Phone Messages

The Canon Canonet was an affordable 35 mm rangefinder camera first released in 1961. The Canonet G-III, released in 1972, sold over a million copies before being discontinued in 1982 and was used by the title character in the 1998 film Pecker.

When we remember the past, sometimes we must confront behaviors that now make us cringe.

The Young Dogs, a poetry club that performed at the University of Chicago Reynold's Club Theater, welcomed odd musical groups, some of which later ended up on the stage of the Knitting Factory.

Sometimes the least common denominator between the corners of your mouth is a piece of chewing gum in the snow.

The Chicago Maroon could consume the life of a college student, but it could also launch a career.

The dictation machine can be traced back to Edison and Bell's inventions in the 1870s and 1880s. In the 20th century, the Dictaphone and IBM improved upon the technology.

Herbert George is an exceptional sculptor, and as a teacher. he inspired many students at the University of Chicago.

Chicago winters were notorious. Below zero windchills could easily overcome the weak radiator heat of a studio apartment.

When does a juvenile prank cross the line to cruelty? And can one make amends for past acts that crossed the line?

Before Caller ID, the answering machine was used to identify who was calling before picking up.

In the late eighties, publishing a college literary journal could be filled with late night stress.

Feeling bad is a relative thing, and according to Daniel Johnston, a better life brings better orgasms.

Daniel Johnston was a musician and visual artist who embodied the eccentric spirit of 1980s Austin.

In 1989 Richard Linklater filmed a love letter to the city of Austin and redefined the concept of Slacker.

John Moschitta Jr. became famous for talking fast in a 1982 Federal Express commercial. His skill proved hard to imitate.

In Chicago, if you want to have a jam band in your apartment, it's helpful to have neighbors who are doing equally loud things.

Madison Wisconsin in the 1980s was a great place for campus activism, but personal experiences around this activism were often complicated.

Bob Marley died in 1981, Peter Tosh in 1987, but their spirits remain strong, especially in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatbush.

In fall of 1988 I went to visit my grandmother in Lakeland Florida. She was born not just before answering machines but also before the technology of automatic switchboards were widespread.

What happens when some Chicago kids confront a novel technology? The answering machine was invented in the 1940s but was still uncommon in 1980s homes.

Emile was my college dorm neighbor and a decent musician. He also inspired a song by Chris Pearson.

My pet rat Albert died in fall of 1988. He was buried in an empty lot behind Bret Harte Elementary School.

In the 1990s, Chicago became the center of a so called "post-rock" scene. Did my record collection, passed on to James Warden, play a role in this?

Brian Omelia hails from the Quad Cities, where my father's parents also have roots, specifically in Davenport's Germantown.

Madison Wisconsin, known for its hippie lifestyle and radical politics, also had great dance clubs.

Chris Pearson describes his life in 1988 Chicago and how he entered his career as a decorative painter.

Albert Ayler lived a brief high intensity musical life in search of spiritual unity. John Coltrane and a few other supporters saw him as visionary, but he was largely underappreciated in his time.

David Durenberger served as Minnesota Senator from 1978 to 1995. He fell in the moderate middle of the Minnesota Republican Party,

Was it Anne that left this message in Fall of 1988? If it was Anne, which Anne was it? And where was I that night? Did we go up north as planned? This and other mysteries are explored.

While living in Hyde Park, the north side of Chicago provided a space to escape our neighborhood joints and dance in nightclubs like Club Berlin and the Smart Bar.

This week I describe meeting my friend James at a Hyde Park party.

In this episode I describe my low income life of 1988. This included an early morning job unlocking buildings on the University of Chicago campus using a little known passageway that went from Cobb Hall to the Business School.

This week we here a message from my friend Rekha, and I recount an incident driving through Wisconsin.

This week I discuss volunteering for Southend Musicworks, an organization led by Leo Krumpholz that brought alternative music to Chicago from 1987 to 1994.

This week's episode contains a longer than usual message from my friend Joel.

This week I play my sixth outgoing message.

This week's messages is the third from my mom.

In this week's message I talk about going to see Edward Wilkerson's Eight Bold Souls at Salon of Modalisque and Hal Russell's NRG Ensemble at Lower Links in September of 1988.

This week we here a song from Chris Pearson, fellow member of folk/punk/noise band Open Sauce.

This week I discuss going to see Sun Ra at the 1988 Chicago Jazz Festival.

This week I discuss my friend Jason Veitzer and our plans to see Sun Ra at the 1988 Chicago Jazz Festival.

This episode is the first in a trilogy about the 1988 Chicago Jazz Festival. I discuss the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

In this week's episode, I discuss an incident that took place near the University Apartments in Hyde Park leading to my appearance in a Chicago courtroom.

This week I discuss the desegregation of Minnesota schools in the 1970s. I also describe the open school design of Longfellow Elementary in St. Paul. Finally, I highlight the recent initiative by Mayor Melvin Carter to eliminate fines at St. Paul public libraries.

In this episode I examine the history of telemarketing and robocalls--from a 1942 Popular Mechanics article describing an auto-dialer to efforts by the FCC to address the recent resurgence of robocalls.

This episode recalls the old Maxwell Street Market and the first night game at Wrigley field.

In this episode I recall my time writing for the Grey City Journal and discuss the hymn that inspired the title of GCJ. The lyrics by Edwin H. Lewis were inspired by Chicago's 1893 Columbian Exposition and became the University of Chicago's alma mater.

This week’s episode leads me to discuss the “ship of fools” allegory from Michel Foucault’s History of Madness, a brief history of Illinois Central Railroad and the nineteenth century California writer Bret Harte.

Joel's first message leads me to discuss South Chicago's AACM and the 1987 World Series win of the Minnesota Twins.

This episode contains a message from my mom. Since last week was my explainer episode, this is the first actual message I play. The twenty second message provides a nice insight into my mom's personality.