The Spike O'Dell Podcast from 720 WGN

From the Hometown Voices Tour stop in Frankfort... Spike talks with actor Back to the Future actor Tom Wilson, and then with 8-year-old Dominic DiAngi about how he's doing after getting hit with a foul ball at a Cubs game in July.

Spike talks with coupon clipper Amy Paulus about using discounts to the maximum degree, and then with Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettell about the best places to eat in the southern suburbs.

Spike talks with Olympic 100-meter butterfly silver medalist Christine Magnuson of Tinley Park about what it was like when her Olympic dream came true, and then with former Olympic speedskater Dr. Eric Heiden about his new book that tells us what we need to do to stay fit and healthy.

It's Paul McCartney fever... as Spike talks with Pamela Biesen, who met the former Beatle at a museum in Joliet, and by Josh and Jared Lowder, who met him at a Circle K in Springfield; and then Lollapalooza correspondent Linsday Eanet stops by the studio to share some some interviews and to talk about her experiences at the big weekend music festival.

Spike talks with high school history teacher Chris Schwarz about how Balbo Street in Chicago is named after a fascist, and then with PGA golfer Luke Donald about his career and new wine collection.

Spike talks with Mike Berkus, who's part of a national sports collectors convention that's offering $25,000 for Steve Bartman's autograph; and then with Chicago Magazine real estate guru Dennis Rodkin about the Illinois housing market.

Spike talks with Sun-Times political cartoonist Jack Higgins about making a point in his drawings without crossing the line, and then our shredders Arthur and Mike stop by the studio to talk about their 36-day / 940-mile trip from Chicago to New York City... using just skateboards.

Spike talks with NASCAR legend Richard Petty about highlights of his 50-year racing career, and then with our friends Arthur and Mike right after they arrived in Manhattan on their cross-country skateboard adventure from Chicago to New York City.

Spike talks with Cook County Board President Todd Stroger about how Chicagoans now pay the highest sales tax in the nation; with Samantha Butler, a woman who stared into the eyes of an alleged mass murderer; and then the crew talks with WGN Radio creative director Victor Lisle about his nightmarish experience in the barber's chair.

Spike talks with Beyond The Vines founder Dennis Mascheri about a new way to rest in peace while paying homage to the Cubs, and then with local college students Arthur and Mike who are in the middle of a skateboarding trip from Chicago to New York City.

Spike talks with former ABC news anchor Sam Donaldson about the death of Tim Russert, and then the morning crew discusses their germ phobias.

Spike talked with Governors Jim Doyle (Wisconsin) and Mitch Daniels(Indiana) about the widespread flooding in each of their states and the massive cleanup effort required to get people back on their feet, and then with Francisco Guerra who invented Flogos...clouds shaped like logos.

Spike talks with Olympic sand volleyball gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, and then Andrea and Mary bust Spike for exceeding his monthly texting limit!

Spike talks with (while Mary and Andrea swoon at) Dancing With The Stars contestant Cristian de la Fuente about his experience on the show and how he got his first surgical scar, and then with Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel about which Chicagoland restauraunts give you the best bang for your buck.

Spike talks with Bob Brownell about why he plans to drive his tractor from McHenry to Laramie WY... at 15 miles per hour, and then with former Styx member Dennis DeYoung about his work on the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Spike talks with former Illinois governor Jim Thompson about the rejection of his group's offer to buy Wrigley Field, and then with Cubs chairman Crane Kenney about the sale of the Cubs and Wrigley Field.

It's a Kennedy-themed podcast... as Spike talks with Chris Kennedy about what it's like being a member of the family, and then with Maria Shriver about her new book Just Who Will You Be?

From Wedesday, April 30, 2008... it's Blackhawks fever as Spike and WGN Radio VP/General Manager Tom Langmyer announce from Pioneer Court our new partnership with the legendary hockey team...and then it's back to the studio with John McDonough, Dale Tallon, Stan Mikita, Rocky Wirtz, and Jay Blunk with Spike and Dave Eanet...and finally we hear the National Anthem from Jim Cornelison.

Spike talks with Andrew Dice Clay about returning to Chicago for a show and what his career has been like since he started, and then with Dennis Rodkin from Chicago Magazine about short sales and what people should do if they are facing foreclosure.

Spike talks with Cardinal George while he was in Washington DC with Pope Benedict XVI, and then the crew discusses the hurricane names for 2008 and whether or not they're scary.

Spike talks with baseball legend Billy Williams about his new autobiography My Sweet Swinging Life as a Cub, and then with supermodel Cheryl Tiegs about why going green is important to her.

Spike talks with University of Illinois president Joe White about why tuition went up to around $20,000 and what families should do to still send their kids to college, and then he chats with Ernie Banks statue sculptor Lou Cella about what it was like to create it and all the controversy surrounding the missing apostrophe.

Spike talks with Tinley Park resident Erin Morris about an Illinois-shaped potato chip she sold on eBay, and then with local Harlequin novels author Margaret Watson about how she included his coffee cup museum in her book Stranger In A Small Town.

Spike wishes astronaut Jim Lovell a happy 80th birthday and talks a little bit about space, and then he chats with Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel about the best local egg salad sandwiches.

Spike welcomes Ann Compton of ABC News to the studio to talk about the latest news stories, and then he chats with Dr. Kevin Most about Felix Pie's testicular torsion.

Spike welcomes Uno, the first Beagle to win at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show to the studio with Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and his handler, Aaron Wilkerson; he talks with Bob Kadera from Lake Villa, who flew his plane onto the Lincolnshire Golf Course because his son was running late to a tennis game; and then he chats with James Thompson (former Illinois Governor and current chariman of the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority) about the state purchasing Wrigley Field, his thoughts on former Gov. George Ryan, and the Democratic presidential nominee race.

Spike talks with US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson about how homeowners can avoid foreclosures, the future of the penny, and a question Spike has always wanted to ask.

Spike talks with NIU president Dr. John Peters about the tragedy on Valentine's Day and how the campus plans on moving forward.

Spike talks with James Laski former City Clerk about his time in prison and his new book, with former shuttle commander Jerry Lineger about the current space mission, and then from Valentine's Day... with the morning show crew about how to handle relationships that ended.

Spike talks with Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel about where to get tasty fish and chips, and then with Anita Alvarez -- the new Cook County State's Attorney.