Matt Dahl joins the program with stories of snorkeling and whale sightings. The roasted pig at the luau shocked his kids. Dag and Matt conjure the spirit of a tropical Steven Tyler. Matt and Brendan’s mobile party DJ business is primed for success. Listener emails offer both glowing and biting feedback on Dag and Brendan’s podcast fill-in performance.

Tom Thayer and Jim McMahon sat in a skybox with Mike Tyson and Robin Givens at the 1988 NBA All-Star Game at Chicago Stadium. A listener inquiry about Brendan’s nickname reveals an origin story. Dag found sound equipment via Facebook Marketplace. A gimlet-fueled oversight caused a missed connection with Brendan’s Thai delivery guy, but a miraculous phone call to the restaurant offers a chance for redemption.

Buzz Kilman joins Dag and Brendan to share bluesy wisdom and a turtle parent’s perspective. Virginia seeks professional help for her woebegone Bears. Instructing five thousand rats to act on command is one thing, but potty training is a whole other hurdle. Bono knows how to pronounce Hozier.

Steve and Janet send Dag an audio message from Hawaii on the anniversary of his birth. Dag celebrated his birthday at Simon’s in the company of Expo ’76 and a ton of adoring music lovers. Brendan shares a clip from his trip down to Gilman, IL. Vince’s Marvel chronology is questioned by a newbie. Brendan treats himself to some homemade enchiladas, but there’s a safety concern when his attempts to open a couple of cans of sauce produce only metal shavings instead the crucial component. Cheese to the rescue.

Dag describes the fun he had on his high school radio station. Brendan’s gym shoes are degrading in a mysteriously repetitive manner. Pitchfork will no hold a music festival in Chicago, a devastating blow to the alternative community. A true 80s hair band star will rock a venue, big or small. Woodstock, NY is home to a decidedly windblown shop owner/monk/guitarist.

Tom Thayer reacts to the dismissal of Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Tom knows that a victory over Green Bay on Sunday would put the season right back on track. Brendan encountered a legend at Louis Armstrong International Airport. Speaking of Brendan, he’s back home in Chicago, where he was welcomed not only by Hank, but by his favorite burrito stand. He and his LSU buddies kept cool heads in the midst of Tide smack talk. Preparation for Dag’s upcoming tour isn’t that different from committing hundreds of football plays to memory and being ready to deploy them in real-life situations.

It’s our first day of Steve’s Maui vacation, which by all accounts is going well, and Brendan is still on the scene in Baton Rouge/New Orleans. As we heard at the end of last week, he’s on an odyssey of fun, food, and football. Turns out all three of those are available in abundance, and Brendan had no trouble sourcing any of them. He also filed a couple of reports, which we’ll hear today as he sets up camp in a needlessly elaborate hotel lobby. Dag’s cajun food experience was far less authentic than Brendan’s, but he did treat himself to a slow-moving Pope-themed movie over the weekend. Our friend, audio genius Vince Argento is manning the controls, so we are in good hands.

With Brendan still getting after it in Baton Rouge, Steve and Dag are manning the S.S. Steve Dahl Show — don’t worry, Steve’s not buying a boat. But would selling his beloved ’59 Apache 31 truck inspire such a purchase? Let’s not go there. Buzz Kilman told his contractor that he wanted a cool floor, and he got just that, and more. This week’s episode of The Virginia Monologues features a guest narrator from Down Under. Steve helped Dag to post the Thursday show. Also, we pay tribute to the unsung hero of radio: the legal ID.

With all his weight loss over the year, Steve puts on a fashion show for Janet to see which clothes fit him and which clothes need to go to Goodwill. Calling all 2XL fans of Tommy Bahama shirts! Brendan is getting after it in Baton Rouge, and his night featured stand-up comedy, open mic music and a glorious meal at Waffle House. Multiple tailgate parties await him for Saturday’s LSU/Alabama matchup. Matt Dahl got the alarm party started last night after a fog machine mishap in Steve’s future study. Dag met a minimally appreciative John Cleese in Norway in 1976.

Brendan has a good idea for an airport restaurant. Speaking of airports, he and Steve are getting ready for their respective trips. Brendan is hopping a flight to Louisiana, whilst staring down a lurking tropical storm and Steve and family are headed to Hawaii. Steve is ready to pack his various medicines and select his airplane vittles for Hawaii. We learn their unique individual packing strategies. What about you, listener? Are you a folder or a roller? Steve saw a clip of John Sebastian restarting a song on Saturday Night Live starting his featured song over (a famous Steve Dahl stage move).

There’s a new Steve on Steve’s block, and it has him wondering if there’s a new pecking order being established. Election Day is here, and Dag is readying himself to vote at the Woodstock Fairgrounds. Urban Brendan has his choice of polling places. Brendan has some thoughts on corn dogs and Dag has some thoughts about bringing home-cooked fried chicken on an airplane. Steve recalls how his dog Spud was sent to a real farm, not a fake one, intended to soften a traumatic blow. And we love hearing from our listeners on Talk To Me Tuesday.

Steve, Brendan, and Dag had a marvelous hang on Saturday; first at Steve’s and then at Hillgrove Tap, where Dag ordered exactly as expected. It was also where Brendan’s status as a beloved Western Springs figure was confirmed by his friend “Fogger”, who was also on hand. Tom Thayer’s day in the broadcast booth got off to a poetic start, thanks to Jeff’s Poetry Corner. Despite the Bears dismal efforts, Tom at least had a chance to marvel at the accommodations at the Cardinals’ stadium.

Buzz has a stepladder he must climb twice a day. While Steve wants to help him with this situation, it soon becomes clear that Buzz may have to live with it. He also noticed a chip in his vintage cookie jar. He suspects Piper, who recently began storing bagels in the jar. We turn the tables on investigative reporter Pam Zekman by uncovering facts about her house. Brendan’s whipped up another hilarious episode of The Virginia Monologues (a weekly feat that impresses us), and it cleverly calls back to the Bears recent crushing loss. Is this Friday DahlCast short on fun? Nah!

Steve texted Bobby from his California burrito place after the Dodgers captured the World Series title last night. Dag’s new Spinone is fitting into his life at the Juhlin home. Janet recaps the trustee meeting, where Steve was chatty. Brendan reveals that his school had a carpeted gym. Speaking of a gym, did you work out to Robert Preston’s “Chicken Fat” record when you were a youngster? Update: Nerds Gummy Clusters will be passed out at the Dahl house for Halloween.

Janet oversaw last night’s Village Caucus with authority and community spirit, and was aided by Steve’s audio expertise (ha!). A light bulb went off in Brendan’s head with regard to the process of creating a parody song. Dag, on a concert roll, witnessed a marvelous Nick Lowe concert, which was followed by a quality post-show hang with Nick. Two Yankees fans tried to pry the ball out of Mookie Betts’ glove during Game 4 of the World Series. Joe turns us on to a great seasonal song from the ‘70s that somehow we have missed. What are our respective Halloween decorations and treats?How do you measure a Nerd?

Steve is obsessed with a new stat-spewing baseball app, which arrived just in time for his major baseball announcement/renouncement. Is Brendan seriously thinking about getting a tattoo? He’s grown accustomed to his temporary 773 tattoo. Steve is slated to help Janet out for an important town meeting tonight. All he has to do is sit and look. Also, on this Talk To Me Tuesday, listeners offer some advice on Steve’s TKR test flight concept. Has anyone tried the Purple Whopper at Burger King?

Steve suffered through a soggy deep dish from Lou’s, while Brendan delighted in the glory of party cut sausage and garlic at Vito & Nick’s. Brendan’s new broadcast table was procured over the weekend, as was the new dog in Dag’s life. But the real elephant in the room here is the Bears crushing loss. Tom Thayer, coping with three stages of anger/grief/dismay joins us to share his no-holds-barred opinions of the way things turned out yesterday. He has been a part of over eight hundred football games in his life, and the Commanders’ Hail Mary was the first successful one he’s ever witnessed.

Buzz talks about an elaborate radio prank he pulled off with Jim O’Heir 30 years ago, which went flawlessly and could in fact still be active. What happened to local radio, and where can we find it these days? Small towns and college radio, we reckon. Steve recalls the delight Roger Dahl took in running his grade school’s haunted house, and what elements of that still haunt him to this day. Steve finds the perfect blue apron for Brendan’s costume. Buzz isn’t dressing up, nor is he passing out treats.

Have ostriches been getting a bad rap for years now? Today we pull our heads out of the sand to discover the truth behind the myth about this unique bird. Steve discovers a treasure trove of lost Ask Janet email, so if you’ve been waiting for a reply since November, 2022, this show is for you! What traits have the Dahl boys taken from either Steve or Janet? Dag promotes his weekend shows with Expo’76 and his Who-based supergroup, The Sluffs. A barbershop with a liquor license could be coming to Western Springs.

There’s a new grinder and a new coffee pot in the Dahl kitchen. A woman fell overboard during a Taylor Swift-themed cruise and remains missing. Brendan’s sister Meg rescued a squirrel in distress. The squirrel stops by to give a health and wellness update. Hear the details of this display of extreme compassion on today’s show.More details emerge about Brendan’s Halloween costume, as well as his life in general Listeners are demanding it.

Steve teaches us about having a dominant eye, and how to check for it. He’s also just discovered the first (of nineteen) seasons of Sister Wives. There’s a plan afoot to lower the speed limit in Chicago. Apparently it’s for safety, but Brendan knows the real reason Chicago streets can be dangerous. Speaking of Chicago streets, Brendan hit the streets for a city wide open house, and was handed a beer and a gun. Dag fields a call from his mechanic during the show, and asks for your thoughts and praters during this difficult time.

Steve’s had a wobbly weekend as he tried to figure out what’s plaguing him. Is it some sort of flu? He did make it to Walgreens for some meds, but he was forced to pull out of the neighborhood golf outing. Tom Thayer wants to make sure that Caleb Williams is able to adjust to changing game conditions, in terms of out of town crowd noise. Steve ponders a viking funeral in Hawaii. Dag’s contemplating a new kind of sandwich (we get some sandwich tips from 1950 today), and Aaron Rodgers finds his own way to snack during a game.

Buzz Kilman joins us today, and while we share vivid memories of bubble gum, we discover Buzz chewed tobacco for one summer when he was a youth. With stealth grace, Virginia magically appears and we enjoy another episode of The Virginia Monologues. Today’s installment weaves wisdom into the humorous moments, of which there are many. We also speak with “Mr. Bean”, AKA Roast2Order’s Mike Mascow, who reveals his Saluki past and deep Steely Dan knowledge. Also, Brendan tries to organize a road trip/day off/desk and pie pickup, but it’s not looking likely.

Rumors are circulating that the White Sox are up for sale, an idea whose time seems to have come. Would the team move to Nashville? Steve’s wondering why Butterfinger candy bars seem so hard to find, even in Halloween season. Janet’s brother went from wild man to baller through the years. Janet points out some lapses in Steve’s table manners, and Dag is trying to start a movement for more European-style eating, in terms of not switching fork hands to eat. He also downed some currywurst at Pleasant House Pub in Pilsen.