WGN - The Download with Justin Kaufmann Podcast

It’s Valentine’s Day so we thought we’d bring in our resident philosopher Al Gini to tackle the subject of love. Al talks about the different kinds of love, the impact that love has on our lives, the origins of Valentine’s Day, the industry that surrounds Valentine’s Day, the relationship between love and sexuality, the role that religion plays in love and sex, sex being an entrée to intimacy, how being in love requires a lot of work and the concept […]

We have another terrific show for you this evening. On tonight’s episode of The Download, Justin speaks with musician Mike Doughty about his career and upcoming show at Lincoln Hall, our resident philosopher Al Gini tackles the origins of love on Valentine’s Day, WGN’s Kevin Powell checks in from spring training to tell us how things went in Arizona for the Chicago Cubs, Lane Tech High School students Alexander Milne and Seth Hultgren tell us about their play, “Static,” that […]

Mike Doughty, singer-songwriter, author and former frontman for the 90’s band Soul Coughing, joins Justin to talk about his career, how his music evolves from one album to the next, his life being a touring musician, how compulsive behavior can be harnessed for good, being able to separate bad times in his life from the great songs in his arsenal, his latest record, “The Heart Watches While The Brain Burns” and his show this weekend at Lincoln Hall. Follow Justin […]

The tremendous Chicago electro-pop duo My Gold Mask join Justin to talk about their career, their process of creating and making music, continuing to challenge themselves creatively, being embraced by the shoegaze and goth communities, wanting their fans to connect with their music, the uniqueness of their sound, the visual aspect to the act, their 2016 album, “Anxious Utopia” and their upcoming show at Thalia Hall. The duo also perform a few songs including “Dangerous, “Battles” and “In Diamond White.” […]

We have another amazing show for you this evening! On tonight’s episode of The Download, political analysts Chris Varones and Kevin Lampe argue about Trump politics including the controversy surrounding national security adviser Mike Flynn, Bob Koester talks about closing The Jazz Record Mart, opening a new store and his life in music, “Trainspotting” writer Irvine Welsh and writer Don De Grazia tell us about their new “Creatives” project and we end the show with some live music in Studio […]

Chicago treasure Bob Koester joins Justin to talk about his amazing life in music including his decision to close the legendary Jazz Record Mart, why he decided to open another retail operation, why he came to Chicago in the late 1950’s, what attracted him to jazz music, what he wanted to accomplish with Delmark Records, why Chicago thrived as a jazz town, how jazz music has changed over the years, the popularity of jazz all over the world and why […]

The Carry Out is the nightly segment where Justin reads the newspaper so you don’t have to. Tonight’s top stories include the weekend violence in Chicago, Governor Rauner planning to address Chicago violence in his budget address, a company charging $89,000 a year for a new muscular dystrophy drug, Playboy announcing that centerfolds are going to return, Elon Musk saying humans need to evolve with machines, Apple shares hitting an all-time high, the Northwestern Wildcats defeating Wisconsin, pitchers and catchers […]

The Carry Out is the nightly segment where Justin reads the newspaper so you don’t have to. Tonight’s top stories include the 9th Circuit Court ruling against Donald Trump’s travel ban, Jeff Sessions being confirmed as Attorney General, President Trump signing more executive orders, Kellyanne Conway promoting Ivanka Trump’s clothing line on FOX News, the French government worrying about Russia hacking their upcoming election, the tech world buzzing about an iPhone 8, the union for the CTA wanting better bathroom […]

Dep Clapp, the Executive Director of the League of Chicago Theatres, joins Justin to discuss the health of theater in Chicago. Deb talks about Chicago Theater Week, what makes Chicago Theater Week so successful, the state of plays in Chicago, how the storefront theaters are the lifeblood of theater in Chicago, the strength of the theater going audience, the challenges theaters face on a daily basis and what the future holds for the arts in the current political climate. Follow […]

What an incredible show we have for you! On tonight’s episode of The Download, Justin speaks with Deb Clapp, the Executive Director of the League of Chicago Theatres about the current state of Chicago theater, Scott Dikkers, the founding editor of The Onion chats about his forthcoming book, “Trump’s America: Buy This Book and Mexico will Pay for It,” burlesque performer Michelle L’amour tells us about her upcoming Valentine’s show, funk and jazz legend Maceo Parker talks about his career […]