Today’s podcast is more like an episode of Entertainment Tonight, with all the fast breaking celebrity news, as well as this year’s Oscar nominations. In more local news, Steve has detected a negative slide in the attitude of young citizens of Western Springs. But he is definitely fond of the CBS 2 Weathersphere, and thinks more stations should use that type of visual presentation. Plus, a reminder: it takes less energy to be nice than it does to be mean.

Steve is on a “I would’ve helped” hot streak. Janet hung pictures while Steve was in the basement, but he would’ve helped. Steve and Janet celebrated the arrival of their new couch (and the delay in the delivery of their new chair) by watching Song Sung Blue together. Steve’s not sure if it’ll be a good napping/eating couch, though. Together, he and Janet unfolded a massive piece of fabric for an upcoming upholstery project, and finds a new footrest.

Steve’s new furniture arrived just as he was headed downstairs to podcast. His inaugural couch nap should occur before too long. Grateful Dead demo recordings helped him get to sleep last night. om Thayer sees great things ahead for Caleb Williams and the Bears. Tom scoffs at the notion that DJ Moore phoned it in on the final interception. The new couches arrived just as Steve descended to the basement. Also, where did “The Natty” come from?

Brendan’s abode has taken on a new life with the arrival of a suite of furniture that was wrapped and delivered from Steve and Janet’s house. Steve overheard one expletive from a mover and one “That’s What She Said” from Janet. Dag is back from Mexico, full of Wilco inspiration. The Indiana Hoosiers are the National Champs! Steve’s tooth pull went well, and his head now contains crushed up particles of a dead person. Also, it’s a Talk To Me Tuesday.

Steve would like to have a beehive now that Western Springs is beekeeper-friendly. There are obstacles; Henry Dahl is allergic to bee stings. The rest of the grandkids just fear themIt will be limited to two colonies per single family home. Jim Fabbrini offers flower expertise and debunks a few vase additives. An avalanche in the Alps claimed the life of a snowboarding legend.

Steve and Janet both sleep with their glasses on. Janet took a knife to an air mattress that wouldn’t deflate. Steve would’ve helped. New screens must be installed on the lanai in Florida. Mike Ditka ate alligator before winning games versus Tampa Bay and then ate it all the way up to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. Harold’s Chicken CEO Kristen Pierce-Sherrod passed away at age 55.

Questions abound on today’s DahlCast. Things like: Is AAA still worth it? What do you do with a challenge coin? What’s Jim Belushi up to? Brendan asks Steve to identify a mystery voice in some audio clips. It turns out to be a friend Steve hasn’t heard from in a while. Steve concludes that Western Springs women are getting haughtier, and that his neighborhood is being used for less desirable businesses than the downtown area.

A “essential” worker gained notoriety with his cheese grating display at the Bears/Packers game. Brendan recalls Steve’s deep dish pizza hat idea. Caleb Williams dined at Ron of Japan after the Bears victory. Callers have questions about the inspiration behind a Kashus Culpepper song, their favorite podcast episodes, and tenderloin silverskin. There’s also liberal praise for our Podcast Partners sprinkled into the mix.

Tom Thayer has never heard Soldier Field as loud as it was on Saturday night. We all had a great time watching the game. Steve wants the Bears to stay downtown, because the views are simply too amazing. Steve’s game watch ranks among his favorite ever, surrounded by family and adorned with cheese graters. Will Dag and his guitar be drafted for the next game?

Steve digs into an article about a McRib-centric court case. He’d make a good lawyer for the defense. There’s a mobile emissions testing facility popping up soon in Western Springs. Brendan’s Chicago podcast is charming listeners of the DahlCast, and rightfully so. Plus, he actually knows how to book a guest. More importantly: where are we watching the Bears game?

Steve and Henry enjoyed some Jack In The Box together after Henry’s night of basketball. Henry manned the ordering kiosk and secured tacos. The painters are hard at work, and Steve’s managing his paint fume intake. Have you ever been ostracized from your Mom Group? Or have you ever had two completely preventable flat tires that were all your fault, in the same night, as Dag has?

Steve’s dental situation is a little more complicated than he first imagined; but he’s made arrangements. Brendan, Dag and Joe offer some helpful thoughts on a recent AI-generated photo of Steve. Steve needs to cancel his “Steve Dahl” Google Alerts. Dag is traveling to Mexico for a rock ‘n’ roll weekend with Jeff Tweedy. Steve names his top ten most wanted albums he wants to collect on vinyl. Let It Bleed would be his first overall pick.

The house painters have arrived at Steve and Janet’s, and the tarpaulins have been put in place; a fresh look awaits. But what is the fate of the dated but possibly cool again built-in intercom system? Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx was recently inspired to write a riff after witnessing a bald eagle in flight at approximately 7:39 AM. A caller got an unwelcome gift when he once worked at a country club.

Steve and Janet are readying the house for some re-painting. What is the situation with Steve’s proposed second floor man-cave/studio/retreat? Only Brendan seemed to have any New Years Eve plans. Tom Thayer has design ideas for a hellish visitors locker room in his dream stadium. Dag rescues his discarded Christmas tree from the curb, in preparation for his yearly chopping and burning tradition.

In this final show of 2025 (where did the year go??) We we of course discuss any resolutions we might have, as well as any plans we have for tonight. Tom Thayer joins us, with an appreciation of Steve’s football knowledge. He also shares some of his innovations in dog transportation. There’s a clip collage as well, to remind us of the year in quips. Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for supporting The DahlCast.

After a brief remembrance of the diminutive, confrontational actor Robert Blake, we learn that Steve has a rare hankering to actually go out for lunch. He’s got his sights set on a new and highly lauded dumpling spot. During our Talk To Me Tuesday segment, a listener brings back some memories of Steve’s acting career. The wrong pizza was delivered to the Juhlin household, but the purveyors resolved the issue rapidly.

Howdy, Gang. Steve displayed exemplary, helpful behavior, despite a meat debacle (not his fault) amidst other food triumphs. He also drained some excess pool water (in a thoughtful and innovative way), without complaints from any neighbors. This leads us to track down some alleged pool experts online. Scooby Dag solved a buzzer mystery in the laundry room. Violet gave Grandpa Steve a coffee mug as a gift.

Steve’s parents added magical touch to his boyhood Christmas. Steve’s Spectrum Lights and Visuals faced fierce competition from an outfit called Zap. Joe reveals the top bicycle-related gifts this Christmas season. Holiday traditions have evolved over the decades, as we learn from a potentially unreliable list on a site designed to sell ornaments. The Chicago Guy tells some cold truths about the heaters on the Packers sideline.

Today we share some holiday recipes and pro tips about preparing and serving vegetables, to provide your holiday table with a little more green (and orange). Bubble tea is all the rage with the Dahl grandchildren, as are motorcycles. Janet strives to give the gift of time this year. Steve wants to go to Florida. Intead, he will be barbecuing MOM.

Johnny (Jahdee) Walker

Steve’s starting to wonder if he has too many Siris in his life, and longs for the good old Bell System days of dial tones and rotary phones. He also doesn’t mean to go off on a rant here, but Kevin Warren’s Indiana suggestion was poorly timed. Steve took a nap by the fireplace. Siri and ChatGPT are taking up a lot of room in Steve’s home and inbox, as he’s beginning to wonder if Ian Fleming ever really existed.

Steve wants to grill the Christmas roast, but Janet would prefer to use the oven. Janet dodged an accident near the railroad tracks. Rosie befouled a guest room carpet after Janet cleared all the junk from the space. A Western Springs structure fire did not endanger the unrestrained giraffe cat of La Grange. Despite having been denied tavern food earlier in the day, Janet worked on holiday cards.

A Chicago woman made the world realize we’ve all been wearing our fur-lined coats incorrectly. An opossum was waiting for Steve near the mailbox. This leads us to an exploration of opossums, and yields some surprising results. As it turns out, these scavengers are nothing to sneeze at. Steve avoided a tragedy during his round of errands, thanks to his quick-thinking car.

Steve spent way too much time in the basement yesterday. Much of it making today a “technical workshop”. Santa Claus calls in on a Talk To Me Tuesday. We also have a chance to check in with Sam Sklar, making her first appearance on the show in quite a while — we’re glad to have the folks at Foot First back on board. Rob Reiner’s tragic death reminds Steve of a sweet When Harry Met Sally story he saw.