For a guy who doesn’t like to be "out front," I’ve done a fair share of on-camera and on-mic time. So, here I am promoting, explaining, presenting and acting (badly) throughout a selection of podcasts, radio shows and bits and pieces of television. All in the cause of selling a show or recording artist. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.
AMATEUR D.J.
feat. Steve Boyle (1982) WQDR-FM
I had the pleasure of sitting in the WQDR DJ chair as official Amateur DJ. Besides my disjointed ramblings, the show features a very strange and fragmented conversation with Robert Kirkland (Arrogance) talking about the latest 1982 Arrogance recording sessions along with airing the first Arrogance single from 1970, “Black Death.” The show also features a very, very rare recording of the Dave Adams (Glass Moon) demo “He’s Waiting For A Train.” There are also tracks from Treva Spontaine, the dB’s as well as more Arrogance and Glass Moon. And listen for shout-outs to WQDR DJ’s Bob Walton and Rockin' Ron Phillips, as well as Spectator Magazine’s Godfrey Cheshire and Tony Madejczyk. • Note: if you want to skip around in the show, there is a segment list in the text box, below the video on the YouTube page. Or you can just hit play and sit back and enjoy this 1982 Raleigh radio flashback. • Originally aired May 23, 1982.
PREVENTION MAGAZINE
"Smart Heart" (1988)
I worked at TNN The Nashville Network for 5 years in the 80s and had a great time! TNN not only created productions for the network, but they also produced video for clients. In 1988 if you subscribed to Prevention Magazine, you would also receive a Self Help VHS with doctors talking about problems and how to fix them. Video vignettes were created to demonstrate each problem and TNN employees were wrangled into acting in many of the sketches. When they needed an obnoxious New Yorker "Type A" personality for a vignette, for some reason I got the call. No audition, just “we need you to show up.” So here is 90-seconds from the Prevention Magazine video explaining "Type A" personalities. Note that I am the second scenario. Sadly, I received no awards for this fine acting. Nor have I been asked to act since. On the positive side, they didn’t cancel my subscription to the magazine.
CROOK AND CHASE
Making of Foster & Lloyd
"What Do You Want From Me This Time" (1988) TNN
Since I was working at TNN, why not get a little promotion from them! This is the unique case of an Entertainment News story I put together and also happened to be featured in as an interview. From the popular Country Entertainment News show, "Crook and Chase."
VIDEO COUNTRY with SHELLEY MANGRUM
feat. Steve Boyle (1989) TNN
April 2, 1988 was the first day of the first shoot of my first Nashville major label music video. One year later, April 27, 1989, TNN’s Video Country invited me to be their first featured music video director. Within that year I had directed eight music videos and held down a full-time job as a video editor. I’d say it was a busy year, but there was a lot more to come. As much as we briefly talked about my music videos, they specifically talked about the show’s featured music video, Foster & Lloyd “Fat Lady Sings.” • This show is edited down to six-minutes so, it’s an easy watch. Plus you get to see me with short hair, and wearing a jacket and tie too!
EDDIE RABBITT "On Second Thought"
News Story (1989) TNN
I love classic 50s/60s television! When I worked at TNN I would stay late or sometimes come in on weekends and check out the two-inch videotape kinescope transfers of the early 1960s Pet Milk Grand Ole Opry shows and the 1955-1956 Purina Grand Ole Opry shows, and work each restoration transfer to what was the up-to-date format of one-inch videotape. I volunteered to do this as an excuse to watch the shows. The 50s shows were brilliant! Besides all of the great staging, some of the camera work was totally outrageous. So, I was waiting for a song to recreate this era as a music video. I thought this would work well as a Foster & Lloyd video, but when I received the call for Eddie Rabbit’s "On Second Thought," I knew this was the one! We went full 50s Opry production on this video with 25 cast members and 23 crew. The costumes were from the 50s and shipped in from Hollywood. The instruments were of era. And we kept the look of the stage in era too. I had an intro to the video as a fake television show (which is seen here). And, I stole a few shots from the Purina Opry show. • The "On Second Thought" song and music video went straight to #1 and put me in the nomination group for CMA Music Video Director of the Year for the second year in a row. It received an Addy award for Best Music Video as well as winning the Addy Best of Show along with making headlines in Ad Age magazine. It also received a Special Achievement Award from Music Row Magazine. And this is the only Country music video to be judged at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
POETS & PROPHETS: BOB McDILL
Steve Boyle Presentation (2008) CMHoF
I directed the Alabama music video “Song of the South” at the end of 1988 and Bob McDill wrote the song. I had always wanted to meet Bob and so when I heard that the Country Music Hall of Fame was honoring him, I asked if I could come by since I had been holding a souvenir for him from the Alabama music video for 20-years. I was told they would keep a seat for me. When I came by that day, I was told that I would be called up to the stage to make my presentation about an hour into the show. What?! I didn’t know I was going to make a formal speech! I wasn’t dressed for presenting on stage, I hadn’t prepared anything formal to say, and I was having a bad hair day. . . but what the heck. An hour is plenty of time to sit and figure something fun to say. The rule is, make it short, make it a story that has a beginning, middle and end, and try to end with a punchline. I also thought there were going to be others making presentations and speeches too. Nope. Just me. The theater was standing room only and full of Music Row movers and shakers. Thankfully, I know the theater well and knew about half the folks in the theater, so I felt relaxed making this off-the-cuff quick speech and presentation. And yes, I ended with a punchline. • To see the music video for "Song of the South" click here.
THE STATE OF THINGS with FRANK STASIO
WUNC-FM (2008)
feat. Steve Boyle, Terry Anderson, Dave Adams
You know that voice! Frank Stasio was heard for years on NPR’s “All Things Consider” and “Talk of the Nation.” He also hosted a radio talk show for North Carolina Public Radio called “The State of Things.” Frank invited me on to his show in 2008 to talk about my Return To Comboland project. Rather than sitting there by myself for the full show, I invited Terry Anderson and Dave Adams to join me to help liven things up. I also gave my camera to Tony Madejczyk for some "fly on the wall" video of this fun half-hour radio conversation. • Audio originally aired April 11, 2008. Video seen for the first time in 2021.
RURAL AMERICA LIVE
Jimmy Dean Show Special (2017) RFD-TV
Cable network RFD-TV produced a live Special to promote the launch of The Jimmy Dean Show on their network. I was asked on the Special to talk about the series restoration and other bits of trivia about the show. Also chatting about the series is Country legend “Whispering” Bill Anderson, (Mrs. Jimmy Dean) Donna Dean-Stevens, and series executive producer Jim Della Croce. Look for a guest star appearance of an original Rowlf the Dog Muppet at the end of the show. • I show up about 17-minute into the show, so the link on this page starts there. If you would like to see the show from the beginning, just move the cursor to the start of the video. • This show originally aired January 5, 2017.
THE STRING with CRAIG HAVIGHURST
"Restoring The Jimmy Dean Show"
WMOT-FM / Podcast (2017)
Middle Tennessee State University’s WMOT-FM is Nashville’s Americana public radio station. Craig Havighurst is a writer / producer / speaker who is host of “The String,” a weekly music interview / magazine radio show and podcast. Craig talked to me in depth about my restoration of The Jimmy Dean Show - a prime-time weekly music variety series that aired on the ABC television network from 1963 to 1966. We talk about what it took to bring this historic 50+ year old series into the 21st Century. • Originally aired November 20, 2017.
GARTH BROOKS "The Anthology, Part III: Live"
TV Commercial (2018) CBS
HEY, THAT'S MY HAND! This is a very cool book! You download the Garth App to your phone and then roll the phone over the book and portions of the book “come to life.” I created all of the “come to life” video clips for Garth's interactive book. I also created the commercial. That’s my hand holding the phone (my personal phone!) in the spot. This commercial premiered prime time on CBS television network. For all the years I’ve worked in television and all of the video I’ve created that have aired on broadcast networks around the world, I’ve always been behind the camera. My hand in this commercial is my “on camera” broadcast network television debut! • Click here to see the commercial. • This commercial first aired on CBS December 2, 2018.
SPOTLIGHT CONVERSATIONS with DONNA REED
"Return To Comboland Update"
Podcast / Syndicated Radio (Dec. 2020)
"The 80s North Carolina Comboland music scene is buzzing with new tunes says Emmy winning Nashville director Steve Boyle, my guest this week on Spotlight Conversations. He talks about rockin’ new music from legendary artists The Spongetones, Jack Cornell and Terry Anderson (The Fabulous Knobs), Gardners of Soule (PKM), Don Dixon and Rod Abernethy (Arrogance), and Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey (the dB's) as well as name dropping Dan Baird (The Georgia Satellites), and Nashville singer/songwriter Radney Foster. It's a fun half-hour of music, conversation and updates on the Comboland music scene."
SUFFOCATING IN SUBURBIA w STEVIE GB
"Punk, Comboland & Power Pop"
Video Podcast (2021)
Stevie GB is a New York video podcaster who likes to talk about the 1970s NYC Punk scene. Our conversation was mostly about my time as a member of the 70s NYC Punk band, EARS. If you check out the podcast you’ll discover how I reacted to Andy Warhol when he tried to do me a favor as I was loading in to Max's Kansas City (20:05 into the video). Conversation also moves into my North Carolina and Nashville music videos. If you stay until the end, you’ll get a brief look at the upcoming music video I created for Bill Lloyd (40:42 into the video). So, if you have almost an hour you’d like to kill, I hope you’ll check out my conversation along with some photos and music videos in this fun podcast. Special thanks to Stevie GB for helping to keep the memory of EARS alive!!
BOOKS SHOWS TUNES & MAD ACTS
feat. Webb Wilder & Steve Boyle
Podcast (2023)
Webb and I talk to San Diago podcaster, Jennifer Crittenden about the history of Webb Wilder, Last of the Full Grown Men book, proposed television series and radio series. Discussion also includes the possible future of the series.