Dana Kozlov

The latest issue of Illinois Entertainer is out and includes my interview with WBBM-TV Channel 2 anchor/reporter Dana Kozlov. Thanks again to Dana for doing the interview.

You can read it here.

Eckhartz Everyday

 

*On this day in 2015, Kipper McGee released his Eckhartz Press book Brandwidth. It has since been re-released in a 2nd printing and remains a great analysis of the traditional media.

*On this day in 2014, Joel Daly appeared on WGN Radio with Pete McMurray and Scott Miller to promote his Eckhartz Press book The Daly News. Photos and audio available here.

Watts Tower

Eckhartz Press author Brent Petersen (Truffle Hunt) writes about the Watts Tower, and it's connection to the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It's an interesting read.

Check it out here.

Studio Walls

     Every week I send my Minutia Men Co-Host Dave Stern a list from our audio archives for this week's Studio Walls feature. These are the possibilities for this week. Which one will he choose?

*March 28th was John Landecker's birthday. He has been on our show three different times, which you can listen to here, here, and here.

*March 28, 1855, Baird and Warner was founded. We did a radio commercial for them back in the days of our advertising agency (AUDIO)

*March 28, 1971, the final episode of The Ed Sullivan show aired. Buckinghams lead singer Carl Giammarese was on our show and told us the story of his appearance on Ed Sullivan. (Entire interview is here)

*March 29, 1996, John Landecker got his first AARP card in the mail. It inspired a song I wrote for him called "Baby Boomers" (AUDIO/Landecker and the Legends CD)

*March 29 is Eric Idle's birthday. He once did a promotional announcement for our advertising agency. (AUDIO)

*March 30 is DeWolf Hopper's birthday. His claim to fame a hundred years ago was touring the country and performing a ridiculously over-the-top version of Casey at the Bat. (We have the audio)

*March 31 is actor Jonathan Stoddard's birthday. The only half-Mexican, half Jewish person we've ever had on the show. (Listen to the entire interview here)

*April 1st is the birthday of the Empire Carpet Man, Lynn Haldren. I wrote a bit for him when the movie "The Empire Strikes Back" was re-released in the late 90s. It's called "The Empire Carpet Man Strikes Back" (AUDIO)

*April 1st is the birthday of Kevin Matthews' sidekick Jim Shorts. I interviewed him once on Kevin's show in the early 90s...in German (AUDIO)

*April 1st is National Comedian Day. We had author Sheila Moeschen on to talk about her book naming the greatest female comedians (Listen to the interview here)

Eckhartz Everyday

 *On this day in 2018 we had the launch party to end all launch parties. Cubsessions was released and we sold a record number of books and drew our biggest crowd ever at Murphy's Pub in Wrigleyville. Check out these photos from the event. 

*On this day in 2019, Ken Korber released his Eckhartz Press book Grace & Friends: A Burn Prevention/Fire Safety Activity Book. 

USA is in the World Cup

Not a great game, but it doesn't matter. It was the final match. The USA is in the 2022 World Cup!

Time to make more memories.

The USMNT are headed back to the World Cup 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/4iplM6orGC

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 31, 2022

David Lee Roth

 For some reason, David Lee Roth posted this video. 2 1/2 hours of him dancing to the O'Jays song "Love Train"...

From the Media Writing Archives

 Today is the birthday of the great Fred Winston. I still check in with Fred occasionally. He's such a delight to talk to. The last time I interviewed him was for the Illinois Entertainer back in 2018. Here's an excerpt...

His baritone voice sounds as strong as ever, exactly like Fred Winston has sounded since he arrived in Chicago in 1971. “It still comes out of the same hole,” he points out.

Does the “R” word now apply to Fred?“ I guess I am retired,” he admits, “although I don’t feel like it’s done. I’m always reticent to say that I’m done now because I do feel like I could drop back behind the mic and with a little DW40 in the mouth, I could pick up where I left off. But I’m busier than ever these days. I have a small farm here that has enough crap going on to keep me busy every day. I’m in Berrien County which is the highest point of elevation in this region, so if it farts on Lake Michigan, I get it here. We’re currently in the throes of a major blizzard. We’ll have an additional two feet of snow in the next three days. The frustrating thing about being a gentleman farmer, as you call me, are the many tiny engines that need spark plugs and oil changes. Rather than flap my mouth, I now bang my knuckles.”

Does he miss radio at all? “I don’t really miss radio the way it was (is) when I last did it. We were told that’s the way the business has evolved. People just don’t want to hear you speak for more than eight seconds. It’s not about you. It’s about the music, man. ‘Hey, I dug that break about the Doobies, man.’ I thought ‘Aw shit, what have I gotten myself into?’”

The entire interview is here.

Eckhartz Everyday

 *On this day in 2014, Chicago Writers Association President Randy Richardson released his novel Lost In the Ivy on Eckhartz Press.

*On this day in 2018, Windy City Reviews wrote a glowing review of the Eckhartz Press book Cubsessions, co-written by the same Randy Richardson.

  Read the entire review here.

Free Excerpt--Joel Daly Commentary

 

(Commentary March 29, 1977)

One of the gems contained in "The Daly News" by Joel Daly is his treasure trove of nightly commentaries. He delivered them every night on ABC-7 in Chicago. This is the one he delivered on March 29, 1977, about the DC-3 airplane. Joel was also a pilot...


Commentary - March 29, 1977

It wasn’t much of an incident, really: An old cargo plane veered off a runway at O’Hare and was destroyed. The two crewmen escaped with burns.

In the wake of the Canary Island tragedy, the story barely rated a mention, except in connection with the weather.

“A twin-engine plane,” said most experts, “propeller-driven.” Only parenthetically was it identified as a DC-3.

A DC-3. It’s not that I’m ancient. But, I suddenly realized an entire generation has grown up on big, silver airplanes that push their way through the air instead of grabbing for it with powerful propellers.

The airplane destroyed last night at O’Hare was more than a “twin-engine, propeller-driven relic.” It was one of the greatest airplanes ever built!

The DC-3 literally rescued our floundering airline industry, back in the ‘30’s. By the time production ended in 1945, the DC-3 probably represented nearly half the planes in the sky. It was still toting guns during Viet Nam.

Military pilots lovingly called it the gooney bird. One of them wrote: “It rattled, it protested, it leaked oil, it ran hot, it ran cold, and it ran rough. It staggered along on hot days, and scared you half to death. Its wings flexed and twisted in a horrifying manner. It sank back to earth with a great sigh of relief. But, it flew and flew and flew. Honest faithful and magnificent machine that it was.”

Forty years later, some 3,000 are still in the air. The DC-3 is half as old as aviation itself. And, more than any other airplane, responsible for its growth.

That’s why I felt the old gooney that burned last night deserved a better obituary. After all those years and all those hours, in all that weather, fate had to sneak up on her—on the ground—when she wasn’t looking.

Eckhartz Everyday

 

*Infamous Detroit Tigers pitcher Denny McClain was born on this day in 1944. He is featured in Chet Coppock's Eckhartz Press book, Your Dime My Dance Floor.

*On this day in 2020, Eckhartz Press author Bill Paige (Everything I Know I Learned from Rock Stars) debuted his new song about the new scary virus spreading all over the world...

Eric Litt on WGN-TV

Eric Soderholm

Former White Sox slugger Eric Soderholm with a copy of our latest book. The Foreword is written by Hall of Famer Goose Gossage. https://t.co/fAfCSQUiXh pic.twitter.com/zNiizZOet1

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) March 28, 2022

Chili Dog MVP Review

The start of it all?

Minutia Men--A Very Special Studio Wall

The new episode is out. You can listen to it here. 

Rick and Dave chat with Andrew Lloyd Webber lyricist Glen Slater, Grand Funk Railroad’s Mark Farner, Fee Waybill of the Tubes, Paul Michael Glaser from Starsky & Hutch, and uncover a rare 1955 interview with Ernie Banks. [Ep265]

The Slap Heard Round the World

Definitely NOT scripted. Watch the non-bleeped version that aired overseas. You can access it through this clip.

Here’s the unedited Will Smith slap of Chris Rock. This looks real. They bleeped it all out on the American version. pic.twitter.com/2fIoL05gO8

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) March 28, 2022

Eckhartz Everyday

 *Today is John Landecker's birthday. We released his book "Records Truly Is My Middle Name" on his birthday back in 2013, and he made an appearance on WGN-TV to promote the book. For some more behind the scenes photos, click here.

*Today is also the birthday of Eckhartz Press author Tom Latourette. He wrote a children's book to promote his cancer charity, Beat Tom & Bill. The book is called I Had a Runny Nose. Some additional photos from the release of that book can be seen here.

Chili Dog MVP

 Thanks to everyone who came out to Orland today to meet these two critically acclaimed authors, Dr. David Fletcher (left) and John Owens (right). Their book is flying off the Eckhartz Press and Amazon shelves. https://eckhartzpress.com/shop/chili-dog-mvp-dick-allen-the-1972-white-sox-and-a-transforming-chicago/

Chili Dog MVP

Of course this group of books includes the great new Eckhartz Press release "Chili Dog MVP" by @john_p_owens and @DJFletchMD https://t.co/IgeESTPEiA

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) March 27, 2022

Come on out to Orland Park tomorrow (Sunday) to meet the authors...

 

Lake Tahoe

 A few pics from my trip to Tahoe. Back to reality on Monday.

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview--Oscar Special

 The latest episode is live. You can listen to it here.

SPECIAL OSCAR EDITION: Oscar’s Biggest Mistakes and a preview to this year’s Academy Awards.  Rick and Dave chat with author Eric Litt. [Ep95]

Eckhartz Everyday

 *On this day in 2012, Kim Strickland held the launch party for her brand new novel Down at the Golden Coin. 

Among the goodies handed out that day, chocolate golden coins. They should have never sat Dave and I near that bowl.

Eckhartz Everyday

 *Today is Peyton Manning's birthday. The Hall of Fame quarterback is featured in the pages of Randy Merkin's great Eckhartz Press book, Behind the Glass.

Studio Walls

 Programming Note: This week's episode of Minutia Men will contain five different Studio Walls segments. You'll hear...

*Lyricist Glen Slater talk about what its like to work with his musical collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber.

*Grand Funk Railroad's Mark Farner talk about how he created the song "Bad Time" before going into a rant about radio.

*Tube's lead singer Fee Waybill talk about the song "Don't Touch Me There" and the absolutely wild stage antics that accompanied it.

*Paul Michael Glaser from Starsky & Hutch talk about how cool it was to drive that iconic Starsky and Hutch Grand Torino.

and...

*A super-young Ernie Banks (in 1955) in his first big interview.

The show drops Saturday.

Eckhartz Everyday

 

*On this day in 2013, the Chicago Tribune reviewed John Landecker's memoir Records Truly Is My Middle Name (co-written by me). It was glowing. Thank you Rick Kogan.

*On this day in 2018, Beth Jacobellis had her book launch party on the Northwest side of Chicago. Her book Cameo is still available.

*Today is Jim Geddes birthday. He was a member of the 1972 White Sox and is featured in the book Chili Dog MVP.

From the Writing Archives--William Shatner

 

I only met William Shatner once, but I figured this would be a good day to tell that story. It's his birthday. I originally wrote this piece back in 2006.

My one and only William Shatner encounter occured in the late '80s.

At the time I was working for Steve & Garry at WLUP-AM, as well as doing an overnight disc jockey shift on WLUP-FM. One of the perks for my seven day work week was the occasional “personal appearance.”

I was under no illusions that people were clamoring for a Rick Kaempfer appearance. The entire concept was laughable. During the Steve & Garry years I was best known for being “the idiot” who didn’t get Steve & Garry what they wanted fast enough. The extent of my personality during my FM air shifts involved new and interesting ways to introduce Led Zeppelin. I knew the score. When I was sent out to a personal appearance by the radio station, it only meant that they were contracted to provide a radio personality for an event, and everyone else on the staff had said no.

They didn’t say “no” for no reason.

Any “non-star” who has ever done one of these appearances knows what I’m talking about. It’s not exactly a rip-roaring good time. It’s a couple of hours of schmoozing the client, saying hello to maybe a dozen people, and watching the clock.

Luckily I didn’t bring my dignity with me the day I was sent out to the Chicago Auto Show for a personal appearance. It would have just gotten in the way every time I had to answer the question: “Who are you?”

The only thing that saved this day from being a complete loss was that William Shatner was scheduled to make an appearance on the same day. Shatner’s setup was no more than fifty feet away from mine.

I had a tiny 5’ X 7’ booth. He had a roped off area in front of an elevated stage.

I had a metal folding chair. He had a fully stocked trailer attended to by three Teamsters.

I had an 8 ½ by 11 paper sign that said: “Meet Loop DJ.” He had a large poster with his picture under the headline: “MEET WILLIAM SHATNER!”

On the other hand, almost nobody was there to see him either. About fifteen minutes before his appearance was set to begin, there were maybe a half-dozen people in this gigantic roped-off area. Since nobody was there to see me, and nobody was there to see him, I left my post by the “Meet Loop DJ” sign, and got in line. I figured, “What the heck? I’ll never get another opportunity like this.”

Minutes turned into an hour, and still, there was no sign of William Shatner.

By then the throng had grown to maybe twenty people. When he finally poked his head out of the trailer and made his way up to the stage, the crowd let out frenzied cheers at the sight of him. He nodded politely and walked up to the microphone.

“Thanks for coming out today. I’m looking forward to talking to each and every one of you. Unfortunately, I won’t be signing any autographs, but I will shake your hand, press the flesh, and say hello.”

Since I was seventh in line, I heard what he said to all six people in line ahead of me.

“Hi, I’m Bill. Nice to meet you.”

That was it. Within seconds it was my turn. That’s when I smelled him. He reeked of wine.

“Hi, I’m Bill. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” I said.

He shook everyone’s hand in maybe five minutes. With that, boom, he was gone—back into the trailer.

I had never really been to a celebrity personal appearance before so I didn’t know what to expect, but never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be that lame. On the other hand, I looked around at the rest of the people in the audience and they didn’t seem that upset. I heard one husband and wife talking on their way out.

“What did you think of his piece?” the husband asked.

“I like the fluffy TJ Hooker one better,” the wife said.

I went back to my “Meet Loop DJ” sign, and watched that trailer for twenty minutes from my metal folding chair.

Nobody came, and nobody left.

Unless there was some sort of an escape hatch beneath the trailer, William Shatner was spending several hours on Sunday afternoon hanging out with some Teamsters in a trailer in the middle of an almost empty Chicago Auto Show.

I eventually picked up my “Meet Loop DJ” sign, folded up my metal folding chair, and left. Shatner was still there.

My pay for that afternoon was an electric can opener and two tennis rackets.

Don’t let anyone tell you that showbiz isn’t glamorous.

Eckhartz Everyday

 

*On this day in 2019, the Eckhartz Press book Nose Over Toes by Janet Sutherland-Madden was officially released. 

It was accompanied by a Q&A with the author.

Chicago Radio Ratings

 From Robert Feder's column today. For full daypart breakdowns, click here.

1. (tie) WBEZ 91.5-FM public radio news talk, 5.7 (5.4); WVAZ 102.7-FM R&B, 5.7 (5.7)
3. WBBM 780-AM/WCFS 105.9-FM all news, 5.1 (5.7)
4. WLIT 93.9-FM adult contemporary, 5.0 (5.1)
5. (tie) WDRV 97.1-FM classic rock, 4.6 (4.8); WGN 720-AM news talk, 4.6 (5.2)
7. WXRT 93.1-FM adult album alternative, 3.7 (3.2)
8. WRME 87.7-FM soft rock oldies, 3.3 (2.6)
9. (tie) WOJO 105.1-FM Mexican regional, 3.2 (3.5); WPPN 106.7-FM Spanish adult contemporary, 3.2 (2.8)
11. WLS 94.7-FM classic hits, 3.1 (2.9)
12. WUSN 99.5-FM country, 3.0 (3.1)
13. WTMX 101.9-FM hot adult contemporary, 2.9 (3.4)
14. WKSC 103.5-FM Top 40, 2.7 (2.9)
15. (tie) WBMX 104.3-FM classic hip-hop, 2.5 (2.4); WCHI 95.5-FM rock, 2.5 (2.5); WGCI 107.5-FM hip-hop, 2.5 (2.1)
18. WBBM 96.3-FM Top 40, 2.3 (2.4)
19. WLEY 107.9-FM Mexican regional, 2.2 (1.8)
20. WSHE 100.3-FM adult contemporary, 2.0 (2.2)
21. WKQX 101.1-FM alternative rock, 1.9 (1.6)
22. WSCR 670-AM sports talk, 1.6 (2.0)
23. WFMT 98.7-FM classical, 1.5 (1.8)
24. WLS 890-AM news talk, 1.4 (1.0)
25. WCKL 97.9-FM contemporary Christian music, 1.3 (1.3)
26. WPWX 92.3-FM hip-hop, 1.2 (1.1)
27. WVIV 93.5-FM Spanish contemporary, 1.0 (0.9)
28. WMVP 1000-AM sports talk, 0.9 (1.3)
29. (tie) WDCB 90.9-FM public radio jazz, 0.7 (0.8); WERV 95.9-FM classic hits, 0.7 (0.8); WMBI 90.1-FM Christian ministry, 0.7 (0.6); WSRB 106.3-FM R&B, 0.7 (0.7)

Minutia Men--H-E-Double Toothpicks

 The latest episode is out. You can listen to it here.

Jenkins buys a football, H-E-double toothpicks, Dr. Phil Plait talks Uranus, Mike Tyson gets high with William Shatner, a truly unfortunate press conference, and a listener’s brush with Phil Donahue.. [Ep264]

Eckhartz Everyday

 

*On this day in 2016, Eckhartz Press author Dobie Maxwell returned his hometown of Milwaukee for the north of the border book launch for Monkey in the Middle.

*On this day in 2018, Eckhartz Press author Beth Jacobellis appeared on WGN Radio to talk about her novel Cameo.

*Today is Supertramp's Roger Hodgson's birthday. He is featured in the Eckhartz Press book Everything I Know I Learned From Rock Stars by Bill Paige.

*Today is also Shawon Dunston's birthday. The man who helped make him famous, Dave Cilha--creator of the Shawon-O-Meter is featured in the Eckhartz Press book Cubsessions. Dunston, of course, is in the book EveryCubEver.

Writers Conference

 Had a great time at the CWA Writers Conference this weekend. Thanks to everyone who attended and participated...

Free Kicks--Turmoil at Chelsea

 The latest episode of Free Kicks has been posted. You can listen to it here.

Chelsea Football Club has been sanctioned because they are owned by a Russian oligarch. Adam and Rick discuss the implications. [Ep149]

Chicago Writes

 This weekend I'll be downtown at the Allerton Hotel helping preside over the Chicago Wrtiers Association writers conference known as Chicago Writes. I'll be moderating a panel discussion on Saturday with fellow producers Jeff Hoover (WGN-TV), Jason Marck (WBEZ), and Jasmine Cooper (WCIU-TV). On Sunday I'll be on a panel with fellow Chicago publishers from Amika Press and Tortoise Press. Looking forward to spending a weekend talking about and thinking about writing.

Eckhartz Everyday

 *Happy birthday to Eckhartz Press author Rich King! The former WGN-TV sports reporter penned the book Back in the Game for us in 2014, and has a new book coming out on Eckhartz Press later this year.

Arnold Tells it Like it is

A message to the Russian people https://t.co/HILAX7w6aw via @YouTube

— Mara Liasson (@MaraLiasson) March 17, 2022

New morning show at B-96

Sounds like they are going for the younger audience that doesn't listen to radio. Let's hope it works. From Robert Feder's column...

Four personalities from Phoenix’s KALV — known collectively as “The Morning Mess” — are moving to Chicago to broadcast live from B96, Audacy announced Wednesday. They’ll start on the air the week of April 4.

The show will air here from 5:30 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday and continue to be heard in Phoenix as well.

Leader of the ensemble cast is Joey Rodriguez, a Philadelphia native of Puerto Rican descent who grew up in Los Angeles. Known to fans as “Joey Boy” and “Nachoo,” he first began pursuing his radio ambitions at age 15 and was hosting nights at Power 106 in L.A. by his early 20s.

His team also features Jeana Shepard (described as a young mother of two who’s “looking for any excuse to get out of the house”), Aneesh Ratan (“an avid advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and top-of-the-line twerker”), and Karla Hernandez (“a young and fun Mexican American beauty queen who enjoys giving listeners a sneak peek into her dating, partying and personal life”).

Info on the latest Cub

Eckhartz Everyday

 *It's St. Patrick's Day, so Just One Bad Century is featuring every single Cub  named Pat. Naturally, they are all in the book EveryCubEver.

*Gary Sinese was born on St. Patrick's Day. The famous Cub fan is featured in the Eckhartz Press book Cubsessions.

Minutia Men Celebrity Interview--Sherman Dilla Thomas

 Our latest interview episode has been posted. Listen to it here.

His TikTok videos about Chicago history are a phenomenon (@6figga-dilla), and Rick and Dave discuss his upcoming streaming deal, and some of the unique and crazy stories about Chicago history that have brought him attention. [Ep94]