John Williams

Many are praising the Beach Boys biopic “Love and Mercy” as one of the best movies of the year. John talks to director Bill Pohlad about bringing their amazing story and music to the big screen.

Happy 4th of July! Here’s our weekly podcast with Thomas Jefferson. This is a good one. Listen as he discovers something about how we celebrate Independence Day. His voice is stern and his challenge is clear. Share this with your friends, dear citizens! And don’t forget, you can still buy tickets to see him on stage. I’m told we are 80% sold – be in the next 20 if you’re not already.

John starts the show with a segment from his “Mincing Rascals” podcast with Steve Bertrand, Eric Zorn, and Kristen McQueary, as they talk about the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage. Then he sits down with author Tim Weiner to talk about his new book “One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon.” Later, Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com joins the show to talk about the Emmy ballots which were due on Friday, and what he considers the best […]

Tim Weiner joins John to talk about his new book, “One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon.” It’s mostly based on documents that have only been made available recently, and paint Nixon as a man “in a state of such utter misery that you cannot help but feel for him,” Weiner tells John.

Steven Dubner shares ideas behind his new book, When to Rob a Bank. How do you know when you are actually in danger?

Ringing in Father’s Day, John shares a story of embarrassment cured by reassurance. Then, he gives his thoughts on the South Carolina shooting, and listeners chime in with theirs. Steven Dubner talks risk assessment and other ideas behind his new book, When to Rob a Bank. Then, Donald Trump performs stand-up.

On the show this week, John speaks with Heath Harris, attorney representing the only person charged with a crime in the McKinney, Texas pool party incident last week. Then he talks about a new map that shows Illinois to have more UFO sightings than anywhere else in the country. Some callers help him parse out just why that is. Sonia Saraiya, TV writer for Salon, is back to talk about “Veep,” “Game of Thrones,” and “unREAL.” John finishes the show […]

John talks to Heath Harris, attorney for Adrian Martin, the only person charged with any crime at the incident last week at a pool in McKinney, Texas (the charges have since been dropped). They discuss how officer Eric Casebolt handled the situation and what lessons can be learned from it.

John begins the show talking to Phil Kadner, columnist at the Daily Southtown, about his idea for an Illinois politics Wall of Shame. Then takes calls on whether or not you should yell out during a graduation ceremony. Matt Roush, TV Editor at TV Guide and TVInsider.com joins the show later on to talk about the week’s biggest stories and to answer your TV questions. Then he’s joined by Kristin Decker and Rob Martier to talk about what’s hot this […]

Phil Kadner, columnist at the Daily Southtown, joins John to discuss a recent column in which he proposed a Wall of Shame for disgraced Illinois politicians, though there may not be enough wall in the world to contain them all.

Matt Negrin from Bloomberg Politics walks John through the recent controversy surrounding FIFA and the construction of World Cup stadiums in Qatar.

Les Chappell joins John to talk about “Silicon Valley” which he reviews weekly for the AV Club, and gives his picks for the other best shows on TV right now. Later, he takes calls and answers your questions.

On the show this week, John talks to Matt Negrin from Bloomberg Politics about the controversy surrounding FIFA and the tragic ongoing construction of soccer stadiums in Qatar. Les Chappell from the AV Club is on later to talk about the best shows on TV right now. John takes calls on the Chicago police officer fired over an upsetting photograph. Later, he’s joined by Kristin Decker to recap the biggest stories of the week with his new app VibeScore. All […]

In honor of Memorial Day, John tells the story, written by Mary Schmich in 2011, of his friend and neighbor Jim Zwit, who made it his life’s mission to track down the families of eight friends and fellow soldiers lost in Vietnam.

This week, in honor of Memorial Day, John tells the incredible story, written by Mary Schmich, of Vietnam veteran Jim Zwit. He talks to racing expert Pete Pistone about the Indy 500, asks Salon’s TV critic Sonia Saraiya about the “Mad Men” and “Late Show” finales from the past week. Grilling expert Greg Rempe gives him some tips about summer cooking. Later on, he takes calls about President Obama’s new Twitter account.