Kicking It With The Koves

This week, to celebrate the return of Cobra Kai on Netflix, the Koves welcome a very special guest & dear friend: Ralph Macchio! This conversation is a must listen for Cobra Kai & Karate fans alike. Tune in to hear Ralph & Marty discuss their early careers in acting, working together on set over the years, & the story of how Ralph came into the role of Daniel LaRusso. The Koves & Ralph talk about what the Cobra Kai series & everyone involved has meant to them, & why they find it to be such a remarkable show. Listen here before the return of season 5 on Netflix, only on Kicking it with the Koves!

Martin Kove talks about his return to the Cobra Kai series playing “Sensei John Kreese,” and shares stories from his first day back on the set. He explains why he was so excited to return to the character, the great growth and development audiences have been able to see in “Sensei Kreese,” and what it’s finally like to see his character celebrated! Martin also shares the hilarious story about the Karate Kid premiere, and his then-wife’s review of his performance. Plus, the Koves dive into Martin’s childhood in New York, his schoolyard posse The Black Denim Gang, his unlikely journey to acting, his love of Westerns, the films and performers that inspired him, and his first speaking role in a movie. And they discuss fear as motivation, the importance of taking risks, and how to step up into your courage.

This week’s special guest is the incredibly talented Leo Birenberg, who composes all of the music for Cobra Kai. Hear the story of how Leo & his friend / creative collaborator Zach Robinson landed the gig of composing the music for Cobra Kai by putting together a one-off reel, and why they have loved working on the show enough to continue doing so since August of 2017. Marty, Rachel, Jesse & Leo discuss how Karate Kid has impacted the culture of multiple generations; Leo refers to The Karate Kid as the movie that was perpetually on at friend’s houses as a kid growing up. These four chat about why they find film and television scores to be so important - sharing their favorite film scores, composers & memorable musical moments in film.

Martin, Jesse and Rachel share stories about their Cobra Kai experience, including the series’ opening scene, and the never-before-released archival footage pulled from the original “Karate Kid” movie vault! Martin recalls what it was like to film the All Valley Tournament footage for the original “Karate Kid” film back in 1984, and how they really captured his now infamous line, “Finish him!” Martin also recounts his hilarious audition for the part of John Kreese. Plus, the Koves discuss Martin’s character, John Kreese, the evolution of Billy Zabka’s character Johnny Lawrence, and the way “Cobra Kai” introduced Miguel. The Kove family delve into how bullying, depression, and perseverance are depicted in the show, and the lessons learned by overcoming life’s challenges through hard work and resilience. Relating to their own personal and professional experience, the Koves share tips and tools on how to target your goals and accomplish your dreams.

Marty, Rachel & Jesse are joined by licensed psychotherapist Robert Scholz to discuss the Strike First mentality of Cobra Kai, bullying, trauma, life events & how these themes relate to the plotline & characters in Cobra Kai. Martin talks about some of the similarities and differences between his character in Cobra Kai & in the original Karate Kid film, and how both the film & show deal with the various facets of bullying in such a unique way. Robert talks about how he got into the fields of mental health & psychotherapy, and the group dives into their perspectives after watching the third episode of season 1 of Cobra Kai.