The other day while falling down a rabbit hole on YouTube I came across the last televised interview that comedian Sam Kinison gave before he died in a car crash. Most people know that Sam was from East Peoria and started out his career as a preacher which later evolved into stand-up comedy. I started thinking about other famous people from Peoria and decided to put together four videos of local Peoria hometown heroes! So get a snack and get ready because WMBIP begins it’s broadcast day as soon as you click on a video below!
Dan Fogleberg 1989 Interview
Dan Fogelberg started his musical career right here in Peoria as a member of The Coachmen and then moved to Nashville, Tennessee and began working as a session musician and a solo recording artist. He ended up in Colorado and then Maine and he is one of the most well known and successful musicians and artists to have come from Peoria, Illinois. In this 1989 interview he talks about his album, The Wild Places and also about the music business. He never did a lot of interviews and I find this one interesting because he really seems to open up while being interviewed.
Sam Kinison 1991 Interview
Comedian Sam Kinison was born in Yakima, Washington but he and his family moved to East Peoria when he was three months old. He grew up there and went to East Peoria High School. For a brief while he was a preacher with his family’s church in Oklahoma before moving to Houston, Texas and starting a successful career as a stand-up comic. This 1991 interview was his last televised appearance and he was killed by a drunk driver in California on April 10, 1992, while traveling to a sold-out show.
Richard Pryor Interviewed by Steve Martin in 1978
Richard Pryor is one of Peoria’s most famous former Peorians. I think this 1978 interview with Steve Martin guest-hosting The Tonight Show is extremely awkward. It proves what a great job Johnny Carson did by making the art of interviewing someone seem so easy and free-flowing. Steve Martin seems really ill at ease interviewing Richard Pryor and it’s kind of like watching a car crash, you want to look away, but you can’t and it’s so uncomfortable to watch!
Dick Stolley 2010 Interview
Dick Stolley is originally from Pekin, Illinois and is my personal favorite on this list because he’s a friend of mine and one of my personal heroes! He’s actually one of the reasons I moved to New York City in 1993 and started a very exciting chapter in my life. I met Dick through writing for the Pekin Daily Times where he began his illustrious journalism career which went from being a reporter and editor for Life magazine, to the founding editor of People magazine to the Editorial Director of Time, Inc. in the ‘90’s. In this interview he talks about how he secured the famous Abraham Zapruder film of JFK being shot in Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Dick Stolley is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know and he was really nice to me when I lived in New York and we had many fun and interesting lunches when I lived in New York.
Related Links On The Interwebs
Related Posts: WMBIP Video Thursday: Vintage Peoria Ads, Hunter S. Thompson and John Lennon and Howard Cosell.
Surprise link, click on it...I dare you!
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Happy Birthday To Danielle!
Today is my friend Danielle's birthday! She's 19-years-old today and in spite of being too young to drink alcohol the rumor is that she's digging deep in her purse for vodka drinks today! Happy Birthday, Danielle, have about twenty purse drinks for the rest of us! Love you and see you soon!
Below is my favorite picture of Danielle where she's showing the fine art of two-fisted drinking to Kathy and Luke at Amber's microwave birthday party!
