Life 2.0

In light of the recent attempt by a rabid fan to get at everyone's benign weather uncle, Al Roker, Garry & John share a couple of near-miss stories when it came to having a listener cross the radio threshold. Then it's a rollback to their first paying jobs and the lessons gained from pouring concrete or pulling nails for a few hours a day compared to being an "influencer" in the 21st century. AI isn't going away, so the guys are trying to figure out the limitations of avatars, and Garry is ready to roll out his chain of retirement homes called "Fallen Arches," which is the perfect segue to a 96-year-old who is upending the apple cart by partying with her group of Silver Seniors until the sun comes up. Finally, Garry & John remember Ozzy Osborne one year after his death. 

It's a rare occurrence that I find myself in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this morning. Even though I'm a Chicago Bears guy, I can't help but think about my long friendship with the greatest guard in the history of the NFL-Jerry Kramer. Last night I had dinner in Lambeau Field at the 1919 Club, and the images of Lombardi and those great Packer teams over the years are embedded in the culture here. So, this SMR is from a couple of years ago, and my conversation with JK and Bob Fox about their book "Run to Win," which also includes a clip from 2001, when Jerry and I talked with the late, great Dick Schaap as well. 

He's quite possibly the most recognizable meteorologist on the planet, and he's Garry & John's special guest on this episode of Saints and Sinners! The favorite son of Aurora, Illinois, where he would send letters to Chicago radio stations as a boy, offering to provide them with a more accurate forecasts, to the millions of viewers who watched him for decades on WGN-TV to his latest foray into acting (kinda) on The Bear, Tom Skilling is not only a man for all seasons, but he knows everything about all the seasons and more.  It's another robust outing in audio excellence!

I was out of the internet landfill for three days last week, which was a blessing in disguise. I took a break from my usual routine and spent some time cleaning out old audio files. I came across a folder of shows I did back in 2015/16 for CBS called Life Matters, and there are 30 episodes in the file with some great conversations, like the one I had with Pulitzer Prize winner (and one of my favorite writers) Mary Schmich.

Amazing how so much of what we discussed a decade ago is still relevant today. The more things change...the more they stay the same.

Yep, you read that right. Only these two guys could have an unscripted conversation that covers everything from Garry's impressive mane to John's follicle- challenged dome and the time Carol Channing wanted to meet John for a date (and he was the dessert!) Then there's the guy who carved his way out of a frozen grave with a dagger made of his own feces. Add in Garry's comments on air conditioning and John sharing a few thoughts about how his old friend John Denver's hit "Take Me Home, Country Roads" is once again in the mainstream due to soccer, and it's another off-the-wall, over-the-top audio outing for the masses.

GM and JSA are back at it for episode zwei (that's number two for your non-Germanic types), and besides exploring the dark corners of each other's minds, it's a show chock-full of Dracula stories (John's dad had a Bela Lugosi crush) Garry's thoughts on how AARP needs to let us live in denial as long as possible and of course beating up a little bit on the radio industry in light of the recent "iHeart Media Massacre." Add in a bit about the hit FX show "The Bear" featuring a cameo by "The Walt Disney of Weather" Tom Skilling and the fact that 99% of the fireworks we use to celebrate our Independence Day every 4th of July come from China and... well, you'll have to listen and figure it out for yourself.

What happens when artificial intelligence intersects with human intelligence? Well, since humans have a hard enough time discerning what reality is, chances are if you don't have your firewall of common sense up, AI is gonna take you to the cleaners, because behind the beauty that insists they have your best interests at heart, is a lower life form human who doesn't. After getting a text from a friend that described how a family member fell in love with an AI-generated woman and lost serious coin, I thought it was time for a PSA when it comes to common sense for uncommon times.

What happens when you put a Radio Hall of Fame broadcaster (Garry Meier) and an award-winning radio voice (John St. Augustine) in the same podcast space? Not really sure, but certainly worth a listen! In this first episode, we go behind the glass in the world of radio with war stories about Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, and hate mail. Add in "Earth Matters with Bill Kurtis," a discussion about Disclosure Day and aliens among us, and why John always thinks of Garry when the movie "Silverado" comes on the screen.

Must be the chaps.

Legendary stand-up comedian and favorite son of Harvey, Illinois, Tom Dressen, passed away on June 17th at the age of 86. From hardscrabble beginnings, to forming the Tim and Tom comedy duo with Tim Reid in 1969, to finding himself as the opening act for Frank Sinatra and 61 appearances on the Tonight Show, Tom was an everyman who made it big, but most importantly, never forgot where he came from, or the basic building blocks needed to live a life of faith, family, and friends, which is what success is all about. This is one of my favorite conversations with Tom, shortly after his book "Still Standing ... My Journey from Streets and Saloons to the Stage, and Sinatra" in which he shares his incredible rise from dirt poor kid who shined shoes to becoming one of the most beloved comedians and humanitarians of the last 50 years. On this Father's Day weekend, Tom's experience of finding out that his biological father was not who he thought he was and a deathbed confession underscores the power of forgiveness. 

Jim Alstott’s spiritual awakening didn’t happen on a mountaintop in Nepal; it happened on a Florida beach at nearly 400 pounds, exhausted, broken, and ready to give up. That night, a voice that wasn’t quite his own told him things would change. And they did.

Mind kinda guy. 

Music used by permission of the John Denver Estate.