The OKPOP Radio Hour

OKPOPcast: Patrick McNicholas

THIS WEEK ON THE OKPOP RADIO HOUR: Photographer and filmmaker Patrick McNicholas!
Patrick is the talented artist behind “Time Travel Tulsa”, a series of composite images made by combining historical photos of important Tulsa locations with new photos of the same locations as they appear today.
His work is featured regularly in Tulsa People Magazine, and his “20 for 21” exhibit on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre was displayed in the historic Greenwood District during the 100th anniversary of the massacre.
Be sure to check out Patrick’s work online at https://tulsapast.com/.

OKPOPcast: Amanda Blair, Tulsa State Fair

It’s almost time again for one of Oklahoma’s most beloved events - the 11 days of awesome that make up the TULSA STATE FAIR!
This week on The OKPOP Radio Hour, Expo Square/Tulsa State Fair COO Amanda Blair joins us to talk about the history of the fair, what’s new this year, and the pop culture traditions that keep more than a million people coming back year after year.
The Tulsa State Fair runs September 28 through October 8th. You can get tickets, schedules and much more online at tulsastatefair.com.

OKPOPcast: Gigi Garner

Now in a special edition of The OKPOP Radio Hour: celebrating a Hollywood icon - Oklahoma’s own James Garner!
Ahead of tomorrow’s event unveiling of new acquisitions to the OKPOP James Garner Collection, Garner’s daughter Gigi joins us to talk about her father’s life, career, and what it meant for him to be from Oklahoma.

OKPOPcast: Danny Boy O’Connor

Danny Boy O’Connor is many things - a proud Tulsa transplant, Executive Director of the Outsiders House Museum, and a former member of the hip-hop group House of Pain, just to name a few. He’s also someone who has experienced the horrors of homelessness, and who wants to do whatever he can to help anyone else facing the same struggle. That’s why he’s teaming up with the Tulsa Day Center for a fundraiser called “The Big Showoff”. Submissions are open now for the statewide talent competition, which offers $10,000 for first place and $5,000 for second place.
This week on The OKPOP Radio Hour, we get up close and personal with Danny about his past, and this project that, for him, is truly a labor of love. Tulsa Day Center Development Director Monica Martin joins us as well to talk more about the competition, and her agency’s important work here in Tulsa.
Give us a listen, and if you'd like to compete, be sure to submit your video to thebigshowoff.com by October 15th!

OKPOPcast: Carmen Fields

Our guest this week is the Emmy Award-winning journalist, author, historian, and native Tulsan, the great Carmen Fields. Carmen's new book, Going Back to T-Town, tells the story of her father Ernie Fields, a talented musician and businessman who navigated the hurdles of racial segregation during the Jim Crow era. It's an incredible story of success, disappointment and perseverance, and it's one not enough people have heard.
We hope you enjoy our conversation with Carmen, and we hope you'll go see to your local bookstore to pick up a copy of her wonderful book.

OKPOPCAST: Mac Taylor

Today we sat down with Tulsa comedian Mac Taylor as she dishes on all things comedy! Performing standup at the Blue Whale Comedy Festival and her self-titled comedy reviews, Taylor always has a spot-on interpretation of Theresa Caputo, the Long Island Medium, in her back pocket. We chatted about our shared love of Robin Williams and Mrs. Doubtfire and tour life with country star brother Zach Bryan. Find out what’s coming up next for Taylor on the Oklahoma comedy scene!

OKPOPcast: Todd Ruffin

This week on the OKPOP Radio Hour: Videographer and drone operator Todd Ruffin! As a former Tulsa TV news photojournalist, Todd had a front row seat to the best and worst that humanity has to offer. He witnessed history and documented the lives and stories of countless Oklahomans. These days, as the owner of his own drone photography business, Midwest Drone Productions, Todd has worked on several big productions, including the award-winning film, “Minari,” and the television hit, “Reservation Dogs.” He's also one of the nicest folks you'll meet. We hope you enjoy listening to our conversation as much as we enjoyed recording it.

OKPOPcast: Tommy Howell

GIDDY UP, FRIENDS! Today on a very special episode of The OKPOP Radio Hour: Ponyboy Curtis himself, actor and musician C. Thomas Howell! Tommy, as he likes to be called, is in Tulsa this weekend for a show Saturday at Venue Shrine (https://www.facebook.com/tulsashrine) with his band, The Pony Express. He'll also be at the Outsiders House Museum (https://www.facebook.com/theoutsidershousemuseum) Sunday from 11am - 1pm. Tommy was kind enough to talk with us yesterday about a number of topics, including:
= Smoking cigarettes at 13 to land his first movie role working for Steven Spielberg in the 1982 classic E.T.
= The clever psychological tactics he says Francis Ford Coppola employed to create real tension between the Greasers and Socs during the filming of The Outsiders
= How he wound up getting punched FOR REAL during the film's "rumble" scene
= His relationships with other members of The Outsiders cast, and with author S.E. Hinton
= What drove him to pick up a guitar and write his first song - just THREE YEARS AGO!
Give us a listen and STAY GOLD friends!

OKPOPcast: Brad Harris - Cain’s Ballroom

For this episode, we sweet talked the great Brad B-Rad Harris, Production Manager at Tulsa's historic Cain's Ballroom, into joining us. If you've been to a show or event at Cain's in the past 20 years or so, chances are Brad played a key role in making it happen. He's a true professional, and his love and respect for Cain's, the musicians who play there, and the fans who pack the place night after night are evident in his work. So tune in and enjoy this episode wherever you get your pods 🎧

OKPOPcast - Totem: As Archive

An interesting (and also fun!) discussion with Erin Turner and Apvlvnev Piña about the effort to restore and contextualize the Route 66 landmark that is Ed Galloway’s totem pole park near Foyil, OK. They will be hosting a discussion on Native representation and photography, monumentality as community and place, and cultural appropriation and tourism this week.