Talk About Las Vegas with Ira

Talking With Ron Futrell – October 3, 2022

This week, Ira spoke with veteran journalist Ron Futrell, 8NewsNow sports anchor/reporter. In this episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Ron talks about how the city became a major sports destination; the importance of a Supreme Court decision; the hard news side of sports and a shout out to slain investigative reporter Jeff German; if the Las Vegas Raiders can turn it around; the significance of the upcoming Formula One Race (the biggest event in Las Vegas); and whether we will get a NBA and/or MLB team here.

Talking With Gloria Dea – September 26, 2022

This week, Ira spoke with Gloria Day, Las Vegas’ first performing magician, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday and was given the key to the Strip in a special ceremony. In this episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Gloria talks about her father, The Great Leo, who taught her the secrets of magic; becoming a pro at age five; her favorite illusion; how she pursued a Hollywood career and got her first role; her performances in Las Vegas; the headliner entertaining across the street from her at the Last Frontier when she first performed in Las Vegas; and what she sees as the future of magic.

Talking With Jonathan Butler – September 19, 2022

This week, Ira spoke with singer-songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Butler, performing in the Chrome Showroom at Santa Fe Station September 25 at 8 p.m. In this episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Jonathan talks about growing up poor while getting his sense of humor from his family; leaving South Africa to pursue his international musical career; coming to London with a less-than-solid contract; why he focused as a song writer in London; how his second album hit it big in the United States; when he performs on stage, he wants to take people on a journey; how he learned to play music by “stealing” with his eyes and ears; lessons he learned from fame; and why he wants to be accepted as a world music artist.

Talking With Craig Shoemaker – September 12, 2022

This week, Ira spoke with Emmy award-winning comedian Craig Shoemaker, headlining in the Laugh Factory at the Tropicana Las Vegas September 15-18. In this episode of Talk About Las Vegas, Craig talks about his difficult childhood and how he worked on his creative self to deal with it; getting arrested at age 13; why he learned to be resilient; how he developed the Lovemaster; why young comedians call him “OG”; teaches “guided laughitation”; when the pandemic caused him to become an even funnier comedian; performing in Harrison Ford’s backyard; and why laughter is essential for society.