Our actor pal and Edgewood native Johnathon Schaech tells Nestor about his new TV series Blue Ridge and talks Ravens fan pain, Orioles gain and how three decades later the power of Tom Hanks and “That Thing You Do” still does it for folks who love great movies.
SUMMARY KEYWORDSbaltimore, actor, orioles, great, acting, gus, week, game, football, ravens, blue ridge, talk, tom hanks, maryland, tom hanks movie, baseball, series, lines, year, calledSPEAKERSJohnathon Schaech, Nestor J. Aparicio Nestor J. Aparicio 00:01Welcome home we are wn St. am 1570, Towson, Baltimore and Baltimore positive. We are not going to the Super Bowl next week but we will be offering you a cup of soup or bowl of soup as part of our crabcake road tour. We start on Monday, Monday, Monday, families we’re gonna be down at Lexington market. That means cream a crab Mariela crab. Here’s the deal. We’re featuring 100 charities next week. And we’re going to be honoring our friends at the Maryland food bank by giving you a free cup of soup, soup or a bowl of soup. In exchange for some goods for the Maryland Food Bank and telling some great stories. I thought it was going to be a giant purple pep rally at fade Lee’s than a Tuesday. It cost it’s a Wednesday it CO goes on Thursday. It’s a fair Friday a BAP is all brought to you by the Maryland lottery winner nation and Jiffy Lube. But, alas, our broken Purple Hearts are here. You know, I love having like celebrities want to program especially guys I’ve gotten to know and I was gonna sing do in that thing you do. I was gonna start singing some songs. And that’s fun. But I ran into this guy during the holidays. There’s a guy named Gus caleres, who has a delicious wine called Axios, who’s a Marylander and a raving fan invited me to his birthday party. And I showed up down to Columbia lacrosse room. And there’s Kyle Richardson, my buddy from the Ravens. And then I looked at I’m like, that’s the guy from that Tom Hanks movie that does my show. That’s the Oriole guy. I’ve never met him but he’s been on my show all but so finally I got to meet Jonathan check. He is in a new series. And we were gonna talk football and like Dude, the whole idea was like, rah rah rah sis, boom, bah, we’re going to the Super Bowl and all that stuff. And this turns out to be like a broken heart thing. So let’s not talk football. Let’s just talk about your new series, man. Now you bet. I’m Johnathon Schaech 01:44still it still hurts. My purple heart is broken in my little boys broke. Purple Heart Is Broken. So that’s going to be as he’s got to wait to next year he started talking about well, we have the same team blah, blah, blah. Same guys. I’m like, oh, what’s Nestor J. Aparicio 01:59your kid? Let’s let’s start with 10 Johnathon Schaech 02:01His name is Camden. Okay. Nestor J. Aparicio 02:04So I don’t know how old you are. I mean, you’re an actor. You’re timeless. Ah, listen, you’re not you’ll get it fixed. I was born in 68. So this 1979 I was 10 years old in the summer 1979 When I had my first real heartbreak. I mean, I was it goes to the post with the Colts and I knew the raiders were good. The Steelers were really good. I knew that. But like I thought 79 was our year for the Orioles. So I know game seven the loss. I think I’m still scarred. I mean, you got to be careful with kids when they lose these big games like this. Because big kids like us are struggling right now with this football game, right? Yeah. Johnathon Schaech 02:43Yep. Well, we could have pulled it off, I think, oh, they just didn’t have it just didn’t have a good day. Now, Nestor J. Aparicio 02:51you know, a little bit of game planning, certainly composure. And then there’s just like, when you see Patrick mahomes You realize he’s Patrick mahomes. And it’s gonna take something special to beat him. Everybody’s struggling with that. That’s right. Yeah. How’s the acting thing going for you? And give everybody a little bit of a lowdown? Because like, I think I knew you were going to be at this party because I think I knew you had a connection to Gus. Because I’d seen a picture on our Facebook, although I’ve never been in a room with all of you and I’ll surprise my people. No, Gus. I mean, Gus, a really popular guy, I don’t know nearly as well as the rest of you do. But you were back for the holidays for Christmas time. I got to meet your lovely wife, who quite frankly, I’ve Googled her she’s more interesting than you. But like I met her on the fly. Badass, he’s proud, Asher. Well, we’ve talked about her a little bit as well. But you’re the famous actor in the Baltimore guy in the job battalion. went to Columbia on a Friday night celebrating Gus Galarza 65th birthday, besides drinking really good wine and and seeing a great band. I mean, he brought in a legendary band. Johnathon Schaech 03:54Yeah, so Gus Glarus is my my Kevin’s godfather. So we make sure we make you know get to see him as much as we can. We used to go to all the Ravens games, we get to always opening day for the Orioles. Now with that I have a three year old as well. So it’s a little harder for me to get out there. But yeah, so we made sure we were there for that awesome party. Nestor J. Aparicio 04:16Well, I mean, I ran into you and I’m like, Oh, he really does come back to Johnathon Schaech 04:20you. What was you? I knew it was you would you know we hadn’t really ever met you know, the context. Nestor J. Aparicio 04:28Hey actor guy like your movie awesome songs to you and all that for you with the acting part of this and I think everybody just thinks every actor is rich. We’re in a movie 30 years ago that’s an act you got Tom Hanks you know you’re working actor and it’s and it’s it’s no different than being a sports radio slob are probably a lot different to being an athlete where they have to go do something else for a living but you signed up for this acting thing for your life and you got a new gig and I want to make everybody aware that you’re both More guys out doing good things and making shows man, Johnathon Schaech 05:02you know, I’ve been doing this for 30 years now acting and I finally have my own show. So I’m very enthusiastic to promote it comes out April 7 on cowboy way. It’s called Blue Ridge. And I’m play a sheriff in the small town, and something goes wrong. And I got to figure it out that my father was a Baltimore City police officer, so I feel like I’m playing my dad. Nestor J. Aparicio 05:26Well, I mean, did you want to be a cop? Or would you want you’re always like an actor guy. When we’re working on this. Johnathon Schaech 05:31My dad didn’t want me to be a cop. I actually wanted to become a lawyer. I went to University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and I studied economics and I just could not read the textbooks. I took one acting class and thought I stand a better chance to become a movie star than I than I do anything else. And I literally moved out to California and and didn’t start acting right away, but started studying really hard and I found my way. I didn’t realize at the time but I was dyslexic. So the textbooks was not a way for me to get ahead. It was really difficult for me to read big chunks of text and acting is listening and going back and forth and just just fit me man. I just really good at it. Well, Nestor J. Aparicio 06:15you know what, it’s I kid because it’s just the last time you’ve been on the show. I’ve rekindled a friendship with my 86 year old. He was our theater teacher. He was our middle school music director. I did my fair lady with him. He miscast me I keep telling him I was Freddie, he just didn’t see it in me. You know, at that point when I was 12, and 1983, or 82, or whatever it was, but I found acting to be reading a script and memorizing lines is just like whatever on the spectrum I’m on that you were on a different spectrum with your I’m on a different like, I don’t think I could remember prose, I think so I’ve sung in bands because I can sing a little bit. The hardest part to remember the words even if you remember melodies, and and it’s hard with melodies, even second, choruses, second year, second verses and different changes. And you hear it with music and you can kind of sing a song a little bit. I found poetry and remembering lines to be I just would have been such a horrible actor in that way. Improv sure I’m down with that remembering lines. No way. I mean, that’s, that’s really amazing that you’re dyslexic and can because I’ve read really well I read it. I love I can’t remember things Johnathon Schaech 07:27like that. Yeah, you know, it’s, it becomes part of me, I have to do it so much, that the lines have actually become part of my being so it’s not like I’m remembering lines. I have to say the lines because I heard heard them respond a certain way and I it’s what makes you good actors really makes me work hard. Nestor J. Aparicio 07:45How much is a good actor? And I mean, this answers even a lot of sets with you, but that’s what Tom Hanks I mean, like, right? How much do you f lines? I mean, it’s a reshoot things a million times but I would think like, even when you’re professional, you feel bad. You screw up football players screw up. I mean, look, it’s a flower you had the ball ages away, right? But But how often do you f up in a given day if you’re shooting a couple of scenes and there’s like, a lot of lines Johnathon Schaech 08:11Well, in the very beginning, you know, I did a film with Tom Hanks, and he said, show up on time and know your lines. So I show up, right? Nestor J. Aparicio 08:21Hey, it’s football, job time to play alignment assignment technique. That’s football alignment know where I’m supposed to be assignment know what I’m supposed to do, and technique know how to do it, period. That’s that’s all that’s everything in football. And you need to know that the hardest thing in the world though. Johnathon Schaech 08:36You know, and being the lead in the series where I was on every scene, you know, pretty much it was hard I probably fumbled a couple of times. But we get we get a second take we second chance so well Nestor J. Aparicio 08:50nobody knows it’s wrong if they’re watching in the audience that the writer and the director and the producer and everybody jotted a check is here he’s an actor he is a Baltimorean if you’re familiar with that thing you doing a whole bunch of other stuff he’s been doing movies and acting forever down at Tennessee now the beautiful wife and family and broken hearts and all that here’s the best part because I know you’re probably more baseball and football maybe about at least I believe that about you I could be wrong. But we have a baseball team we usually people you lose like this it’s over for like eight or nine months I’ve been hosting radio 32 years here trust me. This is the one year where I see your you got your oil thing show everybody what do you got their show but I think it’s Johnathon Schaech 09:28Brooks cow is it Weaver? Nestor J. Aparicio 09:31It’s missing cow it’s before cow cow over Johnathon Schaech 09:35there but I have I have another one this cow over there. Nestor J. Aparicio 09:37In the corner. It’s fine. Yeah. All my Oreos stuff everywhere. Your Oreos longer than ravens that’s part of it. You were out of town whenever you came to Baltimore right you didn’t live here anymore. Right? Right. Johnathon Schaech 09:48Yeah, I moved out. But I but I remember it because it was such a big deal. We didn’t have a football team. And we got the ravens and and they were good from the get go. And that was big. Do It was a big deal in my life. I’ve been a hardcore Ravens fan ever since. And they broke my heart for sure. Yep, Nestor J. Aparicio 10:05they’ll do it again, because it’s football. We only get to win a few of them. Unless you’re Patrick mahomes or Tom Brady. Alright, so blue rich, tell me, tell me about the show. And I don’t I’m not familiar with the channel. So please, like fill us in on all this. And, you know, how does it guy get a gig these days? I mean, you get you get an agent and this an app with scripts COMM And this new series, and there’s something you were looking to do dive into this sort of a project. Johnathon Schaech 10:30You know, I left when I left Hollywood and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, I left everyone behind. I literally got rid of all my representation. And I contacted five of my friends that I had worked with previous and said, Look, I need to get work out. I have children and I gotta figure out my way. And Nick Gonzalez is an actor, he, he gave me the name, Gary Wheeler said, This guy’s got a production company. They’re doing great stuff out of this, you know, in out of North Carolina, I want to introduce you. So he must have talked to Gary because Gary called me up and offered me a film called Blue Ridge. It was a it was a it was a film about a man who left California to move to a small town to be closer to his family. And out of the blue, it was exactly in line with my life. We shot the movie, I had a great time filming it. And I gotta tell you, the people that were behind it, they just made me believe in what I was doing again. And it reminded me of when I worked with Tom Hanks. I know Tom Hanks was an Oscar winning person, but he was a good person that everything was everyone wrote raised the bar because they cared. It was it just was a different energy. And I really, really loved it so much. I was talking to Gary about it after we made the film. And they they brought up the possibility to do it into a TV series. And then COVID it. And then after COVID they literally just before Christmas said, Jonathan, we’ve talked to the network, which is imsp their cable network. And they would like to make this blueridge into a television series. And and I just said, Well, why will I be part of it? Nestor J. Aparicio 12:12Can I play? Yeah, Johnathon Schaech 12:13can I still be in it because I was the lead and they they said everyone across the board, you know, checked you off. Like they really they really think you’re great. And I don’t count myself as a great actor. But I’m a very accomplished actor. Like I’ve done Blue Blue Bloods, Chicago PD, pretty much all of the procedural so this is a procedure or something happens every week. And I gotta figure out what went wrong. I get a great supporting cast. I got great guest stars every single week. It’s a thrill ride. It’s a lot of fun. It’s old school. And it’s it’s family so I can watch it with my 10 year old. It’s not you know, crazy things are gonna happen. There’s no nudity, no sex scenes. There’s you know, there’s romance, but there’s no like hardcore, like get out of room kid. It’s we did that on purpose. We want it to be a family experience. And not to say that it’s for my three year old Nestor J. Aparicio 13:12but it’s definitely a we can soon. Quick you know that right? Pass? Johnathon Schaech 13:16Right? It just moves right along. So I’m really I’m really proud of it. I’m really looking forward to everyone getting to see it and everyone Baltimore, I just need support. Everyone’s got to go out to this channel. It’s called cowboy way. It’s a new channel from ISP, which is basically when you go through cable, you’ll find the channel that runs cowboy movies all the time. That’s imsp They run cowboy movies nonstop pretty much their stars are John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. And now me Nestor J. Aparicio 13:44know what’s crazy is I was I was out with young people a couple of weeks ago and I my my knees a little screwed up, you know, just little I had a surgery 15 years ago, the lock. So I was walking with this hitch, you know? And I said, Dad, I’m walking like John Wayne today. And the kid said, Who’s John Wayne? Oh, yeah, yeah, that happened to me. And I’m like, Are you real American? You know, next thing you’ll tell me you never heard of Clint Eastwood. Jonathan scheck is our guest. He is an actor and accomplished actor out of Nashville, but certainly out of Johnstown, Maryland, and always enjoyed enjoyed you can’t say? I can’t do it Maryland. Johnathon Schaech 14:24Got out there. Dude, Nestor J. Aparicio 14:27if you accuse me being from Essex, the Dundalk and me we’ll be right back. I’m sorry. I would never chop it down. I got you gotta go further in Harford County. I ran into him at a holiday event a couple of weeks ago, and he told me about a new show. And we have a new show here. It’s called Oriole baseball. 2024 It’s a whole new season. We get to tune in. You must have watched a lot of baseball last year right? I mean, this is it’s been a fun year to be a Baltimore sports fan and to be a displace guy like you it with the interwebs all the games come to you even when you’re acting gives you a little Something that grounds you to Baltimore Right? Or Edgewood? Absolutely. Johnathon Schaech 15:03The Orioles are basically family you know, you talk when I used to travel make movies my father would always write me letters and this is dating back because we would write letters back then and I would read it and he would give me an update on how the Orioles were doing right at the end of the letter be like in the Orioles or you know the battle in their 60s Think like the Orioles are, man, nevermind. Yeah, no, I get you upset. Nestor J. Aparicio 15:30Yeah, well, wait, wait, you’re no joke. Now. Johnathon Schaech 15:33They’re dialed in. And they’re good team. And just like that 83 team. You know, they lost in 79. But they came back in 83. So four years, we got four years the balance this out, see if they can pull it out. Nestor J. Aparicio 15:48I hope they make some more moves for some pitching here. I know. It’s been quiet. Luke and I are gonna be talking. And I haven’t had a baseball conversation since like, we had our hearts broken in October, probably give it away for football. We’re not going to talk a lot of football around here for a week or two or three. We’re like, Oh, look at the baseball season. It’s perfect. For you as a fan and staying connected to Baltimore. I mean, I ran it in Colombia, you were here for the holidays. You talk about knowing people and being a part of how often do you get home. My Johnathon Schaech 16:14mom and dad are still there. The only thing is I’m starting to bring them here because I have a three year old so and I have a 10 year old so that that’s four tickets to Baltimore or two tickets here. And there, they’re you know, they’re I wish they could stay here with me. I wish I could move there. And my wife would move to Baltimore. And she’s from Nashville, Tennessee. So I tried to get out as much as I can I use use the Orioles in the Ravens as much as I possibly can to get out to games. And when my daughter gets a little older, it’d be easier. It’s hard to leave it. You know, baby. Nestor J. Aparicio 16:46So anything you will say about your wife because I met her real briefly and then I Googled up and I’m like, Oh, she’s the interesting one here, Johnathon Schaech 16:52right? Yeah, my wife. She’s a what is hard to explain. She’s basically a business coach, and she teaches people how to make money off Instagram. And if you don’t know Julie Solomon is and that’s something that you would like to pursue, you should look her up. I Nestor J. Aparicio 17:06was a guy that felt like, I should talk to her more but the music was loud and it was a great band. And I was like, okay, and then next thing I know they’re playing that thing you do and you have kids in early nights and you’re like you’re old like me, you’re gone. And like next thing I know I’m googling up and I’m like, I bet she can help me I bet she she looks smart. Yeah, like Johnathon Schaech 17:26wrote a book called get what you want. Nestor J. Aparicio 17:28She got you right? Yes, she Johnathon Schaech 17:31does. He’s got me. Keep me to please. Nestor J. Aparicio 17:36Jada the check is here he is an accomplished Baltimore actor at an edge would never chop it down just like I’m done dog never Essex Blue Ridge is the show you can find it out on the cowboy way. Network and I hope I get you back here soon. You will we need to do like a crab cake night you do to show crab cake. We’ll catch up. Bring you folks we’re doing all right. And they go to an Oreo game. There’s so much we need to do have a have a proper crab cake tour with you. Johnathon Schaech 18:00I love that. Nestor J. Aparicio 18:01I love that. All right. Well, you name it. We I can do it on all sorts of neighborhoods. We got laurelville We got Dundalk, Catonsville. Timonium, I’ll even come up to Harford County get a Pappas up in Bel Air. Now, I’ll come up there and do that with you. But I really wish you a lot of luck with it that this is on demand, right? Like, can you watch this one you want? Or is it just on the television? Because I’m you know, I’m an old guy. I think Johnathon Schaech 18:24I’m an old guy to some learning. But the one thing I have to tell you, it’s free. So you don’t have to subscribe to it. And as we know, as sports fans, like we’re I’m sick of having to get a new subscription to watch a game. Nestor J. Aparicio 18:35I got your peacock right here. I didn’t get my six. No way. Great, Johnathon Schaech 18:39Sam. So the fast channel is a free ad streaming TV. So it’s like, if you have a smart TV, or if you have Roku, most likely you’ll be able to see Blue Ridge. And it’s not going to play all six episodes of the get go. It’s going to do one a week. Just like old school network. You know, Nestor J. Aparicio 18:57this was a six episode series is it sort of conducted to do more and more work and like that? Yeah, yeah. Johnathon Schaech 19:03So. So I can’t really release this yet. But looks like we’re gonna we’re starting to write the second season. Everyone really believes in this series. It was a great experience. And it’s a really good product and people love it. So I think good things are ahead. Nestor J. Aparicio 19:21All right, well, you can Google it. Blue Ranch is the series it was a movie. Now it’s a series before the plague now after the plague. We’ll get Jonathan check back here to well watch a baseball. How often do people come up to you and sing that thing you do to you? And it’s such a great Johnathon Schaech 19:38I quit. I quit. People always like I quit like, Okay, Nestor J. Aparicio 19:44I got it. Well, I mean, it’s, I don’t know. I always wonder what it’s like to be a Brady kid the rest of your life to have done something and then people recognize you for the work you did and something that means something to them. Yeah, just a great movie, dude. It’s gonna fail. I believe I mean a movie that that really people sit around and watch and sort of Beatles ask and it’s just, it’s a beautiful movie. You’re a part of something awesome in life. Johnathon Schaech 20:07That’s yeah, you know, that’s the energy of that film is what we what I wanted to bring to blueridge. So, Tom Hanks, obviously, you know the top but he was a writer director. He’s He’s Tom Hanks and dairy men Playtone the producers and everything Samir Gary, Gary Wheeler, we basically made a that thing you do production. I told him how everything would go, how everything went back then and how I like everything to go now. And he was completely in line. So we basically made of Tom Hanks movie. Oh, Nestor J. Aparicio 20:38I’ll tell you what, we’re gonna be watching his Tom Hanks movie series thing called Blue Ridge, adult cowboy way. Always appreciate your visit. It was good to see you a couple of weeks ago. Your wife can make me star on Instagram. I gotta face made for radio though. Dude. Right? You know, so. Instagram is a Johnathon Schaech 20:55voice you got a voice. You got a voice for radio Nestor J. Aparicio 20:58but of Baltimore. Hey, dude, Johnathon Schaech 21:00I appreciate you running is great. Nestor J. Aparicio 21:01Well, your oral baseball eight weeks away, bro. Just hang in there. All right. Anytime Johnathon Schaech 21:06I come in, I’m coming. I want to I want to come out. Nestor J. Aparicio 21:10All right, crabcakes and beer and baseball. to sue they’re purple souls that were melted by the Kansas City Chiefs. We’re doing a big thing next week. We’re calling it crabcake row. It is a cup of soup or bowl, we can go to the Super Bowl. So we’re going to have a cup of Super Bowl for the Maryland Food Bank featuring 100 charities all the information at Baltimore positive.com. I’ll be crowing about it talking about it and imploring you next week to come and eat some free soup. Bring something great do something great for some other folks at the Maryland food bank. And all of the food bank work will stay local local pantries and Dundalk of the cost this event and the larval area with Coco’s on Wednesday downtown will families so come on out and visit with us I know it’s been a tough week around here for everybody went to the game, spent a lot of money broke a lot of souls and hearts and spirits but we’ve been talking about the game Coach Phil it’s been here this week Matt Stover has been by Todd heap a whole bunch of ravens alums talking to Raven football here this week as well as Luke in Owings Mills cleaning that lockers. And we’ll find out what the rest of the message is with Mike McDonald, amongst other coaches and players that are going to be scattered I am Nestor. We are wn st am 5070, Towson Baltimore. And we never stop talking Baltimore positive
