We are all taught things in kindergarten that apply throughout life. Use kind words. Share with others. Try your best. As we progress through school these lessons compound. We learn reading, writing and arithmetic skills. More lessons come with age, such as the importance of wearing sunscreen, especially here in Florida. However, I have never seen a single lesson given about the importance of insurance. The gecko doesn’t tell us. Jake doesn’t pass that information along. And the camel is so excited it is hump day that, well, he doesn’t take the time to explain what everything means either. The …

I overruled several amazing writers to be the one to interview comedian Steven Wright, ahead of his April 30 performance at the Florida Theater. I wanted to see if the Steven Wright who entertained me for decades was the same guy who would be on the other side of the phone.  I wondered if his delivery would be different or if I would be caught off guard by his cerebral takes in life?  The interview ended up being everything I wanted it to be and more. From the start, the interview just about went off the rails when I mentioned …

Think about doing something different.  My friend, Burne Hill’s last text to me was, “Been a hard week in here.” He sent it from his hospital room where he was fighting both COVID-19 and pneumonia.  He died on August 31, 2021.  Burne Wilton Hill, III was not just my friend, but a friend to everyone who met him. His smile and laughter drew you in. His kindness kept you wanting more. He’d walk across the street to help a stranger but he wouldn’t just give the shirt off of his back, he’d add his shoes and his last dollar, too.  …

   I love comedy. I love stand-up comedians. In a word that is so divisive and so contentious, laughing with strangers is so powerful. Since aquiring Folio, I have had the ability to interview Brian Regan, Bob Saget and, now, Katt Williams. Go see Katt Williams, Friday, August 27, 2021 at Vystar Veterans Arena. He sold out the Florida Theatre last time was here and filmed his hit special, giving Jacksonville worldwide attention, talking about Duuuval and diversity, our food and our culture. In the interview, he refers to Jacksonville as a hidden gem. He’s back to do it …

After his “Dirty Daddy” book was released to acclaim, Bob Saget is now hitting the road with a stop at the Florida Theatre. Bob Saget’s first words to me were, “So Carole Baskin killed her husband?” It was clearly a statement more than a question. Even though I was just a guy from Folio Weekly calling to do an interview for his upcoming performance at the Florida Theatre on July 18, he had done his homework. If you have ever had the chance to listen to his podcast, “Bob Saget’s Here’s For You,” you know he is a great interviewer …

In his May Publisher’s letter, John M. Phillips ruminates on the world returning to normal, and how in some ways it shouldn’t. Lives matter. Yes, that’s true. But adding an adjective or descriptor seems to make people upset or think it’s somehow escalating one life over another. It is not. However, even though (all) lives matter, (all) lives are not treated the same. The preamble to the Declaration of Independence is easy to believe, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” It sounds nice, but our forefathers didn’t believe it then. Many don’t believe …

The Bolles graduate, and former Alabama Quarterback, is a sought after player in the draft. Holly McCorkle Jones met Gordon Jones on her first day at her new job at a downtown Jacksonville law office. However, it wasn’t the usual story of falling in love at the office.  “It was my first job out of law school,” she described. “They had the big dark doors, and they were showing me my office and said, ‘You’ve met everyone at the firm except Gordon Jones.’”          As a prudent new associate, Holly had done her homework. She replied, “You mean the little guy …

John M. Phillips in conversation with Vanilla Ice. In an era where people are quick to generalize about others, it’s easy to place the performer known as Vanilla Ice in certain boxes or judge him based on their own misconceptions. And he’s heard it all. White rapper with an emphasis on “white”? One-hit wonder? People even throw the word “misappropriation” around. But after spending almost 90 minutes on the phone with Rob Van Winkle (aka Vanilla Ice), I was so surprised by our conversation, it changed the entire angle of the article. Originally intended to be a fairly simple piece …