Before Wi-Fi.

Before followers.

We jump back to the 90s — no internet, no social media, no cell phones… just cords down the hallway and the freedom of being unreachable.

Unintentional cool.

Grunge. Plaid shirts. Dad’s pants. Thrift-store finds. Copying someone was lame — being original was everything.

The summer of ’98 — the music, the nights, the invincibility. I lost my… you’ll hear it. It was a great summer.

Until it wasn’t.

It all spiraled from Kids to the greatest prank ever pulled on me — one that still gives me chills.

MuchMusic dance parties. My first Hotmail. Bone Thugs on repeat. Almost ending up on Jenny Jones.

If you grew up in the 90s, you’ll feel this one.

Back when being original was just who you were.

Catch new episodes of The Ben Stortini Show every Friday—hope you'll join the journey!

Contact Ben:

Feedback: ben.stortini@gmail.com

Podcast links below:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/172DaMj6RI8TQCHiAxVCmh?si=2c3b3c1a976e4608

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-el-hoopo-show/id1796438418

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBenStortiniShow

Addiction doesn’t always look dark — sometimes it looks like a party.

In this raw episode, I share my family history with alcoholism, how close I came to that edge, and why nearly seven years of sobriety means everything to me.

From my YTV days crashing a corporate Christmas party as a “Party Shark,” to musical time warps with Massive Attack, a stop in Cardiff, and some Dancing Outlaw Jesco White energy — the laughs are real, but so is the message.

We all carry a monkey or two on our backs, don’t we?

Catch new episodes of The Ben Stortini Show every Friday—hope you'll join the journey!

Contact Ben:

Feedback: ben.stortini@gmail.com

Podcast links below:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/172DaMj6RI8TQCHiAxVCmh?si=2c3b3c1a976e4608

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-el-hoopo-show/id1796438418

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBenStortiniShow

In this episode, I share a moment during COVID when something inside me shifted. Through breathwork and meditation, I had a spiritual experience that’s hard to explain — but I try.

I also talk about what aging feels like for me now, plus a dive into the history of Orange Sunshine during the revolution of the 60s, and a surreal story about a borrowed flute in a 1968 studio session tied to Donovan.

Breath, risk, memory, and becoming someone new.

Catch new episodes of The Ben Stortini Show every Friday—hope you'll join the journey!

Contact Ben:

Feedback: ben.stortini@gmail.com

Podcast links below:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/172DaMj6RI8TQCHiAxVCmh?si=2c3b3c1a976e4608

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-el-hoopo-show/id1796438418

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBenStortiniShow

Sometimes growing up means outgrowing people. In this episode, I talk about the tough decision to cut off a friend who crossed the line — something I still reflect on, but know I had to do.

I briefly touch on what’s happening in America, then lighten the mood with funny old-people moments, reggaeton, college vibes, and the usual real-life randomness.

Life, boundaries, laughs, and music — just us figuring it out together.

Catch new episodes of The Ben Stortini Show every Friday—hope you'll join the journey!

Contact Ben:

Feedback: ben.stortini@gmail.com

Podcast links below:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/172DaMj6RI8TQCHiAxVCmh?si=2c3b3c1a976e4608

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-el-hoopo-show/id1796438418

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBenStortiniShow

Me Time is essential.

In this episode, I explore why disappearing into something you love is necessary for the mind, body, and soul. I reflect on my dad getting lost in his guitar, a North Bay neighbor who unknowingly decoded the meaning of Me Time, and how those moments stuck with me.

I also share my recent MRI results and the new goals I’m setting moving forward.

A reminder that floating away isn’t selfish — it’s how we reset.

Catch new episodes of The Ben Stortini Show every Friday—hope you'll join the journey!

Contact Ben:

Feedback: ben.stortini@gmail.com

Podcast links below:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/172DaMj6RI8TQCHiAxVCmh?si=2c3b3c1a976e4608

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-el-hoopo-show/id1796438418

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBenStortiniShow

In this episode, I dig into the archives — from being an absolute menace of a nephew at my grandpa’s house on the island with Uncle Danny, to the time I almost fought the rapper K-os. Add in my lifelong love affair with Windex and a whole lot more in between.

It’s nostalgia, chaos, laughter, and a few life lessons along the way…

plus a reminder to always stay clean — inside and out.

Catch new episodes of The Ben Stortini Show every Friday—hope you'll join the journey!

Contact Ben:

Feedback: ben.stortini@gmail.com

Podcast links below:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/172DaMj6RI8TQCHiAxVCmh?si=2c3b3c1a976e4608

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-el-hoopo-show/id1796438418

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBenStortiniShow

This episode is about Missing —

That feeling we all carry that something in life is missing, and the moment we begin to understand what we truly need.

From a St. Joseph Island missing person mystery worthy of Netflix

to the ridiculous lengths I once went just to get BET Rap City without cable,

this episode moves through the memories and moments that quietly shape us.

So....don't "Miss" out.

Catch new episodes of The Ben Stortini Show every Friday—hope you'll join the journey!

Contact Ben:

Feedback: ben.stortini@gmail.com

Podcast links below:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/172DaMj6RI8TQCHiAxVCmh?si=2c3b3c1a976e4608

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-el-hoopo-show/id1796438418

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBenStortiniShow

At 45, I’ve graduated to Fine Italian Velour. After years of the relentless grind—parenting, fitness, and career—I realized I was missing one goal: Leisure. This episode isn't just about a tracksuit; it’s a metaphor for a new way of moving. I’m implementing the “Aura of Velour” into my daily life—choosing presence and ease over constant friction. Join me as I reflect on the defining moments of 2025 and why reaching the one-year mark of this podcast has been so healing.

Make 2026 the year you work hard, but live smooth.

Catch new episodes of The Ben Stortini Show every Friday—hope you'll join the journey!

Contact Ben:

Feedback: ben.stortini@gmail.com

Podcast links below:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/172DaMj6RI8TQCHiAxVCmh?si=2c3b3c1a976e4608

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-el-hoopo-show/id1796438418

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBenStortiniShow