Frank &amp; Friends Show

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Sunday Apr 30, 2023

Bonus Episode - Andy’s Frozen Custard Sevierville TN - Showcar Day

Sunday Apr 30, 2023

Watch this episode and subscribe at https://youtu.be/oTjoHwgu_9A

Frank Murphy and Becca James visit Andy’s Frozen Custard in Sevierville for this See More Smokies Insider Edition as the Andy’s #3 race car was on display. Co-owner and managing partner Tom Gass tells Frank and Becca about his next locations.

Andy’s Frozen Custard

852 Dolly Parton Parkway

Sevierville, TN 37862

(865) 868-8520

https://www.eatandys.com

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See More Smokies posts highlights of our Smoky Mountain adventures at https://seemoresmokies.com/frank-and-friends

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Wednesday Apr 12, 2023

Episode 0098 - “Thumb’s Up”

Wednesday Apr 12, 2023

Frank Murphy is joined by Becca James, a former radio colleague who is now the Director of Marketing for Knoxville Area Transit. Frank is happy that Becca came back two weeks in a row.

Becca’s cast was removed. She now has a splint on her thumb that reminds Frank of some magic tricks he bought for The Nutcracker. Frank enjoys watching magicians Siegfried & Joy on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/siegfriedundjoy/

Frank can’t decide if the cat next door loves him or hates him. The cat rubbed against Frank’s leg like he wanted Frank to pet him. When Frank turned to walk away, the cat grabbed Frank’s leg with his claws and teeth.

Becca’s twins have started playing t-ball. She plays softball and her husband plays baseball. One of the boys seems more interested and involved than the other.

The twins are named Brady and Carter. Frank thinks that when they go to school the teachers will call them James (Jim) Brady and James (Jimmy) Carter.

Frank was the emcee for the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame Gala. This year’s social media inductee Steve Wildsmith submitted a blurb for Frank to read as his introduction that included the lines, “He spent 17 years as an entertainment writer for The Daily Times in Maryville. In 2015, Steve was delighted to receive a bear hug from Dolly Parton, only to discover she mistakenly thought he was the late Terry Morrow, television critic for the Knoxville News Sentinel.”

Frank often invited Terry to be a guest on the radio. When Terry wanted the radio station to create a “Dancing with the Knoxville Stars” event, Frank introduced him to promotions coordinator Gretchen Bartlett, who had a similar idea.

Becca won the dance trophy when she competed in “Dancing with the Knoxville Stars.” Kristin Farley won the fundraising competition that year. Becca now works with Kristin and former dance studio owner Emily Norris through their new jobs with the City of Knoxville.

Frank got a bill from his dentist after his regular teeth-cleaning. Frank’s insurance changed and his dentist is now out-of-network. Jere canceled her appointment and began searching for a new dentist.

Becca heard that performers who talk a lot are prone to cavities. Frank uses whitening mouthwash and toothpaste and likes the results.

Frank heard a funny Jiminy Glick clip on his friend Bean’s podcast. Martin Short plays Jiminy Glick and interviews actual celebrities. Frank needs to get Jiminy out of his head before recording new episodes of Up Close with Frank Murphy for East Tennessee PBS. You can find many of Jiminy Glick’s interviews at https://www.youtube.com/@JiminyGlickPrimetime

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Wednesday Apr 05, 2023

Episode 0097 - “With Two You Get Egg Roll”

Wednesday Apr 05, 2023

Frank Murphy is joined by Becca James, a former radio colleague who is now the Director of Marketing for Knoxville Area Transit. Becca broke her thumb while playing softball. She has three screws and a pin in her thumb.

Becca asks about the wooden eggs that Frank and his family received at the White House Easter Egg Roll over thirty years ago. At the time, Frank worked for WAVA deejays Don & Mike, who were invited to autograph eggs alongside other Washington media personalities.

Frank mentions the security procedures at the White House and the Capitol which reminds him of security at advance screenings of movies. Attendees would have to leave their smartphones with the security guards so they couldn’t record a bootleg video of the movie.

Becca has traveled to Las Vegas twice in the past few weeks. One trip was for business and one trip was a vacation with friends. She saw Cirque du Soleil on one trip and Jimmy Buffett on the other trip.

BoneZones arranged for Frank to give a speech about Dr. Bass to the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Officers Association. Frank will reprise his cremation lecture at an event in July.

Frank is preparing to record six more episodes of Up Close with Frank Murphy for East Tennessee PBS. He was surprised to see his picture on the cover of the April program guide, between the cast of Call the Midwife and actor Kit Harington. Becca is surprised to learn that Frank’s wife Jere makes a spreadsheet for his Tennessee Scholars’ Bowl wardrobe.

Frank posted a joke on social media that he went to a “staff meeting” at the Tennessee Theatre. The members of Einstein Simplified canceled one of their Tuesday night shows to attend Whose Live Anyway?, a stage show featuring cast members of the TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? The show was sold out and Frank wondered if the audience would come to see Einstein Simplified on a Tuesday night.

Becca was impressed by the singing in Whose Live Anyway? When Frank has to sing in an Einstein Simplified show, he tries to use the tune from a Christmas carol or an opera tune such as “La donna è mobile” from Rigoletto.

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Wednesday Mar 29, 2023

Episode 0096 - “What’s in the Ditch, Ahead?”

Wednesday Mar 29, 2023

Frank Murphy is joined by Kathryn Frady of Marble City Opera. Frank asks if subscriber April wore her F&FS bucket hat to the opera.

Frank’s neighbor Nancy left some tulips on the front porch for Frank and Jere. Kathryn gives Frank a belated Christmas gift. It’s a candle that says “Having as a friend is really the only gift you’ll ever need.”

Frank thought his wife missed him while he was in Northern Virginia for a week. He noticed that his side of the bed had fresh sheets and a chocolate on the nightstand when he returned.

At the Marble City Opera gala, board member April Hill suggested to Frank and Jere that everyone should go to a dermatologist to get checked for skin cancer. When he returned from his trip, Jere urged him to make an appointment as soon as they got their new insurance cards.

Frank looked at the long list of dermatologists on Jere’s insurance plan. He texted April Hill to ask for her recommendations and found a doctor who was on both lists. Jere asked if Frank deliberately picked the dermatologist who is an attractive woman.

Kathryn was daydreaming and drove five miles past the interstate exit for Frank’s house. She was thinking about upcoming opera productions including Doctor and the Devils, which is about body snatchers in the 19th century. The opera is based on an unproduced screenplay by Dylan Thomas. Mel Brooks produced a British horror-movie version of the story in 1985.

Frank’s neighbor Nancy put her Halloween pumpkins in the garden to rot and potentially grow new pumpkins. Frank thought it was a good idea and put his pumpkin, which was yellow instead of orange, in the ravine between Nancy’s property and his. Nancy admitted to checking on it to make sure it wasn’t a head.

Frank received a $125 Visa gift card in July. He saved it until last month and intended to use it toward the purchase of a phone. When he opened it and tried to spend it at the Apple store, he was told there was only $0.88 left on the card. When he looked up the card number online, he saw that someone drained $124.12 in a series of transactions at a barber shop in New York. Frank filed a fraud complaint with the gift card company.

In late January, Frank noticed some of the old style Tennessee license plates at Starbucks. Upon closer inspection, the tags had expired one year and three weeks earlier.

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Wednesday Mar 22, 2023

Episode 0095 - “I Feel Really Seen Right Now”

Wednesday Mar 22, 2023

Frank Murphy is joined by Kathryn Frady of Marble City Opera. Frank and his wife attended Marble City Opera’s production of The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace.

Kathryn promoted the opera on WATE’s Living East Tennessee on the same day that Frank was there to promote the Frank & Friends Show. Frank thought he arrived on time without knowing the call time had been moved 15 minutes earlier.

Frank and Jere attended a concert by the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera. Frank was seated next to the wife and kids of baritone Craig Irvin. Kathryn and her husband know him from when Craig studied opera at the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

Kathryn saw Hamilton on Broadway while she was in New York for an audition. She first checked the schedule at the Metropolitan Opera but they were doing an opera that didn’t interest her.

Frank complains about the poor quality of the paper towels in the restrooms at airports. They dissolve when he tries to pull them out of the dispenser. Frank was recently on a flight to Knoxville. As the plane approached McGhee Tyson Airport, it suddenly accelerated and gained altitude. The pilot later said he had to avoid traffic on the runway.

Kathryn was on a flight with turbulence. As some people on the flight got worried or nauseous, the man next to Kathryn asked if she had watched the TV series Lost.

Frank was driving home from his semi-annual teeth cleaning when he got an alert on his phone that he had left his AirPods at the dental office. He returned to the dental office and searched all the exam rooms to no avail. Eventually he gave up and went home, only to find his AirPods on the counter next to his work computer.

Kathryn has also gotten false alarms that she lost her AirPods but when she actually lost her AirPods, the “find my AirPods” feature didn’t work. This past weekend she found two sets of AirPods that she thought were lost forever. Kathryn only found them because she was searching her house for a debit card that had been missing for a month.

Kathryn explains the “soprano pocket.” Frank’s wife Jere told him that the women in the Knoxville Choral Society will have the opportunity to have a pocket sewn into their choral gowns.

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Monday Mar 13, 2023

Episode 0094 - “Frank & Friends of Literacy”

Monday Mar 13, 2023

Frank Murphy is joined by Teresa Brittain, executive director of Friends of Literacy. Frank will emcee the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 24, 2023. The event is a fundraiser for Friends of Literacy. Buy tickets to the awards gala at https://www.etwriters.org/awards-gala.html

Teresa also makes glass beads and teaches bead-making classes each Fall at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina.

The Writers Hall of Fame ceremony used to be a luncheon. Some of the adults who learned to read at Friends of Literacy would read their essays aloud. There is now a separate event to honor the students. The Writers Hall of Fame gala is now an evening event with readings and performances by past inductees.

This year’s gala will feature music performances by Scott Miller and R. B. Morris and readings by writers Alan Gratz, Linda Parsons, and Michael Knight. This year’s inductees are Catherine Landis, Betsy Pickle, Donna Doyle, Steve Wildsmith, Todd Steed, Charlie Daniel, Robert Cumming, and Ashlee Latimer. The posthumous inductees are the Everly Brothers, Brandon Gibson, Duncan Mansfield, Vic Weals, and L.E. White.

Frank compliments Teresa for the well-written script at the Writers Hall of Fame gala. He says that anyone could read the script but he’s really there to smooth over any unexpected hiccups.

Frank recalls a time he was told to “stick to the script” at a teen talent show but he had to ignore the instructions and improvise when something went wrong.

Friends of Literacy has expanded its mission to serve children as well as adults. They provide tutoring in reading, provide books to children, and teach parents to become reading coaches for their kids. There are many children who don’t know how to hold or use a book.

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Friday Mar 03, 2023

Episode 0093 - “In the Hall”

Friday Mar 03, 2023

Frank Murphy is joined by Todd Steed, who will be inducted into the East Tennessee Writers Hall of Fame on March 24, 2023. Todd is this year’s songwriting inductee. His band is Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere. Todd is also the music director and a host on WUOT.

Frank will emcee the induction ceremony, which is a fundraiser for Friends of Literacy. Buy tickets to the awards gala at https://www.etwriters.org/awards-gala.html

Todd and Frank have an idea to write a song about local places that not longer exist, like St. Mary’s Hospital. Todd promises to write a song called “Everywhere is Gone” in time for next year’s Writers Hall of Fame gala.

When Todd turned 21, he began traveling to as many different countries as he could. He’s been to approximately 50 countries. He’s now thinking about places he would like to revisit. He’s also been trying to explore more of East Tennessee.

Todd considered visiting all the major league baseball stadiums but changed his mind. Frank’s father was a New York Giants fan and he used to take Frank to Mets games when the San Francisco Giants were visiting. Todd went to a UT baseball game at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on the UT campus.

Todd was a writer for The Daily Beacon at UT. His editor was Betsy Pickle, who is this year’s journalism inductee in the East Tennessee Writers’ Hall of Fame. Scott Miller, a previous songwriting inductee, will perform at this year’s event.

Todd plans to resume playing gigs with his band in the fall. Frank wonders how he can write music. Todd says he has more classical influences since filling in as a classical music host on WUOT.

Todd knows Lithuanian writer Ruta Sepetys who used to manage Steve Vai. Steve urged Ruta to write books. Sometimes you need a friend to push you to do something like write a song or a book.

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Thursday Jan 19, 2023

Episode 0092 - “The Figgest Loser”

Thursday Jan 19, 2023

Frank Murphy is joined by his friend Kathryn Frady, who had the idea for Frank to donate a See More Smokies adventure to the auction at Marble City Opera’s recent fundraiser.

Frank has been sending press releases to many newspapers in the area to promote Tennessee Scholars’ Bowl. He also quizzed Tala Shatara and Veronica Ogbe on Living East Tennessee.

Kathryn was surprised that Frank cut his biggest fig trees to about knee-high. He anticipates that they will grow back vigorously in the Spring.

Frank called himself the “figgest loser” after attending an event for fig growers. On the registration form, he described himself as “intermediate” but later realized he should have chosen “beginner.”

Frank’s friend Bean doesn’t like it when Frank talks about figs. Frank thinks that Bean should include the song “Them Figs” by The Subdudes on the podcast A Cup of Tea and a Chat with Allie and Bean. Here’s a link to the song: https://youtu.be/Ydf4OqIrFJg and here’s a live version: https://youtu.be/4jA2Vz4eOnM

Frank brought some of his Brown Turkey figs to exchange at the event. He and his wife picked a Negronne plant and a LSU Scott’s Black plant. The guest speakers were very critical of Brown Turkey figs, suggesting that the trees were only good as rootstock for grafting. Nobody picked Frank’s Brown Turkey plants in the exchange.

This episode is sponsored by BoneZones.com (don’t forget the S). Buy books and other merchandise autographed by Body Farm founder Dr. Bill Bass at https://bonezones.com/ Come to the Rose Glen Literary Festival on February 25, 2023 at the Sevierville Convention Center for “Dr. Bill Bass - A Conversation with Frank Murphy.” Learn more at https://www.roseglenfestival.com

Frank was telling someone about the late Brandon Gibson and how he met Kathryn because of Brandon.

Kathryn’s dog Sasha got a lot of Christmas presents. One of Frank’s sisters got a second dog. His other sister has an older dog that needed to go to the vet. Frank started to say “how” but cut himself off mid-syllable. His sister knew that Frank almost asked, “how old is he?”

Frank and his wife have had their iPhones for over five years. The batteries don’t hold a charge. Every time he starts the car, his iPhone plays a song from Apple Music, usually “The Knife” from the Psycho soundtrack. He figured out that he can say “Hey Siri, stop!” to stop the music.

When Frank upgraded the IOS software, his Irish female Siri voice morphed into a horrible robotic voice. He looked for solutions on YouTube and found a way to restore Irish female Siri. Frank also likes videos from Payette Forward that tell which iPhone settings you should turn off.

Kathryn is planning to go to New York to audition for some operatic roles. She dyed her hair to a #2, which is the second-darkest color. Kathryn was very blond when Frank met her about five and a half years ago.

Kathryn and her husband had Thanksgiving dinner with Frank and Jere. When Jere was preparing the dressing, she was surprised that Frank had eaten the celery she was planning to use.

Kathryn’s father had his first Christmas since retiring from being a pastor. Jere sang at a 4pm and 10pm Mass on Christmas Eve and then went to Midnight Mass with Frank.

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Thursday Jan 12, 2023

Episode 0091 - “Singing and Ringing”

Thursday Jan 12, 2023

Frank Murphy is joined by his friend Kathryn Frady. He recently recorded some See More Smokies episodes with fashion model Victoria Henley.

Frank and Kathryn saw each other at Brandon Gibson’s funeral. Kathryn and her husband James spent Thanksgiving with Frank and his wife Jere.

Kathryn produced Amahl and the Night Visitors at Opéra Louisiane. They will do a different Christmas opera next year. Frank saw a picture from 2013 of Kathryn in Marble City Opera’s production of The Gift of the Magi.

Frank will emcee Marble City Opera’s fundraiser on Saturday at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum. Kathryn will sing during the event as will ten other opera singers who have performed with Marble City Opera over the last ten years. Tickets are available at https://www.marblecityopera.com/tickets

Kathryn will sing in a production of Cabildo in Iowa. The opera was written by Amy Beach in 1932. Kathryn will play a ghost. The Cabildo is an actual building in New Orleans that was once a prison. Frank says he did an opera-based scene in Tuesday’s Einstein Simplified improv show.

Kathryn gave her niece a backstage tour during Amahl and the Night Visitors at Opéra Louisiane. Frank likes the backstage area at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium. Frank bought a discounted ticket to the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra’s Clayton Holiday Concert.

During the show, Frank got a text and a call from his home-alarm monitoring company. The motion detector had triggered the alarm. Frank’s next door neighbor was also notified because he is listed as Frank’s emergency contact. Frank contacted four more of his neighbors to ask them to look around while the police were on the way. Frank thinks the heating system might have caused the curtains to billow under the motion detector. Kathryn wonders if it could have been triggered by a mouse.

Kathryn wants to meet Dr. Bass. She is workshopping an opera about grave robbing called Doctor & the Devils.

Kathryn gave her husband a massage gun and a karaoke microphone for Christmas. Frank asks if James is a singer in addition to being an actor and director. Kathryn says James does not usually sing but he actually did sing karaoke for two hours, including David Bowie songs.

Frank plays a lot of David Bowie songs on LakeFM, which reminds him that the audio podcast feed of the Frank & Friends Show is now available in LakeFM’s mobile app. https://www.lakefm.com/how-to-listen/

Jere sings with the Knoxville Choral Society. Frank attended their Fall concert at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Frank sat next to a man in his ‘80s who was visiting Knoxville. The man’s sister is also in the Knoxville Choral Society.

In a matter of minutes, the older man tells Frank that he works as a jazz pianist at bars and restaurants in the San Fernando Valley. The man says that he composed the song “Spooky” which Frank knew as a song by Classics IV.

The man’s name is Harry Middlebrooks. He told Frank that he had appeared on The Lawrence Welk Show. Frank relates that he once met a singer named Ava Barber who used to be on the Welk show. Harry says, “I’d love to talk to Ava! Have her call me this weekend.”

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