Congratulations Chicago White Sox! World Series Champions 2005!

What a series! What a team!

Congratulations to the Chicago White Sox!

World Series Champions, October 26th, 2005

88 Years later, and a 1-0 victory against the Houston Astros has ignited one of the wildest celebrations this town has ever seen, as the Chicago White Sox proudly claim their first World Series title since 1917.

Thanks guys! Thank you very much!

Xbox 360 and Xbox Game Review

I’m very pleased to announce my latest website http://xbox-game-review.com/.

Thanks to some great search engine positions, listed as #3 on Yahoo for Xbox Game Review, and high subscription rates, I have decided to take my Xbox 360 and Xbox Game Review Blog to the next level.

The new website features all of the same great Xbox game reviews, hints, cheats, and walk-throughs, plus many more features. Bob Narleys Xbox 360 and Xbox Game Review has all of the latest Xbox news from around the globe, updated automatically every hour. Along with the usual news and tips, we have a forum where members are encouraged to share their tips and reviews.

If your an Xbox fan, I hope that you will join us at http://xbox-game-review.com/ and help make it one of the largest free resources for Xbox Game Reviews for the Xbox and the Xbox 360.

Johnny B. Back on The Loop

JOHNNY B. BACK ON THE LOOP
Brandmeier Morning Show to return to Chicago on WLUP

Jonathon Brandmeier is returning to the station and show he is synonymous with, Mornings on The Loop (WLUP 97.9FM). “Johnny B.” was previously heard on WLUP from 1983-1997.

Brandmeier has received multiple awards, including Radio’s highest honor; the Marconi Award for Major Market Air Personality of the Year from the National Association of Broadcasters. He is also the recipient of several Billboard Magazine Radio Personality Awards and was named one of Talker Magazine’s “100 Most Important Radio Hosts in America.” Locally he was consistently voted as a favorite in numerous reader polls.

WLUP Vice-President/General Manager Marv Nyren commented, “When Emmis assumed ownership of WLUP late last year, job one was to recruit a morning show that would return The Loop to prominence. After considering well over 500 personalities from across the country, we went the route Loop listeners led us to in the first place and brought Johnny B. back.”

WLUP Program Director Tim Dukes added, “The Loop” hasn’t been “The Loop” since Johnny left. He is the single most important Chicago air personality in the last 20 years and we’re ecstatic to have him back home again.”

Brandmeier will make his return within 2 weeks on The Loop, with a newly assembled morning team, and be heard Monday through Friday 6a-10a. A follow-up release will be sent once an exact start date has been determined.

31 Years of Guitar

I was taking a survey today for Fender. I guess I’m on their list for some reason. Anyways, as they are asking all these questions about what guitars I own, and what I think of their brand, they asked how long I had been playing guitar. So, in my head I quickly put 24 years, thinking “wow, I’ve been playing a long time”.

The next questions were a little redundant, “How old where you when you started playing guitar?” I squinted my eyes and started doing the math. Well, I was in 4th grade, I was 17 when I graduated high school.. so… ah.. mmm.. 9! I was 9.

Wait a minute, if I was 9, then… Brain starts to fizzle, smoke, squeaks, a few pops.

Holy shit! I’ve been playing guitar for 31 years! Wow, that’s a long time.

For some odd reason, in my head I’ve been playing for only 24 years. I think that is because the last time I sat down and counted how long I have been playing, that’s how long I had been playing. I’m such a dork sometimes. O.k. maybe most of the time.

31 years as a guitarist. I feel like I missed an anniversary or something. Shouldn’t somebody send me a watch or something?

I guess the truth is, after 20 years it all kinds of blends together.

I can remember my parents taking me into Consolidated Music of Barrington to get a musical instrument. At the time, I didn’t even want a guitar. I thought they were ugly and I hated the fact that everybody in the world seemed to play guitar. I wanted a trumpet. I had seen Dizzy Gillespie play and I liked the way his cheeks puffed out. My music teacher at St. Anne’s was best friends with Doc Watson, and Doc had stopped by to meet the class one day. I was like, “Man, I want to do that!”

Needless to say, I was really bummed when my parents started talking to the sales person about a “cheap guitar’. They picked up some small sized acoustic guitar and the sales girl showed me a C Chord. My parents paid $35 and the store threw in a plastic bag to carry it around in. I hated it. What did I know; I was just a stupid cocky 9 year-old.

I went to 3 lessons at the store and was really frustrated that they would only teach me 3 notes a week. I thought it was some scam to drag out the boring process. I told my parents what I thought, and I’m sure they thought “See, I told you he wasn’t going to stick with it”. So I quit lessons and instead of paying for my last lesson I bought a John Denver song book. John Denver!?!?!?! Wow.

So, I began teaching myself how to play. The song book had all the basic chords listed in the front with pictures on how to play them. My mom had taught me to read music years before, so I quickly put it all together. Within a day I was playing songs.

That was 31 years ago. Learning guitar was probably the smartest move I ever made. Even when I was broke and bored I could always pick up my trusty guitar and play some music for entertainment. Playing the guitar has opened so many doors for me over the years I couldn’t even begin to list them all. I’ve played concerts with Korn and Joe Satriani, and walked out on stage to crowds of over 15,000 people. What more can you ask for? I guess I owe my mom yet another apology, and a serious thank you.

Every year I pick up a new instrument and begin the process of teaching myself how to play. Some I pick up right away and get pretty good quick, others I suck at no matter how long it takes, like the Violin, I suck at it. My theory is, time keeps going by and before I know it I’ll be writing down, “wow, I can’t believe I have been playing Violin for 10 years”.

Take some advice. Learn to play an instrument. If you have kids, start them on lessons right now. It’s one of those rare gifts that pays off for a whole lifetime.

MuDvayNe "Masters of Horror" Tour Dates on Pre-Sale Today @ 4 PM

I love MuDvAyNe and highly reccomend checking them out live. They always throw a great show.

The guys keep me up to date on the tours and always give me the inside track on Pre-Sale tickets. I'll be going to the show at the Congress Theater and at the Peoria Convention Center. Hope I see you there.

Here is the latest info.


MASTERS OF HORROR TOUR DATES ON PRE-SALE TODAY @ 4PM LOCAL TIME:
18 Nov Des Moines, IA Val Air Ballroom Get Tix username: mudvayne / password: april12
19 Nov Omaha, NB Sokel Auditorium Get Tix username: mudvayne / password: april12
20 Nov Springfield, MO Oasis Get Tix username: mudvayne / password: april12
22 Nov Chicago, IL Congress Theater Get Tix username: mudvayne / password: april12
23 Nov Peoria, IL East Peoria Convention Center Get Tix username: mudvayne / password: april12
25 Nov Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room Get Tix username: mudvayne / password: april12
29 Nov Niagara Falls, NY Dome Theatre Get Tix username: mudvayne / password: april12
30 Nov New York, NY Nokia Theater Get Tix username: mudvayne / password: april12
14 Dec Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues Orlando Get Tix password: april12

A Fall Ride on my Harley Davidson

Fall is by far my favorite time of year, and the one season that I really missed while living and working down in Florida for 15 years. As I look out my window, all the trees in my neighborhood have started to change color. Yellows and reds form a cool canopy over the roadways and I would be a fool not take my Harley Davidson out for a cruise.

So, today I will take a little break from working on a voice over demo, jump on my freshly waxed 2003 Silver and Black Harley Davidson Fat Boy, and go for a long ride through the winding hills and roads that surround my house.

Sometimes, it’s very good to be the Bob.

Over the weekend, I was in a discussion with a fellow rock jock about riding my Harley Davidson downtown.

He said, “Damn man, you really do live the rock lifestyle”.

You know, I guess he’s right. I spend most of my day working in a production studio down in the basement of my house. I practice my guitar at least 2 or 3 hours every day. I work for the best damn rock station in the country, playing the best new and classic rock for all of Chicago. On Saturdays, I rehearse for my new gig playing my guitar and doing live improvisational musical comedy with one of the most creative groups in all of Chicago. For fun, I jump on a Harley Davidson Fat Boy and go for a ride through the hills of Northern Illinois. Hell, I don’t even own a car.

If you were to take all of my possessions and put them in one room you would have; 10 guitars, a Marshall Stack, a Bass, a Banjo, a Violin, a native American Indian Flute, some keyboards, mixing boards, 2 computers, 6 microphones, boxes and boxes of old records and CD’s, 3 Video Game Systems, Snowboard Gear, a Jet Ski, and mini Tunnel Hull Race Boat, tons of old sci-fi toys, and a pile of blue jeans and t-shirts, 3 leather jackets, and my Harley Davidson. I’m almost always broke, I don’t have any investments, any retirement funds or 401K, and my credit card debt is through the roof.

I’m not a rich man by any means; however I have a beautiful wife and family, the best friends a guy could ever hope for, and a fun life. I get to do a job I love while using my creative talents. I’ve made millions of people laugh over the years and enjoyed every minute of it. I’m not sure how other people think of success, but for me, I couldn’t have asked for better.

So today I will take my Harley Davidson out for a long cruise through the multi-colored countryside of my hometown. I have exactly 75 cents in my pocket. I wouldn’t trade my life for a million dollars.

Judas Priest Tour Dates

Here are the latest Judas Priest Tour Dates for North America

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES ARE UNDERWAY AND ROCKING!
Here are the latest:
10/18/05 WINNIPEG, CANADA MTS CENTRE
10/20/05 EDMONTON, CANADA REXALL CENTRE
10/21/05 CALGARY, CANADA PENGROWTH SADDLE DOME
10/23/05 VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA PNE PACIFIC COLISEUM
10/24/05 VERNON, CANADA VERNON MULTIPLEX
10/26/05 SALT LAKE CITY, UT "E" CENTER
10/28/05 KELSEYVILLE, CA KONOCTI HARBOR RESORT & SPA
10/29/05 SAN DIEGO, CA SAN DIEGO SPORTS ARENA, ARENA
10/30/05 LOS ANGELES, CA LONG BEACH ARENA

MUDVAYNE "Masters of Horror" Tour Dates

MUDVAYNE ON TOUR
The Masters of Horror Tour is kicking off November 18th.
The line-up is Mudvayne, Sevendust, 10 Years and Bobaflex.
Here are the confirmed dates:
18 Nov Des Moines, IA - Val Air Ballroom
19 Nov Omaha, NB - Sokel Auditorium
20 Nov Springfield, MO - Oasis
22 Nov Chicago, IL - Congress Theater
23 Nov Peoria, IL - East Peoria Convention Center
25 Nov Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room
30 Nov New York, NY - Nokia Theater
11 Dec Denver, CO - The Fillmore (KBPI Radio Show)
14 Dec Orlando, FL - House of Blues (WJRR Radio Show)

The tour ends December 20th and will also hit the following markets:Grand Rapids, MI; Detroit, MI; Binghamton, NY; Portland, ME; Atlantic City, NJ; Providence, RI; Sayerville, NJ; Columbus, OH; Wichita, KS; Kansas City, MO; Atlanta, GA; Miami, FL; San Antonio, TX; Dallas, TX; and Oklahoma City, OK

Stay tuned for pre-sale information.

CHECK OUT THE "FORGET TO REMEMBER"/SAW II VIDEO PREMIERE!Watch it now on MTV2, and catch it on Headbanger's Ball this Saturday, 10/22, at 10pm.

The One Year Anniversary of my Blog

I can’t believe it, I have been writing this Blog for a year now. Man, time flies like crazy.

A very good friend of mine, production guru and fellow Irishmen Kevin Dunn, once said to me “If you can do something for a year, you will do it for life”. Of course, at the time we were not talking about Blog’s we were actually talking about my new Kayak, however I think it still applies.

It’s amazing to look back at my first entry and see how far I have come in the last year.

October 11th, 2004 – Lets Get it Started

“..Anybody thinking that this industry is a good idea should be subject to an immediate lobotomy.

I'm going to post information about my progress in this crazy career, as well as some insight into the creative process, all in the hope that I might read it again at a later date and realize that it's time to get a real job.

…Now it's time for me to get started on my new demo.”

One year ago I had just moved back to my hometown of Barrington Illinois, 40 miles outside of Chicago. I had quit a perfectly good radio gig where I had great ratings and a huge following in order to follow my dream of working in Chicago radio. It was a HUGE gamble.

I had a hell of time working on that demo that I started that day. I quickly realized that the content rich radio show that I performed in SW Florida would not work or be as welcome here in Chicago. Hundreds of hours of editing and listening finally paid off, and I did get the job I gambled for, and even scored it with the very station that I moved all this way to work for, WLUP The Loop. One year later and this afternoon I will take the METRA train downtown to do my 6 hour weekend shift in Chicago radio. How cool is that?

Saturday, November 13, 2004 - PODCASTING AND THE FUTURE OF ON DEMAND AUDIO

Thanks to my long time friend and Apple Computer fanatic Neil, I was informed about Podcasting from the very start. It seemed like an absolutely excellent idea to me and I began production of my first comedy Podcast which wasn’t launched until December 13th. At the time, Adam Curry and I were the only two professional broadcasters using the medium for our shows. Today, Podcasting is huge, scaring the hell out of broadcasters and adopted by millions of listeners from all over the globe.

One year later and my Podcasts are already the most listened to audio on my website. I receive positive emails about the shows everyday from listeners from as far away as Scotland and even Australia. My wife doesn’t understand why I do it as I have never made a damn dollar from it, but I know why I do it, because it’s fun and FCC FREE! Fuck the FCC!

To listen or subscribe to my popular The Bob Narley Show Podcast – Click Here


Wednesday, December 08, 2004 – Second City

“..Last night I completed my first level of classes at the famous Second City here in Chicago. The whole experience has been just fantastic! I can't wait for the next level to begin in January.”

I had actually started taking my first Second City Improv class in October. My old radio partner Puck had suggested it to me as a good idea. Boy, was he right! The whole experience was nothing short of amazing. I would highly recommend it to anybody, especially radio personalities.

A year later and not only did I graduate from that Second City class, but I was offered a position by my teacher to perform with his pretigeious and well respected comedy improv group “The Cupid Players”. I will be starting rehearsals with these amazing artists in November and will begin performances on the main stage at Improv Olympic in December. From the school to the Improv Olympic Main Stage in one year. I couldn’t be more honored to work with such a talented group of performers. I only hope I can keep up.

It’s amazing how much can happen in a year. I took a lot of gambles and worked super hard twords all of my goals. I tried some new ideas and was lucky enough to have had them all pay off in one way or another. Sure, I’m broke, my credit card debt is near $60,000 and.. er .. um.. Shit! I’m Broke and have $60,000 in credit card debt!! Fuck! O well, at least I’ve accomplished some of my goals. Maybe my new goal should be to pay off those damn credit cards.

Like I said in my first post “..Anybody thinking that this industry is a good idea should be subject to an immediate lobotomy.”

My First Paycheck from The Loop

Today, my first paycheck from The Loop arrived in the mail. Man, it was great to see a paycheck with the WLUP logo on it. I really felt like one of my long term goals was accomplished.

I remember 3 years ago when our radio consultant asked me what my goals were. You know the old 5 year and 10 year plan question.

I remember saying, “well, I just completed my 5 year goal. That was hosting my own morning show. My 10 year goal is to be doing radio in Chicago, preferably on WLUP.”

The weirdest part about working at The Loop, for me, is that I feel like a gunfighter who is not allowed to use his guns. I mean, in Florida I’m very well known as Bob Narley. I had an excellent ratings record beating out both syndicated and local shows. I was known for my very active phones, comedy productions, parody songs, comedy songs, parody commercials, bits and stunts. My whole career was all about doing a very “morning show” type format with lots of great content. Program directors knew who I was and what I would deliver. Almost every promotion was centered around my show. Every caller knew exactly who I was. Now, at The Loop, it’s just the opposite.

I’m not Bob Narley, I’m just the temporary fill-in guy. This is all new to me. I must admit having a very hard time adapting. It’s very awkward for me to go on the microphone and NOT say that this is The Bob Narley Show, and we have this and that coming up and here is a new parody song, and in the 4 o’clock hour we are doing Electrocution Karaoke, and in 15 minutes I have Metallica tickets. Instead, it’s all “that was Aerosmith, this is Led Zeppelin, another 10 in a row, funny thing happened to me on the way into the station, how bout them sox”. I feel like I am deprogramming myself. It’s very difficult. In many ways I feel like a rookie all over again.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the opportunity and fully respect the direction of the radio station. Not to mention that I have totally gained a whole new respect for the weekend guys and their position. For the first time in my 15 year radio career, I’m the low man on the totem poll, and that’s o.k.

True, I do miss doing The Bob Narley Show, and all the craziness that went along with it; however I wouldn’t miss this experience for the world. I’m very happy to be working with such a talented group of people, and on my favorite radio station, even if it is as the lowest man on the WLUP totem poll. At least there is nowhere to go but up. I hope.

You know, the hardest part is not saying “I’m Bob Narley”.
The 2nd hardest part is not hearing the callers say “Hello Bob..”

So, it’s a challenge. How to be entertaining in 15 seconds? It’s an excellent learning experience, and I couldn’t have asked for a better crew to learn from.

My Diploma from Second City

The day from hell has passed and in my hands is the diploma from Second City. It’s hard to believe that it was a year ago that I enrolled in the school at Second City. Man, how time flies. As happy as I am about finishing the course, I still feel very sad that I will no longer be attending the Tuesday night class with my good friends and classmates.

Today didn’t start this morning, it started yesterday morning. I’ve now been awake for well over 36 hours. This is the price you pay for working in the arts. Let this be a lesson to those who happen to read these words. You will never stop paying the dues. Never.

I knew what lay ahead of me was going to be a massive strain on the mind and body.

First, I'm up at 6:30 am Friday morning and I had a whole day of audio production and show prep. I spend all of the morning and afternoon producing new music beds for my shift at WLUP. It seems that my trusty old assortment of odd movie themes and instrumentals doesn’t fit the classic rock sound of The Loop. In between productions I scanned the local newspapers and online sources for anything that could work as content for the broadcast.

At 10:00 pm Friday Night I took an hour long drive into downtown Chicago. Next, a 7 hour live broadcast starting at 12:00 am Saturday morning. I was back on the road by 7:30 am and taking the long drive back to my house in the suburbs. I’ve been officially awake for over 24 hours and I’m not done yet

Home by 8:30 am. Boy, was my wife worried, I looked like the walking dead. I took a joyous hot shower, changed into my dress clothes for my final class performance at Second City. I even had a few minutes to lie on the bed and try and trick my body into thinking I was waking up. Didn’t work.

10:15 am Saturday morning. I loaded up the wife and mother-in-law into the SUV and started the hour drive back downtown to Second City.

11:15 am Saturday morning. We arrived at Second City. I kissed the wife goodbye and joined my classmates for a pre-show warm up and review of our set. The whole class was super excited and full of all that great energy that can only come from this type of work. I was awake, but the sleep depravation blanketed my thought process like a bottle full of Prozac.

12:00 Saturday afternoon. The class and I make our way to the Second City etc. stage. Family and friends are waiting outside the entrance anticipating the upcoming show. Backstage is cluttered with the bazaar odds and ends that you would expect to find in some theater basement. Wigs, Hats, graffiti, a small dorm room fridge, and even an old couch make the backstage area seem more like a party hut than a theater. It feels cool to be there. Everyone is super excited. A crappy tv allows the backstage area to monitor the onstage happenings in black and white. It looks like a public access tv show.

12:15 Our fabulous teacher and all around cool guy Brian Posen gives us some words of wisdom and heads off to start the show. We could hear the talking of the crowd in the theater. Everyone’s nervous energy is causing some seriously bad jokes to fly around as we wait for the final cue. My good friend Chris takes the moment to tell everyone how much he has enjoyed taking the class with them. He’s a great guy. We all feel the same way.

12:30 The music starts, the lights flash, and we head out to the stage. For the next 45 minutes we put our skills on the line and try our best. I was so impressed with everyone’s performance.

1:30 We meet outside the theater where a huge crowd has gathered to talk to the performers. Lots of smiles and pats on the back. Most of my classmates decide to meet across the street for one last beer. Unfortunately, I have to drive back to the burbs in order to pick up my wife’s son from the babysitter. There is no time for one last goodbye. I meet my classmate Patrick walking down the street towards the bar. He did a fantastic job and I tell him so. He asks if I will be trying out for the conservatory program in November.

1:45 Were back in the SUV and driving towards the highway down crowded North Avenue. Some jackass in a small black Honda rear ends us a block from the entrance ramp. I could hear the crunch as the truck shook. The vein in my wife’s forehead reaches epic proportions as it pumps enough blood to power a nuclear generator. Nice. Luckily for us, the dork’s ultra low ride hit us square in the small trailer hitch under the bumper, driving a perfectly square hole through his front bumper and hood. We didn’t even chip paint.

2:00 Back in the car and heading twords home.

3:00 We hit mcdonalds so I can get a nutritious meal, the first time I have eaten in almost 20 hours. We picked up the boy and headed back to the house to unwind.

5:38 pm Saturday October 8, 2005 I’m sitting in my downstairs production studio in a ripped up pair of jeans and an old blue Nike hooded sweatshirt. Upstairs my wife is spending the last hour with her mom before we have to drive her to O’Hair Airport in order to catch her flight back to South Africa.

I’ve been awake now for over 36 hours. I did a 7 hour live radio broadcast and an hour long Second City Improv show. I drove several hundred miles and I’m still not done yet. I have a folded dollar bill in old black wallet and a few quarters in my jeans pocket. I’m broke as shit. This is the reality of show business. I love it.

Facing me on my desk is the diploma from Second City. On my other computer monitor is a grainy color picture I took of all my classmates with my cell phone camera. This has been a great day. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

October is Lupus Awareness Month

More people have Lupus than AIDS, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, sickle-cell anemia and cystic fibrosis... combined.

About 1.5-2 million people in the US alone. That's about 10x as many as there are Breast Cancer patients.

Someone YOU know has Lupus, please research, pray, meditate whatever it is you do and remember there still is no cure and treatments that we do have can be just as harmful as the disease itself. There is a lot to read up on...if you find yourself bored, do so.

A little info never hurt anyone... please pass this on. Lupus deserves just as much attention from the media as any other disease we hear about daily

Lupus Foundation of America, Inc.www.lupus.org2000 L Street, N.W., Suite 710 Washington, DC 20036 Phone 202-349-1155 Fax 202-349-1156 Contact Us

WLUP Speculation

I have received many emails from old listeners and new friends congratulating me on my new gig at The Loop. Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate it.

It seems that there is a lot of speculation going on as to what the deal is with my new gig. Honestly, it’s nothing more than a part-time/fill-in gig, and nothing more. Sure, I would love to score a full-time gig at WLUP. Who wouldn’t? It’s a great station with a prestigious history full of talented radio personalities. For now, I’m looking forward to helping out in any way that I can. It feels great to be a part of such a creative and hard working team.

Second City Graduation

I can’t believe it has already been year since I started taking classes at the world famous Second City and this Saturday I will graduate with my final class performance at Second City etc.

Tonight was our last official class and while we all intensely focused on our set I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that this experience is coming to an end. Everybody in my class has been nothing short of amazing. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive and talented group of people. I’ll miss our Tuesday night class immensely.

Friday night I drive into the city to perform another 7 hour radio shift on The Loop, and then I drive home for 2 hours, and then back into the city for my final show with the class. It’s going to be grueling, but way fun.

WLUP The Loop

It always feels great when you accomplish a goal, especially when it’s a life long goal. To me, working at WLUP “The Loop,” here in Chicago, has always been one of the goals. It was the very reason that I started a career in radio almost 15 years ago.

Of course, scoring a radio gig in market #3 is not an easy task. Most of us radio guys are forced to move to another market and pay our dues as we learn the business through the school of hard knocks. I moved to Tampa Florida for that very reason and was lucky enough to score my first gig doing mornings on the infamous WXTB 98Rock back in 1991.

I remember it well; a very creative and talented morning show host by the name of Seabass said to me, “How would you like to work in radio?” I said, “Hell Yeah!” Seabass replied with “Great! You’re Bob Narley.” And so it began.

Saturday, October 1st, 2005 was a great day. Maybe I should say it was a great morning. Because at 12:00 a.m., I cracked the microphone on The Loop and did my first shift on WLUP, the very station I grew up listening to. Goal accomplished.