BC Radio Live is the flagship program of the BC Magazine station on BlogTalkRadio. It's hosted by Phillip Winn, Eric Olsen, and Lisa McKay and airs weekly on Wednesday evenings at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Shows are archived and available for streaming or download after the live broadcast. Our guests on April 9 were entertainer Michael Matone, author Mary Roach, Meat Beat Manifesto, and singer/songwriter Caroline Herring.

New York native Michael Matone has made a name for himself as an entertainer who brings a Sinatra-style vibe to his music. A behavioral scientist by virtue of his professional training, Matone's lifelong love of music has led him to a second career as an entertainer who's in big demand at a variety of venues, from glitzy casinos to trade shows and private functions. Currently based in south Florida, Matone is a purveyor of smooth jazz with a "Rat Pack" sensibility. Although his website describes him as a Frank Sinatra impersonator, Matone told BC Radio that he's not so much an impersonator as he is a tribute artist. Audiences don't care so much about impersonations, said Matone, "as long as you can carry the music in the quality that people want ... it's the music that's great." Judging from the demand for his talents, Matone is delivering on that front.

You can learn more about Michael Matone by visiting his website and you can hear some clips of Michael singing on our archived show.

Writer Mary Roach can, by means of a wry sense of humor and a talent for thorough research, turn the most off-putting topics into engrossing and entertaining books. Her first two books, Stiff and Spook, were both New York Times bestsellers and dealt, respectively, with death (in all its gooey aspects) and the afterlife. Her current book, titled Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, brings readers into the world of the researchers who study the physiology of sex. Because her dedication knows no bounds, Roach and her husband volunteered to take part in said research, in which a scientist utilizing 4-D ultrasound recorded them having sex. BC Radio asked about that experience, and Roach responded with characteristic humor. "There's a guy standing four inches away holding an ultrasound wand to my belly... and I'm taking notes the whole time; Ed's the one who has the burden of performance," related Roach when asked about the experience. Will there ever be a female version of Viagra? What's the most unusual fact that Roach uncovered while researching the book? Listen to the broadcast to find out.

Roach was born in New Hampshire and is currently based in San Francisco, where she spends most of her time writing books and churning out the occasional magazine article. She's currently embarking on a book tour in support of Bonk, and you can learn more about her (and the book tour) at her website.