A TALK WITH THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE DIRTY DAN & MONGO MAN SHOW
Interview and Photos by Mario Salazar
When it comes to the "Makers & Shakers" of our Chicago scene, it's
not always bands & musicians the ones making all the noise, doing
all the talking and having fun in the process. Also, when it comes to
promoters, they're not all the snakes they're made out to be, and
believe it or not, there are a few decent people that actually are
trying to help the scene in however way they can. I've known these 2
guys for a few years now and have had the opportunity to not only hang
out with them but be featured in their Talk Show, so on a recent visit
to the CR Studios by Dan, Mark and the newest addition to the show,
Gina, I turned the table on them as I became the interviewer this time
and talked about the show, its origins and their thoughts on the scene's
current status quo.
Here's what they had to say.
Here's what they had to say.
CHICAGOSROCK: Talk to me about the show. What is BlogTalkRadio w/Dirty Dan & Mongo Man, how long has it been online and what is its purpose? Mongo: Our first show was Feb. 27th, 2008 and we had been talking... Dirt: ...Mongo was talking. He had this idea about this idea that nobody was doing & there might be an opportunity to get on the ground floor of something great, so I was like well, ...let's talk about it 'cause you know how some of his ideas are (laughs). So we go to this little Italian place and after discussing it a bit he tells me that rather than a studio & fancy equipment, all we really need is a phone line. So I'm like, hell, I'm game, let's do it. He then asks what do you think we should do? Well, we're old friends so let's just have some fun with this and see how it goes. That became sort of our moniker, -Dirt and Mongo having fun & that was the plan to call it originally. But then, we went like, y'know, it'd be cool to promote local bands & talent of all kinds. In the time we've done it, we've had some big celebrities but we always come back to the initial format we intended. Mongo: People had been telling me that we needed some kind of format or outline with different segments during the show. Well, that doesn't work for us. Off the cuff is how we roll. All we know when the show starts is who we're talking to. Sometimes when the guests send us 'talking points' -which is fine- we just incorporate them into the show. I'll take some, Dirt will take some and so on. Dirt: Then it's not like at 5:18 we go to commercial, at 10:17 we do this promo and that type of thing. If there's an awkward pause, Mongo will just play a song or something! | 
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| Mongo: In the early days we used to make fun of ourselves. We'd just wing it and I think it's good to make fun of yourself. Our 1st guest was Pete Berwick. We just said "Hey Pete. How's it going?" Dirt: ...and that was it. Next thing we know, it's 2 hours later and we go like "...hey Pete, we gotta close the show!" (laughs). We get guys like that where it just goes easy, and there's people that just don't say a word. It's like pulling teeth! Mongo: I've noticed that if we have a history or common ground with the guest, and they have a long history of their own in music or whatever field of endeavor they're in, then the show goes on without a hitch. Dirt: My favorite show so far is Jimmy Sohns. He's been like a mentor to me [vocal wise]. He's a local guy & back then there was The Cryin' Shames and all these sweet singing vocalists, Jimmy comes out singing with the Shadows of Night who were like bad boys and he was great. I was like THAT's the guy I want to emulate. I didn't want to be no choir-boy singer. I wanted to be like him. So I've known him forever and so has Mongo. Mongo: yeah, I met him in like '77-'78 right after I met Dirt. I didn't even know it was him when I heard him sing Gloria, but went out and bought his record. Dirt: A show like that was no problem at all. In fact, I think we need to do another one with him as we didn't get to cover everything we wanted. Mongo: Well, he knows mine and Dirt's history and we have some common ground. |
Dirt: He's still considered local talent but he has a national scope.
He's been there and done big things. There's a lot of guys in that age
group -my age group- that have gone on to do big things and have managed
to come back home.
Mongo: One of the big problems we had when I was booking the guests for the show, was that I think there should be a line [in the e-mail box] of people/bands trying to get on the show, and there wasn't. There never was and I don't get that.
Dirt: I don't get that either, because when I was a young kid with a band, I would have died to have someone give me the time of day, let alone a blogtalk radio show, magazine article or something like that. I mean, seriously, I would've died for it.
Mongo: One of the big problems we had when I was booking the guests for the show, was that I think there should be a line [in the e-mail box] of people/bands trying to get on the show, and there wasn't. There never was and I don't get that.
Dirt: I don't get that either, because when I was a young kid with a band, I would have died to have someone give me the time of day, let alone a blogtalk radio show, magazine article or something like that. I mean, seriously, I would've died for it.
CHICAGOSROCK: How have things evolved since starting the show? Mongo: Well, originally I thought it was going to be the Dirty Dan Buck of the Boyzz & Mongo show, but it has evolved into this which is cool and works for us. We have kids that are listening on the internet and... Dirt: ...I can't go on dropping 'F bombs' and talking about oral sex and stuff like that. I have a 19-year old daughter listening and it's just different. Mongo: My daughter is 25 and it's different. She's married and doesn't really listen that much. Dirt's daughter is still kinda innocent and at home. I'm ok with the way things have evolved. We didn't want to go the Howard Stern route. We've had some really good shows featuring a Playboy Playmate, Connie Francis, Tony Hall, a good Tommy Holland show and we've had a couple of Tommy Holland trainwrecks (laughs). | 
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Dirt: oh yeah..., that Tommy/Shankle show. Wheeew, oh man! (does the
voice) -Come on down, come on down & listen to ME shrrreddd....
(laughs)
Mongo: ...and Tommy just fuels the fire. It's like pouring kerosene on an open flame. We've had some good shows and it's growing.
CHICAGOSROCK: It's been mainly you guys but now there's a 3rd element to this equation. Can you tell us about it?
Mongo: Yes, Gina Planell or "Sweet G" started last June. In fact, me and Dirt were talking last year and we actually were going to hang it up and call it a day but then she came in and saved the day. If she doesn't do her thing, this show wouldn't have gone on & it just wouldn't happen. The fact that she volunteered to come in and help us is the reason there still is a show today. She's not just our friend but has really raised the bar on things.
Gina: I couldn't bear the thought of not having that media outlet available to local musicians and I had to do something. I didn't know what or how I was going to do it but I had the desire...
Mongo: Her 1st show out of the box featured Jimmy Sohns which was a great show, also Danny Seraphine, Joe Cintafio, Connie Francis and they're all local. More people are listening because of the caliber of guests that she brings on.
Dirt: and she's got more local boys coming on the show.
Gina: Well, everything is local at one point. There's an essence, a life here.
Dirt: Connie Francis is from Melrose Park.
Mongo: ...and Tommy just fuels the fire. It's like pouring kerosene on an open flame. We've had some good shows and it's growing.
CHICAGOSROCK: It's been mainly you guys but now there's a 3rd element to this equation. Can you tell us about it?
Mongo: Yes, Gina Planell or "Sweet G" started last June. In fact, me and Dirt were talking last year and we actually were going to hang it up and call it a day but then she came in and saved the day. If she doesn't do her thing, this show wouldn't have gone on & it just wouldn't happen. The fact that she volunteered to come in and help us is the reason there still is a show today. She's not just our friend but has really raised the bar on things.
Gina: I couldn't bear the thought of not having that media outlet available to local musicians and I had to do something. I didn't know what or how I was going to do it but I had the desire...
Mongo: Her 1st show out of the box featured Jimmy Sohns which was a great show, also Danny Seraphine, Joe Cintafio, Connie Francis and they're all local. More people are listening because of the caliber of guests that she brings on.
Dirt: and she's got more local boys coming on the show.
Gina: Well, everything is local at one point. There's an essence, a life here.
Dirt: Connie Francis is from Melrose Park.
| Mongo: We're all about Chicago and home, but sometimes we stray away from that, like that Playmate of the Year...
Dirt: yeah, ...she's from Canada. Mongo: That was cool. I was talking to her on the phone while she was in bed. Probably the only time that would happen, so don't wreck it for me Dirt! Dirt: I remember. You went to the washroom afterwards and stayed there for about 30 seconds (laughs) and came right back out. Gina: That was before my time, -I just want to say that for the record! Mongo: She wasn't a musical guest but that happened on a fluke. Dirt & I talked about going to Glamour-Con, he was like "what's that?", so I said it was Playmates all over the place. Dirt: Shit, I'm there...! Mongo: Well, we went it and believe it or not I was bored the next day, so I said to Dirt, "we need a playmate around here". So after calling around, we were able to get an interview set-up with this girl. She was Playmate of the Year and she was coming to Chicago anyway for an event. There was no other press scheduled so she met with us. We were invited to the Excalibur later that night for an event but we didn't go. I don't know why. Dirt: aww man, yeah we played hard to get on that one! Why did we not go, ...damn! |
Mongo: Well, earlier in the day, you remember that blonde sitting by her?
Dirt: oooohhh that blonde! ...ohhh Sweet Jesus!
Mongo: These girls, ...one was better looking than the next. I'd never seen Dirt like this where he didn't know where to step or how to put one foot in front of the other.
Dirt: I was wearing these loose-fitting cargo pants and I'm knocking furniture over everywhere if you know what I mean (laughs)! The coolest thing though, was finding this guy selling old Playboys on a table and had one from 1978 with an article on the Boyzz. It was wrapped in plastic and all. I bought for like a couple of bucks. THAT was cool.
Gina: I think we should have Ron Jeremy on the show. We've had boobs already.
Mongo: yeah, we can then compare johnsons! He actually is the only guy in porn making money, while not doing porn.
I tell you this, -we are going to have some very interesting guests coming up. We've got 126 shows down and we're looking to upgrade where we have more control of the content, have the ability to do live remotes and cool stuff like that.
CHICAGOSROCK: Dirt, you've been on the scene for a while now. What are your thoughts on the Chicago scene from years past versus today?
Dirt: The Chicago scene has been very cyclical for many years, y'know with low ebbs and high tides. When I first came out was in the big 60s where there was a huge national and international scene in Chicago (Crying Shames, Shadows of Night, Chicago, etc). They were just churning out all of these great acts on a regular basis. The business was different then and it was those were the days when you could go into a recording studio during the day to record a single and have it played on WLS at night. You can't do that now. We were in an infant stage at the time but it just added to the coolness of it all because nobody knew and we just did what we did. Next thing you know, you're on the radio shooting *50,000 watts* (laughs). The 70s then were really dry, different and there wasn't much going on. It was that low ebb of the cycle. A guy would make it but many others didn't. At the end of the 70s however, when Cheap Trick made it with their Budokan album and we saw it come back up again, we (the Boyzz) thought we could be in on this. Well, shit happened in our lives and we couldn't. Then the 80s came by and then it was dead again. At the end of the 80s into the early 90s then there was Billy Corgan/Smashing Pumpkins who was successful. So again, it was cyclical. As far as the scene, after the 60s, Chicago never had a scene again. We had a 70s scene that was kinda mixed with the hard rockers, the disco people and it was just weird. So here we are in 2011, I think we're in the low end of things again. There's not much creativity coming from here. The bands that are playing are all cover bands wanting to do Journey & that type of thing. They're making money but that's the scene. There's no originality.
Mongo: ...yeah, there's 5 bands making $250,000+ a year and they're doing everyone else's music but their own. That's sick!
Dirt: oooohhh that blonde! ...ohhh Sweet Jesus!
Mongo: These girls, ...one was better looking than the next. I'd never seen Dirt like this where he didn't know where to step or how to put one foot in front of the other.
Dirt: I was wearing these loose-fitting cargo pants and I'm knocking furniture over everywhere if you know what I mean (laughs)! The coolest thing though, was finding this guy selling old Playboys on a table and had one from 1978 with an article on the Boyzz. It was wrapped in plastic and all. I bought for like a couple of bucks. THAT was cool.
Gina: I think we should have Ron Jeremy on the show. We've had boobs already.
Mongo: yeah, we can then compare johnsons! He actually is the only guy in porn making money, while not doing porn.
I tell you this, -we are going to have some very interesting guests coming up. We've got 126 shows down and we're looking to upgrade where we have more control of the content, have the ability to do live remotes and cool stuff like that.
CHICAGOSROCK: Dirt, you've been on the scene for a while now. What are your thoughts on the Chicago scene from years past versus today?
Dirt: The Chicago scene has been very cyclical for many years, y'know with low ebbs and high tides. When I first came out was in the big 60s where there was a huge national and international scene in Chicago (Crying Shames, Shadows of Night, Chicago, etc). They were just churning out all of these great acts on a regular basis. The business was different then and it was those were the days when you could go into a recording studio during the day to record a single and have it played on WLS at night. You can't do that now. We were in an infant stage at the time but it just added to the coolness of it all because nobody knew and we just did what we did. Next thing you know, you're on the radio shooting *50,000 watts* (laughs). The 70s then were really dry, different and there wasn't much going on. It was that low ebb of the cycle. A guy would make it but many others didn't. At the end of the 70s however, when Cheap Trick made it with their Budokan album and we saw it come back up again, we (the Boyzz) thought we could be in on this. Well, shit happened in our lives and we couldn't. Then the 80s came by and then it was dead again. At the end of the 80s into the early 90s then there was Billy Corgan/Smashing Pumpkins who was successful. So again, it was cyclical. As far as the scene, after the 60s, Chicago never had a scene again. We had a 70s scene that was kinda mixed with the hard rockers, the disco people and it was just weird. So here we are in 2011, I think we're in the low end of things again. There's not much creativity coming from here. The bands that are playing are all cover bands wanting to do Journey & that type of thing. They're making money but that's the scene. There's no originality.
Mongo: ...yeah, there's 5 bands making $250,000+ a year and they're doing everyone else's music but their own. That's sick!
Dirt: There's that band doing Beatles songs (American English), they're down in Branson now. Playing 3 shows a day making money with someone else's music. See, to me that's not a scene. That's not record-cutting, which actually [that record-cutting, recording process] is what the scene has become now. It has changed inmensely with all these bands and people like yourself with your own equipment and personal studios putting albums/records together on your own. That's the scene right now. That's what's happening. Gina: I think a reason also why it's changed so much from original to copy is the promoters and the way they insist you can't get a gig without a draw or without doing covers. It loses its original flair. I think our impact as a radio station is to have the general public show appreciation for the music from the past, bring those original acts back and recognize their contribution to things. Dirt: I tend to encourage and encourage new younger guys rather than to re-hash the past. Been there, done that, I'm ready to move on. Thing is, it's all different nowadays. Mongo: My problem is my 1st live entertainment was the Boyzz. After seeing that, I expect everyone to go big or go home. The problem today is that when it comes to shows, it's not an event. I remember seeing lines at the doors and around Haymakers to get in to see the Boyzz. Dirt: I remember seeing lines in the dressing room...(laughs) | 
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Mongo: Today's bands see a show as simply another date on their
calendar. Many show up looking like a chumbolone not even dressed for a
stage, going thru the motions and trying to collect their money at the
end. No wonder the club owners and promoters don't want them when they
look like that and come in with that attitude. You gotta show up looking
right to do that type of job. Although it's not really a job, with
bands today it's just a way to be cool and see their friends. Some get
off work (off their regular day job), they're running late, had a bad
day and just go and do a show however condition they're in. There's no
production and thought into much of anything.
Dirt: We (Cool Rockin' Daddies) just did a job down at this little place in Ottawa, IL, and brought in lights, PA & all of this stuff for this little joint. People were just baffled as they're not used to seeing this kinda thing. We don't do it everytime, but you just have to in order to do it right.
But anyway, I think the whole recording thing has really changed things on the scene. It's not like people are trying to get on CBS, Warner Bros. or anything like that. They're like fuck them! We're putting this on an indie label, on iTunes & the internet. If somebody wants it they can come to me and buy it instead of going to them and me getting a penny on every dollar. Now that is pretty smart I think. The downside of it, is that the distribution is all different. With all the competition that's out there from every person playing stuff and getting people to listen to yours instead of the other 8 million other artists out there. There isn't a big company out there anymore grabbing somebody & doing everything possible to make them the greatest band on Earth. The upside is that the talent itself usually rises to the top somehow. If they're good, they'll rise up, -even on the internet.
CHICAGOSROCK: How can a band get noticed by you and be featured on the show?
GINA: They would need to contact me via e-mail at sweetg@hotmail.com and we'd take it from there.
CHICAGOSROCK: Are you catering to a specific genre or can anyone Rock, Metal, Country, etc., apply?
DIRT: We've gone country to metal.
GINA: I want more metal, ...like every week (laughs)!
MONGO: Easy on the Metal G! We tease her but we don't do well with Metal as we do with other genres.
DIRT: Well, I wouldn't mind having a metal band say every 6 weeks. I just don't want to inundate the show with metal. I'm very eclectic in taste and we all have our preferences.
MONGO: yeah, we have a Brittany Clarke who is a country artist. We've had her on the show 3 or 4 times and she's great. We paired her with Connie Francis when she was on the show.
DIRT: It was a good move as Connie is reaching the end of her career and Brittany is at the start of hers. She probably doesn't appreciate fully what it means but she will later in life. Her parents however, were thrilled and very grateful. We talked to her Dad the next day & he got it. CHICAGOSROCK: Are there any plans to cover talent outside of Chicago? MONGO: No, not really. We really like our local stuff.
DIRT: We like having a Chicago-based show about Chicago stuff. I don't mind doing bands coming thru town though.
MONGO: yeah, they could be jugglers, *playmates*, magicians, etc. As long as they're coming thru our town. I don't care. We'll talk to anyone.
One thing I wanted to get across is that we hope the local guests will take advantage of the free tools available thru the show (thru BlogTalkRadio.com) to promote themselves. There's a little player that can actually be embedded in their own websites. People wouldn't have to actually come to the blogtalkradio site to listen to the show. Out of a 120 something people we've had, only 15 have done that & used those tools.
CHICAGOSROCK: Anything else you want to talk about as we wrap this up?
MONGO: We said we'd do the show as long as it is fun. It still is fun so we're still going.
GINA: I just want people to support their local rock and contribute to each other's talents. We have great things planned that we can't comment on just yet, but stay tuned and keep calling in.
Listen to the show WEDNESDAY NIGHTS from 9 to 11 PM. www.blogtalkradio.com/dirtydanmongoman
Dirt: We (Cool Rockin' Daddies) just did a job down at this little place in Ottawa, IL, and brought in lights, PA & all of this stuff for this little joint. People were just baffled as they're not used to seeing this kinda thing. We don't do it everytime, but you just have to in order to do it right.
But anyway, I think the whole recording thing has really changed things on the scene. It's not like people are trying to get on CBS, Warner Bros. or anything like that. They're like fuck them! We're putting this on an indie label, on iTunes & the internet. If somebody wants it they can come to me and buy it instead of going to them and me getting a penny on every dollar. Now that is pretty smart I think. The downside of it, is that the distribution is all different. With all the competition that's out there from every person playing stuff and getting people to listen to yours instead of the other 8 million other artists out there. There isn't a big company out there anymore grabbing somebody & doing everything possible to make them the greatest band on Earth. The upside is that the talent itself usually rises to the top somehow. If they're good, they'll rise up, -even on the internet.
CHICAGOSROCK: How can a band get noticed by you and be featured on the show?
GINA: They would need to contact me via e-mail at sweetg@hotmail.com and we'd take it from there.
CHICAGOSROCK: Are you catering to a specific genre or can anyone Rock, Metal, Country, etc., apply?
DIRT: We've gone country to metal.
GINA: I want more metal, ...like every week (laughs)!
MONGO: Easy on the Metal G! We tease her but we don't do well with Metal as we do with other genres.
DIRT: Well, I wouldn't mind having a metal band say every 6 weeks. I just don't want to inundate the show with metal. I'm very eclectic in taste and we all have our preferences.
MONGO: yeah, we have a Brittany Clarke who is a country artist. We've had her on the show 3 or 4 times and she's great. We paired her with Connie Francis when she was on the show.
DIRT: It was a good move as Connie is reaching the end of her career and Brittany is at the start of hers. She probably doesn't appreciate fully what it means but she will later in life. Her parents however, were thrilled and very grateful. We talked to her Dad the next day & he got it. CHICAGOSROCK: Are there any plans to cover talent outside of Chicago? MONGO: No, not really. We really like our local stuff.
DIRT: We like having a Chicago-based show about Chicago stuff. I don't mind doing bands coming thru town though.
MONGO: yeah, they could be jugglers, *playmates*, magicians, etc. As long as they're coming thru our town. I don't care. We'll talk to anyone.
One thing I wanted to get across is that we hope the local guests will take advantage of the free tools available thru the show (thru BlogTalkRadio.com) to promote themselves. There's a little player that can actually be embedded in their own websites. People wouldn't have to actually come to the blogtalkradio site to listen to the show. Out of a 120 something people we've had, only 15 have done that & used those tools.
CHICAGOSROCK: Anything else you want to talk about as we wrap this up?
MONGO: We said we'd do the show as long as it is fun. It still is fun so we're still going.
GINA: I just want people to support their local rock and contribute to each other's talents. We have great things planned that we can't comment on just yet, but stay tuned and keep calling in.
Listen to the show WEDNESDAY NIGHTS from 9 to 11 PM. www.blogtalkradio.com/dirtydanmongoman
