Chicago Radio Spotlight: Rick O'Dell

This week's Chicago Radio Spotlight interview is with former WNUA jock Rick O'Dell. Rick talks about the day Clear Channel let him go, his long and storied career there, and our shared radio heritage. You can read that interview here.

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's day today.

Although, a word of warning. If you're giving flowers to your honey, I hope you realize the hidden meaning of flowers. If you don't, you'll want to read this.

Also, I wrote about my take on Valentine's Day for Father Knows Nothing.

Rick, why aren't you on Twitter?

I get asked that a lot, and there are several reasons.

#1: Geez, aren't I doing enough?
#2: I've looked at it, and it doesn't really interest me now. (Although, I've learned to never say never)
#3: My hand is in a cast and doing what I'm doing now is hard enough. I didn't even know there was a "Narrate" function on my keyboard before. Now I'm accidentally hitting it with my cast every five words and a scary sounding computer voice starts reading aloud what I've just written. (Either that, or I'm starting to hear voices)
#4: This article.

The sweetest words in the English language...

...are "Pitchers and catchers report."

For the Cubs, that day is today. Yes, that's right, today: Friday the 13th. That is sooooo Cubs.

Still, it's a day for optimism and hope, as it is every year. A few years ago, my good friend Bill Holub wrote a piece for this blog about this very subject. I rerun it here every year because I agree with every word.

He calls it: "The sweetest words in the English Language."

E-mails, we get e-mails...

From AS...

"Wow. Why does watching Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman make me soooo uncomfortable? Maybe because Walk the Line was on the other night and it’s actually sad to see him like this? Or am I thinking that his brother that died from a drug overdose, might have been the smart one in the family?

Oh, and your Friends parody song is probably my favorite of all the songs you’ve done. Maybe it’s because I can still remember the year that I asked my dad for a set of tires 'for my birthday.'"

Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman

Whoa. If you haven't seen this yet, you have to watch the video. I can't describe it really, except to say this again: Whoa.

Abe Lincoln at 200!

Abraham Lincoln was born on this day 200 years ago.

I point this out to you from the Land of Lincoln, long-time home of Honest Abe, and of course, home to famous Lincoln poet, David Stern. Each year on Lincoln's birthday I post the audio of the poet himself, reading his most acclaimed poem from 1974: "Honest Abe He Was Called."*


*Yes, this is the same David Stern who once co-wrote the Half Empty column on this blog, and the same David Stern who sarcastically founded the Rick Kaempfer Fan Club on Facebook.

Joke for a Thursday morning

From TG...

"Rick, An old one, definitely a bad one, but with the announcement of The Rocket Man and the Piano Man playing Wrigley, what the heck:

What’s the difference between Billy Joel and Great White? Billy Joel can’t start a fire."

E-mails, we get e-mails...

Regarding my observation that Timothy Geithner looks like a Vulcan, RP writes...


"Of course I'm with you on this. We ALL should be. Their slogan is 'Live long and prosper.' Isn't that why they brought him in?"

Elton John & Billy Joel at Wrigley Field

Elton John and Billy Joel are coming to Wrigley Field July 21st.

In honor of this unique concert venue, I'm formally requesting that they perform the following thematically appropriate songs...

Elton--"Don't Go Breaking My Heart", "Sorry seems to be the hardest word" and of course, "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues."
Billy--"Don't Ask Me Why," and of course "The Longest Time"

Suburban Man

If you're coming to this blog today looking for Suburban Man, this is just a friendly reminder that Suburban Man is now known as "Father Knows Nothing." This week's column "The Call of Shame" is already posted.

E-mail, we get e-mails...

From BP...

"Rick, excellent post from NWI today. Can I offer another perspective? As a cook, nothing is worse than expecting one ingredient and getting another. No, I can't just use spinach, I need arugula. It's like when I asked for a Bruce Springsteen LP for Christmas and got Rich Springfield instead. My mom told me the clerk said it was just about the same thing."

Rick responds: Actually, I make most of the food in our house, so I do get your point. That's why I won't make a recipe that contains an ingredient I've never heard of before. And by the way, I will not allow you to besmirch "Jesse's Girl," which is a rock classic.

Spitballs

On this date in 1920, the spitball was officially banned. Want to know how to throw one?

Father Knows Nothing

I posted a new "Father Knows Nothing" column last night: "The Call of Shame." That's the call a husband has to make from the store when he is unable to find the imaginary Greek cheeses that his wife put on the grocery list. Read it here.

Thumbs Up!

Just got back from a skiing trip with the family. As a tribute to Siskel & Ebert, I tore my thumb ligaments on the trip. I'm wearing a cast as I type this...painfully slowly. It won't stop me from blogging. It will, however, really slow me down.