One

Pete Schwaba

handed or two handed?

The fact that you

had to ask that means you

Pete Schwaba

don't lift weights.

But what I thought was funny is the fact that Conrad hasn't

Killed you yet, or even showed

up at

Pete Schwaba

your doorstep or threatened your family.

What do you make of that?

Do you think it

was?

Well,

Pete Schwaba

you think

he's playing the long game?

He's been to the house.

He's not hurt anybody in my my immediate family.

He hurt one of my cousins a few weeks ago.

Oh,

really?

But I'm always afraid because you see a silhouette of a guy in your window and you're like, that guy's probably going to kill me.

And then he's got a little flashlight that says it's Conrad.

And I'm like, well, Conrad is not going to kill me because everyone suspects Conrad to kill

Pete Schwaba

me.

You wouldn't be very smart move as a killer.

No, you've heard him threaten me on many occasions.

So for him to do me in would be a ridiculous move, I think.

Pete Schwaba

Yeah, that's a good point.

Pete, you know what you said last time that really made me sad?

Pete Schwaba

Oh no, what?

You said that you and I have known each other for over 30 years and it's been 36 or 37 years at this point.

And you said, we've never had in all those years together an honest conversation.

And I said to myself,

I want to have it at some point.

I want to just sit down and have an honest conversation.

We don't have to do it now, but at some point we should just sit down and be very honest with each other.

Pete Schwaba

And I hope it's not one of those things where we say we're going to do it, Bill, because it's just like chit chat.

No, we have to commit

Pete Schwaba

to sit down.

And I would love to do that with you.

I think we've got a lot to say.

Pick a

time and place and I'm there.

You know that.

Pete Schwaba

Well, we could do it over your ping-pong table, or you had that great place where you had to cook your own food, which I didn't understand.

You took us to

one

Pete Schwaba

time where we all had to make our own food, and I don't understand that concept, but it took off in Evanston, Illinois.

Yeah,

it's popular now.

Pete Schwaba

It's popular to make your own food and pay someone else to do it.

Yeah.

When you look at it that way, Pete, it seems ridiculous.

But at the time, I thought, why would I let somebody else cook my food when I'm perfectly able to cook it myself?

But then you pointed out it's more expensive that way.

It doesn't make sense fiscally.

I was

Pete Schwaba

adding it up as we went through and, you know,

the

Pete Schwaba

meat was cooked or not.

Bill F is my guest.

He is the host of the nationally syndicated meat TV show, Tune In With Me.

And I'm also on Stranger Things.

Do you watch Stranger Things?

I'm on that now too.

I just

Pete Schwaba

started again.

You're in

that

Pete Schwaba

show?

Yeah, I'm in that.

Are you the Demi Gorgon?

Yeah.

There's this scene in the third episode where the Demi Gorgon goes to a restaurant and he cooks his own food.

That's me.

He's a

terrible cook.

He's awful.

But it wrote

Pete Schwaba

his character in that way.

They weren't thinking it through, I don't think.

Pete Schwaba

So Bill, tell me what's going on with what a great show you have.

Tune in with me.

It's on every morning and you got to be in heaven.

These are shows you watched as a kid.

These are all the classic Warner Brothers cartoons from the 40s, the 30s, the 40s, and the 50s, all the old Popeye cartoons and Betty Boop cartoons and Bugs Bunny.

And it's so much fun to do.

And then I've also been added.

I was kidding, you know, about Stranger Things, but I'm on Spengooly show too now.

Did you know that?

Pete Schwaba

I think you did mention that last time you were here.

Yeah.

And

Pete Schwaba

I wanted to follow up with that.

Yeah.

About that

Pete Schwaba

with you.

So.

I play a character named Nostalgia Ferrato.

He's like Nostraatu, but he loves old trivia stuff.

Pete Schwaba

That sounds like a character that could be on Stranger Things.

It's amazing.

That

Pete Schwaba

could be.

He could be on Stranger

Pete Schwaba

Things.

Yeah.

So you're a busy guy.

That's two shows on the same network.

That's exciting.

In the same planet.

Yeah.

But never too busy to be on your show, Pete.

You know that.

I appreciate it.

Listen,

Pete Schwaba

I appreciate that very much.

And I know you're joking, but you are a

busy guy.

No, I'm not joking.

Pete Schwaba

And I truly appreciate your time.

Do you ever do stand up anymore?

No, it's been forever.

Do they

Pete Schwaba

still have stand-up?

They still have it,

right?

Pete Schwaba

I think so.

Yeah, I think so.

Because that's what Nate Barghetti does.

Pete Schwaba

No, he's more into the amusement park game now.

He wants his own amusement

park.

He wants

Pete Schwaba

the amusement park.

I saw that.

I think that's too much.

Am I crazy?

I went to see him at the United Center about two months ago and the concept of a stand-up comedian working a sports arena

was so foreign to me, it took me like the whole show to realize that it was real.

Because River used to do in rooms that were 200 seats and we were thrilled with it.

And he's in the United Center and he beat the Toronto Maple Leafs the night I was there.

Pete Schwaba

When he came skating out on that ice, it was amazing.

Just him against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

That didn't seem fair.

Pete Schwaba

He's a very funny guy, Bill, but what is with the amusement park, Nate Land?

That sounds

like a Simpson's parody.

Yeah.

Good for him, though, because he could probably get it done at this point, don't you

Pete Schwaba

think?

I would think so if he's selling out the United Center.

You just reminded me of something I thought was very funny.

I'm going to tell people, this is part of our honest conversation, maybe.

This is the kind of guy Bill F is.

I won't say names or where this happened, but...

Speaking of, we've been talking about the Godfather of Green Bay all week because of the screening coming up, but we screened it in Chicago about 20 years ago.

You and our pal, Mike Toomey showed up.

Yeah.

And there was a guy that went on stage and you said, you leaned over to Mike and you said, I hate that guy.

And, you know, Mike Segal was just here talking about what a nice guy you are.

I've never heard you say a bad word about anybody and you didn't even know the guy, but you said that to Mike, I knew the guy and you were right.

He was kind of a creep.

And I was like, that is, that is so stranger things, weird ask.

I couldn't believe it.

And I've kind of held you in high esteem ever since.

Can I tell you the last time that that happened besides the, the, uh, the issue that you just brought up?

Yeah.

You're, you're familiar.

You're in Wisconsin.

So you have to know about cops frozen custard, right?

Pete Schwaba

Oh, sure.

Yeah.

It's my favorite place in the world.

It's got the best ice cream, the best hamburgers.

It's just perfect.

So I was in there one time with my daughter and this guy came in and he started, he was waiting in line.

And he was karate kicking another guy in line.

And I said to my daughter, I hate that guy so badly.

And I hope something horrible happens to him.

My daughter goes, dad, you can't say stuff like that.

And I go, no, it took me 30 seconds to realize how badly I want this guy to get hurt in some weird way.

Because dad, that's awful.

But it was true.

I did.

And then other people in the restaurant were being really, you know, icked out by this guy.

And they're moving away from him because he was trying all these Taekwondo moves.

And I just went,

That guy like that shouldn't be out in public.

He should be locked up in a basement somewhere.

So it does happen every once in a while.

For the most part, I'm very easy going.

You know that.

But every once in a while, there's a guy karate kicking in cops.

You can't have that.

Pete Schwaba

You have that quality.

And I've said this about just a handful of people.

I don't know Woody Harrelson, but everybody seems to want Woody Harrelson in their movie.

He's just a likable guy.

Tom Lennon was on the show last week.

He's in everything.

Like

there are

Pete Schwaba

just people that want

nice people around and funny people, and I put you in that category, Bill.

You always seem to

Pete Schwaba

have a radio show or a TV show, and it's because of the reputation you've built.

Well, it's mostly being in the right place at the right time, but I will accept your answer as a close second.

Pete Schwaba

I want to remind you, while we're sort of on the subject of Wisconsin, and you just mentioned cops, a prank you did, and I may have brought this up the last time you were here, but I'm gonna say it again anyway, because I've got seven new listeners since the last time you were here.

Oh, yes.

You're welcome.

Steve, Paul, Sue, Nancy, and Phyllis.

You know them by name.

That's tremendous.

You played a joke on a Wisconsin comedian called Fred Klett.

who was a guy I worked with a lot.

He used to bring me on the road with him and not to work just to hang out, but it was kind of weird.

But Fred was a great guy and he said he was on stage and I'm gonna set this up and we'll do a short break and I'll come back and give you the exciting

finish.

Pete Schwaba

But Fred was on stage at Zany's and Mount Prospect and you and our friend Paul Gilmartin played jokes on him and they are gorgeous.

So I'm gonna tell everybody what those jokes were when we come back.

Bill Leff is here.

If you haven't checked out,

Tune in with me on the Meave TV Network.

You have to see it, folks.

It's the cartoons from when we were kids.

It's just a great way to start your day.

And Bill is a great way to... Well, it's just great to have Bill.

Conrad, have you warmed up to Bill?

You know, he's done a great job, so I don't think I will...

Pete Schwaba

He's not

in any danger.

I don't think I'll murder

Pete Schwaba

him.

Okay, perfect.

We are coming right back.

It's Night Light with Pete Schwabba on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Kathryn Lake

You're listening to Civic Media.

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

Hello, this is David Zucker, and you're listening to Nightlight with Pete Schwabba.

Pete Schwaba

Welcome back.

Man, we got some good text to get to.

People do not like Indiana.

So we'll read those coming up shortly, but...

It is one of those states that seems like you have to get through.

But let us know what your least favorite state or city is, folks.

It's Travel Tuesday, and that is our question of the night.

Right now, I'm joined by my pal, Bill F. I'll just use the same joke I used with Mike.

Bill and I have known each other for 35 years, been friends for about nine years.

So, Bill, it's great to have you.

Do we have Bill?

I see Rodney Allen ripping out there, but I don't see Bill.

Maybe thought we were oh there is hey Rodney Bill are you there?

I Think he's doing a bit because I can hear sound can you hear us Bill?

Oh He's waving can you hear me Bill?

Let's see.

Maybe he's got maybe he's got us muted.

He didn't like what we had to say Bill is the host of

The Me TV show, Tune In With Me, a nationally syndicated morning show.

He is the host and does a great job.

I highly recommend checking out the show.

It's all the cartoons we grew up with.

He is the cartoon curator.

And he told us in the last segment that he also has a part on the show, Sven Gulley.

I think it was called.

So we'll see if we have Bill back here.

Are you there, Bill?

Can you hear me?

Oh, there you go.

Hey, buddy.

Hey, sorry about that.

It cut out.

I

Pete Schwaba

don't know why.

That's OK.

So, all right, before the break, Bill, I was talking about you and Paul Gilmartin playing a joke on the very funny Milwaukee comedian Fred Klett, who is working Zany's Mount Prospect.

And I think what happened, if I recall this, and correct me if I'm wrong, Paul told Fred that you didn't like him.

Because you thought he was saying bad things about you or something was completely fabricated and Fred was really taking it back because Fred like you he is the Milwaukee Bill left.

He's a very nice guy And Paul's the wild card in there because Paul will say anything but

He told you that you were going to put sugar in his gas tank to get back at him.

And you waited.

Say any small prospect was set up so the stage you could see the door to the parking lot from the stage.

And you waited till Fred was looking at you and you looked at him and went outside.

And he

thought you

Pete Schwaba

were

going to put

Pete Schwaba

sugar in his gas tank.

So great.

You know, the beauty of this is we're all grownups, right?

We should all know better than to do stupid stuff like this.

But it was more fun to do it than not do it.

So we did it.

Pete Schwaba

Absolutely.

And I can't remember who.

I think I was talking to Mike Schmidt or.

Pardo or somebody recently and the fact when you're on the road is a comedian and you go to a mall in the middle of the day with two other grown men That

Kathryn Lake

just

Pete Schwaba

looks like trouble.

It looks like guys on the lamb or no one would guess your comedians but Steve I it Jimmy part of when I played tag at the Train station in St.

Louis that had become a mall.

We were running and a guy a grown man running is always a weird thing

There's

Pete Schwaba

gotta be a story behind that, you know, but you're

right.

It was

Pete Schwaba

it was just fun times

One time Mike Toomey and I were doing exactly as you just said, we were on the road and we decided that our mall visit would be enhanced by the fact that I had a small picture of one of my wife's sisters from when she was in grade school.

So we went into each shop and we said that we were junior G-men and we were trying to track down this girl who was missing.

She was at the Spencer's gift and then no one saw her after that.

And everybody was so helpful, you know, we never found her sadly, but everybody was very helpful.

Pete Schwaba

The only thing that would have made that story better is if you went into every store and said, hello, Crime Stopper, we can use your help.

It makes the week a lot more interesting, doesn't it?

Pete Schwaba

Well, you got so much time to kill.

You

know what I mean?

Pete Schwaba

Like, it's, I totally agree with you.

You

Pete Schwaba

also, I can't remember the comedian you're working with, and I just invited you on the show to tell Bill Left Stories, which are always fun, but you said to the guy, you were the middle act, and the guy was, it was a guy you didn't really know who was in town headlining, and he was kind of a hack, I think.

You knew he was a hack and you, you got off stage and he didn't watch your set.

And as you were heading out to the lobby, you said, God, I don't know what the deal has mentioned Cedar.

They go nuts for Cedar.

And this guy tried to work it into his head.

It was just getting stared at.

And he's like, well, I know the Cedar around here.

You guys know all about that.

Like nothing, you know, like beautiful.

See now, when you look at it, when you analyze it, why would a person do something so horrid as that?

But why wouldn't you?

The opportunity's there, right?

You gotta grab it.

Pete Schwaba

And that's how I think, like, you're such a nice guy, but you get your darker side out that way.

You like to

see a

Pete Schwaba

headliner dig a hole for himself for five

minutes.

Yeah.

Why not?

While

Pete Schwaba

we're on the subject, did you ever work with a comic bill that you didn't like?

Oh, boy, a couple of times.

I'm trying to think of who, if anyone stands out.

Nobody really stands out.

There were a couple of times that...

You know, maybe their viewpoint of what comedy was in mind were different, but that's all right.

Sure.

But there wasn't anybody.

There was a guy that I sometimes you're forced into a comedy condo with somebody and that can make for a long week.

And I didn't have a car.

I was looking in Florida and there was a guy there who wasn't very funny and wasn't very nice.

And he kept saying to me, hey, let's have lunch.

Let's have lunch.

And we went and we had lunch one day or we were looking for a place to have lunch and I go, how about this place?

And he goes, oh, because I'm a big guy, you think I'd like to all you can eat buffet.

And it got weird from there.

I mean, it started weird, but it got weirder.

Oh, you know, who else was a jerk was the amazing Jonathan.

Oh, interesting.

I know he's no longer with us and it's bad to be poorly of the dead.

But he was not a nice man.

Pete Schwaba

That's interesting.

I worked with him like one show, but had no interaction with him I know people like laud him like he's this great Magician comedian the only successful guy who was actually funny, but I've never even seen his act I think I just got the paycheck and left, you know

He did that thing where Alright, so I was the middle act and he was the headliner and he would always say hair How about another hand for this guy and for this guy and then he would do jokes about the emcee and myself I thought that's kind of cheap because we're already out of the show.

We can't really

Comment on anything and he did stuff like that all week long and then on the last night he goes Hey, if you come in early tomorrow, I'll take you out to dinner and I went

why would I want to do

I Would grab dinner with anybody but you why would I do that?

I'll insult you over food

Pete Schwaba

Hey Bill, this was so much fun.

Thank you again.

Can you stick around after we go to break?

I want to ask you something you mind

just absolutely

Pete Schwaba

Bill left ladies and gentlemen check out tune in with me and the me TV network.

It's a great

show

Thank you, sir.

Very proud of you.

Pete Schwaba

Thanks for being our first guest and now our most recent.

That's fantastic stuff.

Oh, thank you.

All right.

Bill left, folks.

Stick around, Bill.

We are coming back for Act 3 after this.

And I'm going to give you details on our text-to-win contest and Giving Tuesday, all kinds of great stuff going on.

And we're going to talk to actor, author Brett Kissinger here in the studio, Peach Waban Nightlight.

Kathryn Lake

The national news cycle never stops.

But it can be hard to find news about your local community.

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