Superdawg co-founder dies

Superdawg co-founder Flaurie Berman died in her sleep last night. Flaurie, along with husband Maurie, started the legendary hot dog joint 70 (!) years ago. The hot dog effigies of her and Maurie (who died three years ago) are Chicago institutions, standing proudly above the Milwaukee Avenue location (they can also be found on top of the Wheeling location).

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Free Divvy rides!

Switzerland wants you to ride a bike.  And come visit their beautiful country for the ‘ride of your life!’

From now until the end of May national bike month, you can enter your email for a chance to win a trip to Switzerland and a send a friend a Swiss postcard for a free bike ride HERE

they will be sent a code for unlimited 3-hour Divvy Bike rides for a 24 hour time period.  (you can also send yourself a postcard to get a code)

It’s been a while for me so hopefully riding a bike is just like riding a bike!

<3 @laurenoneil

Queued Up #277 – 4.29.18

Hour 1

  1. Foo Fighters – The Line
  2. Blacktop Queen – Desert
  3. ODESZA – Higher Ground
  4. Meg Myers – Numb
  5. Welshly Arms – Sanctuary (PIQNIQ)
  6. Moon Taxi – Too High (Queued Up Artist Showcase 6/6)
  7. Rex Orange County – Loving Is Easy
  8. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Talking Straight
  9. King Princess – 1950
  10. The Longshot – Love Is For Losers
  11. Manchester Orchestra – The Moth
  12. CHVRCHES – Miracle
  13. James Bay – Pink Lemonade
  14. Teenage Wrist – Stoned, Alone

Hour 2

  1. Alice Merton – Lash Out
  2. Royal Blood – Hole In Your Heart
  3. Sofi Tukker – Baby I’m a Queen
  4. Cold War Kids – Can We Hang On?
  5. SYML – Where’s My Love (Queued Up Artist Showcase 5/16)
  6. AJR – Burn The House Down
  7. Just Loud – Electrified
  8. Rainbow Kitten Surprise – Fever Pitch
  9. Flora Cash – You’re Somebody Else (Queued Up Artist Showcase 6/6)
  10. The Driver Era – Preacher Man
  11. Fan Girl – Out Again
  12. Mt. Joy – Silver Lining
  13. Nothing But Thieves – Crazy
  14. Artificial Pleasure – On a Saturday Night

Is that…John Travolta on stage with Foo Fighters?

Your Fighters of Foo certainly enjoy themselves a random cameo from time to time (see: Rick Astley)

This past weekend in Florida, John Travolta popped from watching the show side-stage as the band tipped their cap to him with a cover of “You’re The One That I Want.”  You know, that everybody sings from the musical, Grease.  Evidence:

#johntravolta x #foofighters

A post shared by Brian (@brianjzchaser) on

That’s not even the weirdest part of the story.

Come to find out that the Pulp Fiction star’s next movie is a project directed and co-written by Fred Durstyes, Hot Dog Flavored Water-Fred — a movie about a crazed celebrity stalker titled Moose.  And yeah, I’d say Travolta’s character looks a little….odd…

Travolta says working with Durst was “maybe my favorite experience I’d had.”  The former Limp Bizkit frontman has been carving out a directing career, directing Jesse Eisenberg in The Education of Charlie Banks and Ice Cube in The Longshots.  No release date yet for his latest film.

Dave Grohl, John Travolta, and Fred Durst — all in the same article.  2018, what a time to be alive.  — [eric]

4.29.18 Alt_Backspace

Hour 1

  1. Sublime – April 29, 1992 (Miami)
  2. XTC – Generals And Majors
  3. Material Issue – Valerie Loves Me
  4. Offspring – Gotta Get Away
  5. Echo & The Bunnymen – The Killing Moon
  6. R.E.M. – Orange Crush
  7. Poe – Angry Johnny
  8. The Clash – Should I Stay Or Should I Go
  9. Bad Religion – 21st Century (Digital Boy
  10. Ash – Girl From Mars
  11. Garbage – Special
  12. The Pixies – Here Comes Your Man
  13. Devo – Whip It

Hour 2

  1. Blind Melon – Tones Of Home
  2. Big Audio Dynamite II – Rush
  3. Goldfinger – Here In Your Bedroom
  4. Alice In Chains – No Excuses
  5. Tears For Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World
  6. Radiohead – High & Dry
  7. They Might Be Giants – Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
  8. New Order – Regret
  9. Stone Temple Pilots – Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart
  10. Stereo MC’s – Step It Up
  11. Social Distortion – I Was Wrong
  12. Love & Rockets – No New Tale To Tell
  13. EMF – Unbelievable

 

 

This is the link for $20 PIQNIQ pavilion tix — but only while supplies last.

To celebrate National Concert Week, a select number of pavilion seats for PIQNIQ 2018 are just $20 — flat cost, no more fees.  Of course, that offer joins up with the 10 bands for $20 lawn tickets that we’ve been offering.  But even THOSE are cheaper, because while supplies last, there will be no fees on those either.

This is the direct link to the special offer.

The whole thing ends Tuesday, May 9th at 11:59PM….or until the tickets are gone.  Get on it!  — [eric]

[If for whatever reason that link is not working (computers, amiright?!?)  — NCW.LiveNation.com and scroll through to find the date]

 

‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ by the numbers, has crushed the weekend…and world.

As most people predicted, Avengers: Infinity War passed up Star Wars: The Force Awakens for the biggest opening weekend in North America: $250 million big.

Here are some more numbers to put this in perspective, thanks to the Hollywood Reporter:

  • At $630 million raking in the box office worldwide, it is now the record holder there — and surpassed the previous record holder by $100 million.
  • Infinity War also has the biggest Saturday the movies in North American history.  That means tons of families are seeing this flick.
  • People wanting to take in Black Panther before this movie helped them jump from the number 8 movie in North America — to number 5 this weekend.  It’s been in theaters since the middle of February.
  • Marvel Studios now own six of the top 10 all-time best opening weekends.  That’s a nice list to be on.  — [eric] 

***SPOILERS BELOW, but only if you click on the video*** — For those who have seen the movie, a discussion of the things you experienced, picked up on, or may have totally missed.  

Top craft brewer says legal pot has — mellowed beer consumption.

The growth of craft beer sales in Oregon sharply dropped off in 2016 — about the time that recreation marijuana became legal in that state.

The head of a top craft brewery says that is no coincidence.  From the Bend Bulletin:

“I believe cannabis has affected sales,” said Deschutes Brewery CEO Michael LaLonde. “It’s so potent today. Someone might go and have a beer and do some edibles, and the combination of those two things means they don’t consume as much alcohol.”

That very well could be.  But also pointed out in the same article, craft beer sales growth nationwide has fallen each year since 2014.  These are places that do not have legal outlets for cannabis.  So the slowdown is everywhere.  Why?

Perhaps the answer lies in the pure number of beer choices.  The number of craft breweries in the U.S. continues to grow and the volume of their product is up, too.  The market is leveling off, which means meteoric growth is no longer an automatic.  And the home of Deschutes — Bend, OR — has the highest brewery per capita of anywhere in the nation.  Maybe that has something to do with sales declines?

Sure, marijuana is becoming a competitor.  But I would be more worried about making my beer stand out and be better than the rest.  That’s the one thing you still control.  — [eric]

 

How good is ‘Avengers: Infinity War?’

It’s taking over the movie world as expected, but is it delivering the superhero goods in this highly anticipated Marvel epic?

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ currently holds a ‘fresh’ aggregated rating on Rotten Tomatoes , and here are some of the most reliable YouTube video reviewers talking about how well it plays off as it ranks in millions in it’s opening weekend.

NOTE: SOME OF THESE VIDEOS MAY REVEAL SPOILERS BUT THEY WILL GIVE YOU A HEADS UP! 

Would you pay someone to run your online dating profile?

Online dating can be an exhausting and frustrating process no matter what the app is, your putting yourself out there and maybe your simply not getting the results you want back. There is consistent complaints from both men and women that I know that someone can be creepy or simply unattractive in text responses or the roles are reversed and you simply don’t know how to turn an online interaction into a real date.

Enter the controversial service called VIDA (Virtual Dating Assistants). A service where users can paying a company to have “closers” run their dating profiles so they don’t have endure tedious trials and tribulations of it all. Yes, you can pay someone to run your Tinder, OK Cupid, etc. The site does offer the service to men and women, but Quartz which covered VIDA in deep detail in this article says most of the customers are men.

The ‘Closers’ get $1.75 for every phone number they get for their customers. It’s a website founded by dating expert Scott Valdez, who has authored the books Women On Demand and The Automatic Date Transition. 

The company also provides ‘matchmakers’ and ‘profile writers’ to handle other tasks in the quest to turn swipes into “ok, let’s meet at (INSERT PLACE) for drinks”.

It’s a pretty ethically questionable practice, but when there are over 12 million Tinder matches in a day, why should we be surprised by this? It’s not an entirely new concept as services like have been around for some time, but their interior practices have never been revealed nearly as much in this Quartz article in which author Chole Rose Stuart-Ulin worked as a ‘closer’ to get a full grasp of what VIDA does for it’s clients.

Let’s just be happy we don’t have to date like they did in the 80’s with this HILARIOUS vhs dating service….. it’s cringe comedy at it’s finest!

‘Double Dare’ latest show to slip, slide back on your TV

Double Dare will return to Nickelodeon this summer, proving that while you can’t pick your friends, you also can’t pick your friend’s nose — but you can dig around inside a giant paper mache nostril in search of a flag.

Gross.

A walk down memory lane below, after you check out the teaser trailer:

After a “toss-up” physical challenge, host Marc Summers would always explain the game:

“I’m going to ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, or think the other team hasn’t got a clue, you can dare them to answer it for double the dollars. But, be careful, because they can always double dare you back for four times the amount, and then you either have to answer that question or take the physical challenge.”

Of course, the BEST part of the show was the obstacle course that waited for you at the end of every show.  And at the end of every show, I pitied the poor people who had to clean up that trashed set.

Some interesting facts about Double Dare:

Check out a full episode of the show from back in the day.  — [eric]

 

Dave Grohl “adopts” fan, dispenses fatherly advice during Houston show

A fan in the front row of a Foo Fighters show in Houston had a simple message for Dave Grohl:  “NO DAD – BE MINE?”

Ask and ye shall receive.

Before strumming into a down-tempo version of “Big Me”, Dave not only “adopts” the twenty year old, but has some sound paternal advice about ear plugs, t-shirt selection & life in general.   [NSFW, because Dave likes to say f#$%.  A lot.] — [eric]

WKQX Meg Myers Text Contest

WKQX-FM’s “Meg Myers Text” Contest
Official Rules

A complete copy of these rules can be obtained at the offices of radio station WKQX-FM (“Station”), owned and operated by Cumulus Media Holdings Inc. or one of its subsidiary companies, 455 N. CityFront Plaza Chicago, IL 60611, during normal business hours Monday through Friday or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the above address.

The Station will conduct the WKQX-FM “Meg Myers Text” Contest (the “Contest”) substantially as described in these rules, and by participating, each participant agrees as follows:

  1. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not increase your chance of winning.   Void where prohibited.  All federal, state, and local regulations apply.
  2. This Contest is open only to legal U.S. residents, excluding Florida and New York residents, age eighteen (18) years or older at the time of entry with a valid Social Security number and who reside in the Station’s Designated Market Area (“DMA”) as defined by Nielsen Audio, who have not won a prize from the Station in the last 30 days or a prize valued at $500 or more in the last 60 days, and whose immediate family members or household members have not won a prize from the Station in the last 30 days or a prize valued at $500 or more in the last 60 daysVoid where prohibited by law.  Employees of Cumulus Media Holdings Inc., its parent company, affiliates, related entities and subsidiaries, promotional sponsors, prize providers, advertising agencies, other radio stations serving the Station’s DMA, and the immediate family members and household members of all such employees are not eligible to participate. The term “immediate family members” includes spouses, parents and step-parents, siblings and step-siblings, and children and stepchildren.  The term “household members” refers to people who share the same residence at least three (3) months out of the year. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules and Station’s decisions, which are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.
  3. Contest Period. The Contest will begin at 1:38 pm CT on Friday, April 27, 2018 and will run until 12:00 am CT on Monday, June 11, 2018 (the “Contest Period”).  The Station’s computer is the official time keeping device for this Contest.
  4. How to Enter. To enter:
  • Text: Send a text message with the keyword MEG to 312-101 during the Contest Period.  All entries must be received by 11:59 pm CT on Sunday, June 10, 2018 to be eligible for the Grand Prize drawing.  Standard text messaging rates, as established by an individual’s wireless carrier, may apply, and Station assumes no responsibility for any fees or charges incurred for and associated with any text message sent to or from Station.  Any and all fees arising out of the transmission of a text message shall be the sole responsibility of the entrant.  Limit one (1) entry per person per phone number. Multiple participants are not permitted to share the same telephone number. Any attempt by any participant to submit more than one (1) entry by using multiple/different telephone phone numbers, identities, or any other methods will void that participant from further participation in the Sweepstakes.
  • Online: Send an e-mail with the title Meg Myers Contest during the Contest Period, to [email protected] containing your Legal Name, Phone Number, Date of Birth, and Address in the body of the e-mail.  All entries must be received by 11:59 am CT on Thursday, April 19, 2018 to be eligible for the Grand Prize drawing. Limit one (1) entry per person per email address.  Multiple participants are not permitted to share the same email address. Any attempt by any participant to submit more than one (1) entry per day by using multiple/different email addresses, identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void that entry and the participant may be disqualified.  Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification. Station is not responsible for lost, late, incomplete, invalid, unintelligible, inappropriate or misdirected registrations, all of which will be disqualified.  In the event of a dispute as to any registration, the authorized account holder of the email address used to register will be deemed to be the participant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned the telephone number by the wireless carrier or an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted address.  Potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder. All entries become the sole and exclusive property of Station and will not be returned.  Station reserves the right to contact entrants and all other individuals whose email address is submitted as part of this promotion.  No mail-in entries will be accepted.
  1. Winner Selection. At approximately 10:00 am CT on Monday, June 11, 2018, Station will select one (1) entry for the Grand Prize in a random drawing from among all valid entries received by Station during the Contest Period. The winning entrant will be contacted using the email address and/or telephone number provided with the entry and may be awarded the prize (subject to verification of eligibility and compliance with the terms of these rules).  Station’s decisions as to the administration and operation of the Contest and the selection of the potential winner are final and binding in all matters related to the Contest. Failure to respond to the initial verification contact within three (3) days of notification will result in disqualification.
  2. Verification of Potential Winner. THE ELIGIBILITY OF ALL POTENTIAL CONTEST WINNERS IS SUBJECT TO VERIFICATION BY STATION WHOSE DECISIONS ARE FINAL AND BINDING IN ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE CONTEST. The potential winner must continue to comply with all terms and conditions of these Official Rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. The potential winner may be notified by email and/or telephone call after the date of random drawing and/or winner determination. The potential winner will be required to sign and return to Station, within three (3) days of the date notice is sent, an affidavit of eligibility and a liability/publicity release (except where prohibited) in order to claim his/her prize, if applicable.  A winner who returns the affidavit of eligibility and liability/publicity release will be deemed to have accepted the contest prize and thereafter will not be permitted to rescind their acceptance of the prize and/or return the prize. If a potential winner cannot be contacted, fails to sign and return the affidavit of eligibility and/or the liability/publicity release within the required time period (if applicable), or if the prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize. In the event that the potential winner of a prize is disqualified for any reason, Station may award the applicable prize to an alternate winner by random drawing from among all remaining eligible entries.    
  3. Grand Prize. One (1) Grand Prize will be awarded in this Contest.  The Grand Prize is two (2) tickets to Meg Myers on Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at Subterranean. ARV: Forty Dollars ($40). Winner is responsible for all taxes associated with prize receipt and/or use.  Odds of winning the Grand Prize depend on a number of factors including the number of eligible entries received during the Contest Period and listeners participating at any given time.

There is no substitution, transfer, or cash equivalent for prizes, except that the Station may, at its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by law, substitute prizes of comparable value or cash.  The prizes are expressly limited to the item(s) listed above and do not include taxes, gratuities or any other expenses.  Any tickets and/or gift certificates/cards awarded as part of a prize will be subject to the terms and conditions set forth by the issuer and are valid only on the date(s) printed on the tickets or gift certificates/cards.  Other restrictions may apply.

  1. Entry Conditions and Release. By entering, each participant agrees to: (a) comply with and be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Station, which are binding and final in all matters relating to this Contest; (b) release and hold harmless Station, Cumulus Media Inc., and its subsidiaries, related and affiliated companies, participating sponsors, the prize suppliers and any other organizations responsible for sponsoring, fulfilling, administering, advertising or promoting the Contest, and each of their respective past and present officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liability, including but not limited to negligence and damages of any kind to persons and property, including but not limited to invasion of privacy (under appropriation, intrusion, public disclosure of private facts, false light in the public eye or other legal theory), defamation, slander, libel, violation of right of publicity, infringement of trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights, property damage, or death or personal injury arising out of or relating to a participant’s entry, creation of an entry or submission of an entry, participation in the Contest, acceptance or use or misuse of prize (including any travel or activity related thereto) and/or the broadcast, exploitation or use of entry; and (c) indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all claims, expenses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to an entrant’s participation in the Contest and/or entrant’s acceptance, use, non-use or misuse of the prize.
  2. Except where prohibited by law, participation in the Contest constitutes winner’s consent to use by the Station and its agent of winner’s name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions and/or biographical information (including hometown and state) for promotional purposes in any media, worldwide, without further payment or consideration.
  3. All state, local, federal and/or other taxes, duties, tariffs, title fees, licensing fees, or other fees for prizes awarded become the sole responsibility of the winner.  All those who win a prize or prizes valued $600 or more in any given year will be issued an IRS Form 1099 to report their winnings.
  4. General Conditions. Station reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor beyond Station’s reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by Station in its sole discretion. Station reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or to be acting in violation of these Official Rules or acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Station reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Station’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.
  5. Limitations of Liability. The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by Station, entrants, printing errors or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the Contest; (2) technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (3) unauthorized human intervention in any part of the entry process or the Contest; (4) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the Contest or the processing of entries; or (5) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the Contest or receipt or use, non-use or misuse of any prize. No more than the stated number of prizes will be awarded. In event that a production, technical, programming or other error causes more than stated number of prizes as set forth in these Official Rules to be claimed, Station reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes by a random drawing among all legitimate, unawarded, eligible prize claims.
  6. Entrant agrees that: (i) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prizes awarded, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (ii) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest, or any prizes awarded, shall be resolved exclusively by the United States District Court or the appropriate state court located in the Station’s listening area; (iii) any and all claims, judgments and awards shall be limited to actual out-of-pocket costs incurred, including costs associated with entering this Contest, but in no event attorneys’ fees; and (iv) under no circumstances will entrant be permitted to obtain awards for, and entrant hereby waives all rights to claim punitive, incidental and consequential damages and any other damages, other than for actual out-of-pocket expenses, and any and all rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and Station in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the state in which the Station is located, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the state in which the Station is located or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the state in which the Station is located.
  7. Entrant’s Personal Information. Information collected from entrants is subject to Station’s Privacy Policy, which is available on the Station’s website under the “Privacy Policy” link. All entry blanks, forms, devices, and materials gathered during the course of entry, as well as all information contained therein, shall become the sole property of Station to be used, disposed of or destroyed in its sole discretion.  Station is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information entered by website users, and assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to Station’s website.
  8. Contest Results. A winners list may be obtained within thirty (30) days after the Contest Period expires by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to the Station identified below.

CONTEST SPONSOR: Cumulus Media Holdings Inc., WKQX-FM, 455 N. CityFront Plaza, Chicago, IL 60611.

Jam Productions, 207 W. Goethe Street, Chicago, IL 60610

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