Sidetrack with Jason Croft
First Saturday of the month at 6 pm
Fun stories, quirky interviews, thought-provoking commentaries, great tunes, and more!
Sidetrack is AM 580's monthly news/features magazine hosted by Jason Croft. Sidetrack's goal is to bring you the stories you might have otherwise missed--the stories that sometimes get overlooked during the busy day-to-day headlines. The stories are sometimes off-beat, sometimes unusual, but never dull. It's a fresh look at the what's going on in our backyard and around the world. Be sure to explore program contents for links to more info and a few surprises.
August 2010
Program air date: Saturday, August 07, 2010
This mont, we talk to an Urbana children’s author who new book was inspired by the Thorne Miniature Rooms at the Art Institute of Chicago. We search out the self-described “Elvisologist” known as Blelvis. And we hear from the author of “Creepiosity: A Hilarious Guide to the Unintentionally Creepy” and learn what really creeps him out. We’ll have those stories and more, this time on Sidetrack!
Menu:
- The 68 Rooms
- Adult Double Dutch
- Ukulele Festival
- Wall Dogs (web site)
- Powered By Laughter
- Creepiosity (web site)
- Flarf Poetry
- Blelvis, the self-described “Elvisologist”
Audio:
Play now:
July 2010
Program air date: Saturday, July 03, 2010
On the program this month, we talk to a U of I professor who’s spearheading an effort to preserve the “virtual words” of old video games. We hear about a performance troupe who dress up like shrubbery, yes shrubbery, to create truly unique impromptu performancea. And we learn about the two-fisted liquor known as Malort and a group of Chicagoans who are obsessed with it. We’ll have those stories and more, this time on Sidetrack!
Menu:
- Ambush Theater
- Once Upon A Crow
- How to Survive the Strange
- Close the Bible, Open the Bar
- Vanishing Craftsmen: Clockmaker
- Preserving virtual worlds of video games (web site)
- The Man You Can't Ignore
- Marlot: Chicago's two-fisted liquor
Audio:
Play now:
June 2010
Program air date: Saturday, June 05, 2010
This time around, we talk to the man behind the site Jim’s Pancakes—a blog that chronicles one man’s quest to make cool and unusual pancakes for his daughter. We find out about the upcoming annual Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois. And we hear from comedy duo Rhett and Link, who make a living making on-line commercials and songs. We’ll have those stories and more, this time on Sidetrack!
Menu:
- Jim’s Pancakes (web site)
- Comedy Duo Rhett & Link (web site)
- Memory Palace: nee Weinberg (web site)
- Essay: Americans Hate Money
- Superman Celebration in Metropolis, Illinois (web site)
- Mundane Superpowers (web site)
Audio:
Play now:
May 2010
Program air date: Monday, May 03, 2010
This month, we learn the history of Confidential magazine—the 1950’s scandal magazine who’s mission was to "tell the facts and name the names." We also talk with Chicago Tribune columnist Maureen Ryan about the end of the television series "Lost" and how TV watching has changed in the 21st century. And we hear about a man who ran the Boston Marathon barefoot. We’ll have those stories and more, this time on Sidetrack!
Menu:
- Barefoot Boston Marathon
- Have Skills; Will Barter
- Chicago Tribune TV columnist Maureen Ryan/end of "Lost" (web site)
- Memory Palace: Babysitting (web site)
- Diagnosing Lit
- Shocking True Story: The Rise and Fall of Confidential, ‘America’s Most Scandalous Scandal Magazine’
