Speaker 1: Hudson River Radio dot com.
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Speaker 1: My goodness, Being Frank, where the only way to be
Speaker 1: is Frank. Hello everyone, and welcome to Being Frank, where
Speaker 1: the only way to be is Frank. I'm your host,
Speaker 1: Frank Lebuono, and I'd like to thank you for joining
Speaker 1: us on what we like to call the Intelligent Conversation podcast,
Speaker 1: where no conversations out of bounds and all points of
Speaker 1: view are welcome. We go live to tape recording. That
Speaker 1: is why I give you the date so you have
Speaker 1: some context and relevance to our conversation. It is the
Speaker 1: twenty first of November. In my standard weekly opening, I
Speaker 1: describe Being Frank as the Intelligent Conversation Podcast for a reason.
Speaker 1: It is my effort to describe a forum where people
Speaker 1: can find an alternative to the plethora of other podcasts
Speaker 1: that will say virtually anything simply to gain ratings that
Speaker 1: often includes deliberate miss and disinformation. Well, that's not what
Speaker 1: we're about. It's not that we dalt difficult or controversial subjects.
Speaker 1: As I also say in my intro, no conversations out
Speaker 1: of bounds and all points of view are welcome. We
Speaker 1: are willing to discuss virtually anything with anyone, as long
Speaker 1: as it takes place in an environment that encourages discourse,
Speaker 1: not dissonance, and we have often bringing leaders from industry, academia,
Speaker 1: the media, and community groups to have our discussions. But
Speaker 1: being Frank's goal is also to reach out to our neighbors,
Speaker 1: the people from our communities who, by how they live
Speaker 1: their very lives, serve as an example to all of us. Recently,
Speaker 1: through sheer happenstance, I met just such a person. We
Speaker 1: had both attended a lecture at our local library and
Speaker 1: we're leaving at the same time. I noticed that she
Speaker 1: had a bit of trouble negotiating the library steps, so
Speaker 1: I offered my assistance. She accepted that and my offer
Speaker 1: to walk her the remaining block or two to her apartment.
Speaker 1: It took just that brief walk to know that I
Speaker 1: had met an exceptional individual that I needed to know
Speaker 1: more about, and when I did, I was not disappointed.
Speaker 1: And neither will you be born and bred in the Bronx.
Speaker 1: She later moved to Chelsea, where she lived for thirty years.
Speaker 1: After college graduation, she went to Los Angeles and acted
Speaker 1: in Shakespeare rep in children's theater. She eventually moved back
Speaker 1: to New York and did Dinner theater in the Southwest US.
Speaker 1: She had mirrored jobs while looking for acting gigs, and
Speaker 1: later learned the computer, where she spent many years as
Speaker 1: a database researcher. About eight years ago, she moved from Washington,
Speaker 1: d C. To her latest place in Niak. She is
Speaker 1: currently working on an illustrated children's book with local artist
Speaker 1: Bobby Belfry. Please welcome my guest and friend, new friend,
Speaker 1: Maxine Burstein. Maxine, thank you so much for taking the
Speaker 1: time to join us here today.
Speaker 3: Well, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, let's start early on. And I know
Speaker 1: it's kind of rude to ask a woman her age,
Speaker 1: but you know, we have to have some context to
Speaker 1: what we're talking about here in terms of the history
Speaker 1: that you've experienced. So when were you born?
Speaker 2: I was born in nineteen thirty eight, which makes me
Speaker 2: an eighty six year old young senior.
Speaker 1: Okay, I was going to say thirty nine, just you know,
Speaker 1: but okay, as I found you to be very truthful
Speaker 1: from the beginning. So you mentioned growing up in the Bronx.
Speaker 1: What was it like at that time? You mentioned you
Speaker 1: were born in the thirties, so obviously the early part
Speaker 1: of your life spent in the Bronx. What was it
Speaker 1: like at that time, Oh, it was wonderful.
Speaker 2: I lived in a small side street of two family
Speaker 2: houses right next to each other. It was a lively community.
Speaker 2: I had a lot of friends, and I had a
Speaker 2: wonderful little dog named Topsi, who I loved and was
Speaker 2: probably my best friend. And I at a very early age,
Speaker 2: was taken to the movies, which I completely fell in
Speaker 2: love with. So I spent a lot of my time
Speaker 2: when I wasn't in school going to the movies, going
Speaker 2: to one of the two local theaters and watching all
Speaker 2: my famous movie stars see these drap books, and dreaming
Speaker 2: of being a movie star myself. I think at that
Speaker 2: point I loved it so much. I wanted to be
Speaker 2: an actress. I wanted to be in the movie. This
Speaker 2: was way before I got into the theater.
Speaker 1: Yeah, but that was kind of your epiphany, Maxine, If
Speaker 1: you will, you knew even at that moment that at
Speaker 1: least a good part of your life would be in
Speaker 1: the theater, and you did me.
Speaker 2: I was a very very imaginative child. I spent a
Speaker 2: lot of time playing with my cutout dolls and I
Speaker 2: would act out all the parts, so I really knew
Speaker 2: I had something going on there.
Speaker 1: Wow. Now you mentioned your neighborhood. What was it like.
Speaker 1: Was it a very mixed neighborhood? Was it more a
Speaker 1: group of one grouping of one people?
Speaker 3: It was really a Jewish neighborhood.
Speaker 2: Mostly Jewish people lived in the and that area of
Speaker 2: the I think, I don't know. I think it was
Speaker 2: right off the concourse, right off the Grand Concurse.
Speaker 1: Okay, interesting, And we only.
Speaker 2: Knew each other and had parties on special occasions. I
Speaker 2: had a lot of friends to play with, and when
Speaker 2: I got a little bit older and I had a friend,
Speaker 2: we would play make the League games because the make
Speaker 2: the League games. And who do you think wrote the
Speaker 2: script for most of the things going on to faries
Speaker 2: visiting the team. It was me and I think one
Speaker 2: or two of the people who lost contact with went
Speaker 2: into the entertainment industry as directors and producers.
Speaker 1: Let's talk a little bit about some of your role models.
Speaker 1: Now you mentioned movie stars being some who were your favorites?
Speaker 1: And who else might you have considered an influence.
Speaker 3: I really didn't have a mentor unless you considered the
Speaker 3: movie stars because I was so attached to the movies
Speaker 3: that I.
Speaker 2: Loved the stories about the women who were brave and
Speaker 2: strong and face all obstacles and then came through as heroine.
Speaker 2: And my very favorite actress is Betty Grable, and she
Speaker 2: taught me that no matter what problem you had in life,
Speaker 2: when you went out and did your job and sang
Speaker 2: and did your dance, when you got back off stage,
Speaker 2: all your problems were solved.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 3: I loved her.
Speaker 1: Wow Wow.
Speaker 3: No.
Speaker 1: Have you lived in many various places. We talked a
Speaker 1: little bit about it, from the Bronx to Chelsea, DC,
Speaker 1: Los Angeles. Was that by circumstance or choice?
Speaker 2: Well, it was by choice. Once I got old enough
Speaker 2: to leave my home. After I graduated college, I went
Speaker 2: out to Los Angeles to live with a cousin of
Speaker 2: mine because I still had dreams of being in the
Speaker 2: movies or on television. My favorite show is maver I
Speaker 2: love James Garner, and my dream was to be on
Speaker 2: the show. But unfortunately, it was very difficult to find
Speaker 2: an agent to represent me. Every time I would bring
Speaker 2: my picture in or have an interview or something, they take.
Speaker 3: Oh, well, look at this isn't this interesting? Well, that
Speaker 3: was the Tis Death. I never heard from him after
Speaker 3: they did it.
Speaker 1: Wow, it was very incredibly interesting that Wow.
Speaker 2: So I never got on the show, but I did
Speaker 2: get to do that Shakespeare and rep and Children's Theater
Speaker 2: and I was there for two years and then came
Speaker 2: back to New York and did another Shakespeare production and
Speaker 2: a lot of showcases in sho Goo in art galleries
Speaker 2: doing I had a friend who.
Speaker 3: Was a playwright. I did all of his plays.
Speaker 2: And then I got into Dinners Theater and traveled down
Speaker 2: to North Carolina and Oklahoma and Mississippi and it was
Speaker 2: all a.
Speaker 1: Wonderful You talk about that experience, Maxine, it was positive.
Speaker 1: You went to again. I said, it's so fascinating that
Speaker 1: this girl from the Bronx is experiencing all Like you said,
Speaker 1: North Carolina, Mississippi helped. It couldn't get more different. What
Speaker 1: was that experience like for you?
Speaker 3: Oh, Dinner Theater is wonderful.
Speaker 2: It's absolutely wonderful because you experience with an audience and
Speaker 2: getting their reactions. And I did a lot of Neil
Speaker 2: Simon at the North Carolina Theater and I.
Speaker 3: We were very.
Speaker 2: Successful that the audience as loved us, and we had
Speaker 2: some free time during the day, so there was a
Speaker 2: company card that we could use and we could go
Speaker 2: to the malls and go shopping. And since I'm the
Speaker 2: big animal person, the word got out that I was
Speaker 2: down there at the theater, so all the animals would
Speaker 2: come to the door, and of course I would adopt them,
Speaker 2: bring them into the theater, and then find homes for them.
Speaker 1: Mississippi, word got out you were a softy MAXIEK. God,
Speaker 1: I'm guilty of that. All the stray and injured animals
Speaker 1: went up on our door steps, so I can.
Speaker 2: Relate, right, Mississippi was a little different. Pots tell us
Speaker 2: about it, so friendly, and I felt I didn't feel
Speaker 2: comfortable there, although the audience blowed those And in Oklahoma
Speaker 2: we did very well and it's a big, sprawling place
Speaker 2: and we just drove.
Speaker 3: Around and.
Speaker 2: Which Denis, it was wonderful and wonderful learning experience.
Speaker 1: So overall the experience for you was positive. And you
Speaker 1: you know, you mentioned some of the down stuff and
Speaker 1: it's it's part of the overall experience, but you always
Speaker 1: seem to try to make it into something positive. I
Speaker 1: think that's an important element of your your thought process.
Speaker 1: Talk a little bit about that.
Speaker 2: Well, there was a long time in my life where
Speaker 2: I was depressed about not getting parts and having to
Speaker 2: do jobs that I didn't like, and it was hard
Speaker 2: to get out of it, and I would come home
Speaker 2: and drink a bottle of wine and then feel terrible
Speaker 2: the next day. And after going into therapy, the doctors
Speaker 2: helped me a lot. And also some of the pills,
Speaker 2: the antidepression pills they gave me help me a lot.
Speaker 2: And I had a very very very wonderful close friend
Speaker 2: who would talk me out of my depression and would
Speaker 2: be very supportive to me and taught me to face
Speaker 2: all my problems and start looking at the positive side.
Speaker 3: It was.
Speaker 2: It was a very hard thing to learn and I'm
Speaker 2: still learning it. But these past few years in Nyak
Speaker 2: have been so wonderful that I feel like a new person,
Speaker 2: especially being here with you.
Speaker 1: I want to talk a little bit about your community
Speaker 1: involvement in a few moments too, and because I know
Speaker 1: that that's an important part of your life very much.
Speaker 1: So that's that's how we met. And you belong to
Speaker 1: writers' circles and you keep busy and I know that's important.
Speaker 1: We're going to talk about it in a minute, but
Speaker 1: I also want to talk about your sense of history.
Speaker 1: You've seen so much, You've traveled, your work has allowed
Speaker 1: you that through your dinner, theater, experience, your personal experiences
Speaker 1: of living at different parts of the country. So you've
Speaker 1: seen change obviously in your eighty plus years, hopefully for
Speaker 1: the better. But I'm not going to put words in
Speaker 1: your mouth. Having a witnessed so much history. What are
Speaker 1: some of the things that stick out in your mind
Speaker 1: that has shaped you as a person and also as
Speaker 1: an American.
Speaker 2: Well, I think one of the biggest things I remember
Speaker 2: was my first time voting. I was living in Los
Speaker 2: Angeles and I had ants and d dollar and I
Speaker 2: voted to Kennedy. When he got elected and served as president,
Speaker 2: I loved him, and of course the assassination was something
Speaker 2: horrible to experience. And then when Obama got elected, it
Speaker 2: was a joy for me. And what I have seen
Speaker 2: that has been so different. See, the fifties were a
Speaker 2: time of safety. I could go on the subway late
Speaker 2: at night and come home late at night and never
Speaker 2: be afraid of being hosted or rape or anything. There
Speaker 2: was nobody out on the streets late at night. I
Speaker 2: lived near the subway, and I could come home.
Speaker 3: There were no.
Speaker 2: Guns, there were no stories of schools being hurt.
Speaker 3: It was safe to go to school.
Speaker 2: You had a lot of friends, you did a lot
Speaker 2: of activities after school, and it was a safe time.
Speaker 2: It might have been a little bit of a room
Speaker 2: rest time, but it was safe. And I felt good
Speaker 2: growing up. And then the sixties came along, and that
Speaker 2: was wonderful. That was wonderful. I loved I was doing acting,
Speaker 2: I was doing my dinner theater, I was doing some shows.
Speaker 2: I was in California for two years doing the Shakespeare,
Speaker 2: as I said, in the children theater. And then I
Speaker 2: came back doing some more shows and working a lot
Speaker 2: of tech jobs. And I learned how to use the
Speaker 2: computer from a friend.
Speaker 1: Of mine early on in the sixties. That was really
Speaker 1: cutting edge.
Speaker 3: Yeah, And it was like, you know, when there was
Speaker 3: just one server.
Speaker 2: And you didn't have pcvs, and so you had to
Speaker 2: learn the system. And it was called a modem system.
Speaker 3: I don't think modem. I forgot the name of it anyway.
Speaker 3: One of the jobs that I got, one.
Speaker 2: Of the the tempo that I got with with a
Speaker 2: public relations agency where I had to use and do
Speaker 2: email and mailings on the computer, and then I got
Speaker 2: hired by them. I was with them for quite a
Speaker 2: while before they offered me a job, and so I
Speaker 2: took the job because I would get health.
Speaker 3: Insurance and all sorts and then be employee.
Speaker 2: And at some point later on I gave up acting
Speaker 2: because I got really sick and tired of sitting in
Speaker 2: all the audition rooms and seeing the same faces and
Speaker 2: saying to myself, what am I going to do this
Speaker 2: when I'm fifteen years old sitting in this room seeing
Speaker 2: the same face, So don't you just not do it anymore?
Speaker 2: So I took the job, and a good things happened
Speaker 2: out of the job because they decided they wanted to
Speaker 2: have some research done and they hook up with a database.
Speaker 2: I forgot the name of it. It's a very popular
Speaker 2: database where you can get all sorts of media to
Speaker 2: get information.
Speaker 3: So I learned that.
Speaker 2: And I was doing research for all the people in
Speaker 2: the agency. I set up a library for the agency.
Speaker 2: I was doing like the work of a librarian without
Speaker 2: a degree, and it turned out to be a very
Speaker 2: interesting experience to me.
Speaker 3: Another thing that was really interesting was.
Speaker 2: In the evenings of there was this newspaper in New
Speaker 2: York where you could take courses in the evenings a
Speaker 2: very little bit money, and there were all different things.
Speaker 2: The only thing that stayed interesting to me was a
Speaker 2: horseback ridding. Being an animal lover, I wanted to be
Speaker 2: near a horse, so I signed up. I did four
Speaker 2: weeks to that. I was absolutely terrible, but I stayed
Speaker 2: on and I signed up for lessons and I stayed
Speaker 2: at that for years and years and years, and I
Speaker 2: learned how to ride a horse, interplications in it in Ireland.
Speaker 1: Riding and the band for Girl from the Bronx.
Speaker 3: Huh yeah, so they took the place in theater for me.
Speaker 1: Oh interesting. Now, One thing I want to and you
Speaker 1: mentioned the feeling of safety in the fifties and the
Speaker 1: challenges of the sixties and then through the seventies as well,
Speaker 1: with the Vietnam War creating discord in this country. Certainly
Speaker 1: like I've never seen until now in your mind, what's happened?
Speaker 1: How did we go from the ability and you mentioned
Speaker 1: things not perfect, but certainly I don't know if accessibility
Speaker 1: is the right word. Civility is put in there. We
Speaker 1: seem to have lost so much of that what's you're thinking?
Speaker 1: What happened?
Speaker 3: I knew what happened.
Speaker 2: I mean that that Trump becoming popular and becoming president
Speaker 2: the first time and spouting his eight two people.
Speaker 3: I don't know what happened.
Speaker 2: I think what happened was that the rich cut richard
Speaker 2: and the middle class started to lose their comfort and
Speaker 2: their future and things.
Speaker 3: Started to change for the worst.
Speaker 2: And people's people were not really paying attention to what
Speaker 2: was going on, and most of them just would listen
Speaker 2: to to short, short speeches. They wouldn't they wouldn't go
Speaker 2: on TV and listen to the people who were telling
Speaker 2: us what was going on, and so they were taking shortcuts.
Speaker 2: And then when Trump came in, they believed.
Speaker 3: Him and they listened to him.
Speaker 2: And I always felt as though he had a group
Speaker 2: of people that were supporters, but I didn't know that
Speaker 2: there would be so many has happened during the election
Speaker 2: with a public vote.
Speaker 3: I still don't know what happened.
Speaker 2: I'm absolutely sick and frightened to death because he's already
Speaker 2: shown and he's taking over everything. He's putting all these
Speaker 2: idiots in dot can listen to him and follow what
Speaker 2: he wants to do.
Speaker 1: You know, don't don't hold back, Maxine. I'm sorry, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm not at all. I'm I'm encouraging you. This is,
Speaker 1: you know, open honest conversation. It's being frank, and I
Speaker 1: appreciate your frankness, I really do. That's why I asked
Speaker 1: you to come on. I knew you would be forthcoming
Speaker 1: and honest talk a little bit too. You know, as
Speaker 1: a woman and as an independent woman, you've obviously always
Speaker 1: been your whole life. And yet many women seem to
Speaker 1: have some Trump for president. He wouldn't have We won
Speaker 1: the popular vote, he won the electoral vote. Your thoughts
Speaker 1: on that As a woman, I've tried to.
Speaker 2: Figure out how that can be. I mean, the women
Speaker 2: who are married to the Trump men, well, you know,
Speaker 2: they probably even have the same feelings or listen to
Speaker 2: their husbands.
Speaker 3: Although I've seen some.
Speaker 2: Of these women for Trump and they're like they're as
Speaker 2: bad as the men when I've seen them on TV.
Speaker 2: I think the Latin women supported Trump. It was the
Speaker 2: men who will have this motto feeling and loved that
Speaker 2: Marconis of Trump voted for him. But I think they
Speaker 2: the Latin women voted for Trump. I'm really not sure
Speaker 2: about why a lot of white women, working women.
Speaker 3: Voted room. I can to drive off. I just can't
Speaker 3: to grove off.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, America has changed. It's obviously, I mean
Speaker 1: it's it's it's a it's a living thing. Democracy, the
Speaker 1: Constitution is supposed to be a living thing as we
Speaker 1: hopefully progress. So you've you've seen so many changes over
Speaker 1: the course of your lifetime. How has America changed for
Speaker 1: the better or for the worse or both? What have
Speaker 1: you seen that really strike you?
Speaker 2: What strikes me is that there is a big divide
Speaker 2: between people, and there's a big feeling that we're not doing.
Speaker 3: As well as we really are.
Speaker 2: For some reason, people bought the fact that they wanted
Speaker 2: the better economy will our economy is doing so well.
Speaker 2: They don't understand why they think that, And people want more.
Speaker 2: I think Americans are very singular. Me me, my mine,
Speaker 2: I want, I want, I want. A lot of Americans.
Speaker 3: I'm not going to.
Speaker 2: Say every American, but most Americans are give me I want,
Speaker 2: I want to and so they want America to be
Speaker 2: great again. So I think there's a great divide between
Speaker 2: the people who feel as though they should have more,
Speaker 2: and they're very upset with the government that doesn't give
Speaker 2: them more, even though Biden did.
Speaker 3: And it's a great country. It's a wonderful country.
Speaker 2: I'm absolutely thrilled to be an American and not than
Speaker 2: anywhere else in this world.
Speaker 3: And well, I'm not rich, you know.
Speaker 2: I can take care of myself and I and it's
Speaker 2: enough for me.
Speaker 3: But I think society makes.
Speaker 2: You want to have more and more and more, and
Speaker 2: that's why people have developed their love for Trump.
Speaker 1: It's a perfect segue into my next couple of questions.
Speaker 1: And then we'll take a quick break, Maxine, I'll let
Speaker 1: you get some water. I'm making you talk to the
Speaker 1: point of jump. Okay, you will take a break in
Speaker 1: just a couple of minutes. Two more quick questions. You
Speaker 1: you live alone, but you don't. You don't seem lonely.
Speaker 1: Is that an accurate statement? Talk a little to that.
Speaker 2: It's a very accurate statement. Because I'm very busy. I
Speaker 2: keep myself very busy with volunteer work and joining groups.
Speaker 2: My library is an absolutely wonderful treasure and it has
Speaker 2: wonderful things to join. I'm part of a Shakespeare reading group.
Speaker 2: On Mondays.
Speaker 3: We read the.
Speaker 2: Play, we watch tapes of the plays, we talk about
Speaker 2: the planes. I also belong to a wonderful group of
Speaker 2: senior actors called Maturely Motivated Players, and we perform at
Speaker 2: public libraries and senior centers and read humor through people
Speaker 2: like the Jerry Steinfeld, Demita Radner and and like that,
Speaker 2: and we.
Speaker 3: Make people laugh.
Speaker 2: And we did three shows about getting older and life
Speaker 2: is of stable of charities and getting rid of all
Speaker 2: your stuff, and we've been very successful so far, so
Speaker 2: I've been very lucky to be part of that. I
Speaker 2: also volunteer at the First Store where I mark the
Speaker 2: clothes they go out on the floor. I belong to
Speaker 2: an adult writing group at the library called Powels Older
Speaker 2: Writers Lab. And there's another senior group called Creative Aging
Speaker 2: in NAT, which is an absolute marvelous group of seniors
Speaker 2: who have to live in Naya to join, and we
Speaker 2: meet every other week and have programs and teach us
Speaker 2: about getting older, teach us all about different things that
Speaker 2: can affect their life. And I did a wonderful program
Speaker 2: on humor for them where I made them laugh and
Speaker 2: forget all their cares. And they're very helpful. When I
Speaker 2: had my hip replacement, they did my shopping for me.
Speaker 2: They came and brought me through. They helped me drive
Speaker 2: me to the market to go shopping every week. They're
Speaker 2: an absolute wonderful support group. So I'm very busy.
Speaker 3: And also I did volunteer work at an elementary school
Speaker 3: in the first grade, helping kids read. So I'm very busy.
Speaker 1: I can't I can't compete, I can't even keep up.
Speaker 1: What would you then say, was, is that's your Your
Speaker 1: key to living a happy, full life is experien but.
Speaker 2: Or not with all these activities, there are still some
Speaker 2: days when I have time for myself.
Speaker 3: So I do a lot of reading, and then I
Speaker 3: watch old movies and then I do some writing. So
Speaker 3: I'm very busy.
Speaker 2: I keep myself active, which is very important, especially for seniors.
Speaker 2: You should go out, you should volunteer, you should meet
Speaker 2: new people. You should join the community, don't stay home yoursel.
Speaker 1: You mentioned writing and busy, and I'm going to just
Speaker 1: tease it a little bit because we're going to take
Speaker 1: that break that I promised, and then we're talking. You're
Speaker 1: writing a children's book, and as I mentioned, it's being
Speaker 1: illustrated by a local artist who's an artist in many ways.
Speaker 1: He also has a wonderful singer Bobby Belfrey. I talk
Speaker 1: a little bit about what the book is, how you
Speaker 1: came up with the idea for the book, and where
Speaker 1: it's going. So a lot more to come with is that. Okay,
Speaker 1: we'll take a little break at a little bit of water.
Speaker 1: Let's catch our breath, and we'll come back strong and
Speaker 1: finish this up. Okay, okay, very good. My very special
Speaker 1: guest is Maxine Burstein. You're watching Being Frank, and I'm
Speaker 1: your host, Frank Lebono. We're back with more after these
Speaker 1: brief commercial messages. Don't go anywhere yet. This is great.
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Speaker 1: Welcome back to Being Frank, the Intelligent Conversation podcast. Thanks
Speaker 1: for sticking with us. I'm your host, Frank Lebono, and
Speaker 1: of course our followers know. Our engineer is the mailman,
Speaker 1: mister Neil Richter. Our very special guest is Maxine Bernstein,
Speaker 1: and we're talking about well life. We bring our audience
Speaker 1: a fresh topic every week and stream from Hudson River Radio,
Speaker 1: located in beautiful and historic Stony Point, New York. But
Speaker 1: remember you can catch Being Frank anywhere you get your
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Speaker 1: And because every Being Frank is archived, you can listen
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Speaker 1: this one. You can find the link to Being Frank
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Speaker 1: and you're there. All right, back with Maxine Berthsteine, and
Speaker 1: we're talking about life and a life well lived and
Speaker 1: a lot more to go with a busy, busy lady.
Speaker 1: She gave you just a brief list to some of
Speaker 1: our activities, and one of the more important ones is
Speaker 1: she's written a children's book. As I mentioned, it's being
Speaker 1: illustrated by local artists. Bobby Belfrey. Tell us a little
Speaker 1: bit about the book. What's it called? What's it about?
Speaker 1: How did you come up with the idea?
Speaker 2: Well, it's a mystery, and I came up it's the idea.
Speaker 2: I just shot at the computer and the first line
Speaker 2: came up, and then I just took it from there.
Speaker 2: And it's a book about a cat or what a
Speaker 2: surprise until that catch in my life.
Speaker 3: Who is a detective.
Speaker 2: He is called to a farm where the hen has
Speaker 2: lost her chicks, and all the film animals were looking
Speaker 2: for the chicks and couldn't find it. So someone suggested,
Speaker 2: let's call Dexter, the wonderful detective. So Dexter comes driving
Speaker 2: on call the her horse who lives at the farm.
Speaker 2: They are the animals will have riper names, by the way,
Speaker 2: which I love giving animals human names. So he comes
Speaker 2: and he looks and he looks, and he can't find them.
Speaker 2: But on a future tries, he hears a sound near
Speaker 2: the front of the farm under a pile of dirt,
Speaker 2: and sure enough there are the chicks and he finds
Speaker 2: them and they returned to their mother, and it ends
Speaker 2: happily with Dexter saving the day.
Speaker 1: And what's the name of it, what's the title?
Speaker 3: Dexter Saves the Day?
Speaker 1: Well, there you go, Dexter saves the day. Talk a
Speaker 1: little bit about Bobby sketches and what he's creating for you.
Speaker 2: Oh, your sketches are absolutely adorable. He hes texture in
Speaker 2: a sherlockoholme oat with a little type and hat, and
Speaker 2: all the animals are adorable, and I understand he has
Speaker 2: some more illustrations in me than he's going to bring me.
Speaker 2: But I, I obviously have never published, and I don't
Speaker 2: and they know nothing about publishing. So I've done a
Speaker 2: lot of research online of how you get a book published. Well,
Speaker 2: I don't want to go through the extent of publishing
Speaker 2: it myself, so I looked up how you get some
Speaker 2: get a publisher without an agent, and there were about
Speaker 2: six or seven that would accept your manuscripts. And then
Speaker 2: you know what what they require you to put in
Speaker 2: a letter and what they require and how and what
Speaker 2: the format will be, and don't nail it, but send
Speaker 2: it by email. And so I just finished writing the
Speaker 2: proposal letter and I send it to a couple of
Speaker 2: friends to look over and make some some corrections and
Speaker 2: contestant and and so the next step is sending the
Speaker 2: letter and the story out of the publishers.
Speaker 3: And keeping my things cossed. It would be absolute.
Speaker 1: Miracle, Maxine. If anybody can get it done, obviously it
Speaker 1: would be you.
Speaker 3: Was wonderful.
Speaker 1: You know. Keep in mind to put the pressure on Richard,
Speaker 1: the owner of Red Books, But we have a wonderful
Speaker 1: local bookstore resource right here in the heart of Nayak
Speaker 1: the read books. Perhaps he can help. We'll see, because
Speaker 1: it's so exciting and I think a lot of people
Speaker 1: would like to see this get done, Maxine, not only
Speaker 1: I think you have. You have a lot of fans,
Speaker 1: you really do, and I think after this podcast you're
Speaker 1: gonna have a lot more.
Speaker 3: Oh jil that would be absolutely one.
Speaker 1: Well, we'll see. Well's two last questions. First, if you
Speaker 1: could what advice And we've talked a little bit about it,
Speaker 1: but if you can kind of summarize, what advice would
Speaker 1: you give to people, particularly young people who want to
Speaker 1: live a good, long, successful life. Is there one key?
Speaker 1: Two key? How could you if you could? I don't know.
Speaker 1: It's a very difficult, maybe esoteric concept, but what would
Speaker 1: you tell people? What's the key to living a good, successful,
Speaker 1: happy life?
Speaker 3: Be open? Can experiences be good, be honorable, be truth tom,
Speaker 3: do the best you can and deal with all your
Speaker 3: failures as a living experience, and.
Speaker 2: Keep smiling and keep laughing, and keep finding things for
Speaker 2: the humorous and life rather than horrible.
Speaker 1: It's so, what's in the future, we say the book?
Speaker 1: What else is in store for Maxine Bernstein? Going forward?
Speaker 1: And you're always moving forward.
Speaker 2: Oh well, I'm going to continue with all my activities.
Speaker 2: And I didn't mention that I'm a member of Elmwood
Speaker 2: Playhouse and even get a show there. So I'm going
Speaker 2: back to Elmwood to help out backstage in their upcoming plays.
Speaker 2: And by the way, they played The Humans, which is
Speaker 2: on now, is absolutely wonderful.
Speaker 1: Yes, I've seen it. We had their director on and
Speaker 1: and with a terrific show. And I saw the show Humans.
Speaker 1: It's really a great experience.
Speaker 3: Yes, go get tickets and what is what is in store?
Speaker 2: I hope to be in the new production when they're
Speaker 2: it is ready of the mutually motivated players, so we
Speaker 2: can go around and make people laugh and feel good.
Speaker 2: And I don't know, maybe something else t'ar up that
Speaker 2: I don't know about that I'm interested in.
Speaker 3: That I can join.
Speaker 1: It's the it's the open mind that you talked about,
Speaker 1: always open to new things, keeping and I.
Speaker 2: Keep finding new authors to read by watching the zoom
Speaker 2: author talked. So I found two new authors, so I'll
Speaker 2: keep on reading.
Speaker 1: I think you're awesome. Vaccine. I'm so glad you took
Speaker 1: the time. You know, we we we had a breakfast
Speaker 1: the other day and I said, we've got to do
Speaker 1: a podcast, and I'm so glad that we did and
Speaker 1: it worked out so well. I hope you had a
Speaker 1: good time.
Speaker 3: I did. I did. I was very nervous before, but
Speaker 3: I'm feeling you're a wonderful man to.
Speaker 1: Well, you know, just Maxine being Maxine, and that's good enough,
Speaker 1: good enough for me. I'm sure it's good enough for
Speaker 1: our audience. It's well too. I really appreciate you being
Speaker 1: so frank with your intelligent conversation, Maxine. It's been a
Speaker 1: real pleasure.
Speaker 3: Thank you so much for having me, and by all my.
Speaker 1: Neighbors and trends and great of course, we offer special
Speaker 1: thanks to our listeners who take the time to give
Speaker 1: us a voice in their lives too. Remember we offer
Speaker 1: a fresh topic every week and catch us wherever and
Speaker 1: whenever you get your favorite podcasts. Can also check us
Speaker 1: out on the Hudson River Radio Facebook page. Like us,
Speaker 1: leave us a comment, and we ask you to consider
Speaker 1: sharing being frank with others. You know, I always leave
Speaker 1: you two little things relatives kind of a sloganer saying
Speaker 1: relative to our conversation, and some really great music. Never disappoints.
Speaker 1: Original music by many of the great local artists that
Speaker 1: live here. But first this quote from John Lennon, and
Speaker 1: I think it's simple and eloquent. Counter age by friends,
Speaker 1: not years, counter life, by smiles, not tears, simple, direct, beautiful.
Speaker 1: We've got some great closing music. As I mentioned Bobby Belfry,
Speaker 1: a multi talented artist. Not only is he doing the
Speaker 1: artwork for Maxine's new book, he's also a wonderful singer.
Speaker 1: Here he performs with the incredible David Budway, who is
Speaker 1: also the proprietor of Maureen's Jazz, So the great Jazz
Speaker 1: Club right here at Nayak with one of these days
Speaker 1: for our engineer Neil Richter, I'm your host, Frank Lebono,
Speaker 1: and we hope to have you join us for the
Speaker 1: next being. Frank, where the only way to be is Frank,
Speaker 1: take care, everybody.
Speaker 6: One of these days will live in a palace.
Speaker 7: One of these days we'll.
Speaker 6: Sip wine from a chalice and count up us stots.
Speaker 4: That we all.
Speaker 6: In our sailboat unper places.
Speaker 8: One of these days we'll sleep in palic.
Speaker 6: Tie to our mountains off the coast of that pat
Speaker 6: on an island named after.
Speaker 4: The tropic beach and a ban just for two, but
Speaker 4: for night. We're here in our humble to cable TV
Speaker 4: and the grand pre call me, Yes.
Speaker 9: You with with me?
Speaker 4: Have we might as well be on a.
Speaker 7: Cruise to the stars in our milky see. One of
Speaker 7: these days I'll win an oscar to cover and press
Speaker 7: for my take on a monster.
Speaker 4: We'll do lunch and complain bou.
Speaker 8: Press, but with Missus Walters crying and confer.
Speaker 4: That we'd rather.
Speaker 9: Be he.
Speaker 7: Ariana humble with the noisy neighbor and the toxic city things.
Speaker 4: Yes, your be with me, and we met as.
Speaker 7: With on a cruise to the stars in antil ways.
Speaker 7: One of these days we'll buy a casino. We'll create
Speaker 7: such craze just like Frankie.
Speaker 4: Indeed, no and a croon mon hard out with such mirth.
Speaker 4: Then you'll divorce me and take all. I'm word. No,
Speaker 4: I'd rather be he.
Speaker 7: In our humble to room with the cable TV and
Speaker 7: this brand all.
Speaker 4: Guess you're with me and we.
Speaker 8: Met as well be on a cruise to the side.
Speaker 7: In a humble to roam with the noisy neighbor and
Speaker 7: the toxic in tune.
Speaker 4: Yes, you're be with me, and we met as well.
Speaker 8: On a cruise tos in Armycky Way.
Speaker 9: See Vinity
Speaker 8: Of Hudson River Radio dot com HM