On Norm's birthday episode, guest David Hoffman looks back on a life shaped by curiosity and reinvention. He recalls early radio days in high school, studying engineering at Case Western, earning a third-class FCC license in Detroit, and landing at Vassar, where he fell in love with both '60s music and the college's carrier-current station. From there, Hoffman found his way into filmmaking, including a short inspired by Kurt Vonnegut, a documentary on Vassar's history, and festival screenings, before moving to New York to work in film and animation on an Oxberry stand. Then came the 1981 IBM PC and Lotus 1-2-3, which redirected his career entirely toward consulting and writing for PC Magazine, where he met his editor and future wife, Jane. Norm and Hoffman also share a laugh over a tennis mishap that inspired Norm's birthday gift. In closing, Hoffman describes his volunteer work as treasurer and bookkeeper for the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, which provides food pantry access, legal aid, transportation, school coordination, and emergency rent assistance to those in need.

Produced by Norm Magnusson, Jennifer Hammoud, and Matty Rosenberg @ radiofreerhinecliff.org

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This week's guest is coming up on her 25 year anniverary at the helm of one of my favorite restaurants, Gigi Trattoria, which she co-founded in 2001. She's a dietician/ entrepreneur an absolute delight: Laura Pensiero.

Produced by Norm Magnusson, Jennifer Hammoud, and Matty Rosenberg @ radiofreerhinecliff.org

Send comments to comments@radiofreerhinecliff.org

Norm sits down with Charles Derbyshire, who shares the story behind pronouncing his surname, his upbringing in Huntington, West Virginia, and reflections on the region’s hardship, opioids, and shifting economy centered on education and healthcare. He talks about Marshall University family ties, Appalachian identity, Hatfield lineage, and how his accent changed after years of acting training. The conversation ranges from Cajun martinis and Charles’s love of cooking—especially his gumbo—to high school basketball, his sons’ paths (one teaching at a refugee center in Cairo and one pursuing a PhD in astrophysics), and a beloved local tennis community. Charles also recounts his 15-year acting career, standout experimental theater work, world travel with Orbis International, television executive roles at Bravo/NBC and the BBC, and selling his Rhinebeck spirits shop after 20 years.

Produced by Norm Magnusson, Jennifer Hammoud, and Matty Rosenberg @ radiofreerhinecliff.org

Send comments to comments@radiofreerhinecliff.org