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WXRT - Lin Brehmer Passes Away


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Had a great life, at least that is it how sounded while he was on air. Always knew how to turn a phrase. 

 

I am glad he was able to get back on the air, while battling cancer.

 

XRT will be having a remembrance tomorrow morning at 10am.

 

"It's great to be alive!"

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 Lin and Mary Dixon were the best ---- when Bob Verdi was doing his bit with Lin and Mary, it  was always great, too.

My wife hates sports and yet she always looked forward to listening  to Verdi and Brehmer do their 10 minutes or so of sport talk.

 

A musician's DJ, for sure.

 

A great pic with Jagger - both looking uncomfortable as they both should. 

 

image.png

 

 

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WXRT played an out-sized influence in shaping my music tastes from the late 1970's through the 1990's.  Truly a great radio station back in the day. I gave up on the station and switched to satellite radio around 2003 when WXRT stopped playing new music and played way, WAY too much Annie Lennox and Dave Matthews.  That said, I continued to tune into to "Lin's Bin" - a weekly extraordinarily well-written oral essay that sought to answer mundane questions and was backed by great music selections.

I met Lin a few years ago at Fitzgerald's American Music Festival (one of my favorite events of the summer). We were standing shoulder-to-shoulder waiting for the last band of the night. I pretended I didn't know who he was and we just talked music for around 10-20 minutes. We swapped stories about a band we both love and were there to see - The Waco Brothers. Notwithstanding his allegiance to the Cubs, he was a damn nice guy! RIP, Lin.
 

 

    

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3 hours ago, Chez said:

WXRT played an out-sized influence in shaping my music tastes from the late 1970's through the 1990's.  Truly a great radio station back in the day. I gave up on the station and switched to satellite radio around 2003 when WXRT stopped playing new music and played way, WAY too much Annie Lennox and Dave Matthews.  That said, I continued to tune into to "Lin's Bin" - a weekly extraordinarily well-written oral essay that sought to answer mundane questions and was backed by great music selections.

I met Lin a few years ago at Fitzgerald's American Music Festival (one of my favorite events of the summer). We were standing shoulder-to-shoulder waiting for the last band of the night. I pretended I didn't know who he was and we just talked music for around 10-20 minutes. We swapped stories about a band we both love and were there to see - The Waco Brothers. Notwithstanding his allegiance to the Cubs, he was a damn nice guy! RIP, Lin.
 

 

    

 

 

He did write a nice  piece on the White Sox.

 

https://www.audacy.com/wxrt/blogs/lin-brehmer/ode-white-sox

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I'm listening to the tribute on XRT now. Great content. Currently they're playing a recording from Lin's childhood band (the Roundabouts). As a huge fan of all things Chicago, I was sad to learn about his passing. Stupid cancer.  

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21 hours ago, Boss_Tweedy said:

I'm listening to the tribute on XRT now. Great content. Currently they're playing a recording from Lin's childhood band (the Roundabouts). As a huge fan of all things Chicago, I was sad to learn about his passing. Stupid cancer.  

What a great tribute yesterday. 4+ hours without a single commercial. Hard not to get choked up a time or two between the stories and the Lin's Bins, and some great music. I'm really going to miss him. It'll be strange for Wilco to take the stage at the Riv in March without Lin in the building.

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It was great show yesterday -- guess it will be streaming for while on their website. 

 

I can't see Wilco not giving Brehmer a shout out at some point during the Riv run. Mary Dixon was out town this week, so she missed out on radio tribute and others. Part of her written words stated:

 

"I'm on my first real vacation in four years and will miss a [Sunday] gathering ... to share some drinks, memories and songs in Lin's honor. My request in absentia is Wilco's 'Box Full of Letters.'"

 

Perhaps they can dedicate "Box Full of Letters" to him.

 

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24 minutes ago, calvino said:

It was great show yesterday -- guess it will be streaming for while on their website. 

 

I can't see Wilco not giving Brehmer a shout out at some point during the Riv run. Mary Dixon was out town this week, so she missed out on radio tribute and others. Part of her written words stated:

 

"I'm on my first real vacation in four years and will miss a [Sunday] gathering ... to share some drinks, memories and songs in Lin's honor. My request in absentia is Wilco's 'Box Full of Letters.'"

 

Perhaps they can dedicate "Box Full of Letters" to him.

 

I think/hope they'll give him a shout out at the Riv. Lin was a pretty big champion of the band. XRT played a live version of "Impossible Germany" as part of the tribute yesterday.

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  • 1 month later...

This should be a fun/great event at the Hideout. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (3.3.23) at 10 am.

 

CINDERELLA BLACKBIRD: Poems, Stories & Songs in Memory of Lin Brehmer, Performed by Tony Fitzpatrick & Jon Langford

 

 

 

Quote

 

April 21, 2023 6:30 PM 
 
Doors Open: 6:00 PM
 
CINDERELLA BLACKBIRD

A conversation with Lin Brehmer that started over 20 years ago continues today in the form of “Cinderella Blackbird,” an unfolding series of collages, poetry, songs and stories. 

Join Tony Fitzpatrick and Jon Langford as they bring “Cinderella Blackbird” to the stage for a unique performance in memory of Lin Brehmer, a man who shared their love of music, literature and art; a man with the heart of a playwright and the soul of a poet; a carefree spirit whose deep appreciation for wordplay brought transcendence to the airwaves of Chicago; a man who reminded us that it’s great to be alive.

Tony Fitzpatrick is a visual artist, film actor and poet.
Jon Langford is a year-zero punk rocker, songwriter, visual artist and retired DJ.
Musical accompaniment and arrangements by multi-instrumentalist John Rice.

A portion of the proceeds will support a charity in Lin’s name.

 

 
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