I fucking love Chicago. I love its neighborhoods, its restaurants and its old, hidden away, can’t believe you’re still in the Midwest spots. I also love its many, many stories waxed eloquently on TV, the news, novels, short stories and poems. Want to know Chicago? Spend time with Bill Kurtis at the Printers Row Lit Fest. Saw him there today talking to Rick Kogan about his new book. Watch The Bear. Season 1 and 2 anyways. The last two ain’t as good. Or read Stuart Dybek (The Coast of Chicago) or Joe Meno (Book of Extraordinary Tragedies) or Adam Langer (Crossing California) or anything by Saul Bellow. And while you’re doing that rock out to the Smashing Pumpkins or Wilco. Just don’t watch Fox News. Those Fuckers have it in for us.

The f’ing President of the United States, a walking PSA for the ravages of syphilis, wants to go to war with us. His deranged post today shows him all Apocalypse Now poised to bomb us or some other despicable action. Sadly things are probably going to get worse before they get better. But in times like these it helps to think WWTBBD (what would the Blues Brothers do)? They would probably take a deep breath. And then after an epic car chase take a moment to lead us all in a tightly choreographed gospel infused bluesy sing along. Some of us would probably hurt our back. We all would be out of breath. Not sure it would help any but it sure would make a lot of us feel better.

Stay cool Chicago.