Transcript
Celebrating The WI Film Festival with Pete Schwaba (Hour 1)
The Todd Allbaugh Show · Mon Apr 7, 2025
Wisconsin on the Civic Media radio network and streaming worldwide on the Civic Media app.
Good afternoon, everybody.
I'm Todd Alvalt, along with fantastic Mr. Aaron Zommers on the board.
It is Monday, the 7th of April, 2025.
It is a great day to be a Wisconsinite.
Welcome, everybody.
Here at the World Headquarters of Civic Media in downtown Madison, glad to have you along.
Mr. Zommers, snow is in the air.
A few flurries be spittin'.
as I went and got some
Well, you know, it's that time of year when one day it could be 70, and they're saying maybe 70 by Sunday or Monday.
Going into this weekend into next week and then of course right now it's snowing so that time of year I don't think any major Accumulations are supposed to be happening just some snow in the air.
Yeah, it's just some flurries Yeah, just some flurries nothing to worry about too much, but it will be chilly So if you're gonna be outside to Zommer's point bring along your favorite jacket or whatever dress warmly So be aware of that big weekend Zommer's how was
Yeah, we, uh, Zombers and I hung out a little bit and, uh, with my friend Kristen Soper, my former colleague at, uh, LL Bean, she and I went and then also, uh, Matt Agerer, one of our listeners out.
I had sent Matt a ticket and it was so, it was so, it was sold out.
And I thought states were going to be a sign, but no, they just heard you in like cattle and we had, we could not leave.
They did not allow us to leave a
empty seat because it was
out.
And then of course, I know that our winners of the tickets and apologies because I didn't see the text until like the next day.
They were having trouble parking.
But
they finally got there.
hope so.
So but it was a great film.
It was sold out.
Kelly Call, Sean Hannish, of course, who were on the show last week were on hand, did a great job taking questions from the audience and kind of setting it up and then talking about it afterwards.
And Sean.
The director and co-producer of the film said that that was the they probably I don't know how many screenings they've had.
I would say, I don't know, at least a dozen probably around there.
And he said that was the the best audience in terms of just reaction and getting some of the lines that were funny to Sean and Kelly.
But the audiences didn't always get it.
But this audience on Friday, it was a lot of interaction.
There really was a lot of applauding when home runs were hit in the movie.
If you have not seen it yet, you can get it on DVD at your local blockbuster.
No way.
You have to go to Amazon.com.
You can order it on Amazon on DVD.
And of course, Sean and Kelly were here on Friday to announce that this Thursday, the 11th, I know this Friday, pardon me,
Friday, April 11th.
The movie, Just A Bit Outside, the story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers will be available for get this free, F-R-E-E, free this Friday on the Roku channel.
And I've had people say, well, Todd, I don't subscribe to Roku.
Here's the thing, you don't have to.
If you just, and I don't understand these things, but if you have a smart TV and turn it on and go to the Roku app or whatever, it should just pop up and then you're set to go.
Oh really see I So if
me by 1978 Atari won't work.
that All right, fine.
So if you have a does it work a PlayStation and Xbox wherever it's
So there you go.
This Friday, April 11th, you can stream just a bit outside the story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers for free.
The Brewers announced today, by the way, and I have a, I went to Costco this weekend, Zomers.
I took Mark Cuban's advice.
I stocked up a little bit.
Now I didn't hoard, mind you, but I did stock up on a few things.
So I have like, I don't know, four bottles of shampoo.
And with the little hair I have, that goes quite a ways.
Like four bottles of body wash.
some dial bar soap, eight things of toothpaste.
I'm pretty much set for staples now.
I would say well into the fall and maybe if I play my cards right till Christmas.
I mean, that's that.
I feel like that's a good way to stock up anyway, as long as you have the room forward in your house.
Like when I am running low on toothpaste, I'll buy another six tubes or whatever, just so that I don't have to worry about it for a while.
And right now that seems prudent.
Mark Cuban, the great entrepreneur.
Founder of cost plus drugs and longtime host of or a panelist I guess you'd say on on Shark Tank He's saying look don't don't go out and just go bananas like at the COVID But if you can't afford it and if you have space for it stock up on a few things because with these new Trump tariffs now going into effect today and more on Wednesday a Some things might not be available and be even if it's something that's produced within the United States
they're going to jack up the price and tell you it's because of the tariffs.
And I know this firsthand when I worked at LLB, and again, a great company.
But during COVID, there was a lot of stuff that was already in the warehouse out in Maine, and they had us marking shirts and pants up 10 bucks and told us, COVID, it's COVID, 10 and a half.
So prices are going to go up.
That's a given.
So, you know, don't go nuts, but buy a few extra things now if you can.
So anyway, I'm, and this, I think most people can relate.
When you go to Costco, you go on a Costco run for what you need.
Ultimately, you come home with something you don't.
And so thus, I found this great Brewer's Quarter Zip.
And it was like- What was that, Costco?
It was, this was a Costco.
And it's very, very nice.
And it's like 30, it was like 30 bucks or something like that.
I said, hey.
Can't beat it can't beat it with a stick.
So I threw one of those in my cards, but the Brewers announced I believe August 24th Now it's going to be the day they're going to honor Bob Euker with a pregame ceremony and also During the during the game as well.
So August 24th We'll give you more date some more details on that as they become available and a great sports reporter Mike Clemens reporting as we talked about on on Friday and Kelly and Sean talked about this a little bit
because they were there as well, I believe along with Mike Clemens.
There was a private memorial service for Bob Hucker in Milwaukee last Wednesday.
And the fact it was kept hush-hush in this day and age until after it was over is miraculous in and of itself.
It shows that everyone took it seriously.
Absolutely.
Big names like Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Joe Tory, the list just goes on and on.
I don't know very old Mike Clemens.
And Kelly and Sean were charged with putting together about a 15, 20 minute
mini Documentary on on Uker and I guess it's spectacular and we may get to see it here at some point but Good work to them great reporting by our own Mike Clemens.
So so that was Friday.
We watched this movie and then last night Myself along with our friend Chris Paul's we went to John Roach's great new film and Roach was on our show last week as well a road at night talking about the story of former Wisconsin player and assistant basketball coach Howard Moore and
And wow, an amazingly powerful film about how Howard Moore and his wife and two kids were on their way, I believe back in 18, 20, 18 or 19, on their way to visit family in Detroit.
They were hit, they were about 15 minutes from their destination and they were hit head on by a drunk driver.
And it goes through this story both from the driver's perspective,
And they have footage from the bar she was at.
She worked at a bar and she went in as a co-worker off her shift.
And she was served by one of her co-workers.
It was like between six and eight drinks in about two, two and a half hours.
And then she got in her car, a friend said, why don't you stay with me a couple of blocks away?
And she know I'm going to drive across town to go home.
She gets up on the interstate and inexplicably makes a U-turn and heads back and hits the war's head on.
and Howard's wife and daughter were killed in that accident.
He and his son Jalen survived.
And during Coach Moore's recovery, he ends up having a massive heart attack and is now in a wheelchair.
And the proceeds from this film go to the Do More, what is it?
Do More for 34 Foundation.
And we'll put that back up on the screen again.
And this is really a fundraiser.
Howard Moore's parents,
who have to be now, I would say at least in their late seventies, are, there it is, do more for 34s, do more M O, so do M O O R E, four spelled out F O R, and then the number 34.com, domore434.com.
And so Howard Moore's parents in their late seventies at least are caring for him in his home here in Madison.
and his son Jalen is now in college, a freshman.
And so this foundation is to assure Howard's continued care into the future and also to give Jalen an education and a great start.
Do what you can.
Go to domore434.com.
Do more, F-O-R, the number 34.com.
And if you have a chance, go see this movie, A Road at Night.
I'm gonna start making a push.
This movie should be shown to every 15-year-old in Wisconsin High Schools to make it really clear the consequences of driving drunk and how it can completely upend a family.
And this movie also shows the great compassion and empathy of Coach Moore beyond anything I can imagine.
So do more for 34 Roach is working on a streaming deal as soon as we know the details of that We will we will get it to you.
So really really great movie We're gonna talk more about this with Pete Schwabba here at the bottom of the hour Pete Schwabba, of course the host of nightlight Also does directors cut on Wisconsin public television He is a writer producer and actor Pete Schwabba here at the bottom of the hour more with him on that and our number two a little bit of what's worse a cold shoulder shoulder
or a cold shower, right?
So, before that, do we have time for this now or do we want to come?
Oh, I got time.
If we do it quick, right?
Or should we?
We'll do part of it.
We'll do part of it.
So here now, because I got a lot of emails this morning, what happened to the text to win contest?
Here we go.
The devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat.
And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny's feet.
Johnny said, devil, just come on back if you ever want to try again.
Because I told you once, you son of a gun, I'm the best it's ever been.
He played fire on the mountain, run, boy, run.
The devil's in the house of the rising sun.
The chicken did the bread, fed the pig, and after all, there
ain't no way you don't fight no child, no.
The results are in.
And I have laid the golden fiddle for the text to win contest at the feet of my friend and colleague, Jane McNair.
She has beaten me fair and square.
We lost.
Jane won.
Congratulations.
And now, thanks to your lack of voting, I'm going elsewhere.
We'll have more details on the other side when we come back.
So don't go anywhere.
We will tell you the results.
All I can tell you for sure is I'm practicing saying,
You are not the father of that baby.
Come on back.
Congratulations to Jane on the Civic Media Ready Network.
and having fun doing it.
Welcome back to the Tahleball Show on the Civic Media Ready Network.
21 now, past hour of 12 noon.
Coming up to the bottom of the hour, our friend, our colleague, the host of Night Light every evening from six to eight here at Civic Media, Pete Schwabba.
We'll be sitting right next to me.
We're gonna talk more about the Wisconsin Film Festival, which incidentally is still going on for this week.
So talk about opportunities there.
Right now, again, congratulations to our friend and colleague, Jane McNair.
who has won the text to win contest that we held last week.
And we don't know who the grand prize winner is for that great Verlo mattress set and bamboo, not a steamer, but sheets.
Although if you want to get steamy in the bamboo sheets, that's up to you.
But we do know that the winner is from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
Sun
Yes, check your text messages, check your voicemails, because you may have already been contacted.
The grand prize winner of the Verlo mattress set from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, could be a listener on this show, on WMDX.
So think about that.
Many thanks to all those who participated and put it together.
Many thanks to
Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells for providing us with so many of those prizes, the Milwaukee Brewer's Baseball Club for those Brewer tickets, and to Aaron Coreto for giving the $100.
That came out of his pocket.
Do you know that, Zomers?
know that.
He just said, here's $500 bucks or whatever grand.
Just give it away.
So it was very nice of him.
But Jane won Farron Square.
I called her a text-interactually on Friday, Saturday, Friday night, late.
I said, I concede.
I've conceded the race.
We're not going to get it done.
But I want Jane to succeed because I want our companies to succeed.
And now, like Al Gore once said, it's time for me to go.
So Jane won because we had this little internal contest to see which show could get more participants in the text to win contest.
And Jane McNair and Greg Bach won fair and square and congratulations.
Now, last week, I was telling you.
if I lost, word on the street was we were getting sent down to another time slot.
Yes.
And we're not, this, we are not making this up.
Zombers, here now, you've enjoyed Aaron Zombers and I for a daily nooner, every day here on Civic Media.
Now, starting at a date uncertain later this month, get ready, it'll be the Todd Allball Show.
That's right join us later on this month We'll be moving in the new time slot two until four.
This is real.
This is not a bit the music was part of but this is real so starting somewhere around
the 22nd or 23rd ish of April, we are moving to a new time slot.
And you can join us every afternoon from two
Matt Flynn.
Also there.
So there's that.
And this is very exciting because it gives us an opportunity to tweak and retool the show.
So.
You know, I'm curious.
I've thought about things that things have been given to me that we could start talking about.
For instance, we can start doing paternity tests on the show.
And so where you have a couple, they sit here and a man, a woman, and she says, this guy is the father of my baby.
And he says, no, no, no, I'm not.
You're a whore.
You've slept with a lot of guys and you don't know.
And then you have a paternity test.
And then you have a very dramatic thing where it's in an envelope like this.
And then I, as your afternoon host, you look at, you pull it out.
You look at it very dramatically.
And you look at the guy and you say, you,
are NOT the father of that baby.
I think someone's
before.
Really?
Oh, Maury Povich.
Yeah, that's the one.
That's the old Maury Povich show.
So, uh, you know, there's things like that.
Now, Wendy Williams killed it in this time slot for years on television.
So, I mean, we could, she's not doing so well right now, but we could maybe, uh, we could maybe, you know, get a hold of her, maybe some of her old bits.
That'd be a lot of fun.
I don't know anything else you want to do.
at that time of day?
Yes.
Yes.
It could
no, no.
It's getting
two hours, much like ours.
And will other people say where they're going?
But no, I am not leaving.
Neither is she.
They said, well, Todd's affordable.
We'll keep him.
No, we're just, these things happen in media.
It's the way it goes.
And there's some new lineup changes going on.
And so, no, we're just moving.
And we were in for a while.
So far, in two and a half years, we were at eight o'clock, went eight to 11.
Then we went eight to 10.
Then we went one two three Then we went noon until two and now we're going to until four
slot.
Exactly.
We just we want to be players Rock around the clock.
No, maybe that should be the new theme song for the show rock around the clock Yeah, that that could be the case so anyway, so one more details as they become available and we'll update you but we hope that you
So are we able to tell people it's going in this time slot yet?
I don't know.
Nobody said no.
I don't know.
What other people say?
I think some people will be happy.
So we'll see.
Anyway, so that's coming up later on this month around April 22nd or 23rd.
Start joining us then from two until four, same goofy host, same outstanding producer just two hours later, which allows me, of course, to get more sleep, which is, which is good.
Anyway, so that's what's going on.
That's the big announcement today.
But we're going to be here in our current time slot for a couple more weeks, right?
And then we'll tell you the exact day.
But we're here in the noon time slot for two more weeks.
And then in the third week, sometime in there, join us from two until four every afternoon for a little.
afternoon delight.
So that'll be a lot of fun.
Also going to be a lot of fun to have Pete Schwabbe here coming up next year on the big program.
We're going to talk about the Wisconsin Film Festival and also about his great show, which is going to stay the same from what I hear.
Starting at six o'clock, it will stay there every evening.
Come on back.
It's the Toddled Balls show, noon until two for now on the Civic Media Ready
you
Having fun doing it, welcome back to the title of our show in the on the Civic Media Radio Network.
Glad to have you along for a Monday, the 7th of April, 2025, Zommer's on the board.
34 minutes now past the hour of 12 noon.
Sons come out in Zommer's.
After Fleury's half an hour ago, now we got to Sons.
So what do they say?
If you don't like the weather, it was gone.
So wait five minutes.
Yes, yes,
summers.
Joining us now here at the desk, we are happy to have him, a colleague and a guy who's become a friend, a person I just love talking to and I love listening to his program.
You know him as the host of Nightlight here.
And by the way, Pete, your your actually time is not changing.
You're going to stay at six to eight less.
That's true.
Correct.
All right, very good.
From six until eight, nightlight right here, the Civic Media Ready Network.
He also is a host of Directors Cut on Wisconsin Public Television.
He is a writer, producer and actor and all around Renaissance man, Mr. Pete Schwabba.
Pete, how are you?
I sound
so successful.
Why
don't I have more
money?
Look at my shirt, Todd, like a bargain basement here.
I'm embarrassed.
Thank you.
That was a nice introduction.
It's great to have you.
My show can't go any earlier.
or it would have to be called like Afternoon Tea with Peach Chwabba, not Nightlight, right?
So we have to- Well, we're changing our theme song to Afternoon Delight.
Then we can do like a crossover show.
Listen, that song, my buddy Steve Seagrin used to do a bit about that song and he said, did you guys know that song was about sex?
I had no idea.
To me, an Afternoon Delight was a beef sandwich in the Dick Van Dyke show.
That's really funny.
I don't even know what it was about, either one of them.
That's really funny.
Well, talk to, I mean, most people know who the hell you are, but if they don't, maybe they don't get up until later on, tell us just a little bit about yourself and your background a little bit.
A couple of the highlights here, as it pertains to, and then how you got into doing Nightlight on Civic Media.
How far do you want me to go
now?
In utero or?
I
was born in Chicago, in the city, lived about two and a half miles west of Ridley Field till I was 12, moved up to Marinette, Wisconsin.
Beautiful Marinette.
Beautiful Marinette.
I live now.
So just for junior high and high school, and then I went back to Chicago for college, started doing stand-up comedy, moved out to LA, and got lucky and sold some screenplays.
did a little acting and kind of still did stand up but and then we've been back in Wisconsin since like 2011 so I continued to freelance and kind of commute back and forth but that's a grind you know and
I would say it's easier now after COVID with Zoom and everybody's more open to that, but it used to be they wanted you there for meetings and stuff like that.
But anyway, that's, and since I moved back here, I've been still writing and doing various projects and hosting PBS Wisconsin Directors Cut.
I introduced all the POV and independent lens films and write the intros for those.
So I come down to Madison about once a month to do those and that's always fun.
And a couple of weeks ago, we did our Wisconsin Film Festival edition for Directors Cut.
which is great.
And that's one of my favorite episodes.
So that aired, you can see that at PBSWI.org, I think it is.
And it just gives you insight into the Wisconsin Film Festival, which is still going.
It has like three, three, four more days.
But so I've been doing that.
And then I got connected here at Civic Media because I had this idea for a show about entertainment.
And I said, you know, there's really nothing.
Pardon me.
There's really nothing on the radio.
to my knowledge that just talks about entertainment and I'm like you know there's three sports stations in Chicago probably two here in Madison two in Milwaukee I'm like come on we could talk about some entertainment people like to talk about movies and what they're binge watching and
Stuff like that, so I've been doing that and I talk about a lot of local stuff too on Nightlight and local arts and local fun stuff that's going on and it's been a lot of fun to do the show, you know.
Were you a theater kid growing up?
Were you a smart ass?
Were you a writer?
I guess everybody has a different journey how they end up into
entertainment.
I did theater, I played sports as a ridiculously mediocre athlete.
So I thought
isn't for me.
But yeah, I did theater and yeah, I couldn't wait to, you know, I remember watching all those TV shows like Evening at the Improv on A&E and I was like, man, that would be great.
And I did that.
So I started doing standup comedy.
So when I got to do Evening at the Improv about two weeks before it went off the air, it was like, I got in just under the wire, you know,
But there were so many shows back when I was doing stand-up that you could do them all and you had good exposure and Comedy Central and Caroline's Comedy Hour.
So yeah, that was a natural.
I always wanted to do stand-up comedy.
I grew up listening to Steve Martin albums and Eddie Murphy albums and George Carlin.
So I just always loved stand-up.
But I also loved making movies, loved Albert Brooks and Woody Allen and all these guys that could write their own script and be in the movie.
So I had a chance to do that with a film I made called The Godfather of Green Bay.
And another film I sold came out called A Guy Thing, but I had some success selling movies, but only one of them's been made.
The rest are sitting on the shelves and might never see the light of day.
That's just the way the business
goes.
That's kind of the, I don't want to call it the dark side.
That's the unknown side.
I've known not as many as you, but other people from Wisconsin that went to LA and are writers that have a lot of projects.
sitting on the shelf and everybody, oh, you're a writer, you work in Hollywood, you're working with... Yeah, that's really cool, but people don't see all the hard work that goes into it and all the projects that take forever, if ever, getting made.
It's funny, you're absolutely right, because especially with movies, they take so long to write because it's this big 120-page math equation.
You have to make everything make sense.
So, and then you get it sold and then the development process takes forever.
And finally it comes out.
And I was talking to a couple of filmmakers this weekend about how they were so excited to finally get to watch their work with an audience and something they've been working on in some cases for five years.
So, and my writing partner Greg Gleana who started the Meet the Parents franchise was in town for Meet the Parents screening.
So that was fun because we talk about all this stuff and all the frustrations like what you were just talking about when you write stuff and it sells and you get paid and you're like, yeah, and then it will never see the light of day, maybe.
And in many cases.
Well, I hope people, they haven't checked it out.
I know I try to as often as I can because your connections.
You're kind of like the Kevin Bacon a little bit.
You know people that know people that know people and the variety of folks that you bring on from actors to writers to producers.
Good luck.
You got Chorro.
I'm enormously jealous.
You got Chorro.
How did you get Chorro?
That was
through Civic Media.
Oh, that was from the Wisconsin Historical Society.
So I reached out to them
months ago.
Wait, what?
I know.
They have a connection to this theater in, I think it's Baraboo.
Yeah, I was
bare-boot.
Was it
bare-boot?
OK.
Did Charlotte work for the Ringling Brothers for a time?
Is that what it was?
She could have.
She's phenomenal.
I mean, she had all this energy.
And I don't know if the circus was her connection to bare-boot or not, but she was great.
But she's worked with everything, from the Smothers
Brothers to on Carson to every place else.
And she's very good on the radio.
She was talking to me like I was her best friend.
She's like, Pete, you have to come to the show.
And I'm like, oh my god, I'm going to hang out.
I'm going to go bowling with Charlotte.
And, you know, I haven't talked to her since.
It was a great interview and a great get.
And it's a it's a great show.
Let's talk a little bit about Wisconsin Film Festival.
It is still going on through this Thursday, April 10th.
You can get more information by going to WIFilm.
filmfest.org.
Zomers and I went and saw just a bit outside the story of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers with, of course, Kelly Collins, Sean Hannish as producer and director, respectively, on that.
And then I went last night and saw John Roach's great film on Howard Moore and his family, A Road at Night.
thoughts on those two films.
You know, I interviewed John on Director's Cut for the sneak preview of the festival and we immediately connected.
He's such a good guy and he's got a great history in the business,
Madison in Chicago, he's kind of split time, but he sent me a link.
So I watched that film by myself and I wish I could have, I had a conflicting schedule.
I was introducing a film at the music hall, I think, but
So I couldn't get over there, but I can't even imagine what that was like watching it with 700 people at the Barrymore because I thought the film was I've never been so proud to have a connection to Madison, Wisconsin.
Like my brother went to school here.
I had a lot of friends that went here.
I've been coming down here for years and my PBS is through the university.
So I feel kind of a part of it.
But that movie and just seeing what a family UW Madison and the Badgers and the school.
coaches like the scene in the movie.
I loved was when Stan Van Gundy was talking.
Yes.
And
he was saying that Howard's kid said, coach, I couldn't save my sister.
That he was calling him coach was just, it was magical.
It was a beautiful movie to watch.
And then it gets very heart wrenching at the end, but.
Last night,
Howard Moore's dad was in the audience and his son, Jarrell was in the audience.
And I believe it was one of Jarrell's uncles was up on stage afterwards with Jarrell.
speaking, it was enormously powerful
be there in that theater last night.
But to your point, and again, this is a credit to John Roach and his crew at their studios.
And he talked about this, Roach did, and he's probably talked to you about it.
He said, this is just a project that just kind of lays itself out.
It is what it is, and you don't want to disrespect anyone in it.
And so they felt it was really incumbent to just let the purity of that story, but you know this better than anybody else.
how those interviews are shot, how they're edited, how that's told, makes all the difference.
Absolutely.
It's all about execution.
Even in, pardon me, even in a documentary, I was talking to John last night, he said, he just kind of wanted to get out of their way.
Yes.
You know, start the camera, let him talk and edit it.
And I saw another film this week that was, it was called The Threesome.
It was a rom-com,
was on, believe it or not, it was a rom-com.
Have a number?
Actually, a very appropriate film, too.
It's kind of a sex comedy, but it's sort of just this very sweet story.
The characters were thoughtfully written from all perspectives, politically.
I can't say much because there's a moment in the film where everyone's just like, whoa, and you don't see it coming, the twist, and it's like that for the whole film.
And I'm not, I've seen my share of rom-coms, but this was executed, like you just said, it was, the direction was great, the music was great, the acting was good, like everything came together.
And that definitely happened with John's film.
Even though it wasn't a narrative, it was a documentary, it was just really well done.
We're speaking with Pete Schwabbe.
He is the host of Nightlight every evening here on Civic Media from 6 until 8.
Also hosts director's cut on Wisconsin Public Television, a writer, producer, and actor as well, talking about Wisconsin Film Festival going on now in Madison through April 10th.
You've been going to this festival for a while, Pete.
Tell folks, is it only Wisconsin film people that are from Wisconsin?
Wisconsin connection or is it like Sundance or other places where you can like do is there a board that accepts it?
How does it work?
Yeah, there's an approval process or they have a jury that watches tons of film.
They hold up for like three days and they watch all the submissions or the ones that made the cut.
I don't know exactly how they do it, but it's a pretty intense weekend.
But it's not just Wisconsin films.
There's certainly a lot of that.
They celebrate Wisconsin filmmakers, but it's great restorations.
They've been trying to get this movie about the Rolling Stones for years.
I can't even say the title of it.
on the radio.
It's a backstage look.
You can look in the guide or the last word is blues.
something before that you can't even say on the radio and never will be able to.
But that was interesting.
And so they have restorations.
They have great Q&As.
Alexander Payne was here last year doing sideways 20 year anniversary.
But it's got, the great thing about it, Todd, I think is all the people that come back to Wisconsin, like Sean Hannish, who you introduced me to, who's a great guest, Kelly Call.
I spent a lot of time with them Saturday night just talking.
So you do, it kind of brings Hollywood to Madison a little bit.
And it's fun to meet people and see their work, like Ethan Ogilby, who wrote the threesome.
Great guy.
And I got to meet him and hang out with him and talk to him about his writing process as a fellow writer.
I was fascinated by how he did that.
So it's all that kind of stuff.
And you just see some really great films.
The people that run the festival who are kind of at the top are big time movie fans.
They've seen everything and it's a great festival.
Top to
bottom.
Isn't it fascinating?
And you know this more so than I, but when you look at a place like Madison and in particular, I don't know what there's in the water over there at Madison West, but Madison West High School, the graduates from there.
University of Wisconsin-Madison, UW-Milwaukee, other places around the state.
There are a lot of connections both in theater and movies and music and writing that end up in LA and all comes back to Wisconsin.
Yeah, and I, you know, I think a lot of people, myself included, I was in LA for 14 years and I ended up
It's kind of my adopted home state too, but my wife has ties here too, so it just made sense.
But I know a lot of people, I was asking Sean and Kelly this the other night, would you ever move back?
And everybody loves Madison.
They like Wisconsin, they love Madison.
They're like, yeah, I could live in Madison.
Well, so that's kind of fun.
But yeah, that definitely exists.
Well, I just think it's great where you can stick around one more segment.
All right, well, you're amazing.
I'll come back and talk a little bit more.
If you have questions for Mr. Schwamba, feel free to give us a call.
855-752-4842.
855-752-4842.
If you want to talk a little Hollywood, a little film, a little nightlight, we have Ph.
Wabba here with us in the daytime.
Imagine that.
We'll come back.
Don't go anywhere.
It's the time of our show for a Monday right here on the Civic Media.
Radio number.
This ain't no disco.
It ain't no country club either.
This
is LA.
All I wanna do is have a little fun before I die.
Just
a man next to me out of
nowhere.
He was I and see I listen to a lot of both of them.
I know their voices are kind of similar I don't
know I
don't know why I can hear that.
Yeah.
Thank you for credit.
Yes,
Cheryl Crowe I apologize to both of those fine
artists
Because I've talked about this show before I I've known people out in LA one of my first times out there when I was in college
and I had a friend's car and I was literally driving down Santa Monica Boulevard and that song came on the radio.
And I thought, how cool
is
that?
A kid from a town of 5,000, Richland Center in Wisconsin is driving on Santa Monica Boulevard.
That song comes on.
Pete Schwabble, by the way, is our host, our host.
He's going to
be
after this segment.
I can't get any more of those
singers wrong.
That's right.
He's the host of Nightlight every evening here on Civic Media from six until eight.
Also host director's cut on PBS, Wisconsin Public Television, a writer, producer and actor.
Do you remember your first time when you went out to LA?
Yeah,
I do.
I did a set at the comedy store.
I had worked with a comedian in Paul Rodriguez in Florida, and he set up a guest spot.
So I went out there, and it's very overwhelming.
It's just such a huge city.
I mean, I went there.
I was based out of Chicago as a stand-up, which is not a small town.
But it's like you get there, and it's like, where do I start?
Because...
It can be overwhelming, but you just dig in like everybody else and you talk to one person and that leads to another person.
It's like any other industry, really.
And I've got two kids that might be headed for that business too.
One is already kind of in it and it's like, I'm glad I can share my experiences with them, but it's still, it makes you kind of live all through that again.
You live vicariously and you're like, oh God, just go do IT or.
working a pharmacy, something I don't know anything about.
So I don't have to worry about you, you know, but luckily they're a lot smarter than I am.
So.
Well, I'm not sure if you've done all right for yourself, Pete, and continue to do so.
Let's talk a little bit more about this.
The Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison through April 10 festival brings you to town.
Yeah.
Any particular films that are still on the docket here for this week that you would recommend to people if they want to either in the Madison area or want to drive in for an afternoon or evening.
You know, I this is going to sound fun.
The Russ Meyer film, Vixen, I'm curious.
I might go see that because I've never seen a Russ Meyer film.
I've heard him referenced on Seinfeld and all these places and he made these.
I'm just truly curious.
So, and that's what film festivals are great for.
You can look at old films and so it's kind of like.
What's the surf one?
CP told me I should see that.
Is that
Nicholas Cage?
Yeah, I think maybe it is.
Is
it still playing?
I know.
I'm looking.
I think maybe it's done.
If I was a better host, I would have been prepared with that.
Hey, we'll say this.
If you go out to Flix Brewhouse this week, order yourself a nightlight-inspired beer called Hazed On Radio.
Wait, you have a drink
named after you?
A beer.
A beer?
What?
Which you can drink.
But yeah, they reached out to me and they were like, hey, how about if we do this original brew inspired by nightlight?
And I said,
Yes, please.
And so I went there a couple of weeks ago, poured the hops in.
The brew master, Dave Hansen, worked with him a little bit.
And it's a hazy IPA.
So it's available out at Flix.
So I'm going to probably pop out there at some point tonight or tomorrow before I leave town and just kind of taste test.
I don't really drink, but I'll certainly taste my own beer.
Of course.
And so yeah, check it out.
I'd love to know what people think.
It's called Hazed on Radio.
And thank you to Dave Hansen.
I'm going to have to go check that out.
Well, congratulations.
Even if you don't see a movie, just go there and have a nightlight
beer.
Nightlight beer, that's great.
Anything else you wanted to bring up or talk about about Wisconsin Film Festival in particular?
You know, I just think it's such a fun time.
I saw so many great movies, and I got to host a Meet the Parents Q&A with my writing partner, Greg Leanna, who is in town in Jim Vincent.
They came on the show.
And there was another movie I enjoyed, another rom-com by Amy Landecker, who is from Madison.
And she's married to Bradley Whitford.
Oh, yeah.
Her film screen Friday, nice rom-com.
But definitely when the threesome hits streaming, check that out.
It's such a well-written movie.
The Stones thing was an experience.
What else?
Yeah, I've seen... I see movies based on my schedule.
Like, sometimes they conflict.
Like, I still haven't seen the
Brewers just a bit outside.
Here, you want to have a DVD copy?
What's a
DVD?
This looks interesting.
Come on, we're roughly ish this.
You'll have to have a DVD player, don't you?
It sucked away somewhere, yeah.
Really?
But Sean told me the other night this is on Roku now, too.
Starting Friday.
Starting Friday, okay.
For free on Roku.
That's amazing.
I can't wait to see it.
I wanted to see it this weekend, but I had a conflict.
It's a really great film.
Couple minutes left here
talking to Pete Schwabba.
How is movie, I mean, that's not a great question, but the movie experience, like in sitting in the theater, or in the theater, I guess, with Friday,
watching the Brewer's movie than last night, Ron Roach's movie.
We've missed something with the shared experience in my opinion, all the streaming at home.
It's still the best way to see these things in my opinion.
Absolutely.
And I look for my show and what I talk about.
I love the fact that I can watch all this stuff on home because it gives me something to talk about.
And I like that, but you cannot beat going to the movie theaters.
Like, and just at the Barrymore this weekend, I saw four films there.
packed.
In the Rolling Stones film, people were dancing and singing and they showed footage of a young Stevie Wonder singing satisfaction with Mick Jagger.
And everybody, the collective shared experience, as you said, you can't beat that.
You don't get that at home.
No.
You know, totally with you.
And as a writer,
do you ever write things in mind with like, you know, how will this be presented or take in a shared experience or does that not enter into your process?
Well, I think a lot of it, Todd, is a lot like stand up.
You go,
Why do I think this is funny?
Well, other people think it's funny.
Same thing when you're writing a screenplay.
Will people relate to this?
You don't think about that when you're writing it.
You just write what's kind of in your soul or in your heart, so to speak.
And you trust that other people will find things to connect with through that.
You know, same thing with stand-up movies, and those are the successful ones.
Well, I hope people check out Nightlight every evening from 6 until 8, because it's a great way to connect with Pete Schwabba in Hollywood and Wisconsin and entertainment.
Pete, you're fantastic.
Thank
you.
Johnny Beiner tonight and Victoria Davis, two Madisonites coming on the show.
Join Pete right here
at 6 until 8.
My pleasure.
Thank you, Pete Schwabba.
Come on back.
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