Heartland Holidays
In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash, Skyline Chili, Steve Goodman, Jake Moody, Nothing But Net
Welcome to my weekly newsletter. I hope you enjoy the picks and pics.
Fave Five 8: Heartland Holidays. Flick Lives! (In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash), Fave Five-Way (Skyline Chili), Chicago Shorty (Steve Goodman), Pride of Northville (Jake Moody), and Nothing But Net.
Barb and I enjoyed watching A Christmas Story Christmas on HBO Max when it started streaming last week. It is a sequel to the classic A Christmas Story, a movie based on the first two books written by Jean Shepherd. Both films are set in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, based on Jean’s actual hometown of Hammond, Indiana, just outside Chicago. The original movie was filmed in Cleveland and Toronto. We have driven by the Cleveland house that was used for exterior shots of the family home, which is now for sale. The sequel was filmed in Bulgaria and Hungary.
Jean’s childhood stories are classic tales of growing up in the Midwest. My family also has strong roots in the Midwest. Most of our extended family comes from Chicago or Indianapolis. My sister Ann has degrees from the University of Chicago and Kent State University, and lives in Columbus, Ohio. My sister Joan was born in Milwaukee, has degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota, and lives in Minneapolis. My brother David was born in Evanston (Illinois), graduated from high school in Clayton (Missouri), and attended Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan. I was born in Oak Park (Illinois), grew up in Omaha, graduated from high school in Clayton, went to college at Northwestern University in Evanston and Washington University in St. Louis, and live in Northville, Michigan.
Barb and I were going to spend Thanksgiving in Columbus with Ann and her family, but we had to change our plans. I had hoped to stop at a Skyline Chili while in Ohio, but that will have to wait for a future trip. Michigan will play Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday, and we will be watching in Northville. Go Blue!
This issue features the heartland: a Hoosier Author/Broadcaster, a Cincinnati Chili/Cheese Coney chain, a Chicago Singer/Songwriter, and a Northville Kicker/Tackler. The funny photo is apropos of the World Cup, which is now underway.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the Midwest and everywhere else in the United States. I am thankful to have you as a reader!
Book Best Bet
In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd
Jean Shepherd entertained me, enlightened me, and made me laugh. I listened to him every weeknight from 10:15-11 on WOR radio in New York. I read his books, In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash (1966), Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories: And Other Disasters (1971), The Ferrari in the Bedroom (1972), The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1978), and A Fistful of Fig Newtons (1981). I read his biography, Excelsior, You Fathead!: The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd by Eugene Bergmann. I watched his TV shows The Phantom of the Open Hearth and Jean Shepherd's America. I saw his movies A Christmas Story and My Summer Story. Barb and I met him at the studio of KETC Channel 9 in St. Louis, where he signed The Ferrari in the Bedroom for Barb with his trademark saying, "Excelsior!" He was the greatest radio performer I ever heard, and I loved his books. If you have never heard of Jean, read this book.
From Wikipedia: Jean Parker Shepherd Jr. (born July 26, 1921 in Chicago; died October 16, 1999 in Fort Myers, Florida) was an American storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. He was often referred to by the nickname Shep. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film A Christmas Story (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted, based on his own semiautobiographical stories.
From Amazon: A collection of humorous and nostalgic Americana stories—the beloved, bestselling classics that inspired the movie A Christmas Story.
Before Garrison Keillor and Spalding Gray there was Jean Shepherd: a master monologist and writer who spun the materials of his all-American childhood into immensely resonant—and utterly hilarious—works of comic art. In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash represents one of the peaks of his achievement, a compound of irony, affection, and perfect detail that speaks across generations.
In God We Trust, Shepherd's wildly witty reunion with his Indiana hometown, disproves the adage “You can never go back.” Bending the ear of Flick, his childhood-buddy-turned-bartender, Shepherd recalls passionately his genuine Red Ryder BB gun, confesses adolescent failure in the arms of Junie Jo Prewitt, and relives a story of man against fish that not even Hemingway could rival. From pop art to the World's Fair, Shepherd's subjects speak with a universal irony and are deeply and unabashedly grounded in American Midwestern life, together rendering a wonderfully nostalgic impression of a more innocent era when life was good, fun was clean, and station wagons roamed the earth.
A comic genius who bridged the gap between James Thurber and David Sedaris, Shepherd may have accomplished for Hammond, Indiana, what Mark Twain did for Hannibal, Missouri.
Restaurant Recommendation
I was introduced to Cincinnati-style chili when I visited the Queen City on business trips for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). I have dined at many Skyline locations, not only in Cincinnati, but also in Cleveland, Columbus, Indiana, Kentucky, and Florida. I first bonded with my eventual great friend, Steve Carter, at a Skyline in Indianapolis during a travel baseball team visit there.
I was very happy when Skyline opened two Michigan locations, including one in Lansing when my daughters, Tracy and Kathy, were at Michigan State. Tracy once called me from the Lansing location to gloat about having just ordered a three-way, and I was envious. Alas, the two Michigan locations are no longer open.
I try to stop at one whenever I am driving on I-69 in Indiana or I-75 in Ohio and Kentucky. I order a large five-way, which consists of spaghetti, meat, beans, onions, and lots of cheese. I like to order it inverted, which allows the cheese to melt under the spaghetti and chili.
From the website: As a child, Skyline’s founder, Nicholas Lambrinides, watched and learned as his mother lovingly prepared her unique family recipes in their hometown of Kastoria, Greece. He marveled at the magical blend of flavors and dreamed of one day sharing her culinary delights with the world.
Opportunity knocked when the family moved to America. They settled in the bustling Midwestern town of Cincinnati, Ohio. And in 1949, Nicholas realized his dream when he opened the doors of his first restaurant, perched atop Price Hill on the city’s West Side. His view of the downtown cityscape inspired the name and Skyline Chili was born.
Marvelous Musician
The late Steve Goodman was my favorite singer-songwriter. And two of my all-time favorite performances are Steve singing his own "City of New Orleans" and Michael P. Smith's "The Dutchman." Steve wrote wonderful songs, chose great songs to cover, had a rich singing voice, played the guitar skillfully, tackled tough topics, had a wonderful sense of humor, and was a genuinely nice guy. Everyone who knew Steve loved him. He had leukemia throughout his performing career but kept it hidden from his fans.
10 things Steve and I had in common:
Initials "SG"
Born in the Chicago area
Lived in Evanston
Jewish
Big baseball fans
Had a brother named David
Had a father who who told corny jokes
Had a father who smoked cigars
Had a father who died of a heart attack
1984 was a significant year.
The same year Steve died, my son Roger was born. As a toddler, he managed to unravel the cassette tape I had made of Steve's best songs.
I discovered Steve when I was a freshman at Northwestern University in 1971. Chicago native Tom Baltutis lived on my floor and raved about him. Steve was booked to perform on the front porch of our dorm, McClulloch Hall. After the show, he hung around our lobby and talked to us. I was hooked.
After my freshman year, I transferred to Washington University in St. Louis. I got copies of his first two albums when I worked at the campus radio station, KFRH, a small carrier-current AM station serving the Forsyth Residence Halls. From KFRH I also got a promotional copy of a single of "Election Year Rag" released for the 1972 presidential election:
Subsequently, I bought every album that Steve released. On the back of Steve’s debut album, John Prine wrote:
I been listening to the radio since I was three years old. I figured by now I could see songs better than most people could hear ‘em. The first time I heard Steve Goodman on the radio, I knew I was listening to a tall skinny cat with a little beard singing the best damn train song I ever heard. Two months later in the backroom at The Earl of Old Town, I met a short stout fellow with no beard who wrote and sang the best damn train song I ever heard. His name was Steve Goodman. The Lord works in Mysterious ways.
I saw Steve perform twice at Washington U—in Graham Chapel and at one of the first Walk In Lay Down (WILD) festivals. At WILD—note that this should be Walk In, Lie Down—he followed Leo Kottke. While Steve was playing, Leo was leaving, carrying his two guitars. Steve noticed him, played a hot guitar lick, and called out to Leo, "Eat your f***ing heart out, Leo!" After his set, Steve ventured out into the Quadrangle to mingle with the students. I went up to him, shook his hand, and told him how much his music meant to me. His reply was "Aw, shucks."
In 1974 Earl Pionke, owner of the Earl of Old Town in Chicago, partnered with Steve and the late Fred Holstein (along with Bill Redhead and Duke Nathaus) to open the North Lincoln Avenue music room Somebody Else’s Troubles. The club was named after Steve’s second album. Barb and I went there several times to hear Fred and to sing along.
I drove from St. Louis to Minneapolis to join my sister Joan at a Steve Goodman concert. Jethro Burns, a fellow Evanston resident, accompanied Steve on the mandolin. As was his custom, before playing "You Never Even Call Me By My Name," Steve asked the audience for a cowboy hat and a pair of cowboy boots, promising to return them. These were dutifully passed up to the stage and Steve donned them for that song.
I met the late Al Bunetta, who managed Steve and the late John Prine, on the last night of Cayamo 2012. I told Al that Steve would have been a natural on the cruise. His reply was, "Stevie would have kicked everyone else's ass on this boat!"
From Wikipedia: Steven Benjamin Goodman (July 25, 1948 – September 20, 1984) was an American folk singer/songwriter from Chicago. He wrote the song “City of New Orleans,” which was recorded by Arlo Guthrie and many others, including John Denver, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Judy Collins; in 1985, it received a Grammy award for best country song, as performed by Willie Nelson. Goodman had a small but dedicated group of fans for his albums and concerts during his lifetime. His most frequently sung song is the Chicago Cubs anthem, “Go Cubs Go.”
On September 20, 1984, Steve died at the age of 36 at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, in the wake of a bone marrow transplant from his brother David. He had anointed himself with the tongue-in-cheek nickname “Cool Hand Leuk” during his illness.
Enjoy Steve’s songs by listening to my playlist:
And listen to his Asylum albums that are not on Spotify:
City of New Orleans
The Dutchman
Sports Star
Michigan is preparing to meet its rival, Ohio State, this Saturday. There is no more important football game in the Midwest. This year, both teams are 11-0, with the Buckeyes currently ranked #2 and the Wolverines #3 in the nation.
Both teams were tested in their penultimate regular season games. Michigan trailed late, but beat Illinois, 19-17 behind four field goals by fifth-year grad student, Jake Moody. He kicked all four, including the game-winner with 9 seconds left, in difficult weather conditions, with swirling and gusting winds. Michigan State could have used a kicker like Jake in their 39-31 overtime loss to Indiana. The Spartans missed the would-be game-winning 22-yard field goal as time expired in regulation and had one blocked in overtime.
Jake graduated from Northville High School, where all three of our kids went. He is a hometown boy who has excelled on the big stage, and will likely get a chance to play in the NFL. His steady kicking could be the difference in The Game.
Game-winning 35-yard field goal vs. Illinois
Michigan celebrates the hero of the game
Kicker makes the tackle vs. Penn State
Michigan's Jake Moody showing he can be more than just a kicker
Career Highlights
Consensus All-American (2021)
Three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2019-20-21)
Bakken-Andersen Big Ten Kicker of the Year (2021), the first in Michigan history
All-Big Ten performer (first team, coaches; third team, media, 2021)
U-M's first-ever Lou Groza Award winner (2021)
In his first game place kicking (Indiana, Nov. 17, 2018), set Michigan records for single-game kick scoring (19 points) and most made field goals in a game (6)
Single-season record holder for made PATs (56) and points by a kicker (125); both set in 2021
Picture Pun
I finally reached my goal.
