Car Con Carne

I've had this one "in the can" for a while, waiting to launch it simultaneously with Yak Channel. My timing was a little off. Okay, a lot off. Regarding online harassment, multimedia journalist/star Amy Guth had been told to "suck it up" for too long. She was simply unwilling to reconcile comments like, "Hey, you're a pretty lady. Get off of Twitter if you can't hang." She successfully crowdfunded a documentary about women and underrepresented voices, online civility, harassment and abuse, and she talks about her motivations and concerns in this episode. She doesn't have a name the documentary yet, which leads me to humbly recommend "This S*** is F****** Horrifying." And some of the stories truly are. Ever heard of doxing? Swatting? She explains. And her experiences would suggest her time learning Krav Maga was well-spent. The food destination this week is Scone City (1632 W. Divison): Take me down to the Scone City, where the scones are good and the coffee's pretty... Here's a sample of the food-related disc

Mere hours after colleague Sherman (101 WKQX) posted a video of the Goodman Theatre sign in flames that went viral, he sat shotgun for Car Con Carne. This episode finds us at Susie's Drive-Thru at 4126 W. Montrose. The show opens with audio from the video, and then we get into exactly *how* it went viral. From there, we talk about: *The fact that A BIRD POOPED ON MY LEG just before we recorded *The job that blew out his back, and learnings about people working that gig ("Around Christmastime, give them a tip. They deserve every single cent of it") *The simple pleasures of the Renaissance Faire *The history of "Dude Say" *Polish troubles: Sherman's Polish didn't come as ordered. He wanted it to be ketchup-only and they gave him one with everything. That leads to some not-quite-manly moments which were rooted in Sherman's childhood. Pickles seem to be a trigger for him. *Political correctness ("It's getting more difficult to be funny") *My amazing Patreon backers get a shout-out (couldn't do it without you) *Th

What do you do when your band guest is vegetarian? Feed him falafel. Sean Lenart, frontman of Victorian Halls joined me in Skokie for a conversation over Middle Eastern food at Pita Inn. We talked about the band's long history, as well as: The latest album, Hyperalgesia (Victory Records) Victorian Halls' love/hate relationship with Taco Bell The importance of girl/girl action in music videos The Sega Genesis game which has come to define their road experience and The dumbest... seriously, the dumbest... story of a band doing DIY car repairs while on the road.

Welcome to a truly behind-the-scenes episode. Car Con Carne is shooting a TV pilot this summer; a for-real, I'm-not-kidding, television show, produced by some of the most talented TV people in Chicago. Before that happens, there are a lot of audio, video and content questions that need to be figured out. To address those, we held a pilot "rehearsal" today at the original BRGRBELLY (Portage Park, 5739 W. Irving Park Road). 101 WKQX midday host Lauren O'Neil was gracious enough to be my guest for the rehearsal. She was a trouper, totally game to hang out as the tireless film crew and team at BRGRBELLY worked through several interior and exterior shots. Once that camerawork was done, Lauren and I retreated to my car for food and conversation. You know, typical Car Con Carne stuff. Because this was a rehearsal, you may notice some audio issues (overmodulating microphones, for instance). Any issues you hear are part of today's learnings, and will help the production team make the pilot as good as it can be. Featur

This episode picks up where the last one left off, as Mancow and I eat hot dogs in the parking lot of Irving's in Wilmette. The eating-and-talking-in-a-car concept may not have worked for Mancow. He calls me out at one point ("You're talking with your mouthful and you're spitting. It's very rude.") We also talk about: Must-see movies ("Die Hard," "Beastmaster") 80s music (OMD/Depeche Mode/Heaven 17) Super hero movies Uber drivers Yoga pants Religion and the big question... "Where do you see Mancow in five years?"

Media superstar Mancow jumps in the passenger seat for "My Dinner with Mancow (Part One): An intimate conversation over hot dogs"(at Irving's for Red Hot Lovers in Wilmette). I've worked with Mancow off and on for years, and remain in awe over how he builds and puts on a radio show. We talk about radio, specifically Mancow's time away from the industry before returning to host the Loop's morning show: "I walked away... left a TV show... left some radio stations... I was done. I didn't miss it." We also talk about what else is on the dial: "I haven't listened to another radio show in a decade... I was shocked at how awful it was." "The new reality of my world--and your world--is really awful." Mancow's earliest memories of rock are discussed, from his first concert to the Kinks song that changed everything for him. He also said we're living in dark times, and explains how he's responding to it: "I think this is it. I think this is the end of it. Something has to give. ... I want to be the band playing as the T

Baconfest co-founder Seth Zurer, answering whether it's possible to get sick of bacon: "First of all, it's a ludicrous proposition." James VanOsdol: "Second of all, shut up." Baconfest Chicago takes over the UIC Forum on 4/30 and 5/1, with dozens of Chicago's finest restaurants serving up unique bacon creations for all attendees to sample. With Seth Zurer sitting shotgun, we visit Pearl's Southern Comfort in Edgewater to sample their Baconfest creation, Tasso Bacon Pimento Cheese on a Cracklin'. I couldn't stop eating them. In Zurer's words, Baconfest is "like a bacon wonderland." We talk about some of this year's menu highlights, the origin of Baconfest, and I read this year's bacon poetry contest winners. Yes, bacon poetry.

This week sees the return of the annual "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work" Day, and Car Con Carne is a proud participant! For this special edition, I took my daughter and son to the Grayslake location of Dog'n Suds, the well-known drive-in chain. Over footlong hot dogs and root beer, we talk about pressing concerns like: Nap habits Favorite snacks and meals Favorite subjects in school "Snack" hot dogs The "ceremonial" aspect of serving vegetables for dinner The children's general interest in becoming broadcasters (spoiler warning: OUCH.) Warning: There's a dangerously high concentration of adorbs-ness in this show. Proceed with caution.

The industrial music-heavy festival Cold Waves was started four years ago by Jason Novak (Acumen Nation, Czar, Acucrack, Cocksure) as a way for the community to rally after respected colleague Jamie Duffy took his life in June, 2012. Cold Waves continues to grow and gather momentum each year. This year's event (9/23-9/24 at Metro) is stacked, featuring performances from Meat Beat Manifesto, Clock DVA, The Cocks, Pig, 16Volt and more. The kickoff show on 9/22 at Double Door features nothing less than the 30th anniversary performance of the reunited Stabbing Westward. For this episode, Novak sits shotgun for a trip to the Fulton Market location of taqueria/sandwich shop Cemitas Puebla. To summarize: The tacos are poquito and the cemitas have a grande amount of bread. Over dinner, Novak talks about the evolution of Cold Waves, focusing on the memory of Jamie Duffy ("I think he would have been overjoyed at this"). He says the success of Cold Waves feels bittersweet ("You're constantly reminded that this shouldn't

I've known and adored fellow radio personality Tim Virgin for a very long time. For this week's show, Tim met me at Herm's Palace, a long-standing hot dog joint in Skokie. I had the Polish sausage with pastrami, he had the fried salami. Here's what you'll learn in this episode: Chest hair doesn't grow as fast as facial hair. Tim's dark stools match his dark heart. Tim is a one-man Audubon Society. Everything good in life causes problems. We chat about the career paths we should have taken, the authenticity of Tim's voice, Coachella vs. Bonnaroo and Tim's time working in the record business. We also talk a lot about music (shocker), including lengthy discussion of Phil Collins-led Genesis, GnR, Rush, Yes and Adam and the Ants. Other highlights: "Those shorts are falling down her hips!" "The one with the beard is clearly a bear."

A daring escape from Cuba! A daring yoga escape! An escape from typical mall food! Chicago's broadcasting power couple, Bob Sirott and Marianne Murciano, join the show for lunch at 90 Miles in Lincolnwood. It's the third location for the Cuban restaurant, tucked away in an otherwise depressing mall (e.g. Kohls, Auntie Anne's, Family Chiropractic). The cool, kitchy decor of 90 Miles doesn't match the rugged charms of the Mazda 3, so Sirott and Murciano jump in the car to talk about: *Their new-ish website (susosfork.com) *How Marianne's family escaped from Cuba *Suburban mall rankings *Marianne's pet monkey *Hot dogs (Bob names his favorite places, which totally line up with some of mine) *Taking feedback from radio/TV bosses *The secret to blogging and podcasting success *Whether Bob slid into yoga pants on a recent yoga retreat As a bonus, listen as Marianne slid into "mom mode" when she saw me spill all over myself.

Wine Channel TV host/sommelier/wine judge Jessica Altieri jumps in the Mazda 3 to eat pizza from Dough Bros in River North and answer some key questions: *What's a good wine for spring drinking? *What kind of wine should you drink with artichoke pizza? (Selfish question: That's what I was eating in the car.) *Is there a future in car-based food podcasting? We talk about her path to TV host, starting as a basketball-playing jock and ending up on camera with a glass of wine in her hand. "Kiss My Glass" (Jessica's wine guide for everyday, non-snooty wine drinkers) is discussed, too. I also make the observation that Jessica's like a specific Talking Heads song, which leads me to wonder in hindsight which Talking Heads song I am. And did you know Walgreens has wine ambassadors? Jessica used to be one.

You like conflicts? This episode gives you God vs. the devil! Husband vs. wife! Producer vs. professional wrestler! Movie producer/writer/graphic novel creator Sandy King Carpenter sits shotgun to talk about her comic book work (e.g. John Carpenter's Asylum), working with a young John Hughes on "Sixteen Candles," her working relationship with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and how she met her husband John Carpenter (as in, John Carpenter). I also learn that, were John Carpenter to come after me, he'd kill me "creatively." To tie into the themes Carpenter writes about in John Carpenter's Asylum, we get Devil Dogs from the South Loop and eat them in front of the old Chess Studios building (2120 S. Michigan Avenue).

Imagine living a life under the mantra "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." Author Christian Picciolini lived that life, rising to the top ranks of the American skinhead movement. He's long since turned his back on his violent, racist past and tells the story of his journey in the autobiography "Romantic Violence." We visit Lawrence's Fish and Shrimp (2120 South Canal) and talk about his years as a skinhead and how he now works to fight racism with his non-profit group "Life After Hate." His life as a skinhead was brutal and violent ("We would just indiscriminately fight people that we didn't like, if people looked at us wrong"), and he's comfortable sharing his stories in the hopes that his history serves as a cautionary tale. And remarkably, as we talk about some really heavy stuff, we manage to eat some AMAZING fried seafood.

Martin Atkins played with Johnny Rotten/Lydon in Public Image, Ltd. He was a member of Killing Joke. He created the industrial rock supergroup Pigface (now celebrating its 25-year anniversary). He's played with Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. He's written indispensable books about the music industry (Tour:Smart, Band:Smart and Welcome to the Music Business: You're F****d!). And now, his career path has brought him to the front seat of my Mazda 3 to eat Italian Beef sandwiches at Fabulous Freddies in Bridgeport (not all that far from U.S. Cellular Field). Over the course of conversation, Atkins talks about his relationship with John Lydon (it's up and down). He also tells some amazing Pigface stories. For instance: A guy once played a shopping cart on stage; it was exactly what you'd expect. On the more scandalous tip, Martin once turned the tour bus over to a pair of newlyweds who did a lot of what newlyweds do. He talks about the music industry, writing process and a lifetime's worth of memories I can't help b

This week's guests are Herb Rosen (owner of Liar's Club & musician: Rights of the Accused and Beer Nuts) and Kelly Galassi (bartender/charitable soul). We visit Dante's Pizza at 2825 N. Milwaukee for a trio of ginormous slices. As Kelly says, "You've gotta do the New York fold." First up: We talk about the "Benefit for Flint" happening at Liar's Club (1665 W. Fullerton) on Sunday 2/28. Bring water. Bring money for water. They're going to drive it to Michigan after the benefit. Kelly came up with the idea; she's cool. And then there's Herb, a man with an almost supernatural level of charisma. Speaking of supernatural, Is Liar's Club haunted? Everyone seems to think so. It was even on T.V. At the very least, it's a confirmed fact that a guy killed his wife with a hatchet there "back in the day." Herb talks about his rock and roll history, from his days in the Chicago scene of the 90s to the rock scene at Liar's Club (why was Josh Homme hiding upstairs one night?). I make a comic book metaphor to describe Li

"Please tell me there's a napkin in that bag." "This is going to be a good week to get the interiors washed" Death metal comes to Car Con Carne, as Broken Hope founder/guitarist/lyricist Jeremy Wagner jumps in the front seat for a trip to Tacos Del Norte in the far northwest burbs. Over the course of a long (and sometimes NSFW) conversation, we talk about the farm Jeremy donated to animal rescue, his buying the late Jeff Hanneman's (Slayer) guitars, the secret of death metal vocals ("to the layman on the street... they quickly dismiss it"), the value of "snack hot dogs" and "snack tacos," and what is... the VANOSDOL TACO? Also, we call my friend Chris on the Bluetooth hotline. He's a serious Broken Hope fan, so I thought it would be cool to connect him with Jeremy. And yes, Jeremy's planning on creating the death metal version of "Thriller." Fear not.

Rise Against's Joe Principe sits shotgun for a trip to Chicago suburb Downers Grove. We visit Dan's Pizza, an awesome mom & pop carry-out pizza place tucked into a nondescript strip mall. Over "party cut" pizza and Sprite, Joe talks about the music that had a big impact on him when he was growing up, Rise Against's ascent, veganism, the awkward things fans see him buying at Target and the surprising story about how he came to play the bass guitar for the first time.

"Someone's going to walk by and think we're having a fight, like Jared said something that hurt my feelings. I'm bawling in here." What is 'Nashville Hot' chicken? In simplest terms, it's fried chicken with a level of cayenne spiciness that can bring a grown man (e.g. me) to his knees. Restaurateur Jared Leonard (Rub's Backcountry Smokehouse) jumps in the passenger seat to debut his 'Nashville Hot' recipe in advance of its featured presence at his soon-to-open Lincoln Square restaurant, The Budlong. Jared's passion for food is obvious, and in between delicious bites, he shares wisdom gained from running a restaurant and teaching regular BBQ classes. Some of the learnings are appropriate for any business. Things like, "Don't borrow any money" and "don't take on a bunch of business partners."

Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon jumps in the backseat just as his Alligator Records debut, "The Chicago Way" is about to drop. He brings his resonator guitar along to play stunning acoustic versions of "Walk It Off," "Pain Around Me" and "Strength to Survive." We eat at La Unica in Edgewater. It's a supermercado on Devon Avenue with a cafeteria tucked in the back. Totally hidden. Totally gritty. Totally authentic. Kind of awesome. During the course of recording, Cannon talks blues history, what it was like to headline the Blues Festival, his approach to the new album and a handful of influences that may surprise you (including Devo). Oh, and someone comes to the passenger window with a question.