Showing posts with label chicago. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicago. Show all posts
Thursday, October 06, 2016
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
The Mourning Commute
There are countless reasons why I enjoy waking up and being over taxed in Cook County. One of which is this odd stigma about our city not moving on to say, present day life. If only Saturday Night Live immortalized the Bulls Dynasty better we wouldn’t have to walk around like its still 1985.
If you’re lucky (and stubborn) enough to regularly wake up in Chicago, then you know what it feels like. Bill Murray has nothing on this perpetual sunrise face plant. I wake up, snooze, wake up again, and tell myself I’ll work out when I get home, wake up walk the dog and then hit the road. That’s where for many of the RedEye readers, the similarities end.
I drive to work. Yes, I get in my car drive past the L stop my family thinks I use every time I step outside and head north of Skokie to a land with Acura’s as far as they eye can see. The joys of a morning commute not packed in next to people whose headphone are purely decorative rather than functional is quickly wasted upon realizing I’m surrounded by approximately 1,000 first time drivers headed to the North Shore at 7:00 a.m. It’s too bad the CTA can’t adopt the IDOT method of keeping an active death count to scare people into being respectful commuters. If you’re unaware, throughout our fine highway system, IDOT gives us a real-time death count ticker of vehicular fatalities that happen in our fine state. You don’t have to be named Katniss to realize that is Orwellian governing.
After my podcast wraps up I turn on the finest retreat for Chicagoans to plunge back into a time capsule, our morning radio shows. Scan across the FM dial in Chicago and it’s like a teleport back to a time where life was much simpler, and the clichés were just beginning to take their first steps.
I know since I’m white and in my thirties I am supposed to LOVE XRT. Back when I was younger I always thought from the way that it sounds like they’re broadcasting from the back of a public library that XRT was NPR. I was sadly, kind of right. XRT never let go of vinyl and likely never will. If there were a frequency in the late 70s it may be more fitting for them.
While hunting for my fifth play of “shake it off” on my drive, I’ll hit B96. Why do they act like they’re above having Eddie and Jobo on their station? I have found them doing crank calls, yeah those things were clutch. So was Pepsi Clear and snap bracelets. B96 is Chicago’s older sibling who just couldn’t finish community college and move out of the basement.
I generally don’t think there’s a station more stubbornly in love with the 80’s than WLUP. Well, they’re not completely lost, they still to do a “Rock Girl” right? Although misogyny and rock going together like pb &j, I thought that was a bit unfair to have a very attractive 20 something year old woman paraded around their dive bar events when we all know that girl’s mom is really the woman best suited for WLUP listeners.
According to ratings, most of Chicago takes solace just a bit higher on the dial with The Mix 101.9. It’s fair to say that I can turn on the Eric & Kathy show any day and not know if it was live or a rebroadcast from 1993. I love Seinfeld like no one else but Eric, my man, you can let go of the references. I know it hurts but if I could get my dad to stop quoting Cheers in 2009 maybe I can help you. Insisting we see a DJ photo on a billboard, yeah, could you be any more 90s?!
Whenever I’m ready to catch this week’s guilty pleasure jam made on Auto tune I hit up Kiss FM. It’s our gateway to the present day as any artist over 24 is immediately sent to Throwback Thursday.
As mind numbing the morning grind is to us all, these frequencies allow us to take solace in reminiscing to when the dread that fills our gut was once sweet blissful ignorance of starting something new.
If you’re lucky (and stubborn) enough to regularly wake up in Chicago, then you know what it feels like. Bill Murray has nothing on this perpetual sunrise face plant. I wake up, snooze, wake up again, and tell myself I’ll work out when I get home, wake up walk the dog and then hit the road. That’s where for many of the RedEye readers, the similarities end.
I drive to work. Yes, I get in my car drive past the L stop my family thinks I use every time I step outside and head north of Skokie to a land with Acura’s as far as they eye can see. The joys of a morning commute not packed in next to people whose headphone are purely decorative rather than functional is quickly wasted upon realizing I’m surrounded by approximately 1,000 first time drivers headed to the North Shore at 7:00 a.m. It’s too bad the CTA can’t adopt the IDOT method of keeping an active death count to scare people into being respectful commuters. If you’re unaware, throughout our fine highway system, IDOT gives us a real-time death count ticker of vehicular fatalities that happen in our fine state. You don’t have to be named Katniss to realize that is Orwellian governing.
After my podcast wraps up I turn on the finest retreat for Chicagoans to plunge back into a time capsule, our morning radio shows. Scan across the FM dial in Chicago and it’s like a teleport back to a time where life was much simpler, and the clichés were just beginning to take their first steps.
I know since I’m white and in my thirties I am supposed to LOVE XRT. Back when I was younger I always thought from the way that it sounds like they’re broadcasting from the back of a public library that XRT was NPR. I was sadly, kind of right. XRT never let go of vinyl and likely never will. If there were a frequency in the late 70s it may be more fitting for them.
While hunting for my fifth play of “shake it off” on my drive, I’ll hit B96. Why do they act like they’re above having Eddie and Jobo on their station? I have found them doing crank calls, yeah those things were clutch. So was Pepsi Clear and snap bracelets. B96 is Chicago’s older sibling who just couldn’t finish community college and move out of the basement.
I generally don’t think there’s a station more stubbornly in love with the 80’s than WLUP. Well, they’re not completely lost, they still to do a “Rock Girl” right? Although misogyny and rock going together like pb &j, I thought that was a bit unfair to have a very attractive 20 something year old woman paraded around their dive bar events when we all know that girl’s mom is really the woman best suited for WLUP listeners.
According to ratings, most of Chicago takes solace just a bit higher on the dial with The Mix 101.9. It’s fair to say that I can turn on the Eric & Kathy show any day and not know if it was live or a rebroadcast from 1993. I love Seinfeld like no one else but Eric, my man, you can let go of the references. I know it hurts but if I could get my dad to stop quoting Cheers in 2009 maybe I can help you. Insisting we see a DJ photo on a billboard, yeah, could you be any more 90s?!
Whenever I’m ready to catch this week’s guilty pleasure jam made on Auto tune I hit up Kiss FM. It’s our gateway to the present day as any artist over 24 is immediately sent to Throwback Thursday.
As mind numbing the morning grind is to us all, these frequencies allow us to take solace in reminiscing to when the dread that fills our gut was once sweet blissful ignorance of starting something new.
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
Don't Make Me Get Out of the Booth!
Without inflating my friend's ego, I hope to not become as he says, a Jack of all trades, master of none. That being said, I've ventured into a new space that allows me to perform in the awkward silence that without years of professional improv training and performances from Second City, I would be ill-prepared.
Last night I stepped into the sound booth for the first time ever. It was a local voice over actor's apartment in Ukranian Village and he had a professional sound proof room next to the microphone and recording space I used in the corner. It was like Jack Lemmon knowing that Baldwin had the good leads locked away but just at an arms reach.
Voice over work is something I know nothing about. Darren was a very impressive professional voice over actor who gave a quick crash course. I got the low down on where to look for auditions that I could too could be rejected from. He let me know what to expect with auditions, the cost of a demo, and how hard it may be to crack into.
Then he had me read. Out loud. It was fun. Even fumbling over a fifth grad vocabulary in front of a stranger was simply therapeutic. The big breakthrough came when I relaxed and talked with my hands and let it fly. Darren was critical and also complimentary of my reads. I'm one of the gifted souls who can make three sentences about the beaches of Cabo San Lucas sound like they're a parking lot in Milwaukee.
It was not a loss though. I read two sentences about Midas breaks. Yeah, Darren said it was very impressive on how I was able to bring such an honest and real interpretation to the copy (of break warranties and certified mechanics). Which is impressive to me, as I know squat about my car.
I agree with Darren 100%. I'm not the best he's ever seen, but I showed promise on day one and that's a great thing seeing as I'm in my early thirties and although it's never to late to pursue a passion in life, I am too old to expect my parents to blindly support me.
I completely recommend taking Darren's Voice Over Exploration class. He was really great to work with!
Last night I stepped into the sound booth for the first time ever. It was a local voice over actor's apartment in Ukranian Village and he had a professional sound proof room next to the microphone and recording space I used in the corner. It was like Jack Lemmon knowing that Baldwin had the good leads locked away but just at an arms reach.
Voice over work is something I know nothing about. Darren was a very impressive professional voice over actor who gave a quick crash course. I got the low down on where to look for auditions that I could too could be rejected from. He let me know what to expect with auditions, the cost of a demo, and how hard it may be to crack into.
Then he had me read. Out loud. It was fun. Even fumbling over a fifth grad vocabulary in front of a stranger was simply therapeutic. The big breakthrough came when I relaxed and talked with my hands and let it fly. Darren was critical and also complimentary of my reads. I'm one of the gifted souls who can make three sentences about the beaches of Cabo San Lucas sound like they're a parking lot in Milwaukee.
It was not a loss though. I read two sentences about Midas breaks. Yeah, Darren said it was very impressive on how I was able to bring such an honest and real interpretation to the copy (of break warranties and certified mechanics). Which is impressive to me, as I know squat about my car.
I agree with Darren 100%. I'm not the best he's ever seen, but I showed promise on day one and that's a great thing seeing as I'm in my early thirties and although it's never to late to pursue a passion in life, I am too old to expect my parents to blindly support me.
I completely recommend taking Darren's Voice Over Exploration class. He was really great to work with!
Friday, August 29, 2014
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Thursday, November 07, 2013
NACA Mid America 2013
I am very excited to be part of NACA Mid America this year. What I am even more proud of is that I am the only self represented comedian that was selected to showcase. I'll be performing a 15 minute set at 9p Friday, November 8th. Come on by booth 516 (I believe).
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Monday, October 07, 2013
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
SUV Driver Successfully Climbs "Bump in the Road"
As Mike expected, the German engineered luxury SUV ahead of him slowed nearly to a complete stop as they approached the treacherous 1.5 inch climb. "I suppose if I was a finely tuned German suspension, I'd like someone to cut me a little slack too." Mike said as he flipped through all his radio presets.
Once Maxwell had the space to move, he did what no other SUV owner has ever done while approaching uneven pavement. He hit the gas pedal, with relative force. Not teenage jackass cruising force, just I gotta get this pizza home warm force.
Mike associates his grace under fire with such unique road conditions to his seven MarioKart Star Cup Championships.
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
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