John Williams

Tony Fitzpatrick, the ‘lauded and loquacious‘ Chicago artist, actor and writer, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about his career, the new Ike Reilly documentary, a new theater show that he’s currently writing, the current state of his beloved Chicago White Sox, and his new Bucktown studio.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].

Scott G. Shea, leading music historian and author of the best-selling book “All the Leaves Are Brown: How the Mamas and Papas Came Together and Broke Apart,” joins John Williams to talk about the redemption of Ricky Nelson. Scott explains who Ricky Nelson was, how he became one of the best-selling music stars, when his career took a downturn, how hard he worked to become successful again in the 70’s, and the story behind Ricky’s hit song, “Garden Party.’

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to [email protected]!

Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the stock market being ‘all sunshine and rainbows,’ the positive economic data continuing to fuel the market, what he’s telling his clients about how they should manage their portfolios, and where to look for opportunities in the market.

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about a new study that shows that having a sweet tooth is linked to higher risk of depression, diabetes, and stroke. Dawn offers some tips on how to decrease your sweet tooth and also answers all of your health and nutrition questions.

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to [email protected].

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week the Rascals kick things off by breaking down former president Donald Trump’s interview with Bloomberg News at the Economic Club of Chicago. John and Eric were disappointed in the crowd’s reaction to Trump’s lies. What do the Rascals think of Trump’s appearance? And what are the Rascals thoughts on Trump’s understanding of economic issues? The Rascals also talk about Trump’s town hall earlier this week that ended up with the former president just playing his favorite songs in favor of answering questions. Eric wonders why the media is not more focused on Trump’s mental unfitness for office. Next, Cate is fed up with I-PASS sticker BS! Finally, Marj wrote a piece in Crain’s about the Chicago school board election. Where are the Rascals on the upcoming school board elections?

Academy Award-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins and his wife and creative partner James Deakins (Team Deakins!) join John Williams in-studio to talk about the Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture. Roger and James talk about their partnership, how the role of cinematographer changes with each film, the movies they most enjoyed working on, why they like working with directors who are open to spontaneity, the way landscape can be a character in a film, how much stress is involved in getting the right shot, and what we will see at the photo exhibition. Click here for the schedule of opening week events featuring movie screenings, book signings, and more.

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins John Williams to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. Bob tells us that the rain we received early in the week helped, but grass is still growing, so continue to water your trees and shrubs and start cutting your grass shorter.