APRIL 5, 2004

GUEST: Nellie McKay--the 19-year-old piano-playing, genre-traversing singer-songwriter, whose recently-released double-disc debut, "Get Away From Me," has drawn a boatload of rave reviews--discusses the animal songs and references on her album, her commitment to animal rights and activism, the huge number of animals in her life growing up, and more. The interview segment is sprinkled with some of her animal songs.  [www.NellieMcKay.net] COMEDY CORNER: Ellen DeGeneres' "Birds Mating"  [www.EllenDeGeneres.com] MUSIC: Nellie McKay's "Ding Dong," "The Dog Song," & "Columbia Is Bleeding" (non-album track), plus  Cliff Stone's "Barracuda" &  instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Beatles'  “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"

APRIL 12, 2004

Showing none of the wanderlust that can possess him: Otis warms up to some light reading on Duncan's desk.

WELCOME HOME OTIS!

Duncan and Colleen's elder cat Otis embarked on an extended walkabout recently, disappearing while they were out of town - no doubt sending the cat/house sitter into a panic. Flyers, calls to local shelters, and neighborhood canvasing resulted in no clues for days as to Otis's circumstances. But finally, hearing a faint cry on the next block, Duncan found Otis in a neighbor's back yard some days later, in need of his daily medications but for the most part healthy - and hungry. Everyone is happy that Otis turned up. He's part of the family and has been for over a decade. Welcome back, O!  -- JT the webguy

APRIL 19, 2004

GUEST: Amy Shever--founder of PetGuardian Pet Trust Program, a new service that provides a broad, multi-faceted plan for people to ensure that, should they die before their pets (or otherwise become unable to care for the animals) that the pets will still receive top-notch care, and not end up at a shelter, where they might well be euthanized--discusses the genesis of PetGuardian, how it operates, and how it differs from other pet trust programs (including lower cost and greater flexibility). [www.PetGuardian.com] COMEDY CORNER: Jonathan Winters'  "Used Pet Shop"  [www.JonathanWinters.com] MUSIC: Tanya Donelly's "Moonbeam Monkey," Johnny Hartman's "Worry Bird,"  instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Tokens'  “The Lion Sleeps Tonight  (Wimoweh)"

(There was no April 26 broadcast)

MAY 3, 2004

GUEST: Michael Bell--a veteran animal activist, actor and animation voice-over maven--discusses plans for the Cambodian Wildlife Sanctuary, which will be the world's largest such facility (the Cambodian government granted the Sanctuary a million acres), including pivotal people shaping the   project, the two main phases of creating the Sanctuary, fundraising objectives, and other topics. [www.cambodiawildlifesanctuary.com] COMEDY CORNER: Bobby Collins' "Ma' Dog"  [www.BobbyCollins.com, www.UproarComedyCD.com] MUSIC: The Stanley Brothers' "The White Dove," Defiled "Tripmaster Monkey,"  instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: U2's “The Fly"

MAY 10, 2004

Photos from www.oceanfutures.org

GUEST: Jean-Michel Cousteau--son of Jacques Cousteau and an accomplished explorer, environmentalist, educator & film producer in his own right--discusses the Ocean Futures Society, the non-profit marine conservation and education organization he founded in 1999, his work as a filmmaker, his Dad's legacy, and "Water Cultures," a new book of stunning photography, interviews and sparse text about global water issues. [www.oceanfutures.org]
COMEDY CORNER: Robert Klein's "Animals All" (opening minute)
MUSIC: The Replacements' "All He Wants To Do Is Fish," Matthew Sweet's "The Ocean In Between,"  instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Les Paul's “The Chicken Reel"

MAY 17, 2004

GUEST: Cheryl Barnes--an author and illustrator, who with her husband, Peter Barnes, has written a children's book called "President Adams' Alligator And Other White House Pets"--discusses the wide array of animals who have lived with Presidents at The White House, the genesis of the book and how it extends the Barnes' string of children's books that help educate kids about voting, government and the political process, among other topics. [www.VSPBooks.com] COMEDY CORNER: Mel Blanc's "Daffy's Rhapsody" MUSIC: Jimmy Smith's "Back At The Chicken Shack," Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks' "(Do Not Feed The) Oyster," instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Andy Griffith's “The Fishing Hole"

MAY 24 2004

GUEST: Tammy Grimes--founder of Dogs Deserve Better, a national education/legislation/rescue organization dedicated to freeing chained and penned dogs, and bringing them into the home--discusses the history and mission of this award-winning and growing  (57-plus chapters nationally, at last count) organization, including various methods they recommend or will undertake on others' behalf to free chained dogs.  [www.DogsDeserveBetter.com]
COMEDY CORNER: Eddie Izzard's "Mad European Cows" (2nd snippet) [www.EddieIzzard.com]
MUSIC: The eels' "Flyswatter," Laurel Canyon Radio Co.'s "Dances With Dogs,"   instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's version of  “Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens"

MAY 31, 2004

Click for larger crop of photo

Added July 2004: Ark 2000 facility photos GUEST: Pat Derby, a major, internationally-recognized figure in the animal world--former Hollywood animal trainer, author of "The Lady And Her Tiger" & "In The Presence Of Elephants," co-founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)--discusses various facets of her career, including the animal training for showbiz and co-founding with Ed Stewart PAWS, which operates three animal sanctuaries in Northern California, among them the 2300-acre ARK 2000. [www.PAWSweb.org] COMEDY CORNER: Bill Cosby's "Animal Stories" (final minute) MUSIC: R.E.M.'s "Animal," Duke Ellington's "Jack The Bear," Hot Club of Cowtown's "The Wild Dog," instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Shirley Temple's “Animal Crackers In My Soup"

JUNE 21, 2004
GUEST: Local veterinarian extraordinaire  Dr. Mary Sebzda--the only guest thus far to make multiple appearances on "Talking Animals"--returns to discuss and answer caller questions about such Summer pet concerns as greater vigilance against fleas, higher incidence of allergies, and tips for traveling with animals by plane or car. She also discussed various facets of microchips, addressed whether you should try to remove "gunk" from a cat's ear and explained the pitfalls of asking a vet to prescribe--or even OK--a medication over the phone. [www.newportharborvets.com]
COMEDY CORNER: Jeff Wayne's "When Animals Attack Humans" [www.JeffWayne.com, www.UproarComedyCD.com]
MUSIC: Kid Creole & The Coconuts' "Animal Crackers," James Mathus' "Nightingale," PJ Harvey's "Cat On The Wall,"  instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Jim Stafford's “Spiders & Snakes"