Ira’s Everything Bagel | US Arts and Culture Podcasts

Singer-songwriter Brett Hellings joins Ira for a lively and insightful conversation about music, creativity, and the power of taking risks.
In this episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Brett discusses why he chose to remain an independent artist and why the freedom of the indie path has been such an incredible experience for him. He shares how technology has empowered artists to create and release music on their own terms—and why he encourages fellow musicians to “go find yourself” creatively.
The conversation also dives into Brett’s energetic party anthem “Here to Have a Good Time,” which gained attention on the syndicated radio show hosted by rock legend Alice Cooper, and how a surprising collaboration helped shape his latest work.
Brett’s new single “Chance on Love” features an extraordinary lineup of musicians, including guitarist Richard Fortus of Guns N' Roses, bassist Darryl Jones of The Rolling Stones, legendary drummer and bassist Charley Drayton, and acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Carey Frank.
The result is a soulful power ballad about love, connection, and the life-changing possibilities that come when we take a chance on someone else—and ourselves.
Along the way, Brett reflects on why he still isn’t jaded after decades in the music business, how gratitude shapes his outlook, and how fatherhood helps him slow down and appreciate the creative process. For Brett, songwriting is a lifelong calling—one where the goal is simple: don’t let the ego get in the way of the music.
Photo by Michael Halsband
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FROM REFUGEE LETTERS TO A POWERFUL FAMILY STORY

A box of forgotten letters. A family history waiting decades to be uncovered.

This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with Charlie Scheidt, co-author (with Kat Rohrer) of "Inheritance: Love, Loss, and the Legacy of the Holocaust, "for a deeply personal conversation about family memory, trauma, and the responsibility of telling difficult stories.
Charlie recounts the moment in 1988 when his mother revealed the existence of a trove of family papers and letters written by relatives fleeing Nazi persecution during the the Holocaust. For decades, the documents sat largely untouched as he grappled with their emo-tional weight.
Everything changed during a 2009 trip to Frankfurt, when Charlie realized the time had come to confront the past—not only for his own family, but for future generations.
In this episode, Charlie discusses:
The powerful first-person letters written by refugees escaping Nazi Europe
Why many survivor families avoided talking about the past
His surprising collaboration with filmmaker Kat Rohrer—whose grandfather had been a committed Nazi
Their research trips beginning in 2016 to uncover missing pieces of family history
The emotional challenges of confronting generational trauma
How different branches of his family coped with exile and identity
The reactions of relatives when he began writing the book
And what he hopes readers will ultimately take away from these stories
Charlie also reflects on growing up in a tight-knit German-Jewish refugee community in New York and leading Roland Foods—the company founded by his parents—for nearly five decades before dedicating his time to supporting refugee advocacy and humanitarian causes.
This is a moving conversation about memory, resilience, and why preserving personal histories matters now more than ever.
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From National Security Insider to Thriller Author: Chad Boudreaux on Writing 'Mob Justice'

On this episode of “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with thriller author and national security insider Chad Boudreaux, whose latest novel, "Mob Justice," pulls readers deep into the evolving world of organized crime.
Chad discusses how he manages to write gripping thrillers despite a demanding career, and how his first novel, "Scavenger Hunt," launched a series that blends authentic national security insights with fast-paced storytelling. Although Mob Justice is a sequel, Chad ex-plains why it works perfectly as a stand-alone novel.
The conversation explores how the modern mob has evolved from the days of Al Capone into something far more sophisticated—more corporate, more strategic, and still very dan-gerous. One of the novel’s central themes is the tension between the old-school mob cul-ture and a new generation that operates more like savvy business executives than street-level gangsters.
Chad also reveals how his characters developed while writing. His protagonist, Blake Hudson—a lawyer working for the United States Department of Justice—is suddenly thrust into the dangerous world of organized crime. Meanwhile, Enzo Renzi emerges as a complex mob insider with an Ivy League intellect and a conscience buried beneath loyalty to the organization.
The episode also explores how the legendary “The Godfather” series influenced real-life gangsters, the surprising ways characters can sometimes take control of a story, and the delicate balance between real-life legal insight and editorial storytelling demands.
Chad’s path to writing thrillers is anything but conventional. Those experiences profoundly shaped his worldview—and now fuel the authenticity of his thrillers. In this engaging conversation, he shares how real-world security challenges, moral dilemmas, and the idea of protagonists who are always “honest and brave” influence the stories he tells.
The result is fiction that feels startlingly real—and a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how power, loyalty, and justice collide in both government and the underworld.
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Against the Clock: How Ordinary People Pulled Off an Impossible Rescue

What happens when a deadly virus meets a ticking clock—and no clear plan?

This week on “Ira’s Everything Bagel,” Ira sits down with author and former paramedic Kevin Hazzard to unpack the gripping true story behind "No One’s Coming: The Rogue Heroes Our Government Turns to When There’s Nowhere Else to Turn." At the center: the 2014 Ebola outbreak, one of the most terrifying public health crises in modern history, and a daring rescue mission that pushed the limits of science, aviation, and human courage.

Kevin shares why his fascination with high-risk, high-stakes situations drew him to this story—and how a small, unconventional company called Phoenix Air became the world’s last line of defense. From the development of groundbreaking containment technology to the intense opposition surrounding the mission, this episode explores the razor-thin line between saving lives and risking a wider outbreak.

You’ll hear how fear and hysteria spread just as quickly as the virus itself, why even U.S. states like Maine reacted with alarm, and how a robust public health infrastructure ultimately played a critical role. At its core, this is a story about ordinary people stepping up in extraordinary circumstances—facing danger head-on when the world needed them most.

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Photo by Bonnie J Heath