Month: July 2019

My cat Trouble turns 14 this week so I thought I’d write a tribute to my feline friend.  My mother and I picked out this one year old neutered domestic short haired cat at the DuPage Animal Shelter in late July of 2006.  They had a senior’s adoption special going on and since our new cat’s papers were signed by mom, the total fee to take him home was only one dollar! 

Trouble’s shelter name was ‘Chase’ and when we said yes to his adoption the whole facility was abuzz with exclamations of “Chase is going home! Chase is going home!”  The good folks at the shelter were really thrilled we picked out this little fella. They almost seemed over-excited, especially since we’ve rescued other animals from there and I don’t recall them going so nuts for another critter finding a furever home.

We gave Trouble his name because for the first day and a half of being at our house he hid.  We had no idea where he went until I lifted up a love seat and saw a sagging in the material ticking. I touched it and realized our new cat stashed himself up inside the furniture.  I laughed, pulled him out and held his furry face to mine, gave him a hug and gently put him down.  After that, he realized neither me nor my mom meant him any harm.  Still, a few minutes later he jumped on a shelf and knocked over a clock encased in glass that shattered into a thousand pieces. Our new resident then went on to tear up some papers on the dining room table.  I looked at my mom and said. “This one’s gonna be trouble” and with that we had his name.

For his first 4 years at my house Trouble shared the place with our pure white kitty named Dudley.  They got along O.K. and even sat together at times. However Trouble would never come into my room because Dudley had a little bed set up in the corner and our newcomer didn’t want to infringe on Dudley’s space.  I still don’t think Dudley would’ve minded.  In May of 2010 I had to put Dudley to sleep because of failing health due to old age. Only after then did Trouble ever come into my room.

Trouble was really my mom’s cat and his mornings were spent sitting on her lap as she read the paper or watched TV and had her coffee. He also slept with her at night and lounged on mom’s bed during daytime hours. My mother passed away in October of 2009. After that, his morning routine was permanently changed. There were times when Trouble would look out our front window for hours at a time and I wondered if he was waiting for my mom to come back home.
Trouble LOVES looking out windows and in the warm weather he’ll lean against the screens and sniff at the winds and outdoor aromas. He’ll also squawk out birdlike noises trying to attract birds with his mimicry. They never buy it. Still, this kitty has no interest in going outside at all, never. He’s the first cat I’ve ever had who is content to stay indoors exclusively.
Planted on a desk at the living room front window, Trouble will growl and hiss every day at our mailman. He also does this at anyone else who comes to the door. It’s like he’s a guard cat yet the minute anyone comes IN the house Trouble runs and hides. I have no idea why he shows such aggression to approaching strangers.
My guy Trouble has other quirks. At breakfast he inhales his quarter can of Fancy Feast in mere seconds. Trouble also loves bacon! The first time I brought home a McDonald’s bacon, egg and cheese bagel he came running and wouldn’t stop crying until I gave him a full strip of bacon. I never had a cat who craved bacon. When I pick up a take-out breakfast from Mr. G’s I always order bacon so it can be shared with Trouble.
When getting dressed each morning I’ll be sitting on my bed and Trouble comes jumping up and meows waiting to be petted and rubbed. He’ll nuzzle his face against my hands and won’t leave until he gets a good five minutes of undivided attention. Some of that must come from him missing the morning hang out routine with my late mother.

At night when I’m sitting at my desk surfing the net or writing, Trouble perches himself atop my easy chair as he looks over all that I’m up to.  He’s a great companion though his shyness keeps those who visit me from getting to know him.  When it’s time for bed, Trouble bunks near my feet but he never likes to be covered up with any blankets.  Sometimes when I nap I’ll wake up to find his furry face curled up tight against my chest.  Other times in the middle of the night I’ll hear Trouble sprinting through the house in the dark.  I have no idea what the former ‘Chase’ is chasing but it sounds like an intense time.

Three years ago Trouble had a little urinary tract infection that was healed in a week thanks to medication. Other than that, he’s been a trim, healthy and problem free cat. I’ve thought about adopting a companion for this kitty but he’s kind of set in his ways and doesn’t seem to be wanting for anyone new to join the household.  So we continue on, me and Trouble. I wish him a happy fourteenth birthday with hopefully many more birthdays to come. Meow!

NEXT WEEK’S BLOG- A concert of cover songs you should check out!

With the recent critical and box office success of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocket Man” it’s natural to wonder who are some other rock stars or bands that would make good subject matter for a big screen feature. 

The best movies about famous stars need several facets of drama.  With singers and musicians we’re talking about conflicts with coming from nowhere to mega-stardom and having issues with parents and or lovers at the start of their story.  Next, you put into the script the big break that makes someone a star and toss in the ‘coping with fame’ element and of course sex, infidelity and problems with drugs and alcohol.  There’s also the requisite drop in fame and stature because nobody stays on top forever (except for maybe Taylor Swift) and jealousy and betrayal within the band or the inner circle of the artist. 

So here’s my pick for the next rock star movie to be about the Eagles. Now two disclaimers.

Disclaimer #1– Yes I am and always have been a big Eagles fan, but I’ll get to my reasoning. 

Disclaimer #2. Some might say there’s already been an acclaimed documentary about the band titled “The History of the Eagles.”  True enough. However, if you watch that two part DVD you learn the overall story about what this group went through but it’s not acted out in dramatic fashion.  There is more to any story than just some interview clips covering basic history and the Eagles have plenty of history that can be delved into and presented in a more dramatic movie form.

First, you have the meet up in L.A. of Glenn Frey from Detroit and Don Henley out of rural Texas.  They abandon previous music work to be Linda Ronstadt’s back-up band and then move on to form their own group.  The Eagles’ success grows steady, Don ‘Fingers’ Felder joins up to add a more rocking edge to their music then Bernie Leadon gets fed up with the the crazy star lifestyle, dumps a beer on Glenn Frey and quits. Not too long afterwards, Joe Walsh becomes an Eagle. Next, the landmark “Hotel California” album launches the band into monster fame and fortune. Next up, their drug and alcohol intake increases. Then there’s the pressure to equal the success of the Hotel California album and more inner band fighting than anyone can believe.

Let’s not forget the infamous Long Beach concert for Senator Alan Cranston where Glenn Frey and guitarist Don Felder get into an onstage verbal fight that goes on to a near post-show throw-down.  Next the band splits up for 14 years. Henley and Frey put on solo careers but it’s not all a smooth ride and Joe Walsh’s substance abuse damn near kills him.  Then you have how the Eagles reunited in 1994, Walsh gets clean & sober and the group tours endlessly to make more money than ever before. Felder gets kicked out of the band and sadly in 2016 Glenn Lewis Frey dies after battling multiple illnesses.  Plus you have Frey’s son Deacon and Vince Gill joining the latest incarnation of the group. 

There’s plenty of material here that could be dramatized in a movie. And now I’ll present who I would cast in a movie about the Eagles.

So there you have my casting for an Eagles biopic. Now it’s up to Hollywood to roll up to the Hotel California with my ideas.

NEXT WEEK’S BLOG: Happy Birthday to ‘Trouble.’

“We’re through being cool, we’re through being cool, eliminate the ninnies and the twits.’  ( Devo)

The Urban Dictionary defines “Geeking Out” as “…freaking out over something that could be considered nerdy and knowing it.”  I might add to that, you also DON’T CARE that you’re geeking out.  Worrying and focusing on things that are ‘hip, trendy and happening’ is a folly I gave up on years ago. So with unabashed pride, I present to you some of the things I “Geek out” over.

My summer hair-cut has been the same for seventeen years.  I go to Sport Clips and ask for a buzz cut just one notch longer than a crew cut.  It’s not super stylish or suave but it is cool temperature wise, comfortable and requires little maintenance.  I get this cut at the end of May and usually repeat it in early August.  I’ll take comfort over a jelled up, slick combed style any day of the week!

Hanging out at East End Pool’s Adult Swim Sessions isn’t really geeky, especially since the adult swim regulars have become friends and they are far from nerdy.  Nobody puts on any pretense. Our talking topics while puddling around in the water range from sports and news of what we’re doing to music and where the good places are to eat & drink in the summer months.  However, I will grant you my summer hang is not as trendy as lounging at the East Bank Club pool or Oak Street Beach. Still, the camaraderie of this place is just fine by me, no need to be “cool” while having fun under the hot sun.

Keeping baseball scorecards at home.  This one falls into the sports nerd category.  Anytime I’ve ever gone to a Cubs or White Sox game I always bought a scorecard and kept track inning by inning of what hitters and pitchers on both teams were doing during the game.  Since I don’t go to many games in person these days, I print up blank scorebook pages from online and meticulously track what goes on while watching the games on TV.  All plays from 6-3 (shortstop to 1^st base ground-outs to backward K’s for hitters who get called out on strikes) are written down and tallied at game’s end.  I keep score of ballgames I’m watching about twice a week.  It’s cheaper than being at the game in person and besides not paying six bucks for a hot dog I also don’t have to stand in line to go pee in a men’s room trough.

Karaoke singing off of You Tube. In the warm weather I keep my windows open with the screens down unless the heat gets unbearable and the AC has to go on.  So my next door neighbors get an earful of me surfing YouTube for good music beds to songs I want to belt out with my limited vocal abilities. I can easily blow two hours warbling aloud to everything from Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” to Badfinger’s “Baby Blue.”  You’ve heard the phrase “Dance like nobody’s watching?”  Well I sing like nobody’s listening.   

Powerball Plans-When a Powerball game rolls over where a single winner could take home many millions of greenbacks I’ll plunk down 20 bucks on quick picks. Then I head home and write down on a ledger sheet what I’d do with a big money pay-off.  Ten percent of the money would go to favored charities. After that, I allocate for family, a couple of friends and then mark down what dollars would be spent for some fix-ups to my house and the new car I’d get along with maybe a silly spending spree or two. If I won crazy ‘Screw you’ money I’d either hire the Eagles to play my birthday party or host a double act show of Clint Black and Travis Tritt. I know the chances of winning the lottery are ridiculously low, but it’s fun to fantasize and map out what I’d do if it happened.

Movie Man- When seeing movies at my local theater I almost always go to the first show of the day.  First off, it’s cheaper, second, there are no crowds so there’s quick service on my snacks and I don’t have to hear the chatter and jibber jabber of rude rookie cinema goers.  Also, I enjoy getting out of a theater and still having much of the day to enjoy.  Just as Woody Allen said in “Crimes and Misdemeanors”, seeing movies in the daytime feels like I’m playing hooky.  

Writing parody songs. If you’re on my e-mail list or see my Facebook page you know I write revised lyrics to hit songs and relate the new words to things happening in local sports and pop culture.  These parodies are done with my good friend Al Flash who sings almost all of them (since he’s the tech and software genius) and we collaborate on ideas for the videos that go with them.  Our works get aired on the WGN Morning News show as anchors Larry Potash and Robin Baumgarten know us as “Mick and Al.  There’s no money involved in these 60 to 80 second parodies, we just like coming up with goofy shit.  I’m usually the instigator or starter of the parodies and have been known to wake up at 4 in the morning to get cranking on a new idea. The late Glenn Frey was known as ‘The Lone Arranger” and that title fits me too.  Al takes on the Don Henley moniker of “Golden Throat” and it all works out pretty well.

A charter member of the Pop Culture Club.  Jim Turano is my longtime pal from Elmhurst College.  Besides acting in local plays Jim works in radio as a fill-in talk show host at WGN AM 720. Known as ‘Elton Jim’ for his lifelong dedication to Elton John (he’s been to over 190 EJ concerts) he has a feature called the “Pop Culture Club” and puts me on the air with him (on the phone) to discuss the latest trends in music, movies, and TV. Jim often does his air shifts between midnight and 5 a.m. and we usually do an hour together in the middle of that time slot. Turano and I have always had a great rapport and as much as we can yak for an hour on the air, off the air he and I can do a two hour phone call and still not cover all we want to share with each other.

So there you have it; plenty of things I “Geek out” on and am not ashamed to talk about.  Life is about finding pleasures where you can and this stuff brings me plenty of that. 

NEXT WEEK’S BLOG–   The next musical act I want to see a movie made about.

Singer-songwriter John Eddie turns 60 on July 9^th. My longtime friend Marko Vasko and I owe serious thanks to this guy. So about now you’re probably saying,” Who the hell is John Eddie?”  Fair enough. In fact the Richmond, Virginia born rocker actually titled his 2003 album “Who the Hell is John Eddie?”  So allow me to give you some background on him.

In the early 80’s, rocker John Eddie took his popular club performing act to New Jersey, and other eastern locales.  He signed a contract with Columbia Records and was seen as a potential ‘Next Bruce Springsteen’ artist.  John played alongside Bruce on occasion and members of the E Street Band played on his self-titled debut disc which came out in 1986.  

Marko Vasko and I became instant fans of that record. The lead single “Jungle Boy” reached #17 on the rock charts but there were other prime cuts that Columbia failed to mine off that release.  Songs like “Dream House”, “Pretty Little Rebel” and my favorite “Just Some Guy” evoked the passion and angst of a young man trying to make it with the girls and in life.  “Pretty Little Rebel” was also featured in a movie titled “Three for the Road” starring Charlie Sheen and his “Lucas” co-star Kerri Green.

So how does John Eddie factor into the lives of a Marko Vasko and yours truly?  I’ll share Marko’s story first.  As the late 80’s rolled into the 90’s and beyond, John’s music career saw some ups and downs with the changing of record labels, management and his progress toward the big time stalled.  Still, John Eddie was a well received club draw across the country including Chicago.

This takes us to the early 2000’s and Marko finds himself seeing John Eddie in concert as often as possible when he came to Chicago to play the renowned “Joe’s” on Weed Street.   John and his band would headline and sometimes open for up and coming acts like Miranda Lambert. Attending these shows Marko noticed a contingent of faithful John Eddie fans, two in particular, Yoli and her girlfriend Chris.  Yoli (the more vocal of the Eddie-heads) and Chris traveled to other states to see their guy play live.  They went to Texas, Ohio and New York for John Eddie performances.  When in Chicago, they occasionally drove him back to his hotel after some shows.

Marko introduced himself and got to know Yoli and Chris on a “Friends who have a common bond in John Eddie’s music” basis.  This went on for a period of time until one night in mid-January of 2008.  Marko was attracted to Chris and planned to ask her out. So after a few buckets of bottles of Coors Light they shared, he made his move. Chris says yes and they had their first real date a week later.  From there things moved fast. Two months into their dating, Marko knew Chris was ‘the one.’  (I think she kind of liked him too) They moved in together in 2010 got married in Hawaii in 2012 and have been very happy ever since. 

This “If it weren’t for John Eddie we’d never have met” story has been shared with the soon to be 60 year old rocker and he happily accepts credit for Marko and Chris’ wedded bliss.

Now we get to where I owe John Eddie.  This goes back to the late summer of 1989.  John released his second album “The Hard Cold Truth” and was touring to promote it.  At the time I was producing the Miller and Howell morning radio show at Chicago’s WCKG 105.9 FM.  However, our show’s ratings were sinking and it became apparent that John Howell, Stephanie Miller and yours truly were just a few weeks away from being fired.  

In late August I was reading through the newspaper’s ‘Friday’ section and saw John Eddie was playing Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates that night. He was the opening act for The Bangles who were label-mates of his.  Marko and I had seen and met the Bangles before but we had yet to catch John’s live show and that is the only reason we decided to get tickets for this concert. 

We scored decent seats in the pavilion and rocked out to John Eddie’s hard pounding, high energy set. It was obvious he lives to play live.  So to kill time before the Bangles took the stage, Marko and I took a walk around the concourse and I ran into Dave Perlmutter, a promotions guy from my days at WLS AM radio. Dave was now the marketing director at WKQX or Q-101 FM as it was known.  Perlmutter told me their morning star Robert Murphy was looking for a second show producer and asked if there was anyone I could recommend for the job. Sure Dave, me!  I explained things were not going well at WCKG and Dave said he’d put the good word in for me with Murphy and the Q-101 bosses.

The next week I interviewed with Robert and while the move I was willing to make was a lateral one, having a radio job is better than not having a radio job.  A couple weeks later, the WCKG ax fell on Miller, Howell and me.  Our canning was reported in the next day’s Chicago Sun Times and later that day Robert Murphy called to offer me the job as his second producer. After working out salary details with Murphy and Q-101 program director Bill Gamble, I had the gig.  I took ten days off to catch my breath and prepare for a fun filled four year run producing morning radio at Q-101.

The bottom line being without John Eddie opening for the Bangles, Marko and I don’t go to that concert and I don’t run into Dave Perlmuitter who leads me to a new radio job.  So thanks John Eddie, if I ever meet you, I owe you a beer or two, at least!

John Eddie post-script– As he hits the age of sixty, John Eddie still writes songs and performs in clubs around the country. He’s a music lifer and players gotta play. Kid Rock has recorded several of John’s songs (which helps pay the bills) including the ‘I’m getting older’ song “Forty” and the bawdy “Low Life.”  Mr. Eddie also co-wrote “More Than Miles” with Brantley Gilbert who made that song a top 10 Country hit in 2012.   

I recommend you check out John’s music on You Tube. And the next time he comes to town, go see his show. You never know what effect John Eddie might have on your life. 

Here’s the link to a favorite song of mine, “Just Some Guy.”

NEXT WEEK’S BLOG-   It’s Cool to “Geek Out.”

Watching local TV news, it’s standard protocol for the anchors to razz the weatherman or weather woman when there’s bad skies ahead.  Rain, snow, too much cold, too much heat, the ribbing rolls on as if the meteorologist created the bad weather.  So I’m thinking, why doesn’t the weather person toss in some light jokes at the newscasters who deliver stories about fires, murders and other tragedies?  ‘Hey Alan, what’s up with the body count from last weekend’s shootings in Chicago?  What do you gotta say about that?”  Tasteless maybe ,but I say turn the tables on the newscasters.

Growing up I watched the Saturday morning cartoon “Scooby Doo Where Are You?”  Nowadays I wonder where the hell did Freddie, Daphne, Velma and company come up with the money to travel all over the country solving mysteries?  I mean none of these characters had jobs!  And speaking of traveling, who paid for the gas needed for the “Mystery Machine” van?  What about footing the bill for food for the whole gang?  And besides buying all those Scooby Snacks for the dog I have one more burning question.  Who paid for Shaggy’s weed?

WHERE YOU FROM? WHO CARES? Most of us have been to rock, pop or country music concerts. I’ve been to more than I could ever count and have only one question; When it’s time for the lead singer to introduce his or her band, why do they mention what town each musician is from?  “Back on drums, from Shreveport Lousiana, please give it up for Joe Fenderman!”  Who cares where these players are from?  I’m listening to live music, not taking a census.

WHAT ELSE ARE THEY GONNA DO?  On the subject of music, it’s no secret that outside of Taylor Swift and Coldplay, most every big crowd drawing and money making live concert act is aged 50 or 60 and over. Elton John, members of The Who, Eagles and Rolling Stones are in their 70’s.  The Stones just rocked out two concerts at Soldier Field and there seems to be no stopping Mick Jagger and the band.

Anyway, many is the time I hear the question, “Why are these guys still touring? What’s the point of still playing live?” I admit I used to ask that same question until I realized what else are these people supposed to do?  It’s not like Jagger or Roger Daltrey have been toiling in rock music until they settle down and get a real job.  These singers and players committed themselves to a life of being working musicians and as long as their chops or skills remain at a quality level and folks are willing to pay to see them, then why the hell not play those concerts?

For those familiar with longtime Cub fan Ronnie ‘Woo Woo; Wickers who is ALWAYS wearing his team’s jersey and pants, I have one query.  When Ronnie goes out of town for any reason, does he then wear the Cubs’ road uniform?

On the subject of baseball games, what exactly is the penalty for re-broadcasting or re-transmitting the accounts and descriptions of a televised game without the expressed written consent of Major League Baseball?  Growing up I used to hear Cub play by play man Jack Brickhouse state that disclaimer every game.  It sounded so foreboding and scary.  Is this really a crime or is it like tearing that tag off a mattress when we’re warned not to?

QUICK QUESTIONS ON FAST FOOD– Why does every fast food drive thru give me a receipt for my bag of burgers and fries?  I don’t want any proof of the bad food I choose to eat so often.

Sometimes when eating at an independently owned hot dog or burger stand I’ll see a weird item on their menu board, a hot and crispy “Pizza Puff”.  What the hell IS a pizza puff and has anyone ever ordered one?  I’m betting a hard ‘no’ on that one.

LAST QUERIES I PROMISE–

Every once in awhile (in movies and real life) I hear women being super mad at someone and these ladies yell “Suck my dick!”… Um,.has anyone given these girls a lesson in anatomy?

Will those ninnies on ABC TV’s “The View” ever stop talking at the same time?  I didn’t think so.

How much longer can the Kardashian TV show/fashion/social media and commercial endorsement empire continue to thrive?  On the fashion stuff I’ve never seen a group of women who dress as horribly as they do.  As for how long they’ll remain in the public lexicon, I don’t think I want to know the answer to that.

What exactly is the purpose of giving a pregnant woman a so called “Push Present?”  I mean like it or not, when the time comes, that baby is coming sliding down the honey-pot highway, you can’t stop what’s coming.  Is an extra present really a necessary motivation or incentive?  I thought the birth of a healthy new baby should be enough of a present.  Then again, if it were up to us men to birth the babies the human race wouldn’t have gotten out of the Garden of Eden.

Final question.  What’s next week’s blog about?  The rock star who had a big personal impact on a friend of mine and on me in two different instances.