J
eff Dwoskin of West Bloomfield is the host
of Classic Conversations, a podcast show he
created during the COVID pandemic to
satisfy his insatiable appetite for pop culture, TV
and movie stars, writers and comedians. It leans on a
heavy dose of the good old days in show biz. It’s not
his day job, just a side dream job, that now finds him
in the top 1.5% of listened-to podcasts.
In the “real” world, Dwoskin has spent more than
30 years as an E-commerce, digital and social media
maven, his talents traversing him through the tech
and creative worlds in Detroit, including a stop
at Little Caesars Pizza as its director of consumer
engagement.
Today, he’s a partner in a company he co-founded
with his wife, Robyn, called Stampede Social that
has “created game-changing software to help inspire,
manage and measure engagement on Instagram.
” It’s
very fascinating, innovative, cutting-edge technology
that is above my level of comprehension.
However, there’s another side to Dwoskin that is
smack-dab in the middle of my comfort zone. He’s
also a writer, comedian and a lover of all things
nostalgia. And, for the past four years, he has found a
way to nurture those passions through his podcasts.
It’s a tremendous understatement to say Dwoskin’s
guest list has come a long way since July 2020, when
somehow he chose me for his ninth podcast subject.
He won’t admit it, but I still believe I was a test case.
Dwoskin has raised the talent bar since and has
grown exponentially as he learned the ropes of
being a first-time, self-taught interviewer. The first
conversations were brief and lasted only 15 minutes
and involved very little prep.
Today, he has honed his skills and amassed more
than 300 interviews, many featuring stars from some
of television’s most successful and iconic sitcoms,
each lasting between 45 minutes to an hour.
Among them include Ed Asner of The Mary
Tyler Moore Show and Loretta “Hot Lips Houlihan”
Swit from MASH. Plus, cast members from Happy
Days, including Donny Most (Ralph Malph), Anson
Williams (Potsie) and actress Marion Ross, yep —
Richie’s lovable mom, Mrs. Cunningham herself! Or
as the “The Fonz” would say: “Mrs. C — ayyyy!” But
wait, there’s more!
The lineup of Classic Conversations is like flipping
through a TV Guide magazine of yesteryear, also
featuring lead actors from The Love Boat, Lassie,
The Brady Bunch, Little House on the Prairie, The
Munsters, Batman, The Danny Thomas Show — and
more classic shows than you can shake an old metal
TV antenna at.
There’s plenty more podcasting pontificating about
Jeff still to come including his conversations with
notable Jewish entertainers. But first, a fun backstory.
COMEDY CONNECTION
Jeff Dwoskin and I first crossed paths in 2007 when
the Dick Purtan Morning Radio Show on WOMC
created the “Purtan Protege Contest.
” It was a talent
contest looking for the funniest folks in Detroit.
Fledgling comedians from our listening audience
flooded us with auditions on cassette tapes and CDs,
and Jeff was among them.
We narrowed down the field to a few finalists. The
payoff was a chance for them to appear as an opening
act for the Dick Purtan Comedy Night Out! on July
13, 2007, at the Royal Music Theater. The evening
benefited the Gail Purtan Ovarian Cancer Research
Fund.
That night, our comedic contenders vied for the
title of Purtan Protege with their fate in the hands
of Purtan’s People judges. It was a big deal, with big-
time national headliners on the bill.
Making a rare, special return to do standup was
(drum roll) Michigan’s one and only Tim Allen!
Tim has known Dick Purtan for years and has
generously donated to many of his charitable causes.
His agreeing to appear in person before a sold-
out audience in honor of the radio icon took his
generosity to a whole new level.
The night also featured popular national standup
‘Classic
Conversations’
ALAN MUSKOVITZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OCTOBER 31 • 2024 | 49
J
N
Jeff Dwoskin’s podcast show will satiate
your hunger for pop culture and nostalgia.
continued on page 50
Dwoskin doing his standup comedy
Jeff Dwoskin and Dick
Purtan at the Comedy
Night Out event
DAN LIPPITT