Episode 310 - Special Guests: Noel Lawrence and Burke Roberts Cinema is pretty close to being dead. We've hit a stalemate where multiplexes only play caped crusader films, the streamers love their ripped-from-the-headlines docuserials, and network television is a vast wasteland of mundane competition reality shows. Lots of vacuous, hollow paeans to…

Episode 309 - Special Guest: John Pirruccello The Buzzards are big fans of the acting profession and we're especially fond of character actors...the best kind. It's even better when those people are even cooler in real life. Take the career of John Pirruccello. He started out doing voiceover work for TV and radio commercials, video games, cartoons …

Episode 308 - Special Guests: The Buzzards On this special evergreen episode, The Buzzards play a game that's been around for some time. BBC Radio 4 have had a game called "Desert Island Discs" since 1942, where they ask various celebrities, athletes, politicians and pundits to imagine being stranded on an deserted island and they can only keep wit…

Episode 307 - Special Guest: Adam LevitanThe Buzzards love their sports. But they also love their gambling. And boy, do they love sports and gambling all at the same time. In this episode, The Buzzards take a deep dive into the world of fantasy football and gambling. In order to really sell this topic you need an expert. So, naturally, we not only …

Welcome to the one year anniversary of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ. This is our 46th episode and we're happy that it drops on the very same day as our first. What do you think you know about mushrooms? You know there are mushrooms you can eat, mushrooms that make you high and mushrooms that can kill you. What do you know about the medicinal properties of mush…

Putin just invaded Ukraine. It's confounding, frightening, a dick move and utter bullshit. The Buzzards want to get to the bottom of this. We need help because the media out there has so many conflicting messages it's difficult to figure out just what in the holy fuck is going on. When in doubt, we reach out to our most trusted sources. In this cas…

On this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, the Buzzards rip it up with venerable character actor and musician James Duval who has had one helluva career. His career starts with what would become a lifelong cinematic relationship. His work with filmmaker Gregg Araki has spawned four feature films, one MTV pilot and one television series including TOTALLY …

On this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, the Buzzards get a taste of Southern California's Orange County from the 1980s. Award-winning photographer Brent Broza shares the impact that growing up within the twin countercultures of hardcore punk and surfing had on him and helped shape his future career as an artist. Brent started by photographing his frie…

We are all driven by the notion of fate. Some believe that fate is inevitable, while others believe that fate is what you make of it. And then there are those who believe that fate is given a push by luck. Some seem to have all the luck while others were born under the proverbial bad sign. On this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, the Buzzards chat it u…

We've been playing first person shooter games for years now. "Grand Theft Auto," "Call of Duty," "Halo," "Resident Evil," are all games that have seeped into the general pop cultural landscape. We watch others play these games online, as spectators, as fans, as a new form of entertainment. All of these games would not be possible without the innova…

Year end specials are for the birds. Remember those holiday special shows in the 70s and 80s when networks like ABC or CBS would throw their B-list actors from their shitty sitcoms together in amazingly awful skits, toss in a few "hip" up-and-coming musicians like Captain & Tennille or Pepsi-disco-cocaine boy Leif Garrett as they sing the standard …

Jerad W. Alexander is a writer, who's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Esquire and other notable print publications. He is the author of the recently released book "Volunteers: Growing Up in the Forever War". Mr. Alexander served as a U.S. Marine during the peak years of the Global War on Terror from 1998 to 2006. His military service took him t…

"The Simpsons" is probably the most famous American television series in history. It's the cultural landmark equivalent to STAR WARS, Mark Twain's "Tom Sawyer," and Michael Jackson's "Thriller." It's had 33 seasons. Only news shows, NFL programming, soap operas and "The Tonight Show" have been on longer. The show was developed by the legendary Matt…

Colin Sullivan is the founder and CEO of Mintgreen. Based in British Columbia, Sullivan’s organization makes Digital Boilers that heat communities sustainably with Bitcoin. This Canadian visionary is attempting to solve 2 crises at once: establishing a stable currency in a world rife with hyper fiat currency inflation and generating heat where it i…

Author, journalist, and Vanity Fair Magazine contributing editor: Bethany McLean sits in with the boys to talk some shop… College, journalism, documentary filmmaking, Enron, the opiate crisis, Bob Dylan, penguins, parenting tips for raising strong, confident, kickass daughters, penguins, did we mention penguins? This one has it all! Don’t miss it.…

There are those of us from Generation X in the U.S. that grew up on a steady diet of horror films, underground comix, sci-fi mags, punk and metal music while the rest of the country soaked up sitcoms and disco. It was an era where such preoccupations were not met with wide enthusiasm despite occasional mainstream successes. This, of course, has all…

The Buzzards go for round three about the business of marijuana. This episode we get frontline reportage back from our cannabis correspondents and Buzzards-at-Large Brian Jones and Patrick Ryder. They covered the MJBizCon in Las Vegas and have quite a bit to fill in as to the bright future marijuana has in its steamrolling legalization throughout t…

Emily Dickinson wrote a poem about recapturing the spark she once held for something that she truly desired. On this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ we honor that spirit by interviewing two people that have reinvented themselves and are now on the journey of their lives, reigniting that spark they both held years ago as artists and world travelers. Ter…

On this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, we are just a two-Buzzard squad with George and Roger while Pete takes a u-turn down the newborn baby highway. We're up to the task, though, because this guest today is a true blue, dyed-in-the-wool Generation X variation of the Ramblin' Man. We are excited to have Eric Kramak in the house, coming to us live fro…

On this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, we are lucky to have with us one of the most exciting young voices to pop up on our radar that we can hardly contain ourselves. She is Alyx Ruibal, who has become a social media personality and uses her platform for a myriad of significant reasons. She is striving to become a professional dancer and demonstrates…

We here at FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ use the word "mother" a lot - usually in a derogatory context and in conjunction with another celebrated epithet. In this episode, we get our comeuppance and dutifully and respectfully pay heed to the very cradle of our own existence, motherhood itself. And we will not be alone. Pete opens our show but has to forego the …

It's been three entire decades since the celebrated year of 1991 in regards to rock and roll music has passed. Here in the U.S., it was a hangover of sorts from a ten year stretch of excess and irreverence - symbolized by the financially successful spate of inane and bloated hair metal bands - fondly known as the 1980s. Back in ’91 the world was wi…

It’s been said a woman becomes a mother the moment she learns she’s pregnant. Rivaled by no system known to MALE, the female reproductive system (complete with a vast array of inherent natural selective nurture traits triggered upon conception), is an amazing and infinitely fascinating vessel of life creating and life sustaining machinery. Long the…

@LaurenKayJ was raised in the Seattle area by a mother who was an Operation Desert Storm Veteran. Lauren herself went on to serve as an Air Force public affairs officer and award-winning Department of Defense journalist, deploying to the Republic of Mali and Afghanistan. She joined FDB on the 20 year anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. She reflects on a…

On this episode the Buzzards get it together with repeat guest Brian Clancy as we do another round of wine tasting, this time it's all things red. To add some additional flavor we have a great friend of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, Heather Hoislbauer, partake in the episode's festivities. FDB artist Nate Garden joins along Brian Clancy is an international cer…

The Buzzards go round two on the commodification of marijuana in the United States. Previously we spoke with Patrick Ryder and Brian Jones about the few insurance companies that will cover growers, distributors and sellers on Five Dollar Buzz Episode 10, "Cannabis Cultivation to Corporation" (audio only on Spotify and iTunes). On this episode, we d…

"Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make." - Bram Stoker The Buzzards go goth on this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, as we speak with acclaimed horror author Steven Van Patten and talk about all things vampires, werewolves and the shape of horror to come. Van Patten is the author of the trilogy Brookwater's Curse - Volume1, Vo…

The provenance of video games was always the domain of the misunderstood misfits. Old school coin-operated stand up terminals were located in smokey dive-bar back rooms or seedy shopping malls. The early in-home entertainment consoles were first adopted by the propeller head and pocket protector set. As those gaming systems became more advanced and…

On this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, the Buzzards mix it up with legendary character actor Mark Boone Junior, or just "Boone" as he prefers to be called. Boone's had a weird and storied career, from his improvisational cabaret beginnings with Steve Buscemi to early No Wave work with underground directors like Eric Mitchell (THE WAY IT IS OR EURYDIC…

Welcome to Season 2 of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ. For the first time ever and from here on out we will be providing both an audio only version on Apple and Spotify as well as a video recording on our new FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ YouTube Channel! And boy do we start out with a doozy. On this episode the Buzzards talk with renowned professor, researcher and author Ri…

Special Guests: Brandon Hinke and Nate Garden SPECIAL CONTEST FOR THIS EPISODE - SEE END OF THIS ARTICLE! On this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, the Buzzards find themselves deep in overly navigated waters with enough experience between the three of them to be experts themselves. It is a love letter to the lowbrow (or is that Löwenbräu). An episode e…

Another special edition of what we've unofficially nicknamed "Meet the Buzzards" has our man George Kursar in its crosshairs. Pete and Roger hold a pair of single bolt action rifles at George's head to get the inside dirt on his life's story. To pile on the insult, we blast on with Buzzard-at-Large Tom Glasgow, who doubles down on the Kursar Comedy…

On this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, the Buzzards get down with hardcore punk rock drummer Walter "Monsta" Ryan and his good friend, and ours, John Stewart. Walter is the seminal journeyman drummer and is featured in bands such as Burnt Offerings, Chronic Plague, Paranoia, Decayed, Possessed, Bonecrusher, Machine Head, Powerhouse, Madball, Lordz of…

Comedy guru Bridget McManus schools the Buzzards on this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, where she waxes poetic on all things stand-up; past, present and future. McManus is an award-winning stand-up, performer, television host, screenwriter, director, producer and actor who created and hosted the comedy talk show "Brunch with Bridget" and "Bridget McM…

Special Guest: Adrian Bonenberger In this FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ episode recorded specifically to coincide with Memorial Day, the Buzzards have a heavy full metal discussion with author and teacher Adrian Bonenberger, a Yale graduate with a B.A. in English, who then joined the U.S. Army for seven years. Adrian spent twenty-five months in Afghanistan in t…

Steve Fulop is the mayor of Jersey City, NJ. In a few weeks, when the census results are tallied, most observers expect it will become the largest city by population in the Garden State. Seeking election for a 3rd term this coming November, Mayor Fulop takes some time out to check in with The Buzzards. By 2001, the SUNY Binghampton alum had found h…

Here's a blast from the recent past; the very first recording the Buzzards ever did. This will also be the first time that you will hear just the three of us - George, Peter and Roger - do an entire show just by our lonesome. And being the first episode...well...you could hear the initial sparks of the Buzzards discovering their fire. It can be a b…

This episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ is unlike any other thus far. The Buzzards have three special guests that give us their personal accounts of their experiences with the Big C: Cancer. From the harrowing ordeals of chemotherapy to the darkly humorous side effects and oddball experiences the three guests share with wit, warmth and a funny bone. First…

In this episode of FIVE DOLLAR BUZZ, Buzzards George and Roger tackle their toughest interview yet: fellow Buzzard Pete Liska. Liska is not a man to indulge in ego-centric self-aggrandisement. His gifts tend to be focused on his supportive-ness, his genuine interest in the human condition and his respect for humanity. But, man, does he really hate …

The Buzzards reload Clark's glass slide piece (another Aaron's Alley purchase) one more time and double down on Phish's The Clifford Ball show. Premo's spoof of choice, "Kurt Muller", is tested early and often. During this particular sesh, they are joined by none other than Sigmund Bloom, the co-owner of Footballguys.com and one of the most signifi…

This week, George, Pete and Roger share a joint together with two dudes that make the business of getting stoned, dare we say, respectable. We're talking about the cannabis industry in America and all of its, ahem, "highs" and lows. First we have Patrick Ryder. He is the North American Cannabis Practice Leader for HUB International; a top five glob…

In this episode, the Buzzards interview writer-director Shaka King. In just under a decade Mr. King has amassed an impressive resume, including a string of films that have premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and several highly-acclaimed television series episodes. His latest film, JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, is the hard-hitting examination of …

Psychedelic prog rock jam band Phish put on a two-day event at recently closed Plattsburgh Air Force Base in Plattsburgh, NY on August 16-17, 1996. The event became the largest show of that year and really kick-started Phish beyond a huge cult-like band and more into the mainstream waters of bands like the Grateful Dead (a comparison that is not th…

The Buzzards dedicate an entire episode to the Godfather of Gonzo and how sorely missed he's been over the past five years. Hunter S Thompson is the famed journalist and author of novels "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," "Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs" and "The Rum Diary" among several others and was th…

The Buzzards meet up with esteemed wife-husband attorneys Giovanna A. D'Orazio and Scott M. Peterson of the aptly named law firm, D'Orazio Peterson located in Saratoga Springs, NY. They are both upstate New York natives with many years behind them working for very prestigious law firms before Scott went out on his own, soon followed by Giovanna. De…

This episode we highlight Buzzard Roger M. Mayer. He is a prolific film producer known mostly for outsider indie horror films ANTIBIRTH, THE RAMBLER, THE OREGONIAN and docs BIG RIVER MAN and JACO. He worked for the Sundance Film Festival for 14 years and was the Festival Director/Head Programmer for the Silver Lake Film Festival and the Downtown Fi…

Terry Rogers is the owner/operator of Harbor Point Wines and Spirits located in Stamford, CT. She has been involved in the wine space for over 40 years. She previously owned Horseneck Wines in Greenwich, which she purchased in 1989. There her expertise in old world wines from Italy, France and Spain, as well as varietals from Northern California wa…

The Buzzards meet up with the founder of Amigo Skate, the Robin Hoods of Havana, Rene Lecour. Part Punk Rock, part Hip Hop DJ, part outlaw and part saint, Lecour started Amigo Skate in Miami in order to bring illegal skateboards to the children and teens of Cuba where such vehicles are considered contraband. We also interview filmmaker Vanesa Wilke…

We peek through the various key holes of some of the most exclusive events surrounding the NFL’s premier annual event. This deep dive includes reflections on parties hosted by Playboy, Maxim and Tao Group. Daniel J. Cohen, Dr. Mark Goldstein, and Dr. Brian "Booker" Wraith have attended every SB since 2002. These tales are as much about sports, booz…

Eric Lovenduski is owner/operator of Slate River Farms in Greenwich, NY. Slate River is a small family farm focused on regenerative farm practices. The farm raises 100% pastured chicken, eggs, turkey and 100% grassfed beef along with straw, hay and some crops. Matt McCormick is the Corporate Chef at Weber Grill Restaurants in Chicago. Chef McCormic…