Listen to the full interview at https://www.15minuteswithchuck.com/styx-interview-with-james-jy-young-the-godfather

Chuck (host) (00:00):

Hello. Thanks so much for joining me today. It’s my pleasure to introduce my special guest James J Y young of sticks, J Y and the rest of sticks along with AO Speedwagon and Loverboy are performing on the road now with their tour called live and on zoom with several gold and multi-platinum albums. Their successes are incredible. They’ve had 16 singles in the top 40 of the us billboard hot 108 top 10 hits. Last year, they released the album crash of the crown and the EP the same Stardust. Jay lead guitar sticks joins me today on the road to discuss the tour and his amazing music.

James “JY” Young (01:08):

Professor fields.

Chuck (host) (01:10):

<Laugh> professor fields. I love it. Thanks so much for joining me, man. Pleasure to have you here.

James “JY” Young (01:16):

My pleasure.

Chuck (host) (01:18):

Hey, listen. This is so cool. You’re finally back on tour, live and UN zoomed –loving the name. You’re out there with the RSB wagon lover, boy, how’s it going?

James “JY” Young (01:27):

Going phenomenally well, much better than I even, I thought it, it might go how’s that, you know, post pandemic, I think nobody really truly knows what to expect and, and how to predict these things, but we’re our audiences act like people that have been cooped up for a few years and are ready to let it loose because we’re, we’re drawing in a way as good as we ever have and some nights even better.

Chuck (host) (01:54):

Oh, I, I think that’s fantastic. I didn’t want to go back and I, I think it’s great. You’ve got tours all over and I know they’ve added a few dates here and there, which is fantastic. So I highly encourage our audience to check you guys out, but I wanna go back to cuz I, I heard this, I love this. I heard that some, some other members of band of the band call you the godfather of sticks. I love that. Why is that? Why do they call

James “JY” Young (02:13):

You that <laugh> well, it, it well, I’m the only one that’s regularly. I’m the only one that’s still alive. That’s, you know, basically been at every show except for one or two when my wife was on a ventilator, which she had a stroke back 15 years ago. Oh wow. And and I just refused to leave her side, but otherwise I’m a man that’s a, <laugh> healthy, big and dumb and blonde and eat my Wheaties and take my vitamins and love what I do. And been here from the beginning and this was always what I wanted to do. So yeah, I guess because nobody, I mean, me, Todd, Todd is maybe the term on the planet, but he’s a recent addition. Lawrence Gowan is you know, he’s been around about 15 years here with us. Ricky Phillips was there cuz Chuck had medical issues for a period of time and was right. Was not with us there. And and then just as a backup, we’ve got will a Banovich and and Tommys of course has, has been there since John Luki left was about 25 years ago. Yeah.

Chuck (host) (03:27):

Wow. It it’s been a while. See, I love that though. I mean, cuz you’re right. You know, you’re taking care of yourself and you’re following your passion, which is great. I wanna talk about that kind of real quick. I, you know, your music journey I’m think you grew up in Chicago, which is cool. Not, not just as stones throw away from where I am in Annapolis here. And you started taking piano lessons, age five, which eventually led to guitar, you know, can you tell me more about that and sort of where your passion to, to music began?

James “JY” Young (03:50):

Well, actually <laugh> we were forced everyone in my family was forced to take piano lessons at age five. My ah, there you go. We were my, my dad was actually quite a great penis by ear and his sister. She was a church organist, so she was already very skilled and but my dad really does not good at reading amusing, but he could hear it tune and sit down and play it. And so in my family, we’re sort of divided between my, my oldest sister who unfortunately passed away recently, but she’s sorry, 10 years older than me, but, but she could sight re like crazy. Whereas I was very poor at it. But we all started on piano and then at age 14 I mean the Beatles for me, I was born to 49. So the Beatles kind of were a new thing.

James “JY” Young (04:34):

And I was a young in my young teens and I bought a scene, those Beatles songbook, and learned how to play guitar from that. And then kind of went on from there, just playing by ear and learning things and saw Jimmy Hendrix play five times when he was alive. Oh wow. In person. You know, I saw the cream, the who you know, all kinds of people, you know, from, from, from the very early from the sixties and seventies and the eighties I saw most of them. And then in the band I had actually, we had a very successful, it was the year after Woodstock. The first there was Irving AOF, who was the manager of the Eagles now and is, is a very well known guy from Illinois that is done extremely well for himself in management, in, in the record and, and entertainment business Irving put on a rock festival back in 1970 of the year after Woodstock and, and the band I had with my brother and, and my buddies at that point in time got a standing ovation, but then two of the guys in the band said, huh, they were going to Jehovah’s witnesses.

Chuck (host) (05:37):

Wow.

James “JY” Young (05:38):

<Laugh>. And so with that I tried putting the band met together with my younger brother who was still in college. I was out at that point and and then another, you know, but we could, could just not get people interested. I, I, you know, I thought so then Dennis and the pinao brothers, Dennis Young, and then John Chuck, pinao had a, had a band called T w four and yeah, they were looking for another guitar player that could sing so they could have two, two guitars. And so I joined up with ’em and and pretty soon actually we started writing and got, got a chance to get a recording contract. And it was 70, 71 I guess probably is when we presented the demo to them. And then we recorded the first six album, 1972.

Chuck (host) (06:26):

Wow. See, I think that’s great. And one thing that I also was very impressed JY is you also, simultaneously, as you were career in the band you were working, you got your bachelor’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the Illinois Institute technology. So, you know, what treated aerospace?

James “JY” Young (06:44):

Well, that was my dad was in the construction business and, and he had inherited along with two of his brothers, the business from his father who came from Sweden back around like 1897 or something like that way back when. And and he, he himself started a construction business. And actually, if you look, there’s a young construction company plaque in a number of Chicago public schools where they did the carpentry work, that goes way back, obviously over a hundred years ago. Yeah. And but then you know, so my fallback position was really to the family construction business that I would maybe be the next guy to take over for the next generation. That’s why engineering was engineering degree was closest to that. And, and the aerospace version, the aerospace angle mechanical and aerospace aerospace was in its complete infancy at that point.

James “JY” Young (07:41):

Yeah, it really was. You’re talking about 6 19 65, 66 67. I graduated at the beginning of 67 cuz it still had February graduating classes. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> and so that was just something, but the mechanical engineering side would’ve prepared me to be involved in, in the construction business on many levels, if that was indeed gonna have to happen. And, and ultimately my, my second brother who was only about a year and a half younger than me, he was extremely talented as well. But he just didn’t find the right group of people to be with and they didn’t quite get a recording contract and whatever. And so he was, he was kind of took over the family business from there. And my youngest brother actually has a degree from university of Illinois champagne in theater. Yeah. Although trying to make a buck in theater is harder to make a buck rock and rollback. Oh yeah. Yeah. So see I I’m family rockstar.

Chuck (host) (08:45):

See, I, I think it’s awesome. And I think it’s neat too, and it shouldn’t be surprising. I mean, there’s a lot of very smart musicians out there and I think it’s neat that you’re drawn to engineering. I am a total space enthusiast space nerd, whatever you call it. So, I mean, I was fascinated by your aerospace linkage and I, I noticed of course, you know, a lot of songs by sticks seem to have a strong space focus, you know, last year you released that EP called the same star dust. And before that was the mission. Yeah. Which is great album for our listeners to, haven’t heard it a Chronicles, the first man mission of Mars, I think you’re 2033. So are we seeing that passion for space and aerospace coming through in some of these,

James “JY” Young (09:20):

You know, honestly, <laugh> the crazy thing is, is that, you know, if, if I had come up with that idea, I think Tommy would’ve said, is that all, is that the only thing you okay, get aerospace interview? That’s the only thing you can come up with to write a new song <laugh> but the fact that Tommy came up with it, Tommy is much better at finding the humanity in something you know, I can, I can dissect it and tell you precisely how this happened and how the other thing happened. But, but Tommy’s, Tommy is, you know, has a high school education, but he’s extremely bright. I don’t think his parents had the money or he did have the motivation. He was, he enjoyed playing music and, and he just has a as his, a lyrical sense about him. And so it was his idea. I think he, he found the humanity in the whole thing that I wouldn’t have been able to find. And I mean, I, I collaborated on, on the musical side of the whole thing certainly. And of course perhaps have suggested a lyric there, but that was really Tommy Shaw’s deal.

Chuck (host) (10:21):

Okay. Well then I sense, cuz you guys have been very active with music. You know, you also released the album last year called crush of the crown, which is doing phenomenal. Are you performing any of those songs on the tour right now?

James “JY” Young (10:34):

Yeah, we actually are playing tonight in where we Kansas city and we’re out on the road with it’s a three act three act, bill ourselves on AO speed wagon, our Colin, we flip, we close one night, they close the next night and, and we got lover boy you know, which is kind of from our similar era, although a little bit more recent as the opening actually there’s a three act bill and where people are coming out and drove. I think it’s, it’s a post pandemic. I can finally get, go back out to a concert kind of a response to it, but it it’s it’s very good and people are, you know, real, really into it and, and everybody’s having a blast.

Chuck (host) (11:14):

See, I that’s great. Now do you have personally any, any songs that, any favorite songs that you like to perform?

James “JY” Young (11:21):

Oh, you know, there’s a song that, that Dennis wrote called sweet men and blue. That, that that’s a great song. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> and we do it from time to time depending. I mean, come sailaway is a great song then. Yeah, Dennis, actually it was started out, you know, about just basically in a song about escaping, you know, what was bothering you here at, at home, in, in town or whatever. But it was wrote about obviously being on a, on a ship. And I just said, cause right at that time in the, in the in the seventies when we did it, I just said, why, why don’t, why don’t we have this thing turned into a spaceship at, at the very end and, and Dennis found the lyric that kind of, you know, painted that picture. And so I feel I contributed to the success of that song, cuz it kind of resonated with what people are interested in, you know, space travel and, and going beyond what we know on, on the earth, cuz we’ve it’s, it’s here and <laugh> and you know, it’s exciting to think about other things it might be out there.

Chuck (host) (12:24):

Oh it is. Oh, you’re hitting my note with that one. Cause I love music. I love space and man, I love you guys. I, I think six is great. I, I just Joe, I just wanna wrap up here. I just wanna wish you and the, the rest of the, the band, just the best for this tour. And hopefully we, we got some new, new music on the way we’re hoping.

James “JY” Young (12:41):

Well, I mean, we’re we have a very ambitious tour out there, but Tommy always keeps writing. Lawrence keeps writing Tommy’s collaborator will, who’s become part of the band and the creditor with producing the last couple of records. Those guys those guys are constantly working on new stuff and I’m I’m a little bit lazier. So

Chuck (host) (13:02):

<Laugh>, you’ve earned it. The godfather of sticks right here.

James “JY” Young (13:07):

Well, I’m, I’ve, I’ve, I’ve taken I’ve I’ve always been I’m I’m the guy that takes care of all the, the business details. I deal with the lawyers. I deal with the accountants and that cuz my I’m, I come from a family of business owners, whereas everyone else in the band, I believe their parents were employees of some other company. Whereas my family came from Europe and started a company. And so I’m the El Presidente of the six group companies as

Chuck (host) (13:33):

Well. Well, I, if you’re gonna

James “JY” Young (13:34):

Have to deal I to deal with the accounts and the lawyers, so there

Chuck (host) (13:36):

You go. If you’re gonna have someone dealing with the accounts and lawyers, I’d rather have it be the godfather J Y again, it’s been a pleasure. Thanks so much for joining us today.

James “JY” Young (13:47):

Really? Hey, I’m glad we got this done

Chuck (host) (13:53):

Well, I really enjoyed my conversation with J Y today and I hope you did too, really enjoying their new music as well as the old music, but the newest album crash of the crown is incredible. Highly encourage you to check it out. We’ll let you learn more about them or the tour. Just go to their website at sticks, world.com. I wanna thank Jay Y for joining me today. I wanna thank you for joining us as well. If you can do me a small favor and share this episode or like it, or give us a comment, that would be great. We certainly appreciate it. Thanks so much for joining me today. I’ll see you next time. God bless.

The post STYX – Interview with James “JY” Young, the “Godfather” (transcript) appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

James “JY” Young (born November 14, 1949) is an American musician who is best known for playing lead guitar in the American rock band Styx, having served as the only continuous original member of the band. Young began playing keyboard and piano at the age of five. He attended Calumet High in Chicago and learned to play clarinet and guitar during those years. He was nicknamed by Styx members & long time fans as “J.Y.” and is often referred to as “The Godfather of Styx”.

JY & the rest of Styx, along with REO Speedwagon and Loverboy, are performing on the road now with their tour called “Live and Unzoomed”. Several gold & multiplatinum albums. 16 singles in the top 40 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and 8 top 10 hits. Last year they released the album “Crash of the Crown” and EP “The Same Stardust”.

JY joins me today on the road to discuss the tour and his amazing music.

Transcript available at https://www.15minuteswithchuck.com/styx-interview-with-james-jy-young-the-godfather-transcript

For more information, visit:

• www.styxworld.com
• www.crashofthecrown.com
• www.facebook.com/styxtheband
• www.twitter.com/styxtheband
• www.instagram.com/styxtheband
• www.youtube.com/styxtheband
• CRASH OF THE CROWN buy link: https://styx.lnk.to/crashofthecrownPR

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The post STYX – Interview with James “JY” Young, the “Godfather” appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

Chuck (host) (00:00):

Do you believe your doubts or doubt your beliefs? This new Bible study may help.

Chuck (host) (00:21):

Hello. Thanks so much for joining me today. I’m thrilled to introduce my special guest Erica Wiggin horn. Erica is the founder of every life ministries and a moody publishing author and speaker Erica loves to bring God’s word through Bible teaching conferences, seminars, and retreats. She’s also taught women in the Arizona state prison system and overseas. She joins me today to discuss her new Bible study and unexpected revival experiencing God’s goodness through disappointment and doubt. In this eight week study, Erica shares a unique picture of revival through Ezekiel’s prophecies. Ezekiel reveals that we are not the first people to believe our doubts and doubt our beliefs when circumstances spiral out of control.

Chuck (host) (01:09):

Erica. Thank you so much for joining today. It’s a pleasure to have you here.

Erica Wiggenhorn (01:12):

It’s so great to be here, Chuck, thank you for having me.

Chuck (host) (01:15):

That is definitely my pleasure. Now I think when people first hear about you and your involvement as founder of every life ministries, they probably think that you grew up in a church background and I understand that’s not quite what happened. I was wondering if you could tell us a little bit more about how you began to follow Jesus and how you became passionate about Bible teaching.

Erica Wiggenhorn (01:35):

Yeah, so I did not grow up going to church. My grandparents moved near us when I was in my young teams and they drug me to church and went into a church where they had this big booming preacher in a black robe that stood at this giant wooden pulpit that was sort of suspended from the sky and he would pound the pulpit. And pretty much terrified me to death was understand about this whole thing. I was like, what is happening here? I had enough yelling in my home growing up. I didn’t need to go to church to hear some more yelling. So I was a little like, I don’t know about this church thing. But about a year later my father who had actually struggled a lot with alcoholism, he had just a real turning point in his life and decided that he needed a relationship with God and he needed a relationship with his daughter.

Erica Wiggenhorn (02:47):

And through that process, we started going to a church down the street from our house, and that was a completely different church experience. And as a teenager, I started going to what we call youth group, where we had a special pastor, just for teenagers to try to figure out life and pastor mark was so kind and so patient and put up with all my snarky questions and all my cynicism and just talked about Jesus. Like he talked about his neighbor or his friend or his brother and conversations that he would have with Jesus and things that Jesus said in the Bible. And he talked about him like a real person and that completely intrigued me. And over time he basically said, look, you know, what are you interested in knowing Jesus, the way I know Jesus. And I was like, yeah, I think I am.

Erica Wiggenhorn (03:52):

But the problem was, is when I opened my Bible to try to get to know Jesus, the way that pastor mark knew Jesus, I could not understand a thing Jesus was saying right in the Bible. I grew up in Los Angeles. So I did not know what Jesus meant when he was talking about plow shares and wheat tears and mustard seeds and using all these farming analogies. I was like, I’ve never been on a farm. The only time I’ve seen a farm animal is at the Los Angeles county zoo. I’m so lost. And so I really struggled to grow in my relationship with God. And that compelled me to say, I, I gotta like crack the code on this whole Bible. I don’t get it. I don’t understand it. And I think a lot of people feel that way and we feel bad saying that.

Erica Wiggenhorn (04:49):

But the reality is, is the Bible is a really hard book to understand. And most of us are not gonna just pick it up one day and open it up and go, oh, that makes so much sense when Jesus says weird things like the eye is the lack of the body. And so I began to, I called my pastor mark and I said, can you help a girl out here? And he gave me a bunch of resources and I began to study on my own. And I wanted to create tools that I could hand to somebody and say, if you want to grow closer to God and you don’t know how, and you struggle to read the Bible and you don’t understand what it means, and it’s frustrating for you, let me be your guide. Let me be your friend that sits across the table with you with a cup of coffee. We open up this book together and I help break it down for you because I get the frustration of that. And that’s really all about me in a nutshell.

Chuck (host) (05:51):

That is a great nutshell, Eric, by the way, actually, I’m, I’m really impressed too, cuz this is not your first Bible study. I’m holding it up for our viewers out there, but yet the UN and unexpected rival is one of your amazing Bible studies that came out. I just started <laugh> I’m not very far through it. For audience out there, it’s an a week study of the book of Ezekiel from the old Testament. And Ezekiel, I have to be honest with you. I, I hadn’t read Ezekiel until just recently. Very recently I’m stopped through it and I even kind of quizzed some of my, you know, church going friends. I said, what do you guys know about Ezekiel? And a lot of us were well, little bit. So I was just wondering, why did you pick Ezekiel for your book and what was the significance of that?

Erica Wiggenhorn (06:37):

Yeah, so that’s kind of a crazy story. I was in a really dark time in my life. My father was dying of cancer. We had just moved across the country. I had a three year old and a two year old. My husband was starting a very stressful career. I didn’t have any friends. I didn’t know anyone. And so I started going to Bible study, which is one of the places that I often would go to meet people. And we were studying a book of the Bible and doing this Bible study and I felt like it was all about how Jesus just makes your life rosy and better. And I was like my life is not rosy and it’s not better. And I’m really struggling. And I began crying out to God in prayer. Like, why are all these things happening in my life?

Erica Wiggenhorn (07:27):

Like why is everything going wrong? Like, I don’t understand. I don’t, I don’t have the strength to get through this. And I sensed God saying to me study the book of Ezekiel. And I was like, Ezekiel, that is a weird book. Like what in the world? But it was one of those things. And if this may sound weird, if you’re, if you don’t have a close relationship with God, but for those of us who do we know, God speaks. And when God has something very specific to say to his child, he will say it over and over and over like a parent, like don’t touch that. Don’t touch that. Don’t touch that you’re gonna get hurt. Yes you will. God does the same thing with us. And he kept saying study the book of Ezekiel. And I was crying out to the Lord and saying to him, gosh, this, this study, I just feel like, you know, it’s all about what we’re gonna get from you God.

Erica Wiggenhorn (08:21):

And not like just getting to know you and understanding how much you love us. And so finally God wouldn’t let it go. And it was everywhere. I went, I kept hearing Ezekiel in fact, to the point that my son threw a temper tantrum in the grocery store and we ran into the end cap at the end of the aisle and a dozen loaves of Ezekiel bread fell on, fell all over us, right. Oh my gosh, I got it. I got it. Got, I’m gonna look up the book of Ezekiel. So I went home and I opened my Bible. And a lot of times in the Bible if you have like a study Bible, there’ll be a page or two in the front that just kind of give you a synopsis and an overall understanding of the book. And I had one of those Bibles and it said that God’s heart was grieved because his people only wanted his blessings, but they didn’t want him. And it was exactly what I had been crying out to God and I just knew God was speaking. And so I started studying that book. And the thing that was so beautiful about that book is over and over God is saying the same thing to all of his people. He’s saying, you know what you think that have it. You think that knowing me is a religion,

Erica Wiggenhorn (09:48):

But it’s not. It’s a relationship. And you think you have to check all these boxes and do all these things and don’t do all these other things in order to know me and for me to bless you, but you have it all wrong. You don’t understand my heart for you. And you don’t understand the fact that no matter what you do or what you have done or what dumb thing you might do tomorrow, I’m God. And I love you. And I want a relationship with you. And he paints all of these beautiful word pictures in the book of Ezekiel to get his people, to understand how incredibly much he loves them. Not because they check all the boxes, not because they do everything right, but simply because he created us and he loves us infinitely. And so it’s an invitation to intimacy with God. And that was exactly what I needed at that moment in my life.

Chuck (host) (10:53):

So that’s a wonderful message too. And what little I know about Zeki, I’m starting to learn that too, but what I thought was fascinating, just, just initially, is that here he was, he was 30 years old and I believe that was when, at that age, that’s when they’re ready, they can enter the priesthood. He was ready to become a priest. He was ready. I’m ready. I’ve been, I, I can’t do it until I’m 30, I’m 30 now I’m ready to do it. But he was imprisoned. He was part of a population. His dream of being a preacher was not able to just, I guess it unfolded the way he didn’t expect. It was like his dream was right there and he reached 30. He’s ready to do it and found himself in a different situation, which is what God is wonderful at doing is he has a plan for us and he puts us in a different place. And I just think that’s an incredible story. So I cannot wait to continue on this Bob a little bit more. I do wanna talk about the, the title itself, just an unexpected revival revival. What does that, what does that mean to you? Cause I, I know people have preconceived notions of it, but when you said an unexpected revival, what do you mean

Erica Wiggenhorn (11:56):

Thin check? So revival is really this place where we long for a closer connection with God. We want to know who he is. We want to understand why he made us what our purpose is in life. Why he put us where he put us when he put us there. And so it’s an invitation to know God more deeply. And as a result, know ourselves more deeply, you know, I, to me, it’s so sad when people are spending so much time and energy, like looking inside of themselves to try to fully understand themselves. When in reality, we can’t ever fully understand ourselves apart from God. And so we can spend, you know, hundreds and hundreds of hours reading all these books and going to all these therapy classes and doing all these things. And not that any of those things are necessarily bad things, but it has to start with God.

Erica Wiggenhorn (12:56):

It has to start with the one who created us. And he is the one who tells us who we are and helps us understand. The Bible says that he formed us in our mother’s wombs womb. And he ordained every single one of our days before we even took our first breath. And the Bible also says that he put us in our community and in our section of the world in our time and in our place for great purpose. And so it has to start with a relationship with God. And so when it comes to people out there just saying, you know, what is my purpose in life? Like, why am I here and why does it even matter? And you know, we have all of these crazy confusing messages right now, out in our world. Like, you know, the things that we thought we could look in the mirror and say definitively that we are, you know, I am a woman like now we’re being told, I can’t even say that.

Erica Wiggenhorn (13:52):

It’s gotta start with God. And he made us and he loves us. And when he formed us, he had a very specific purpose and plan for our life in mind and he longs to review it to us. And that comes through having a relationship with him. And that starts through his son, Jesus, through saying, Jesus, I wanna have a relationship with you. I want to experience what it’s like to know you and to follow you. And I acknowledge that, you know what, I’m messing up this life, trying to do it all by myself and I need you

Chuck (host) (14:31):

See. Absolutely. And, but that, that just brings that hits home for me so much because so my, my biggest prayers all the time are Lord, let me let go of control. I know you’re a control. You, you take the wheel, Jesus, take the wheel. One thing too, you kind of alluded to this as well. When you first started, you thought, oh, Christianity believing in Christ. Everything’s gonna be a rosy. I’m perfect. And I think your subtitle for this book kind of emphasizes the opposite of that, you know, experiencing God’s goodness through disappointment and doubt. What do you mean by that?

Erica Wiggenhorn (15:08):

Yeah, so what’s really interesting in the book of Ezekiel is the people in Ezekiel’s day, they had very specific ideas of what they wanted God to do. So they wanted political reform. They wanted an increase in religious fervor, right? They had they wanted to go home. They wanted their traditions to be kept intact with had very specific ideas about what they wanted God to do. And God’s saying to them essentially, you know what you’re trying to put me in this box that you have created about how I’m supposed to be behave and what I’m supposed to do. And the minute you have put me in that box, you have instantly made me too small because the Bible tells us that God’s ways are not our ways. And so while the people thought that God was punishing them by removing them from the city of Jerusalem and taking them 700 miles away to Babylon, what they thought was punishment was actually their protection.

Erica Wiggenhorn (16:20):

And God purposely took them out of the city because he knew what was going to happen to that city. And he had a plan and he had a purpose for them. And they were being sheltered over here in a circumstance they didn’t wanna be in. And I bet if you, you were to just take a poll of all of your listeners check and you were to say, does anyone have any disappointment in their life? Is there anybody out there who can say one, every single detail in my life is exactly the way I wanted it to be. It was exactly the way I planned it envisioned it, every single thing I ever wanted. I have I have a feeling your phone line would probably be crickets <laugh> cause life has disappointment, right? It does. And our tendency, when life is disappointing, our tendency is to say, either God’s not real or what the people in Ezekiel’s day said is God does not see us.

Erica Wiggenhorn (17:22):

He doesn’t see what we’re going through. And he doesn’t care. Those were the two things that they arrived, the conclusion they arrived at in the disappointment. And God says, I do see, and I do hear, and I am doing something in your day that you would not believe even if I told you. And so it’s really a message of hope that we can’t look at our circumstances and decide whether or not God loves us. Based on our circumstances, we have to open up the Bible and we have to see that God loves us in any and every circumstance. And he is so entirely other that no matter what, the circumstance, he can work in it, he can work through it and he has a plan to fix it and redeem it. And it probably won’t be in the timeline that we want.

Chuck (host) (18:20):

Oh no,

Erica Wiggenhorn (18:21):

But he’s always at work and he will never leave you. And he will never forsake you. Jesus made that promise. He said, listen, when you choose to follow me, I will be with you every step until you make it to heaven, I will never leave you or forsake you. And that is a wonderful promise.

Chuck (host) (18:40):

Yes it is. And Eric, I do want to kind of switch gears a little bit because again you’ve written several Bible studies and, and, and books as well. And one, one topic that I came across I thought was really interesting, cuz it I’ve heard this from several of my listers and I’m a teacher, two, several of my students dealing with imposters syndrome. I’ve dealt with it myself, but one word that I love is you call confidence. God confidence. I was just wondering, can you just tell us a little bit more about that?

Erica Wiggenhorn (19:08):

Yeah. so God confidence. It’s, it’s actually a word it’s in the urban dictionary really <laugh> so it’s like a legit word now. Awesome. and it basically means that God will always make good on his promises and he will be good on our behalf. And so it’s this idea that instead of me having to strive to make every outcome that I so desperately desire to happen, I can release it and I can trust that God has an outcome in mind. That will be good. And so instead of self confidence or self reliance, I can rely on God that he is only good and he is always faithful.

Chuck (host) (19:55):

Okay. This is beautiful. And I do wanna say too, one thing that I think your, your Bible studies will really help with is sometimes it’s hard for people to get started again. They’re like, how do I come up with a plan to, to read this? You know, they might be overwhelmed. Like you say, you first picked up the Bible and you know, you had no plan. You looked to the words, like, I don’t know where to go. What practical steps would you give to someone to, to begin studying the Bible or to use your study?

Erica Wiggenhorn (20:21):

Yeah. Great question. So one of the things that I have done and laid out in all of my studies is they’re laid out day by day by day. So this is the passage of scripture that you read. I walk it through help you understand it, explain it. I put some questions in there to help you reflect and think about, well, what is this? What is this ancient prophecy? How does this apply to my life in 21st century America today help you bridge that gap and make some connections. And then there’s also a section of prayer. Here’s some things to talk to God about. So it’s very scripted in the sense that there’s no question, like where do I start and how much do I read? And when do I stop? I kind of lay that grid out for you. Maybe somebody’s listening today and they’re like, you know what?

Erica Wiggenhorn (21:13):

I don’t have a relationship with God at all. Like I know nothing about Jesus. I would really encourage you to pick up my study, unexplainable Jesus rediscovering, the God you thought you knew it walks through Jesus’ life day by day. Helps you understand why he said the things he said, what he meant why he did the miracles that he did. Why were, why were those miracles important? So if you’re listening today and you’re thinking, you know what, I don’t have a relationship with God. And I feel like maybe this is God saying I wanna get to know you and I want you to get to know me unexplainable. Jesus is a great study to start with. Maybe you are a person and you’re like, you know what? I, I believe in God, but I haven’t really studied the Bible much. I don’t really know exactly what it means to have a relationship. So intimately, like you’re talking about Erica I would pick up an unexpected revival and just ask God to bring that revival to your heart, that desire to be close to God.

Chuck (host) (22:19):

That’s awesome. Erica. My last question is where can people connect with you and find out more?

Erica Wiggenhorn (22:25):

Yeah, so I pretty much hang out on Instagram almost every day. <Laugh> and it’s just my name, Erica Wiggen horn. But you can also connect with me on my website. There’s tons of free resources on there. If you go on the unexpected revival page there is a leader bundle bundle there you can download for free. It’s got some prayers on it. There’s also a busy women’s bundle and there’s three free eBooks on there. One of them is 50 days to intimacy with God. It’s just a da little daily devotional. It also includes the busy woman’s guide to praying for friends and family. So if you wanna grow in your prayer life, there’s another free resource there for you as well. But yeah, go check out. Erica wig, warren.com. There’s tons of free resources available there to download and start growing closer to God.

Chuck (host) (23:21):

Excellent. And for our audience, I’ll put links to all those in the show notes. So just scroll down, you’ll be able to click those links immediately. Erica, I wanna thank you so much for, for sharing your latest Bible study with us and just taking the time for joining say thank you so much, Erica. God bless.

Erica Wiggenhorn (23:35):

Thank you, Chuck. God bless you!

Chuck (host) (23:41):

Well, I really enjoy my conversation with Erica and I’m really enjoying her new Bible Study An unexpected revival. If you’d like to find out more, just go to her website at EricaWigginhorn.com. I wanna thank Erica for joining me. They wanna thank you for joining us as well. Again, if you could do us a small favor and share this episode with a friend or give us a like, we’d certainly appreciate it. Thank you so much for joining us. We’ll see you next time. God bless.

The post Experiencing God’s Goodness – Interview with Erica Wiggenhorn (transcript) appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

Erica Wiggenhorn is the founder of Every Life Ministries, and a Moody Publishing Author and Speaker. Erica loves to bring God’s Word through Bible teaching, conferences, seminars, and retreats. She’s also taught women in the Arizona State Prison system and overseas.

Erica joins me to discuss her new Bible-study – AN UNEXPECTED REVIVAL: Experiencing God’s Goodness through Disappointment and Doubt. In this 8-week study, Erica shares a unique picture of revival through Ezekiel’s prophesies. Ezekiel reveals that we are not the first people to believe our doubts and doubt our beliefs when circumstances spiral out of control.

Transcript: https://www.15minuteswithchuck.com/experiencing-gods-goodness-interview-with-erica-wiggenhorn-transcript

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AN UNEXPECTED REVIVAL

In her new 8-week Bible study, An Unexpected Revival: Experiencing God’s Goodness through Disappointment and Doubt, author Erica Wiggenhorn guides readers to encounter a unique picture of revival through Ezekiel’s prophecies. God chose to spark revival through people who seemed counted out, cast aside, and disregarded. An Unexpected Revival is available today, June 7, through Moody Publishers (Paperback 978-0-8024-2500-3).

Ezekiel reveals that we are not the first people to believe our doubts and doubt our beliefs when circumstances spiral out of control. But God pursues us with His goodness and desires to bring revival to our broken hearts.

“Ezekiel was actually the first book that I studied when God was leading me into ministry at my local church,” shares Erica. “Now, as I work with churches across the country, I keep realizing that the topic of revival has been a constant theme, and An Unexpected Revival was birthed to help others go deeper into this powerful book. We are hungry for a deeper connection to God, and Ezekiel gives a perfect roadmap to experiencing His love, no matter the circumstance.”

Through a study of the book of Ezekiel, God offers an invitation to:

• experience His faithfulness when surrounded by uncertainty
• reignite our hope instead of losing heart
• realize the call of God, reawakening us to our purpose
• rest in contentment rather than dwell in disappointment

An Unexpected Revival sparks a fire in our longing heart to feel renewed excitement in our relationship with God. Instead of going through the motions, checking the boxes, and wondering why God feels so far away, Ezekiel teaches us to come close and invite God to fill us with fresh fire. God offers His joy, peace, and purpose to any who seek it. Do you long for revival?

This 8-week study also includes a supplemental video teaching through Vimeo.

For more information:

• https://ericawiggenhorn.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/ericawiggenhorn/

The post Experiencing God’s Goodness – Interview with Erica Wiggenhorn appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

Chuck (host) (00:00):

CS Lewis. The creator of the Chronicles of Noria was an atheist who converted to Christianity. How did that happen? Find out in today’s episode,

Chuck (host) (00:27):

Thank you so much for joining me today. It is my pleasure to introduce Norman stone. He’s the director of the new documentary called the most reluctant convert. The untold story of CS Lewis, Clive staples Lewis, more commonly known as CS Lewis was one of the intellectual giants of the 20th century. He wrote more than 30 books, including the Chronicles of Narnia, which have sold more than 100 million copies. CS Lewis is also known as a former atheist who converted to Christianity, a film that Chronicles his transformation has recently been released called the most reluctant convert. The untold story of CS Lewis.

Chuck (host) (02:03):

Norman, welcome again from Scotland. Appreciate you joining me today.

Norman Stone (02:07):

I’m glad to be here.

Chuck (host) (02:09):

Well, I wanna talk about your amazing filmmaking before we get into this incredible film. I understand you began your career as the youngest producer director to be working at the BBC.

Norman Stone (02:19):

Well, that’s what they say, but clearly they don’t have many, three year olds directing, but they <laugh>. It was a long time ago. But yes, I, I was very fortunate. In those days you couldn’t get a job without a union card. You couldn’t get a union card without a job, right. That’s 22, but they did want to have more union members in the BBC that all collapsed later. But I gone straight into the BBC as a director producer, which I was very grateful for. So rare opportunity. And I stayed I left the BBC in 1980, went freelance work for them a lot, still do mm-hmm <affirmative> but do feature films too as well.

Chuck (host) (03:00):

Well, let me ask this, where did your passion for film directing begin? When did you first realize this is what I wanna do?

Norman Stone (03:06):

Blame my grandfather.

Chuck (host) (03:07):

I blame your grandfather <laugh>.

Norman Stone (03:09):

He was a great storyteller. And when I was amusing three, again, he was true when I was three. I remember distinctly, probably my earliest memory sitting on his knee and he told me a story. He was a little bit Christian Guy and he, he, he invented all these other stories and I saw pictures and that was weird. It’s the first time I remember it. And I can remember that story many, many years later because I can see the pictures. And I was once interviewed quite a few years ago, asked a question, I thought, where did I begin? And I realized it was my grander Gordon as we called him. And he died when I was six, but in that three year period, he stuffed me with stories. I couldn’t wait more, more, more and then I discovered television did the same, but not quite as well. The pictures weren’t as good, but there we’re <laugh> so no, that’s what started it. And I am as happy as a sand working with stories, pictures, and often music I’ve done.

Chuck (host) (04:15):

Norman, I think that’s wonderful. And I didn’t wanna kind of go back again. So he went BBC and that’s where I think he did actually, your first film that involves CS Lewis called the shadow lands.

Norman Stone (04:25):

Yes. Tell about it was in 1984 heavens. So it was I left the BBC to go freelancing 1980. I’d just done a film. <Laugh> about a blind and deaf Cornish poet who really had earned the right to be heard. He could speak. And I made this film about his life fascinating, and it was hugely popular. And I thought, why is that? Of course it’s because he’s earned the right to be heard when he speaks, it costs it’s worth listening to who else do I know who’s worth listening to has earned the right to be heard. And it took me about two and a half seconds to think of CS Lewis. Nice. And that began an 18 month development period with me and going to Oxford and doing all these different things to find out. And the BBC then said, okay, we’ll, we’ll make it. It was very fortunate. They did and not much money, but an awful lot of heart. And I would still is my favorite film I’ve ever done. That’s wonderful is one that I’ve just made comes close.

Chuck (host) (05:30):

Yeah. And I was gonna say the film that you’re first referring to about the blind and deaf Christian poet for audience is called a different drummer.

Norman Stone (05:37):

That’s the first one. Goodness, you have been your research. Absolutely.

Chuck (host) (05:39):

That’s what, that’s what I’m here for norm.

Norman Stone (05:41):

<Laugh>

Chuck (host) (05:42):

Fascinating. People like you. I, I, I owe you that at least, but I do wanna dive in. Let’s dive into the, the most reluctant now, how did that come about?

Norman Stone (05:52):

Well, it’s all it always someone else’s fault, isn’t it? It’s max McClain’s fault. He was he’s good. Max McClean is an actor. He’s got a company called FBA. And he does a great job based in New York. They do an awful lot of theater work and he’d come across. He’s very up on Lewis and he knows his words, his Tomber, his thinking very much. And he’d made a one man show that was apparently going great guns. And he phoned me. I’ve known max for years when I go to New York where dinner and so on. And he he’s a good ch and he phoned me out of the blue board. Probably he was driving. I do hope it was a handsfree conversation, but he was driving down to rally or somewhere towards the south to do this show and he’d been thinking, and he said, Norman, do you think there’s, I’d like this great show it’s really working well, do you think it would ever appear on a screen?

Norman Stone (06:47):

I said, I dunno, max. It’s you know, I D dunno the show. And he said, no, I I’ll send you the script. And I said, well, it is the script. You’re absolutely right. That’s what I’ll make it clear. And then he sent it. And after a moment or two, well, actually two days of regret thinking, max is a good chum. I hate it. When good chums send you their script and expect you to say yes, yes, yes. So I then read it with gritted teeth and it was wonderful. He’d stitch together. Lewis’s words like a little tailor from the books making it absolutely electric. And I said, max, this is great. You can’t do it the way you do it on stage, of course, but a long story short, he then got me to write the screenplay and I wanted to do it with a different style because we weren’t spending masters of money, but it was great fun.

Norman Stone (07:37):

And it seems to have touched an nerve. It’s now in 123 countries. It’s second. At one point it was second most viewed cinema film in the whole of the states coming second to June, which isn’t a bad second, be everyone else. And it just keeps on going, keeps on going. It’s now on apple Google plus Amazon. It, it, it doesn’t stop, which is unusual when you come from the BBC, that’s my background. Things usually stop, but this one is just runaway truck at the moment. And we may be doing two more films as a result.

Chuck (host) (08:08):

See, I think it’s wonderful. And I do wanna read some of the quotes. I went, I went to the website, CS, Louis, CS Lewis, movie.com. I’m just reading couple of these awesome quotes reviews from the movie. One of them it says, go knowing you’ll have to use your brain. It’s nice to watch a movie that was intellectually stimulating. Wonderful message. Another one. Excellent. Such a clear tutorial of the difference between theism and Christianity. And then another one says the best movie I’ve ever seen in a long time, even my nine and 11 year old grands loved it. Wow. It’s incredible. So I believe it was released back in November, originally, and then

Norman Stone (08:44):

November the third that’s right. November the third. And we <laugh> it’s wonderful what max and his team have done, especially since then, don’t usually make films. They’re only theater. So they said, oh, we’re put in a few cinemas. And I said, why, you know, it’s, it is made for streamers or TV. I said, but why? Well, we think it would just help the, the launch on November the third and on November the fourth, it was the second most viewed cinema film in hall of America. So <laugh>, I took, took my hat off to him then, and since then, it just keeps on rolling. They’re doing a great job pushing it forward, but to a point word of mouth is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to this film because they were queuing round the block. I mean that we were gonna do that cinema burst on November the third mm-hmm <affirmative> just for the launch. It then ended up doing the rest of the week, then the week following then the week following two months later, they’re still queuing for it. So it’s worth a look. That’s what I’d say. <Laugh> definitely to do with me other than it’s a very nice film.

Chuck (host) (09:46):

It is a nice film. And you mentioned this earlier about adapting, a film that originally was done in theater to, to film. And I love how he did that. Cuz I have to admit for me, it was totally capturing the, just the opening scene. I thought what’s going on. And then, you know, max, prolean talking to the camera, not to give it away too much, but that first person storytelling that he’s so powerful at. And to capture that from how hard was that to turn transition from his theater performance to here, I need to captivate this on film. Well,

Norman Stone (10:13):

The performance level, I mean, I’ll give you my scariest moment in the whole film. Sure. We’re about shoot scene one where actually it wasn’t seen what it happens out of chronology, but the first scene we were gonna do when he comes out of the Oxford natural history and science museum and I’m standing there, the cameraman’s standing there, everyone’s all set up. It’s the first thing. And Maxine’s over to me and says, you do know of Norman of course, that I’ve never acted on film before I thought it was a joke. We’d talked about everything. Never thought of talking about that. Of course. Yeah, no you hadn’t my, I, I like to think that my my cameraman didn’t faint but went to his camera and did it. And once we did, I shouted action and he came out, you know, when somebody’s got it and it’s not all theater actors that can make it work on camera mm-hmm <affirmative>.

Norman Stone (11:03):

And he did a brilliant job, was very much the heart of Lewis and looked like Lewis. And it just took off from there. But I loved, I mean, I, I don’t mind breaking at the secret a little, I mean, if people go along, I think they will be captivated by the style, but I stole that from Dickens because I thought, how do you tell this story with so many different things and how do we actually make it work? And I dunno whether you, you must have read or seen Christmas Carol. Well, when the ghost of Christmas passed takes the old UN repentance in a Scrooge back to his school, I always felt that was so much more powerful that the old guy watches himself before he is been ruined. And we could take any of any direction. And here he is a really nasty piece of work now, and it moves me still does that.

Norman Stone (12:00):

You can get that emotional push and pull by just going back and letting the man himself in later years, look at where he came from. So the idea was to do as many dramas do of course have flashbacks through the person’s life. But then, and he’d go through his memories and he’s talking to us and very well and Lewis’s words. And then he starts to appear in his memories, which was great fun. I loved all that. And then he’s suddenly almost interrupting himself when he said that at that time. So in other words, it’s a fun ride with a really, yeah. Fairly deep message. That’s why you gotta use your brain as well. You can go and see it 10 times. Thank you. But it, it it’s all there. But with an emotional heart and Lewis is just the man for that sort of treatment, you must admit,

Chuck (host) (12:54):

I know he is. And this being your, your second awesome film about CS Lewis, do you feel, I guess, a personal connection with CS Lewis?

Norman Stone (13:04):

Yes. In Sofar, as I got to know him quite well in the original Shadowlands we worked together on the script. The Chapo actually ended up writing gladiator bill Nicholson, William Holson now is hugely popular thing. He wrote it with me and David Thompson was a big producer over here. The three of us knew each other and we got together and had breakfast meetings over it. But from that point, you go into every area of a person’s life. And I’ve done a couple of other dips into the Lewis life as well, since because I’m a Christian and because he was, but he articulated it so well. Max McLean always says on his stage shows that he really likes playing CS Lewis because for 90 minutes he can be really smart <laugh>. And I, I understand that because he is brilliant and he pays the price in his life of everything that happens. But my goodness I’d have liked to have met him. I, I got close, I guess, cuz I, I know much about him. I’ve slept in the kilns. I’ve done the whole, which is his house. It is a world which is he’s self deferential. That’s the thing humor against himself. He’s not some stuffed proud man up there. Strutting his stuff is very human and very wise. That’s all.

Chuck (host) (14:28):

Wow. What’s incredible film. And I recommend all of our audience go out there and see it. And yeah, you might wanna see it more than once because there’s so much to gain from it. But normally I do wanna ask you just for the future, what what’s next for you what’s coming up?

Norman Stone (14:43):

Well I think I’m allowed to say this first heard on your show <laugh> we are definitely going to be doing two more stylistic films in this way, going through the whole of Lewis’ life. This is the beginning. If you like from his birth through to his finally becoming struggling with Christianity, becoming a convert the next, the middle years with talking and the writing group called the inklings and all the stuff there and lots of things going right and wrong and everything is fascinating stuff that’s coming up. And then after that we would do the third one, which would be the end, which is getting close back to mind, original invention of shadow lands where his wife, Troy Davidman. If you haven’t seen that, I suppose everyone knows about her, but she’s amazing. And in fact, we are finding out a lot more about her now. And she gets cancer. She gets better a she gets cancer and dies and how he deals with that. That’s, that’s gonna be a, not a fake tear jerker, but you can’t help by that time after three, the third film to get deeply into what this man is feeling. So it will be another two films. We’ve gotta wait until we can fit it all in, but that’s the plan.

Chuck (host) (16:05):

Well, Norma, I can’t thank you enough for just, you know, taking your passion as a Christian, as a film director to, to bring this stuff to home, to where people really need to feel and, and understand. And I just wanna thank you for taking time outta your business. Join us today. Really appreciate that norm. Thank

Norman Stone (16:18):

You. It’s been a, and we’ll hopefully talking again at some point.

Chuck (host) (16:22):

That sounds awesome. Norman, thank you.

Chuck (host) (16:28):

Well, I really enjoyed my conversation with Norman today and I’m loving his new film. If you like to learn more about it or to learn how to stream it, just go to CSLewismovie.com. I wanna thank Norman for joining me today. I wanna thank you for joining us as well. If you could do me a small favor and share this episode with a friend or like it, I’d certainly appreciate it. Thanks so much for joining me. We’ll see you next time. God bless.

The post Director Norman Stone discusses THE MOST RELUCTANT CONVERT: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis (transcript) appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

Chuck (host) (00:00):

Are you working for the weekend and loving every minute of it? Mike Reno lead singer of lover, boy is up next.

Chuck (host) (00:24):

Hello, thanks so much for joining me today. I’m thrilled to introduce our special guest Mike Reno lead singer of Loverboy, Mike, and the rest of Loverboy. Along with Ario speed, wagon and sticks are performing on the road now with their tour called live and on zoom. Loverboy has achieved several platinum albums and a gold with hits, including turn me loose when it’s over loving every minute of it and working for the weekend. They’ve also been on several movie soundtracks, including Mike’s duet with Ann Wilson of Hart with almost paradise for Footloose and heaven in your eyes for the original top gun. Mike Joyce me today on the road to discuss the tour and his amazing music.

Chuck (host) (01:05):

Mike, thanks so much for joining me. It’s an honor.

Mike Reno (01:08):

Thank you, man. I appreciate you having me.

Chuck (host) (01:11):

Well, we’re glad to have you and I gotta ask you about this tour. You’re out there now with REO Speedwagon and Styx. We love the name “Live and Unzoomed”. It’s about freaking time. The black hole of COVID is behind. Yes. How’s it going? What’s it like to be back out there?

Mike Reno (01:27):

Well, first off it’s a pleasure to work with these guys. So we’ve been friends for years when they invited us to the tour. I was blown away and I was, I was really excited because I mean, there’s been like a full house every night. There was 19,000 people last night and I just went, wow, this is insane. Or the night before. So here’s the deal. I think people have been locked up for so long. They’re just dying to have some fun. And what more fun is it then? Lover boy playing all their hits and then REO or Styx, you know, either bad playing all their hits. I, I, I watch the shows every night. I mean, I’m the last guy, I’m the last guy off the stage. I, I can’t get enough of these guys and a couple of ’em play golf, so we’re gonna start having some fun when it, when, you know, when it warms up a little bit, spin a little bit rainy here today.

Chuck (host) (02:13):

Yeah. That’s that’s awesome. So I, I knew, I didn’t know about golf, but I also heard an interesting fact that you also are an avid bicyclist that

Mike Reno (02:23):

Bicycles, you know, what have <laugh> funny thing is I’ve got a couple of nice bikes at home, but yeah, I didn’t wanna bring them, you know, you have to package them up and send them. Yeah. And so what I did is I, I, I actually one, my, my roadie went, went on Craigslist and bought one for a hundred bucks and it’s perfect. It runs great. Somebody bought it and never used it kind of thing. And so I got I was fortunate enough to get it and I, I was out all day yesterday in it, so it was fun.

Chuck (host) (02:47):

Isn’t great. Yeah. Cuz I, I do that too. I just wondered city to see that seems like a great way to see it. Do you like playing your rocks in advance or just kind of wing it when you get to tap?

Mike Reno (02:56):

I wing it, you know, I did have to put on my my tracking device to find a hotel again last night and a Seagul did poop on me, so I knew I was really close to the lake.

Mike Reno (03:08):

Yeah, we had some fun, we had some fun I went cruising around the lake district there and then I realized that I looked up and I realized that we’re playing in this big place right over here. And I went, that’s where we’re playing. Cause I remember, I remember seeing nickel back in that place. Last time I was in town,

Chuck (host) (03:27):

I was gonna ask you Mike, this is actually my, my wife had this question. I kind of think about this too. You’ve been turned for, you know, while you’ve been out concerting for a while, you know, since the eighties, I think how has it changed? You know, as far as like the venues, the people, the performance itself, how’s it changed

Mike Reno (03:46):

Honestly, nothing has changed really.

Chuck (host) (03:48):

Oh, that’s good to hear.

Mike Reno (03:49):

It’s exactly the same. The energy’s the same, the backstage there’s people doing every, everybody’s got a job. It’s like an watching an an hill, you know, it’s like, I, I get there and there’s people setting up cables, people moving stuff around and there’s other people making food. There’s people, ironing, clothes. I mean, it’s, it’s just, it’s the same as it always was. It really is no different, you know, I really, I honestly it’s a very comfortable place to be because I’m used to that and I’m glad it didn’t change. It feels, it feels the same to me.

Chuck (host) (04:17):

That’s awesome. I, I do wanna, let’s talk about your musical journey cuz you know, like I said, it goes way back, but I heard, you know, some of your early inspirations on were the Beatles, the rolling stones, of course, huge inspiration. Then you started playing drums and singing background Harvards for, I think your older brothers band when you’re just 11 years old. Tell me about that. How’d you get started?

Mike Reno (04:35):

Well, I was a young kid. I was kind of an entrepreneur. I’d started selling morning PA delivering the morning paper and then after school I would, I would go in front of the department store and I’d buy a handful of papers for 7 cents and I’d sell ’em for 15 cents, but everyone would throw me a quarter and tap my head and say cute kid, you know? But I ended up getting enough money to buy a set of drums. My brother was a guitarist, so I said, okay, I’m gonna join him. He’s the one who taught me, you know, how to, how to be entrepreneurial. And so he started, I started that he, he, he, he had a band, but I was too young to be in his band until his drummer ended up vanishing. And then he went somewhere and got married and he never came back for the, at least for that weekend.

Mike Reno (05:19):

And my dad pulled a trailer with all our equipment in it. I had a set of drums. I, I was so small. You could barely see me over the Tom Toms, but I knew all the music. Cause I used to watch some practice all the time. Now you gotta imagine this is when I was 13. Right. Wow. So, and I did it and it was great. It was fun. And then after that I started my own bands and I ended up singing and playing the drums. But after a while the guys in the band says, you know, have you seen led Z? Have you seen deep purple? Have you seen like, we, we gotta get somebody out front. And I said, Don, look at me. You know, I wasn’t gonna get up from behind that nice barrier. That little comfort zone.

Chuck (host) (05:58):

Wow.

Mike Reno (05:59):

But doing it. And I guess since I started doing it, I never looked back. I’m I’m kind of comfortable front

Chuck (host) (06:05):

Now. Yeah. It’s like you found your destiny. When did you, when did you, when you said singing, did you realize, Hey, you had a thing, a knack for writing songs at that time. When did that start?

Mike Reno (06:15):

Well I left school after I graduated and I went to a bigger town and I said to, and I, I formed a band with a bunch of guys that I, I met and we tried to write some songs. It was just one of those things. We were playing all kinds of great stuff. Mm-Hmm, <affirmative> mostly cover stuff. And then we’d throw in a few of our original songs. So I started writing, I guess when I was about 18 or 19, when I was 20, I got asked to join abandoned Ontario, which had done two albums already or three albums. And I, I was kind of forced in and they kind of wanted somebody to come in and help with the writing and I kind of just went, okay, I’ll do it. You know, <laugh> I just kind of, and I was kind of, you know, pushed up against the wall. So I did it. I don’t know how I even think back nowadays. And it turns out I Crow wrote every song on their album and, you know, put it out. But the band wasn’t quite what I wanted in, in, in a band after I, I know three years I, I packed up and left and that’s, and that’s when I met Paul Dean and that’s, that’s when my writing really started to get better.

Chuck (host) (07:21):

See, I wondered about that cause I wondered how Loverboy was formed and I love, I always love how names come about. And I heard that Paul Dean actually had a dream that sort of evolved into lover boy <laugh>. Yeah. Is that how your name was chosen? That’s so cool.

Mike Reno (07:35):

I told him the night before, you know, I thought a good idea for the band might be, might be cover boy

Chuck (host) (07:41):

Cover boy.

Mike Reno (07:41):

Okay. And the reason being is we were hanging out with our girlfriends, watching a movie on a night off of work and writing and stuff. And, and our girlfriends were reading their Vogue magazines and stuff and all the girl, girl magazines and, and I, and that you see the cover girls on the front end. It struck me as cover boy. That would be kind of a cool play on words. And maybe we would, instead of wearing jeans like the Domy brothers, you know, we would wear some nice clothes and get some flashy color happening. And that might be our, our little thing, you know? And as it turns out Paul calls me the next day. He said, I had this dream. Yeah. He says, what if we call ourselves lover boy? And I said, Paul, we are gonna get the snot kicked out of us if we do that.

Chuck (host) (08:26):

<Laugh>

Mike Reno (08:28):

And as it turned out, we haven’t had a problem luckily, but try living with the name lover boy, when you’re in your mid sixties, not easy, Chuck

Chuck (host) (08:35):

<Laugh> well only you could pull it off, Mike. That’s awesome. <Laugh> that’s, that’s real quick to cuz again, I, I know it’s been a while you still have new songs. I mean, you have release, which is just came out this year. It’s freaking awesome. But still, I mean, I grew up on your music, like, you know, all of our tons of listeners out there. I, I mean some of the first songs I ever remember hearing were like, you know, term, you lose of course working for the weekend, you know, when it’s over. Yeah. I grew up with these and I, I actually heard one of your favorite songs to perform or to sing is when it’s over. Is that right?

Mike Reno (09:08):

Yeah. Yeah. It is. It was a song broke basically after a 12 year relationship when a bust and it was to no, well, I thought to no fault of my own, of course it wouldn’t be my fault of course,

Mike Reno (09:22):

Yeah, no, but I, I went on tour and we were invited to do this tour with Kansas right off the bat, as soon as the first album was finished. And I, you know, we couldn’t say no. So my girlfriend, for some reason said, if you take that tour, I’m not gonna be here when you get back. I thought she was kidding. Right. Because I knew I’d be away for a while. Yeah. And as it turned out, I came home after the tour and she was gone.

Chuck (host) (09:50):

So, wow.

Mike Reno (09:51):

I kind of wrote the whole thing. I hope you’re with me when it’s over. And it was over obviously. Yeah. But I wanted to be friends because we, we never had a bad thing to, you know, to say to each other. It was just she wanted to do something and I had to do something different.

Chuck (host) (10:07):

Wow.

Mike Reno (10:08):

Kinda sad.

Chuck (host) (10:09):

Yeah. It is sad, but it’s so amazing. You know, where inspiration comes, right. I mean, you, you’re an artist and, and you know, that’s a real life story it’s painful, but you drew from the pain and came up with a song. That’s absolutely amazing. I guess to showcase your talent too. I mean, something that I kind love too, is just the music soundtracks that you’ve, that you’ve helped with foot loops. Let’s talk about almost paradise. You do it with Anne Wilson. 1984. What I heard is that you actually recorded that in one take. Is that true, Mr. Showoff, over here?

Mike Reno (10:40):

You know what I was I was in the studio in Chicago. We had a beautiful studio set up and music was kind of recorded. So really all we had to do with the vocals and Anne was a bit late, but it wasn’t a big deal. And she finally got there and I wanted to get comfortable with her. So we sat in chairs, was like, I’m sitting now and across from each other. And I said, you want to drink or anything and her beer or something, you know, being a true Canadian, I offered her a beer. And so we kind of sat there for a few minutes and then talked and then I said, you know, the song. And she says, yeah, yeah, I know it. And I knew it too. I didn’t even have a lyric sheet. And we both stood up saying she sang facing me and I faced her in the same microphone. We did it once. And Keith Olson, the producer just put his arms up and went, unbelievable, said, thank you. And it turned out. It turned out really nice.

Chuck (host) (11:42):

It did

Mike Reno (11:42):

Very simple song. And when I was asked to do it, they told me I could pick any female. I wanted to sing it. And I immediately for Ann Wilson because that’s great. I dunno if everybody knows this, but I’m from Vancouver, Canada on the west coast, just a little north of Seattle. And they were from Seattle, but they were in Vancouver for like 10 years. And they actually played around all the clubs and we used to go see ’em and they were the band who played all the led Zeppelin covers and they were awesome. I thought they played better than led Zeppelin <laugh> and, and and then they started recording and they recorded in Vancouver. They recorded their first album in mushroom studios where we recorded get lucky

Chuck (host) (12:26):

That that’s cool. I’m just thinking now I’m going over these visions. I have cuz I went to Vancouver, my wife and I went there several years ago. That’s a beautiful area. What a place to grow up in? I couldn’t imagine.

Mike Reno (12:36):

Yeah, it’s nice. I kind of grew up in a, in a city about four hours east of there where they grow all of the fruit and the grapes and, and they make now the wine and stuff and there’s two big, beautiful lakes. It was called the Okanagan valley, but we used to drive into Vancouver, a whole van full of us, like a bunch of crazy people and go to all the concerts and we used to see hard all the time. It’s it’s just an interesting story, but I, yeah, I couldn’t believe how great she sang and I, I immediately picked her. She was my first choice without a

Chuck (host) (13:06):

Doubt. Well, well you two did just an amazing job, almost paradise, clearly a great song. Another soundtrack of course, kind of populate states too. Top gun the original top gun heaven in your eyes. How did that come about? How did you end up doing the top gun song?

Mike Reno (13:20):

Well, it’s, it’s a pretty good story. Chuck. I just finished actually sending a quote that they wanted a quote about the, the movie, you know, doing the first movie. So I just sent a quote and it reminded me of the story. If you wanna hear it. We got a call that Simpson and Brook Heimer wanted to, to meet me.

Chuck (host) (13:39):

Nice.

Mike Reno (13:40):

So I flew down to Los Angeles on, on Monday, went directly to paramount studios, got all the way into this office, walked into this giant office and there was a popcorn machine in the middle of this huge office. And two guys were walking past each other, like two ships in the night talking about things. And it took them about five minutes to realize I was standing right there. And finally they stopped and went, can we help you? And I said, I’m Mike Reno. You wanted to talk to me. And they go, oh yeah. Okay. Mike, come over and look at this. So they took me over in the corner and they put a cassette in and they played a scene from the top gun movie. And they said, could you write a song for this scene? And you know, being overly confident at the time cuz you have to be yeah.

Mike Reno (14:27):

I said, absolutely. I’ll do it. When do you need it? And I said, Thursday, I said this Thursday, I said, you know, it’s Monday, right? That’s like three days from now. So I, I, I, I reluctantly agreed got back on the airplane same day and I phoned and I asked the guys to go in the studio. We had that song worked up part ways. We were working with another guy a friend of ours, who’s a writer producer and they had a song started, but it turned out better for us. So we went in and did it and Paul and I finished writing it and for us turned it into a Loverboy song and we recorded it mixed. It sent it down by Thursday and they went, we love it. Thank you very much. And it ended up on the soundtrack. That’s, it’s, it’s really amazing that it happened, you know, in three or four days. Cause stuff like that doesn’t happen.

Chuck (host) (15:21):

Well, I mean, when you’re dealing with talented people who have the gift and, and, and you certainly do. I mean, it’s, it’s just amazing. And I gotta ask this too. I know it’s been out for a few weeks. Have you seen the new top gun Maverick?

Mike Reno (15:33):

No, but I think I might go tonight. I might go tonight.

Chuck (host) (15:36):

You sh you should definitely see it.

Mike Reno (15:38):

I heard it’s I heard it’s even better than the first

Chuck (host) (15:40):

One. It is. I have to be honest. We, my wife and I saw on an opening night and, and like you, we have the most amazing wives in the world cuz we had our anniversary a few days after that and she said, why don’t we go see it again for anniversary? I’m like, okay, <laugh> she enjoy? <Laugh>

Mike Reno (15:56):

That is, you know what? I, I went over to Chicago. I worked with Tom prick on a song for, to gun Maverick and it, and we sent it in. I imagined a lot of people did. And we had this song that was fabulous as it was called without a bullet being fired. And it was perfectly, it was written for the movie, but I don’t think I I’m pretty sure they didn’t choose it. But if I go tonight and it’s in the movie, I’m gonna go out of my mind, but I don’t think they chose it. They would’ve told me.

Chuck (host) (16:24):

Huh, that’s gonna be incredible. My, I just wanna ask you, I guess one more question too, something that amazes me and I don’t know why I think this, but sometimes I think, you know, you you’re with these other groups and I’m thinking, well, why would you be, you know, are they really friends or not? And you seem to have genuine friendships with these other groups. And it makes sense to me because obviously you and them have something in common, right? You’re like writing music, performing music. Tell us about, just about that. I mean some of your great friends, I remember you talking about Alice Cooper and some others. How does that happen? That’s just incredible.

Mike Reno (16:57):

Well, you know what it is that we’re just people like anybody else. So we’re all backstage together with hang I’ve. I’ve known most of these guys for years. I mean, we’ve been playing these concerts outdoor concerts for years and we played together lots of times. And I remember once years ago, Tommy Shaw came on stage with let’s in a night club in Vancouver. I think it was even before we got a record contract and he walked up, we, we invited up on, on stage. Cause we, we, we knew who he was and we were kind of going, let’s tell him, show you wanna come up and play a song. And he got up. We jacked together. I mean that’s 40 years ago and, and, and we’re, we’re still friends. And when I saw him, I said, I wanna give you a big hug, but we’re trying not to get too close to each other backstage.

Mike Reno (17:36):

So we basically just stood and had a nice little chat. We’re trying not to any, anybody to get sick with COVID so everybody’s kinda bit cautious, but sure. Not as cautious as I thought they were gonna be. And but the backstage kind of restricted, but so a couple of the guys love golf. Ricky bass player with sticks. He wants to golf. Bruce Bass player for Ariel. He wants to golf. I asked Kevin, if you wanna do golf, he goes, you don’t wanna see me golf re <laugh>. It’s a tough game, but I love golfing. When I’m I, during the, the winter, when I’m in California, I golf three times a day. If I’m off, you know, if I’m not working

Chuck (host) (18:17):

18 holes a time, each time,

Mike Reno (18:19):

Three times a week, did I say three times a

Chuck (host) (18:21):

Day? You just three times a day. I’m like, that’s your whole day. My shoulders and back would be killing me. <Laugh> yeah. <Laugh> three times a week. I think that’s, I think that’s incredible. And I gotta ask you this too. LA, last question here. I promise, I know you’re busy with the tour, which is incredible. What’s next for you in the band? Any new music or what’s coming up,

Mike Reno (18:40):

You know what? We’ve been dying to go on the studio, but we weren’t supposed to be gathering. Now two years has gone by Paul and I had been working on some stuff, Paul and I actually got together once the other guys didn’t and we sent some stuff out via email, which we can do nowadays, which I don’t know the people under. We can actually do a bed track to music. Yeah. And have our basis in Winnipeg play hi his part and then send it to North Carolina for our drummer. He’ll play his part. And a couple of us in Vancouver, we just emailed it around. And Paul came over and we did the vocals and finished the lyrics and everything. And then Paul mixed it. We put a little video out with it. We would like to go back in the studio, to be honest with you, Chuck and just bash out a whole bunch of rock and roll. And we’re looking forward to doing it after this tour’s over.

Chuck (host) (19:28):

I tell you, well, we’re looking forward to it. And Mike, I just wanna thank you again. I wanna wish you and the rest of lover boy, and of course AO be wagon and sticks the best for this tour. Again, our audience out there, go check him out. They’re gonna be all over the us. And I think you’re actually going to some other countries in there later on. Who knows? But Mike, thanks again for joining me. Really appreciate it,

Mike Reno (19:48):

Mike. Glad Chuck. It was super fun.

Chuck (host) (19:54):

That was such a thrill speaking with Mike! And I’m so excited about their music and their tour. If you’d like to learn more, just go to their website, lover boy, band.com. I wanna thank Mike for joining me today. One, thank you for joining me as well. If you can do me a small favor and like this episode and share it with a friend, I’d certainly appreciate it. Thanks so much for taking time to join us today. We’ll see you next time. God bless.

The post LOVERBOY – Interview with Mike Reno (transcript) appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

Chuck (host) (00:33):

Hello. Thanks so much for joining me today. I’m thrilled. Introduce my special guest Kevin LAA, Jr. Kevin is one of Hollywood’s most sought after pilot and area coordinators licensed to fly a variety of aircraft ranging from helicopters and airplanes to L jets and more. He’s known for his work on major blockbusters, including Ironman, the Avengers and transformers five. Kevin is an accomplished ATP rated pilot in a multitude of fixed wing and rotorcraft and works heavily in the motion picture and television industries, worldwide coordinating and directing film sequences in the air and on the ground. Kevin joins me today to discuss his career and his latest work, which can be seen in Paramount’s top gun Maverick.

Chuck (host) (01:44):

Kevin, again, thank you so much for joining me. Really appreciate it.

Kevin LaRosa II (01:47):

Thanks for having me, Chuck.

Chuck (host) (01:48):

Well, sure. You, you know, you’ve been all over the news lately. For some reason, it seems like everywhere. I turn Kevin LAA, Kevin LAA, Kevin, I wonder why that is

Kevin LaRosa II (01:57):

Little movie called top gun Maverick. You may heard of it.

Chuck (host) (02:01):

<Laugh> yes, I have it. I love it. I I’ve seen it twice. Saw it twice in the first week. My wife and I just love it. It’s just an amazing movie and I think it’s so cool that you’re part of it, but I tell you what I really wanna talk about is just how your career began, this, this incredible career. You know, you’re an aerial coordinator helicopter stunt, pilot, jet, stunt pilot, numerous certifications on all types of aircraft. I heard through the grapevine that you grew up in an aviation family, and you got an early start, you know, with your dad taking a movie shoots. Can you tell me more about just how your passion for flying began?

Kevin LaRosa II (02:37):

Absolutely. proud to say I was a third generation aviator in my family and second generation aerial coordinator in stunt pilot, which is a pretty rare profession. And you can imagine growing up as a little boy in that house, you think your dad is really cool when you go watch him on film sets, flying helicopters and Warbirds and airplanes. And he became, you know, not just a father figure to me, but my idol and my hero and somebody that I wanted to grow up and, and be just like him. And the very cool thing I like telling people is from a very young age, I knew what I wanted to do for a living. And I was unwavered. I mean, the only thing that ever came close to getting in the way of the career I wanted was the original top gun. I wore that movie out. I’ve seen it a hundred times and, you know, there was almost, almost a, a Kevin LaRose, a junior Naval aviator, or at least I would’ve attempted. But but I stayed the course with the career that I’ve always wanted to do and followed in my father’s footsteps. And I was exposed from a very young age to so many different facets of aviation, so many different types of aircraft and so many great people in the aviation industry. I feel like today I’m where I belong.

Chuck (host) (03:50):

See, I think it’s amazing. And you know, I, I had a friend of mine in high school when I was impressed by him, cuz by the time he was 16, he became a pilot. But next to you, he <laugh>, it’s nowhere near cause by the time you’re 18, you were commercially rated helicopter pilot. I, I just think that’s incredible. So when did you first site start flying? Huey’s what drew you to that?

Kevin LaRosa II (04:08):

Well, Huey’s were widely used in the movie business and, and they still are not as much as they used to be, but they were the mainstay and, and when Huey became available to civilians early on in the, the eighties and nineties, that was sort of the helicopter of choice used for military movies. My dad was big time into flying. Huey’s he’s one of the best Huey pilots I’ve ever seen on movie sets. And I was just lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time and get to ferry these helicopters around the country with them. And and it’s just a cool machine. It’s got a lot of nostalgia and history behind it. Nothing sounds better when you fly ’em they’re like a big truck. They just got a bunch of power. They’re one of my favorite helicopters ever.

Chuck (host) (04:46):

Oh they they’re incredible. I’ll tell you one thing too is, you know, being a pilot is one thing and you certainly excelled at that, but how do you transition to being that error coordinator for being the camera pilot? How did that happen?

Kevin LaRosa II (04:58):

I love that you asked that question and for any aspiring pilots or anybody in any profession, I feel like this, this story has a little merit to it. I’ll be brief, but basically as a young aviator, I was going out on film sets with my dad, doing what I love, you know, feeling like I was in the right place. And my dad, you know, pulled me aside one day and told a 17 year old who knows everything in the world, exactly what I didn’t want to hear. And that is I needed to leave the business. I needed to go become my own aviator, my own person, my own businessman, and figure things out for myself because I would never be trusted in this great industry if I was just a junior or I was just a son, didn’t matter if I had the same name or not.

Kevin LaRosa II (05:33):

And that was hard to hear, but it’s the exact advice I took from somebody that I trusted. And it’s the advice that I think made me successful today. And I had to do a lot of other jobs that I absolutely loved. I flew traffic watch se C. I was in LA, I flew news helicopters. I flew charter jets. I flew cargo charter. I did, you know, helicopter medical stuff. I did a little bit of everything. And I always kept a foot in the door with the film business on my vacation days or off days or sick days. I was always on set still when I was doing those other jobs in a supportive role to my father. And it, then I got to a point in life. I was 26 years old at about 5,500 hours of lots of different platforms. And I felt personally ready. You just know in life when it’s time to take that leap of faith and go back to the career you’ve always wanted. And that’s what I did and had I not followed that great advice. I wouldn’t be here where I’m today. And we all heard that advice when you’re trying to obtain something in life, a goal or a dream there’s never a straight line, it’s a curvy or zigzag path. I definitely took that path and I ended up right where I wanna be.

Chuck (host) (06:36):

See, I think that’s incredible. Your dedication shines through cuz I mean the blockbuster movies that you’ve been a part of three, all three Ironman movies, fantastic movies, Spider-Man homecoming, Godzilla, Jumanji, welcome to the jungle, even the Christmas Chronicles and space force <laugh> but of course now you’re all over the news for, you know, top gun Maverick, how how’s it feel right now?

Kevin LaRosa II (06:57):

This is incredible. I’m doing the career I love, which is mixing aviation and filmmaking. There’s nothing better than watching the reaction of movie goers and the general public and how they look at this movie because that’s what we feel. And I feel like any of my cast and crew members that I got to share the making of this movie with, we all feel that we just wanna make this great product and entertain. So how does it feel? It feels incredible. I’ve been waking up every day, pinching myself, thanking, you know, everybody that I was able to be a part of this historic movie. And I love the reaction of the world and nothing feels better than that.

Chuck (host) (07:32):

Oh, it is a, it is a great reaction. I I’m definitely part of that too. So I have to ask you again, you know, what was it like to work with Tom cruise and the rest of the cast for this amazing movie?

Kevin LaRosa II (07:42):

Well, Tom’s one of my favorite actors, but aside from that, he’s just a very motivating individual. And I always tell people one, one of the things I think he does really good is motivating teaching and helping those around him, be on the same page and assisting them and helping make a great product or a great film. And for me in the aviation side on top gun, Maverick, Tom was extremely involved being an aviator. He is a love for aviation himself, but he’s absolutely ingrained in aviation. And he was a massive part of the team and driving force for making sure that everything we shot on top gun was inland, real practical stunts. He was sort of the driving force behind that. And of course Joseph Kazinski you know, our director on the movie was also right there behind there, making sure everything was real and authentic, but Tom is a, is a great individual. He’s extremely focused. And I find that he motivates me to just be a better person every time I’m hanging out with him.

Chuck (host) (08:38):

Wow. I think that’s fascinating too. And I was also fascinating too, just the rest of the cast too. I mean, a lot of them came in and they have to go through this amazing training. None of ’em watched out, you know, all of ’em were dedicated and, and I, I guess that led me to kind of, you know, as an era coordinator and such a fascinating movie I think it’s okay to give maybe a little spoilers. Now. I was wondering, is there any particular tough stunt that you coordinated for this movie that was particularly challenging for you?

Kevin LaRosa II (09:03):

Yeah, the whole movie, <laugh> the it’s still true. The from the very beginning we knew that we had to make a perfect product top gun Maverick needed to obtain cinematic perfection that had never been seen before in order to do that, you need to have an amazing story. You need to have great technology. You need to have the right people willing to go the extra mile. And I feel like we had that. So to answer your question, every single thing we did in the aerial department of top gun Maverick was always pushing the boundaries of creativity and what was possible without compromising safety. But I mean, it was strenuous work to go out there and we would come back with great footage and we would sit there and go, you know, we can make this better. So just a huge drive to Excel, you know, kind of the art of camera movement in the air, which I love doing pushing aircraft to their, to their limits, pushing people to their limits and really coming back with that cinematic perfection and that goal that we see on the big screen.

Chuck (host) (09:59):

It incredibly motivating. I wanna share with you a question I got from, from one of my listeners, his name, Sean he’s a aspiring pilot and he just wants to know, you know, when there are, where, when there are two or more planes flying in such close proximity, that happened a lot. How earth do you coordinate that? I mean, one wrong move can be kind of horrible.

Kevin LaRosa II (10:16):

Yeah. And I’m, I’m gonna tip my hat to the Naval aviators that we used on the movie and all of the support people in the United States, Navy and department of defense that we got to work with, but they are absolute professionals and they know that airplane is an extension of their body. They fly it so good. And we flew with plenty of Naval aviators on the movie. It’s very humbling to get, to share a piece of airspace with them. But to answer that question, we would go through extensive briefings. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> planned out to the T air speeds, the GS, the bank angles, the location, the lighting extensive briefs. So there was no question. And we would usually walk these maneuvers out with stick models and fly them with our hands first and go through the motions before we got in the aircraft.

Kevin LaRosa II (10:59):

And by the time we get in the air, we’re very well briefed, but also we, you know, as a precision pilot or stunt pilot, we strive for excellence in repetition. And we also have a crawl walk, run mentality. If we’re gonna go fly through a canyon and close proximity to know the aircraft, we don’t just dive in there and pick any canyon. That’s been pre scouted. We know every rock, every tree, every turn we’ve done it, you know, at 300 dots and 300 feet and, and lowered the altitude and increased the speed to a point where we’re pushing the boundaries of what we can do safely without compromising safety. So that’s, that’s sort of the, the mentality we use similar to any precision pilots or airshow pilots or anything we practice, we rehearse and we get it perfect. And then we go nail it

Chuck (host) (11:42):

And the results are amazing. Kevin, let me ask you, this was top gun Maverick, the most difficult film you’ve ever worked on, if not, yeah.

Kevin LaRosa II (11:49):

By no, by far top gun Maverick sets the bar and creativity in, in the cinematic perfection, we talked about in the technology, just a lot of new technology. I, I created a platform called the Sy jet, which is an existing L 39 Albatros was a readily available. But I stuck the latest and greatest shot over camera, give on the front of this thing, which allowed Claudia Miranda or DP to put this camera package in there. And that jet allowed me to film these dog fighting sequences and these canyon sequences that really get the viewer up close and personal to the vapor and, and the GS and the afterburners. So it was new tech that we never had before and allows me to fly the pants off this airplane and not worry about the gile and the gimble gets to just be stabilized. And then the brave soul, which I always love mentioning that sits in the ejection seat behind me. That’s the aerial DP director of photography for the air and that gentleman with two of them on the movie, David Noll, Michael Fitzmaurice, they’re incredible. They’re the ones operating the camera for the, the helicopter, the jet that I’m flying. Great guys. And they’re the ones that make the shots happen. My job is to put ’em in the right place and coordinate them once I get in there, those guys make the shot happen.

Chuck (host) (13:01):

Okay. And you’ve all, but you’ve also started as a camera pilot, maybe not necessarily for top Maverick, but for others. I was gonna say as a camera pilot, are there any particular scenes that you’re, that particular mean a lot to you in, in the top of Maverick or one of the other movies?

Kevin LaRosa II (13:13):

Yeah. I mean, for people that have seen the movie or not seen the movie, I always say it feels like the final sequence, which if you watch the movie, that’s the one where my palms get sweaty and I’m on the edge of I seat, even though I’ve seen the movie seven times now, but when I shot that or I got to fly in that sequence, that final sequence in the movie, it was just as the adrenaline I got from that. It was just as exhilarating being there real time as it is on the big screen, that is some of the most extreme terrain I’ve ever flown of extreme conditions I’ve ever flown in. And some of the most extreme maneuvering that we’ve ever flown camera systems in ever. So that final sequence of top gun Maverick, what you see on that screen is very real. We’re really out there doing those things. And trust me, we were all pinching ourselves going, I can’t believe we’re doing this. This is insane, but it’s also crazy and beautiful. And I love what we did

Chuck (host) (14:03):

Crazy and beautiful is great. We just jar. I remember going out at the theater and I just told my wife, I said, I couldn’t get over the, the final scenes, which just incredible. I loved it. You kind of answered this a little bit in the beginning of moment. I wanna go back to it. You know, we have some inspiring pilots that are obviously listening and watching this right now. What advice would you give them?

Kevin LaRosa II (14:23):

I would give them the same great advice. So I’ve gotten a lot of good advice, but I’ll give them a couple key ones that I love in the aviation industry. Aviation is about learning and we’re never done learning and I can’t emphasize that enough. And we go through phases where we get ratings, or we get certified in cool aircraft. We feel like we’re at the top of the world. And, and that’s great to feel that way, but as long as we understand that we’re never done learning. We’re always gonna make bad landings. We’re always gonna make mistakes. We’re gonna do things. What I call never again, moments. So you do something in your aviation career and go, yep. I should never let that happen again, cuz that was stupid or dangerous or whatever. Yeah. You have to listen to those moments and never really never do them again.

Kevin LaRosa II (15:03):

But just be prepared to continue learning because the day you shut down learning from anybody a colleague, a competitor, whatever is the day you’re gonna hurt yourself, hurt somebody else or, or become unprofessional. So continue learning for your entire career. And also another great piece of advice. My dad gave me is you’re gonna learn from a lot of different people. You’re gonna fly with a lot of different people. And it’s our job to take little things from all these instructors and all these other pilots that we fly with that we like. And we put that into our daily routine of aviation and we’re also going to pick up lots of things we don’t like. And those are the things we stay away from and all those things make you your own aviator. And the last piece of advice I’ll give. And this one I truly love, you know, there’s pilots and then there’s aviators.

Kevin LaRosa II (15:46):

Really they’re both professionals, but an aviator to me in the truest sense means somebody that’s connected with their aircraft book. Smart is great. Know your limitations, know the numbers, that’s all fantastic. But really when you fly an aircraft, come one with it, listen to it. Every it’s always talking to you. That’s what I was taught. Every little bump, every little sound is if you’re in tune with your aircraft, it doesn’t matter how many different aircraft you fly. You need to let that aircraft be an extension of your mind and body and, and that’s an aviator. So those are, those are things I like passing on

Chuck (host) (16:17):

Kevin. That is great advice. I appreciate you sharing that with our audience. Let me one last question. What is next for you? What’s coming up?

Kevin LaRosa II (16:25):

I just did another incredible aviation movie. This is a great year for aviation. I think this movie’s called devotion and this is a black label media Sony production. It’s a feature film, it’ll be in theaters and I was able to join Glen Powell again as another aviator in this movie. So Glen’s one of the leads along with Jonathan majors. And what’s special about devotion is it’s one another Navy movie. But this is a period movie Korean war era, which is a very kind of untold story, but it’s a very heroic story and the movie’s based on true events. So there’s a book by Adam makos written about it in our incredible director jdllard and our director of photography, Eric measurement did a beautiful job telling the story and shooting the story. It’s a little different than top gun Maverick. It’s more personal. And following the lives of these Naval aviators as they progress through an interesting time in society. But what’s great about it for those aviation fans, lots of real flying, lots of real stunts. And we kind of brought the top gun vibe as far as how we shot it. So I think it’d be cool.

Chuck (host) (17:26):

Wow. Cannot wait till devotion comes out. Kevin, I just wanna congratulate you on an amazing career. Thank you for keeping everyone safe and giving us such great entertainment. Appreciate you taking the time to join us today. Thank you so much, Kevin.

Kevin LaRosa II (17:38):

My pleasure. Thanks Chuck.

Chuck (host) (17:44):

I really enjoy my conversation with Kevin and I’m loving the aerial stunts in top gun Maverick guaranteed. The movie highly suggested. Go see it. If you’d like to learn more about Kevin, just go his website at https://kevinlarosa.com . I wanna thank Kevin for joining me today. I wanna thank you for joining me as well. If you do me a small favor and like this episode or share it with a friend, we’d certainly appreciate it. Thanks so much for joining me. We’ll see you next time. God bless.

The post TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Kevin LaRosa II – Aerial Coordinator & Camera Pilot (transcript) appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

Listen or watch interview: https://www.15minuteswithchuck.com/hope-interview-with-voices-of-service-a-military-singing-quartet/

Transcript

Chuck (host) (00:00):

Voices of service is an amazing quartet who just released their latest, single HOPE, coming up next.

(System) (00:07):

Welcome to 15 minutes with Chuck, where we feature interviews with music, artists, entertainers, scientists, and more, more. Here’s your host, a software consultant teacher and space enthusiast. Chuck fields,

Chuck (host) (00:23):

Voices of service is a singing quartet featuring retired military veterans, Ron Henry, crystal reams, Jason Hannah, and Caleb green. They just released their latest, single hope. The members of voices of service have been singing together since 2012. They even achieved a top five finish in 2019 on season 14 of America’s got talent. The group influenced global awareness of the struggle of our service members, veterans, their families, and people from all walks of life. Who’ve endured visible and invisible scars, their influence depicts the excellence within military and veteran communities and continues to inspire the universe through music.

Chuck (host) (01:39):

Hello Everybody. Welcome to the program. It’s an honor to have you here.

Caleb (01:42):

Thank you so much.

Jason (01:43):

Thank you so much.

Chuck (host) (01:45):

Oh, it is a pleasure. I do wanna go around the room. I’d like to each of you just introduce yourself, say your name, say your branch and say your rank. So the audience knows who you are. Why don’t we start with you crystal.

Crystal (01:56):

All right. So I am Sergeant major crystal res United States army still active only for a few months, but I am still active, and that’s, that’s me

Chuck (host) (02:08):

Awesome. Jason

Jason (02:11):

And I am Sergeant first class Jason L Hannah U.S. Army retired

Chuck (host) (02:20):

Caleb.

Caleb (02:21):

I master Sergeant Caleb green, United States army retired.

Chuck (host) (02:27):

Awesome. And, Ron?

Ron (02:29):

And I am retired. Ron D Henry United States army.

Chuck (host) (02:34):

Awesome. Welcome everyone. And again, of course, thank you so much for your service.

Ron (02:39):

Thank you.

Chuck (host) (02:39):

I truly wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.

Crystal (02:41):

Thank you.

Chuck (host) (02:42):

Thank you. I did want to talk about something that I hadn’t really heard of until I heard about voices of service, but I understand that the, I have to read this because I, I don’t have camo memorized the center for American military music opportunities. Camo is what it’s called, played the integral role in sort of the creation of your awesome quartet. I was just wondering, can, what of you tell us more about what camo is and the purpose behind it?

Jason (03:10):

Hmm. I know rock paper scissors, right? Crystal <laugh>

Crystal (03:12):

Rock paper, scissor— Jason!

Jason (03:15):

Oh, well the organization center for American military music opportunities was founded or co-founded by Kathy Harris. And she is the driving force behind what we do as far as music is therapy healing, soul healing, so healing, family members, service members, veterans through music. And also we’re, we’re also doing things where we’re trying to, we’re helping launch veterans into the, the, the artist arena of, you know, music in the music arena. I don’t know, that sounds like a lot of word salad there, but long and short, we’re just trying to give a a place for veteran artists to be able to shine, to be able to grow in the, in their, their gifts and their talents, musically, and to be a part of the the music industry with those gifts of those talents.

Jason (04:13):

So going into our little bit of our story, we were put together by this person, Kathy Harris mm-hmm <affirmative> it was a random gig, and I don’t really, no one ever really remembers what gig it was, but we all just kind of like were, were practicing together in the USO. I think it was on Fort Bellor probably about 10 years ago and the rehearsal turned into like five or six hours of just singing songs and getting to know each other and just laughing and cutting up. And, you know, at that point in time, we knew that there was something special and the rest is history.

Chuck (host) (04:49):

See, I think that’s neat. And I, I do wanna go back to camel for a second that I’ll come back to voice of service, but each of you, I understand have sort of different roles with camel. Like, like Ron, I think music is therapy, crystal director of camel kids, Jason LePort coaching, Kayla Brian BA can, can we go around the room again and tell us a little bit more about what each of you kind of do with camo and we’ll start again with crystal.

Crystal (05:13):

Ooh. So my roles have, have changed. I, I am I did create and kind of co-found camo kids, which is basically a program that gets kids together for, for an hour a week like kids to learn about more about kids that are like them and to do a same activity through music. And I also work a lot with digital strategy and communications with camo now at this point as well.

Chuck (host) (05:40):

That’s awesome. Ron, understand you, you help out more with music is therapy, which I, I think is awesome. Can you tell us more, a little bit more about that?

Ron (05:47):

Well, actually, yeah, my correct title is the, I’m the inspirational director for camo. Nice. And so that inspiration is brought through again, bringing all styles of music to help with therapy and growth using all genres. Definitely we, we understand that music is a universal language and so that universal language can reach out to, to anyone. Like for instance you know, what brings back to memory when we visited the hospital there at Fort Belfor, you know, we sat down and, and worked with, with soldiers and, and, and service men and women who are coping with post traumatic stress and, and anxiety. And we would sit down and just say, Hey, you know, give us one of your favorite songs and we’ll just start singing it, you know, and, and we’ll sit around and, and, and see the joy in their eyes and to see the, how the, how it lights up their faces when cuz it makes them think of home. It makes ’em think of, of good times with their family, with their loved ones. And so that just made them break down their walls that they had put up and that they have up. And so, you know, we’re seeing this great transformation of what music can do.

Chuck (host) (07:05):

Oh, that’s it, that’s incredible. Ron Jason, I understand life support coaching, which I, I, I think is an awesome area. Can you tell us more about what you do with that?

Jason (07:14):

So, you know, if I had to sum up some of the work that I, that I do with camo and, you know, external to camo is, you know, I try to help people think their way out of a wet paper bag. I guess that’s kind of a, yeah. I try to sum it up in that way because sometimes, you know, life is tricky and, and you know, it gets complicated. And so sometimes we need, you know, somebody to kind of help lead us and, and, and guide us through those, those, that mind field of the mind. And so, you know, that’s, that’s what I do. I help people kind of navigate those, those tough spaces mentally and you know, coach ’em through it and help them go from, you know, from a, maybe a place that, that was kind of dark to a place that’s really bright and light.

Chuck (host) (08:00):

Wow. Such a, such a needed skill. That’s amazing. And then Caleb, tell us more about what you do as brand ambassador.

Caleb (08:06):

Well actually what’s interesting is if you take a listen to what you’ve heard so far we really all support each other in the capacity that we perform. I, I love the unique ability that we have to be able to work alongside each other knowing when it’s time for one to go forward and, and when to step back. And as far as being brand ambassador is concerned I love talking to people and when you get to talk to people, you can kind of I guess, navigate where they are, you know we, we do corporate and personal gigs and we do, we, we’re just kind of like all over the place. And I mean, I, I, to put it into words accurately, I guess for me, it’s kind of hard because brand ambassador is we, we wear a couple of hats within the organization simultaneously and interchangeably.

Caleb (09:17):

But I like to think of myself as a person who’s willing to go out and say on behalf of my brothers and my sisters and our organization here is what we bring to the table. And would you like to partner with us because together we can achieve more. And together everybody achieves more. But it’s not like a big eye, little you with the title that we carry. It’s more about the interoperable ability that we have to say, Hey, Chris, I just spoke to so and so, and I think this is good for you. Ron says, Hey, I just talked to this person or, or, or Jason and they’re, and, and we’re just able to kind of come together and, and create, come together and, and formulate, and then execute a plan and or strategy for whatever our mission is, cuz it’s not always music, but you know just, just really having the ability to reach out and touch and you know, in business or whether it be personal you know, in the veteran community, which often leads to other avenues,

Chuck (host) (10:29):

I tell you the, the, the amount of talent just on all, all four of you is just incredible on that. And I, I’m not surprised at all, how voices service sort of you see that chemistry you, you sparked when you started singing together. And one thing that blew me away is 2019, you achieved a top five finish on season 14 of America’s got talent. How did that come about? That’s incredible.

Crystal (10:55):

<Laugh> so the I, I, I love telling the story because Kathy, who we mentioned before, just kind of called us all and said, Hey, you guys wanna go to New York for an audition? And we were like okay. You know, cuz Kathy’s like mama and she, she takes care of everybody. So we knew, at least at the very least we were gonna stop somewhere and have really good food somewhere. Right. <laugh> so we got a song together and we hopped in a van and I think Ron, I think Ron drove, you drove didn’t you Ron? I did we hopped in a van and we drove to New York and we sat out, we sat outside because it was a time to audition and we auditioned for the show. We didn’t, you know, for some producers, we, then we left and of course stopped at a diner on the way home.

Crystal (11:42):

And so, you know, I don’t think any of us thought that it was gonna come to this. I think it was about two, maybe three months later, Kathy calls all of us. I remember getting a call at work and she’s like, okay, you’re gonna need to see Ja, you’re gonna need to get all, all paperwork done. And I’m like, for what what’s happening, you guys are gonna be on the show. And we’re like, what? You know, like, are you serious? Like where’s going on here? And the next thing you know, we’re flying to California. And to be honest with you, all of the stuff that happened in the middle of that was a blur. But I count, I know we talk about it and they count my blessings daily that, you know, we made it that far. And I have to say, as a caveat, the Americas got talent franchise or folks, they treated us like gold. We, we were treated yes, tremendously. Well always very considerate. So how we got there were, were the people and hopefully they heard something that moved them through us. And that’s at the end of the day, if we did that, that’s, that was our ultimate goal. But you know, top five out of, I don’t know, I think it’s about 800 X when they start

Chuck (host) (12:59):

Incredible.

Crystal (13:00):

That’s, that’s nothing to sneeze at.

Ron (13:03):

I thought it was 77,000 plus.

Jason (13:07):

Yeah. It’s quite a few people that, that audition for that show. People

Crystal (13:13):

Give a little bit more than 800

Jason (13:15):

<Laugh>

Chuck (host) (13:16):

Well, this is talent. I wanna talk about hope. This is your, your latest release. Let’s talk about the, the inspiration Behe behind it. I, I understand right now it’s the just release. It’s the inspirational theme to support PGA hope which stands for helping our Patriots everywhere. I think that’s awesome. Tell us about hope. How did that evolve?

Ron (13:37):

Well, hope was created by a collaboration of, of, of all of us and some of our producers and good friends. It is, and it is the song is just as it is Chuck. I mean, we want people to know that regardless of your challenges in life, regardless of what you have faced, regardless of what you are facing, there is hope. And we’re teaching people to hold on to that hope until that silver lining or whatever it is you’re trying to achieve until you find it. You know, people will let you down. People will, will, will, will disappoint you like may disappoint you, but still through it all, we all stand together as a group and one unit and we chair and we cheer out that word hope H O P E hold on to you find it.

Jason (14:32):

Yeah. Yeah. I think one of the other things that other cool lyric said, I love this part about the song where it talks about, you know, folks sometimes they’re, they don’t know that they’re heroes. So first and foremost, we’re, we’re, we’re affirming. Yes, you are a hero. And sometimes you just need to be reminded of that, that a you’re a hero B we need to hold on to hope. So I love that part about the song as well. I know that we’re able to write that, that lyric

Crystal (15:00):

Something else about hope and, and, and our music in general. I feel like the singles that we’ve come out with just the past, you know couple years have all come out at just such peak and wonderful times. And I, I don’t think that that’s by our design, but you know, after coming outta, COVID not knowing where C’s gonna go, where, you know, there’s a lot of people suffering and you gotta find that, that glimer of light hope is that glimer of light. You know, there’s, there’s always something that you can be down for, you can be down about, but, you know, you gotta hold on to hope because that’s, that’s that thread that pulls you through. And that’s something kind of key about the music. You know, that, that we, we come out with and, and it, we want it to uplift a population and not just veteran in military, we want it to uplift a population. We want it to, to reach out to people. We want people to, to listen to it at nauseam and, and make them, you know, make them feel better and to make people feel better. That’s that is a want and a goal for us and our music is and what we put out,

Chuck (host) (16:09):

Chris that’s right. And I love how you said timing because we just came off of Memorial day and here we are starting, you know, July 4th is coming up. So I guess, other than what you said, I mean, what message do you wanna send to the veterans and active military out there?

Caleb (16:22):

I would like to say that one of our messages is that resilience is interwoven. It’s, it’s our fabric. We are a unit I would even venture to say an elite unit. We’re ordinary people who come together to do extraordinary things. And then we just kind of, when we finish that mission, we kind of fade back into society and still do our thing heroes. But you, you kind of have to take on that particular aspect of it as we are here for you. So if you ever come see us in concert, you’re gonna, there’s gonna be music for everyone. We don’t shy away from style or genre. We, we, if the children get up to sing or, or dance, we’re like, let ’em go because that’s what they’re here for. If we can inspire them, if we can inspire you, then we’ve achieved what we came to do. And the moniker hope helping our Patriots area everywhere is what the PGA’s program stand for. But for us, it’s, it’s a bigger and, and broader mission. And our inspiration has been, has been garnered and, and ridden like a, a, a surfer on a wave, you know, because everywhere we go, they recognize our lady first. And then we get a chance to ride the wave with her. So, you know, we love that. Yeah.

Jason (17:46):

Always crystal first. Oh, wait, man. Who are those other guys? Oh, they were there with you too. <Laugh>

Caleb (17:52):

But that’s outta the, the healthiest respect though. Seriously?

Chuck (host) (17:57):

I, that’s amazing. Just to wrap up just one, one last question for you. What’s next for you? What’s coming up.

Jason (18:05):

Ooh.

Ron (18:07):

More concerts. Nice. More, more appearances. You know, we’re ready, you know, we’re look, be looking out for our Christmas album coming up this year. So yeah. And I’m telling you now, Chuck, this Christmas album, it is gonna change the game of ti the season to be Johnny <laugh>.

Jason (18:33):

Oh, I like that. Ron making me excited. I heard it

Ron (18:36):

<Laugh>

Chuck (host) (18:38):

Yeah. We’re so excited. What else can our audience do? What can we do to help?

Crystal (18:42):

So you can follow us on social media. You can to see what we’re doing. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

Chuck (host) (18:51):

I’ll put all the links in the show notes, by the

Crystal (18:53):

Way, all the links. Okay. And we, we always, you know, we’re always, and you can also find us in Spotify. You can find us on every streaming platform. I’m, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, I won’t say what I’m partial to these days. I, I found a new one and I’m kind of like, Ooh, I like that one, but there’s a few. And you can find, find us there, follow, listen to your music you know, share it, you know you know, spread the wealth spread the wealth, quote unquote hashtag spread hope, you know? Yeah. Spread hope, hashtag spread hope. That’s what we all need. And if you don’t, if you just do that one little thing, you know, for us, you know, pay it forward in some way, spread hope that would, that would be all we could actually really ask for.

Caleb (19:37):

I have a great idea. Just what’s that Caleb, while she was saying that, you know, you can, you can gift music to your friends in, in the digital service platforms that we use, you know, with the Amazon, apple, Spotify all of the different things. Sometimes a person is having a bad day and you can just, you know, put a little note to ’em and say, you know, I’m offering you hope today and, you know, have ’em purchase it like that. And you know, we’re, we’re here really because we love what we do and we love people. We love each other. We even love you more for, you know, reaching, reaching out to, you know, people like us you know, to be on your platform. And we appreciate that. Oh,

Chuck (host) (20:21):

It’s an honor. It’s an honor. It truly is an honor. Well, well, thank you so much. I, I, I, I can’t thank each of you enough, crystal, Caleb, Jason, Ron. Thank you so much for sharing your story with our audience. Really appreciate it.

Crystal (20:33):

Thank you, Chuck. Thank you.

Caleb (20:34):

Thank you, Chuck.

Chuck (host) (20:36):

Thank you. Have a great day. God bless all. All right.

Crystal (20:39):

Thank you. You too,

Ron (20:39):

Buddy.

Crystal (20:40):

All right.

(System) (20:41):

15 minutes with Chuck.

Chuck (host) (20:45):

Well, I really enjoyed my conversation with Voices of Service today and I’m loving their new single hope and all of their music. They’re really incredible. Again, to follow them, just check the show notes, to follow them on social media or go to the website, cammomusic.org. I want to thank them for joining me today. I wanna thank you for joining us as well. Again, you can help us by and help voices of service by sharing this episode with your friends. Thank you so much for taking time. Join us. We’ll see you next time. God bless.

The post HOPE: Interview with Voices of Service, a military quartet (transcript) appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

Voices of Service (VOS), a singing quartet featuring retired military Veterans Ron Henry, Christal Rheams, Jason Hanna and Caleb Green just released their latest single, “Hope”. In 2019 they achieved a top 5 finish on Season 14 of America’s Got Talent. Voices of Services helps influence global awareness of the struggle of our service members, veterans, their families, and people from all walks of life who’ve endured visible and invisible scars.

Voices of Service are a part of the nonprofit Center for American Military Music Opportunities (CAMMO). For the past several years, they have utilized their performances to increase awareness of the therapeutic impact that performing as well as listening to music can have on servicemen and women who are coping with post-traumatic stress and other invisible/visible wounds. Their success on America’s Got Talent helped promote national awareness of the struggle active members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their families often experience during as well as after their service.

“Hope” is available as a digital download via online retailers and major streaming platforms.

Interview transcript: https://www.15minuteswithchuck.com/hope-interview-with-voices-of-service-a-military-quartet-transcript/

For more information visit https://www.cammomusic.org

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The post HOPE: Interview with Voices of Service, a military singing quartet appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

Kevin LaRosa II is the Aerial Coordinator & Camera Pilot for Top Gun: Maverick. He’s one of Hollywood’s most sought-after pilot and aerial coordinators, licensed to fly a variety of aircraft ranging from helicopters and airplanes to Learjets and more. He’s known for his work on major blockbusters including Ironman, The Avengers, and Transformers 5. Kevin is an accomplished ATP rated pilot in a multitude of fixed wing and rotorcraft, and works heavily in the motion picture and television industries worldwide coordinating and directing film sequences in the air and on the ground.

Kevin joins me in this interview to discuss his career and his latest work which can be seen in Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick.

Transcript available at https://www.15minuteswithchuck.com/top-gun-maverick-kevin-larosa-ii-aerial-coordinator-camera-pilot-transcript/

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About Kevin LaRosa II

Known for his work on major blockbusters like The Avengers (2012), Iron Man (2005) and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Kevin LaRosa, II has worked on over 100 different motion picture and commercial productions.

An accomplished pilot like his father and grandfather, Kevin grew up with the sights and sounds of engines and propellers for as long as he can remember. Kevin’s father, Kevin LaRosa Sr, began taking him on movie shoots at the early age of 10 and by age 17, Kevin received his certificate to fly.

Today, Kevin is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after pilot and aerial coordinators, licensed to fly a variety of aircraft ranging from helicopters and airplanes to Learjets and more. Kevin is an ATP rated pilot trained and certified in a multitude of aircraft. He also holds type ratings in several Learjet models in addition to the C-130/ L-382 Hercules and the Sikorsky S-70/ UH-60, as well as an FAA Part 107 UAS rating for flying unmanned aircraft. Kevin is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and the Motion Picture Pilots Association.

For more information, visit https://www.kevinlarosa.com

The post TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Kevin LaRosa II – Aerial Coordinator & Camera Pilot appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.

Mike & the rest of Loverboy, along with REO Speedwagon and Styx, are performing on the road now with their tour called “Live and Unzoomed”.

Loverboy has achieved several platinum albums and a Gold with hits including “Turn Me Loose”, “When It’s Over”, “Lovin’ Every Minute of It”, and “Working for the Weekend”. They’ve also been on several movie soundtracks, including Mike’s duet with Ann Wilson of Heart with “Almost Paradise” for Footloose, and “Heaven In Your Eyes” for the original Top Gun. Mike joins us on the road to discuss the tour and his amazing music.

Transcript at https://www.15minuteswithchuck.com/loverboy-interview-with-mike-reno-transcript/

ABOUT MIKE RENO

Mike Reno (born January 8, 1955) is a Canadian drummer/musician and the lead singer of the rock band Loverboy. He is reported to have played the guitar, being self-taught. He fronted other bands, including Moxy, before helping form Loverboy. Reno has a son from his first marriage, Alex Reno, who was born on January 23, 1988. ​

While still in school in the early 1970s, Reno joined a cover band called Morning Glory, in which he played the drums and eventually found his way to the cover band Synergy.

After graduating from Penticton Secondary School, Reno moved to Calgary, AB and joined a band called Spunk with guitarist Jack Stoltz, then on to Toronto ON, and a brief stint with Moxy for a single album, Under the Lights, released in 1978. It was something of a departure from the previous Moxy albums, partially because of changes in band members as well as Reno’s different singing style, and did not sell as well as the band’s earlier releases. Shortly after, Mike returned to Calgary, where he was introduced to Paul Dean in 1979 at a nightclub called The Refinery and they immediately got together for a jam session, which led to the formation of Loverboy shortly thereafter. Loverboy released its first album in 1980 and the band went on to tour extensively as well as release three more multi-platinum albums.

Reno has also contributed to various film soundtracks. In 1984, he performed a duet with Ann Wilson of Heart, “Almost Paradise”, for the movie Footloose. With Loverboy, the band contributed “Heaven in Your Eyes” for the movie Top Gun, in 1986. Reno contributed the song “Chasing the Angels” for the soundtrack to Iron Eagle II in 1988 along with the song “Whenever There’s a Night” for the movie Dream a Little Dream in 1989.

For more information visit https://www.loverboyband.com/

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The post LOVERBOY – Interview with Mike Reno appeared first on 15 Minutes With Chuck - podcast.