The SmorgShow Podcast (Smorgasbord Radio)

Chris and Ally are finally back behind the mic after another rather lengthy hiatus. This time, Chris's Dad and Ally's Grandfather Conrad Cardello is in the studio. Chris's roots and passion for radio broadcasting are traced back to his dad's early days when he also recorded spontaneous skits with his best friend. An early recording from circa-1963 was recently unearthed and played here.

We then ask the deeply philosophical questions, "If you had a time machine, would you travel to the past or future?" and "What time period would you visit?". This then leads into a discussion around American life in the 1950s and whether all that we see in TV shows accurately represent that decade. We then play a trivia game around the classic TV series "The Honeymooners".

Baba Gonesh has left the country, this time perhaps for good, but he presents "Baba News" from India where he informs us about the end of the telegraph service.

Featured Artist of the Week: Winner of The Voice Season 4, Danielle Bradbery.

Happy New Year and Happy St. Patrick's Day – The first episode of 2013! Chris and Ally have a lot of explaining to do about why six months have passed since the last episode.

Chris discusses his days on the government dole and his victorious return to the workplace. Baba Gonesh returns for a belated 70th birthday and delivers the long awaited 'Baba News'.

Former Smorgasbord Radio Show Co-Host Dave Jackson guest stars.

Featured Artist of the Week: Celtic singer-songwriter, Marc Dunn

It's really hard to believe that it has been 30 years since Dave Jackson and I kicked off the original Smorgasbord Radio Show at Downers Grove North High School radio station, WDGC 88.3 FM. Dave and I had a unique chemistry that made the show special. Sadly, at the pressure of parents who wanted me to amount to something, I never pursued a professional radio career, so there was a 25-year gap between my last radio show at my college station and the time that I brought the Smorgasbord show back in podcast form in early 2010.

Over the past 82 episodes, I have been blessed to have another fantastic partner by my side for this new adventure – my daughter, Ally. If you listen to the shows that have been recorded over the span of the past three years, you can hear how she has grown into a strong partner. The SmorgShow Podcast has been a great hobby for Ally and me as it has created a bond and special memories between us that will forever last. It's also allowed me to get the creative juices flowing again after two long decades of an office career. Thanks to 21st century technological advances, we have been able to take the show to a level that was not possible when Dave and I did the original show back in the 80's. For the most part, Ally and I have tried to make the new show our own rather than try and recreate what Dave and I did 30 years ago. But on this particular anniversary episode, we could not let the milestone occasion pass without looking back and celebrating what we did all those years ago.

I think we created something special with episode 82. Those with an acute attention to detail will notice that the anniversary show where we look back on 1982 actually falls on episode #82. Coincidence? Of course, it would not be a complete celebration if we did not have one of the original co-founders of the Smorgasbord Show, Dave Jackson, present for the event. On this particular occasion, we chose to return to our original stomping grounds and host the event at the fabulous Carlisle Banquets in Lombard, IL. This is where Dave and I hosted "The Taste of the Smorg, 1984" (a nod to Taste of Chicago where local restaurants set up their stands and sell samples of their menu items). We were able to line up quite a variety of food vendors this time around. In addition to sampling some of the great foods from around the country, we couldn't resist the urge to dust off some of the old Smorgasbord Show recordings and give them a spin. Admittedly, some stood the test of time better than others.

This episode is nearly 3 hours long because in addition to going down memory lane, we booked a list of great entertainers who performed live on two different stages at the Carlisle. On the Oakbrook Room Stage: Hawaii's David Kamakahi & Ikaika Brown, Iceland's Sjonni's Friends, the SmorgShow's very own Phillip Donald, and Ally performs her brand new ballad, "Untold Stories" to an adoring crowd. Also, we are very excited that our good friend from Cheltenham, England – Jordan Martyn – came all the way to Chicago for our show and decided to debut two brand new songs never heard before tonight. Finally, on the Butterfield Room Stage, we are entertained by the sounds of Richard Cheese and his band 'Lounge Against the Machine'.

Jordan Martyn On Stage at The Carlisle

I'd like to thank everyone who has been with us on this journey. Whether you listened to us during the original run or just recently stumbled upon us, we really appreciate our audience. I hope we can provide additional entertainment value to you for many years to come.

Phillip Donald Live on Stage at the Carlisle

We are proud to present Ally's new song – an original composition called "Untold Stories".

We discuss the death of a 44-year old man out of Kalispell, Montana who was killed by a motorist while dressed in a ghillie suit, trying to stage a fake Bigfoot sighting.

We then go to Rockwood Tap House in Downers Grove, IL where we find Chris and Dave having lunch together. They just came back from putting down the final deposit for the upcoming 30th anniversary show at Carlisle Banquets. They discuss how they used to think being in radio impressed girls.

This episode is shorter than usual because we are preparing for what we hope to be an amazing show on September 15. The SmorgShow will be doing a live podcast event from the Carlisle in Lombard, IL. We have just confirmed that Jordan Martyn, one of our featured artists of the week, will be traveling from the UK to Chicago to perform at our special event. In case you missed our exclusive interview with Jordan, you can check it out at Episode 56.

Campfire S'morgs '12: Live from Waa Kee Sha Park in Oswego, IL. Last year at this time, we took the remote equipment out to the woods to do a live streaming podcast event. We called it 'Campfire S'morgs', a clever play on words if you didn't figure it out. If you missed it, you can head over to Episode 57 and listen to us do the show from around the campfire. Given that the weather was absolutely perfect this weekend, we decided to do this show a week earlier than planned.

In light of a recent tragic campfire accident where two young girls were badly burned from a campfire explosion, Anthony provides helpful tips for keeping safe when building and extinguishing a campfire. Baba tells some jokes to lighten up the atmosphere, and shares some unusual games that you can play around the campfire. We then take turns reading some extremely scary ghost stories. Finally, it wouldn't be an official campfire without singing, so we all take a stab at singing a John Denver song. Maybe we should have practiced a bit more before doing this one live.

Also, on a totally unrelated topic, I talk about how I met Verne Troyer, the actor best known for playing the Austin Powers character, "Mini Me".

Featured Artist of the Week: Jenna Jentry

I would like to apologize to our featured artist of the week in that I back-announced her as "Jenny Jentry". I must have been reading ahead to one of our ghost stories called "Screaming Jenny". There is no relation as it turns out. Anyway, head over to her Facebook page and check her out.

In this episode, I prep Ally for returning to school – this time as a high school freshman. It reminds me of a feature that Dave and I used to do on the old Smorgasbord radio show. We would help the incoming freshman survive their first week by making their transition to the big school a little easier. Although 30 years later, I am not sure I know all the right moves myself. It's a good thing for Google. I did some extensive research on the important things to keep in mind when starting high school. This segment transitions nicely to the discussion I have with Ally and my wife Kim about the new girls social group that they are starting, and how that feeds into my new idea for a family-oriented podcast I am launching this fall.

We then weigh in on the Chik-Fil-A controversy without getting too political. Regardless of where you stand on the same-sex marriage issue, you have to admit that they make a pretty darn good chicken sandwich. So we present the official Chik-Fil-A chicken sandwich recipe that you can make at home if you are not in close vicinity to one of their restaurants.

Baba Gonesh stops in to present another installment of Baba News. Featured stories include: A teacher is jailed for beating up and cutting the hair of a 10-year old student for not conforming to the appropriate code, India pampers its pooches, and the debut of the India National Museum of Toilets. If you would like to see the full video of the event, check out Baba's site: DeathByCeilingFan.com

Featured Artist of the Week: Adrianne Richards

Pizza, beer, and Baba…that's how Chris spends his bachelor week while his wife and daughter are on vacation in Arizona.

Chris hosts this week's show alone and discusses a brand new podcast he will be starting up this fall that will focus on issues facing high school students.

Baba Gonesh calls in to talk about his new business venture and then joins Chris live in the studio for another installment of 'Baba News'. Featured stories include: Bridge in India could collapse due to human spit, Cook is killed for a delay in serving tandoori chicken, and Weird 'blood red' rain in India panics people . Baba also talks about the top reasons for suicide in India which has prompted him to purchase a new domain name "DeathByCeilingFan.com".

Also featured: SmorgShow Family Feud (previously aired on episode 26).

Featured Artist of the Week: Mark Knopfler