Vegan Radio

Show 66: Captain Paul Watson

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:00:00 -0500

Our 66th show is bound to go down in obscure history books as "The Vegan Paul Show". We feature an interview with one of our heroes in the movement, Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The interview was conducted by Derek at the 2008 Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down. Sea Shepherd is an organization committed to the eradication of pirate whaling, poaching, shark finning, unlawful habitat destruction, and violations of established laws in the World's oceans. During the last two decades Captain Watson has taken his ships out on over 160 missions to disrupt illegal whaling, the Canadian seal hunt, and dolphin slaughter in Japan. His insight into the consequences that overfishing of our oceans will have on the survival of the human species are sobering. We also have a special in-studio guest, Paul Saccone. Paul has been a fan and supporter of Vegan Radio since he found us at the Veggie Pride Parade in NYC this summer. He is himself an activist and advocate for the animals, and has been hooking us up with some great interviews and connections. We can now also say that he has a great voice for radio and insightful things to talk about. In the news find out what an egg a day, Japan's dolphin meat, the western diet being adopted in India, and frog leg pizza have in common... they all make you get sick and will probably cause you an early death. On the other hand Kale will make you see better and improve your sex appeal. So eat like you give a damn!

Show 65: Gary Francione

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:00:00 -0500

On our 65th show we feature an interview with Distinguished Professor of Law at Rutgers University Gary Francione. Professor Francione has been teaching animal rights and the law for more than 20 years, and he was the first academic to teach animal rights theory in an American law school. He is well known throughout the animal protection movement for his criticism of animal welfare law and the property status of nonhuman animals, and for his abolitionist theory of animal rights. We talk to him about his abolitionist position, his opposition to California's Proposition 2, his thoughts on successful vegan outreach, and more. In the news we talk about the Massachusetts Ballot Initiative on Greyhound Racing, Ellen Degeneres going Vegan, new research on Mad Cow Disease, and the effects of the vegan diet on Diabetes.

Show 64: Team Vegan Philadelphia

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:00:00 -0500

On our 64th show we interview Lydia Chaudhry of Team Vegan Philly. Lydia is the VP of CARE and divides her time between consulting in marketing and free-lance vegan recipe development and cooking instruction. She has organized Team Vegan Philly to run in the upcoming Philadelphia Marathon in order to raise money to educate the public about veganism. How many vegan athletes does it take to convince the world we kick ass? And why is Philadelphia such a great place to be vegan? Find out here! Also find out about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's vice for killing animals and decimating Alaska's wildlife, China's poison milk, and yet another meat recall.

Show 63: Tonya Kay and the Elephants

Thu, 08 Aug 2008 19:00:00 -0500

Our long awaited 63rd episode features a pre Burning Man interview with raw-goddess supahstar elephant-loving fire-spinning knife-throwing whip-master Tonya Kay. We talk about everything from bicycle blenders to elephant sanctuaries, as well as the infamous festival in the desert. We really bring out Tonya's sassy side in Tonya this fun interview, not to be missed! Megan is absent in this episode and Scott and Derek try to fill the void she leaves with lots of news stories, including ones about a scientist who is developing 'Spaghetti Meat' and the latest reasons not to eat fast food.

Show 62: Yvonne Smith, the Traveling Vegetarian

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 19:00:00 -0500

Yvonne Smith travels the world seeking out the best vegetarian cuisine and getting to know the people who bring the veggies to the people.

Show 61: Priscilla Farrell on Speaking Truth to Power

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:00:00 -0500

On our 62nd show we interview Priscilla Feral of 'Friends of Animals'. We talk to Priscilla about her new cookbook Dining with Friends: The Art of North American Vegan Cuisine which leads into a conversation about food and ends up in the welfarism vs. abolitionism debate. Is it better to get bigger cages for farm animals or should the movement focus on spreading veganism? Find out here on Vegan Radio!

Show 60: Vegan Bodybuilder Robert Cheeke

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:00:00 -0500

Our 60th show features a vegan who obviously gets enough protein, vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke. Robert tells us about his path to veganism and how he uses the vegan diet to reach his workout goals. He also talks about his friend and fellow vegan athlete Brendan Brazier, his website for vegan athletes VeganBodybuilding.com, and more. We review some cute little books by Boston activist Bexx which have titles such as 'How I Get My Protein'. These books are great to carry around and provide answers to the confused omnivores ask questions about how vegans can thrive on only plants. In the news we have stories about great apes in Spain being granted rights, activist in Spain interrupting a bullfight, and a study on cholesterol and memory

Show 59: The Vegan Dave Show

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Our 59th show is all about Dave. In the first half of the show we feature an interview with Dave Warwak, the high school teacher stripped of his tenure and laid off for teaching his art class some vegan values in a truly artistic way. He has a new self-published book documenting his trials and tribulations called 'Peep Show for Children Only'. The second half of the show features the second part of an interview that Derek did with raw food guru David Wolfe during his recent visit to the Rhode Island School of Design. David's talk was called 'Cracking the Chocolate Code' and in it he promoted the amazing properties of raw cacao. At the end of our podcast we feature a review of Vegan Sweeties cookies.

Show 58: Vegan Etsy, Oprah, and Persia White

Thu, 22 May 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Our 58th show is a bit all over the place, which our listeners might not find unusual. We start with an interview with Molly Lorenz, who has organized a group of vegan artists and craftspeople on the web site Etsy called Vegan Etsy. Molly herself uses the site to sell dog treats at her shop Emma's K9 Kitchen. We then talk about the latest news including Oprah's 21 Day Vegan 'Cleanse', which is all over the news at this point. Finally we feature an interview with celebrity activist Persia White which Derek conducted at the recent Farm Sanctuary Gala in NYC. We also feature a new version of Dennis Crommett's 'The Killer' which he recorded just for Vegan Radio!

Show 57: Veggie Pride and Thanking The Monkey

Thu, 08 May 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Our 57th show features interviews with two prominent animal rights activists who are involved in fun events happening in NYC on Sunday May 18th, 2008. The first is Pamela Rice who has put together the first ever Veggie Pride Parade which will march through the meat district and feature vegan rocker Cheryl Hill and a marriage ceremony officiated by Vegan Radio favorite Dave Warwak. Our second guest is Karen Dawn who is known in the vegan movement for her activist web site Dawn Watch. Karen has a new book called 'Thanking the Monkey-Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals' and is hosting a book release party after the parade. Karen regales us with stories of monkeys and pit bulls. We also have news stories about the vegan diet being greener than eating locally grown meat, meat recalls including a recall of 406,000 pounds of cattle heads, and the influence of Asia's growing animal agriculture industry on global warming.

Show 56: David Wolfe and Beloved Binge

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Our 56th show features the first part of an interview that Derek did with raw food guru David Wolfe during his recent visit to the Rhode Island School of Design. David's talk focused on raw cacao and he tells us why this nut is a key to vibrant health and possibly a Panacea for a host of other ills. David also enlightens us about an array of other issues pertaining to veganism and the meaning of life. Part two of the interview will be featured in our next podcast. In the second half of our show we have Rob Beloved and Eleni Binge in the studio with us. Rob and Eleni are vegan, married, and are known to many of us as the rubble pop punk duo Beloved Binge. They are currently touring to support their new album Blender Theory as well as their new documentary film about veganism called 'Seeing Through The Fence'. Tune in and be entertained and uplifted by the sounds and wisdom of this beloved duo!

Show 55: Beyond the Vegan Diet

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0500

On our 55th show we look into two diets that are close relatives of veganism, both of which can be integrated into a vegan diet to improve the health benefits. Our first guest, David Snieckus, has been practicing a Macrobiotic diet for over 30 years and has been vegan for most of that time. While he doesn't tell us exactly what he eats we do learn a lot from him about the yin and yang underlying the lifestyle that is more than a diet. Our second guest, Nora Hamerman, has been a raw foodist for a mere 3 years and has been so inspired that she is bringing raw foods guru David Wolfe to her school, the Rhode Island School of Design. Nora illuminates her path to raw foods and vegan ethics, and tells us about creating this event for her senior project. We pay disrespects (including some fun audio clips) to former NRA president Charleton Heston who died last week, and update you on the latest costs and consequences of the recent beef recall.

Show 54: Meat Recall and Vegetarian Solution

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Show 54 comes out in the midst of the largest beef recall in US history. We talk to Dr Michael Greger, Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States, about the undercover video that sparked the recall. Dr Greger gives us the low down on Mad Cow Disease, the USDA, downer cows, and the nation's food supply. Also on today's show is Stewart Rose, author of The Vegetarian Solution: Your Answer to Heart Disease, Cancer, Global Warming, and More. Stewart is the Vice President of Vegetarians of Washington and he produces the annual Seattle Vegfest, the largest vegetarian food festival in the US. Stewart talks about a wide range of topics concerning veganism.

Show 53: Veganic Farming and Deer in the Yard

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Vegan Radio 53 features an interview with Ashley Howard who owns Heaven's Harvest Farm in New Braintree, MA. The farm is a CSA, providing portions of its harvest to people who pay for a share. The farm has always offered organic produce, but this year Ashley will be farming organically and without the use of animal manure. Since manure comes from animal agriculture it is not considered vegan. The method to be used on Heaven's Harvest Farm this year will be strictly "veganic", relying on no animal products other than what is there from local wildlife, of course! Speaking of which, the second half of our show features a pre-recorded interview with Rasa and Marlis, two vegetarians who have a web page called Deer in the Yard which documents their interactions with a family of deer in California. The deer have become good friends with Rasa and Marlis and stop by for back rubs and other fun and games.

Show 52: Vegan Valentines

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Our 52nd show falls on Valentine's Day this year, and we feature an interview with the author of My Sweet Vegan: passionate about dessert, Hannah Kaminsky. Hannah is only 19 years old and attends UMass college in Amherst, making her a local vegan celebrity! Hannah was noticed by a publishing company due to the popularity and quality of her BitterSweet blog. You are guaranteed to be inspired by this young vegan dessert chef! We also feature an interview with Julie Janovsky, Farm Sanctuary's Campaign Director, talking about the FDA's decision allowing cloned meat be sold to the public. We discuss the imminent release of Farm Sanctuary founder Gene Baur's book Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food. We cover the NY Times article Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler, and the Wall Street Journal's story about a NFL star's conversion calledThe 247 lb. Vegan. Scott gives us a scienctific study claiming that fast food being toxic to your liver and busts out his guitar to serenade us. Our featured vegan music is the song Drinking Gasoline by Ben Godwin.

Show 51: Ricardo Moreira

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Our 51st show features vegan athlete and Ultimate Fighting contender Ricardo 'Mad Dog' Moreira. Ricardo talks about his path to veganism and how such a seemingly violent sport can jibe with a compassionate vegan ethic. We find how Ricardo gets his protein, how he trains by moving furniture, and why he fights in a cage. In the news we have stories about people contracting neurological diseases from animals, how African refugees are effecting the bush meat trade, and chimps being denied personhood in Austria. We also discuss how to deal with argumentative meat-eaters.

Show 50: Live at Cafe Evolution

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Our 50th episode was recorded live at Cafe Evolution in Northampton, Massachusetts in front of a captive audience. Vegan chef Eden Love talks about living raw and the powers of water. Jeanine Taylor of Snooty Jewelry reveals the origins of her vegan bling business and some of her favorite designs. Annie Hornish of the Compassionate Living Project and our friend Susan Brudner volunteer to be contestants on Derek's wacky new game show. Vegan singer-songwriter Dennis Crommett provides us with a musical interlude and some props. His fiance Lauren talks about growing up vegetarian and her recent conversion to veganism, and eating octopuss. Derek's roommate Gina Gaetz shares how he influenced her to go mostly vegan and then gets him to play a song. Finally we interview Chris and Sugati, who reveal the secrets of vegan parenting.

Show 49: Dennis Kucinich and Caroline Dupont

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0500

Our 49th episode Scott calls in on Skype from his vacation to give a report on the state of veganism in the U.K. Derek debuts his Dennis Kucinich Mix just in time for the primaries in New Hampshire. Will it help swing the vote? Our main feature is an interview with Caroline Dupont, author of the recipe book Enlightened Eating. Caroline discusses her thoughts on the raw vegan diet and new years resolutions. Vegan fitness guru Barry Lovelace returns to the show in our last minutes to give his advice for keeping new year's resolutions. In the news we have good news about the US government funded WIC Program and bad news about pig farmers and slaughterhouses.

Show 48: Liz Lovely and Dirty Dairy

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Our 48th show features an interview with Liz Holtz, co-founder of vegan cookie-maker Liz Lovely. Our own vegan baker Megan Shackelford talks shop with Liz about just what it is that makes their vegan cookies so freakin good. We feature a clip of a talk that Mark Mathew Braunstein gave at the NorthEastern Connecticut Vegetarian Society on why dairy is not suitable for humans. Also Vegan Hanukkah and further developments with Dave Warwak.

Show 47: Vegan Thanksgiving with Dave Warwak

Thu, 22 Nov 2007 12:00:00 -0500

This year our regularly scheduled show falls on Thanksgiving, and we take the opportunity to get the animal rights message out while the blood is pooling on the counters of US citizens celebrating the genocide of Native Americans. First we talk about Peta's investigation into Butterball's House of Horrors. After that we will take you on an audio tour of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary where you will meet some of the critters as well as co-founders Jenny Brown and Doug Abel. Finally we introduce you to Dave Warwak, who was a Jr High art teacher in Illinois until he tried to teach his students about animal rights and was expelled. Also featured in this show is news about Japan's annual whale hunt and a vegetarian cannibal.

Show 46: Vegan Vixens & Skinny Bitch

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:00:00 -0500

On Vegan Radio 46 we are vexed by Hollywood vegans who use mainstream media-influenced ideas of female sexuality to reach the mesmerized masses with the vegan message. We talk to Sunny Subramanian from the Vegan Vixens, a group of five "sexy, trendy and fun loving women whose goal is to inspire men to live a longer and happier life." We also interview Rory Friedman, co-author of the NY Times bestseller Skinny Bitch. Rory's book targets trendy women who want to lose weight through dieting. It contains sound nutritional advice and subversively unadvertised descriptions of the horrors of the food industry. We discuss whether using distorted mainstream ideas of female sexuality to sell the vegan message is ethical.

Show 45: Shokazoba & New York's Capital Region Vegetarian Expo

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:00:00 -0500

For our 45th episode we sneak into the studio on an off week, dragging along two of the members of Shokazoba, our local Afrobeat Battalion. Singer Hodges is a vegan anarchist running for "Vegan of the Year" (in Northampton, MA). Wendell Rheinheimer is one of the band's guitarists and also the veggie oil mechanic for The Vegan Bus. We talk about Afrobeat, politics and conspiracy theories, among other sordid things. Also on the show we play interviews from New York's Capital Region Vegetarian Expo.

Show 44: The Vegan Bus Burning Man Show

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 12:00:00 -0500

When last we met Vegan Radio co-hosts Derek, Megan and Scott, they were about to embark on a journey aboard The Vegan Bus to bring engaged veganism across the country to Burning Man. On today's show they bring three of the five other Vegan Bus travelers into the studio for a recounting of the trip. Meet Jenna Wikler, Megan E Labonte, and returning Vegan Radio guest Star Drooker. Hear about the journey which transformed a bunch of pasty vegans into hearty grease pirates, and put one omnivore on the road to vegetarianism. Our friend Kevin put a lot of volunteer work into getting the bus ready and he calls in to be on the show with us, man. We also have news of meat recalls, a vegan teacher's trials, tribulations, and litigations, and of course the ever mutating bird flu. We are so back!

Show 43: Special K Show with Raquy, Tonya Kay, and Zak

Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Show 43 finds us getting geared up and celebrating the spirit of Burning Man. We have an interview with Raquy from Raquy and the Cavemen, recorded at the Starwood Music Festival. We also have Vegan Radio's favorite recurring guest Tonya Kay, Burning Man alumnus, raw foodist, fire dancer, TV star, and more. And our favorite bike-touring vegan - Zak - joins us in the studio!

Show 42: Jo Stepaniak, Influential Vegan Author

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Show 42 features our first interview with vegan author Jo Stepaniak, some headlines, and the latest positive news about The Vegan Bus Project.

Show 41: Dennis Crommett and Vegan Travel

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Show 41 features the return of Northampton guitar legend Dennis Crommett to our studio. Last time Dennis was on the show he was a mere ovo-lacto vegetarian, but since then Dennis and his girlfriend have both become full-fledged vegans! We talk to Dennis about the transformation and how appearing on Vegan Radio changed his life... We also discuss traveling as a vegan, since Dennis is a touring musician with questions and your Vegan Radio co-hosts are soon to be traveling cross-country in a bio-bus to the Burning Man Festival in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada! We also have a short interview with Jenna Calabrese from Vegan Outreach about her experiences with vegan travel.

Show 40: The Mountain Goats and Brenda Davis

Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Our 40th show! And it's a great one... Derek traveled to Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY to document the ZOOP! concert and camping fundraiser featuring seperate live performances by The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle and Peter Hughes as well as traveling companion Perry Wright. Derek recorded a great interview with Darnielle where John talks about his music, his vegetarianism and his fundraising efforts for Farm Sanctuary. And of course we feature some of The Mountain Goat's music! The second half of the show features an interview with our favorite vegan nutritionist Brenda Davis. We get the low down on the multitudinous aspects of vegan nutrition from one of the most knowledgeable nutritionists in our movement. Brenda also tells us about the amazing results she is seeing in treating diabetes with a plant-based diet in the Marshall Islands where Diabetes has run rampant since the introduction of meat and processed foods.

Show 39: 101 Reasons To Be Vegan

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Our 39th show features an interview with Pamela Rice, author of the 101 Reasons Why I'm Vegetarian pamphlet and founder of Viva Vegie. Pamela tells us about her years of activism, why we should be proud to be vegans, and the Viva Vegie mascot Penelope Peapod. Our own Megan Shackelford tells us about her recent trip to France and being vegan in France. In the news Heather Mills goes vegan, a UK Government Email Leak Encouraging Veganism, and the USDA Discourages Mad Cow Testing.

Show 38: The Vegan Bellydancing Episode

Thu, 24 May 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Today's show features vegan bellydancing, live on the radio! Megan is away on vacation in France and Scott and Derek are unrestrained at last! Tune in to listen to the jingling bellies of vegan bellydancers Amethyst and Shaina, and find out about why what is inside your belly is as important as what is outside when it comes to this ancient performance art. We also talk about the meaning of life in a universe where NY Times columnists are given free reign to write misleading crap. Find out what is really happening in 'Death by Veganism', the sensationalist Op-Ed journalism of Nina Planck. We bring a special guest into the studio to help us refute Planck's naive statements. Selena Dittberner has been vegan all of her 24 years, and is healthy and thriving. How did she do it? Tune in to find out!

Show 37: Rae Sikora, Freya Dinshah, Infant "Death By Veganism"

Thu, 10 May 2007 12:00:00 -0500

Our 37th show features an interview with Rae Sikora, who has been a spokesperson for animals, the environment and human rights for over 25 years. As co-founder of the Center for Compassionate Living and the International Institute for Humane Education, Rae created interactive critical thinking tools that are now being used by teachers around the globe. Rae recently spoke at our Valley Vegan Society meeting and we took the opportunity to ask her a few questions! We also have a call-in interview with Freya Dinshah, co-founder of the American Vegan Society along with her husband Jay Dinshah.