Musings, observations, and written works from the publisher of Eckhartz Press, the media critic for the Illinois Entertainer, co-host of Minutia Men, Minutia Men Celebrity Interview and Free Kicks, and the author of "The Loop Files", "Back in the D.D.R", "EveryCubEver", "The Living Wills", "$everance," "Father Knows Nothing," "The Radio Producer's Handbook," "Records Truly Is My Middle Name", and "Gruen Weiss Vor".
=We interviewed her married counterpart, Mrs. America.
September 8, 1908—Lane Tech
opens first year.
=We've talked to graduate Carl Giammarese, and Liverpool's very own Roger Bennett, about the thing that people can't believe once happened at Lane Tech High School. Forced naked swimming.
September 8, 1888—First game
played at Anfield in Liverpool.
=Another reminder that Free Kicks is back for another season.
=We talked to one of the film's stars, Dave Vescio.
September 10, 1905—Crystal
Palace founded
=Another perfect time to remind you that Free Kicks is back for a new season.
September 11, 2001
=Everyone has an answer to "where were you when the twin towers were hit?" But I have one that involves Eddie Munster, Butch Patrick. You read that right. Hear the story in this episode.
=Last Comiskey author Ken Smoller was on WGN-TV last weekend promoting his book.
=What an incredible event Thursday night at the Chicago History Museum, the launch party for Ken Smoller's book Last Comiskey. It was a star-studded and sold out event. In addition to Ken and the filmmaker Matt Flesch (who showed part of the documentary that inspired the book), former White Sox stars Ron Kittle, Jack McDowell, and Don Pall were there. The moderator of the event was Tom Shaer, and there were White Sox and media luminaries throughout the audience including Rich King and Cheryl Raye Stout. Eckhartz Press authors David Fletcher, George Castle and Donald G. Evans attended as well. Thanks to everyone who came out!
=Ironically, just two years ago this week (May 21), Rich King had the launch party for his book Ike & Me, and it was held at Comiskey Park (or whatever it was called at the time). Ryan Baker from CBS-2 in Chicago was there to interview him, and so were many of his television friends...
=Rich was everywhere that week. He and Ike appeared on WGN-TV...
=Tom Latourette first children’s book came out this week in 2017. 100% of the proceeds (approximately $12 from every book) went to The BTB Foundation, a local charity founded by Tom and his brother that has given over $1 Million to local families fighting cancer!
=May 19 is Pete Townshend's birthday. His guitar from Woodstock is the main character (in a way) in Will Wagner's great novel Talking Bout My Generation.
=Lorelei Shark celebrates a birthday this week (May 20). Who is Lorelei, you ask? Well, she's the girl who launched a radio station, which later launched our most popular book ever, The Loop Files.
=Lots of events from this week in history that are featured in John Landecker's book Records Truly Is My Middle Name. On May
20, 1976, Great America opened, and John Landecker was there, broadcasting live on WLS
=Jane Byrne was born this week in 1933 (May 24). John wrote a song about her with musical accompaniment from the band Jefferson Starship. You can hear that here.
=The film Star Wars was released this week in 1977 (May 25). John did a bit on the air the day the film opened with two of the stars of that movie, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. You can listen to that here.
=Elton John's co-songwriter Bernie Taupin is celebrating a birthday this week (May
22). In the book John tells the story of Bernie & Elton playing Foosball against Hugh Hefner and Barbie Benton at the Playboy Mansion. John was doing play by play.
=This week in 2013, John Landecker appeared at the Green White Clubhouse in Des Plaines for a Records Truly Is My Middle Name book signing...
=Chet Coppock devotes an entire chapter in Your Dime My Dance Floor to something that happened on May
19, 1974. The WHA finals, known as the AVCO Cup finals, took place at a local ice rink in Mt. Prospect. The short-lived Chicago Cougars were in it, and so was one of the all-time greats in hockey history, Gordie Howe.
=Former Blackhawks president John McDonough is celebrating a birthday this week. He also appears in Chet's book...(that's him on the far right next to Chet)
Chili Dog MVP
=This week in 2022 (May 21), David Fletcher and John Owens had a book signing at Peterino's on the Northwest Side of Chicago. Among the luminaries in attendance that day, former White Sox great Carlos May, and former White Sox organist Nancy Faust.
=This week in 2020 (May 20), WGN-TV reporter Nancy Loo left Chicago and moved to Los Angeles. Before she did, she provided this review of Chuck Quinzio's book...
Finished it in one sitting while on a flight from San Francisco to Chicago earlier this month! The writing is crisp and I enjoyed every chapter, many of them quite funny.
=This week in 2012 (May
21), The Vietnam Veterans of America Magazine reviewed The Living Wills. Here's an excerpt of what they said...
You have to give credit to Rick Kaempfer and Brendan Sullivan, the two authors of “The Living Wills”. The authors have come up with a cast of realistic, non-sensationalized Vietnam veterans living out their lives in the early 21st century–no Nam vet stereotypes here. That in itself is worth the price of admission.
Marc Leepsen, Vietnam Veterans of America Magazine
=Mike Breen is celebrating a birthday this week (May 22). He is a big fan of Chuck Swirsky's book Always A Pleasure. Here's what he said...
Chuck Swirsky is one of my favorite play-by-play voices in all of sports. His enthusiasm and spirit in every broadcast is something all broadcasters should strive for. But that’s also the way he leads his everyday life, and why he is so beloved by his peers.
Mike Breen, ABC, ESPN and New York Knicks. 2021 Curt Gowdy Media Award Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
=This week in 2023, Chuck appeared on Fox-32 with Lou Canellis...
=Randy Merkin's book features an entire chapter about this week's birthday boy, former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher. Those are Randy's kids with the Bears great.
=In the days before Eckhartz Press was founded, three future Eckhartz Press authors (Randy Richardson, Donald Evans, and Rick Kaempfer) contributed to a book called Cubbie Blues: 100 Years of Waiting for Next Year. This week in 2009 (May 21), a few appeared at the Oak Park Library to promote the book, along with James Finn Garner and Robert Goldsborough. (Photo: Rick, James, Don, Robert against a backdrop of Stephen Green's photography exhibit at the Oak Park Public Library.)
April 1--The Empire Carpet Man (Lynn Hauldren) birthday. We played an audio bit I wrote for John Landecker's show featuring Lynn. The Empire Carpet Man Strikes Back.
April 1, 1976—Apple Corp founded. We talked to the man who owned 10% on that first day, but sold it for a few hundred dollars, Ronald Wayne
April 3--Billy Hayes (Midnight Express) birthday. A man that can answer Peter Grave's question in Airplane with an unqualified yes: "Have you ever been in a Turkish Prison?"
The latest news from Eckhartz Press, and a chance to peek into some of the great previous offerings from our humble little publishing company.
New Book Release!
=Just in time for opening Day, the new updated 6th Edition of EveryCubEver is now available at Eckhartz Press. Over 100 new or revised entries since last year's edition. Click here to get your copy.
Happy Birthday!
Two Eckhartz Press authors are celebrating birthdays this week. Eric Litt, author of Oscars Biggest Mistakes (April 1) and Dan Burns, author of Recalled to Life. Eric has become a well regarded film critic in Chicago and has a new book about movies coming out with us later this year. Dan has gone into film since leaving Eckhartz Press. (Here's a sneak peek at his latest). He is also the treasurer of the Chicago Writers Association.
Children's Book Day!
April 2nd is Children's Book Day, and though we aren't primarily a children's book publisher, we have published a few. Thank you to Ken Korber (featured this week in CEO Weekly), Tom Latourette, Scott Redman, Butch Zeppo, Dena Mendes, and Manton Clue for their contributions!
Happy Anniversary!
Two Eckhartz Press books were released this week. In 2015, Kipper McGee's well respected analysis of the media in America, Brandwidth, was released. In 2018, the book Cubsessions (written by Becky Sarwate and Randy Richardson) came out. The authors staged our most successful book launch party ever at Murphy's Pub. A Who's Who of Chicago Media and Cubs Nation attended, including the Budweiser Clydesdales. That's Eckhartz Press publisher David Stern reading Cubsessions to one of the Clydesdales.
=Vicki Quade is also coming out with a show, beginning on April 12. Now in its 14th year, Bible Bingois a long-running comedy about the Catholic culture of fundraising and bingo, featuring the character, Mrs. Mary Margaret O'Brien, a former nun who now heads a fictitious archdiocese fundraising department. It’s written by Vicki Quade, one of the creators of the international hit comedy, Late Nite Catechism, and of course, the great Eckhartz Press book Close Encounters of a Chicago Kind.Ticket prices are $35, group rates available. At the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Call the box office: 773-404-7336
=Two big events that happened this week in history are chronicled in The Loop Files. Jonathon Brandmeier held a big party at the Chicago Theater for his 5th anniversary at the Loop (1988), and then at the same place for his tenth anniversary in 1993. The stories of those memorable broadcasts are told in the book. Here are a few photos too...
=Loop sportscaster Jim Shortz is also celebrating a birthday this week (April 1). Rick interviewed him live on the air in 1993. The translated transcript of that interview is here. Kevin made Rick do it in German.
=April 4, 1968 was the day thatMartin Luther King was assassinated. Landecker was doing a radio show with Martin's good friendStevie Wonderwhen that news came across the wire. He tells the story in his book.You can read it here.
Jerry Krause
=The man that Bulls fans booed even after his death, Jerry Krause, would have been celebrating a birthday this week. Would you believe that Krause appears in three different Eckhartz Press books? Chet Coppock devotes an entire chapter to Krause inYour Dime My Dance Floor. Rich King discusses the late Bulls GM in his book Ike and Me. He also tells that story in this podcast. And finally, Chuck Swirsky'sAlways a Pleasure also delves into the legacy of Jerry. He even has a picture.
Phil Regan
=His nickname was The Vulture and he played for both the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Because he played for the Sox in 1972, he appears in Chili Dog MVP. Because he played for the Cubs at all, he's naturally in EveryCubEver. He turns 87 years old this week.
=This week in 2007, the American Army housing area in Heidelberg Germany known as Mark Twain Village was officially closed down. Several crucial chapters in the novel Back in the DDR take place there. RIP to a time and place gone by.
=Both of these Chicago icons (Chet Coppock & Norm Van Lier) are no longer with us, but they live on in the pages of Chet's book. Norm would have been 77 years old this week (April 1).
Brian Noonan
=The former WGN Radio host now hosts the evening show in Milwaukee (WTMJ), and is celebrating a birthday this week (April 3). We love him at Eckhartz Press. He has given back cover blurbs for two of our books, Father Knows Nothingby Rick Kaempfer and The Unplanned Life by Roger Badesch.
"It doesn’t matter whether you’re the father of sons or daughters, the stories in Father Knows Nothing will hit close to home. I laughed out loud picturing Rick breaking up fights between his sons, flinging the top layer of a pizza across the kitchen and scaring his son out of lawn maintenance. The frequent laughs are balanced with emotionally touching stories and insights. This book is a wonderful record of an exciting, tumultuous time that all parents will relate to."
“Roger Badesch is like an onion. He has many layers and if you’re too close to him for any length of time you’ll cry. The tears will be caused by laughter, sympathy or the act of shaking your head wildly in disbelief. If you’ve listened to Roger on the radio, you’ve no doubt experienced all three. I know I have. With The Unplanned Life, Roger regales us with the story of a life that is funny, tragic, hopeful, at times idiotic, but always endearing. You’ll want to laugh with him, cry with him, hug him and shake some sense into him all at the same time. Finally we can stop saying “Wait, what did he just say?” when Roger finishes a story. We can re-read his various tales and marvel at how a kid from Chicago could have enjoyed such a full and undoubtedly unplanned life. Just remember, if he offers you a ride home in a snowstorm…take the bus!”
.jpg)
.jpg)