'West Coast Live' coming to Healdsburg’s SHED

Sedge Thomson has been described as a cross between Bill Moyers and David Letterman.

The host of "West Coast Live" (WCL) objected, and said with a laugh, “I think I’m even more complicated than that. I try to capture a range of seriousness to frivolity... We want the audience to laugh and cry and laugh again.”

The two-hour radio variety show will be broadcasting live Saturday, and again Dec. 20, at the SHED in Healdsburg, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. both days. (Visit wcl.org for the full lineup of guests and for ticket information.)

When the show isn’t touring, it’s broadcast from the Ferry Building in San Francisco or the Freight & Salvage performance venue in Berkeley. WCL is also aired live regularly on KRCB 91.1 FM in Santa Rosa.

Thomson, 62, welcomes people to experience the radio show live and get a peek behind the scenes.

“There’s an element of live theater, and everyone rises to the occasion and does their best work,” Thomson said. “There are no second takes... There’s a spontaneity in it that tickles me, and I hope it comes across to the radio and theater audience, too. I hope it tickles them.”

Thomson, who has hosted WCL for 20 years, is no stranger to Sonoma County. He hosted a show at the Raven Theater in Healdsburg in 2002 and two at Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park in 1994 and 1995. What’s more, he has a cottage north of Healdsburg, and he said he’s a fan of the distinctive lifestyle of the North Bay.

“It’s a land where people can sit in hot tubs of wine and drink volcanic water with impunity,” Thomson joked.

The show broadcast from Silo’s in Napa on November 22 and 29.

The producer of WCL, Case Conover, said taking the show on the road “can be tricky, but it’s well worth it.”

Conover said the agrarian roots of the SHED make it a great match for WCL.

“It’s right with our mission of bringing people in the community together for entertainment and education, often exploring agricultural and culinary topics,” Conover said. “On these Sonoma shows, we’ll have some fascinating food-oriented guests, such as filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia whose documentaries, “The Future of Food,” and “Symphony of the Soil,” examine some of the deeper issues surrounding our food supply.”

One perk of going to the live broadcast is getting a close look at the Aquaphone, the ancient maritime device that allows radio listeners to hear the sound of the nearest body of water, a signature of the show.

“Doing a live show is a way of connecting with our radio audience,” Thomson said. “Sometimes we like to come to them.”