It’s a Talk To Me Tuesday, and one caller preps Dag for a culinary tour of the Philadelphia/DC area. Emailers help us locate the elusive Candy Cane Park and school us on Nashville hot chicken saucing. An autographed jersey led Brendan to Michael’s on a shadow box search. Steve was a crafty childhood candlemaker and reimagined of old Readers Digest magazines as holiday decorations. Surprisingly, Steve actually understands the Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake rap battle based merely on his own native intelligence.

Woodstock’s annual Groundhog Day celebration drew thousands of happy campers, but Dag was busy in his attic, a regret-filled no-show. Brendan and Steve watched the Grammys (it’s a very popular music awards show), door to door. Steve enjoyed all the Los Angeles tributes. Steve’s preliminary procedure on Thursday set the table for his upcoming (Middle Aged) radiation treatments. He gives us an update on what’s happening with his prostate issues. Matt Dahl is a fervent advocate (and installer) of the bidet. Steve bonded with Matt’s dog Roger, before setting off Matt’s home burglar alarm.

Woodstock Willie’s glow up is complete. Dag’s lovable town is going all out for  Groundhog Day 2025 with groundhog-themed musicals, bar crawls, and paint-alongs. The hottest party trends of 2025 may astound and confuse you. Brendan says there ain’t nothing wrong with a shower beer.

Dag and Brendan raise a High Life to Vince’s favorite bar, which is shutting down for good. Mayor Johnson has a turkey sandwich buddy. We seek out local Houston perspectives on Minute Maid Park’s impending name change. Brendan describes how Big Sauce aims to incorporate small town inventions, with a romantic twist.

Groundhog Day is approaching. Will Dag venture into the Woodstock Town Square to catch Willy’s prognosticatIon? We chat with a serious vinyl collector who saw 8,000 LPs (some of them minty collectables) vanish in the recent California fires. The Dude takes a mellow approach to everything, including his horrific loss. Steve is watching Telemundo but can’t always keep up with the rapid fire Spanish being spoken. Steve and Pat’s European vacation was decidedly cheeseburger oriented.

Steve bought Janet an Apple Watch and even selected the band. There was thought behind the gift: a Joliat family prerequisite. Steve is readying himself for some upcoming procedures, including a test run for his radiation treatment. Seven planets are aligned in the sky for an outer space parade. Florida siblings brawled at their dad’s funeral after an argument broke out over the eulogy.A young cigarette-smoking Brendan terrorized the locals from his gang’s home turf of the fierce-sounding Candy Cane Park. The phone banks are full on this Talk To Me Tuesday!

Steve is battling a stomach bug, but the versatile family popcorn bowl is close at hand. Over the weekend, a good chunk of the family played Bingo at the Country Club. Steve provided an embarrassing moment. Janet sits in on today’s show and has some great questions for Tom Thayer. Tom’s one week away from a knee replacement surgery, so we’re not sure if he’ll join us next week. He’s got some Super Bowl thoughts, however, and also points out Steve’s interesting communication strategy. Dag had two good shows with Poi Dog over the weekend, and Brendan was in Hawkeye basketball heaven.

It’s a Zinger Friday, and they’re flying fast and furious! Longtime investigative reporter for ABC7 Chuck Goudie has left the station. He certainly left Steve with a specific memory. Brendan has Oscar fever, but only Steve has screeners. We also hear a snippet of the Dr. Ironbeard song, and it’s as weird as we’d hoped. David Schwimmer once served divorce papers to Rod Stewart. What would a play about a marriage between Rod Stewart and Schwimmer look like? Dag’s five year notebook project is complete at last. Will anyone meet his

Steve’s studio continues to lie in disarray; it’s a forest of cables and outdated, unnecessary machinery. He wants to organize it all, but doesn’t know where to begin. Is he turning his attention the miraculous new food robot, the Thermomix? Charlie Dahl gave Grandma Janet a lesson on his favorite soccer players’ goal celebrations. Charlie also favors a chocolate-heavy lunch.  Dag’s dog Ivy is getting some much needed dental work done. Steve recalls a jaunty nonsense song from fourth grade, Dr. Ironbeard.

Among Steve’s favorite things is the remote starts for his car, a technology he had forgotten about but is now taking full advantage of it. Steve has never watched any of the Terminator movies. Dag starred in the very first indoor/outdoor carpet commercial. Western Springs residents dine out more often than residents of Clarendon Hills, Hinsdale, and La Grange. Dag and the family enjoy playing Rummikub. Is Western Springs ready for Steve’s dispensary idea? Dag feels he’s pinpointed a pivotal day in his life. What will Brendan do with Steve’s old studio gear? 

While grabbing a burger during a Cubs Convention break, Brendan had a pleasant conversation with an old guest on the Steve & Garry Show… a traveling salesman who helped Garry flesh out his impressive collection of sunglasses, specifically of the Vuarnet brand. According to Steve, Garry had a weird, yet impressive collection of sunglasses. Steve is entitled to many senior discounts that he doesn’t really seem to be taking advantage of. It’s a Talk To Me Tuesday today, and we receive (and respond to) both phone calls and email from our subscribers. A newly released medical report on The King leaves Steve feeling vindicated. Steve risked extreme exposure to the cold trying to open the door to his club’s golf simulator.

On this brutally cold Midwestern morning, Steve lit one of the family fireplaces so that Janet would receive a warm greeting when she came downstairs. Tom Thayer is getting geared up to watch Notre Dame play in the National Championship this evening. Plenty of Tom’s college teammates are in Atlanta to cheer on the Irish. Brendan attended the Cubs Convention, which featured Sammy Sosa’s glorious return. Dag had a very productive weekend at Kingsize Studios with Expo’76, but his singing voice was not up for the challenge when it came time to add vocals.

Steve longs for the glory days of network television, when M*A*S*H* ruled the airwaves. Steve and Janet spent two hours at the doctor’s office to hear the options on Steve’s impending treatment. Janet witnessed Steve’s jocular demeanor. Jim Fabbrini is home from Vail in one piece. Dag and Expo’76 are getting ready for a weekend in the recording studio. Janet joins us to explain Steve’s Thursday doctor visit, as well as all the things he does and doesn’t do around the house.

Steve has a laminated sheet with important familial names and dates, plus a list of major surgeries he has undergone. Dag has yet to try the Graziano’s THC-spiked giardiniera. Steve fired off an email to the Western Springs village manager concerning the irritating lights on a local vape shop. Red dye No. 3 is on the FDA’s chopping block. Bob Uecker passed away at age 90. While Dag was a lousy student, he did have access to the things he loved, and eventually did for a living, at Maine South High School in Park Ridge. Steve’s secret passion: flan. Who knew?

Steve has recently been in touch with his nearly 90-year-old Uncle John in Minnesota, and he’s enjoyed their email exchanges. Janet will be accompanying Steve to his upcoming radiation oncologist appointment, making sure that the pertinent questions get asked and answered. Janet’s got a good idea for their 50th anniversary celebration, even though it’s roughly 3.5 years away. We finish off our Talk To Me Tuesday phone calls, meaning the phone bank is clear and ready to be filled up again, dear subscribers! (708) NOW-I-WAV is the numero.

Steve loves his Dockers and sometimes even works out in one particular style of them. He also reiterates his love for the series “Landman” on Paramount+. Two police officers rescued a coyote from a Humboldt Park Aldi. We wonder if the he was looking for the chicken salad in the refrigerated section. Try the Envy apples next time, Rin-Tin-Tin. Brendan has fallen in love with composting all over again, and drives his waste to Logan Square, which seems somewhat counter-productive. Remember, only lettuce can prevent forest fires! Steve generates an instant AI resume and it’s actually fairly impressive.

Brendan and Hank welcomed Dag into Brendan’s home studio this morning as Dag raced over after appearing on WGN-TV with Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy. Steve and grandson Charlie had an awesome time at the PBA bull riding event over the weekend at Allstate Arena, Tom Thayer is pumped for his Fightin’ Irish and can’t wait to see them vie for the title. He’s also got some thoughts on a particular coach’s sartorial skills, or lack of them.

Steve likes the 60s style environment of his dentist’s office. His late night apple eating sessions left him with a cavity, as well as some interesting topics of discussion with both the hygienist and the dentist. Speaking of late nights, Dag has returned from his Jimmy Fallon appearance. He was treated (repeatedly) like a rock star by a TSA employee at LaGuardia. Buzz and his daughter Piper are getting along these days, and he joins us for the season finale of Brendan’s continuing series, The Virginia Monologues. Buzz is adept at embracing the solitude of Xmas.

Dag rocked The Tonight Show alongside Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy last night. Jimmy Fallon hung out with the band before the show, and Dag says he was very cool. Rosie doesn’t enjoy doing her business out in the cold. Steve claims she’s remarking her territory in a way that’s easier to clean up. Wildfires continue to rage across Southern California, including the house Steve lived in until he was 9-years-old. His elementary school (attended with David Lee Roth) was also damaged if not destroyed. A clinical trial to extend dogs lives is ongoing in and at labs across the United States. Who’s down for that? Steve’s down for that.

Steve got his prostate biopsy results toady. We discuss. He is also planning on attending the Chicago Boat Show in Rosemont this weekend. He is not sizing up votes for a Viking funeral. Dag checks in from Studio 6B ahead of his appearance with Michael Shannon on The Tonight Show Staring Jimmy Fallon. Another Steve; Steve Guttenberg made a live announcement on KTLA amidst the wildfires in Pacific Palisades. He is not recognized at first by the reporter.

Dag is at O’Hare International Airport with his guitar and his pork pie hat. He grabs a morning milkshake to take on his American Airlines flight. Steve got kicked off of Linkedin for suspicion of spamming. His case is being appealed. Country star Riley Green went the emergency room with a boot full of corn. Brendan is not interested in seeing ‘Shucked’ in place of Steve and Janet tonight. Kylie Kelce is a big fan of Shirley Temples. Callers share thoughts about Chappell Roan, On Patrol: Live, and peach marmalade/chutney.

We’ve got a pair of questions from the DahlCast kitchen this morning. Chutney: What is it? Monkey Bread: What is it? Steve has the answers. Tom Thayer feels good about the Bears road win over the Packers, and he’s been schooling the players and staff about the historical significance of this football rivalry. He also explains post-game sandwich protocol. A discussion of Cairo Santos’ victory dance (think: flightless bird) leads to a thoughtful discussion on teamwork. Steve and Brendan watched the Golden Globes. Nikki Glaser was a terrific host. Dag is preparing to take a big trip to New York for a major TV appearance.

On today’s 90-minute podcast we have a chat with a mobile Mike Mascow from Roast2Order coffee. Mike is in the car with his Basenji, Sally picking up some beans. The pup isn’t very vocal (a characteristic of the breed), but she listens to Steve intently through the vehicles speakers. Steve is apparently vocal enough for both of them. Our 708-NOW-I-WAV callers touch on topics including the Dahl family on Broadway and Christmas song lyrics. A Florida pizza delivery turned violent after a lousy tip. Steve still feels stung by the movie adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen.

It’s the first show of the New Year (2025, if you’re keeping score at home), and we get a wrap up of our respective NYE activities. Steve has advice on regular maintenance of furnace filters, yet he’s having some spelling issues. He’s also trying to be more responsive on LinkedIn, as he finds it a more civil place to exchange information. Dag experienced sticker shock at L.L. Bean in the slender but puffy coat department. Brendan dug the scene around the Winter Classic, before a low-key hang with friends. Did Steve get his storage space cleared out by year’s end? Only today’s podcast knows. Happy New Year, everyone!