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cover art for Entertainment Columnist & Biographer Michael Starr

Island Voices

Entertainment Columnist & Biographer Michael Starr

Season 2021

A lifelong Entertainment Columnist and Biographer Michael Starr resident of greater New Netherland, Michael Starr has been chronicling the incredible events and happenings of the entertainment world here and everywhere.

Growing up in the suburban shadow of the greatest city on Earth, this kid from northern New Jersey was taken by the magic of this place, by this 'business of show'...and just like our show does, he eventually came to focus on the critical element within it -- the CHARACTERS who make that history. And he has penned remarkable biographies on classic entertainers including Art Carney, Joey Bishop, Bobby Darin, Raymond Burr, Redd Foxx, William Shatner, Ringo Starr, and soon - Don Rickles!

He has been reporting on entertainment in New York since the Dinkin's administration, so he is already a piece of the incredible history of this incredible place.

He is the purveyor of the Starr Report, but today he is THE star, he is OUR star...he is a gentleman and a scholar and we are so honored to have him as our guest. He is New York's own, entertainment columnist and author, Michael Starr.

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  • Our first cool podcast recommendation for 2023 - You Can See Me in the Dark

    16:33
    While this particular segment has nothing to do with "history" or with the Island of Manhattan, what it does have to do with is great storytelling within this oddly morphing "podcasting" medium.Join me for this talk with my coolest new podcasting friends Melissa Sweazy & Nate Reisman to talk about their awesome podcast: "You Can See Me in the Dark".
  • Author John G. Turner - "THEY KNEW THEY WERE PILGRIMS"

    35:18
    Few titles help us tell our incredible, epic story of the Island of Manhattan better than author John G. Turner's "They Knew They Were Pilgrims", which chronicles the journey of not just the Plymouth Pilgrims, but of Puritanism and its remarkable path into our lost American history. Join me for a fascinating story about the plight, courage and the story of the settlers who set out in search of liberty and tolerance, and ended up becoming integral components to what would gestate into the greatest nation on Earth.www.johngturner.com--- Host Chance Kelly examines the incredible history of the ISLAND of Manhattan, and talks to some of the people who have helped to make it incredible.Available on YouTube and wherever you LISTEN to podcasts.Climb aboard. History is cool.www.thepodcastisland.com
  • Yankee Legend Jim Leyritz - promo

    03:43
    Yankee legend Jim Leyritz is a part of New York's incredible and timeless history and will forever be remembered in the annals of Yankee lore. Join us and hear everything about wearing the pinstripes for a living -- the ups, the downs and everything in between. Along with his eternal fondness for this incredible place that we now call "New York". Climb aboard...history is cool :)
  • Season Two preview - THE GRAND DESIGN, with Prof. Wim Klooster

    52:45
    Few people know about this Dutch Moment in history like Professor Wim Klooster. And the Unleashed Lion that propelled forth a staggeringly ambitious initiative known as "The Grand Design" in essence defined the heart and soul of this movement which culminated in what would become the incredible place that we call "New York" today.And this is the framework of our Season Two of ISLAND, coming soon. So climb aboard. Because history is cool :)---The Dutch Moment by Dr. Wim Klooster is available here: https://amzn.to/3F3mVou
  • OPERATION UNDERWORLD by Matthew Black

    34:13
    Operation Underworld: How the Mafia & the U.S. Government teamed up to win World War II. Author Matthew Black joins us to discuss this remarkable but TRUE New York story.#history is cool :)www.thepodcastisland.com
  • 500 Years of American History in under 15 minutes.

    14:29
    The true history of this incredible place that we now call "New York", is in truth, the history of this remarkable nation that we now call "The United States of America." And all of that really started with a young man studying to be a Catholic priest, in 16th century Europe. But the connections of this story cover a remarkable swath of history, and in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, are just one more example of how History is cool :)www.thepodcastisland.com
  • "Operation Underworld" author Matthew Black coming soon...

    04:26
    In 1942, the U.S. Navy needed to secure New York City's ports. But the only way it knew how to do that completely and effectively was to partner with the most unlikeliest of factions: the mafia.To get your advanced order of Matthew Black's remarkable book "Operation Underworld", use this link: https://amzn.to/3uUTyPKAnd email me any questions or comments and I'll be sure to discuss them with him on Jan 18th (for our interview which airs Jan 26, 2023.)Climb aboard...history is cool :)
  • Author Eric Jaffe

    35:58
    Prior to the American Revolution, it was a nearly impassable native trail that had been ordered by the crown to become "The King's Best Highway" as a means of facilitating a regular exchange of information between the colonial villages of New York and Boston. But since the first rider set out on horseback on that brittle winter day in 1673, the tribulations of this effort far exceeded any triumphs. And if not for an industrious young man of science from the northern reach of that trail who would put his mind to a systematic campaign of improvements not just to the road but to this archaic system of carrying letters up and down the east coast, this pathway would never have emerged as the "artery of intelligence" that it would become. But in fact, as a direct result of the innovative resolve of an eager young Benjamin Franklin, this passageway that today we alternatingly call "Route 1" or "I-95" would in fact be the pivotal key to these courageous Patriots rising up to do the unthinkable -- to challenge and defeat the greatest power on Earth.Join me and author Eric Jaffe for this remarkable journey in discussing his fascinating book: "The King's Best Highway: the lost history of the Boston Post Road - the route that made America."Check out the book of Eric Jaffe -https://amzn.to/3EDPvfkListen on Spotify -http://shorturl.at/EMOQTClimb aboard ---- Because history is cool! 😉👍🏻🇺🇲🎙🇳🇱
  • The Spirit of Thomas Paine

    37:47
    Our patron saint of American Independence never really had a peaceful life. And upon his death in 1809, disallowed from being buried in the Quaker Cemetery he was therefore buried on his New Rochelle property, right at the corner of North Avenue & Paine Avenue - only to be dug up ten years later, by a zealous Englishman who dragged his remains back to England, the nation of origin that Paine spent his life escaping, literally and spiritually.In our first Historical Spiritual Investigation, we explore the incredible life, legacy & spirit of Thomas Paine.Climb aboard.History and is cool 😎