Musician John Cowsill joins Wendy Snyder to talk about his original band The Cowsills, how the band was the inspiration for ‘The Partridge Family,’ the new music he recorded with his wife Vicki Peterson (The Bangles), his appearance on the Tommy Tutone classic, ‘867-5309/Jenny,’ his work with the Beach Boys, and being one of the new vocalists for T…

Producer Mike Matessino returns to talk about the remastered and expanded reissues of two riveting Americana scores by Maestro John WilliamsHosted by Tim Burden and Maurizio Caschetto Special Guest: John Takis 2025 began with two long-awaited archival reissues of John Williams’ scores: The Reivers (from La-La Land Records) and The Patriot (from Int…

Author Jayne Mattingly joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to discuss her new book, “This Is Body Grief: Making Peace with the Loss That Comes with Living in a Body.” Jayne talks about the moment her ‘body stopped working,’ how her life changed when she lost the ability to walk, why we are conditioned to say, ‘sorry,’ how writing the …

Bob Bertog, president of Bertog Landscape Co. in Wheeling and a certified landscape professional with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to answer all of your lawn and garden questions. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7345406/7345406_2025-03-28-163806.128.mp3 Recent Posts John Wil…

Enjoy this edition of “The Best of Speed Jokes.” What was your favorite joke of the week? Keep sending your jokes to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com! https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7345307/7345307_2025-03-28-152507.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams What is your favorite Chicago-style pizza? .cls-4{fill:#000;} John Cowsill’s new songs …

Cathie Smith, owner, G.M. Smith and Son Realtors, joins John Williams to talk about their family history in Villa Park, their family being the first real estate office in Villa Park, the wonderful small businesses that are in Villa Park, and what she loves about being in a close-knit community like Villa Park. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/73441…

John Paul Demirdjian Sr., owner and chef visionary behind The Captain’s Room in Villa Park, joins John Williams to talk about signature hot sauce Captain Demo’s Red Hot Pepper Sauces, how the hot sauce was discovered by the one and only Lou Manfredini, the historic building that houses The Captain’s Room, the popular menu items at the restaurant, a…

U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8) joins John Williams to talk about the Signal chat group leak, the vulnerability of using Signal, his concern that no one has taken accountability for the mistake, the danger of sharing classified material of a military operation, and why he believes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should resign. https://serve.c…

It’s time once again for our Best of the Midwest feature! Are you trying to come up with some vacation ideas that are only a quick getaway from the Chicago area? Well, John Williams has some great recommendations for your trip! Today, we take our appetite across the border and visit with the always delightful Stephanie Klett, President and CEO, Vis…

Author and registered dietician nutritionist Dawn Jackson Blatner joins John Williams to talk about the benefits of adding fish to your diet, and fun ways to eat more fish. Dawn also answers all of your nutrition questions. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7344078/7344078_2025-03-27-192518.128.mp3 Recent Posts Dawn Jackson Blatner DJ Blatner: Fun w…

John Williams brings you another round of Speed Jokes. Keep sending yours to JohnWilliams@wgnradio.com. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7343615/7343615_2025-03-27-155115.128.mp3 More Speed Jokes Recent Posts John Williams What is your favorite Chicago-style pizza? .cls-4{fill:#000;} John Cowsill’s new songs are a love letter to family .cls-7{fill:…

The Mincing Rascals this week are John Williams of WGN Radio, Eric Zorn, Publisher of The Picayune Sentinel, Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute (sign up for his new Substack!), longtime Chicago journalist Cate Plys, and political pundit Marj Halperin! This week the Rascals start the podcast discussing The Atlantic publishing the contents …

Elder law attorney Kerry Peck joins John Williams to answer all your questions about elder law, trusts, wills, and elder abuse. Kerry tells John why you should consider long-term care insurance, and the importance of having end-of-life conversations when you are mentally competent. https://serve.castfire.com/audio/7340599/7340599_2025-03-26-213639.…

Maureen Dowd, author and Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Op-ed columnist, joins John to discuss her new book, “Notorious: Portraits of Stars from Hollywood, Culture, Fashion, and Tech.” Maureen talks about being in Chicago for the DNC, how she picked the columns to include in the book, the challenge of writing about notable figures such as Ge…