Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Studio Walls--November 20, 2024

 







A weekly update/preview of my latest podcasts, and a look back at some of my previous audio work from this week in history over the past 40+ years.


November 17, 1964—Beatles release "I’m a Loser"

=Buckinghams guitarist Carl Giammerese talked to us about his band's hit-making cover of the Beatles classic.  

November 17, 1973—"Heartbeat is a Lovebeat" hits #1. 

=We interviewed the lead singer of the song, Tony Defranco 



November 18—Mickey Mouse Day. 

=In 2002, Johnny Kaempfer reviewed of Mickey’s Magical Christmas on the John Landecker show. 

November 18--Kevin Nealon birthday

=My brush with Kevin story is told in this episode

November 18, 1983—Christmas Story released. 

=We interviewed the kid who played Scut Farkus: Zach Ward. 



November 19, 1995—Toy Story released.

=Debbi Derryberry is the voice of the aliens. Cool story of how that came to be is told in this interview

November 19, 2021—Mick Rock passes away

=We interviewed the legendary rock photographer just a year or two before he passed. The link to that interview is below.


November 20, 2010—First class inducted in Chicago Literary Hall of Fame.

=CLHOF Founder Don Evans gave us minutia about some of the Hall of Famers 

November 20--Joe Walsh birthday

=My Joe Walsh story is told in this episode.  

November 20--Bo Derek birthday

=My Bo Derek story is told in this episode. 


November 21, 1985—Feud of Steve & Garry/Larry Lujack live on the air.

=Catherine Johns witnessed some of the mayhem and told us about it. 

November 21—Harold Ramis birthday

=He cut an audio ad for our AMISH Chicago Advertising firm.

November 21, 2021—Tribune profiles Ugly Buildings Tour with Mike.

=That article inspired us to interview him.  

November 21, 1931—Release date of “Frankenstein” 

=Boris Karloff's daughter Sara came on the show to tell us all about her father, the star of that film. This week also marks the birthday of both father & daughter (November 23)

November 21, 1874—Aston Villa founded 

November 21, 1885—Southampton founded

(Two more reasons to listen to this...)





November 22--Mick Rock birthday

=The late great rock photographer had some incredible stories. 

November 22--Howard Sudberry birthday

=We interviewed Howard in this episode. :

November 22—Rodney Dangerfield birthday. 

=Comedian Larry Reeb told us a memorable story about his comedy pal Rodney. 


Tuesday, November 19, 2024

Publishing Portal--November 19, 2024








The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.


Happy Birthday!

=Randy Richardson has written three books for Eckhartz Press, Cheeseland, Lost in the Ivy, and Cubsessions. This week is his birthday (November 21). Have a great one, Randy!

=Fellow author Robert Walker is also celebrating a birthday this week (November 17). Here's what Walker had to say about Randy's novel Cheeseland...

  • Cheeseland’ is a novel that touches the reader; a novel about life, death, and how we choose to live our lives…how we want the dash between the dates on our tombstone to resonate.

    Robert Walker, author of "Titanic 2012", "Bismark 2013", and "Children of Salem"


Worth a Second Look

=Thanks to everyone who came out to Eric Litt's book launch party last Tuesday night in Skokie. Great crowd. Enthusiastic support for a fun book about movies you might have missed the first time around. (Photo: Eric and Eckhartz Press co-publisher David Stern)

=Eric also joined Minutia Men to discuss his book on their podcast this week. Fun interview is here.


 I Bear Witness

=Next up, we have another launch party scheduled for Dan McNeil's new book I Bear Witness. Dan will be at Bridges in Griffith Indiana signing and selling his book. The date is November 30th. The time is 1-4pm. Join us for an afternoon of fun and football.

=Dan had a nice moment this week when he finally got to hold that first copy of his book in his hand. 
=This week is also Caleb Williams birthday (November 18). The perils facing the rookie QB gets a whole chapter in Dan's new book. What else in the book? Here's a good primer.


The Flip Side

=Our newest book, The Flip Side, is coming out in a few weeks, but is already available for pre-order. One of the great features of this book is the incredible selection of photographs. There are nearly a hundred photos from those heady rock and roll days. The cover photo of the original store is a great example. So is this photo from this week (November 19) of Tommy Shaw doing an in-store appearance at The Flip Side, and the illustration of this week's birthday boy (November 23), Flip Side's Mr. Cheap, Jeff Schwartz.

  
 


To the Men I've Loved

=Are you part of a book club? Remember that most Eckhartz Press authors are happy to come to your book club if it can fit into their schedules. For instance, To the Men I've Loved author Pat Motto just did a book club recently. There's nothing like getting a chance to speak to the author directly.

 =One of the men mentioned in Patricia Motto's book To the Men I've Loved is former White Sox (and later Cub) player Jay Johnstone. (Jay was born this week-- November 20, 1945). This photo of Pat with Jay and Wilbur Wood is in the book. Note the autograph from Jay...



Staying Alive is a Lot of Work

=Author Pat Camalliere was interviewed by David W. Berner for his podcast The Writer's Shed. Pat has transcribed the conversation here on her blog.


The Loop Files

=Last year at this time the publicity machine was beginning to roll for The Loop Files. One of the stars of that book, Steve Dahl, is celebrating a birthday this week (November 20).  Happy birthday to the Radio Hall of Famer. Here's a few bonus pictures of Steve (with Jim Belushi and John Belushi) that didn't make it into the book. (Photos by Paul Natkin)



Life Behind the Camera

 =This week in 2013 (November 18), Chuck Quinzio had the book launch party for his book Life Behind the Camera. A Who's Who of Chicago television news attended the function in Mount Prospect. Here's a sampling of them...Dane Placko, Dick Kay, Joanie Lum, Paul Meinke, Phil Rodgers.







Behind the Glass

=This week in 2021 (November 18), Randy Merkin had his book launch party as well. In his case it was a Who's Who of Sports Radio that attended. Here's a sampling of them...Jonathan Hood, Tom Waddle, Marc Silverman (with Eckhartz Press co-publisher Rick Kaempfer).

   
 

=A few people mentioned in Randy's book are celebrating birthdays this week, David Kaplan (November 19) and Carlos Boozer (November 20)
   


We Have Company

=This week in 2016, Bobby Skafish was on the road promoting his book We Have Company. He made an appearance on the Northwest Side of Chicago (November 17), and also traveled to his home state of Indiana (November 19). 


 

 

Hugh Hefner's First Funeral

=This week in 2015 (November 23), Pat Colander had a book signing at her friend Bruce Elliot's great bar, Old Town Ale House. If you've never been, you owe yourself a visit. The artwork on the walls is all original work by Bruce himself. You can see a sampling of it behind Lois Berger, Pat Colander, and Bruce Elliot in the photo below...



Chili Dog MVP

=This week in 2021 (November 17), Chili Dog MVP writers John Owens and Dr. David Fletcher got some great news about their book. Robert Feder reported the news in the Daily Herald...

A new book about the late Chicago White Sox legend Dick Allen has just been optioned for a documentary film. Chili Dog MVP: Dick Allen, The 1972 White Sox and a Transforming Chicago, soon to be published by Chicago-based Eckhartz Press, was written by John Owens and Dr. David Fletcher and edited by veteran sportswriter, baseball historian and author George Castle. (Here is the link to order.) “We look back at this unique time in Chicago history, when the arrival of a controversial slugger lifted the Sox out of a daunting hole and united a fractious fan base during a time when Chicago was going through tremendous changes,” said Owens, a longtime producer and president of the Chicago/Midwest chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. 

 

EveryCubEver

=We could feature EveryCubEver every week (someone in that book is celebrating a birthday every day), but we choose to be a bit more judicious. This week (November 18), Cubs radio announcer (and former Cub) Ron Coomer is celebrating a birthday. A few years ago he was kind enough to invite Eckhartz Press authors Rick Kaempfer and Bobby Skafish into the booth during a game. This photo is now in the book, EveryCubEver...


=A copy of the book now resides in the booth...



 Doin the Cruise

=This week in 2017 (November 19), Mitch Michaels appeared at the Chicagoland Record Show to promote his book Doin' The Cruise. Who did he run into there? Fellow author, rock star Jim Peterik. Jim is actually mentioned in Mitch's book. Small world.



Mob Adjacent

=This week in 2019, Larry Potash from Channel 9 did an entire feature about Mob Adjacent authors Michael & Jeff Gentile for his show Back Story. You can still see it here. 


Your Dime My Dance Floor

=The best quarterback in Chicago history, Sid Luckman, was born this week (November 21) in 1916. He was a frequent guest on Chet Coppock's radio show, so naturally when it came time for Chet to write a book, Sid was one of the featured athletes.


Records Truly Is My Middle Name

=Every Baby Boomer can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing on November 22, 1963, the day that John F. Kennedy was assassinated. John Landecker is no different. He tells the story in his book Records Truly Is My Middle Name. Here's the free excerpt from the book. 

 


Grace's Rockin Roll Adventure

=This week (November 22) is Steven Van Zandt's birthday. The E-Street Band guitarist collaborated with Eckhartz Press author Ken Korber to put out Grace's Rockin' Roll Adventure. The adventure is a trip to see Little Steven perform. Here's what the subject of the book had to say about it...

  • “We’ve reached hundreds of thousands of students with our free online curriculum, but we know there are kids without devices or good wifi, and that even if they have both, that remote learning is hardest on the youngest students. That’s why we’re doing this book the old-fashioned way, on paper!”

    Little Steven Van Zandt, on his successful teachrock.org initiative

The Living Wills

=This week in 2011 (November 22), Robert Feder wrote a piece in Time Out Chicago about our first book ever, The Living Wills. This is what he wrote...

“Two former Chicago radio producers, Rick Kaempfer and Brendan Sullivan, have co-written The Living Wills, a novel about “a split-second decision made 30 years ago and the ripple effects it caused.” Harnessing the power of collaborative creativity, the two improvised the book’s three interweaving story lines. Set for release December 1 by Eckhartz Press, it’s available online at eckhartzpress.com. Kaempfer, whose previous novel, $everance, was a brilliant satire about the radio business, also writes an impressive series of blogs, including the Chicago Radio Spotlight.”



Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind

=Notice the blurb on the cover of The Living Wills above. It's recommended by Chicago Tribune writer Rick Kogan. That was in 2011. This week in 2022 (November 22), Rick also wrote a wonderful piece in the Tribune about Vicki Quade and her Eckhartz Press book Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind. You can read it here. (Photo: Rick Kogan and Vicki Quade)


Nose Over Toes

=Illinois Congressman Sean Casten is celebrating a birthday this week (November 23). Sean has met with Eckhartz Press author Janet Sutherland to talk about her support of Brain Aneurysm research. Casten even gave Janet an award at this year's Brain Aneurysm walk.



Always a Pleasure

=This week in 2022 (November 23), The Northwest Indiana Times featured Chuck Swirsky and his Eckhartz Press book, Always a Pleasure. You can read it here.

 




Thursday, November 14, 2024

20 Years--Freelance Writing Highlights

 

This year marks my 20th year as a professional writer. Over the course of 2024, I'll be sharing a few of those offerings you may have missed along the way.

Here are two pieces about parenting that I wrote over the years. The first one was early on in my parenting life (the early 00s). The second one was when I entered the home stretch (2013).

Both appeared in Shore Magazine.



"Little" Tikes

The general collection of our toys, while prodigious, is still not necessarily worthy of mention. Believe me, I’ve seen homes that have double and triple the number of toys we have. It’s not the number of toys. It’s the size of them.

It happened slowly and stealthily, but one day we suddenly noticed that we had accumulated a collection of huge toys. How huge? Let’s just say that “Little Tikes” is the most ironically named company in the world. 

They make GIGANTIC toys: Adult-size toys for tiny children. Tool benches the size of actual tool benches, cars the size of real cars, and play houses the size of three bedroom homes. We’re lucky we have boys. The castles they make for princesses are even bigger. My friend has Buckingham Palace in his backyard.

We have a modest suburban three bedroom home. At one point our basement was completely full, thanks to two or three Little Tikes toys. Two boys shared a completely full room, thanks to one Little Tikes toy. The 2 ½ garage was stuffed to the rafters thanks to five or six Little Tikes toys. The backyard was a Little Tikes graveyard. 

We finally had to make a choice: Little Tikes or a bigger house.

I don’t miss the gigantic plastic pieces of crap in the slightest.

###

Undercover Old Timer

This past weekend I attended the "Pretty Lights" concert with my son at the Aragon Ballroom. It was really my first time seeing this whole "DJ as performer" phenomenon, and I really enjoyed the show. Pretty Lights  put the time and effort into making it a show, with a great light display, a live horn section, and a live drummer. It was a little loud (I felt my entire body rattle when the bass made the Aragon Ballroom floor shake), but these ears have endured far worse. (I think they actually sustained some damage at the Van Halen show in Ludwigshafen in 1979).

For me, however, the real show was not on the stage. It was in the audience. This was an 18+ show, so there were quite a few young people there, and very few old people like me. Very few. I spotted one guy who was bald and graying and struck up a conversation.

"So," I said, "Looks like it's just the two of us."

"I work here," he replied.

"Oh, then I guess it's just me."

I'm not exaggerating when I say I was only 50+ person in the entire audience. I'm pretty sure I didn't see any 40+ers either, and it's even possible there weren't any 30+ers. How young was the audience? The line for beer was shorter than the line for the water fountain. And it was a sold out show.

But people-watching was an eye-opener for me. Let's just say that this audience wasn't concerned about running into mom or dad, so they let it all hang out. As an undercover old-timer, I have a few observations I'd like to share with the moms and dads who didn't attend.

*Most of the girls were wearing these (photo). I don't think it costs any extra to get enough material for your whole leg, honey. Oh, and I shouldn't know whether or not you are wearing underwear. Just sayin. That 18-year-old kid over there is taking snapshots and he's not aiming at your face.

*One girl was wearing a t-shirt that said "Snatch" in fancy cursive lettering above an arrow pointing down to her nether regions. Two words describe it best: "Subtle" and "Classy"

*At least she had a shirt on. Several of the girls were sporting the bra and skirt-that-barely-covers-your-rear look. Ran into a few of them in line waiting to get in the Aragon. It was 30 degrees outside, and they weren't wearing jackets either. Maybe I'm just a practical old man, but I wasn't thinking "Oooh, sexy." I was thinking "Oooh, frostbite."

*On the other hand, I saw quite a few wearing these (photo), which must have kept their calves and feet warm at least. I had to resist the urge to tap one of them on the shoulder and say: "I'm not an animal rights activist, but how many Snuffleupagusses had to die to keep your feet warm?"

*The guys, on the other hand, could have been snatched out of 1978, and transported in time. They were wearing flannel shirts, jeans, and baseball caps. Sure, their caps were askew (like Charlie Brown after giving up a homer), and the cap-bills were rigid, and a few of the caps had blinking lights, but other than that, it appears that guys haven't changed at all in the last thirty five years.

*Although I will say this to the guy wearing the "Bitches All Love Me" cap. They don't. Have you noticed they are avoiding you like the plague? Even the girl with the "Snatch" shirt.

So that's my report, moms and dads. I don't get out of the basement much, and I only have boys at home (I just made the sign of the cross as I wrote that), so I'm probably not telling you something you don't already know, but it was an educational experience for me.

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Studio Walls--November 13, 2024

 







A weekly update/preview of my latest podcasts, and a look back at some of my previous audio work from this week in history over the past 40+ years.


November 11--Jim Peterik birthday

=Jim has been on the show several times, including this one and this one. We even have photographic proof.  

November 11--Marshall Crenshaw birthday

=I told the story of my brush with Crenshaw in this episode.  



November 12--Neil Young birthday

=My brush with Neil story is here. 

November 12--Nadia Comaneci birthday

=My brush with Nadia story is here

November 12, 1996—Madonna stars in Evita 

=If it's the '90s, guess who wrote a song about it for Landecker and the Legends? This one is called "Don’t Cry For Me Madonna"

November 12—Sammy Sosa birthday 

=When was he a big star? That's right, the 90s. My song was called “SOSA” 

November 12, 2012—Catfish debuts on TV. 

=One of the co-stars of that show, Max Joseph, was on our show talking about it.

 


November 13, 2019—AMC series about Preppy Murder

=We talked to the Preppy Killer's girlfriend in real life, Alex Kapp 

November 13, 1896—First Porno film released in France. 

=Believe it or not, we've interviewed a porn star, Maitland Ward. 



November 14--DB Sweeney birthday

=He was a guest on Minutia Men Celebrity Interview a few years ago.  

November 14—Dag Juhlin birthday.

=We interviewed Dag for MMCI too. He and I share a Steve Dahl history (he's currently on Steve's podcast). I went out to see him perform with his band The Sunshine Boys.

November 14, 2010—Tangled released by Disney 

=We interviewed the lyricist for the film, Glenn Slater

November 14—Jimmy Piersall birthday. 

=We have talked to two different guests that had incredible Jimmy Piersall stories, former White Sox slugger Eric Soderholm, and former WGN-TV sportscaster Rich King. 



November 15, 1940—Niles Center changes name to Skokie, IL. 

=Brendan Sullivan was on our podcast and told us a great story about Skokie

November 16, 2008—Mortal Kombat released

=That marked the debut of voice actor Richard Epcar as Raiden. We talked to him about his famous role.