Car Con Carne

Jon Langford is an artist's artist. He's a member of the Mekons, Waco Brothers, The Three Johns, Men of Gwent and an accomplished solo performer and painter. With a new Waco Brothers album on the way (Going Down in History) and an urge for encased meats, Langford jumped in the backseat to perform a couple songs, enjoy a hot dog and fries and walk through his fantastic career, dating back to the 1970s. For this week's show, the Mazda 3 took the show to Ivy's Burgers, Hot Dogs & Fries in Edgebrook. It was kind of amazing.

Imagine being told you had a mass on your brain and that it had to come out immediately. Now imagine coming out of that surgery and not having control over one of your arms. That's what happened to childhood friend David Allen, who's had to take a new approach to his piano-playing career: He's now playing gigs one-handed. David's a world class keyboard talent who spent the 90s and early 00s as part of the successful jam band Mr. Blotto. More recently, he's been tearing up local events and seducing large Wrigleyville crowds as part of "Dueling Pianos." With only his left hand on the keys, he's inspiringly returned to the circuit, playing a few gigs a week. David and I visit Dear Frank's in Glenview and talk about David's struggles, victories and the positive attitude that got him through. Sport peppers threaten the sincerity of the moment, as they lead me to uncontrollably hiccup off-mic. Other highlights: The Powerball jackpot is discussed, and I reveal the two things I'm going to buy first if I win. They inv

This week's episode finds the Mazda 3 in Grayslake, IL for BBQ'D, a barbecue joint recommended by guest Tyler Wildey. Tyler's the man behind the insane sandwich shop Epic Deli, located in Johnsburg, IL. If you're looking to keep your New Year's Resolutions, don't go there. Or go there and live a little, for Christ's sake. During the show, you'll learn about the "disturbing" thing Epic Deli no longer does. Tyler also talks about how sales are going for the "JVO" sandwich, and what went into making the memorial "Lemmy" sandwich. Also: Has Car Con Carne finally been recognized in public? It may have happened during the recording of this show. Color us optimistic.

For this episode, James is joined by 88 Fingers Louie's lead singer Denis Buckley. They meet up at Taqueria El Tapatio on the west side of Chicago, which leads to discussions like: "There is grease just rolling down my hand," and "I feel kinda disgusting now." (For the record, the food was tasty.) They talk about 88FL's history (breaking up, drinking, touring) how it felt to watch former member Joe Principe hit massive heights with Rise Against, and the simple pleasures of Mexican food. And James may have uttered the all-time greatest "cranky old man" lines in CCC history: "One of my great problems with concerts is other people are there."

"What goes on here? This is like a boarding school." This week's episode finds James and comedian Paul Faravhar sitting a few doors down from Allende, a dive-y burrito place in Chicago's Lincoln Park. As they sit and talk about the band Rush, the art of comedy and the simple joys of a steak burrito with no sour cream, they can't help but notice what's going on in the house next to where they're parked. Is a party going on there? And if so, why are there only two girls and a ton of guys?

"I am so bloated and full right now, I thought my seatbelt was on." And so goes Car Con Carne's trip to legendary Chicago hot dog establishment Superdawg. Jesse Valenciana, founder of meat-loving social club ManBQue, sits shotgun for a chat that covers ManBQue's core principles of meat, beer and rock & roll.

One of my favorite comic strips is "Beardo," the daily cartoon mirror of creator Dan Dougherty's life. I started up a bromance with Dan months ago at the C2E2 comic book convention, and the culmination of it finds him sitting shotgun for Car Con Carne. We visit the Greektown location of Chicago-area chain Taco Burrito King, a favorite with the late-night drinking crowd. I make a mess of myself (it's hard to eat food and do a podcast at the same time) while talking with Dan about his successful Kickstarter for "Touching Evil," "Beardo," the craft behind strip-writing, the awesomeness of "The Crow" movie soundtrack, Stone Temple Pilots and rock and roll. Well, mostly rock and roll. He talks a lot about En Vogue. (Epic Deli gets a shout-out, too.)

This episode is a Car Con Carne first: A live-to-tape in-car performance, courtesy of Smoking Popes lead singer Josh Caterer! While parked in the lot of The Texan in Algonquin, Josh plays a couple of Popes songs, a song from Jackson Mud (his blues band), and a couple of "instant request" cover songs. The conversation is casual and winding, managing to cover the entire history of Smoking Popes in the process. Bonus: James and Josh also go deep on "yacht rock" (think Little River Band)!

Felonious Munk isn't your typical stand-up comedian; he's also a whip-smart commentator and observer of the human condition. For this episode of Car Con Carne, Munk sits shotgun for a trip to Jim's Original in Chicago. Munk skips the Maxwell Street Polish, opting for a burger instead. As cold, wet snow starts to cover Chicago, James and Munk talk about the futility of trying to eat healthy in Chicago, the art of comedy, the art of job interviewing, Munk's childhood and why James is the more likely terrorist of the two. (Music courtesy www.bensounds.com)

Cuban food makes its first appearance on Car Con Carne, as James meets interior designer/Lollipop Yoga CEO Patricia Forman at El Cubanito on the west side of Chicago. Patricia expresses her concern for James's eating habits, especially as they pertain to a recent late-night bag of beef jerky treats. James also admits that he was wrong, so wrong, about what "hot yoga" is. Music courtesy www.bensound.com

"Hot Doug" (Doug Sohn) sits shotgun for a trip to Wicker Park. James talks about a bomb scare he lived through in Rosemont. And James and Doug go back and forth about music, from Phil Collins to Sonic Youth. Was Lillie's Q's food good? That gets answered in this episode, but here's a better question: Why doesn't Lillie's Q have any to-go napkins or plasticware? There's also no better person than Hot Doug to answer the question "Is a hot dog a sandwich?" We get to that, too.

Chicago media favorite Alex Quigley (The Fox, WGN, Q101, Rivet) sits shotgun for a trip to the unfortunately-named Rock 'N Ribs in Lake Zurich. James and Alex talk about rock music (from Foreigner to Smashing Pumpkins), childrens' breakfast cereals, and some Chicago radio stuff. (Opening song is "Rumble" from http://www.bensound.com)