Sunday, April 19, 2020

Plans A & B

Great David Frum piece in the Atlantic today. Here's the money shot...

Both Trump’s Plan A and Plan B intend to turn American against American, in an ugly spirit of rancor and resentment. In pandemic as in prosperity, the Trump way is to punish opponents, reward friends; accuse victims, protect culprits; demand credit, refuse accountability; protect preferred classes and groups of Americans—and sacrifice the rest.
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Saturday, April 18, 2020

More Sad News

RIP...



Here are The Soft Boys...

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Minutia Men--Passengers, Poker & Peterik


This week we have two celebrity guests on Minutia Men...poker pro Tristan Wade and rock and roll star Jim Peterik, who has sent us his latest song.

Listen to it here.
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Friday, April 17, 2020

Unhinged

He will burn down this country on his way out...

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HIlarious

You want to hear another name for dad jokes? Jokes. We are all funny. Especially this guy...

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My apologies

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I'm a Tody-Tyrant

Alright, I'm going to stop this now, but one last one. This is called, and I'm not kidding about this, Kaempfer's Tody Tyrant. Kaempfer's tody-tyrant (Hemitriccus kaempferi) is a rare species of bird in the family Tyrannidae. It is endemic to the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil. It was known only from two specimens until the 1990s, when it was finally observed in life. It is protected under Brazilian law and it is on the United States' Endangered Species List. Kaempfer's tody-tyrant is 10 centimeters long and olive green in color. The bird lives in forested habitat, often near rivers. Pairs often forage together. They build nests several meters up in trees, constructing them with mosses, grasses, and dead leaves. The call is a series of "kwit" notes.
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I'm a Woodpecker

What is this bird called? I kid you not, it's called Kaempfer's Woodpecker. Kaempfer's woodpecker (Celeus obrieni) is a species of woodpecker from Brazil. The type specimen, a female, was collected in the Brazilian state of Piauí in 1926. No other individuals were collected or seen and the bird was feared extinct, until a male was captured by Advaldo Dias do Prado during mist netting in 2006 in the state of Tocantins.
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I'm a Circulation Enhancer

The day you find out you share your name with a product.you'd rather not be associated with...

Kaempferia Parviflora is Thai Black Ginger‎. BLACK GINGER is a rare and powerful type of ginger that is taken as a N.O. supplement specifically for improving circulation throughout the whole body, especially in relation to the areas that matter most to men..It is named after 17th century naturalist Engelbert kaempfer
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I'm a Flavonoid

The day you learn you share a name with a flavonoid:

Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, found in a variety of plants and plant-derived foods including kale, beans, tea, spinach and broccoli. Kaempferol is a yellow crystalline solid with a melting point of 276–278 °C (529–532 °F). It is slightly soluble in water and highly soluble in hot ethanol, ethers, and DMSO. Kaempferol is named for 17th-century German naturalist Engelbert Kaempfer.
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Free Kicks--Diversions in Soccer Entertainment



If you're a soccer fan, and looking for something to binge, lots of suggestions in this podcast.

Listen to it here.
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Thursday, April 16, 2020

RIP Brian Dennehy

More sad news. They're dropping like flies now. Esteemed actor Brian Dennehy has passed away at the age of 81. I'm sure he's not thrilled that most of his obits lead with his role in "Tommy Boy".

For me, I will always remember him for this role...

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Roger Badesch

I feel for Roger Badesch. He is so excited to get his first copy of his book, but we're obviously in a holding pattern right now because the world has shut down and we've been deemed non-essential. When we get the go-ahead to go to press, this is a book you have to read. Roger has lived a very interesting life...
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Chicago Radio Ratings

Thanks to Robert Feder for posting these. If you'd like to see the daypart breakdowns, click here.

1. WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM all news, 7.7 (5.8)
2. WVAZ 102.7-FM urban adult contemporary, 5.3 (4.9)
3. WTMX 101.9-FM hot adult contemporary, 5.2 (5.4)
4. WDRV 97.1-FM classic rock, 5.1 (5.3)
5. WGN 720-AM news talk, 4.5 (3.9)
6. (tie) WBEZ 91.5-FM public radio news talk, 4.3 (3.6); WLIT 93.9-FM adult contemporary, 4.3 (4.8); WLS 94.7-FM classic hits, 4.3 (4.2)
9. WXRT 93.1-FM adult album alternative, 3.8 (3.3)
10. WKSC 103.5-FM Top 40, 3.3 (3.7)
11. WOJO 105.1-FM Mexican regional, 3.1 (3.3); WSHE 100.3-FM adult contemporary, 3.1 (3.3)
13. WBBM 96.3-FM Top 40, 2.8 (2.6)
14. WUSN 99.5-FM country, 2.7 (2.8)
15. WSCR 670-AM sports talk, 2.5 (2.7)
16. (tie) WBMX 104.3-FM classic hip hop, 2.4 (2.5); WKQX 101.1-FM alternative rock, 2.4 (2.3); WLEY 107.9-FM Mexican regional, 2.4 (2.6); WRME 87.7-FM soft rock oldies, 2.4 (2.4)
20. WGCI 107.5-FM urban contemporary, 2.3 (2.1)
21. WLS 890-AM news talk, 2.1 (2.3)
22. WPPN 106.7-FM Spanish adult contemporary, 1.8 (1.9)
23. WPWX 92.3-FM urban contemporary, 1.4 (1.4)
24. (tie) WCKL 97.9-FM contemporary Christian, 1.3 (1.5); WVIV 93.5-FM Spanish contemporary, 1.3 (1.9)
26. (tie) WEBG 95.5-FM country, 1.2 (1.4); WMVP 1000-AM sports talk, 1.2 (1.2)
28. WFMT 98.7-FM classical 1.1 (1.0)
29. WMBI 90.1-FM Christian ministry, 1.0 (0.8)
30. WZSR 105.5-FM hot adult contemporary 0.7 (0.6
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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

The Spirit of Chicago

Thanks to the Ides of March, Jim Peterik, Dennis De Young (formerly of Styx), Cathy Richardson of Jefferson Starship, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and many others for this great song and video...

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Another Endorsement

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RIP Jim Bolger

It's been a rough week for ex-Cubs. Jim Bolger passed away last Thursday at the age of 88. Here's his listing from EveryCubEver...

~Jim Bolger 1932--2020 (Cubs 1955-1959)
Bolger backed up all three outfield positions for the Cubs in the late 50s. His best season was 1957, when he got the most extensive playing time of his career. He hit .275 in 273 at-bats and knocked in 33 runs. He also played for the Reds, Indians, and A’s in his big league career. His nickname was Dutch.
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Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The old girl still looks great

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Pretty Big Endorsement

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Dave Hillman



The 90+-year-old Cubs are...

Wayne Terwilliger 6/27/25
Bobby Shantz 9/26/25
Bobby Morgan 6/29/26
Ed Mickelson 9/9/26
Jim Willis 3/20/27
Dave Hillman 9/14/27
Duke Simpson 9/15/27
Bob Kelly 10/4/27
Tommy Brown 12/6/27
Vito Vallentivetti 9/16/28
Gale Wade 1/20/29
Ed Wincienak 4/16/29
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When the Coughing Stops

If you really want to know what's it like in the emergency rooms, this op-ed in the Washington Post sums it up beautifully. Written by a doctor who also suffered through the E-bola outbreak. It's heartbreaking, but beautifully written.
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RIP Jim Frey

Jim Frey was 88 years old. RIP.

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Monday, April 13, 2020

Easter Bunny

There's a reason for the expression "going at it like rabbits"

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Don't Mess with 60 Minutes

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The Lisagor Awards

I was nominated for several Lisagor Awards back in my days with the Northwest Indiana Times, and at that time, they didn't really honor radio for their news reporting. They do now, but apparently only one station in town got the memo. Here's the entire list of Lisagor nominees fro radio in Chicago. See if you can spot a trend...

BROADCAST: RADIO

Best In-depth News Story or Series

Dan Mihalopoulos, Tony Arnold, Dave McKinney and Alex Keefe, WBEZ Chicago
Patrick Smith and Robert Wildeboer, WBEZ
Becky Vevea, Claudia Morell, Linda Lutton, Dan Mihalopoulos, James Edwards and Alex Keefe,
WBEZ

Best Investigative Reporting

Patrick Smith, Chip Mitchell, Shannon Heffernan and Robert Wildeboer, WBEZ

Best Reporter

Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ
Michael Puente, WBEZ
Maria Ines Zamudio, WBEZ

Best Feature Reporting

Linda Paul, Ken Davis and Cate Cahan, WBEZ/Chicago Public Media
Michael Puente and Annie Russell, WBEZ
Jessica Pupovac, Jesse Dukes and Shawn Allee, WBEZ

Best Public Affairs Programming

Michael Puente, Lakeshore Public Radio
Staff, WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central
Becky Vevea, Claudia Morell, Dan Mihalopoulos, Kristen Schorsch, Justin Bull and Alex Keefe, WBEZ

Best Business or Consumer Reporting

Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle, James Edwards, Taneshia Rice, Bia Medious and Kevin Dawson,
WBEZ Chicago, Comedy Central

Best Health or Science Reporting

Ken Davis, Linda Paul and Cate Cahan, WBEZ/Chicago Public Media
Monica Eng, Jessica Pupovac, Michael Lansu and Jesse Dukes, WBEZ
Bianca Martin, Meha Ahmad, Stephanie Kim, Nereida Moreno, Jenn White and Daniel Tucker,
WBEZ

Best Sports Story

Kate McGee, Manuel Martinez and Kate Grossman, WBEZ
Michael Puente and Annie Russell, WBEZ
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When you lose Fox & Friends

I know it's just the weekend host, and I know this virus has affected her personally (which seems to be the requirement for Republican empathy to kick in), but it's a step in the right direction...

One particular Fox & Friends host has had enough of Donald Trump’s criticism on media’s coverage of coronavirus — and she wasn’t afraid to express it. Fox & Friends weekend co-host Jedediah Bila took to Twitter to dig into Trump after he criticized Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace, who discussed a New York Times article about Trump not acting sooner on the coronavirus.

“Just watched Mike Wallace wannabe, Chris Wallace, on @FoxNews,” tweeted Trump. “I am now convinced that he is even worse than Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Meet the Press(please!), or the people over at Deface the Nation. What the hell is happening to @FoxNews. It’s a whole new ballgame over there!

Bila, who was recovering from COVID-19 last week, did not mince words with her response to the former host of Celebrity Apprentice. “Enough with the 3rd grade name-calling. Chris is doing his job. The news should not be any president’s friend, ally, or buddy. If it bothered you when Obama complained about Fox News, but you’re silent on this complete nonsense, then just stop. Seriously. Enough.”

Note that the segment Trump freaked out about was a perfectly normal and very measured interview with an expert from John Hopkins, who didn't blame Trump personally for anything. He just pointed out that if action had been taken sooner, we'd be in a better place in this country. He also said it may take a little longer than the administration thinks before we can safely return to work. Not exactly radical opinions.
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Minutia Men--Curly, Clue & Krauts Too

I think you'll really enjoy this week's episode. Comedian Tim Clue is quite energetic and entertaining...

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Sunday, April 12, 2020

RIP Glenn Beckert


Very sad news. One of my childhood heroes passed away today. His old teammate Fergie Jenkins just posted the news of his passing on Twitter.

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Friday, April 10, 2020

Great Version

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AARP

I've been making fun of AARP since Landecker was old enough to join (1997) and I wrote a song about it called "Baby Boomers".

I can't believe it's come to this, but I pulled the trigger today after nearly 7 years of fighting it since I became eligible myself. I sent in for my AARP card. What the heck, it comes with a free trunk organizer. Hard to pass up a deal like that.
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The sort of thing my e-mail box is flooded with these days

Keep 'em coming...

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Randy Newman

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Last Supper 2020

Thanks to "SS" for sending this to me...

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A Father Much Better Than I

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Siblings Day






Today is "Siblings Day". It's been a long time since I've been in the same room as my two siblings Cindy Kaempfer and Peter Kaempfer, but here's a shot from last summer.
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The Cuomo Brothers

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RIP Mort Drucker

One of my favorite MAD Magazine illustrators has died. He was 91.

Newsweek has his obit.

I still have a box of my old Mad Magazines. Mort famously illustrated the Star Wars spoof, among many others.
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Thursday, April 09, 2020

This is our country

During a pandemic sweeping across the country, the US Government has decided that none of their health experts will be allowed to appear on one of the all-news networks (CNN) unless they agree to cover every second of Trump's rambling, and often dishonest press briefings. I'm not kidding...

Vice President Mike Pence's office has declined to allow the nation's top health officials to appear on CNN in recent days and discuss the coronavirus pandemic killing thousands of Americans, in an attempt to pressure the network into carrying the White House's lengthy daily briefings in full.

Pence's office, which is responsible for booking the officials on networks during the pandemic, said it will only allow experts such as Dr. Deborah Birx or Dr. Anthony Fauci to appear on CNN if the network televises the portion of the White House briefings that includes the vice president and other coronavirus task force members.

This is our country under Trump. Its depressing beyond belief.
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Sunset in Mt. Prospect

There's a snow advisory for tonight (ugh) but last night was beautiful in Mt. Prospect. I snapped a few photos to show you...

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What He Said

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Wednesday, April 08, 2020

Amy & Bradley

A special extendo-dance remix interview with Amy Landecker and her husband Bradley Whitford. Some great stories here. Thanks again to Amy & Brad for doing it.

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Landecker Succeeded by Making Connections

Radio World has a new article about the latest inductee into the NAB Hall of Fame, my old pal John Records Landecker. Here's an excerpt...

“John Records Landecker has had a profound impact on radio and has inspired generations of new talent,” said NAB Executive Vice President of Industry Affairs Steve Newberry. “His induction into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame symbolizes the personal connection between DJs and their audiences and how innovative personalities can influence radio programming.”

Most stories about Landecker start out explaining that Records was not just a clever addition to his name to play off his radio work. The origins of that can be traced back to his mother’s maiden name.

In fact, his autobiography is titled “Records Really is My Middle Name.” In addition, he has released six albums based on his bits and satirical songs accumulated through his career.

Landecker, 73, was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., just outside Detroit, and his earliest memories of radio are of several hometown AM radio stations that were fairly typical of that time.

“I didn’t really tune in for the music or even recall that part of it. But the announcers did everything. They hosted talk shows, read sports and weather, they did call-in buy and sell shows and remotes. I found it fascinating. So I began tape recording myself around the house,” Landecker said.

His father had a Dictaphone that Landecker was allowed to play with, and when he first heard his voice come out of it he was convinced that radio would be his career choice.

“I just knew it even at a very young age. Maybe it was part ego, but I wanted to be the guy on the radio talking to people through this magic box,” Landecker said.

You can read the whole article here.
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RIP John Prine

Lost another one last night, the great singer/songwriter from Chicago John Prine. He died of CoronaVirus. Couldn't decide which Prine song to feature here today, but I settled on this one...



Bruce Springsteen chimes in...

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Tuesday, April 07, 2020

Irony is dead

Do I really need to explain my headline?

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I don't want to see the outtakes

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Hard to Argue with This

From today's Atlantic, written by David Frum...

That the pandemic occurred is not Trump’s fault. The utter unpreparedness of the United States for a pandemic is Trump’s fault. The loss of stockpiled respirators to breakage because the federal government let maintenance contracts lapse in 2018 is Trump’s fault. The failure to store sufficient protective medical gear in the national arsenal is Trump’s fault. That states are bidding against other states for equipment, paying many multiples of the precrisis price for ventilators, is Trump’s fault. Air travelers summoned home and forced to stand for hours in dense airport crowds alongside infected people? That was Trump’s fault too. Ten weeks of insisting that the coronavirus is a harmless flu that would miraculously go away on its own? Trump’s fault again. The refusal of red-state governors to act promptly, the failure to close Florida and Gulf Coast beaches until late March? That fault is more widely shared, but again, responsibility rests with Trump: He could have stopped it, and he did not.

The lying about the coronavirus by hosts on Fox News and conservative talk radio is Trump’s fault: They did it to protect him. The false hope of instant cures and nonexistent vaccines is Trump’s fault, because he told those lies to cover up his failure to act in time. The severity of the economic crisis is Trump’s fault; things would have been less bad if he had acted faster instead of sending out his chief economic adviser and his son Eric to assure Americans that the first stock-market dips were buying opportunities. The firing of a Navy captain for speaking truthfully about the virus’s threat to his crew? Trump’s fault. The fact that so many key government jobs were either empty or filled by mediocrities? Trump’s fault. The insertion of Trump’s arrogant and incompetent son-in-law as commander in chief of the national medical supply chain? Trump’s fault.

For three years, Trump has blathered and bluffed and bullied his way through an office for which he is utterly inadequate. But sooner or later, every president must face a supreme test, a test that cannot be evaded by blather and bluff and bullying. That test has overwhelmed Trump.

The full piece is here. It's excellent. It's true. It's not Fake News.
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This is cool

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One World

Every crisis needs a celebrity concert to combat it. This weekend is the first CoronaVirus special. Via NPR News...

Global Citizen and the World Health Organization announced One World: Together At Home, a Live Aid-style event designed to celebrate healthcare workers around the globe and to support the U.N. Foundation's COVID-19 Response Fund.. The concert will be broadcast live on TV and on social media Saturday, April 18 at 8 p.m. ET.

Curated by Lady Gaga, the festival promises performances from Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish and Lizzo, as well as appearances from non-musicians like David Beckham. In addition to boasting one of the flashiest lineups of the hundreds of live streamed concerts that have been organized over the past several weeks, the Global Citizen event also will be one of the most widely available. In a press release, Global Citizen writes that the stream will be broadcast on all the major American television networks as well as virtually every social media platform.
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Monday, April 06, 2020

RIP Al Kaline

He died today at the age of 85. One of the all-time greats. For some reason, I only have one Al Kaline baseball card in my collection. This one from 1972...

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RIP Pussy Galore

Honor Blackman, better known to us as Pussy Galore, passed away today at the age of 94. RIP.

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You Got a Friend in Me

If you want positivity these days, follow former basketball star Rex Chapman on Twitter. He finds heartwarming gems like this every day...

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The numbers are artificially low

When you hear the numbers of CoronaVirus patients in Illinois, remember this. They are only beginning testing now. Only beginning. Don't believe me? Look at this...

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Make Your Own Mask

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Minutia Men--A Corona Show with Shoeless Joe

Rick and Dave discuss Malaysian CoronaVirus don’ts, play a few CoronaVirus ditties, ask inappropriate French CoronaVirus questions, Rick tells about his brush with the recently departed Adam Schlessinger, and they interview the man who once played Shoeless Joe Jackson–actor DB Sweeney. [Ep174]

Listen to it here.
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Friday, April 03, 2020

Fox News Kills

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RIP Bill Withers

Lost another one. Loved Bill Withers. He passed away this week (March 30) at the age of 81.

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Radio Bloodbath

Last week it was iHeart Radio that laid off a percentage of their workforce. This week it's Entercomm. I'm personally skeptical of the reasoning here. I'm still hearing commercials on the radio. This sounds like an excuse to do something every radio company wants to do (cut jobs and save money) but doesn't do because of public outcry. This is done under the cover of CoronoVirus. From Robert Feder's column today...

At least eight on-air personalities and one program director were among dozens of staffers cut at Entercom Chicago radio stations Thursday. They included Elk Grove Village native Diana Steele, midday host at classic hip-hop WBMX 104.3-FM; Mike Kasper, afternoon host at country WUSN 99.5-FM; and Eric Tyler, afternoon host at Top 40 WBBM 96.3-FM. Sports/talk WSCR 670-AM took the biggest hit, losing midday co-host Connor McKnight, evening and weekend host Julie DiCaro, reporter David Schuster, producer and podcast host Rick Camp and freelance weekend host Maggie Hendricks. Also laid off was Kenny Jay, program director of US99. Many more positions in sales, promotions, digital and other areas also were eliminated or furloughed, sources said. Employees making more than $50,000 were given pay cuts of 10 to 20 percent. Entercom CEO David Field, who had his own salary reduced 30 percent, cited the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on advertising revenues. “We must take hard but necessary actions to ensure that we endure the crisis and emerge as a strong, healthy and competitive company,” Field said. “I am deeply saddened that we need to make these painful moves at this time, but they are necessary under the circumstances.”
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Free HBO Streaming

HBO is offering free streaming of many shows, nearly 500 hours of programming.

I get HBO, but I still might stream this to get Succession. I've been meaning to watch that, and for some reason, it's not on HBO On Demand.
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Those Were the Days


My latest contribution to Illinois Entertainer, an interview with "Those Were The Days" host Steve Darnall.

You can read it here.
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Thursday, April 02, 2020

Free Kicks--What's Happening Off the Pitch

Adam and Rick update the latest news about league closures, including Champions League, Premier League, and European Cup. [Ep65]

Listen to it here.
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Ed Farmer

Jeepers. Missed this last night. Another one is gone. They are dropping like flies now. Sad to hear the news...

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Adam Schlessinger

Heartbroken by this news: Adam Schlessinger passed away yesterday.

He was an incredibly talented songwriter. I met him in the mid-90s when the movie "That Thing You Do" (starring Tom Hanks) came out. Adam wrote that theme song, and was recognized with an Academy Award nomination. I love that movie so much, and if you've seen it, you know the entire concept of the film falls apart without that song. It had to be a song that sounded like a hit record from the 1960s. That wasn't so easy to write in the 1990s, but Adam did it. Here's the song...



At the time he was also in a band called Fountains of Wayne. I had never heard of the band, but they were playing at the Metro in Chicago, and that's how I got Adam on the show. At the time he lived in New York and I called information (remember that?) and sure enough, he was listed. So, he came into the studio at the Landecker show and spent a half hour with us. He was not a morning person. It was funny how much he wasn't a morning person. During the commercials he put his head on the counter and slept.

But...I bought his band's CD and it contained this incredible song...



I was hooked. I later bought every single thing they created, and there isn't a bad song among them. I have all their albums. It's a tragedy that they only had one hit, and it was this one...



It won a Grammy. Adam also played in a few other groups during the years, including the band Tinted Windows. Again, he wrote their songs, like this one...



I was impatiently waiting for a Fountains of Wayne reunion the past five or six years, but Adam wasn't just sitting around. He was working on the show Crazy Ex-Girlfirend. He won an Emmy for writing this song...



He also worked on Broadway. He wrote the theme song for the Tony Awards one year...



When he died Adam was working on the musical for The Nanny.

I saw the Fountains of Wayne perform once at Space in Evanston (thanks to my friend JoMarie who scored me a ticket). It was a great show and I was thrilled to see it, but Adam wasn't exactly a showman on stage. That wasn't his thing. He didn't take center stage. He was the writer. I get it. I can relate to that. I could relate to him.

I'm really upset that this friggin virus has taken him from us.

He was only 52.

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Wednesday, April 01, 2020

I'm collecting these

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Not an April Fools Joke

This is hard to believe...

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Tuesday, March 31, 2020

He's starting to lose his friends

Hard to disagree with this...



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Family Time

This is really good. If we could sing, I'd get my family together on a project like this...

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Hope this takes a load off

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Chris Cuomo

Hoping the President doesn't say something terrible about this. I'm not surprised it's beginning to hit the media. Hang in there Chris.

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Sad news

Fountains of Wayne is one of my all-time favorite bands. Hang in there Adam!

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My Corona

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Six Feet Baby

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Don't Spread it Around

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Monday, March 30, 2020

Who was the real Doctor Robert?

Eckhartz Press author Brent Petersen did the research, and shared it here.

For the non-Beatles fans among us, he's talking about this song...

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CoronaVirus myths

This a great resource to check out any rumors you might have heard about what does and doesn't work to prevent CoronaVirus.

Hat tip to Charlie Meyerson for putting in his excellent daily newsletter Public Square.
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Morning in Wrigleyville

This picture makes me realize even more how much I'm missing baseball...

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Sunday, March 29, 2020

Brilliant

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Bill Paige

The latest from Eckhartz Press author ("Everything I Know I Learned From Rock Stars") Bill Paige...

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Saturday, March 28, 2020

What he said

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Friday, March 27, 2020

My tickets have arrived

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What he said

Michael Rappaport's response to Trump's latest whiney tweet is pretty harsh. I probably wouldn't have chosen the same colorful language, but I don't disagree with the sentiment...

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RIP Jim Wynn

The Toy Cannon, one of my childhood favs, has passed away at the age of 78. Some of my favorite baseball cards...

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Thursday, March 26, 2020

RIP Curly Neal

Curly passed away today at the age of 77. RIP, Curly. The greatest Globetrotter.

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Joseph Gannascoli

This week's Minutia Men celebrity interview is with Soprano's star Joseph Gannascoli. He played Vito on the classic show.

Listen to it here.
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Sunset

It was a beautiful day in the Chicago area yesterday, and I took advantage of it by getting some much needed fresh air. (No Cigar--it doesn't feel right to smoke when everyone is suffering from a respiratory problem.) Also, I returned to my hobby of taking sunset photos...

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Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Wiener Circle

Everyone has to do their part...

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Best CoronaVirus PSA

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RIP Floyd

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Social Distancing in the UK

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Fox News Kills

For years I've been saying that Fox News is destroying America. When I said that I meant the demise of this country's discourse and decency has coincided directly with the rise of Fox News.

However, I never literally meant that Fox News was destroying America...until now.

Fox News pundits are the reason the president wants to ignore the scientists and open the country again.

Now it's not figurative. Now they really could be killing people.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2020

She will survive

I chuckled at this one...

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Playing Pepper at Wrigley

Looks like the early 1930s, based on that logo.

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Monday, March 23, 2020

Dick Pound

Dick Pound was trending earlier because he is part of the IOC announcing postponement of the Olympics...and because his name is Dick Pound. Still not as funny of a name as these three guys...

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Morgan Freeman

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Social Distance

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Tribute to Quarantined Chicago

Voiced by Rick Kogan...

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Sunday, March 22, 2020

The Real Dr. Fauci

Interesting interview with Dr. Fauci in Science Magazine. You should read the whole piece, but this is the part that got my attention...

Q: President Trump keeps saying that the travel ban for China, which began 2 February, had a big impact [on slowing the spread of the virus to the United States] and that he wishes China would have told us three to four months earlier and that they were “very secretive.” [China did not immediately reveal the discovery of a new coronavirus in late December, but by 10 January, Chinese researchers made the sequence of the virus public.] It just doesn't comport with facts.

A: I know, but what do you want me to do? I mean, seriously Jon, let’s get real, what do you want me to do?

Q: Most everyone thinks that you’re doing a remarkable job, but you're standing there as the representative of truth and facts but things are being said that aren't true and aren't factual.

A: The way it happened is that after he made that statement [suggesting China could have revealed the discovery of a new coronavirus three to four months earlier], I told the appropriate people, it doesn't comport, because two or three months earlier would have been September. The next time they sit down with him and talk about what he’s going to say, they will say, by the way, Mr. President, be careful about this and don't say that. But I can't jump in front of the microphone and push him down. OK, he said it. Let's try and get it corrected for the next time.

Q: You have not said China virus. [Trump frequently calls the cause of the spreading illness, known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a “China virus” or a “Chinese virus.”]

A: Ever.

Q. And you never will, will you?

A: No.
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Saturday, March 21, 2020

Minutia Men--An Indoorsman's Guide to CoronoVirus

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Friday, March 20, 2020

The Mooch Chimes In

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The Spanish Flu 1918

The last time the country was hit by something like this was The Spanish Flu in 1918.

Chicago Magazine has a great piece about how Chicago handled the crisis back then.
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Minutia Men Celebrity Interview--James Finn Garner

Rick and Dave interview New York Times best-selling author (and humorist) James Finn Garner. We talk about important things like the Rolling Stones and Roxy Music.

Listen to it here.
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