Do you smell that delicious smell?

It's a delicious batch of cookies that The Reverend Shawn Amos is cooking up in his new book 'Cookies & Milk'! 

Amos is on the show this week to discuss his book, a fictionalized re-telling of his childhood growing up as the son of Wally 'Famous' Amos and opening up the infamous cookie shop back in the 70's. 

We get into a discussion about the book, all of his latest music releases, and how folks can start to 'reclaim their legacy'.

Enjoy!

About The Reverend Shaw Amos

Most people know me as blues musician, The Reverend Shawn Amos. I’ve been lucky to meet and work with a lot of very talented people who all taught me how to live a creative life.

I’m the only child of William Morris agent-turned-cookie entrepreneur Wally “Famous” Amos, and singer Shirley “Shirl-ee May” Ellis. I spent my childhood in shadowy nightclubs, on the funky streets of 70s Hollywood, and in my own broken home, watching folks hustle, intently listening to them spin tales. I went to NYU Film School, only to be wooed back west in my senior year to accept a screenwriting gig with A & M Films.

Throughout my twenties, I made music that grappled with my race and identity. I tried on personas, searched for my voice, explored different kinds of music which led me to the blues.

While I was grounded from touring during the Coronavirus Pandemic, I had a lot of time to think—and write. This was the beginning of Cookies & Milk. It’s a book for my son (also named Ellis), my dad, and me. It’s also a book for anyone wanting to discover who they are.

About Cookies & Milk

Eleven-year-old Ellis Johnson has the summertime blues. He dreamed of spending the summer of 1976 hanging out with friends, listening to music, and playing his harmonica. Instead, he'll be sleeping on a lumpy pullout in Dad's sad little post-divorce bungalow and helping bring Dad's latest far-fetched, sure-to-fail idea to life: opening the world's first chocolate chip cookie store. They have six weeks to perfect their recipe, get a ramshackle A-frame on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard into tip-top shape, and bring in customers.
 
But of course, nothing is as easy as Dad makes it sound, even with Grandma along for the ride. Like she says, they have to GIT—get it together—and make things work. Along the way, Ellis discovers a family mystery he is determined to solve, the power of community, and new faith in himself.
 
Partially based on Shawn Amos's own experiences growing up the son of Wally “Famous” Amos in a mostly white area, and packed with humor, heart, and fun illustrations, this debut novel sings with the joy of self-discovery, unconditional love, and belonging.

Listen to The Reverend Shawn Amos' Discography

Read The Cookies & Milk Huffington Post Pieces from 2011

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

NARF! 

In this episode of the podcast Joe has the distinct pleasure of talking to legendary voice actor Rob Paulsen!

Rob discusses his early forays into voice acting, the Animaniacs revival, and how he perservered after being diagnosed with throat cancer. 

Check it out and listen for Joe's updated 'Pinky & the Brain' lyrics right at the top of the episode.

Enjoy!

About Rob Paulsen

Rob Paulsen is an American voice actor and singer, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner, and Dr. Otto Scratchansniff from Animaniacs, and Pinky from Pinky and the Brain and Animaniacs. In total, Paulsen has been the voice of over 250 different animated characters and performed in over 1000 commercials. He continues to play parts in dozens of cartoons as well as characters in animated feature movies.

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

When was the last time you started a new skill in high school and then decided 'yeah, I can go pro.'!?

Or when was the last time you were told 'if you win you're in, if you lose, you're traded'!?

Or how about marching down to the front office to get your missing pay check only to find out your head coach has been withholding pay due to 'poor performance'!?

And let's not even mention the dancing!

If you're intrigued, you're not alone. On this episode of the podcast Joe invites longtime friend and former professional hockey player Al Rooney on the podcast to discuss all things sports. The setting may be minor league but these are definitely MAJOR stories.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

In this episode of the podcast Joe talks to illustrator & artist Eric Wilkerson. 

Joe and Eric get into a discussion about art, representation in media, and how Eric used his daughter as inspiration for his first picture book 'I Color Myself Different' written by Colin Kaepernick.

Enjoy!

About Eric Wilkerson

Eric Wilkerson is a Chesley Award-winning illustrator and concept artist whose client list includes Wizards of the Coast, Weta Workshop, Marvel, Dark Horse Comics, Scholastic, and Disney Publishing, to name a few. He has created art for film, TV, advertising, publishing, comics, and video games. A graduate of The School of Visual Arts, he teaches Illustration and Concept Art at CG Spectrum while also focusing on painting people of color having out of this world adventures.

About 'I Color Myself Different'

When Colin Kaepernick was five years old, he was given a simple school assignment: draw a picture of yourself and your family. What young Colin does next with his brown crayon changes his whole world and worldview, providing a valuable lesson on embracing and celebrating his Black identity through the power of radical self-love and knowing your inherent worth.

I Color Myself Differentis a joyful ode to Black and Brown lives based on real events in young Colin's life that is perfect for every reader's bookshelf. It's a story of self-discovery, staying true to one's self, and advocating for change... even when you're very little!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

In this episode of the podcast Joe talks to the absolutely fabulous Daphne Maxwell Reid!

Ms. Reid comes on the show to discuss her fashion line, her photography books, and of course her storied acting career. 

It's a fantastic conversation I know you're going to enjoy!

About Daphne Maxwell Reid

Everyone remembers Daphne Maxwell Reid as an iconic TV mom of the 1990s, from her three seasons as Aunt Vivian on “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” And Daphne couldn’t be more excited when the cast of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reunited 30 years later for an unscripted reunion special that aired on HBO Max last November.

These days Reid is a Renaissance woman, respected artist and designer, and education activist.  Working from her home in Virginia, and still happily married to pioneering television actor/producer/writer/director Tim Reid (“WKRP in Cincinnati,” “Frank’s Place,” “Sister, Sister”), Daphne Maxwell Reid is living proof that a passion for creativity and a dedication to hard work can ensure a lifetime’s worth of success.

Breaking new barriers is nothing new to Reid, who decades ago became the first African-American homecoming queen at Northwestern University and shortly thereafter one of the first African-American women to appear on the cover of Glamour magazine.  But many fans of her modeling and acting career probably don’t know that Reid is a lifelong shutterbug, a hobby passed down by her father that has now become a focal point of her career.  With five books and 5 annual calendars already published, Reid specializes in fine art photography that features doors and doorways from around the world, including Cuba, Venice, France, China, Germany, and Belgium.  Now she’s added to her publishing resume with her first cookbook, “Grace + Soul & Motherwit,” which offers her favorite recipes spiced with personal memories and reflections from her life and travels.

Reid has also been a seamstress for much of her life, creating many of her own outfits and costumes as a young actress and model, and has now developed those skills into an exclusive, custom clothing line called Daphne Style, making Chinese silk brocade jackets that are wearable works of art.  She also keeps busy as a spokesperson for Virginia State University, a historically black college/university (HBCU), doing outreach, public relations, and speaking engagements that allow her to preach the importance of education and career prep for students of color.  

A thoughtful, inspiring, and fascinating professional with over five decades of experience, Daphne Maxwell Reid continues to demonstrate that mastering a new skill is always possible for an artist with a generous spirit and self-determination.

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!