The Seattle-born band saturated alternative and rock radio throughout the 90s with songs like lighter-flicking power ballad “Far Behind”:

“You” was another big Candlebox hit. Like “Far Behind,” it too came from the band’s self-titled 1993 debut:

Their second album, Lucy, wasn’t nearly as successful as their first, but it sold well enough to achieve gold status (over 500,000 units shifted). “Simple Lessons” is the first song on the album:

Less than two years after the band released their third album, Happy Pills, they broke up. The move was made primarily to get out of their record deal with Maverick.

The band got back together in 2006, and has since released two albums, including this year’s Love Stories & Other Musings.

“Believe in It,” from Love Stories:

During the interview, Kevin and I talk about the band’s early days and lack of acceptance on the Seattle scene, the breakup, and the new album. Thanks for listening!

Discography

Candlebox (1993)

Lucy (1995)

Happy Pills (1998)

Into the Sun (2008)

Love Stories & Other Musings (2012)

Janet and Steve have their wires crossed about whether Steve can enjoy any of the hundreds of smiley-face cookies in the house right now, and many other missed signals on today’s DahlCast.

The artist that drew this cartoon is a Kevhead and a fan of Dahl.com His name is Dan Vick. Each week Dan and the crew of the Kevin Matthews Podcast will give you Kevheads a cartoon that will illustrate the week that was. Dan is a very talented artist and is a dedicated Kevhead. As we gather these drawings, we can auction his art and give the proceeds to children’s charities.

The beautiful thing about podcasting is that you Kevheads are involved of its evolution. Dan Vick, a Kevhead and a subscriber adding creative content to the Steve Dahl Network. Kevheads, here is proof you can play with Steve and I and the entire network crew. Thank you for your talent and support.

Kevin Matthews

Video streaming by Ustream

On today’s DahlCast Janet shares with us her tips for a great wedding gift bag.  If processed cheese won’t cure a wedding hangover, we don’t know what will.

I have to say, this year’s Mother’s Day was quite a success.  Hear all about how happy Janet was with her day on today’s DahlCast.

Be there as Steve emerges from his basement lair to get back into the swing of live performance with a PowerPoint presentation featuring all of his bad looks form decades past, some live music performed with Poi Dog Dag and whatever else comes across Steve’s radar.

Kevin Matthews will be doing standup, Jim Shorts will be doing sit down with his fist up a dummy’s ass. Will that dummy be Kevin? Tami is working up a special version of HIMTS (How I Met The Stever), and there will be plenty of surprises too!

We will be recording the event, so as Bob Seger would quite possibly say, “You might just end up on a podcast”. You can order ticket online at etix.com, or pick them up at the Park West box office and save yourself a few $$$ in “service fees. The number for the Park West box office is (773) 929-1322.

We are very excited to get this opportunity to do a show for you at Steve’s absolute favorite downtown venue. We’ll see you on June 2nd! The show starts at 8:00 pm!

Let your Freak Flag fly to the sweet sounds of today’s DahlCast.  The above photo is of Derrick Young, the CBS 2 traffic reporter, who sounds and looks like SNL’s Ladies Man, one of Steve’s favorite freaks.  The show is full of other freaky dudes, so we’re all in good company.  Happy freakin’ weekend!

Star-burns was given a proper send-off on last week’s Community and Dino Stamatopolous joins us today for a quick recap.  Enjoy this video tribute to the character that helped make sure that Steve Dahl met Dino…and the world will never be the same.

John Travolta is at the healm in the cockpit on today’s DahlCast, “13 Shades of Grey”.

Steve is fascinated by the Occupy Chicago folks and today we found this gem that blends together that world with Floridiots.  We just can’t seem to escape the dangling wang of the United States.

I wanted you Kevheads to know that I want to promote any musician who is recording original music. Radio will not play your music unless you sound like Lady Gaga, if you are writing and recording original music, here is your chance to get the attention of the Internet, the entire world. Steve and I have always been the biggest fans of music, all types of music.

If you want your music played, work with me, get off your ass and simply see the music instructions here on the front page and soon you will hear your music on a Podcast, a Podcast heard around the world.

I love hearing from you Kevheads. The phone calls that I have taken are simply great. You are free to say what ever you want to say, the FCC does not live here. ove hearing what is on your mind, please express it, freedom lives here at www.dahl.com

Call me 24/7 and keep this phone number in your cell phone, stuck in traffic, bored at work, call me and leave a message. 312-380-9784 you can text me at that number as well, please, Kevheads, participate. You are paying for content and accessibility, let’s play.

I also wanted you to know that you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter. Jim Shorts has a great fan page on Facebook. We are providing blogs here at www.dahl.com Devon, Darnell, Cliff Dic, the entire crew lives here, watch for weekly blogs here at www.dahl.com

Kevheads: I want you to call me and let me know what daily web sites you visit? I want to begin telling Kevheads what to visit. What is your favorite site you must visit daily? Call me or write me at kev@dahl.com

Check this site out, one of my daily visits. Let’s collect a list together Kevheads.

http://www.michaelianblack.net/

Kevheads: Thank you for making me so happy, I will see all of you at the Park West, get your tickets and thank you for listening. Steve Dahl, you rock my friend, you have always been ahead of the social curve and you’re doing it again.

Kevin Matthews

Hear the Kevin Matthews Podcasts, Monday Express and the Friday Edition.

I now dedicate my life to her and to fight waste in Washington. I want you to read to amazing stories and join me this Friday on the Kevin Matthews Podcast. Please America, pay attention to the slim living and controlling your life in Washington and you must know, you are not alone.

A Republican candidate for the state legislature said Tuesday that he has spent $59.05 of his own money to set up an Internet website, Rochambeautrail.com, to save the Democrat-controlled General Assembly the trouble — and save taxpayers the expense — of going through with a plan approved by the Senate Monday night: to spend up to $180,000 to establish a historical website to highlight the route that the French general, Rochambeau, followed across Connecticut during the American Revolution.

Greg Bachand, of Wallingford – a 62-year-old lawyer seeking the Republican nomination to run for the 85th District state House of Representatives seat now held by Democrat Mary Mushinsky – issued a press release Tuesday, touting his short-circuiting of the bureaucratic process.

“Bachand Publishes RochambeauTrail.com, saves taxpayers $179,940.95,” was the headline on his release.

Whether we believe in them or not UFO’s are enough to capture our attention and grip our interest. Opinions remain divided on whether they actually exist, are clever hoaxes or merely a trick of the mind. Back in 1947 private pilot Kenneth Arnold described how he saw several unidentified flying objects travelling at high speeds near Mount Rainer, Washington. He said they flew in a close formation and were shaped like saucers, hence the nickname ‘flying saucers’. Just a few months later and the world had one of the most famous UFO incidents…

In July 1947 a suspected UFO crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico. Extra-terrestrial debris marked in alien hieroglyphics and even alien corpses were thought to be recovered. An autopsy was believed to be carried out on the corpse of an alien by U.S. doctors. However, since the 1970s huge controversy has surrounded the Roswell incident. The U.S. military took a firm stance that it was not an alien craft that crashed to Earth but an experimental high-altitude surveillance balloon belonging to a classified program named “Mogul” instead. A cover-up to detract the public’s attention of a genuine UFO and alien life in an effort to avoid mass hysteria? Or was it simply the truth that some people do not want to accept? Cliff Dic-UFO Expert, Kevin Matthews Podcast.

The Game of Life is a tricky one.  On today’s show we discuss these Indiana parents who played a ridiculous game with their kids and their car.  Listen to the DahlCast to hear all about it.

This is Striiv, the groovy little gadget that Tami Sagher uses on her walks with the dog.  And the walks where she can check on her crazy neighbors.  At least this pedometer has games to distract Tami from the creepiness of these people.

STEVE’S BLOG: I know that he probably has some sort of a drinking problem, but is it wrong for me to like Patrick Kane’s drinking style last weekend up in Madison? The t-shirt with “CINCO por DOS igual a DIEZ 5 x 2=10″ and the picture of the two 5′s in the limo with him when he had his shirt off on the back? That’s a work of art. Come on, the kid rocks! I’m concerned about the photo featuring his head on the bar (although it does give us a good look at the back of his t-shirt).

Go Kaner! It’s Cinco! de Mayo!

I hope he took the shot and didn’t pass those nubile Badgers off to that Lacrosse dude. Or at least that he bagged the two 10′s he is pictured with. Kane takes a lot of heat from Blackhawks fans, and I think undeservedly. I watched EVERY game this season, and the only reason he wasn’t scoring was that he was dishing the puck. Okay, there were a few turnovers when he tried to get a little too fancy. I hope he shot and scored in Madison. If not, then his drinking problem has reached a level where it needs to be mediated.

Whiskey Stick?

When you get so drunk you don’t care about getting laid, then you have a drinking problem. I hope he doesn’t get in too much trouble with the organization for this. What else does he have to do? At least he’s not drinking and driving, and apparently he tipped his driver, be it limo or taxi, this time too. Heck, in Madison Wisconsin, all of the fun stuff is within walking distance, anyway. Check out all of the details at Deadspin.

The DahlCast has you covered

We did discuss this particular topic in depth on Tuesday’s DahlCast. If you’re not already a subscriber, you can subscribe right now and get the first month free! Give it a try. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Come join us on the other side! Patrick Kane wants to see you there. Again, in Kaner’s defense, we’ve all been there, it’s just that back in the day there weren’t cell phones, let alone cell phones with cameras in them. At least not back in my day, thankfully!

We offer you a bounty of delightful topics on today’s DahlCast.  Including a “PB & J” sandwich (Pat “PB” Boyle & Janet Dahl) and a pineapple.

Eli Manning showed his chops as a comedian on SNL this weekend. This skit really cracked us up on the Tuesday’s DahlCast.  He can drive a joke home just like he can drive his team down the field, apparently.

On today’s DahlCast, Tom and I discuss the old-school days when we dressed to keep up with the times.  Man…what were we thinking…

Need help deciding on an important issue or just want advice from one of the best mother/wife around?  Ask Janet!  This segment will air on the DahlCast every Tuesday.  Email her your questions or topics you need advice on to askjanet@dahl.com.  She even has a groovy theme song!

We got to the theater at 4:45 for the 5:40 show. When we arrived, there was a line of people roughly 50 deep waiting to get into our one-of-16 screen local cineplex. I don’t know the weekend box office numbers yet, but the final stats should place The Avengers somewhere between the last Harry Potter movie and “are you f-ing kidding me?”

I went into this movie, as I do all comic movies, with a little more working knowledge than the average citizen. For a kid weaned on Avengers comics, seeing this movie was kind of like  getting a lifetime achievement award for being a dork.

Here are my thoughts:

1. This is the best Hulk movie to date. Mark Ruffalo was something Eric Bana and Ed Norton weren’t: a likeable Bruce Banner. As for the Jolly Green Giant, he smashes a lot of stuff, and its done to great comic effect in a few sequences. Though The Avengers was a leap forward for Hulk, I’m still not sure he deserves a third solo film. He plays much better in an ensemble.

2. The plot is flimsy. The MacGuffin of the film, the dreaded COSMIC CUBE, drives Thor’s wicked half-brother, Loki, to lead an army through a wormhole in an effort to subjugate humanity.

The nice thing about the movie, however, is that every time I started to linger on some of the plot’s silliness, I was distracted by something much more interesting or awesome on the screen. Which brings me to the point that…

 3. The Avengers is a truly fun movie to watch. Credit Joss Whedon for two and a half hours worth of verbal interplay worth quoting around the water cooler:

Thor: He’s my brother.
Black Widow: He killed 80 people in two days.
Thor: He’s adopted.

4. There are no Easter eggs. The Marvel movies leading up to The Avengers: Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America, were loaded with in-references and hints of the larger Marvel universe. I scrutinized every computer monitor and piece of scenery in the movie and came up with nothing. After years of being conditioned to look for that kind of stuff, there was nothing to find. I was hoping for at least a nod to some of the “classic” Avengers like Ant-Man, Wasp, Vision, and Black Panther.

5. Captain America sucks. I went into the movie expecting Black Widow or Hawkeye to be the weak link of the team, but holy hell, Chris Evans has zero charisma.

6. The final battle scene is pretty epic, in the non-overused sense of the word. Seeing the assembled team take on Loki and his Chitauri minions–while destroying New York City in the process–was big fun to watch.

7. Before we get the big fight at the end, we’re treated to a dozen mini-fights, most of which pit Avenger vs. Avenger. The three-way between Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America was pure fan service and wholly kickass.

8. While there were no Easter eggs, there were two post-movie scenes. The first one is placed fairly early in the credits sequence, and the other runs after the credits have finished. You don’t need to stay until the bitter end, but I was happy I did.

9. Nick Fury finally kicks some ass. After seeing Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury pop up as a cameo player in the lead-in movies, it was nice to see him do more than talk.

10. The ensemble cast never feels too crowded. One of the film’s greatest achievements is that it allowed each one the principal characters to shine. Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man, Black Widow, Nick Fury … each got a respectable amount of character development–no small feat for a team movie like this.

The machine was waiting for me to get behind the controls, and it tested me to the limit

Luckily, I had also started our emergency backup machine, the Alesis Masterlink 9600, and it was still recording, so none of the six or so minutes not caught by the main recorder were lost. Dag seamlessly put the two files together and voila, or “goila”, as Buzz Kilman would say, the first machine failure was a crisis averted. I checked the backup and the show was there. Upon the restart, I was afraid to fire up the Alesis again for fear of losing the original file (a fear that was confirmed by reading the manual Friday night). Then, the main recorder stopped again about 20 minutes later, during an excellent talk about tacos, Tijuana and fireworks. That part of the show was lost. But things went so well with Joe, that I was thinking of having a monthly Frijole Friday show. I am sure we can revisit it.

Buzz was also a good sport on Friday too. The main recorder failed both times right as he called in. I wonder if he did it with his brain? He does have unusual powers. We had a nice chat with Buzz, Dag and I played a some acoustic Kid In The Crawl for him, and we made plans for Buzz to join us on the harp on June 2nd at Park West. Dag and I also played Margarita as a Cinco de Mayo point of reference, and that sounded pretty good too.

Another Dahl In The Crawl

I have spent most of the weekend in the basement. Not because Janet has banished me there, but because I wanted to learn these machines both forwards and backwards (backwards is important with recorders too). Ed and I updated the firmware on the Marrantz, and I now know how to start the Alesis back up without erasing the existing track. It’s a machine used for burning CDs and when I called my guy, Robby Resnick, at Sweetwater sound for some advice on a more suitable backup, he exclaimed “They don’t even make that Alesis anymore”.

Could I be any more of a nerd?

Actually we have another Marrantz PM580 ready to be installed in the rack, but after the failure Friday, I just want to make sure we have a reliable backup (which the Alesis turned out to be). The lost 10 minutes was a direct result of operator error (me).

I suppose I don’t really even need to tell you all of this, but I thought it was an interesting, and I guess I wanted you all to know how committed we are to bringing you the best show possible, and also I can get it out of my brain so we don’t get bogged down with it on the show. I does to me anyway. Now that I’ve read ALL of the tech manuals, I wouldn’t be surprised if I win a Grammy next year for Spoken Voice Sound Recording. Does that award even exsist? I doubt it. All in all, it’s just another show for Steve Dahl, I suppose. Don’t tell that to my sphincter, though.

It’s Cuatro de Mayo on the DahlCast and we celebrated today with Frijole Joe.  Salud!

This lady needs to learn her lesson and stop tanning her kid…and herself.  Hear all about it on today’s show.

Today’s show contains some hard lessons and a story about a guy who learned the perils of motorcycles the “hard” way.

Here is a link to Dino and Smigel’s Clown Show pilot.  Pure genius!

The Sklar Brothers joined us today to talk about their new show, The United Stats of America.  It’s a great show and starts on May 8th on the History Channel.

Our “Stevie” was lucky enough to sit down and interview Moose Skowron in 2011 at White Sox fantasy camp.  Moose was a great ballplayer and an even better man.  He will be missed!

The Yankees were my grandfather’s team; the man carried a 1927 Murder’s Row line up from the New York Times (featuring the likes of Babe Ruth) in his wallet until the day he died. I now have that card somewhere. Moose wasn’t on that Yankees team, but he did manage to help get them into six World Series. He has five Yankees rings to show for it. Well, actually, I think he has four. He sold one ring for some Anderson Insulated Windows for the house to keep his lovely wife, Cookie, happy. He also had a WS ring from the ’59 Dodgers. However you slice that, it’s impressive. He’s pictured in the photo accompanying this blog with Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, and Mickey Mantle. That’s some pretty heavy baseball royalty.

Moose was a walking Cooperstown when it came to stories about anyone from Ty Cobb, to Honus Wagner to Mickey Mantle. He wasn’t a big Joe DiMaggio fan, but asking Moose about Joe was always something I liked to do. He hated Joe DiMaggio. He thought, and I believe that I’m quoting here, that DiMaggio was “a pompous prick”. Moose did manage to accompany Joe D. and Marilyn Monroe out to dinner one evening, however, and he told me that he “shaved four times that day”. That was just one of the pearls that Moose let loose with on a regular basis at The Cell, a card signing event, or even out at Sox Fantasy Camp. Back in January 2011  Moose went out for dinner with Chuck Garfien from CSN, Bob Grim from the Sox , Ed Farmer and me, in Scottsdale. The place was famous for ribs. I want to say that Moose got a hot dog there, and I’m pretty sure I’m right about that. It was a BBQ place, so he got a hot dog.  And loved every bite.

I am honored to have known the man with the perennial crew cut, the BEST baseball stories ever,  and that impish Chicago smile on his face. He was gracious in spite of his overwhelming baseball accomplishments, one hell of a story teller, a great baseball ambassador.  He was an even better friend. I’m going to miss you, Moose. They just don’t make them like you anymore.

I bet you’ve already got a pretty great pick up game going on up there. The Mick just stepped into the box. At least that’s what Cookie and I were thinking tonight.

Jeff Joniak is training for a marathon and looks RIDICULOUS!  Hear all about his new regimen on today’s show.

Since then, an impossible-to-predict series of events has come together.

For one, I decided to write a freaking book about the station.

Around the same time the station was being handed to Merlin, Q101′s name and history were purchased by a pair of entrepreneurial partners, Matt DuBiel and Mike Noonan. The pair worked to position Q101 as a digital-only property, and have spent a considerable amount of cash and energy to reinvigorate the brand and re-engage the audience. Along those lines, they’re currently trying to crowdfund a next-gen “Jamboree” event via Kickstarter.

Fast forward to last week: news broke that alternative radio was being brought back to the Chicago dial by … Merlin Media.

In another fascinating twist, Merlin has reacquired Q101′s old WKQX call letters. Robert Feder’s first report on the story appeared here. The latest update came today, and can be read here.

The big question is whether or not Merlin will make a move to buy back Q101′s name and assets, or if it will launch a station without the nineteen years of history (baggage?) that come with Q101.

With that and other questions swirling about, I asked Matt DuBiel to be my guest on next week’s show. We recorded the interview on Thursday, so by the time it hits the Steve Dahl Network on Wednesday, there will likely be a flood of new information available. Regardless of timing, the interview’s plenty interesting– maybe a little too “inside baseball,” but interesting nonetheless.

Preview:

JVO: “At the time you decided, ‘we want these digital assets, we want the name Q101,’ you were aware that the station was kind of damaged goods at that point. Musically, reputation-wise, image, the station had been f***** with, prodded, tweaked, and pulled in a million different directions. You were buying a … problematic heritage.”

Steve and Brendan welcome Shea McClellin to Chicago.  We are excited to see what this defensive power-house can bring to our team.  Check out today’s show to hear the greeting from Stever!

Future star, Piper Kilman, shows off her chops as a musician.  We are also working on getting her to show off her skills at the Park West.  Check out this awesome video of Piper, who will be Buzz’s meal ticket in his twilight years, no doubt.

Maybe THIS is the product that the Sox need to keep them playing the way they have been.  Find out on today’s DahlCast!

Joel Brodsky joins Steve today to give our subscribers the REAL, unedited Drew Peterson update.  He will be joining us more regularly as we get closer to Drew’s trial.  Did you know that Drew has a goatee now?  You would if you subscribed to the DahlCast!

Hot or not?  We found the video of the Hot girl who shot the puck at the Hawks’ game on Monday night.  ESPO1 thinks she’s too skinny.  Steve thinks she’s super-hot.  What do you think?

NOTE FROM ESPO1 – “Now that I have seen the video in the proper aspect ratio, I completely agree that she is very attractive and not too skinny”

Users have until July 9 to rid themselves of the DNS Changer malware, which can infect Windows PCs and Macs alike. After that, the FBI will throw a switch that prevents infected computers from accessing the Internet.

It’s not as Big Brother as it sounds. DNS Changer is a Trojan that surfaced in 2007 and infected millions of machines. The malware would redirect computers to hacker-created Websites, where cyber-criminals sold at least $14 million in advertisements. DNS Changer also prevented computers from updating or using anti-virus software, leaving them vulnerable to even more malicious software.

Last November, in one of the biggest cybersecurity takedowns ever, the FBI arrested six Estonian nationals that allegedly ran the clickjacking fraud, and seized the rogue DNS servers where infected users were being redirected. The FBI has put up surrogate servers in place of the malicious ones, but only temporarily.

Now, the FBI wants to shut down those servers. Doing so would prevent infected PCs from reaching the Web, because they’ll be trying to redirect through servers that no longer exist. Although the Feds aren’t shutting down the Internet, they will be severing the link on which infected users have relied.

The FBI originally planned to shut down the malicious servers in March, but last month a federal judge ordered an extension to July to give users, businesses and governments more time to deal with DNS Changer. As of February, half of all Fortune 500 companies owned computers infected with DNS Changer, according security firm Tacoma. The DNS Changer Working Group estimates that more than 350,000 devices are still infected.

If users don’t rid themselves of DNS Changer before the July 9 server shut down, they’ll have to load anti-virus software on their computers by disc or USB drive. That could be a major headache for users who don’t have access to a second PC for downloading anti-virus software.

To find out if you’re infected, visit the DNS Changer Check-Up site, which checks the DNS resolution of your PC without installing any additional software. For infected users, the DNS Changer Working Group has a list of anti-virus software that can fix the problem, and Avira offers a repair tool specifically for DNS Changer.

Be safe Kevheads…

I have been broadcasting in one form or another since I was 16 years old (I’m currently 57), and I have been involved in a lot of firings. Some made sense to me, and some did not. Some were for creative reasons, and some were born out of creative jealously. None of them were fun. I have somewhat lost track, but I know I have been fired, or quit at least 30 jobs over the course of my career. None of that made what I had to do last Friday any easier. In fact, it probably made it harder. I’ve been on the other side, and I know what it feels like to be swept up in the creative winds of change.

After we recorded the DahlCast Friday, I had to inform Pete, Stephanie and Jim that I was letting them go. It was not a decision I came to easily, but I think that it was the right move for the show. I know when I am not growing as an entertainer and I know what I need to do to keep that process moving forward. It’s the Steve Dahl Show, and that at some point is the brand that I need to protect, not only for my own creative integrity, but in order to support my family.

That might not be what people want to hear, but that’s the nature of the beast, especially now, when the radio world has been turned upside down. Podcasting is new, and as I adapt to it, I need certain intangibles that sometimes only I can identify. Doing a show every day and also being an administrator is a difficult thing for me, and I tend to err on the side of doing a good show, in spite of personnel issues that I might be causing me consternation at any given time. But it was time, and that’s what I told the kids.

I call them the kids, because they are like my work kids to me. All of them had been with me me for over a decade, and we have been through a lot together. It’s a tough thing to have to do what’s best for the show, but at first blush, not what’s best for people you are fond of. I say “first blush” because Pete, Stephanie and Jim are all talented people, and I know that they will find new and possibly even better ways to demonstrate that to the world.

They have been very loyal to me, and I think that I have been pretty loyal to them as well. I didn’t talk about all of this on Monday, because it was too new and too raw, but I discussed things in detail on Tuesday’s show. Nobody did anything wrong, but it was just time to make a change.

In what I’m pretty sure is a very cruel irony to Pete, Dag Juhlin is now the Director Of Creative Services for the Steve Dahl Show. In what I know is a cruel irony for me, Pete is now finally Tweeting about both the show me, and me. Change is hard, and show business is harder. This was something that had to happen. It will end up being a good thing for all involved.

I’ve been around long enough to know that is an immutable truth.

Dino Stamatopoulos makes a glorious return to the DahlCast today and discusses some really “devilish” topics with Steve.  It is DahlCast number 666, and what is discussed is so raw, our own server blocked it for explicit content.  Sorry for the delay, everyone, but it’s worth it!

On today’s DahlCast, we talk to Satan and Dino “Star-burns” Stamatopoulos.  Here is a clip from Dino’s “Frankenhole”, seen on Adult Swim.  Recognize the voice of the Grim Reaper?  Steve certainly did!

The 47-year-old mother agreed two years ago to donate a kidney to her boss, Jackie Brucia, 61, a controller at Atlantic Automotive Group, who needed an organ transplant, the New York Post reports. Stevens, of Long Island, agreed to do so “because she was naturally a kind and generous person,” according to a legal complaint filed Friday with the New York State Division of Human Rights.

Stevens agreed to be a possible kidney donor during a meeting that the women had after Stevens left Brucia’s employ in 2010 and moved to Florida, according to the agency filing. Brucia, who had thought she had secured another, suitable donor, told Stevens, “‘You never know, I may have to take you up on that offer one day,’ ” the papers say.

Stevens wasn’t in Florida long before she decided to move back to Long Island and asked Brucia for her job back. She was working again within weeks, the newspaper reports.

Two months later, Brucia reminded Stevens of her earlier offer, after noting that the other donor fell through. Brucia asked Stevens if her offer was sincere. Stevens said it was. “It’s just who I am,” Stevens reportedly said. “I didn’t want her to die.”

Stevens now views Brucia’s offer of re-employment as a cunning way to secure a backup donor in case her likely donor didn’t work out, according to the Human Rights commission filing.

As it turned out, Stevens wasn’t an ideal match for Brucia, but Stevens’ willingness to donate a kidney helped push Brucia up the waiting list, netting her another donor who was a good match.

“I felt I was giving her life back,” Stevens told the Post. “My kidney ended up going to St. Louis, Mo., and hers came from San Francisco.”

It was after each woman’s surgeries last August that Brucia began showing a darker side, according to the complaint.

Organ transplant surgery requires extensive recovery time, but Stevens alleges that she felt pressured to return to work in September — less than a month after the surgery — even as Brucia was still recuperating at home.

According to the newspaper, Stevens went home sick three days after her return to work. That didn’t sit well with Brucia who, while still convalescing at home, called Stevens to berate her.

“She … said, ‘What are you doing? Why aren’t you at work?’ I told her I didn’t feel good,” Stevens told the Post. “She said, ‘You can’t come and go as you please. People are going to think you’re getting special treatment.’ ”

Stevens said such treatment continued after Brucia returned to work, with the boss yelling at Stevens in front of co-workers for supposed errors.

Eventually, Stevens says, she was demoted to another car dealership and subsequently fired.

In addition to the complaint filed with the Human Rights commission, Stevens is also pursuing a court challenge for her dismissal.

As for Brucia, she declined to return calls, and Atlantic Automotive Group didn’t return a request for comment.

The Post notes that Brucia apparently is doing just fine months after the surgery, reporting that she was spotted outside her home Friday, “getting into a limo with plastic cups and what appeared to be a bottle of pink champagne.”

As for Stevens, she says that Brucia “took my heart” but has no regrets about becoming an organ donor. The Postquotes her as saying, “I have no regrets [that] I donated a kidney because it saved the life of a man in Missouri.”

We’re enjoying the new South Park song in the DahlCast studios.  This shit is funny!

Henry and Steve worked on their new album over the weekend.  Henry is a natural and will definitely get top-billing on the album

Pardon the pun, but today’s show is “HIGH-larious”.  It is 4/20, after all, and Steve tries to avoid the annual rundown of why 4/20 is important to people who love herbal refreshment, but had to share a story about the Oregon Football Team.

See for yourself:

Chicago Area Record Store Day Events. LoudLoopPress Guide.

Chicago Summer Musical Bookings.

Bon Iver on Ellen.

Blur Box Set.

RIP: Greg Ham.

The Shins: “The Rifle’s Spiral” Video.

Glen Hansard “Love Don’t Leave Me Waiting” Video.

Interview: Mark Robinson of TeenBeet, Unrest.

Playlisted: Joe Pug.

PMA: Best Songs of 2012.

Levon Helm Only Halfway Home.

Axl Rose Apologizes.

Debunked: Megadeth Concert Pregnancy.

Rob Delaney: The Pickup Line.

April Humblebrag.

Arrested Development!!!

Louie (and other stuff) is Coming Back.

20 Greatest Original (Non-Theme) Songs.

People Aren’t Liking Girls. Girls v. Girls.

Nick Offerman Reads Girl Tweets.

Blonde Tina Fey.

The End of the Road for Cash Cab.

Drive-Thru “Trailer”

The Dictator Poster.

Your Sister’s Sister Trailer.

Mel Gibson Rant.

Brian Dennehy on The Iceman Cometh.

Read This: Vanity Fair Portrait of Lorne Michaels.

The 2012 Time 100.

Starbucks Secret Menu. Context.

The Internet v. Hologram Tupac. Tumblr.

Pentagon Tried to Prevent Afghanistan Corpse Abuse Photos.

Mitt Romney To Deliver Commencement Address at Liberty College.

Joe Biden: Bad Lip Reading.

The 21 Worst Things in the World.

Best. Video. Ever.

Little Miss Poopy Pants.

Fake GQ Photo Shoot.

Jose Canseco’s Twitter presented by Corgis.

What’s So Great About Corgis?

Craft Beer App.

Pizza!

GrubHub: Chicago’s Top Delivery Restaurants.

ICYMI: Dick Clark by the Numbers, Receptionist, Numero Group, 13 Incongruous American Bandstand Appearances.

Fun. “We’re Not Young”

While we weren’t able to find the earthquake bit Steve recalled, check out this clip of Lohman and Barkley introducing a Boy George song, you can definitely hear Steve was influenced by these guys!

Gapers Block Record Store Day Round-Up.

Listen: Beach House “Lazuli”

mp3: 1,2,3 “Lonesome Boring Summer”

mp3: Dana Buoy “So Lucky”

Titus Andronicus “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!”

Ra Ra Riot Cover Steve Winwood.

Fuck Yeah Wild Flag.

The Black Keys=Patty and Selma.

Man Forever “Surface Patterns” Video.

Rita Ora “How We Do” Video.

Scott Bradlee “Someone That I Used To Know” Cover.

Stream: Suckers New Album.

Black Cab Session: Rufus Wainwright.

Jack White: “Hypocritical Kiss”

Mystikal Back to Jail.

Tupac Hologram Explained.

Had Enough of Tupac Hologram?

Explore Moonrise Kingdom.

Schmidt GIFs!

New AMC Shows.

Aziz Ansari: Texting with Girls.

TONY: 50 Funniest New Yorkers.

Interview: Marc Maron.

The No Cry Challenge.

Batman for a Day.

One Second Classics.

Alexa Chung Thinspo. Related: The Feeding Tube Diet.

People as Pixels.

Video Game Rock Medley.

Hot Problems.

Chicago Bears 2012 Schedule. Thursday Night Football. Sunday Night Football.

Michael Jordan.

Crazy Eyes Sam.

Beautiful Public Libraries.

Prayers for the great Levon Helm. The Real Voice of America.

Pitchfork: Willis Earl Beal +1.

New JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound Video.

Homeboy Sandman “Hold Your Head” Video.

Tupac Hologram: The Tour.

New: The Walkmen.

Beirut from Coachella: “Santa Fe”, Full At The Drive-In Set.

Fanfarlo Visits KEXP.

Gold Motel New Album Details.

Zeus “Are You Going To Waste My Time?” Video.

Divorcing Death Cab.

Mo Tucker Anthologized.

Bob Dylan Blowin’ in the Wind.

Happy Birthday Ian MacKaye.

Interviews: Jack White and Stephin Merritt.

Team Coco Mixtape: Kate Micucci.

A.V. Club Review: Billy Bragg and Wilco: Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions.

Marty Markowitz meets Wu-Tang.

Zooey Deschanel’s iPhone Commercial.

New Spider-Man Trailer.

Watch Girls. Here’s a Recap.

Mad Men Power Rankings. Pete Campbell Punched. Fat Betty. The Best and Worst Closing Songs.

Wait, it’s not Oregon?

Kenny Powers: The Insults.

Eisenberg to The Newsroom.

The Best of Leslie Knope.

Face to Face with Weird Al: Uma Thurman/Nicolas Cage.

GMA Beats Today.

Wanted: Full Time Doodler.

Ashton and Mila.

Ayn Randers.

Pop Reinterpretation.

Star Wars Tupac. @Hologramtupac

How to Get More Likes on Facebook.

Twitter: Down a Minaj but up a Moore.

Bob Beckel Drops F-Bomb on Air.

Penguin for Romney.

Ann Romney: For Dogs on Cars.

Are LOLCats and Internet Memes Art?

Tim Thomas Gets Obama Trolled.

GQ Interview: Derrick Rose.

Basketball is Hard.

Fan Conduct Class.

Not Impressed with Jeter.

Noodle Girl Was a Hoax.

Time Out Chicago: Eat Out Awards 2012.

Goose Island One Year After the Sale.

First Aid Kit on Conan:

Who has the best pizza in Chicago? I want you Kevheads to vote, call me and let me know your nominations. My studio line is 312-380-9784. I want to hear your vote and I will put your call on my weekly Podcasts. Leave your name, where you’re calling from and who has the best pizza in Chicago.

I will tell anyone who will ask me that question, who has the best pizza in Chicago? I will tell Kevheads for the best pizza I have ever eaten during my days in Chicago has to be ….I will tell you in two more paragraphs.

When judging pizza, it’s about everything used, the flour, the crust, the red sauce, what do you put on your pizza, the cheese, great quality cheese, mushrooms, canned or fresh, be careful, onions, sausage, the quality of the pepperoni, extra cheese, ham…?

I tell any Kevhead, if you want the best pizza in the state, it’s worth the drive to my favorite, let’s take a look…How many pizza’s have been purchased here, when I eat pizza here, its great. It also reminds me of my kids, my friends and some of the best years of my life growing up in the Chicagoland area. Maybe this pizza tastes so great because it simply reminds me of all the great times, great friends and some great pizza I have had here, with friends and family.

I blogged about hotdogs last issue, now it’s pizza, the best, let me know if you think not. Next blog, lobster, who has the best in Chicago? Let me know Kevheads: 312-380-9784

Ledo’s Pizza – Celebrating 50 Years!

Ledo’s Pizza would like to thank all of you for making our 50 Year Anniversary celebration a huge success. It was a fun-filled day where countless Ledo’s patrons shared their fondest memories while creating new ones.

Again, we would like to thank all of our wonderful customers for their loyal and continued patronage. Without you, we would not be here and we could not continue to serve delicious thin and thick crust pizza, delectable sandwiches and hot satisfying dinners.

From our family to yours, thank you.
Sandra L. Dorgan

Kevin Matthews, call me Kevheads, 312-380-9784…. Enjoy life and great eats! Listen to the Monday Express Podcast and the Friday Podcast, here at www.dahl.com Call or leave a text message Kevheads.

Check out the official trailer:

1. “Left hand, right hand, it doesn’t matter. I’m amphibious.” – Charles Shackleford

To be fair… He can actually breathe underwater too.

2. “Any time Detroit scores more than 100 points and holds the other team below 100 points, they almost always win.” – Doug Collins

… Almost? What happens the other times?

3. “I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father” –Greg Norman

And all of his other parents he failed to mention.

4. “Rich Folkers is throwing up in the bullpen.” –Jerry Coleman

He’s sick? I hope he can still pitch today.

5. “The drivers have one foot on the brake, one on the clutch, and one on the throttle.” –Bob Varsha

Now that’s impressive driving.

6. “You can sum up this sport [boxing] in two words: ‘You never know.’” -Lou Duva

Only two? Ok, can’t argue with that.

7. “When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you’re getting your ass hammered by guys—there’s no better feeling than to have that done.” -Matt Stairs

Umm… what?

8. “The NFL, like life, is full of idiots.” –Randy Cross

Truer words were never spoken.

8. “He’s a guy who gets up at six o’clock in the morning regardless of what time it is.” –Lou Deva… again.

….Ok Lou, ok.

10. “You don’t like to see hookers going down on players like that.” –Murry Mexted

I guess in context it makes sense

11. “I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf.” –Tug Mcgraw

After being asked if he preferred grass or Astroturf, the Tugger responded with this gem.

12. “Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical.” –Yogi Berra

And just because Yogi gave us so many, a bonus: “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

13. “We’re going to turn this team around 360 degrees.” –Jason Kidd

So, you’re going to turn it all the way around and continue in the direction it was originally going? On second thought, maybe you should stay in college Jason.

14. “He treats us like men. He lets us wear earrings.” –Torrin Polk

That’s the most important thing a college football coach can offer his team. Earings.

15. Reporter: “Did you visit the Parthenon while in Greece?”
Shaquille O’Neill: “I can’t really remember the names of all the clubs we went to.”

At least you well represented the NBA while there, Shaq.

Hear Jim Shorts on the Kevin Matthews Podcasts, the Monday Express and the Friday Addition.

Jim Shorts/Sports Director at dahl.com

The Weeknd at Coachella. Dr. Dre and Snoop at Coachella. Tupac at Coachella.

Celebrities at Coachella.

Hole Reunion.

Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame Induction Recap. Guns-n-Roses Without Axl.

New: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros “Mother”

Download: Major Lazer and Amber Coffman

Paste’s 25 Best Songs of 2012.

Play Vinyl Here. LEGO Star Wars Organ.

GQ Interview: Judd Apatow.

Bill Plympton Couch Gag on The Simpsons.

Laser Cats7

Mitt to SNL?

Party with Hillary Clinton.

Soledad O’Brien Named After Virgin Mary.

Useless Superpowers.

Dog With a Blog.

On the Bro’d.

Sometimes Live Tweeting is Wrong.

Downton Sixbey.

#CoryBookerStories

More from Sweet Brown.

Eagle vs. Fratello.

Hockey Boobs.

Capybaras Nadal.

Read: The Charm of Day Drinking.

Watch Pulp play Coachella:

Since the last time I went to C2E2, it’s become a really big deal.

Everything about the event felt bigger this year: bigger hall, bigger stars, bigger attendance.

You’ll probably read and see lots of reviews from mainstream sources over the next day or two about how C2E2 legitimizes nerd culture, or some such thing. In a world where Hunger Games, the Amazing Spider-Man, and the Avengers are anticipated to be among the highest-grossing movies of the year, the notion of “nerd culture” is unfairly reductive … if not altogether ignorant. C2E2 reflects pop culture and has the admission sales to prove it.

I got there at 10 a.m. today, right when doors opened. I had a feeling that the crowds would thicken up in short order–since I get easily claustrophobic, I decided the earlier, the better.

I have an irresistible temptation to start buying every cool thing in sight when I walk into C2E2. Sure enough, the first booth I saw was Graphitti Designs, the company that makes the coolest (and frequently, the most obscure) comic-themed t-shirts. Within seconds, I was ready to part with $21 for a Swamp Thing logo shirt. They didn’t have my size, so the money burning a hole in my pocket got a reprieve. In hindsight, I feel vindicated–Graphitti marked their shirts up $2 from what they cost on the Graphitti website.

The beauty of events like C2E2 is running face-first into a happy surprise. After failing to get my Swamp Thing t-shirt, I turned the corner and ran into a DC Comics autograph table where Len Wein, co-creator of Swamp Thing, was signing autographs next to legitimate comic book legend Joe Kubert. The line to meet them was only “two deep;” that’s it. Two people. I didn’t question it, and got right behind those fans. It was a thrill to meet the near-90 year-old Kubert and the ever-personable Wein. Wein, it should also be noted, co-created a few other familiar characters you may have heard of: Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Storm, and the Human Target.

I was totally unprepared to meet them, so I had them sign both my C2E2 program (instead of, say, this or this):

It didn’t occur to me until I walked away that I should get a picture of Kubert. Here he is, peeking out from behind the bearded gentleman in black:

Within seconds of leaving Kubert and Wein, I ran right into Kevin Brown, a.k.a. “Dotcom” on 30 Rock. He was there promoting a “Dotcom for President” campaign. I’m not sure I understand what he’s running for, but he was easily the nicest celebrity I met today.

 Dotcom: You were a switch hitter?

Jack: Switch hitter, pitcher, catcher. Whatever the boys needed.

Props and costumes used in Captain America were on display near the entrance. They were featured in an auction geared towards those with lots of disposable income (as well as large open spaces in their homes):

There were smaller props on display, too, like Thor’s hammer and the dreaded Cosmic Cube:

And then there’s Cap’s-shield-on-ice, first seen as a completely-missed Easter egg in The Incredible Hulk.

Moving C2E2 to a larger hall at McCormick Place this year was a good call; there was a lot more humanity trickling through the aisles and displays this year. From what people told me today, the crowd situation yesterday was insane, a can’t-breathe-totally-packed-oh-my-God scenario.

One of the benefits of the new hall was easier access to food. Last year, con-goers had to walk up to a second floor food court to get their $5.75 hot dog/soda combos. Not a hardship by any means, but it was nice to only have to take a few side steps for my encased meat needs.

The real fun of C2E2 is Artist Alley, where creators, wannabes, and big-name pros mix it up with the masses. Artist Alley is a great place to meet people on their way up (like Ryan Browne, whose work I adore), and those who’ve already “made it,” like cheesecake artist Adam Hughes. I made a point of going to Hughes’ table–he wasn’t all that personable when I met him, but I still bought his sketchbook (his signature, seen in the corner, is “AH!”):

And when I say Adam Hughes draws “cheesecake,” I mean, well …

Drawing a crowd in Artist Alley was recent Shark Tank success story Steve Gadlin and his “I Want to Draw a Cat For You” work:

I interviewed Steve about his business a year and a half ago. If you’ve never heard the interview, check out my summary and the audio link here.

Some celebrities charged a shit-ton for the privilege of getting something signed by them. Anthony “C3PO” Daniels wanted $40 for the pleasure. I settled for a long-range photo instead. That’s him, blurry with white hair, in the back:

Meanwhile, back at the DC booth, I was reminded how much I love Mad Magazine.

No story here. I just like having an excuse to drop Alfred E. into my blog.

Hey look, it’s that guy from One Tree Hill and Freaky Friday! The line was insanely long to meet Chad Michael Murray.

Chad was there to sign his Archaia comic Everlast. I think it would be awesome if former House of Pain star Everlast wrote a comic book called Chad Michael Murray.

The Ted DiBiase-less Virgil was manning an Artist Alley table. Here he is, organizing something or another:

On the way out, I walked right past Neal Adams, one of the most influential comic artists of the past 40 years. Seriously–Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, X-Men, Superman, Deadman–the impact of this guy’s work can’t be overstated. I decided to wait in line to buy a sketchbook from him, but there were too many fans abusing their window of opportunity: they wouldn’t fucking leave the table.  That seemed to be a common trend at the con today: fans not knowing when to make their exit. I got impatient and resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t meet Neal. This is all I got for a souvenir:

And for reference … Neal Adams is a comic book god:

Surprisingly, I didn’t spend as much money on comics and memorabilia as I did last year. For perspective on my spending, I was pretty psyched to pick up these two Essential Marvel collections for four bucks each:

I could’ve spent longer on the floor–maybe even taken in a panel or two–but by 2 p.m., it was hot, sweaty, and maybe even a little smelly in the hall. Showbiz 101: quit while you’re ahead.

C2E2 is an awful lot of fun. I love the close proximity and access to writers, artists, creators, and stars that the con provides. See you there next year.

]]> http://new.dahl.com/2012/04/c2e2-2012/feed/ 0 http://new.dahl.com/2012/04/geoff-tate-queensryche-musical-primer/ http://new.dahl.com/2012/04/geoff-tate-queensryche-musical-primer/#comments Sun, 15 Apr 2012 02:24:05 +0000 James VanOsdol http://new.dahl.com/?p=7884

Geoff Tate from Queensryche joins me later this week on the James VanOsdol show. To prepare you for the interview (as well as for his two area shows at the beginning of May), I thought I’d offer up this Queensryche primer:

“Empire”-Title track from Queensryche’s commercial breakthrough album of the same name.

“Silent Lucidity”-An unlikely top ten hit for Queensryche. A power ballad that transcends the notion of power ballads; epic before the word became a cliche.

“Operation Mindcrime”-80s metal with lyrical substance and musical teeth. The “Mindcrime” album remains a defining moment for the band and for rock concept albums.

“The Lady Wore Black”-Here’s a live version of one of the band’s very first songs, originally heard on their self-titled debut (1982).

“Sliver”-Lead track from the American Soldier album (2009).

“Jet City Woman”-Boot-quality solo performance of the Queensryche song, recorded earlier this year.

Geoff Tate solo:

Viper Alley 5/4

Mayne Stage 5/5 

Call the studio hotline and leave a message if we don’t answer it live. You can also text on that number too. If you have a question for me, Jim Shorts, ask it, ask us anything and we will answer it honestly and you can then hear them on the weekly Podcasts.

Darnell our shows producer is now taking physic calls, if you want to know your future, call Darnell at 312-380-9784. Ask the amazing Darnell any question you desire, questions about sex, your job, troubles in your life, the future is just a phone call away.

Jim Shorts and his agent Frank the alcoholic are opening a gambling casino on Beaver Island here in Michigan. The casino while under construction will be taking your bets in a trailer in Harbor Bay camp grounds, located on the island. Hear more details this week on the Podcast.

I also want to invite you Kevheads to participate with me and the crew. We are looking for someone to do weekly movie reviews. Do you love watching new releases; if you would like to record a movie review segment, let me know; call the studio hotline at 312-380-9784.

Musicians, I want to play your music. It is easy to get your original music played during the weekly Podcasts. If you have original, fill out the permission form here at www.dahl.com you can then get the address to send me your CD’s. It is nearly impossible to get any airplay on traditional radio, in fact, its truly sad. I want to have the planet hear your music, but I can’t if you don’t send me your music.

I can’t wait to hit the stage at the Park West. Did you get your tickets Kevheads? It will be great to meet you; details are here on the front page. Is Jim Shorts making a stage appearance? Details on the Podcasts.

Coming up this week, hear musician Edwin McCain, Ahmet Zappa and Steve Azar. Conspiracy theorists and author Cliff Dic will join us Friday, he is claiming the end of the World will happen this coming April 16^th. It is always great to talk with Cliff.

Kevheads, I want to talk with you, call the studio hotline and leave a message, who are you, where are you calling from and what is your question. Call me; my Podcast is your Podcast, call 312-380-9784.

Thank you for all of the kind text messages and e-mails. Write me here at dahl.com to write me, its simple kev@dahl.com Call me 312-380-9784.

Kevin Matthews

Cloud Nothings “Stay Useless” Video.

Hell Yes! Beachwood Sparks.

The Shins on Jimmy Kimmel.

Frances Cobain: “Twitter Should Ban My Mother”

Did You Love Unrest?

Listen: Yuck “Chew”

More Willis Earl Beal Quotes.

Going to Coachella?

Interview: Now, Now.

Yellow Ostrich “Marathon Runner” Video.

Nellie McKay on Public Radio.

New: Nikki and the Dove “Tomorrow”

mp3: Unicycle Loves You “Bitch Eye”

Vote: Cains & Abels.

Alabama Shakes on Sound Opinions. On Letterman.

New Order’s “Elegia” Gets Vinyl Release.

Contest: Win The Smiths Complete 8CD Box Set.

Were You at the Megadeath/Motorhead Concert?

Blood on the Tracks Movie.

Roger Ebert Reviews: Bully & Damsels in Distress.

New City Review: Damsels in Distress.

Check out CIMMFest This Weekend. Or CHIRP Record Fair.

Women Against Ryan Gosling.

Get Off Of My Lawn!

Watch Girls and Veep for Free. Lena Dunham on Conan.

Arrested Development Actors to Reunite at NAB.

The Office Reboot.

Ron Sworschach.

Soup for You!

Watch a 2010 Short Film Starring Danny Pudi.

30 Rock Coming to an End.

Is Ron Swanson Based on Simpsons Writer?

Paul Feig on Freaks and Geeks, Part Four.

By The Book: David Sedaris.

Awesome Celebrity Photo.

The Best Show on WFMU featuring Chris Elliot.

Awesome: Caine’s Arcade Gets Pinball Machine.

Awesome: Hit this and then the J key.

@LOLMintyRomney Ann Romney v. Hilary Rosen.

Safe Sex for Seniors.

Boobstagram.

James Joyce or Kool Keith?

TBS Just for Laughs Lineup.

Child Stars Who Oppose Kirk Cameron.

The Scale of the Universe.

NHL Wheel of Justice.

Bobby Petrino and Miss Motorcycle Mania.

Mets Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Great Catch!

Best and Worst Jobs of 2012.

2012 GNR from LTHForum.

Culture to Cult: Wicker Park Arts Center.

Style in The Wire:

Style in The Wire from Erlend Lavik on Vimeo.

Jessica Vega being fitted for her wedding gown.

Subscribers were reminded of Ed Silha’s own story involving a former fiance faking leukemia. Ed recounted that with Steve on today’s DahlCast. And we even got a few more details from that classic story, so you don’t want to miss Thursday’s show!

We’ll end this post with an always-great mugshot photo!

Jessica Vega after her arrest.

The Weeknd Announce Tour.

Letters of Note: He is Called Mick Jagger.

Lil B’s NYU Lecture.

tUnE-yArDs “My Country” Vide0.

Awesome: James Murphy’s Boiler Room DJ Set.

OFF! “Wiped Out” Video.

Coming: Three Green Day Albums.

Courtney Love Accuses Dave Grohl of Seducing Frances Bean.

Lana Del Rey “Carmen” Also: Grantland Alien Loves Predator. Axl Declines HOF Induction.

Johnny Marr on The Smiths’ Studio Albums.

Judson Claiborne: Successful Kickstarter.

Listen: Florence + The Machine “Try a Little Tenderness”

David Letterman: We Are Augustines.

Larry David on Conan: Explains Parking Lot Meltdown.

Mo Ryan on Girls.

Interview: Krysten Ritter.

FOX to Re-Air Married With Children Pilot.

Paul Feig on Freaks and Geeks, Part Three.

Donald Glover: Amazing Spider-Man Easter Egg.

Titanic Boobs Ban.

Buy Jim Gaffigan’s New Comedy Special.

Texts from Hillary: TTYL.

Folk Music in a Box.

Drunk Bohemian Rhapsody Guy: Auto-Tuned.

Henri’s Ennui.

More Sleeping Cats.

New York Times on Charlie Trotter.

Social Media from Kraft Mac & Cheese.

Michelle Obama on Colbert Report.

Barack Obama: Game On in Chicago.

Chicago Cubs: In Search of Bullpen Help.

Bobby Petrino Gets Taiwanese Animation Treatment.

Reader Restaurant Review: Au Cheval.

The Paper Machete 4/14 Lineup.

New Garfunkel and Oates Video:

Springfield…Oregon.

Chevy Chase: “Community is Mediocre”

Joel McHale for Nintendo.

Is HBO’s Girls Accurate?

Reggie Watts on Comedy Bang Bang.

TV’s Top Moneymakers.

Stick Figure Night Live.

Paul Feig on Freaks and Geeks, Part Two.

Anchorman 2 Details.

Town of Runners.

I Know That Voice.

Don’t Stop Believin’

Another Anderson Cooper Giggle Fit.

Who Ice-T?

Best Intro Ever.

Awesome: Cardboard Arcade.

Anthony Bourdain Publishing Marilyn Hagerty’s Restaurant Reviews.

Put a Job on It!

Texts from Hillary submitted by Hillary.

Campaign Music: Barack v. Romney.

300 Step Rube Goldberg Machine.

Music Moves People.

Tricking a Mall Into Thinking You Are Famous.

Shakespeare Insult Kit.

Keep Your Beer Cold.

List of Lists.

Cow Party.

Dame Interview: Julie Klausner.

Yes! @BettyWhite

Keith Moon to Play Olympics. Wait, what?

Horrible Band? Horrible Tattoo? Both?

New: Neneh Cherry & The Thing. Also: Friends.

Archie Powell & The Exports “Crazy Pills” Video.

Out and About: Of Monsters and Men.

Black Lips “Dance With You” mp3.

Marissa Nadler “The Wrecking Ball Company” Video.

The Head & The Heart Cover Fleetwood Mac.

The Stepkids “Suburban Dream” (Union Remix) featuring Homeboy Sandman & Pharoahe Monch

Album Review: The Right Now.

First Slice Pie Cafe in Andersonville.

Chicago:

Helping us kick off the White Sox’s 2012 Season here at DahlCast central; here is the accompanying video:

Janelle Monae Performs “I Want You Back”

Tennis on Letterman.

Feist “Bittersweet Memories” Video.

M. Ward Review and Review.

New Song from Laura Marling.

Breaking Through: Jonwayne.

Robyn Joins Global Photo Project.

At The Drive-In’s First Reunion Show.

When Ari Up Met Patti Smith.

Rolling Stones Recording.

Revenge of the Mekons.

Alison Brie Band, The Girls.

Videogum Movie Club: Damsels in Distress.

Silent Film: Back to the Future III.

Jaws Headed to Blu-Ray.

Keeping up with the Kardashians…and Kanye.

Interview: Elmore Leonard.

Interview: Judah Friedlander.

Chuck Close: Note to Younger Self.

Thank You Jesus: Sweet Brown.

Lagunitas Opening Brewhouse in Chicago!

Burger King’s Bacon Sundae.

Hot Dog Stuffed Crust.

Condiment Watch: Ranch Dressing.

Nerdist Celebrity Bowling.

Biden’s Favorite Photos.

Chris Wallace Statement on His Dad. Julie Klausner’s Mom on Mike Wallace.

Cats Imitating Art.

20 Best #OzzieMisquotes.

It’s B-Jay Time.

Oosthuizen.

Pulp! On Jimmy Fallon:

10 Reasons To Love Bubba Watson, Blubbering Southern Frat Boy

How can you not LOVE this guy! He is Steve’s new golf role model, and perhaps his personal one as well. Let’s hope Steve lays off the overalls, however! The folks at Sports Grid have put together a nice list of 10 Reasons to love Bubba

On Monday’s DahlCast, Tom Thayer recounted a delightfully amusing story about a very lame and apparently desperate Mark Sanchez working out in Hawaii on the beach in front of everyone, and attracting quite a crowd. I asked Tom if Kate Upton (Sanchez’s GF) was there. He said he didn’t know who Kate Upton was. That’s vintage tom Thayer, BTW. He doesn’t need to know who Kate Upton is, so why would he? I’m thinking that if she were there, Sanchez wouldn’t have to workout in front of a bunch of curious onlookers and strangers to attract attention. I’m thinking that Kate would have blipped on Tom’s radar, had he seen her, however. I was going to send Tom a picture of Kate and then I happened to come across this delightful Easter video. I have decided to share it with everyone. Sure, I’m a day late, but I like to think of it as being 364 days early.

Lollapalooza Lineup?

First Listen: Spiritualized.

Pitchfork Review: Alabama Shakes.

Saki’s Awesome Record Store Day.

Did you miss the Outer Minds Record Release Show? Watch it Here.

Future: “Parachute” (featuring R. Kelly)

Free mp3: The Wedding Present.

New Unicycle Loves You Video.

Austra visits QTV.

Fiona Apple playing Chicago Theatre.

Do-Division Announces First Wave of Acts.

Lana and Axl. Stream 2 Unreleased LDR Demos. John Mayer’s LDR Cover.

Dirty Projectors North American Tour.

Of Monsters and Men “Little Talks” Also: Playlisted.

Jeff Mangum played songs on WFMU.

Blink-182.

Thin Lizzy and a 70 Year Old Grandmother.

James Franco sings Selena Gomez.

Interview: Whit Stillman.

A Fantastic Fear of Everything Trailer.

Reviews: CIMM Fest. Q&A with Lizzy Caplan.

Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost) Trailer.

Star Wars Condoms.

Paul Feig: A Walk Through Freaks and Geeks, Part One.

I love Community Fan Art. Dumbest Argument Against Community.

Muppet Show Pitch.

Mad Men and Speck Murders.

Dukes of Hazzard: Every Single Jump.

Frasier’s Celebrity Callers.

Chandler Dances on Things.

Jennifer Love Hewitt is on TV Again.

American Hipster: San Francisco.

What Really Happened to the Titanic. Yes, it was real.

The Great American Foreclosure Song.

Bad Opinion Generator.

Romney Bodyboarding. President Obama Reads “Where the Wild Things Are”, in Awesome GIF.

Bryant Gumbel Did Not Like Sarah Palin on Today.

Memo to CNN: Don’t Use the N Word.

Eater Feature: The Regulars. Hopleaf.

Chicago Magazine: Best New Restaurants.

Premise in Andersonville Opens Wednesday.

1995 Wicker Park.

The Second Best Thing That Happened at The Masters. Masters Champ is Talented.

Awesome from Last Week: Stephen Colbert Dirt Bike Bad Ass:

As of today, it appears as though my fears have been realized.

Lollapalooza has become a bloated, overblown, mess. In short: too much filler, not enough killer. Going to the festival is a commitment, sometimes bordering on a chore. It’s not how Sabbath should be packaged for what could very well be Tony Iommi’s final performance in America.

Hey, kids … do you like Metric? How about Passion Pit? Are you ready to give it up for the prince of darkness and “Fairies Wear Boots?” Can you at least ironically headbob your way through it?

For your consideration:

I love the ability to see a movie that’s currently in theaters from the comforting confines of my own home. In fact, I really hope these opportunities become more frequent. Say what you will about the “shared experience” of seeing a movie with hundreds of theater-goers, I’m perfectly content to watch a flick all by my lonesome.

The problem with going to the movies, concerts, or any public event, is that some jackass in the crowd always ruins the experience for me. Take, for example, when I went to see Van Halen at the United Center in February. I was behind a row of fratboys who drove up from Bradley (as was loudly proclaimed many, many times) who couldn’t hold their liquor. When the opening riff of “Unchained” kicked in, the fratboy in front of me yelled to his dumb buddy, “Fuck it, I’m taking my shirt off!” And with that, he proceeded to tear his shirt off, Hulk-style. He high-fived and fist-bumped his way through the rest of the concert, topless and brainless, funded by his parents who are likely none the wiser.

The moviegoing experience can be just as frustrating. Somebody’s always texting, Facebooking, or loudly fake laughing to the point of distraction. On a somewhat-related tangent, the next time you’re at a movie, check out how many people are on their mobile devices rather than communicating with the person next to them. I’m floored by how many couples don’t actually talk with one another, choosing instead to update and tweet statuses and Foursquare locations.

As for the Spurlock movie: I really enjoyed it, but keep in mind that I’m a guy with dozens of longboxes who can happily explain the differences between Neal Adams and Neil Gaiman. I couldn’t directly relate to some of the featured players, who were chosen because of their more intense fandom, but the movie sure felt familiar.

Pitchfork Festival Finalizes Lineup.

DeRogatis Review: Willis Earl Beal.

Kathleen Edwards Tiny Desk Concert.

Flight of the Conchords-Jay-Z Mashup.

Tiny Dancer!

Handicapping the A.V. Club’s Best Albums of 2012.

New Jam Alert: The Fresh & Onlys.

Jack White: “Sixteen Saltines” Video. Related: Jack White is Awesome.

Cate Le Bon “Puts Me To Work” Video.

Mystery Jets “Someone Purer” Video.

Porcelain Raft “Drifting In and Out” Video.

Gossip “Perfect World” Video.

New Pulp Music?

Kanye West’s “Theraflu” Artwork. Kim’s Walk of Shame.

Snoop Dogg’s Smokeable Book.

Billy Bragg at OTS.

Robin Pecknold and Daniel Rossen with Van Dyke Parks.

RIP: Jim Marshall.

Neil Young’s New Audio Format.

Watch This on Saturday.

Girls NYC Premiere.

Ron Swanson v. Darryl.

Savages Trailer.

Hunger Games-Mad Magazine Parody. District 12 For Sale. Stay Classy.

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer-in LEGO.

“I’m The King of the World!”

Walking Dead Mad Men.

Team Pillowmen or Team Blanketeers?

Changlorious Basterds.

Ricky Gervais Show Season 3 Clip.

Tina Fey: “Chicago is a Real City”

Changes at SNL? Might Not Be Bad.

Chevy Chase: Asshole.

Seven Minutes in Heaven.

Google Glasses Parody Ad.

Glasses of Disapproval.

Chicagolicious.

Chicago Past.

The A.V. Club on Chicago’s Douchiest Bars.

Bone Pugz ‘N Harmony. Dogs Listen to Sad Music. Texts from My Dog.

Olbermann’s Lawsuit Against Current TV.

Kony 2012: Part II.

Texts from Hillary.

Romney’s Elevators.

Twitter Mug.

Bill Murray’s First Pitch. Chicago’s Number 1 Cubs Fan.

Greg Williams Bounty Audio.

And Introducing…

I returned form my Florida sabbatical on Wednesday night, and although I seem to have missed fake Chicago summer, I can’t complain about sunshine and 48 degrees on Opening Day at Wrigley Field. I can’t complain about it because I’m  watching the game on TV and it’s 72 Dahlgrees in my house.

I am really trying not to have any Cubs hate this year. I like what they are trying to do up on the North Side, and a lot of my friends are Cubs fans, so what’s the point of hating? There’s enough hate and vitriol in politics and  the rest of the world these days, that I am declaring Chicago baseball a hate free zone. What’s not to like about baseball? It signals the end of winter, it’s simple, and it’s slow (just like me). Baseball is one thing I am not, and that’s pastoral. I am a Universal Life Church minister, but that’s a different kind of pastor.

Although I am still a White Sox fan, I also consider myself a fan of Ryan Dempster, and I always like watching him pitch well. That has made Opening Day 2012 fun for me to watch. I also really enjoy Len Casper and Bob Brenley. Plus, the Tribune Co./DirecTV fake standoff is over, so all is well in Cubville. I have DirecTV and Comcast, so I wasn’t sweating it, but I do consider Comcast (or do you call it Xfinity?) my backup, for some reason. I think I like the concept of the signal coming direct to my rooftop dish from outer space with respect to DirecTV. I’m very Kevin Matthews-like in that respect. Kevin thinks that the Internet is coming from outer space too. You gotta love that guy.

Dempster left the game in the 8th with a shutout after giving up only two hits and striking out 10 batters. Woody is struggling a little in relief as I write this, but Bill Murray’s extended stay in the press box is making it all  very entertaining. Woody did get some bad calls, but he managed to escape the 8th after letting in a run, with a tie.I met Ryan and his wife a few years ago at the Comcast Sports Net Sports Awards and he’s just the kind of guy that you can’t help but like, even if he is a Cub. Woody is also a great guy, and has a lovely wife as well. I miss Chef Hans calling him Voody. I’ll have to give Hans a call and get him on the DahlCast.

That said, I’m really looking forward to the Robin Ventura era on the South Side too. I know Robin a little bit, and I think that he will make a heck of a manager. He’s a tough guy not to like and respect, and he’s already got the Sox pretty loose and playing well coming out of Glendale and I think he has done a nice job of cleverly lowering everyone’s expectations. Theo Epstein has done a masterful job of that on the North Side as well. I’m an expert at lowering expectations, so I think I know of which I speak. Every once in a while, however, you have to pay off. Maybe this is the year for the Cubs, The Sox and maybe even me.

So, I’m back home, it’s 90 degrees in Florida, and I’m going to have to wear a hoodie if I decide to run outside today. Better here than in Florida for the hoodie, I guess. Just in case any of my neighbors decide to stand their ground. I am calling for a Chicago baseball truce this year. Let’s wish each other well, and hope we meet in the WS. My boys aren’t going to like that, but WTF.

Just to name a few; Serengeti wants you to blame Dan Roan, Bob Brenly, Steve Stone, Scott Servais, Gary Scott, or Ryan Klesko and not Steve Bartman.

Here is the video and song:

And, of course, a picture of a chair he soiled:

Remember When Graffiti Was Fun?

Peabody Awards Announced.

To Rome With Love Trailer.

The Avengers Clip.

Greta Gerwig on Damsels in Distress.

Rear Window View Time-Lapse.

Extended Community Promo. Dan Harmon Apologizes.

Keith Olbermann on Letterman. Diva Limos.

Sofia Vergara’s SNL Promos.

Bon Iver to Appear on Ellen.

Serengeti “Don’t Blame Steve” Video.

David Lynch “Crazy Clown Time” Video.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra “Nerve Damage” Video.

Alabama Shakes “Hold On” Video.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. “We Almost Lost Detroit” Video.

Dr. John (and Dan Auerbach) on Fallon. Refused to perform on Fallon.

Do This on Saturday.

Download: herohill vs. Leonard Cohen: The Bard of Montreal.

Fact Magazine: Best Albums of the First Quarter.

Grab a Father John Misty mp3.

David Byrne and Will Oldham Team on This Must Be The Place Soundtrack.

Greg Kot Interview: Willis Earl Beal.

DeRogatis Review: Dr. John.

Interactive Sgt. Pepper. Um, no.

Artist on Artist: Mary Timony and Chris Thomson

DJ Craze Skills.

Trekkie in Chief.

Google’s Project Glass.

The Chicagoist: The Alternative to the Douchiest Bars.

Joakim Dance GIF.

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame” Montage. The A.V. Club’s Pop Culture Baseball All-Star Team. Hank Aaron Biopic.

Chuy is Leaving Chilam Balam.

Domino’s Artisans.

Worst Mugshot of 2012?

Dumb Bank Robber.

Willis Earl Beal “Monotony” Video:

]]> http://new.dahl.com/podcasts/steve-dahl-show-april-4-2012/feed/ 0 http://new.dahl.com/2012/04/food-legends/ http://new.dahl.com/2012/04/food-legends/#comments Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:12:50 +0000 admin http://new.dahl.com/?p=7642 Kevheads: Many ask me when I visit Chicago or when you visit me here in Michigan, “What do you miss most about Chicago?” I miss my friends and family, but I also miss the audience, the city and most of all the food. I wanted to begin telling you Kevheads the special folks that have made millions of meals, yes the food I most certainly miss and those who brought it to the table, the inventors of the pig out, fine dining and good eats.

I was born in Michigan and started my broadcasting career here in Grand Rapids. I never ate a better hotdog then the dogs I have eaten in Chicago. I found the perfect hotdog decades ago and consider this man, this founder a true hero of mine, let me share with you Kevheads, a meat pioneer, and a real hero of mine. Let me introduce to you….

Dick Portillo was born at 1330 West Van Buren in Chicago, Illinois. His family then moved to government-subsidized row houses on Mohawk Street, called the Mother Frances Cabrini Housing Project. After his father started earning enough money, they were prompted to leave and moved to 1617 South Central Park. His family later moved to the southwest suburbs. He was a 1957 graduate of Argo Community High School at 63rd and Harlem. After high school, he served a tour with the Marine Corps.

The first Portillo’s hot dog stand known as “The Dog House” opened in 1963 on North Avenue in Villa Park. Owner and founder Dick Portillo invested $1,100 into a 6′ x 12′ trailer without a bathroom or running water. To get the water he needed, he ran 250 feet of garden hose from a nearby building into the trailer.

By 1967, “The Dog House” was a success and was ready for a new look. After it was remodeled, it was renamed “Portillo’s” and over the years has grown into a successful multi-state operation. Portillo’s expanded to Southern California in 2005 and to Indiana in 2006.

The Barnelli’s Pasta Bowl concept was introduced in 1993, and features a variety of pastas with homemade sauces, gourmet salads, and hand-tossed pizza. Barnelli’s first opened in Schaumburg and has additional locations in Naperville, Vernon Hills, Glendale Heights, Niles, Summit, Crystal Lake, Chicago and Willowbrook, IL.

In September 2000, Mr. Portillo launched a full service concept, Luigi’s House, located on Route 59 in the Aurora/Naperville area. Luigi’s House was inspired by Dick’s trips to Italy and the Mediterranean. Luigi’s House and garden area have been meticulously designed to create the feeling of dining in a private Italian home, serving authentic traditional Italian cuisine in a cozy Italian/Mediterranean atmosphere.

Mr. Portillo launched his latest concept, Honey-Jam Cafe in May of 2010. There are currently three locations: one in Downers Grove, one in Batavia and a third in Bolingbrook. Honey-Jam Cafe serves breakfast and lunch in a unique and upscale atmosphere you would not expect to find in a breakfast and lunch restaurant. Several of the items on the menu were discovered by Dick in different restaurants he visited during his travels throughout the United States and world. Each location has a unique open area where you can see homemade waffles being made, a separate carry-out area featuring brewed and specialty coffees “to go” as well as breakfast and lunch carry-out items. Most of the décor, including the large double-sided fireplaces, was inspired by Dick’s travels to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and various locations throughout the United States.

Julian’s Plaza, a shopping center created by Mr. Portillo, opened in Bolingbrook, IL in April 2011. Julian’s Plaza has over 42,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space and is positioned at the busiest corner in Will County.

Portillo’s Home Kitchen is the restaurant group’s fast-growing catering and shipping division, serving award winning family recipes, products of renowned quality and providing unparalleled service. Portillo’s Home Kitchen offers a wide range of products, including our famous Italian beef, fresh pasta trays, gourmet salads and award-winning bar-b-q ribs. Boxes of Italian beef, hot dogs, bar-b-q ribs and tamales are available for shipping to all 50 states.

Portillo’s has so many Silver Platter awards (the “Oscars” of the food industry) that the company was retired from competition for 5 years to give others a chance.

• 1987 Chicago Food Service Marketing Club Hall of Fame Award
• 1991 Chicago Executive of the Year Award from the Chicago Alumni Club of Southern Illinois University
• 1994 Entrepreneur of the Year Award – sponsored by Inc. magazine
• 1995 Top 3 Restaurateur of the Year
• Food Industry News’ 1996 Restaurateur of the Year Award
• 2002 Manufacturer Agents for Food Service Industry Restaurateur of the Year Award
• 2004 Employer of the Year award from The National Able Network and NBC 5 Chicago.
• 2002 Nation’s Restaurant News – Regional Powerhouse Chains “Portillo’s Hot Dogs – Out of the Dog House and living the American Dream, frankfurter chain operator grows his business independently”
• 2005 Nation’s Restaurant News – Fast, Casual Players – Portillo’s Hot Dogs “Barking up the right tree, theme eatery’s familiar food, keeps customers begging for more”
• 2006 Chicago Area Entrepreneurship “Hall of Fame” award
• 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Portillo’s is listed by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of Chicago’s Largest Privately Held Companies.

The Portillo Restaurant Group is the largest privately-owned restaurant company in the Midwest. Combined, the concepts have nearly 4000 employees and a total of 47 restaurants, plus a catering and shipping division and shopping center. This was all accomplished without franchising or investors. Dick Portillo attributes much of his success to his hard-working employees and to you, the satisfied customer. He thanks you for your support and I thank you Mr. Portillo, I would love 4 chili dogs right now. Dick Portillo, I knight you a food King.

Kevin Matthews

Ted Trailer.

Rock of Ages Trailer 2.

Give it Up, Adam Sandler.

NPH to Host Tony Awards.

New Porcelain Raft Video.

A.V. Club Review: Willis Earl Beal.

Nada Surf played The Metro Store.

Fiona Apple Album Details.

Listen: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros.

Ane Brun Covers Arcade Fire.

Village Voice Sound of New York Winner: The Velvet Underground.

Q&A: Stephin Merritt.

Tiny Mix Tapes Interview: Grimes.

Look for the LCD Soundsystem Documentary This Summer.

New OK Go Video.

Death Grips GIF Wall.

The Lawrence Peters Outfit on 848.

New Terror Threat Graphic.

Randomly on Purpose: The Nadas & Dan Navarro.

Patton Oswalt Will Host Webby Awards.

Louis C.K. on Correspondent’s Dinner.

The New Yorker on Olbermann’s Exit.

Geraldo Apologizes.

Katie Takes on Today. Couric v. Palin.

In Case You Didn’t Know: 2 1/2 Men is Awful.

Mad Men’s Betty Francis’ Ben & Jerry’s.

Parks and Recreation Live!

CBS Renews Letterman & Ferguson.

Zooey?

Interview: Sutton Foster.

@TitanicRealTime.

Japan Loves Pizza.

Chicago Rocks: Honorable Story of the Indie City.

8-Bit Chicago.

Racist Bartender.

Eater Chicago: Essential.

Best Comedy Clubs in Chicago.

Chicago’s Variety Scene is Thriving.

Douchiest Bars in Chicago.

Today in Awesome: Weird Al Edition.

Game of Thrones

Chevy v. Dan Harmon.

The Newsroom Trailer.

True Blood Teaser.

Mad Men’s George Romney Slam.

Ashton Kutcher to Play Steve Jobs.

Adam Sandler Sweeps Razzies.

When Titanic Was in Theaters. More Titanic.

Olbermann to Letterman. How Olbermann Drove a Network Bonkers.

Palin to The Today Show.

Joakim Noah Videobomb.

13 Craft Lagers Ranked.

Carrie Brownstein to Write Memoir.

First Listen: Alabama Shakes.

There’s Going to be a new Dirty Projectors Album.

Adele Will Have a New Song.

Free Titus Andronicus Album.

New Childish Gambino Song.

MusicNow 2012: Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner.

Hip Hop Squares.

Playlisted: Radar Eyes.

New A Place to Bury Strangers.

New MGMT Song.

Wilco Baseball Park Triple-Header.

Patti Smith: New Album Details. And on CBS Sunday Morning:

Thanks to subscriber, Pam, for the email!

5-10-15-20 with Lee Ranaldo.

Help CHIRP.

Get the Lolla List First.

Listen: Maps & Atlases.

Watch: Fiona Apple “Across the Universe”

Glen Hansard: New Songs and Old Friends.

Remix Paul McCartney.

Hoodie Allen “No Interruption” Video.

New: Maximo Park.

Free Urban Outfitters iTunes Mix.

The Stack Boys: “Snapbacks”

Best Anchorman One-Liners.

Will Community Directors Helm Captain America Sequel?

The Oatmeal: What Would Don Draper Do?

30 Rock: Live Episode Details. Ask Tina: Dancing and Zombies.

More Breaking Bad GIFs from Paul Scheer.

Mayor Emanuel in TV Show.

Catie Donnelly Doodles.

Take the 2012 Time 100 Poll.

Elephant Escape.

Etch-a-Sketch is Apolitical.

So About That “Bohemian Rhapsody” Dude.

Santorum Is Not Good.

I Bark for Barack. Dogs Sleeping. More Cats.

Kentucky v. Louisville.

The Greatest Sports Hoaxes.

The Cast of Once on David Letterman:

Safety Not Guaranteed

Bully to screen for minors.

And don’t forget Step Brothers 2.

Great NY Times Interview: Peter Dinklage.

Aziz Ansari Met President Obama.

Ron Swanson.

Cartoon Planet.

I Love South Park.

New Female Cast Member for SNL. She’s Great.

Breakinggifs.

Stereogum’s Most Anticipated Albums.

Listen: Of Monsters and Men.

Justin Townes Earle on Letterman.

White Rabbits on Kimmel.

NIN!

Rap Songs!

Metal Bands!

Bohemian Rhapsody. Stronger.

The Walkmen Announce New Album. Also, The Hundred in the Hands.

Homeboy Sandman “Mine All Mine” Video.

Regina Spektor “All the Rowboats” Video.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings “New Shoes” Live Session.

The Shins “Clapping Butter” for Radio 1.

Downtown Sound Series is Back for 2012.

Three Floyds Record Store Day Beer.

Doodle or Die.

Wind Map.

Today in Awesome:

Bonus Awesome:

The pilgrimage path is … ugly. There’s a lot of poverty and squalor leading up to Elvis’ pearly gates, and as I drove up Elvis Presley Boulevard, I felt a lot like Chevy Chase in this Vacation scene:

The parking lot for Graceland is across the street from the estate (that’ll be ten dollars, please). And that said, the lot is huge. This is no mere roadside attraction–this is GRACELAND.

I went into the Graceland experience expecting cheese, kitsch, and ridiculousness. In truth, the people running the Elvis estate have created a tasteful and engrossing experience.

The tour deals with the legacy of “the King,” as well as his personal/family life. The overarching takeaway is meant to be that Presley was human, and no amount of tacky decor can diminish that fact. The Elvis who is the subject of this tour isn’t the cartoon image many of us envision when we hear Elvis’ name. To that end, and perhaps sadly, there are no velvet Elvises available for purchase in the gift shop (though pretty much every other iteration of Elvis product can be found there).

As for the finer points of the tour, the mansion itself is modest-looking, by today’s standards.

The mansion’s interiors have been preserved with time capsule attentiveness. Some of my favorite rooms include the infamous Jungle Room, complete with mini waterfall:

… the basement with three televisions thematically set to period-appropriate shows.

… and the decidedly old-school kitchen.

The upstairs rooms at Graceland are completely off-limits. It’s safe to assume that giving tourists visual access to Elvis’ death throne would take the Graceland experience in an unwanted direction.

The estate beyond the mansion was much more interesting, particularly the “trophy room” that serves as home for hundreds of gold records, as well as Elvis’ Grammy Awards.

Beyond the trophy room is the racquetball court, which has a handful of Elvis’ most famous jumpsuits on display, as well as … more gold records.

One of the last sights on the tour was Elvis’ grave, settled in alongside the graves of his parents, grandmother, and stillborn twin. I guess I never paid much attention, but I was surprised to find out that Elvis’ tomb was part of the Graceland property.

The Graceland experience isn’t a pop culture moment; it’s an Elvis moment. I left the tour with an implacable desire to spin some of the Sun Records-era Elvis songs and to buy the ’68 Comeback Special on DVD.

Here is video of the takedown:

Also Awesome: The Muppets Invade Goldman Sachs.

More Awesome: Alan Lomax Archive Goes Online.

Listen: Flaming Lips and Bon Iver.

New: Dandy Warhols.

New: Retribution Gospel Choir Video.

Feist and M. Ward Cover The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Arcade Fire “Horn of Plenty” from The Hunger Games.

Andrew Bird Performs at Rolling Stone. And on Fallon.

Death of Samantha on WFMU.

Interview: M. Ward.

Interview: Disappears.

Trailer #2 for The Dictator.

Darren Aronofsky to Direct Judy Garland Biopic.

More Community Fan Art. Bagmunity.

Justified GIFs.

John Mulaney + Mike O’Brien.

The Key of Awesome! Eat it Don’t Tweet It.

Cat Organ!

A.V. Club Interview: Eugene Mirman.

Mitt Romney: He’s Not Like You.

Bobby Rush Wore a Hoodie on the House Floor.

Tour the Amazon with Street View.

New Dinner Party Couple!

Amazing New Addition to The High Line?

Frankie Rose “Night Swim” Video:

Beyond his solo material, Dolby’s work can also be heard on a varied list of accomplishments, including the score to Howard the Duck and keyboards on Foreigner hits “Urgent” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” He also played at Live Aid with David Bowie, and on the Grammys with Stevie Wonder.

Dolby’s music career was put on hold for most of the 1990s and 00s, when he diverted his attention to his own company, Headspace. While there, he did impressive things like creating the technology for mobile phone ringtones.

If you’re in the Chicago area, Thomas Dolby will be taking his “Time Machine” tour to the Park West on April 5. In case you need a refresher on his music, here you go:

“She Blinded Me With Science”-The one that put him on the map (it’s a flat earth map, but a map nonetheless). SCIENCE!

“Europa and the Pirate Twins”-From The Golden Age of Wireless, which also includes “She Blinded Me With Science.”

“Airhead”-A fairly ridiculous song, but it has its charms (my pick from the same album, Aliens Ate My Buick, is a song called “Ability to Swing”). “She’s not an intellectual giant …”

“I Love You Goodbye”-We talked in the interview about Dolby’s ability to capture the American experience, and I specifically referenced this song.

“Nothing New Under the Sun”-From his most recent work, A Map of the Floating City. After my first few listens, I couldn’t stop playing it. It’s one of those “creeper songs” that insidiously plant themselves in the recesses of your brain and never leave.

From A Map of the Floating City, an insane video for “The Toadlickers.” I referenced the video specifically in the interview–here’s some helpful context.

“Hyperactive”-I loved this one as a kid. The video’s still a riot.

Save Steve Holt!

Unused Mad Men Openings.

Season 4 of Don Draper. Meet: Jessica Pare.

Young Carrie.

HuffPo Interview: Aziz Ansari.

Unrated Bully.

Paste’s 12 Best Films of SXSW.

Greg Kot: On New P4K Additions.

Byay! New Tallest Man on Earth.

Swervedriver on Fallon.

New: Julia Holter Video.

Stream: Bear in Heaven.

Oh the Humanity!

Madonna’s Brief Stint on Twitter. Best Madonna Cover Songs.

Read: Bill Simmons & Michael Schur exchange Red Sox e-mails.

More on The Chicagoan.

Mike Daisey Apologizes.

Miss Universe Canada Disqualified.

Obama Pinterest.

Herman Cain: Keeping it Classy.

This is Better.

 Fiona’s Amazing Story.

 Screenshots of Despair.

Downton Arby’s.

Tenacious D!

I remember seeing Eric right after he was diagnosed and he still had most of his motor skills and it was hard to picture him incapacitated. As Low/Nav periodically visited the show over the next four or five years, the deterioration in Eric’s skills became more obvious, but there was no deterioration in his spirit. Each time I saw him I was ashamed of myself for my petty behaviors and obsessions.

Of course, the shame would fade a few days after each visit. But knowing what Eric was going through has always been a little reminder tucked away in the back of my head, urging me to me a better man. I know that just knowing Eric and seeing him handle his situation with dignity and bravery has made me a better man. The world will be a less beautiful and melodic place without him, but his music lives on, so that makes him eternal in a sense.

One of my favorite songs of Eric’s is the title track from their album All The Time In The World. It’s about the loss of his daughter, and when I was listening to it over the weekend, it actually made me feel good to know that Eric and his little daughter are both together again. I guess she must have taught him a thing or two about bravery in her short time on earth.

On Monday’s Steve Dahl Show, a diver in Florida dies while on a really uncool scuba tour boat. Steve wants to get back into the water now that the element of death has been reintroduced. It makes diving seem like more of an extreme sport, and Steve is all about faking his ability to do extreme sports well.

The NCAA Final Four will feature nothing but blue bloods. Pedestrian teams need not apply.

The four teams that advanced to New Orleans have combined for 159 NCAA tournaments, 49 Final Fours (counting this year), and 13 national championships. Yes, all of them have won at least one title.

The field for next weekend at the Mercedes Benz Superdome sorted itself out Sunday when Kentucky overwhelmed Baylor and Kansas used a late surge to knock out North Carolina. So we have a top seed (Kentucky), two No. 2s (Kansas and Ohio State), and a No. 4 (Louisville) heading to college basketball’s ultimate weekend.

And what about the coaches? John Calipari of Kentucky, Bill Self of Kansas, Thad Matta of Ohio State, and Rick Pitino of Louisville have combined for 130 victories in NCAA tournament play during their careers, and all have made at least 10 appearances in the dance.

But even with all these traditional teams vying for the chance to cut down the nets next Monday night, Kentucky still ranks at the top – not only in history, but also in talent, coaching, and ability.

The Wildcats raced out to a 20-point halftime lead and cruised through the second half for an 82-70 victory over Baylor for the NCAA South Regional title in Atlanta, their 109th NCAA win, breaking a tie with North Carolina for No. 1 all-time. The freshman pair of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Somerdale, Camden County) and Anthony Davis impressed once again.

Kidd-Gilchrist scored 19 points and Davis went for 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots, and millions of palpitating hearts across Big Blue Nation when he came down awkwardly on his left knee early in the second half and spent a few minutes grimacing in pain on his team’s bench before he persuaded Calipari to put him back in.

Say what you want about Calipari and the fact that he’s coached two other teams in the Final Four – Massachusetts and Memphis – whose records were vacated because of violations involving his players. The guy can coach, taking incoming freshmen who focused solely on offense in high school and teaching them how to play the type of defense that wins championships.

“When you coach younger people and youthful people, I think you get more inconsistency,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “Cal’s done an unbelievable job with the youth that he’s had. I can tell you why Anthony Davis and Gilchrist are projected 1 and 2 in the [NBA] draft after watching them today. Gilchrist is a man-child.”

Unless the freshmen wilt under the brightest of college basketball spotlights, the Wildcats will end up winning the national championship for the eighth time.

Of course, archrival Louisville, Kentucky’s opponent in the first national semifinal on Saturday, will have something to say about it, as possibly will either Kansas or Ohio State, which match up in the nightcap of the semifinal doubleheader.

In delighting a partisan crowd that crooned “Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk, KU” as the NCAA Midwest Regional final in St. Louis wound down, Kansas took over what had been a nail-biter and outscored North Carolina, 12-0, in the final 3 minutes, 7 seconds to take an 80-67 victory.

Yes, the Tar Heels were hurting again without point guard Kendall Marshall, who missed his second consecutive game with a broken right wrist. Freshman Stilman White again played steady basketball – seven assists, no turnovers – but couldn’t get the rock inside enough to Tyler Zeller or find Harrison Barnes in spots where he likes it.

But the Jayhawks dominated Carolina on the inside, taking a 40-30 win on the boards. Jeff Withey blocked shots on back-to-back Tar Heels possessions during the decisive spurt, and Kansas got a layup and a dunk off the swats.

If Tyshawn Taylor continues to play as he did Sunday (22 points, five assists, five steals) and Thomas Robinson gives his usual effort, the Jayhawks could make life miserable for Jared Sullinger and the Buckeyes. We think they will.

Even in the preseason, people knew how good these teams were. The AP poll before the season ranked Kentucky second, Ohio State third, Louisville ninth, and Kansas 13th.

Now these four approach the finish line all feeling they have a shot at the championship.

We’re still going with Kentucky. How about you?

Jim Shorts Sports Director

The Simpsons are Still Here.

Zoolander!

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Band to Know: Races.

First Listen: M. Ward.

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Prince Dolls.

Hall & Oates.

Record Store Day Special Releases.

Knowing His Meme: Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Reunited (with Wolves) and It Feels So Good.

Geraldo in a Hoodie.

Zagat: Chicago’s Culinary 30 Under 30.

Last Call for Alcohol.

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Kevheads: Jim Shorts is in audio court today. Great audio from the audio vault. Who owes money to the mob? A great music track today, musicians wanted, details on the Podcast. Who is coming to the Park West? Enjoy the weekend Kevheads and the Friday Podcast.

Speaking of Jim, I can’t wait to talk with him regarding this past Monday’s Podcast, did he go too far? I really give a rat’s ass, but I bet he lies when we confront him this afternoon on the Friday Podcast.

Here are some topics we will cover on the Friday Podcast, please e-mail me here at Kev@dahl.com Musicians, please senme your original music, and hit the music icon here on the front page of Dahl.com All styles of music are welcomed, get your music played and let the world hear it, I want to help any musician, so send me your original music, no covers please.

Whitney Houston died from an accidental drowning in a hotel bathtub, but heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors, according to coroner’s officials.

The autopsy findings were released yesterday (Thursday), ending weeks of speculation about what killed the singer on February 11th when her body was found underwater in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Whitney was found to have cocaine in her system at the time of her death as well as marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril and the allergy medication Benadryl.

At a press conference yesterday, L.A. County Coroner Chief Craig Harvey said the results indicated Whitney was a chronic cocaine user.

Patricia Houston, the singer’s sister-in-law and manager, said, “We are saddened to learn of the toxicology results, although we are glad to now have closure.”

A full autopsy report is expected to be released in two weeks.

The NCAA, Jim Shorts could be killed by the mob due to lost bets, we read your e-mail, someone famous got his penis cut off years ago, it’s his birthday.

Hollywood star’s that smell, is free speech leaving America? Some great audio from the Kevin Matthews audio vault. Is your daughter getting married? Know someone who is, I got a song for you.

Have a great weekend, join us later today for the Friday Podcast which airs starting at 5pm/CST here at Dahl.com

Kevin Matthews

March Madness got a bit crazy last night in Phoenix as Louisville knocked off top-seeded Michigan State, 57-44.

Louisville’s Gorgui Dieng blocked seven shots and Michigan State amazingly turned the ball over more often than they scored field goals. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said, “We just missed some shots that we have hit (in the past). But I also thought they disrupted us a little bit and we just didn’t have enough guys that could play well.”

In the night’s other wild game, top-seeded Syracuse was nearly edged out by Wisconsin, but managed to hang on to win 64-63 and advance to the Elite Eight.

In the other games Ohio State topped Cincinnati, 81-66, and Florida beat Marquette 68-68. I think Ohio State is going to win this whole big dance bullshit.

Ok, the other big story, not really, but we will be talking about this later today on the Friday Podcast with Kevin Matthews, from Denver to New York…

How big a deal is it that Tim Tebow is coming to the Jets? So much so that a local TV station there covered his plane landing in New Jersey yesterday (Thursday) and he was on the cover of all the city’s tabloids with the usual assortment of crazy headlines.

The New York Post proclaimed, “GOD HIM! Tebow a New York Jet” with a photo of the quarterback Tebow-ing in Times Square. The Daily News opted for a photo of Tebow’s beaming face with the headline, “AMEN! Gang Green gets Tebow.”

Talent broker Ryan Shinman said that everyone wins as a result of the deal. Tebow will bring some excitement to the Jets, but he won’t have as much pressure on him, because the Big Apple has plenty of sports superstars.

Hear me and the Kevin Matthews Podcast crew tonight at 5pm/CST for the Kevin Matthews Podcast. Tell your friends Kevheads, this is where we now live and we are loving it suckies.

Jim Shorts/Dahl Network Sports.

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David Bowie Reissue.

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Major Lazer Tour Promo.

TOC Photos: Nneka at Double Door.

Michael K. Williams in Ol’ Dirty Bastard Movie.

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Luther the Movie? Also, 1984.

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Obama Heckled.

Bill Maher: Stop Apologizing.

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Celebrities Read Tweets About Themselves.

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Take a Hike! From a Dog’s P.O.V.

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Lana Del Rey on American Idol:

Here is the teaser video:

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My Bloody Valentine Reissues.

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Looking Ahead: Jaill.

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Huck.

ONN Canceled.

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