77!

Sunday, July 26, 2020, I (Steve) observed the completion of 77 turns around the sun.

In no particular order, I thought I’d share a few thoughts about that milestone.

This was the first time I’ve marked a birthday in the middle of a pandemic.  I won’t complain if it’s the last.

Johnnie makes the best birthday cake!

Johnnie’s gluten-free chocolate fudge layer cake with vanilla frosting!

Actually, anything Johnnie makes is the best!

2020’s pandemic party curtailed any in-person birthday party events and substituted video screen connecting.  I’m not one for big parties anyway, but I do look forward to the small gathering of family and friends that usually populates our patio.  One of the things getting together via video underscored was that while loved ones may not have been physically present, love was.

During a birthday video chat with a relative, who shall remain nameless, Johnnie and I learned that, if you’re holding your cell phone low enough and close enough to your nose, you can look just like Mr. Potato Head.

Now that I’ve put 77 turns around the sun behind me, I’m probably a bit more aware of the prevalence of ageism and it’s one of the many “isms” I won’t put up with.  But then, I felt the same way when I was 17.  I’m not sure if that means that I haven’t grown up or if it means more people need to.

One of the oft-repeated birthday questions is, “What would you tell your younger self?”  Other than a suggestion to avoid gluten, I don’t really know.  But, I am reasonably sure we’d have a good conversation.

Actually, now that I think about it, there is one thing I’d tell my younger self, “Believe it or not, you’re the guy who gets THE girl!”

I share a birth year with Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones.  I suppose it’s possible he’s played in front of a few more people than I have but, I know, there is no way he loves making music more.

A little birthday weekend pickin’ on the patio.

Speaking of music, like many of you, COVID-19 and the resulting lifestyle change to “safer at home” along with some family health issues hit the pause button on several things I had planned for my 76th year.  One of them was finally finishing and releasing an album that I’d planned on calling “Spirit Of 76.’  Well, it’s still on the burner for year 77 (the album, not the title) but, if it doesn’t get finished in the next 12 months, the following year, I may have to go really old school … and release it as a 78.

As Johnnie said, “It’s not like any birthday we ever imagined, but we are together and healthy…the best gifts ever.”

And, in 2020, those gifts mean more than ever.

Stay safe.

Steve

Throwback Thursday: WIND Radio

In a previous post, 1975, we mentioned that we’re going through our photo archives for our second book, tentatively titled “Life After Dark.”  Well, the archeological photo digs continue and we’ve unearthed a few from our days at WIND radio, in Chicago, so we thought we’d share them with the class.

In 1980 Steve interviewed The Village People and Producer Jacques Morali, who were in Chicago promoting the movie “Can’t Stop The Music.”

Steve with Producer, Jacques Morali, & The Village People

As you can see, there was a bit of a stir in the halls when Steve took Leatherman around to say hi.

Steve taking Leatherman (Glenn Hughes) around WIND.

In 1982, WIND did a special Saturday morning remote of Steve’s show and invited listeners to come down, see the broadcast and watch the sunrise at The Adler Planetarium. He invited the new kid, Johnnie, to come down, join the broadcast, and meet the listeners.

HimNHer getting to know each other.

Also joining the broadcast was another WIND personality, our “Night Crawler” friend, Ted Lauterbach.

Ted Lauterbach and Johnnie

It was a memorable morning that gave us a chance to hang out with a few hundred listeners who got up early and joined us for coffee, doughnuts and a great view.

Steve hoping he didn’t get the dreaded “headphone hair.”

All of these photos were taken before we even started dating and it’s kind of fun to look back on “the way we were.”  We hope you enjoy the occasional look into the wayback machine, too.

At this point, we’re probably, at least, a year away from finishing our second book, so don’t be surprised if, as we unearth more “treasures,” we share a few more of our discoveries with you.

When life gives you lemons …

… make lemon cakes! (Better than Starbucks)

2 Lemon Loaves

Preheat oven to 350

Spray pans with Pam or grease one 9×5 loaf -bake 50-55 minutes

OR

2 med loaf -bake 35-45 min OR

4 small loaf pans-bake 30-35 min (muffin tins work too just adjust the baking time)

Mix all ingredients by hand. No mixer needed!

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

3 eggs at room temp

1 c sour cream or Greek yogurt

1/2 c vegetable or canola oil

2 TB lemon zest(about 1 lg lemon. Save the lemon to juice for the glaze)

2 TB lemon extract

1 1/2 cups flour (I use King Arthur’s Gluten Free or Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour)

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

And then …

Add the lemon zest to the cup of sugar. With a rubber spatula muddle

the zest flavoring into the sugar or use your fingers & rub the zest into the sugar turning it yellow

Add sour cream or yogurt. Mix well.

Add oil and extract. Mix well.

Add eggs. Mix well but, don’t overwork the batter.

Flour, baking powder and salt can be mixed together and slowly incorporate dry into wet ingredients.

Mix well

Bake according to pan sizes (Test center of loaf with toothpick for doneness).

Let cool

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

Add juice of the lemon that was zested. For extra zing you can add a tsp of lemon extract. Mix sugar and juice until it is pourable but, not too thin.  Add more sugar to thicken

When blended taste.

Too tart?  Add more sugar. Not zingy enough add more juice or extract(careful extract is strong).

Remove loaves from pan and pour the glaze over.

Enjoy!

Johnnie

R.I.P Charlie Daniels

Charlie Daniels has been a part of the soundtrack of our lives for a long time.  In the days of our solo radio careers, Charlie’s records were regularly a part of our respective radio lives.

In fact, before radio was even thought to be a career option, one of the highlights of Johnnie’s college days was when she was on the stage crew for Charlie’s first performance at UT Martin.  Charlie’s performance of his song “The South’s Gonna Do It” brought down the house and remains one of Johnnie’s favorite live concert experiences ever!

Charlie Daniels’s career is the stuff of legends.  From having one of his first songs, “It Hurts Me,” recorded by Elvis Presley and recording 3 albums with Bob Dylan to his own recording success with hits such as “Uneasy Rider,” “The South’s Gonna Do It,” “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” and many others, this Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum Grammy, CMA and ACM winning “Long Haired Country Boy” member of the Grand Ole Opry charted his own highly-celebrated path in music history.

We’re not sure exactly when we talked with Charlie for the first time.  We do know we were at WGN radio and it was a phone interview coinciding with the release of one of his albums.  Unlike some “first times” with well known artists, this first interview with Charlie felt very relaxed.  It was as if we had reconnected with an old friend.  Happily, that first interview turned into a genuine friendship that found Charlie joining us on the air anytime a new album, appearance or anything else gave us an excuse.

S&J with Charlie Daniels

One of our more memorable in-studio interviews with Charlie happened after one of his appearances in the Chicago area.  Charlie finished up his show and came right over to the Tribune Tower to join us on WGN.  During the interview we surprised him with a phone call from one of his idols.

A few years later, when he heard we were working on our book, “A Little More Les,” Charlie’s fingers quickly hit the computer to write about what happened that night.

Here’s what Charlie wrote:

Doing Steve and Johnnie’s radio show more closely resembled dropping by for a visit with friends than an interview stop.

The atmosphere was totally laid back, the conversation free flowing and unscripted and Johnnie was apt to have brought along some of her fabulous home made goodies to snack on and all in all it was a very enjoyable experience.

I didn’t realize until my second visit that Steve was a guitar player which opened up a whole new topic of conversation for the two of us, and as guitar players will we started discussing our favorite guitars and being the dyed in the wool Les Paul man I am, the conversation drifted around to the man himself and the amazing accomplishments he had made in music and electronics.

Right about then Steve pulled one on me that I would never forget and always remember as one of my favorite moments in radio. We took some phone calls and much to my amazement, I was speaking to Les Paul.

I must have come off as somewhat flabbergasted, but you have to realize that for me speaking to the great Les Paul was tantamount to an airplane pilot being able to speak to one of the Wright Brothers, this man had designed and developed the best electric guitar in the world, the one that I have played since I got to the point of affording one and here I was actually having a conversation with him.

And it didn’t end there, Les invited me to come by the Iridium Club in New York the next time I was in town and sit in with him.

You have to understand that there are thousands of guitar players around the world that would trade parts of their anatomy to stand on the same stage with the legendary Les Paul and I took him up on the invitation and spent a whole set jamming with him, an experience that goes into the top drawer of my musical memories.

Charlie Daniels & Les Paul (Photo courtesy of Christopher Lentz)

To say Steve and Johnnie are nice people is a total understatement and their making it possible for me to meet and jam with Les Paul will always be very special to me.

I love you folks,

 

 

As you can see in the photo, the looks on Charlie and Les’s faces are pure joy.  We were really happy to have played a part in bringing them together.

For many years, Charlie was a fixture on our New Year’s Eve shows.  It became part of his New Year’s celebration tradition and ours to start the new year with a call in from wherever he was performing.

Speaking of the holidays, we’ll never forget the year Charlie sent us a country ham for Christmas.  He sent it to us at WGN and when our morning man, Bob Collins, saw the ham we almost had to fight him for it.  Another favorite Charlie Daniels Christmas memory is the year that, in between his, already full, recording and touring schedules, Charlie somehow carved out enough time to do a special recording for us of a Christmas story that became one of our annual features on WGN radio.

We were stunned when we heard the news of Charlie’s passing.  But, as we write this, we’re comforted with the thought that Charlie is getting ready to rosin up his bow or grab his Les Paul guitar and take his place in one heck of a country-rock band.

We love you too, Charlie!

R.I.P.

Cornbread Anyone?

Our family loves cornbread!  We like it with sauerkraut & wieners plus a side of fried taters!  Or, you might like chili or vegetable soup with the cornbread.  My Dad likes leftover cornbread crumbled with milk over it.  However you like it, here’s how it gets made in my kitchen.

Preheat oven to 400.
Oil/Pam a cast iron skillet, 8″ or 9″ cake pan or 12 muffin tins

-1 1/4 cup (Quaker)Yellow cornmeal
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour ( I use gluten free)
-2 to 4 TB sugar (Before I add eggs I taste the batter with 2 TB sugar & add more to sweeten)
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup milk (skim, 1%,2% or whole)
-2 lg eggs (beaten)
-1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix til blended & pour in pan.

Bake at 400–20 to 25 mins.

Cornbread Muffins

BTW, my favorite way to make this cornbread doesn’t require heating up the kitchen.

Add a splash more milk to thin the batter. Heat 1/2″ cooking oil in a skillet and pour out round corn cake fritters.

Let them sizzle til the edges look brown and like pancakes you see bubbles on top.

Flip, fry then remove to a plate with paper towels to sink up oil.

THE yummiest form of cornbread!

Johnnie

Before & After

It’s been a while since we talked about … this.

How are you doing?

Really!  We’d like to know so, after you finish reading this post, please feel free to leave a comment.  This moment didn’t come with anything resembling a clear, readable, road map and we’d love to hear/read any navigation tips you have that may have helped make this journey a little easier for you.

As for us, while we try to go for an occasional walk around our neighborhood (with masks) we’re still, for the most part, staying “safer at home.”  Of course, we’re aware that some areas and businesses are easing restrictions and rush hour traffic is starting to become a thing again.  Not surprisingly, there are no shortage of opinions on how good or how bad an idea all of that is or how fast or how slow it should happen … if at all, at this point.

Loud though they may be from all corners, the only thing all of the opinions have made clear to us is that, for this country, at this time, this is not a “one size fits all” moment.

Obviously, we’re not doctors and we’re certainly not experts on this (Who is?!?!) and we’re just doing what we feel is right for us, right now.

For what it’s worth, we thought we’d share just a few random thoughts on things we miss from before and questions about what happens after … this.  Your mileage may vary but, from our vantage point, here are some memorable objects still visible in our rear view mirror and some hazy, unclear, images on the horizon.

From Before, we miss …

Hugs!

Shaking hands!

Going for a walk without masks.

While walking, being able to stop and talk up close with neighbors.

Our dear neighbors of over 25 years who, sadly, died from the virus.

Getting caught up in the “in-person” adrenaline between artist and audience that creates a magical live performance at City Winery, in Chicago or Space, in Evanston, two of our favorite music venues in the Chicago area.

Experiencing the anticipation of an opening week movie as we critique all the trailers leading up to it in a darkened theater with Steve’s brother, Lee.

Getting a serious case of G.A.S. (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome) and actually touching some of those magical things made of wood & steel while hanging out with Terry Straker and his talented staff at Guitar Works, in Evanston, Il.

Steve in his happy place with Steve Siculan & Terry Straker at Guitar Works

Regardless of how the game is going, marveling at the chemistry between Jason Benetti and Steve Stone as they broadcast Chicago White Sox games.

Enjoying the conversation and camaraderie while sitting at the bar of our favorite Outback restaurant.  It’s the closest thing to a “Cheers” bar we’ve ever seen.  Or, the instant warmth and hugs we get from Rosa and Luciano, owners of our favorite Italian restaurant, Da Luciano’s, in River Grove.

Having our, long-time, friends Gary & Sue over for an evening of … whatever.

Grocery shopping without “suiting up” with gloves, wipes and a list to make it a quick in and out of the store.

Sitting on our porch at our home in Panama City Beach.

Her & Him porchin’ in PCB

& After …

Will our new “normal” mean the loss of many of our favorite “mom & pop” small business?

Will our new “normal” include more of us permanently working from home?

Will we still be hesitant to get together?

Will we still be hesitant to get close?

Will we still be hesitant to hug?

Will we still … be hesitant?

Will we still BE together? (The collective “we,” not the two of us.  Trust us, we’re the one thing we’re sure of!)

So …

Well, there you have it, just a few of the things from our before and after lists.  We’d love to see what’s on yours.

Like you, we have many more questions and, depending on how long this continues, we may add to these random thoughts in future posts.

But, like you, we hope the after gets here sooner rather than later and that we’re all around and healthy as those hazy images clear up and give us some answers.

For now, feel some virtual, safe-distanced, elbow bumps from us.

Stay safe … and don’t forget to wash your hands!

HimNHer

Hello Summer!

One of the good things about our “safer at home” staycation is having a lovely yard to spend time in.  Thanks to the already summer-like weather, the flowers in our yard are especially beautiful this year.

To celebrate the first day of Summer, we thought we’d invite you to take a stroll around our yard.  These are just a few of the flowers that are showing off.

Stargazer Lilly

The Stargazers are in bloom.

Knockout Rosebush

The Knockout Rosebush is … a Knockout!

Painted Petunias

These Petunia blossoms are the size of a quarter.

Climbing Rosebush

We call this the “Grandma” Rosebush because Steve’s Grandmother grew these.

Clematis

The Clematis will continue climbing through the Summer.

Sweet Daisies

These Sweet Daisies come back every year with no coaxing.

Bee snacking at the White Rose

Oh, and let us tell you ’bout the birds and the bees …

The sun peeks through our big Pine tree’s branches

… and the flowers and the trees.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this stroll through our back yard.

Welcome Summer!

Johnnie

1975

As many of you know, we’re working on our second book.  The working title is “Life After Dark.”  At this point, the game plan is for the book not to be just about us but, to largely focus on, our interactions with some of the interesting people and events that have been a part of our adventures in broadcasting.

We would be remiss, of course, if we didn’t spend a little time covering the individual journeys that brought us together inside your radio speakers and, occasionally, on your TV screens.  To that end, along with the writing and listening to our audio archives, we’ve been spending a significant amount of time going through photographs.  Neither of us realized just how many boxes of pre-digital photos we had.  Trust us, there are a lot!

Most of you know that we didn’t land on this planet at the same time.  We don’t think Krypton was involved in either of our arrivals, but we’re still going through stuff, so who knows.

Anyhow, point is, one of us has been around this galaxy longer than the other.  That point was underscored when we uncovered some photographs from 1975.  By that point HE was working at WLS radio, in Chicago, and took a vacation to join his Dad and see the Grand Canyon.

Sadly, we haven’t found photographs of the two of them, yet, because his Dad was taking most of the pictures, including this one of a very intense long-haired guy studying the chess board in their room.

However most of the time was not spent in their room because this was in the days before the Grand Canyon became as over-populated with tourists as it is now and the two of them were able to spend a week just driving through this amazing natural wonder by themselves.

When the week was over HE strongly felt that the week in the Grand Canyon was possibly the best adventure he’d ever experienced.

Little did he know that his greatest adventure was yet to come.

That same year, 1975, SHE was working as a, not yet 21 year old, cocktail waitress at the Holiday Inn on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive.

Sadly, HE rarely went to that lounge so, in 1975, He didn’t know SHE existed, nor She, HE.

Spoiler alert: They got together and, happily, the adventure continues.

But, that’s the way they were, in 1975.

Happy Birthday, Rhubarb Red!

Today, June 9, 2020, would have been Les Paul‘s 105th birthday.

“The Wizard Of Waukesha” or “Rhubarb Red” (One of his stage names) spent his life chasing sound and, along the way, cast a long shadow over popular culture while he changed the music industry.

Yes, he was a genius but, we also knew him to be, a wonderful rascal and always a night owl who liked to wind down after a show with a beer (The colder, the better.  Holding the bottle was good for his arthritic fingers.) and popcorn as he shared stories with friends.

The evening the picture above was taken is just one of many special moments and behind the scenes stories and memories that are recounted in our book “A Little More Les.”

As happens each year around his birthday, we’ve received several messages asking if the book is still available.  Yes, it is.

If you’d like to order a copy, just click on this link.

Les Paul was one of a very special breed and we treasure the gift of his friendship.

All these years later, we still miss him.

Happy Birthday, Les!

Johnnie’s Taco Pasta Salad

If you’d like a tasty twist on a Summer salad, try this yummy new recipe!

Johnnie’s Taco Pasta Salad

DRESSING
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 packet taco seasoning (Gluten-Free taco seasoning is readily available)

Mix well let sit while prepping

SALAD
– box elbow pasta, cooked according to package directions
-1 cup corn kernels or a can of whole kernel corn drained
– grape tomatoes, halved
-1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded(optional)
-sliced black olives, drained
-avocados diced(optional)
-4 green onions, thinly sliced or chopped onion to taste
Drain pasta mix in veggies and cover with dressing.

Mix well.

It’s so good I had to give half to our neighbor to get it out of the house!

I think you’ll like it, too.

Johnnie