Caught up with Blackhawks and Hockey Hall of Fame member Bobby Hull again while he was back in town last week. I met Bobby for the first time as a youngster (check out the photo on my wlup.com page), and it was an experience I will never forget that had a profound effect on me. Bobby was very gracious and very kind to my younger brother and me back then, chatting with us, signing autographs and posing for a picture together. He asked us our names and I remember him ruffling our hair. Years later I learned that Bobby had met his hockey hero Gordie Howe as a kid, remarked about how kind Gordie had been to him and... had his hair ruffled by Gordie! To this day, Bobby still greets the children with the same enthusiasm and genuineness that Gordie Howe greeted him with decades ago. I remember how thrilled I was and as a result, take great pleasure and extra care in making the youngsters who ask for my autograph or would like a picture feel special, too. Thanks for the great lesson, Mr. Hull.

The guys in Army of Anyone stopped in to say hello to me on the show the other night before their concert here in town. Army of Anyone is a new "supergroup" if you will, consisting of the DeLeo brothers (Dean and Robert) from Stone Temple Pilots fame, former Filter frontman and Nine Inch Nails member Richard Patrick (who's brother is actor Robert Patrick from Terminator 2 and the X-Files) and session/David Lee Roth Band drummer Ray Luzier. It was great to see them again and we had a good laugh. Their tour runs through February 3rd in Hartford.

I will be taking some time off for Christmas, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a happy and joyous holiday season and all the best in 2007. Ho, ho, ho!

The Loop brought Guns 'n' Roses and Sebastian Bach (of Skid Row fame) to the Allstate Arena last week and it proved to be a bombastic show. Both Sebastian Bach's and Axl Rose's voices and chops were in excellent shape for the sold out crowd. Baz and Axl performed all their hits plus their latest material, including several new tracks from the forthcoming G'n'R effort. The latest word is that we may finally see a spring release for the long awaited (well over 15 years) "Chinese Democracy" disc. As an encore, Sebastian jumped up onstage with Axl and performed a duet on "My Michelle" to the great delight of the concert goers. This latest jaunt is part of a long standing association between the two vocalists. The original (mostly) lineup of G'n'R and Skid Row toured together on the "Use Your Illusions" double-bill back in the early 90's. It was personally pleasing for me to see Sebastian back in action, since we have been friends now for the past 20+ years. Baz was a big fan of my show as a teenager struggling in his first band called Kidd Wikkid. One sunny day while I strolled down the boardwalk on the beach in Toronto (where I was working at the time... the city, not the beach), Baz and his girlfriend recognized me. They tore up to me wide-eyed and he breathlessly introduced himself and told me what a big fan he was. We chatted for quite a while, laughed and got to know each other. Afterwards I passed him my business card and encouraged him to send me a tape of his band so I could hear his work. Several weeks later I received the tape and proceeded to listen to it. To say I was blown away would be an understatement. Of particular note was a song called "Take A Look At Me" which I felt was their strongest. Even though it was a home recording and they were an unsigned band, I started playing the song regularly on my show. I vividly remember the moment I got ready to play the tape for my audience for the very first time... I declared that I believed "that the singer in this next band will be a huge star some day, or I will eat my hat! His name is Sebastian Bach and here's his band... Kidd Wikkid!" Later I learned that Baz had been listening at the time, and began to weep with joy when he heard what I had said on the air. With the exposure on my show, the band quickly secured bigger and better gigs and soon gathered a following in the area. Baz's reputation grew and he later joined a then unknown New Jersey outfit named Skid Row who had heard the buzz about him. The rest, as they say, is history. Sebastian became the star I was convinced he would be and he graciously listed me first in his liner note thank-you's on the debut Skid Row record. To this day at gigs he headlines, he will bring me up on stage, tell the audience the story and exclaim "this is the guy who started it all and believed in me. I love this guy!" Incidentally, the girl he was with that day on the beach later became his wife. Sebastian and Maria have two lovely sons now, Paris and London.

The first (of what I hope will be many) "Byrd for Birds" holiday food drive is now complete. The total donations should be calculated and available to me by early next week and I will relay the results to you as soon as they come in. If you were unable to get by the Merchandise Mart on Tuesday with a donation, but would still like to contribute a frozen turkey, non-perishable food item or simply to donate some money to have these items purchased in your name, you can contact the Greater Chicago Food Depository directly at 773-247-FOOD or log onto www.chicagosfoodbank.org. I would like to personally thank the numerous people who assisted me in making "Byrd for Birds" a reality. Much appreciation to my fellow Loop on-air personalities who lent their enthusiasm and support during my fast and live broadcast. Johnny B and his crew, Erin Carmen, Zakk Tyler and Jane, Crazy Ray and Crystal were all invaluable in getting the word out and encouraging me. Many thanks also go out to Tim, Bill, AJ, Jimi, Tommy, Guy, Dan, Kevyn, Phil, Chris, Pat and Lisa from the Loop who helped me set this up and kept it running smoothly. Thanks to Karla from the Merchandise Mart, and Sue and Keith from the GCFB for bringing the Radio City Rockettes and various school choirs and bands to the live broadcast and working out some of the logistics. Kudos to Potbelly Sandwiches and Eli's Cheesecake for treating the donators to free food. Special thanks to Mayor Daley and his office, the Chicago Sun-Times, Fox TV and WGN-TV for their support and coverage of "Byrd for Birds." Last, but not least, a HUGE thank you to all the wonderful Loyal Loopers who made the effort to donate and cheer me on. Loyal Loopers are simply (hands down) the best and most loyal listeners I have ever had the privilege of performing in front of. You guys (and gals) ROCK!

The holiday season is almost upon us... family gatherings, love, laughter, good food, friends, gifts and good times are all ahead for most of us. Under these circumstances, it's pretty easy to forget about those who are less fortunate than you and I. For the many people who have been laid off at work, are single parents struggling to make ends meet, or those who are just having a rough year for whatever reason, even having the traditional holiday meal is a luxury they may not be able to enjoy this year. That just doesn't seem right. If nothing else, THAT is something you and I can do something about. This Tuesday, November 21st from 8am to 7pm, I will be launching "Byrd for Birds" and collecting donations of frozen turkeys and non-perishable food items in the south lobby (facing the Chicago River) of the Merchandise Mart in River North (where the Loop studios are now located) and donate them to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Each turkey will ensure that an average sized family will at least be able to have that traditional dinner that most people take for granted. In addition, starting at 7pm the previous day (Monday, November 20), I will begin a 24 hour hunger-strike in honor of those we are trying to help. I am asking for your help in spreading the word to your friends, family and co-workers, so that we can make this a joyous holiday for ALL. In my estimation, Thanksgiving should really be two words, instead of just one. Thanks for our good fortune, and Giving to those who are less fortunate than you and I this year. That's what "Byrd for Birds" is all about... and who knows, maybe next year will be OUR time of need. We never know.

Earlier this week, Paul Stanley of KISS played at the House of Blues in support of his new solo disc (only his second, the first being released in the late '70's) "Live To Win." Before the show, I took 10 Loop listeners (who had won the prize during my show) along with me to Paul's sound-check. Paul and his band ran through a private mini-concert of 4 or 5 songs from his new CD for us while the sound and light guys tweaked their settings for the show later that evening. Paul was in a jovial mood, bantering back and forth with us between songs. After the sound-check I brought all the winners around to meet Paul. He signed autographs, posed for pictures and chatted with each excited winner. Their beaming faces said it all. To cap off the evening, each winner and a guest got to attend Paul's concert later that night. If you are a KISS fan (and even if you aren't), I highly recommend picking up the just released "KISSOLOGY Vol. 1 1974-1977" DVD set. Nearly 7 hours worth of previously unreleased live performances from the band's formative years have been restored, remastered and presented in a very handsome package. Gene Simmons is a huge Beatles fan (he saw them on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 and it changed his life) and told me he wanted to create a "hard-rock Beatles" with KISS. When you see this early footage, you will be struck with how much he indeed studied and carefully employed the Beatles as a template for their songs and stage presentation. Then they added Japanese Kabuki theatre make-up, wild costuming, lots of pyro and Marshall stacks, and voila! A legend was born. KISSOLOGY Vol. 2 and 3 will follow shortly.

On November 14th, Paul McCartney's new concert DVD "The Space Within Us" hits stores. It's the documentation of Paul's 11 week, 34 show, sold-out 2005 tour of the USA which passed through Chicago last October 18th and 19th. Directed by Cameron Crowe, it was shot using 25 HD cameras and will include 35 minutes of bonus footage not seen in last week's A&E special presentation. Former president Bill Clinton, Evanston native Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Tony Bennett and more all appear in the DVD citing their appreciation for Paul's music and impressions of seeing the tour. Having attended the show on the 19th at the United Center, I can tell you it was a moving experience. Paul played several Beatles songs that had never before been rendered live in front of an audience. He can even still sing them in the same key! This latest tour was not quite as mystical and magical a tour as the previous one was (that one was so incredible, I went three times!), but was amazing in it's own right. Seeing people of all ages (and children, too), races, creeds, cultures and musical genres once again joyously singing along and openly weeping at the show was a sight to behold. The only other performer I have ever seen that could elicit such a powerful emotional reaction from a crowd was Frank Sinatra. We're talking about a very rare caliber of artist that can achieve that. Seen in attendance at various dates on the tour, Steven Tyler, Bono, Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria, Billy Joel, Paul Stanley, Jay Z, Steve Carell, Quincy Jones, Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman , Stevie Wonder, James Taylor , Greg Kinnear, Beyonce, Jack Nicholson, Faith Hill, Ellen DeGeneres, Alec Baldwin, John Cusack, and many more. One of my favorite memories of all time is chatting with Paul about music (in addition to meeting Ringo... his hands are as big as baseball mitts!). I asked Paul if there was any song he wished HE had written, instead of the original artist. His face lit up, he immediately said yes, and he then proceeded to sing a few lines for me of an obscure song he was fond of as a boy. I must admit that when he asked me after he was done if I knew it, I had to say that I was not familiar with it. He grinned and told me that any song from Buddy Holly would also fit the bill. No wonder Paul bought Buddy Holly's catalogue of songs a few years back and holds Buddy Holly appreciation gatherings. Also, on November 21st (one week after Paul's DVD release), a "brand new" Beatles CD will hit the stands. It will be called "Love" in honor of the new Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas show of the same name. The Beatles producer George Martin went back into the Beatles master tapes and has put together a stunning CD of new, experimental mixes of famous Beatles songs. I was given an advance 4 song preview of the new CD, and hearing it blew my mind. The version of "Strawberry Fields Forever" (among others) uses several unreleased studio takes of the song to great effect. George Martin used these pieces to build completely new and different versions of many Beatle classics. In addition to the standard stereo, the CD will also be available in 5.1 surround sound. I was invited to the premiere of "Love" in Las Vegas (where Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison's wife Olivia and son Dhani and Yoko Ono were in attendance), but regretfully I could not make it. However, the reviews on it are terrific, so if you are planning a trip to Las Vegas, make an attempt to catch it.

On Saturday November 4th, I will be hosting a charity benefit for Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hair prosthetics to children with medical hair loss (cancer treatments, etc.) at The Colosseum/Pearl Room located at 191st and LaGrange Road in Mokena. We will have lots of entertainment including appearances by Survivor, Randy Jackson of Zebra, Paul Chapman of UFO, Kimberley Dahme of Boston among others. Tickets are $25 and are available at ticketmaster and at the door. Doors open at 6pm, show starts at 7:30pm. It's for a very good cause, so if you can make it by, it would great to see you! For more info see www.locksoflove.org

"It was bitterly cold and windswept as dusk descended on the frozen tundra of..." SOLDIER Field? Usually, those famous words would be attached to a description of a football game at LAMBEAU Field in the dead of winter, not an early October Rolling Stones concert in Chicago... but that is exactly what greeted the Stones and the thousands who braved the record cold to see the band in action this past week. The Stones gamely carried on their intended business despite the weather, and rocked the house with favorites as well as few surprises. Mick Jagger was as energetic as ever on stage (probably as much to fight off the freezing temperatures as to entertain the crowd!) and Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts bundled up and somehow managed to play with numb hands and fingers. Then again, Keith's handshake is cold and clammy to begin with, so I suspect he probably didn't even feel the cold! The previous day, the band invited me to come down to Soldier Field to check things out and get a sneak peek of what was to come the following night. Everyone was knowingly laughing about how glad they were that there was to be 470 individual pieces of pyrotechnics fired off during the show "to help keep us warm!" While there, I also chatted with the production crew to learn more specifics. The stage weighs 300 tons and is 204 feet wide, by 100 feet deep, by 92 feet high. The main big-screen is the biggest ever taken on tour, 50 feet by 50 feet. The inflatable lips/tongue logo is 30 feet high by 35 feet wide. In addition, 443 lights, 235 touring personnel, 152 trucks, 36 MILES of cable and enough generators to power a small city are used... and it usually takes a full WEEK (7 days) to set-up and tear-down. Because of the enormity of the production, there are actually THREE complete set-ups leap-frogging across the country to get set up in the next city in time for the next show. Stones ticket prices are near the top of the scale, but with the mind-boggling size (and expense) of a show they bring to town, one can see why. Precisely why the tour is called "A Bigger Bang." While in town, the guys took in the sites (as they usually do... Chicago is one of their favorite places), including Mick taking his son to the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier.

The "Bigger Bang" tour concludes November 22 in Honolulu. Some are again saying this could be the last time... let's hope not... since the Stones "Rock 'n Roll Circus" is a GRAND time. (And a rollin' stone gathers no moss, right?)

Aerosmith and Motley Crue deserve a lot of credit in my book. Their tour is called "The Route Of All Evil", but it might have been more appropriate to have titled it the "Brave-Heart" or "No Pain, No Gain" tour. Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler recently had throat surgery and admitted he has Hepatitis C, drummer Joey Kramer is recovering from major shoulder surgery, bassist Tom Hamilton has throat cancer, is off the road receiving treatment and has a stand-in. Did this stop them (or even hinder them a little) from delivering a spectacular performance for a capacity crowd at Alpine Valley with Motley Crue over the weekend? Not even in the slightest. The show's set-list (opening with "Toys In The Attic") was old-skool Aerosmith (pre-MTV) heavy with very few latter day songs performed. Back to the roots it was ... and it was an superlative example of a classic live Aerosmith show. When one realizes how many medical obstacles have been placed in their way lately, it's even more stunning. Steve Tyler's voice and command of the stage was crackling with kinetic energy, Joe Perry's guitar work was provocative and menacing, and Joey Kramer's work behind the kit was explosive. Having hung out with them in those bad 'ole days before they sobered up, it's a miracle they're even ALIVE, let alone this capable at this stage of the game. Amazing (pun intended)! Motley Crue (who aren't known for their placid lifestyle, either) opened the evening's show with a greatest hits collection that kicked off with "Live Wire" and continued at a breakneck pace with the audience joyously singing every last word with Vince Neil while Tommy Lee furiously pounded away. Motley Crue have their own unique challenges to overcome these days, too. Guitarist Mick Mars has a rare, incurable disease that slowly fuses all of the bones in your body together, until you are virtually a prisoner in your own body, unable to move. Think of eventually being trapped inside a suit of armor. Despite his escalating physical limitations and pain, Mick's guitar playing was note perfect. Impressive. I really admire the guy for going out there and giving it his all, in spite of his situation. Theatre of pain, indeed. It seems like just yesterday that a young guy named Frank Ferranna (Nikki Sixx) came to see me dressed in his suit (hair neatly tied back) and nervously gave me his sales pitch about his then new band called Motley Crue, hoping (pleading, actually) that I would consider playing them on my show. I let him finish his entire rehearsed speech before I smiled mischievously and told him I already knew about the band, liked what I had heard, and was already playing their first (independent) disc regularly. We roared with laughter and he swore he would deny EVER doing it, let alone in a suit! I still tease him about it to this day. He still denies it.

It sure has been a busy time in the Chicago concert scene lately, hasn't it? Eric Clapton, The Who, Tom Petty and Roger Waters have all played recently with Aerosmith/Motley Crue, Bob Seger, The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Steve Miller, and now Guns 'n' Roses amongst others all heading our way. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who dropped by the Loop this week while extending their stay in Chicago by several days to soak up our town and hang out. Chicago is a world-class city with a huge musical heritage and a deep appreciation for music that out-of-town musicians delight in absorbing... and returning to. Just as the Stones are coming back, look for The Who to announce a return visit to town in the near future. The first show was a sold out affair (complete with an ice cream bar backstage!) with rave reviews and the debut of new tracks from the first new Who CD ("Endless Wire") in nearly 25 years. Roger, Pete and John Entwistle had been talking about doing a new record for years, and it is finally seeing the light of day. Roger and Pete were jolted by the passing of John Entwistle several years ago, decided that time was short and wanted to get it done in memory of John. I feel fortunate that I had the opportunity to get to know John Entwistle over the years prior to his death in 2002 in Las Vegas. Sadly, the day he passed away, he had scheduled to sit down with me and talk about the then upcoming Who tour over dinner. About 4pm that day, I received the sobering call that John had suddenly died a few hours earlier. Almost immediately, Roger and Pete announced that the tour would continue, which must have been a very difficult and emotional decision to make. Robert Plant confided in me later that he felt that The Who had made the right decision, and indicated that from time to time, he even wonders if Led Zeppelin should perhaps have tried to carry on when John Bonham died. If the reaction at the United Center was any indication, the fans backed the decision of The Who whole-heartedly. The Roger Waters show at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre was another slam-dunk success, since Roger and his crack band played the entire "Dark Side Of The Moon" disc, start to finish along with many other Pink Floyd gems. During conversations I had recently with Roger and Nick Mason (also of Floyd), the relations between the members definitely seem to be improving with both Roger and Nick stating that they were in favor of more reunion shows (ala "Live 8") in the future. Perhaps we may yet see a full Pink Floyd reunion tour. Even David Gilmour (the most reluctant of the members) admitted to me recently that more re-union gigs were not out of the question. You can listen to my conversations with them on my main page on the wlup.com website. And finally, if you missed me breaking the news Saturday afternoon on my show, Guns 'n' Roses (Axl Rose + his new backing band) will be playing a Loop show at the Allstate Arena November 27th in support of the still unreleased "Chinese Democracy" CD with my long-time friend Sebastian Bach of Skid Row fame opening up. Tickets go on sale Friday October 13th at 10am through the Allstate Arena box office, Ticketmaster and wlup.com.

What a Sunday, huh? The Bears, the Sox AND the Blackhawks all won... and the Cubbies almost did it too, losing to the Reds 3-2. Nice 19-16 win by the Bears against the Vikings. The Bears are now one of only four teams that have started 3-0 this season. I have been particularly impressed by Rex Grossman. He still makes some mistakes, but he has been battling back when the going gets tough... the mark of a seasoned pro and a champion. Maybe THIS is the year for the Bears? Let's cross our fingers. The Sox are probably done, but then again if they can "cinch it up and hunker down", plus get a little (o.k... a LOT of) help from the baseball gods, perhaps making the playoffs can still happen. In talking with Sox players Brian Anderson and Rob Mackowiak during some joint public appearances we made at US Cellular stores this past week, I get the feeling the boys are down about things, but not ready to give up. It sure would be exciting if another "Miracle On 35th" is possible. Here's hoping. Last but not least, the Blackhawks are 5-0 in the pre-season. I went to Sunday's game against the Minnesota Wild at the United Center (Minneapolis didn't win THAT game either!) with the Hawks winning 5-2. The team is looking better this year, with a more shooting-intensive approach. It seems to be working since the Hawks out shot the Wild 44 - 27. In fact, had they kept up the aggressive approach of the first two periods instead of getting defensive to protect the lead, the Hawks were on pace to rack up 50 shots on net. Now THAT'S impressive and a very distinct difference from last year. Defensively, Nikolai Khabibulin is playing better (working more with goaltending coach Vladislav Tretiak seems to have paid off), and defenseman Duncan Keith continues to develop into a first rate player. In addition, the Hawks grabbed a great forward in the off-season named Jonathan Toews. He's only 18, but was touted as the best new prospect in the draft. He has elected to finish his schooling first (a wise and mature decision), but will likely add even more offense in the near future as the team continues to rebuild. It's probably not our "season" quite yet, but the team this year looks like it could be a contender and engaging to watch. It would be a welcome change, since last year's team was rather frustrating to watch, losing some 26 games by a one goal margin. This season will be better for another reason as well. There will be seven games at home against four of the "Original Six" heritage teams (that include the Blackhawks) which was lacking since the lockout. Four games against the Detroit Red Wings, and one each with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. The only team of the six we will not face this year at home will be the New York Rangers. There are three more pre-season games (all on the road) before the regular season begins on the road versus the Nashville Predators October 5th and the home opener with the Columbus Blue Jackets October 7th.

Caught the final show of a special 3 night stand for Queensryche at the HOB over the weekend. This was the first ever staging of their ambitious Operation Mindcrime I and II rock opera/rock musical here in Chicago. Operation Mindcrime I (CD and accompanying show) was originally released in 1988 and the long awaited sequel Operation Mindcrime II came out just a few months ago. Unfortunately due to my on-air commitments this week, I was unable to honor the band's request that I once again be a "special guest" member of the cast (I played a guest role in the re-staging of Operation Mindcrime I last year... great fun!), but was able to see the presentation in it's entirety Saturday night. What a show! Flawless playing, singing, acting, execution and perfect timing/synchronization with the big screen accents made this a show not to be missed. Geoff Tate sang his opera-trained butt off and managed to do so while playing the main role in both... for 3 hours! This back to back offering was one (if not THE) most fully realized show of it's type. The Who, Pink Floyd and Meatloaf have all dabbled in this genre, but Queensryche managed to trump them all by the mere fact that they went even further with the concept. The band then came back out again and even did a couple more encore numbers including "Last Time In Paris." The crowd was ecstatic and went home fully drained. "Two wings up... way up!" sez Byrd. Broadway should seriously look at this show. See it if you can... you'll be very impressed. You can do just that as the Loop brings 'em back for another show, Friday November 17th at the Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, IN.

Speaking of theatre, I also attended the 5th annual Madhatter's Ball benefiting the Lookingglass Theatre Company recently. As always, a good time with many attendees getting dressed up in costumes. David Schwimmer (Lookingglass founder and member of the "Friends" TV cast), Joey Slotnick ("Nip/Tuck"), Shondrella Avery ("Napoleon Dynamite") and many others also attended. The ticket price included an open bar and a gift bag, so it was a good deal AND a worthwhile cause. By the ball's end, over $100,000 had been raised and will fuel the next year's worth of productions at Lookingglass.

In a related note... got together with Fred Armisen ("Saturday Night Live", "Anchorman") and Horatio Sanz ("SNL", "Roadtrip") while Fred was filming scenes here in town for the upcoming movie "Quebec." Talked a lot of music (Fred is a fellow Beatle fan and a huge Loop fanatic) and about how much he missed living in Chicago now that he has relocated to New York for SNL. Looks like "Quebec" will be good. Given the context of the film, maybe they should do all the dialogue in the snotty Frenchman from Monty Python's "Holy Grail" voice... "I told heem we already gawt waaaaan!"

After the recent Styx/Foreigner show at Northerly Island, I hosted the after show party at the Hard Rock Cafe, giving away some great prizes and chatting with the excited concert goers. The concert received a glowing review from all. JY of Styx tells me they will have a new live DVD and CD to release November 14. Two new Styx songs will be included in the package. You can catch Styx live December 29th at the Star Plaza Theatre and December 30th at the Genesee Theatre.

And last but not least... GO SOX!!! GO BEARS!!!

Here we are my friend... hard to believe it's been 5 years since the tragedy of 9/11. I have been thinking a lot about the days surrounding that fateful moment lately. At the time, I was hosting a morning show on a rock station in the Philadelphia area, only 90 miles or so from the World Trade Center. A number of my listeners worked in the buildings and traveled back and forth each day from Philadelphia to New York. As the day's terrible events unfolded, it became abundantly apparent that this was no accident, but rather a pre-meditated act of mass murder, hatred and terrorism. My show was scheduled to end at 10 am, but by about 9:10am, it was clear that I would need to stay over and transform from my usual role as a mirth merchant to straight news reporter, gathering and relating the latest updates for our equally shocked and bewildered audience. I stayed on the air through the afternoon, but I hardly noticed the hours flying by. Before long, calls started coming in from my listeners who had somehow managed to get out alive. To say their tales were chilling would be a grand understatement. I will never forget the fear and confusion in their voices. Just sharing their experiences with me and the audience seemed to help calm them down, but I imagine their emotional scars will never quite heal. A particularly disturbing and horrific realization settled in later in the week. A friend of the station staff had just lost a young son in his early 20's the week prior in a car crash. She learned some days after 9/11 that her other son (also in his early 20's) had been killed in the collapse of the second tower. That week was his very first at his new job, and he was very excited and proud to be working at such a prestigious address. It was simply heartbreaking and beyond words. Out of all the unnecessary pain and suffering of 9/11, came something miraculous and worthwhile for all of us, though... we all started treating one another with more patience, understanding, kindness, tolerance and love... something we should have been doing all along. It taught us that a loved one, a friend, an acquaintance or a co-worker could easily be torn from our lives at any given moment. It taught us to savor and enjoy each moment with these people and to make sure that we are letting them know and demonstrating through our actions how much they mean to us, lest we never get another chance to do so. Anything that we as humans ever allow to hold us apart or disagree about seems so petty and trivial in light of what can and did happen.

"Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
It's easy if you try"

John Lennon

After 9/11, the love and the understanding we showed others continued unabated for about 3 - 6 months. Slowly but surely though, it seems we all eventually started drifting back to our old ways. Bringing back the people killed cannot be done... changing history is impossible, too. Changing the present and the future for the better IS something we can accomplish together. The best way to memorialize the victims of 9/11 is for each one of us to take the lessons we learned that day and remember to keep applying them in our own lives every day of every year... instead of just for a few days or a few months. Our lives, our future and our world will be much better for it.

A couple of news items caught my eye lately. One of the boats used in "Gilligan's Island" as the S.S. Minnow is now for sale. The one in question is the one used in the opening credits of season two. The asking price is $100,000 and you'll have to go to Vancouver, B.C. to get it. In total, there were four boats known to be used in shooting the series. As a kid, I spent many an after-school afternoon giggling in front of the TV at the antics of the 7 castaways. Years later, I received a thrill when the (now) late Bob Denver (Gilligan) and Dawn Wells (Mary-Ann) stopped by to say hello to me during my show. They were every bit as nice as you would have imagined they would be. Much to my delight, I learned Dawn Wells has a very naughty (wink-wink, nudge-nudge) sense of humor not evident in the TV show. She showed her known sentimental side by later surprising me with a hand-typed and signed thank you letter for the time I gave them on the show. I was glad to see the entire series was finally released on DVD. All the episodes (including the pilot... featuring several different actors instead of the ones who eventually did the show) plus bonus materials make it a nice keep-sake for those who enjoyed the series. The episodes have been re-mastered and as a result look and sound much better than how they appeared on television. I have been watching an episode here and there when my time allows. Interesting that Sherwood Schwartz (producer), said in an interview that he did not know what had become of the boats used in the series, but sure would like to find and purchase one. I bet we know who will be buying the "Minnow" being sold in B.C!

Also in the news... the inventor of the "Philly Cheese-steak" is dead. Harry Olivieri and his brother Pat (they named the place "Pat's King of Steaks") teamed up in 1933 in Philadelphia after growing tired of the limited local street food offerings. The rest as they say, is history. Having spent 5 years working radio in the Philly area, I developed a great taste for Philly Cheese-steaks. You'll feel like a snake that ate an elephant afterwards, but they sure are tasty! Makes me think I should market my favorite drink, affectionately known as "Byrd's Brew" by the folks at my local Starbucks. It's like lightning in a bottle, this stuff. It's something I came up with after years of tinkering. After being asked for the recipe numerous times... maybe I'm on to something? Four shots of expresso, 10 pumps of vanilla syrup, and uses cream instead of milk. Add sugar to your taste (I take four sugar in the raw's for the large cup) and you have a drink that tastes great and will jump start a corpse! (or a very sleepy Byrd)

After a nice week-long vacation recently, I'm back with more. Got together with Pete Best (original Beatles drummer, pre-Ringo) and Klaus Voormann (musician/artist friend of the Beatles since 1960, played with them as solo artists, drew the iconic "Revolver" cover for them in 1966, and whose friend Astrid gave the guys the now famous "Beatle" hairdo) during my vacation. Being a big Beatles fan, I always enjoy spending some time with them and hearing their stories and rememberances. Ironic that Pete ended up working at Liverpool's unemployment office for nearly 20 years after being booted from the band. He finally saw some real money from his involvement in the early Beatles when the Anthology series of CD's and DVD's were released a few years ago. Klaus also made out well, since the band asked him to reprise his cover role and provide the art work for the releases.

Attended Lollapalooza 2006 this past weekend. What an event! 3 days, 130 bands, 8 stages, 200,000 people and nary a problem... and great weather to boot! I saw people of all ages, from toddlers with mom and dad, to 50 something's and everyone in between with big smiles on their faces. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the many highlights. They were in fine form to close the fest on Sunday night. They played most of their hits (except "Under The Bridge"), and even did a cool snippet of "London Calling" by The Clash. It's always amazed me how animated and extroverted Anthony Kiedis can be when he hits the stage. Offstage, I've found him to be a very shy, soft spoken, (but very nice) introverted individual who readily blends into the woodwork. The idea to make this a "destination festival" like the yearly Donnington Festival in England is taking shape. Great for the city of Chicago in terms of tourism dollars and exposure and just another reason why Chicago is the greatest city in the world. The view of the skyline from Grant Park (especially at dusk) was simply breathtaking. I noticed many around me in the crowd of 75,000 that night gawking too... and grinning. Bravo!

Welcome to the maiden voyage of "Byrd's Blog"... a place for quick tidbits, musings and behind the scenes doings.

Attended a couple of Loop concerts (in addition to jumping on-stage to greet the crowd) last weekend. Cinderella at the Star Plaza Saturday night and George Thorogood at the House of Blues Sunday. Cinderella rocked as always (they are a TERRIFIC live blues-based rock band akin to AC/DC, Zeppelin, The Stones, and Aerosmith being mixed together in a blender. I urge you to check them out sometime... you will be VERY impressed!), even though Tom Keifer was having some trouble with his voice due to allergies that kicked up when they hit the Midwest. George Thorogood also rocked the house with his patented take on Chicago electric blues. It's a simple concept, but boy, does it work. George was in a playful mood before the show with me backstage, and that carried over to the performance as well. The capacity crowd ate it up. After getting to know George over the years and having him tell me often of his fondness for the Rolling Stones, I realized that night how much he has been influenced by Mick Jagger. To say that George is the embodiment of what Mick would be like on stage if Mick sang AND played guitar would capture the stage mannerisms of George Thorogood nicely. No wonder Mick asked George to open for the Stones back in the early '80's.