Smooth Jazz WNUA 95.5

Rick O'Dell

Music Director
Middays
The New WNUA Spotlight

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Weekdays: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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Personality Contacts

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Biography

Mike's Space

Woof! I'm Mike. I belong to Rick and Lori (actually, they belong to me). I love people--veterinarians and mail carriers included--and I'm absolutely beside myself when I see a person or one of my own kind who won't come over and say hello. So let me introduce myself:

Status: single, but looking . . . for food.
Here for: networking with other Smooth Jazz canines and felines.
Orientation: straight--toward a Milk-Bone.
Hometown: Orland Park, Illinois.
Body Type: 60 lbs., solid but svelte.
Ethnicity: British via the south suburbs.
Zodiac Sign: Aries (Birthdate: 3/29/2000).
Smoke/Drink: No/Yes--can slurp-and-splatter with the best of 'em.
Children: None.
Behind my back they're saying: "He's dedicated to fun." (the words of my first dog walker)
Mike's Likes: cool days, a gentle scratch right above the tail, tennis balls, apples, Pup-corn, "Want to go for a ride?"
Mike's Dislikes: anything above 70 degrees, puddles, airborne plastic bags, articles of clothing forced on me.
Not so sure about: Cesar Millan.
My motto: Life is like a rawhide--chew it with gusto!

(Thanks to my good friend Peggy Asseo at the Chicago Academy for the Arts for taking my picture.)

As for Rick . . . here's his space:

Wife: Lori

Birthplace: Augustana Hospital – Chicago

WNUA Softball Uniform Number: 2

In my next life, I’d like to come back with a voice like . . .
Will Lyman (PBS); the late Lon Dyson (Chicago radio newsman, ‘60s-‘70s); Tommy Edwards.

A few of my favorite [Chicago] things . . .
Lake Shore Drive; Roger Ebert; North Clark Street (Andersonville); 16” softball; Buckingham Fountain; the Museum Campus; the Tribune & the Sun-Times.

They make me laugh . . .
Jerry Seinfeld; Dame Edna; Larry David; Jeff Garlin; Jackie Mason; Cedric the Entertainer; Lewis Black; Stephen Colbert.

Cubs or Sox?
Still hoping to outgrow my childhood affection for the Cubs.

My favorite radio people (as a listener) . . .
Bob Sirott; Roy Leonard; Tommy Edwards.

Letterman or Leno?
Both, and throw in Conan O’Brien, too.

Desert Island CDs . . .
The Best of David Benoit: 1987-1995; Reference Point (Acoustic Alchemy); Sweet Thing (Boney James).

When I’m not listening to Smooth Jazz, I’m listening to . . .
Movie themes; Late ‘80s/early ‘90s New Age; Classical music; ‘70s-‘80s Pop and Rock.

Nicest Smooth Jazzers I’ve met . . .
The entire Fourplay quartet (Bob James/Larry Carlton or Lee Ritenour/Nathan East/Harvey Mason); David Benoit; Nick Colionne, Joyce Cooling, Peter White.

Talent I wish I had . . .
Playing the piano like David Benoit; any sense of rhythm at all; a singing voice like Justin Hayward.

Red or Blue state . . .
Ever since I was a child my favorite color has always been blue.

Guilty pleasures?
Anything coconut; playing blackjack; shooting dice; The Sopranos.

Beef, chicken, or fish?
To me, nothing beats a perfectly prepared piece of salmon.

Coffee or tea?
Green tea or ice tea please. Unsweetened.

Give me Chicago’s four seasons in this order . . .
Fall, spring, winter, summer.

CDs in my player at home . . .
A Tribute to Doris Day--Heart's Desire - Sue Raney
(I was turned on to this entrancing CD by ex-Cub Carmen Fanzone at Randy Hundley's Cubs Camp in January. Sue Raney is Carmen's wife.)

DVDs in my player at home . . .
The Office (1st and 2nd seasons)
The Office (BBC version, 1st season)

Book my head is buried in when I'm at home . . .
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: A Book Adventure Through the Mysteries of Chinese Food (Jennifer 8. Lee)

Movie I'm recommending to everyone . . .
Young@Heart

Links

My website for past editions of WNUA CD Samplers: SaxTrax.com.
My friends at the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago: AntiCruelty.org.
My favorite site for serious baseball thinking: BaseballProspectus.com.
My personal website (currently under construction): RickO'Dell.com.

previous 3 entries >>

95 1/2 - RICK'S COLUMN (07/08/08)

Tuesday 07-08-2008 11:19am CT

95 1/2 seconds on . . . Your Host From Coast to Coast

For me, family vacations back in the day meant long driving trips. We rarely, if ever, flew anywhere. We had no A/C, GPS or On-Star in the car. But it mattered little to my dad, who plotted our route on a tattered old map of the interstate, and off we went. When it came to accommodations, we really took our chances. I don't remember that we ever called ahead; we never made reservations. My dad would simply pull into any motel along the way that seemed hospitable from the outside and ask if they had a room available.

Once every road trip, however, my dad would make a decision that would have my brother and me jumping for joy in the backseat. He'd say we'd be spending the night at a Holiday Inn.

I lived for the nights we spent at a Holiday Inn. The mere mention of the name still brings to mind everything I adored about the place back when I was a kid. Of course, it started with that classic neon sign along the road. Then there was the smell of the room. Every Holiday Inn room had the same smell--clean but not overly antiseptic. There were the little bars of soap and the green-striped towels. Picture postcards in the drawer of the desk. An ice machine my brother and I ran back and forth to. A swimming pool. An air conditioner I'd turn way up. To a kid this was five-star luxury. And it seemed Holiday Inns were everywhere.

This is what ran through my mind when I read in USA Today that the Holiday Inn chain is renovating many of its properties in the hopes of luring back boomers and their families. It might be a case of too little, too late, though. When was the last time you stayed at a Holiday Inn?

It was a truly great day if we stopped for lunch at a Howard Johnson's and then spent the night at a Holiday Inn.

(from Rich)
"Regarding Holiday Inns, I frequently stay at the one on Higgins and Mannheim Roads when I come to Chicago to visit. It is an updated unit with nice rooms, and they are very negotiable on the price, which is a very good one for Chicago.

I agree with your youthful road trips. It was the very same with us. Just think, without all the bells and whistles of today, we probably had more excitement and fun than the kids do today."

(from Bill)
"About Ho-Jo's . . . Corn Toastees. Fried Clams. Good milkshakes.

And, always a decent pool. D'you remember?"

(from Donna)
"Like you, I had similar experiences. We always drove or took Amtrak. We didn't start flying until my sister and I were in our tweens. We stayed in Holiday Inns but Ramada was always the favorite. We only stayed in Holiday Inns if there wasn't a Ramada close by. We also stayed in one room too to save money."

(from Tom)
"Rick, I can remember we always stayed at Holiday Inns when I was a kid and we were traveling. My dad always made it a point to stay there. I remember we had to travel one day from Sioux Falls, S.D., to Missoula, MT. Over 750 miles and he did all the driving as my mom would only drive on the interstate. This is when the floods occurred in Rapid City, S.D., and the bridge and city were washed out. You never saw a happier man than when he saw that Holiday Inn sign in Missoula.

95 1/2 - RICK'S COLUMN (07/07/08)

Monday 07-07-2008 8:20am CT

95 1/2 seconds on . . . the Cubs.

*Doesn't it seem like the Cubs have been on the road forever?

*After this weekend, anybody out there still think Cubs-White Sox was a more important series than Cubs-Cardinals? The players are right. Cubs versus White Sox is just another series. Then again, most of the time, bragging rights in this town are all we have to look forward to--on either side of town.

*So, the question is: are the Brewers with Sabathia good enough to overtake the Cubs and their 3 1/2 game lead in the second half? You've got to look at it this way. There will be 68 games left, give or take, once he joins the team. Sabathia gets into at least 13 of them (I say he makes 15 starts the rest of the way). If Sheets stays healthy, with the addition of Sabathia I believe the Brewers have enough to do it. That leaves the Cubs shooting for the wild card spot, which should come from the Central division this year. Unless, of course, they make a major deal of their own . . . .

*My favorite trade rumors site has been talking up the Cubs' pursuit of Greg Maddux, Randy Wolf and Rich Harden for weeks. Actually, I wouldn't mind if the Cubs found a way to sneak Matt Cain out of the Bay area.

*Why the persistent uncertainty by the team over the two Seans, Gallagher and Marshall? Why keep moving them in and out of the rotation, messing with two good young arms? As #5 starters, the double Seans give you league-average performance, which is more than enough from your #5. The real problem is your #4 guy, Jason Marquis. There's your weak link.

*The Cubs are talking about ending their tradition of posting the "L" flag after losses.

Unless they're also going to stop hoisting the "W" flag after wins, I say it's a bad idea. We're Cub fans, after all. Who better to take the bad with the good?

*I've never been entirely comfortable with the idea that three great months--a great half-season--are all it takes for some players to make the All-Star team. That being said . . .

*Seven All-Stars from the Cubs are a significant accomplishment. It won't happen again anytime soon, so let's enjoy it.

*Are Cub fans fully aware of how good Geovany Soto is? He has the chance to be the next Jorge Posada, a late bloomer who could be part of the solid core of a championship team for many years.

THE ETERNAL QUEST FOR A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP ENDS HERE

Wednesday 07-02-2008 9:08am CT

My wife and I have been sleeping much more soundly lately. All it took was a new mattress provided by the folks at Back to Bed. For a chance to win $1000 toward your own new mattress, come with me on a visit to their Oak Brook store.

Click here to take a quick tour.

previous 3 entries >>

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