This is my favorite song from Steve Dahl. It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since it came out. It’s the best of his non-parody songs and benefits, I feel, from a great production by Joe Thomas, who was a friend of Steve’s in the 90’s. Joe Thomas also produced Brian Wilson’s 329th comeback album a few years later named “Your Imagination”, with a title song with lyrics co-written by S.R. Dahl.
The only lyrics of Steve’s left in the song are the lines,
“Another bucket of sand
Another wave and the pier
I miss the way that I used
To call the shots around here”
Another wave and the pier
I miss the way that I used
To call the shots around here”
Over the years since, Steve has played a version of the song with him singing all his lyrics. He has a way with words, obviously (30+ years in broadcasting), and many of his are better.
The CD of “Your Imagination,” when purchased at Best Buy, also included a bonus CD with an interview of Brian by Sean Lennon and also included a glorious version of “In My Room” from a concert he did in St. Charles, Illinois, when Brian lived there in the 90’s next door to (or across the street from) Joe Thomas. On it, Brian harmonizes with Bruce Johnston (once and future Beach Boy), Timothy B. Schmit (Eagles), Christopher Cross, and Jim Peterik (Ides of March).
“Margarita” is Steve’s story song about the invention of the margarita (duh!).
As I wrote earlier I have been a fan of the Stever (and Garry Meier and Bruce Wolf) since the early days of his “Rude Awakening “ show on the Loop in 1979. I have been a subscriber to his podcast ($9.95/month for Steve’s daily podcast and twice weekly podcasts form Kevin Matthews, cheap!) from its start. I enjoy his take on everything pop culture and family related.
He is the quickest witted broadcaster and I am one of the few who look back on his post-Garry days with Bruce Wolf with fond memories. Bruce Wolf was the second quickest wit in broadcasting (don’t care for him as much today in his right wing nutball incarnation) and it was a joy to listen to them as they riffed off each other, rushing to be the first with the best hilarious comment on some news story.
No one challenged Steve for quickness, though his current co-host/sidekick, Dag Juhlin, shows a lot of promise. There are times when things are flying so fast and furious that Steve doesn’t even hear Dag’s funny asides.
Just the other day, in their bashing of Jim Belushi’s recent column in the Chicago Sun-Times, “Bullsh-t”, Dag said in response to Steve’s claim that Belushi had filed a copyright on the term “Pillanoid” from his column, Dag said, “ He should trademark “Belush-t”. That’s pretty funny, but Steve never acknowledged it as he and Brendan Greely bounced comments and laughs off each other.
It reminds me of one of my funniest lines that no one ever heard. When I was in my second year of community college, I was taking a night class in Western Civilization and one night we heard a loud “Whoooo!” from down the hall. The teacher said, “Oh that’s Mr. Clark (or whatever his name was, it was 38 years ago), I saw him wheeling a toilet into his class. I don’t know what that’s all about.”
Now in 1974 I hadn’t been exposed to Steve Dahl or David Letterman, so I didn’t have the wiseacre in me, to say anything out loud, but in my mind I said, “Cold seat.”
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