In honor of Father’s Day, Rick shared a story from Geneva-based folk musician Jim Post, who wrote about his much loved “Daddy” and how the man brought him up. http://serve.castfire.com/audio/3366652/3366652_2017-06-18-232852.64kmono.mp3?ad_params=zones%3DPreroll%7Cstation_id%3D3807.mp3

Rick talked to Steve Darnall, publisher of Nostalgia Digest and host of “Those Were the Days” on WDCB 90.9 FM about the magazine’s latest swimsuit edition and the golden age of radio. Then, Rick read a story written by Jim Post about growing up with his Daddy. Then, Producer Lise interviewed her dad about his musical influences. Roger Badesch joined in to share part 3 of his life story. Last, but certainly not least, director Steve James told Rick about […]

Storytelling nights are starting to become dime a dozen in Chicago proper, but Maureen Muldoon moved from LA to the western suburbs, she felt a severe lacking in nearby storytelling outlets. So, when she saw Cathy Richardson play, she knew that together they could create a suburban sanctuary for storytellers at the picturesque & soulful Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn. They both joined Rick and Lise After Hours to talk about their journey, the structure of the special monthly night that marries […]

Frequently called the “Temple of Music,” Bronzeville’s Pekin Theatre was the very first black owned and operated stock theatre company in the United States. On June 18, 1905, they opened the first all-black show ever produced in Chicago. Now, almost 112 years later, Reginald Robinson alongside several keen musicians are going to recreate the night. He and Tim Samuelson joined Rick in the studio to talk about the show, the theatre, ragtime and how the city and its music has […]

Director Shade Murray and actress Jennifer Engstrom from A Red Orchid Theatre in the heart of gold town, Rick’s very favorite Chicago theater. They talked to Rick about the theater and their upcoming benefit, a staged reading of “Angels in America: Part One, Millennium Approaches” and how it came to be. “It came out of despair and helplessness, as all good art does,” said Director Murray. Find out more about the event on A Red Orchid Theatre’s website. http://serve.castfire.com/audio/3364098/3364098_2017-06-11-232238.64kmono.mp3?ad_params=zones%3DPreroll%7Cstation_id%3D3807.mp3  

Mary Fons, from the likes of PBS’ Love of Quilting and the Paper Girl Blog joined Rick Kogan in the studio to talk about her journey from Iowa to Chicago to become a poet, her mother, a legendary quilter & the difference between a professional quilter and a hobby quilter. She reminisced about the ‘electric’ poetry slams at The Green Mill & the blessing she received from The Marc Smith on her first night there. Then, she talked about why she moved away from […]

Mary Fons, from the likes of PBS’ Love of Quilting and the Paper Girl Blog joined Rick Kogan in the studio to talk about her journey from Iowa to Chicago to become a poet, her mother, a legendary quilter & the difference between a professional quilter and a hobby quilter. Then, Alex and Francis Key Scott White, better known as White Mystery joined Rick to talk about their latest record, their co-songwriting process, touring together around the world, being an independent band and […]

Chicago’s Fabulous Fountains Author Greg Borzo tells Rick about the past, the present and the future of these soothing installations. From Olson Rug Waterfall, to to the fountain right in Tribune Tower’s neighboring Pioneer Court, Greg shares the history of over 100 of Chicago’s beautiful fountains.

Reporting War: How Foreign Correspondents Risked Capture, Torture and Death to Cover World War II Author Ray Moseley joins Rick from London to share why journalists of all demographics risked their lives to cover the war. That group includes one war correspondent rose from having no experience in his field, to becoming a household name on the radio during one of the scariest moments in history.

Grown-Up Anger: The Connected Mysteries of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, and the Calumet Massacre of 1913 Author Daniel Wolff explains what brought him to relate to the musicians who have created movements through their words and sounds.