June 5, 2024 • 55 mins
When the worlds of real estate and heavy metal collide, you know you're in for an electrifying experience. That's precisely what happened when we sat down with Jenafur Schlangen, a music photography maven and journalist who just stepped into the realm of homeownership. Jennifer's tales from the pit, photographing metal legends and her journey navigating the choppy waters of buying a home in Chicago, are peppered with the kind of insights only a true industry insider can offer. Plus, she adds an unexpected twist with some shrimp trivia that's as quirky as it is delightful.
Strap yourself in for a rollercoaster ride through the thrills and spills of concert photography, where dodging 'mic mouth' is all in a day's work. I spill the secrets of capturing that perfect stage moment, from the technicalities of lighting to the adrenaline-fueled race against the three-song limit. The conversation hits a crescendo as we explore the raw power of live music and how it transcends the limits of our earbuds. Then, we pivot to the personal side of our lives, sharing the buzz of finding new properties and the charm of Chicago's vibrant neighborhoods.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and it takes center stage as we reminisce about the Loop's bygone happy hours and lost dining havens. We mourn the loss of Ropa Cabana and its gourmet hot dogs, and celebrate the lakeside jazz of my cousin Libby York, wishing for a chef to bring back the magic. Then, shifting back to the present, we reveal our passion projects, from eco-friendly beach inventions to the soothing sights of Lake Michigan, proving that whether it's through the lens of real estate or the rhythm of metal, life's melodies always find a way to surprise and delight us.
Connect with Karen and Andrew at Be Realty: Be Realty Group
Email the Show: karen.sandvoss@berealtygroup.com
Guest: Jenafur Shlangen, EcoBeachie
Link: Unrated Mag
Link: United Centre
Link: EcoBeachie on Instagram
Link: Xcom EcoBeachie
Link: The Kills
Link: Mudvayne
Link: Olivia Rodrigo Store
Link: Oceanique
Link: Waterfront Cafe
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Records and Real Estate, a podcast about
well, records and real estate.
You'll be entertained andinformed as we explore the
intersection of these two worldsthrough interviews with
Chicago's most interesting andsuccessful people from both
industries.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
That was Andrew Wendt and I'm Karen Sanvas.
We are Chicago real estatebrokers, property managers, avid
music lovers and your hosts ofRecords and Real Estate.
Hi, karen.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Andrew, hi, how are you today?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I am kind of distracted and busy.
I've got a lot going on at workand my brain is kind of a one
thing at a time kind of brain.
And when I have a lot of thingsgoing on.
I get stressed.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Well, you know, you should talk to your boss about
that.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
I should.
Let's take that offline.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
No, let's do it now.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Okay, oh you want to do this.
It's all good.
It's just it's, you know, timesensitive and things, but it's
all good.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
You know, perfect time to tell our listeners a
little bit about what's going onat Be Realty Group.
We are restructuring, yeah, weare sort of dividing out our
divisions into proper companies.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Dividing out our divisions into different
divisions, that's right.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Into real divisions.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes, into separate entities.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Separate entities.
So Be Realty Management is itsown company, be Realty
Residential is its own company.
In the future, be RealtyCommercial will be its own
company.
Yeah, potentially even BeRealty Global.
That's right, be Realty is itsown company.
In the future, b RealtyCommercial will be its own
company.
Yeah, potentially even B RealtyGlobal.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
That's right Will be its own company, all under the
umbrella of B Realty Group.
B Realty Group.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
And the reason why we did that is because we want
these divisions to be able to,you know, have some autonomy,
create some equity for thosethat are participating, you know
, in growing that particulardivision.
We also, you know, want theflow of money to be a little bit
more obvious and cleaner, Yep.
And yet it's a lot of work andyou're doing an incredible job
(02:15):
on the B Realty management sidewhich is really the lion's share
of the lift, because the otherentity sort of exists already.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
So yeah, yeah, it's a lot.
If you're ever planning to doan entity change, give me a call
, I will tell you.
If you don't need to do it,don't do it.
No, it's.
Yeah.
I think I'm very excited aboutwhat it's going to, how it's
going to benefit us.
Like you said the financialclarity.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're in thethick of it.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yep, yep.
Light at the end of the tunnel,though so close, yeah, nice.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
You can taste it.
Property management.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Well speaking of bright lights.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
And big cities.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
We had a lovely guest on.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yes, she was a very bright light.
Yes, loved her whole vibe, herhumor, yeah, Her whole vibe her
humor.
Yeah, you say her last name,because I am going to butcher it
.
Jennifer Schlangen Schlangenshe and I know each other, have
(03:19):
known each other for a long time, recently reconnected because
of one of our previous guests,Jeff Elbell of the Illinois
Entertainer.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, the records and real estate web of people is
growing and connecting, which isreally great.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
She was cool, came at it from a side of music
photography and also journalism,photojournalism as she points
out.
That was a big word that shethrew out there.
Yep, simplifies theconversation, though, a little
bit yeah, for sure, and uh, andshe's a heavy metal fan yeah,
yeah we learned about umlisteners, you're gonna learn
(03:45):
what the term is for the littleum poop line that goes through
the back of a shrimp that'sright stay tuned yep shall we
let's get into it.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Here we are with jennifer schlangen did I
pronounce your last name right?
You did very good schlangenyeah, s-c-h-h-l-a-n-g-e-n.
Very good.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
That's I remember.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
I remember things.
I'm not a Smith, so I am singleand I am looking.
Since I ordered pizza underSmith, I'm looking to just make
the leap, yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
I like it, it's much easier.
Yes, jen, you and I have knowneach other for a long time.
Yes, we have.
We recently reconnected.
You're a big music fan I am andyou are under contract to buy a
home by the time this airs.
You will be a homeowner,first-time homeowner.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
So congratulations, thank you, and my neighbor, yeah
, edgewater, your neighbor up in.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Edgewater Very exciting.
So we'll talk about that andyou're a big Chicago fan.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I am.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
I mean, I think you are.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I am for the most part.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, it's got its pluses and minuses.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Any big city does.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So would you say that those are your qualifications
for being on the podcast today,or?
Are there others that I forgot.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I would absolutely say that you've hit all of my
qualifications.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Thank you.
So when did you start this sortof side gig as a concert
photographer?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Well, I have been writing for Unrated Magazine for
, oh gosh, it's probably beenI'm going on 15 years and my
photographer moved okay so I'mlike, how hard can it be?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
snap a few photos, you know just easy.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, but I've just been having a blast learning
along the way it's been great,it's total joy.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
So I mean we should take a step back then.
So you've been writing aboutmusic for 15 years.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I have.
I started writing.
Actually, I worked with thesame photographer for all these
years and he was working as aphotographer for ChicagoGigscom.
Do you ever hear that?
Oh, this was in the way backmachine.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
ChicagoGigscom and I remember my favorite memory.
I got to tell you they hosted astreet fest and I want to say
it was like Roscoe Village orsomewhere, and so I got to
introduce the bands.
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah, no.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
No, I get on stage and I'm so excited and you know
I'm like all right, next up wehave now the band is setting up
behind me and whatnot.
So the sound man is now talkingto the band as they're setting
up and he's like snare drum,whatever.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
And.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
I don't know that this is only coming through the
monitors, and I'm in the middleof my introduction and you will
not interrupt me, so I literallystopped I'm like okay, next up
we have hello.
I'm talking, oh, and everyonewas like yeah, so yeah,
(07:01):
chicagogeekscom.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
It is now defunct, yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Wouldn't know why Great representation there.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Because they had terrible MCs.
Is that why so rude?
Speaker 3 (07:13):
It was so great, I was so embarrassed.
But I still laugh about it tothis day.
I remember it like it wasyesterday.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yeah, I mean, how would you know if you don't know
how monitors work?
Yeah, I mean, how would youknow if you don't know how
monitors work?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, I mean I don't play in a band, yeah, but yeah,
I could now, because now I getit.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah, totally.
What would you play if you werein a?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
band.
Oh, bass, really, okay, yeah, Iwould.
Or drums, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
All right.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I work for lawyers.
You know, we talked about that.
Yes, we did.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Don't interrupt me.
Aggression out on the drums.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
The name of the band.
Or the first album.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Right.
So what got you into writingfor Chicago gigs?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Well, the photographer, dan Dan Locke,
he's great, he's.
He left me, but whatever, I'mactually happy now because I
just love the photography aspect.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Like a lot.
I had no idea what I wasmissing all these years.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Are you doing both?
Yeah Right, okay yeah, andyou've mentioned the name of the
publication that you write for.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It's Unrated Magazine .
Okay, I also contribute toIllinois Entertainer.
I also contribute to IllinoisEntertainer and I understand
that you had Jeff on, that'sright.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, we had Jeff.
He was a lovely guest JeffElbell, yes.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Previous guest yes.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, he's awesome.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
You know, I've never met him in person yet.
Oh really no, Everything is onemail.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
But that's what reconnected us is.
You commented on his post abouthis podcast and you made some
nice remark about me, and so Ibought it Hook Line and Sync I'm
like I should reach out to JenRight.
So what are some of the?
Are there particular genres orparticular bands?
What's your assignment?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
I get to choose my assignments, so it's great.
So I just hear what's coming up.
I also get emails, which I havefor years as a writer.
I get emails from publicistslike oh God, at least 20 a day
for just different bands, likelocal little up-and-comers.
But then for the big shows,which is where the big joy comes
in, because if you can put yourelbows on the stage at United
(09:23):
Center and take a photo, I don'teven care.
If I have a shot I am going toput my elbows on that stage at
United.
Center because your bonesliterally rattle in your body
and it is just joy.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Oh, that's so cool.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
It is awesome when you were, I don't know, college
age or even younger, like whenyou first could go to clubs?
Were you that person that stoodin the front and stood next to
the speaker?
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Yeah, or I was in the mosh pit.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
In the mosh pit.
Okay, so punk rock or what wereyou into?
No more metal, Metal okay.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, punk is like jazz to me.
It's just too complicated.
Well, anyone can pretend toplay it.
I'm kidding, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Karen feels that way about jazz.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I like jazz for about a half an hour, but then after
that it's done, it's dead to me.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I like a jazz with a cocktail in one hand and a
little foot beat, and it has tohave some rhythm.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
But I often complain but they always go off the rails
.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I don't want to listen to somebody doing their
scales.
Agreed, do that in your owntime.
Do that in your living room.
That's called practicing.
Yes, or masturbating or sonicmasturbation, as I like to call
all that wanky stuff.
But yeah, but we have some jazzpeople, jazz guests and one
coming up soon, a jazz drummerwho actually is a really fun
(10:43):
drummer, derek Henderson, towatch.
Awesome, he's my kind of jazz.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
All right, yeah All right, yeah, I mean, you're
going to have to tone down yourrhetoric if we're going to have
a jazz drummer.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
I know.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Don't offend anybody.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I know right.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
So do you have an assignment coming up?
Speaker 3 (11:01):
I do.
Well, how it works is that yousubmit?
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
So time coming up.
I do well how it works is thatyou submit.
Okay, so a lot of my shows arelive nation shows.
Okay, so you submit what youwant to shoot or cover through
the live nation media portal,okay, and then they send it to
the artist publicist.
Okay, and then they let youknow literally the day before or
the day of the morning of oh,wow, yeah, wow, yeah.
It sucks, you can't really planand I am a planner.
Yeah, but it's worth it, becauseit's joy, yeah, so then they
(11:35):
let you know and then that's thedeal.
So my next one I'm submittedfor is Olivia Rodrigo.
Oh yeah, I have no idea who sheis, but I know she's huge.
She's huge and it's at UnitedCenter.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
I have no idea who she is, but I know she's huge
and it's at United Center.
Oh gosh, elbows on the stage.
You know, I listen to her.
She has two albums.
She's very young but she'sreally cool, you know just
different from you know, yoursort of young woman artist
getting started in the musicbusiness.
I'm excited, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, I mean, I'll submit to big, big shows like
that and I haven't heard of theband, and then I usually always
walk away.
A fan, yeah.
And it could just be the joyyou know level of joy that's
been inserted in me and I'm justlike man.
This person is great.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
But I usually, most always, walk away a fan.
So, I'm excited to see her.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
What are your deliverables, then, as a
photographer?
How many shots do you have totake?
Do you have to take certainkinds of shots?
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Well, for your featured image for the article,
you want a horizontal shot, so Ijust shoot both ways If the
lighting's bad, which there area few venues that I will try not
to bash on, but the lighting isalways like blue or red.
Yeah, and there's never a spotwhich sucks bad.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Never a spot meaning like never good shot.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Line of sight right for you and in those instances I
call what I do spray and pray.
So I just hold the shutter downand just hope that eventually
there might be a strobe orsomething that will hit the face
of the artist.
But I just kind of tend tomaneuver my camera from vertical
(13:15):
to horizontal and since I writethe piece I can kind of choose.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Oh, so you do the writing and the photography for
the same piece.
I do, that's fun.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Yeah, I do All right, but I think there's something
coming up.
I'm going to have my own writer, that's right.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
You're going to be Dan.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
I am going to be.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Dan, and your writer's going to be Jen.
Yes, wow.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
That's cool.
Yeah, I was going to saybecause I would think that, you
know, looking through the cameralens is a different experience
than being a writer sitting backand listening to the show and
really taking in all the actionat once.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
That is true and honestly.
We're only allowed to shoot thefirst three songs of each
artist.
That's how it works, Really YepStandard.
So you always have like yourhandler, and the handler brings
all of the photographers intothe media, pit First three songs
and at that third song you lookdown at the end and they are
literally tapping their watchLike get the hell out now.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
So which is fine, is that because the performer looks
the best and isn't sweating yet, so they have the nicest shirt.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
That's when I think they would look the best.
It pisses me off because andthen also I've noticed too on
the fourth song yeah, look thebest.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
It pisses me off because and then also I've
noticed too on the fourth song.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yeah, that's when you get all the spotlight on the
face like why do you do this tous?
I don't.
I don't understand it either,but I would think I would rather
shoot like songs four throughseven, because that's when
they're warmed up and they'remore relaxed, but no, it's
always the first three songs.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
So interesting yeah maybe it's distracting for the
artist or something.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yeah, that could be, yeah so you get to enjoy the
concert right, and that's howwhat I wanted to loop back to
was.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
You said the experience for a writer was
different than looking throughthe lens, and that is true,
because for the first threesongs I don't even hear the
music like at all.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
I don't hear it.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I feel it.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Your elbows, get it.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I know I will beat that dead horse, the poor baby,
but I don't hear it anything.
It's so funny.
But then after the third song,then I have a chance to just
kick back.
Yeah that's cool.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
What's one of the last concerts that you did that
you were just super thrilledabout the Kills.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Oh nice, at the Vic and I'd never heard of them.
I do my research before I sitdown and write the article, find
out they've been around forlike 21 years and I'm like, yeah
, great journalist you are, I'venever heard of them and I did a
Google search to find out.
I always look before the livemusic performance to see what
(15:51):
hand the singer is, so you don'tget mic mouth.
So I always check to see arethey right or left handed, so I
know what to stand on for photos.
Never would have thought aboutthat.
Yeah, so I did that and Ithought their music sucked.
I mean it was bad.
I'm like great, I gotta go withthe vic and I'm not.
I don't like the vic, but it's,you know, it's not united
(16:12):
center, you can tell.
That's my favorite but, man,they kicked my ass.
They were great.
Every I didn't hear much of thefirst three songs per use, but
I am not kidding you.
Every song that I stood thereand watched after that, every
single one, I was like holy shit, I love this song.
Oh my god, these guys are great.
I wasn't just saying that tomyself.
(16:35):
It was actually with a friendand I kept telling her man, I
love these guys.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
She's like yeah, I know what do you think the
difference was between?
You know your experience, justlistening to them, what on
spotify or something, and thenit was google.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
It was like they're live.
Well, maybe it wasn't alive,maybe it was just an official
video, but I like to, you know,find something alive and it just
probably was someone's cellphone recording of it.
Yeah it just didn't do themjustice, man.
They kicked my, kicked my ass.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
They are great.
Oh, that's great.
Have fun.
Yeah, go live music For real.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
So what are you typically writing about?
Like just the concert itself orhow they're playing?
I mean, is it a review?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
of the show.
Well, I critique the musiciansbecause I know every instrument.
No, I like to talk about theexperience of being there.
So my little motto has alwaysbeen like if you couldn't make
the show, whether you couldn'tafford the ticket or you
couldn't get a babysitter, I'mjust kind of there to tell you
what you may or may not havemissed.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
That's why I like and maybe I don't know if it's a
style of the Illinoisentertainer, but Jeff's articles
do that for me Like I feel likeI've been there, yeah, which is
wonderful.
That's the goal.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Yeah, yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Shifting gears a little bit, as we talked about
in the open.
You're about to close on acondo.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Congratulations.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Now I know, you know your process was a little bit
different than most, because youinitially thought you were
going to buy the apartment thatyou were renting, correct, but
what about your process?
Sort of has surprised you.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Well, what surprised me was that my unit owner would
not accept my offer.
I mean, what a jackass.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
They were selling and just didn't want to sell for
the price you were offering, orthey didn't want to sell at all.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
No, he wanted to sell .
I've been asking him for years.
I've been running from him for13 years and I had been asking
him for years Are you ready tosell, are you ready to sell?
And finally he was ready tosell last year, but I had just
started a business, so I wasn'treally in that position to do it
(18:42):
.
And I said let's just lease onemore year and then I'm going to
buy it.
And he's like okay, so which Ithought was cool, he had no
intention of listing it and hewas giving me first dibs on it,
which was awesome.
I appreciated that.
And then we get to where mylease is ending, my last lease.
And he's like well, are you, doyou want to buy this or not?
Like he's just, he's ada-dun-da-dun.
(19:04):
But I said, yes, I do, I wantto buy it.
And so the place you knowhasn't even seen a coat of paint
in 13 years.
And in hindsight I look backlike, had I known I was going to
be in this place for so long, Iwould have painted it.
I just didn't want to give himany equity, like I was so
stubborn on that.
But in the meantime, I justdidn't want to give him any
(19:24):
equity, like I was so stubbornon that.
But in the meantime, literallythis place is cracking and paint
is chipping around me and I'mlike God, it's so depressing,
you know.
So I brought a couple ofcontractors in for the estimates
on trying to get the unit to bepresentable, and he just thinks
that he can get way more thanwhat it's worth.
(19:46):
So yeah, it was time to move on.
So, I was bummed, though,because I really did want to buy
it, but I'm not an idiot either, right.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Right, you're not going to overpay just because
you're a captive audience Rightand I'm too lazy to pack up my
stuff.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Did you know if it sold?
I don't know what Andy asked methat.
I don't know what the situationis yet I'm curious but.
I was telling him I think itmust be an investor from like
out of state or something, RightCause nobody in their right
mind in Rogers park or you know,familiar with the North side up
there, nobody is going to paythat what he's wanting and he
(20:22):
would not budge.
Yeah, wouldn't budge, yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Interesting?
Yeah Well, we can track it foryou.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Yeah, we'll track them down.
Oh yeah, or track the sale down.
Track the sale, that's all.
Yeah, that's what I was goingto say.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
We can take care of them.
Super sleuths Records it's ourside hustle.
Just kidding, just kidding,just kidding.
I mean, you know we don't haveany advertisers, so we're gonna
make money, that's right.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Well, what I thought was really cool, you know again,
we just reconnected, so I justmissed you, but you had some
questions about the process andyou put some questions up on
next door.
I did that's really nice, yeah,and I love next door yeah I
mean I love.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
It's a love hate, you know, just like every community
forum, but you know everyone onwhat I love about next door.
First of all, is you have to beverified you know, they send
you the postcard to you knowverify your zip code so you know
everyone on there is legit andI think that's kind of cool.
But I threw it out thereliterally first time home buyer.
(21:27):
Can anyone refer me to a realestate agent, a contractor, and
I wanted.
What else did I want that?
I realized I didn't needbecause they told me appraiser
because I wanted to have my unitappraised.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Oh sure.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
But then I learned from everyone chiming in your
lender will arrange for that, sodon't spend the money and do it
twice.
But at any rate, I got so manyresponses from people that were
you know, try this person, orreal estate agents themselves,
and my guy, Don Beard.
Don Beard Beard.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Yeah, he's great.
So he chimed in and he was justno nonsense and I like that.
So he was like all right, adon't do this, b do this.
I mean he just laid it all outin a private message.
So I thought that was supercool.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
And then he ended up helping me with, providing me
with the contract for my privatesale.
I mean, he wasn't going to makeanything.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Right.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
And so he was going to help facilitate this private
sale between me and my currentda-dun-da-dun, and without
making a die, and then, since itfell through, he helped me get
the place in the neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
That's great, that's really cool.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah, what a nice story.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Way to do it yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Makes me think I should be on Nextdoor, you
should.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Yeah, maybe we should .
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Oh, yeah, I had a question here what do you love
about your area?
But you're moving areas and youhaven't really explored it yet.
Right, I haven't.
But there is a waterfront cafe.
Waterfront cafe, do you know?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I have been there many times.
Yes, my jazz singer, cousinLibby York, performs there in
the summertime.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
No way.
Yeah, I didn't know they hadmusic.
Yeah, oh, beautiful yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Like an evening glass of wine, and the singers set up
so that the backdrop is thelake it's really beautiful.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
How's the food?
All right?
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I really wish they would get a really good chef.
Yeah because, it would up theirwhole game.
So much the food is the worstpart about it everything else is
fine, is you know?
But the location's great.
Yeah, it's a little hidden gem.
If you don't know, if, if evenif you're walking by, you would
not even know it's there unlessyou yeah, I saw it on google
maps, but I haven't been yet, soI'm excited to physically
(23:47):
explore.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Maybe we can uh, you know, do a neighbor?
I would love that yeah go havea glass of wine is libby coming
back this summer?
Speaker 2 (23:57):
she is.
I don't know if she's bookedthere yet, but yeah, we'll have
a glass of wine and some shittyfood.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Love it.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
With a nice ambiance, that's right.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
We could eat before we go and then just have the
glass of wine.
We could just pack our ownsnacks.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Just keep reaching into your pocket for some
cashews.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Eating goldfish crackers Cheerios.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Like a two-year-old.
I'm sure you have that.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Yeah, I was going to say yeah, yeah, we could bring
Axel along, yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Yeah, his thing is cheddar bunnies Can.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
I have some cheddar bunnies.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Yeah, that place seems.
I have been there.
It's an incredible.
It's like something that youdon't think should exist, you
know, because it a very sort ofyou know seemingly city-owned
spot.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
You know what I mean.
Like right, yeah, did you ever?
Speaker 1 (24:49):
go to ropa cabana though it was.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
It's further than I know, it's a little further
north and it's well.
Now it's closed.
They closed because the parkdistrict chicago park district
totally cock, blocked them andmade like they needed repairs,
needed repairs, and they werecharging them out the ass Like
they were barely making any oftheir own profit.
They were barely able to keepany of it because the park
(25:10):
district was literally rapingthem.
So they're done.
But it was, I'm trying to think, loyola Beach.
I think.
And it was in the sand and justa little cabana.
And they had like, if there'ssuch a thing, gourmet chili dogs
, or I mean gourmet hot dogs.
So they had different types ofunique kind of hot dogs.
(25:31):
And then they had non-alcoholicfrozen drinks, pina coladas,
you know, daiquiris, and allthat stuff.
It was great.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
And.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
I'm sad that they're gone, but this Waterfront Cafe
kind of reminds me of thatconcept.
That's too bad, I know.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
My restaurant on the lake closed, and then now I have
to go to the other one.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Do you miss working in the loop?
No, that's where we're at no.
No.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
I do not yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Do you miss being?
You know, not to date us, but20 years younger and working in
the loop?
Speaker 3 (26:03):
I miss all those days .
I'm surprised I survived thosedays, though, to be honest.
I mean for real.
I think back and literallyshake my damn head.
Yeah, what the fuck were wethinking?
A lot of happy hours, Like alot of happy hours at like 3 in
the afternoon.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, a couple that started too early.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Is this because the nature of the work you afternoon
yeah, a couple that started tooearly?
Speaker 1 (26:22):
is this because the nature of the work.
You guys were working at thelaw firm or just downtown?
We just like to drink, we liketo go out and drink together.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
That's the glory of working downtown, that is, you
skip out like yeah, we wouldliterally just skip out.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Like what the hell were we thinking?
Yeah, we would be like allright, well to the receptionist,
because no one else, I don'tthink, even really noticed we
were gone, right, but thereceptionist, we'll be right
back.
We gotta run this over towhatever yeah if we even said
that I don't know.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
I mean that was.
I mean I I certainly had youknow, because I was a clerk.
I was right deliver things andI was just um I'll go into the
ladies room, I'll be back.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
Who knows next thing, I know we're like slamming.
What were we drinking?
Speaker 1 (27:03):
probably martini martinis.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
Like, literally like mad men like this just happened
once or twice yeah it was not no, but I'll never forget because
I'm like okay, so this is howwork is it's how work is when
andy's around.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
That's right, yeah yeah, yeah, do you remember one
time I think we were at thisholiday party where it was like
we were looking across the riverand there was that there's 77
west wacker.
We're both like I mean, we'reobviously we just mentioned this
we're both probably drinking ata holiday party.
It's that building that likehas a like sort of fake column
(27:41):
aids wasn't that where Unitedheadquarters?
Was for a while.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
Where are you going with this, Andy?
Speaker 1 (27:47):
I just remember admiring that building.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
She's looking very skeptical for our audience right
now.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Yes, I love that building.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
It's a beautiful building.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Anyway, that concludes our conversation about
the loop, and back in the day.
Yeah, back in the day beforeCOVID.
I like it.
Yeah, way before COVID.
Well, I'm just meaning likeworking downtown every day.
It seems like 20 years ago,yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Did you have to go downtown like every day before
COVID?
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Well, before COVID, oh yeah, I mean, it was just
regular life, every day.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
What do you mean?
Like working in an officeversus working at home?
Yeah, I guess, yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I mean, I guess that was a silly question.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Yes, yeah, there wasn't really a hybrid.
There wasn't work from homeNever that would have been great
.
Do any of the attorneys workfrom home.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Or are they all going to the office five days a week?
Speaker 3 (28:44):
At my current firm.
No, a lot of them work fromhome.
I mean, the big day in theoffice is Wednesday, that's when
a lot of people go, and I thinkbecause they provide free lunch
and today was a 3.30 happy hour.
So you know they got to get.
They lure people in.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Yeah, they provide the happy hour.
Oh yeah, nice, what do?
Speaker 3 (29:06):
they serve Booze.
We have our own chef.
You know, Really, this isdefinitely like Mad Men kind of
this is insane.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Wow, it's great.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
But they just do like hors d'oeuvres kind of stuff
and booze Nice, they derby kindof stuff and booze Nice They'll
even bring in an ice luge.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
They don't fuck around.
What's an ice luge?
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Oh, like they'll have the the name of the firm on the
ice a big block of ice and thenthey'll pour like vodka down it
.
So it's icy cold when it hitsyour glass.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
It's like a fraternity or it hits my tongue
Cause I just stick my face inthere.
There you go On that note.
Why don't we take a quick break?
Yeah, We'll present our recordof the week and we'll come back
and chat with Jen Schlangen.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Sweet Andrew.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Yes, Karen.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
You know what time it is.
I'm not sure it's time forrecord of the week.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
Record of the week Record record.
Record of the week.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Okay, I got one for you.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Because I have been falling behind.
This one is an oldie but agoodie of course, of course.
This is my college days andit's a band that we all know and
love called they Might BeGiants.
Oh yeah, it is their hit albumthat put them on the map called
Flood.
Uh-huh, it is their kind oftheir hit album that put them on
the map called Flood, and thissong that keeps coming up from
(30:25):
this album that for some reason,my you know, computers like
Spotify tends to like certainsongs and play them more often
than other songs.
It's a song called Istanbul.
Oh, yeah, yeah, and I have beento Istanbul Me too.
Yes, yeah, and Istanbul.
The song talks about how it wasnot always called Istanbul.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
It was once called Constantinople Constantinople.
I can hear the song now.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
That's right.
So it has been going on in myhead like an earworm all day so
that's why I pulled it out forour record of the week Nice.
They Might Be Giants when ithit.
This album was so weird.
Yeah, it was one of those justrandom outliers that was so odd,
but it it just clicked.
Yeah with people yeah, yeahthey are very fun.
(31:14):
Excellent musicians, excellentsongwriters, quirky and high
energy writing about stuff thatyou absurdist, weird things yeah
but it's delightful yeah andwhat do you when you hear me
talking about they might begiants?
do you have any things that popup in your brain?
Speaker 1 (31:35):
did they sing?
Put a little birdhouse in yoursoul put a little birdhouse in
your soul.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Yep, that's right not to put too fine a point on it.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Yep, yeah, I love that song.
And then, yeah, I can hearistanbul was constantinople, is
istanbul constantinople?
Yep.
So yeah, I don't think Ilistened to them, probably much
beyond that.
But I am sure that the othersongs on the album are great,
and those were just the onesthat got on the radio.
But yeah, I mean, it's kind ofalong this theme that, like
music can be anything right.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
You've been talking about that and you're right yeah
.
It's, it's.
There's no rules, and they area perfect example of somebody
who just took the rule book ofrock and roll and threw it out
the window.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
So to hell with you.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Yeah, and then made it an album that everybody loved
.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
I remember bringing it home on vinyl and putting it
on my record player oh cool Inmy bedroom in Oak Park and
thinking what the hell is this?
Speaker 1 (32:28):
What did I just?
Speaker 2 (32:29):
buy.
I couldn't stop listening to itand yeah, I can't say that like
it was instantly like oh my God, this is my jam.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
But it was so out there and fascinating that I
just kept listening to it andnow, um, I can't get it out of
my head Nice.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
So what's the?
I'm sorry, what's the name ofthe album?
Speaker 2 (32:45):
again, Name of the album is flood flood.
Yep, and it came out, I think,in the nineties at some point.
So, yeah, cool, check them out,check them out.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
I don't know them oh and to be at the vic on june
19th.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
I think okay, yeah, they're coming, so great, yeah,
we can go see them.
They might be giants and we'reback we're back with jen.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Do we review your qualifications?
Speaker 3 (33:13):
yeah let's go ahead, go down the entire bullet
pointed list.
Concert photographer checkconcert.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Author.
Mid-list Concert photographer.
Check Concerts.
Author.
Check what are you WriterConcert writer, you could say
photojournalist, photojournalist.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
And nip it all in one .
There you go.
That's my point.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
That's why you're the writer Big words.
Recent home buyer yes, Nice.
So I think you know.
If I remember correctly, youwere into metal.
Yes, Still true.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
I still love it, yes, but I don't listen to it at
home, like ever.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Have your.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
I'm not as angry anymore.
I think, yeah, I've gottenolder, yeah, right right,
chilled out.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Chilled out, mellowed out.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Yeah, but you know, if I hit a metal concert, then
I'm feeling the rage, then I'mfeeling the rage.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Who were your artists that you enjoyed back in the
day?
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Oh God, back in the day, that would be my vein, mud
vein.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Do you know what a mud vein is?
No, Let me tell you, it soundspretty not nice, but it's really
just the poop on the shrimp.
The mud vein, oh wow who knewI've cleaned shrimp, the mud
vein, oh wow, who knew?
Speaker 2 (34:24):
I've cleaned a lot of mud veins.
Yes, you have.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Yeah, we all have.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
All right.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Mud vein.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Which is, you know, kind of an odd name for a metal
band, but they are from Peoria,actually, Decatur Okay, which I
lovingly refer to as Decatur,it's because it's ritzy exactly
you know, adm is there, so yeahwhat's adm?
Oh adm, they do like, I thinkthey do like soybean production
(34:57):
and they make high fructose cornsyrup.
I think.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Okay, it reeks there right, I mean the whole town
smells.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
It's bad.
Decadur, decadur.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
All right, I'll steer clear of Decadur.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
So Mudvayne was from Peoria or Decadur.
Yes, yes, which is where youI'm originally from.
You were originally from Right.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
Right, so I went Mudvayne or Taxi War Dance.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Now, that's more of a metal name, if I can say so
myself.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
Yeah, so that kind of stuff Nice.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
Yeah, did your job as a photojournalist sort of
expand your musical horizons alittle?
Speaker 3 (35:35):
bit.
Oh for sure, yeah, yeah, forsure.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
And it got you listening to other things.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Right, right, because if you get an opportunity to
shoot someone that you don'tknow, yeah are we talking about
murder again?
It's always in style are youkidding?
Speaker 1 (35:57):
we looked at your.
You know spotify.
Spotify playlist who's who's onthere?
Speaker 3 (36:02):
mitch king mitch who's that?
Let me tell you about MitchKing.
Mitch King is a one-man band,okay, and I discovered him from
watching Bloodline on Netflixand he had played no part in the
show whatsoever.
But the opening music toBloodline was some artist, have
no idea who, but I plugged thatartist into, I found out, I just
(36:25):
don't remember.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
I plugged that artist into Pandora and then you know
that it'll choose artists thatare similar right, yeah, yeah.
Mitch King comes on, kicks myass.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
And then I look him up on YouTube and he's like got
his harmonica around his neck,he's got his little drum, little
thingies going on his feet andhe's got his 12 string guitar
and he's singing and I've alwaysbeen fascinated with well,
really, musicians, all of them,because I can't, you know, the
(36:56):
old pat your tummy, rub yourhead thingy yeah chew gum, walk,
whatever.
Yeah, this guy is keeping timelike three different ways.
It's insane and he he's kind ofdave matthews.
You might actually like him.
Sure, yeah, he's great, buthe's unsigned.
Yeah, I actually met with afriend of mine at live nation
who's kind of up the ranks and Isaid you guys need to get him
(37:19):
on a buy-on or something fordave matthews.
Just get him.
He's just so great.
Yeah, okay, jen, you know passit down the head and I'm like,
well, I tried, but this guy,mitch King he's lives in
Australia.
It's where he's from, and he'sonly playing farmer's markets
there and he's freaking crazyGood.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
I mean, it's insane, be his manager.
Speaker 3 (37:42):
Yeah, no, I have too many hustles on the side.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Well, if any managers are out there looking for a new
hot thing, mitch King, mitchKing from Australia, yep.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Speaking of side hustles, you had mentioned that
you just started a business Idid.
Is that still going on?
Speaker 3 (37:59):
It's kind of in a holding pattern until I move and
get settled.
But I did.
I started a business.
I make beach products thatcontain recycled ocean plastic.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Oh, nice Cool.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
What kind of things do you make?
Well, my first design was thefirst ever beach sled which
would take the place of thebeach wagon.
So there's no metal, rubber,nylon, any of that.
It's a sled.
There's no wheels.
It glides on the sand, Glideson the sand.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
See that.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
And then it's made all with recycled ocean plastic.
Nice Well, nothing can be madewith all recycled ocean plastic.
Technically it's too brittle,but every product has a QR code
that you swipe to see where onour planet the plastic was
harvested.
That's contained in yourproduct oh, that's cool.
Yeah, yeah, that's really cool.
Yeah, it's fun.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
I love the beach you know what's well see, now you're
gonna live in edgewater.
Yeah, on the edge of the water,love it what's the business?
I know right isn't that crazyit.
Speaker 3 (39:03):
It's called EcoBeachy , ecobeachy, mm-hmm.
Spell beachy for me.
B-e-a-c-h-i-e.
Ecobeachycom.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Ecobeachy Yep, how did you get into this Like did
someone just like drop off abunch of harvested ocean plastic
on your front door?
Speaker 3 (39:21):
They did.
And then I'm like what can Imake with this?
What?
Speaker 2 (39:24):
can I make?
Speaker 3 (39:25):
So I started taping it together to make these sleds.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
No, first one the prototype wasn't great.
Admittedly, the prototype, itfell apart.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
It couldn't hold my cooler at all, living in Rogers
Park right on the lake.
There too too.
Oh, this was right when I firstmoved there, so 13 years ago,
and I didn't have in my budgetthe 120 140 dollars for a beach
wagon.
So I just went on amazon andbought a snow sled and I'm like,
(39:59):
and I just drug all my stuff tothe beach.
I like to go to sherwin beach.
Jarvis beach sucks, just so youknow.
Okay, sherwin beach has nobeach nazis lifeguards so
everything goes there at sherwinbeach it's great.
so I just took my little snowsled over there and I got to
thinking, man, I'm just gonnabuy a bunch of these, like go to
(40:21):
alibaba and buy like a shit tonof these sleds and start a
company, slap some stickers onthem and just do a beach sled.
But then I thought I thoughtimmediately of you know backward
hat wearing high five and fratidiots on spring break that are
going to leave these sleds onthe beaches and litter, and I
(40:43):
don't like that.
I love you know our planet, so Ithought there's got to be a way
to make them more economicallyor ecologically responsible.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
Do they glide pretty well, or do you have to wax them
, or how do you you?
Speaker 3 (40:56):
know I did get my prototypes.
My manufacturer in South Africadid not work out.
They more than doubled my pricewhen I went to place the bulk
order and said they could onlymake them in black.
Well, no one wants anythingblack on the beach.
So I lost my ass on that andthat's why the beach sled is in
a holding pattern now.
(41:17):
But I will say this theprototypes that I do have need
to be reconfigured because theyare the bottom ridges need to be
more, much more pronounced.
Speaker 1 (41:28):
I have frisbees too, so I took, which I can't say
frisbees you know trademarkinfringement, so they're ocean
casters.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
yeah, I know it's so eco, beachy, so cheesy.
I love the whole thing has tobe that way.
Yeah, and it is so, but so.
But I thought I'm going to dragthis beach sled, I'm going to
pack it full of Frisbees, I'mgoing to go to Montrose Dog
Beach and this is going to bewhere I make my millions.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
This is it.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
Like screw you.
Tommy Bahama and Ron John.
I know what's up so I get myUber with all my shit, with your
coasters, oh yeah, all of it Iwas wearing even an eco beachy
t-shirt, like I know.
Yeah yeah, and so the frisbeesare boxed in individual boxes
(42:18):
and people kept walking by likeI did shit, like I was trying to
give them away, but theythought they were dog pizzas
because it was a Frisbee in abox.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
Yeah, like.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Montrose dog beach people.
It's just like you know.
I guess it's just the brainpower there, the people that go
there tunnel vision yeah, orthey were hungry their dogs were
hungry.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
They couldn't see outside the box I want to go
back to the fact that thereneeds to be more pronounced
ridges on the bottom of thedog's.
I mean the beach sled, the ecobeachy beach sled.
Yes, why?
Speaker 3 (43:01):
because when you load it full of shit, it and it's
flexible, it's pretty.
It's not extremely flexible,but the material is pretty
flexible.
So when you load it full ofcrap, it's literally just it
digs in.
Yeah, it's kind of dragging.
So I do have I met with aproduct engineer to reconfigure
and we're gonna do even likeflip up, flip up wheels.
(43:23):
Everyone's always like whereare the wheels, where are the
wheels?
And I'm like it's called abeach wagon.
It's what I'm trying to replace.
Stop it.
But you know, you got to getthrough the parking lot and it
is loud, it is very loud.
Cement, yes, yeah yeah, yeah,and it's durable, It'll hold.
They don't hold up, but it'skind of embarrassing.
What Full of shit.
(43:45):
Frisbees, you know, dog pizzas,whatever.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Is there not a way to put wheels and make it
eco-friendly?
It's just not feasible.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
Well there would have to be no Rubber.
There would.
But I was looking at likeluggage wheels.
So if they stayed small andthey were an external add-on, I
would have to charge you knowwhat 17.99 for the wheels.
I'm just kidding.
But if it was kind of anexternal piece, you know for
people that you know, but also,too, it's going to be.
(44:16):
The whole new design is goingto be kind of awesome, but I
just need to get moved and yeahyeah, first things first I'm
still doing concerts.
That's my joy.
It's just I got too much yeah,yeah, yeah but I do love it.
I love just the idea of takingcare of the planet and doing
something with all thattrillions of tons of plastic
that's floating in the ocean.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it's.
It's uh heartwarming to see itbe harvested, you know, because
you know how much is out there Ithink every plastic product
manufacturer should be.
Speaker 3 (44:47):
I think it should be a law, Like everyone should be
mandated to use at least a smallpercentage of recycled plastic.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
Like hello, coca-cola , pepsi, where are you?
Yeah, when we were catching up,you told me that you, for a
short time, worked for aproperty owner.
Yes, we don't need a propertyowner.
Yes, we don't need to.
Speaker 3 (45:05):
Property wait developer like manager right?
Is that how you describe it?
Speaker 2 (45:11):
Yeah, Well, a property developer is different
than a property manager.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
Well, no, they did both, they did both.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
Yeah, they did More management than developing
really I think, yeah, and youhelped them with their evictions
.
I did.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
Coming from a legal background, I helped with the
evictions.
You want a job?
Speaker 2 (45:31):
No thank you, I love you.
She's got four jobs, I got dogpizzas in the oven.
Speaker 3 (45:36):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (45:41):
Any horror stories, or were you just like sort of
processing people?
Speaker 3 (45:46):
You know, yeah, I was just the summonses and the
eviction paperwork, filing it incourt and calling the sheriff
Getting them served.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
Yeah, does he own a lot of residential or is it
commercial?
No, a lot of residential.
Speaker 3 (46:01):
Yeah, a lot.
There's one actually down thestreet here.
Okay, I didn't feel good aboutdoing that because a lot of the
residents were low income whichsucks yeah and like especially
in the winter, like I justreally hated to do it.
Speaker 2 (46:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (46:15):
And I know that there are laws where you know if it's
below a certain temperature.
You can't throw anyone out onthe street.
Speaker 1 (46:25):
But still it just sucked.
Speaker 3 (46:26):
Yeah, that's tough, it was a sad process really.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
Yeah, we struggle with that.
I mean, we, our clients, arethe owners.
Yeah, tenants are our customers.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
But it's really hard.
Yeah, I mean they, they wantconcessions and but the one
thing I will say is that the nowthat I'm kind of deep in this
job and have done it enough isthat there are a lot of
opportunities, even when you'resent to eviction.
It's it's such a tenantfriendly town.
I agree that you know you haveopportunities to get to climb
(46:56):
out of that hole and there isassistance and there's help and,
and you know, if you don't takeadvantage of that, then there's
really not any other, any otherchoice.
Speaker 3 (47:05):
I found a lot of the tenants would, just you know,
buck the system and play thegame.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
Oh yeah, Professional tenants.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Professional tenants yeah, yeah, that happens for
sure.
Speaker 2 (47:15):
Right, and that's hard because at some point you
don't know who's telling thetruth and you get kind of you
know jaded because you have been, you know, screwed over by
people who do know how to playthis.
Play the game play the systemand then you just assume
everyone's doing that Right.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
And then all of a sudden you find out that this
you know somebody kind of has to, because I mean you have to
treat everybody know yourfiduciary responsibility is to
your own owners.
Right.
Speaker 2 (47:45):
Yeah.
But, just the mental mindsetgoing in.
You know shifts sometimes, onceyou have enough of those
professional tenants, it's hardnot to think everybody's like
that.
I totally agree yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
What is I mean?
We talked a lot about whatyou're up to anything that we
haven't in terms of what's nextfor Jen.
Speaker 3 (48:07):
No, I think you know, I'm just living day by day,
andy.
I'm just if I can make itthrough today.
Do the best I can If I can makeit through today and start over
tomorrow, then I am happy,happy, happy.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
Any like you know, you've lived in rogers park for
13 years any any restaurants upthere that you can recommend to
our listeners?
Speaker 3 (48:29):
there were a couple, but they closed.
It really sucks.
Were they on the beach?
Now I have to go to the otherones?
No, there really aren't.
I'm gonna just throw it outthere.
I'm gonna feel really badly ifI am forgetting a good one, but
I honestly don't think there areany good ones left I really
don't.
Yeah, honest to god, I do liketo go up to evanston though yeah
(48:52):
, where do you?
Speaker 1 (48:52):
what do you eat there ?
Speaker 3 (48:53):
there's a tapas place that I like.
Oceanique is awesome and thattapas place is good like prairie
moon sure if you get over, likeyou know, prairie moon smells
like it's down in a basement andit just smells like urinal
cakes when you walk in, but onceyou get used to that, the food
is delicious well, that's, Imean, that's.
Speaker 1 (49:14):
That's surprising, because they recently you know,
prairie moon used to be afreestanding building, but then
they tore it down to build abunch of condos and they put it
oh really, so it's like a newerversion of prairie moon their
food is awesome, but it justwasn't it on the corner.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
Yeah, I was like okay yeah, I'm just surprised that.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
I mean, I guess it's probably like six years old at
this point.
So six years old is enough todevelop a little cake smell.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
I honestly think it is their restrooms and there's
some sort of there's some sortof gap they need to patch.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
Lack of ventilation.
Speaker 3 (49:46):
Yeah, or too much ventilation, exactly, way too
much this is a shitty way to endthe show.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
It is a shit, shit, shit way.
You got a lot of puns going onthere, andrew, I do.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
Well, jen thank you for being here.
You guys are the best, thankyou for having me.
Speaker 3 (50:03):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (50:04):
Great to have you and I got to meet my new neighbor.
I'm so stoked, that's rightOkay we're going to go to the
other place.
Yeah, bad food, good wine, badfood, good wine, good company,
bring snacks, that's right.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
That's it.
Thanks, jen, appreciate it.
It was fun, karen, andrew.
So you know, spring is upon us,yay, which is glorious.
Side note to that.
You know, they say time movesfaster as you get older, and I
think that's definitely truebecause, granted, this winter
(50:36):
was super mild, but, boy, itjust didn't seem like it
registered to me at all.
Speaker 2 (50:41):
Yeah, I mean the fact that we really didn't have
hardly any snow Right Just to beable to walk around normally in
.
February, even when it's cold.
Speaker 1 (50:49):
Yeah.
Game changer, but still itwasn't.
It wasn't.
You know summer weather.
Speaker 2 (50:55):
No, no, it got cold.
Remember this cold snap, thecold snap.
We had quite a cold snap twoweeks of cold.
Speaker 1 (51:01):
Yep, but why?
You know, we talk a lot about,um, you know this.
This, the waterfront restaurant.
Why is it so nice to sit nearwater listening to music and
drinking a glass of wine?
Speaker 2 (51:15):
yeah, I think there's something that resonates with
our core like atomic structureas human beings, when you're in
that environment and the oceanwaves.
I don't know if it aligns withyour, your chi or whatever is
happening, but there's a senseof calm that at least comes over
(51:36):
me.
I always say when peoplebecause I live in edgewater, on
the water, and I don't know if Icould live in the city I'm not
a city person yeah, and so beingon that water and having that
vista, that horizon is just.
It reminds me that there's a bigworld out there right and it's
(52:00):
you know, behind me are thesirens and the craziness and the
traffic and whatnot but thenover there to the east is just
calm.
Speaker 1 (52:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (52:09):
And one of my favorite things to do is to go.
I live on right by Hollywoodwhere the Lakeshore Drive ends,
and I go out to that little pierand on the one side of the pier
the waves are coming in acertain way and the other side
of the pier they're kind ofhitting the cement and bouncing
off and they just there'scertain days that they, the
waves, kind of undulate in thisbeautiful.
(52:33):
Oh my god, I can't even I, Ijust it's hard to describe but
it is kind of the most off, likethe the structures that are
there yeah, but the but whenthere's no, it's not windy or
anything, it's just this slow,really long waves, very low, and
it's just you sit on the edgeof that pier and your heartbeat
(52:55):
slows down.
Like your blood pressure calmsdown.
It is beautiful and wonderful.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
Do you get the same feeling sitting by Lake Michigan
as you did because you lived onthe West Coast and near water
for many, many, many, many, manyyears?
I did Many, many, many, many,many, many years 21 to be exact.
Do you get the same feelingsitting by that water as you do
(53:22):
this water?
Speaker 2 (53:23):
I don't, but I have to say I lived a little farther
away from the water over there,but you know the Bay.
I was in Northern CaliforniaBay Area and if you're on the
ocean side of the San FranciscoPeninsula, I mean you're talking
big waves, huge crashing, andLake Mission gets like that too.
I mean people surf rightoutside of my apartment, which
(53:44):
is nuts, but it is different, itreally is.
I think it's because you can'tsee across Lake Michigan.
And here's a fun fact I trackeda boat.
There's a boat that goes it'slike a cargo ship that goes back
and forth on the horizon, rightoutside of like on my view of
the water, and I figured outwhich boat it is and what it's
(54:06):
carrying and how, what the youknow, how it goes from the South
to North and back again, and Ialways assumed that because it
was right on the horizon.
I'm like, oh, that must be likeright, kind of on the other side
of the lake.
They must be really clear.
You know, close to that farshore?
Turns out they are right in themiddle of the lake.
They must be really clear.
You know, close to that farshore?
Yeah, turns out they are rightin the middle of the lake so
(54:26):
what I'm seeing from myapartment in edgewater to the
horizon is only halfway acrosslake michigan.
Speaker 1 (54:33):
That's how big lake michigan is.
Yeah, yeah, nuts, that's crazyyeah and there's uh four other
lakes, not quite as big as lakeMichigan, but I think Superior
is the biggest.
Speaker 2 (54:44):
That's why they call it Superior.
Could be wrong, but anyway.
Speaker 1 (54:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (54:49):
It is one of my favorite things and I don't know
if I could live in this citywithout it.
I'm sure I could.
I would get used to anything.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
Well, I mean, it's a totally different energy, right?
I mean it's calming over there.
So yeah, some plumbing overthere, so we'll look forward to
having a little records and realestate party at the Waterfront
Cafe.
Speaker 2 (55:05):
Ooh, that would be fun.
Let's do that, all right.
Speaker 1 (55:09):
This has been a superior episode.
Speaker 2 (55:11):
Of records and real estate.
All right, Big finish.
Bye Andy.
Speaker 1 (55:19):
Bye.
This has been an episode ofrecords and real estate.
Thanks for listening.
We hope you enjoyed it.
Today's episode was brought toyou by Be Realty.
Be where you want to be.
Be Realty.
Welcome to Records and Real Estate, a podcast about
well, records and real estate.
You'll be entertained andinformed as we explore the
intersection of these two worldsthrough interviews with
Chicago's most interesting andsuccessful people from both
industries.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
That was Andrew Wendt and I'm Karen Sanvas.
We are Chicago real estatebrokers, property managers, avid
music lovers and your hosts ofRecords and Real Estate.
Hi, karen.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Andrew, hi, how are you today?
Speaker 2 (00:36):
I am kind of distracted and busy.
I've got a lot going on at workand my brain is kind of a one
thing at a time kind of brain.
And when I have a lot of thingsgoing on.
I get stressed.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Well, you know, you should talk to your boss about
that.
Speaker 2 (00:56):
I should.
Let's take that offline.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
No, let's do it now.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Okay, oh you want to do this.
It's all good.
It's just it's, you know, timesensitive and things, but it's
all good.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
You know, perfect time to tell our listeners a
little bit about what's going onat Be Realty Group.
We are restructuring, yeah, weare sort of dividing out our
divisions into proper companies.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Dividing out our divisions into different
divisions, that's right.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Into real divisions.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Yes, into separate entities.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Separate entities.
So Be Realty Management is itsown company, be Realty
Residential is its own company.
In the future, be RealtyCommercial will be its own
company.
Yeah, potentially even BeRealty Global.
That's right, be Realty is itsown company.
In the future, b RealtyCommercial will be its own
company.
Yeah, potentially even B RealtyGlobal.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
That's right Will be its own company, all under the
umbrella of B Realty Group.
B Realty Group.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
And the reason why we did that is because we want
these divisions to be able to,you know, have some autonomy,
create some equity for thosethat are participating, you know
, in growing that particulardivision.
We also, you know, want theflow of money to be a little bit
more obvious and cleaner, Yep.
And yet it's a lot of work andyou're doing an incredible job
(02:15):
on the B Realty management sidewhich is really the lion's share
of the lift, because the otherentity sort of exists already.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
So yeah, yeah, it's a lot.
If you're ever planning to doan entity change, give me a call
, I will tell you.
If you don't need to do it,don't do it.
No, it's.
Yeah.
I think I'm very excited aboutwhat it's going to, how it's
going to benefit us.
Like you said the financialclarity.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're in thethick of it.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Yep, yep.
Light at the end of the tunnel,though so close, yeah, nice.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
You can taste it.
Property management.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
Well speaking of bright lights.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
And big cities.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
We had a lovely guest on.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yes, she was a very bright light.
Yes, loved her whole vibe, herhumor, yeah, Her whole vibe her
humor.
Yeah, you say her last name,because I am going to butcher it
.
Jennifer Schlangen Schlangenshe and I know each other, have
(03:19):
known each other for a long time, recently reconnected because
of one of our previous guests,Jeff Elbell of the Illinois
Entertainer.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
Yeah, the records and real estate web of people is
growing and connecting, which isreally great.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
She was cool, came at it from a side of music
photography and also journalism,photojournalism as she points
out.
That was a big word that shethrew out there.
Yep, simplifies theconversation, though, a little
bit yeah, for sure, and uh, andshe's a heavy metal fan yeah,
yeah we learned about umlisteners, you're gonna learn
(03:45):
what the term is for the littleum poop line that goes through
the back of a shrimp that'sright stay tuned yep shall we
let's get into it.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
Here we are with jennifer schlangen did I
pronounce your last name right?
You did very good schlangenyeah, s-c-h-h-l-a-n-g-e-n.
Very good.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
That's I remember.
Speaker 3 (04:08):
I remember things.
I'm not a Smith, so I am singleand I am looking.
Since I ordered pizza underSmith, I'm looking to just make
the leap, yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
I like it, it's much easier.
Yes, jen, you and I have knowneach other for a long time.
Yes, we have.
We recently reconnected.
You're a big music fan I am andyou are under contract to buy a
home by the time this airs.
You will be a homeowner,first-time homeowner.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
So congratulations, thank you, and my neighbor, yeah
, edgewater, your neighbor up in.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Edgewater Very exciting.
So we'll talk about that andyou're a big Chicago fan.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
I am.
Speaker 1 (04:44):
I mean, I think you are.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
I am for the most part.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, it's got its pluses and minuses.
Speaker 3 (04:49):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Any big city does.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
So would you say that those are your qualifications
for being on the podcast today,or?
Are there others that I forgot.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
I would absolutely say that you've hit all of my
qualifications.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Thank you.
So when did you start this sortof side gig as a concert
photographer?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Well, I have been writing for Unrated Magazine for
, oh gosh, it's probably beenI'm going on 15 years and my
photographer moved okay so I'mlike, how hard can it be?
Speaker 2 (05:30):
snap a few photos, you know just easy.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, but I've just been having a blast learning
along the way it's been great,it's total joy.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
So I mean we should take a step back then.
So you've been writing aboutmusic for 15 years.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I have.
I started writing.
Actually, I worked with thesame photographer for all these
years and he was working as aphotographer for ChicagoGigscom.
Do you ever hear that?
Oh, this was in the way backmachine.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
ChicagoGigscom and I remember my favorite memory.
I got to tell you they hosted astreet fest and I want to say
it was like Roscoe Village orsomewhere, and so I got to
introduce the bands.
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah, no.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
No, I get on stage and I'm so excited and you know
I'm like all right, next up wehave now the band is setting up
behind me and whatnot.
So the sound man is now talkingto the band as they're setting
up and he's like snare drum,whatever.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
And.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
I don't know that this is only coming through the
monitors, and I'm in the middleof my introduction and you will
not interrupt me, so I literallystopped I'm like okay, next up
we have hello.
I'm talking, oh, and everyonewas like yeah, so yeah,
(07:01):
chicagogeekscom.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
It is now defunct, yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Wouldn't know why Great representation there.
Speaker 1 (07:09):
Because they had terrible MCs.
Is that why so rude?
Speaker 3 (07:13):
It was so great, I was so embarrassed.
But I still laugh about it tothis day.
I remember it like it wasyesterday.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yeah, I mean, how would you know if you don't know
how monitors work?
Yeah, I mean, how would youknow if you don't know how
monitors work?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Yeah, I mean I don't play in a band, yeah, but yeah,
I could now, because now I getit.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah, totally.
What would you play if you werein a?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
band.
Oh, bass, really, okay, yeah, Iwould.
Or drums, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
All right.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I work for lawyers.
You know, we talked about that.
Yes, we did.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Don't interrupt me.
Aggression out on the drums.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
The name of the band.
Or the first album.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Right.
So what got you into writingfor Chicago gigs?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Well, the photographer, dan Dan Locke,
he's great, he's.
He left me, but whatever, I'mactually happy now because I
just love the photography aspect.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Like a lot.
I had no idea what I wasmissing all these years.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Are you doing both?
Yeah Right, okay yeah, andyou've mentioned the name of the
publication that you write for.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
It's Unrated Magazine .
Okay, I also contribute toIllinois Entertainer.
I also contribute to IllinoisEntertainer and I understand
that you had Jeff on, that'sright.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Yeah, we had Jeff.
He was a lovely guest JeffElbell, yes.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Previous guest yes.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, he's awesome.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
You know, I've never met him in person yet.
Oh really no, Everything is onemail.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
But that's what reconnected us is.
You commented on his post abouthis podcast and you made some
nice remark about me, and so Ibought it Hook Line and Sync I'm
like I should reach out to JenRight.
So what are some of the?
Are there particular genres orparticular bands?
What's your assignment?
Speaker 3 (09:00):
I get to choose my assignments, so it's great.
So I just hear what's coming up.
I also get emails, which I havefor years as a writer.
I get emails from publicistslike oh God, at least 20 a day
for just different bands, likelocal little up-and-comers.
But then for the big shows,which is where the big joy comes
in, because if you can put yourelbows on the stage at United
(09:23):
Center and take a photo, I don'teven care.
If I have a shot I am going toput my elbows on that stage at
United.
Center because your bonesliterally rattle in your body
and it is just joy.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Oh, that's so cool.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
It is awesome when you were, I don't know, college
age or even younger, like whenyou first could go to clubs?
Were you that person that stoodin the front and stood next to
the speaker?
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Yeah, or I was in the mosh pit.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
In the mosh pit.
Okay, so punk rock or what wereyou into?
No more metal, Metal okay.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, punk is like jazz to me.
It's just too complicated.
Well, anyone can pretend toplay it.
I'm kidding, yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Karen feels that way about jazz.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
I like jazz for about a half an hour, but then after
that it's done, it's dead to me.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
I like a jazz with a cocktail in one hand and a
little foot beat, and it has tohave some rhythm.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
But I often complain but they always go off the rails
.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
I don't want to listen to somebody doing their
scales.
Agreed, do that in your owntime.
Do that in your living room.
That's called practicing.
Yes, or masturbating or sonicmasturbation, as I like to call
all that wanky stuff.
But yeah, but we have some jazzpeople, jazz guests and one
coming up soon, a jazz drummerwho actually is a really fun
(10:43):
drummer, derek Henderson, towatch.
Awesome, he's my kind of jazz.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
All right, yeah All right, yeah, I mean, you're
going to have to tone down yourrhetoric if we're going to have
a jazz drummer.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
I know.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Don't offend anybody.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
I know right.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
So do you have an assignment coming up?
Speaker 3 (11:01):
I do.
Well, how it works is that yousubmit?
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
So time coming up.
I do well how it works is thatyou submit.
Okay, so a lot of my shows arelive nation shows.
Okay, so you submit what youwant to shoot or cover through
the live nation media portal,okay, and then they send it to
the artist publicist.
Okay, and then they let youknow literally the day before or
the day of the morning of oh,wow, yeah, wow, yeah.
It sucks, you can't really planand I am a planner.
Yeah, but it's worth it, becauseit's joy, yeah, so then they
(11:35):
let you know and then that's thedeal.
So my next one I'm submittedfor is Olivia Rodrigo.
Oh yeah, I have no idea who sheis, but I know she's huge.
She's huge and it's at UnitedCenter.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
I have no idea who she is, but I know she's huge
and it's at United Center.
Oh gosh, elbows on the stage.
You know, I listen to her.
She has two albums.
She's very young but she'sreally cool, you know just
different from you know, yoursort of young woman artist
getting started in the musicbusiness.
I'm excited, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Yeah, I mean, I'll submit to big, big shows like
that and I haven't heard of theband, and then I usually always
walk away.
A fan, yeah.
And it could just be the joyyou know level of joy that's
been inserted in me and I'm justlike man.
This person is great.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
But I usually, most always, walk away a fan.
So, I'm excited to see her.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
What are your deliverables, then, as a
photographer?
How many shots do you have totake?
Do you have to take certainkinds of shots?
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Well, for your featured image for the article,
you want a horizontal shot, so Ijust shoot both ways If the
lighting's bad, which there area few venues that I will try not
to bash on, but the lighting isalways like blue or red.
Yeah, and there's never a spotwhich sucks bad.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
Never a spot meaning like never good shot.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
Line of sight right for you and in those instances I
call what I do spray and pray.
So I just hold the shutter downand just hope that eventually
there might be a strobe orsomething that will hit the face
of the artist.
But I just kind of tend tomaneuver my camera from vertical
(13:15):
to horizontal and since I writethe piece I can kind of choose.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Oh, so you do the writing and the photography for
the same piece.
I do, that's fun.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Yeah, I do All right, but I think there's something
coming up.
I'm going to have my own writer, that's right.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
You're going to be Dan.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
I am going to be.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Dan, and your writer's going to be Jen.
Yes, wow.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
That's cool.
Yeah, I was going to saybecause I would think that, you
know, looking through the cameralens is a different experience
than being a writer sitting backand listening to the show and
really taking in all the actionat once.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
That is true and honestly.
We're only allowed to shoot thefirst three songs of each
artist.
That's how it works, Really YepStandard.
So you always have like yourhandler, and the handler brings
all of the photographers intothe media, pit First three songs
and at that third song you lookdown at the end and they are
literally tapping their watchLike get the hell out now.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
So which is fine, is that because the performer looks
the best and isn't sweating yet, so they have the nicest shirt.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
That's when I think they would look the best.
It pisses me off because andthen also I've noticed too on
the fourth song yeah, look thebest.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
It pisses me off because and then also I've
noticed too on the fourth song.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Yeah, that's when you get all the spotlight on the
face like why do you do this tous?
I don't.
I don't understand it either,but I would think I would rather
shoot like songs four throughseven, because that's when
they're warmed up and they'remore relaxed, but no, it's
always the first three songs.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
So interesting yeah maybe it's distracting for the
artist or something.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Yeah, that could be, yeah so you get to enjoy the
concert right, and that's howwhat I wanted to loop back to
was.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
You said the experience for a writer was
different than looking throughthe lens, and that is true,
because for the first threesongs I don't even hear the
music like at all.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
I don't hear it.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I feel it.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
Your elbows, get it.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
I know I will beat that dead horse, the poor baby,
but I don't hear it anything.
It's so funny.
But then after the third song,then I have a chance to just
kick back.
Yeah that's cool.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
What's one of the last concerts that you did that
you were just super thrilledabout the Kills.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Oh nice, at the Vic and I'd never heard of them.
I do my research before I sitdown and write the article, find
out they've been around forlike 21 years and I'm like, yeah
, great journalist you are, I'venever heard of them and I did a
Google search to find out.
I always look before the livemusic performance to see what
(15:51):
hand the singer is, so you don'tget mic mouth.
So I always check to see arethey right or left handed, so I
know what to stand on for photos.
Never would have thought aboutthat.
Yeah, so I did that and Ithought their music sucked.
I mean it was bad.
I'm like great, I gotta go withthe vic and I'm not.
I don't like the vic, but it's,you know, it's not united
(16:12):
center, you can tell.
That's my favorite but, man,they kicked my ass.
They were great.
Every I didn't hear much of thefirst three songs per use, but
I am not kidding you.
Every song that I stood thereand watched after that, every
single one, I was like holy shit, I love this song.
Oh my god, these guys are great.
I wasn't just saying that tomyself.
(16:35):
It was actually with a friendand I kept telling her man, I
love these guys.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
She's like yeah, I know what do you think the
difference was between?
You know your experience, justlistening to them, what on
spotify or something, and thenit was google.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
It was like they're live.
Well, maybe it wasn't alive,maybe it was just an official
video, but I like to, you know,find something alive and it just
probably was someone's cellphone recording of it.
Yeah it just didn't do themjustice, man.
They kicked my, kicked my ass.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
They are great.
Oh, that's great.
Have fun.
Yeah, go live music For real.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
So what are you typically writing about?
Like just the concert itself orhow they're playing?
I mean, is it a review?
Speaker 3 (17:16):
of the show.
Well, I critique the musiciansbecause I know every instrument.
No, I like to talk about theexperience of being there.
So my little motto has alwaysbeen like if you couldn't make
the show, whether you couldn'tafford the ticket or you
couldn't get a babysitter, I'mjust kind of there to tell you
what you may or may not havemissed.
Speaker 2 (17:37):
That's why I like and maybe I don't know if it's a
style of the Illinoisentertainer, but Jeff's articles
do that for me Like I feel likeI've been there, yeah, which is
wonderful.
That's the goal.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Yeah, yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Shifting gears a little bit, as we talked about
in the open.
You're about to close on acondo.
Speaker 3 (17:55):
Congratulations.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Now I know, you know your process was a little bit
different than most, because youinitially thought you were
going to buy the apartment thatyou were renting, correct, but
what about your process?
Sort of has surprised you.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
Well, what surprised me was that my unit owner would
not accept my offer.
I mean, what a jackass.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
They were selling and just didn't want to sell for
the price you were offering, orthey didn't want to sell at all.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
No, he wanted to sell .
I've been asking him for years.
I've been running from him for13 years and I had been asking
him for years Are you ready tosell, are you ready to sell?
And finally he was ready tosell last year, but I had just
started a business, so I wasn'treally in that position to do it
(18:42):
.
And I said let's just lease onemore year and then I'm going to
buy it.
And he's like okay, so which Ithought was cool, he had no
intention of listing it and hewas giving me first dibs on it,
which was awesome.
I appreciated that.
And then we get to where mylease is ending, my last lease.
And he's like well, are you, doyou want to buy this or not?
Like he's just, he's ada-dun-da-dun.
(19:04):
But I said, yes, I do, I wantto buy it.
And so the place you knowhasn't even seen a coat of paint
in 13 years.
And in hindsight I look backlike, had I known I was going to
be in this place for so long, Iwould have painted it.
I just didn't want to give himany equity, like I was so
stubborn on that.
But in the meantime, I justdidn't want to give him any
(19:24):
equity, like I was so stubbornon that.
But in the meantime, literallythis place is cracking and paint
is chipping around me and I'mlike God, it's so depressing,
you know.
So I brought a couple ofcontractors in for the estimates
on trying to get the unit to bepresentable, and he just thinks
that he can get way more thanwhat it's worth.
(19:46):
So yeah, it was time to move on.
So, I was bummed, though,because I really did want to buy
it, but I'm not an idiot either, right.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Right, you're not going to overpay just because
you're a captive audience Rightand I'm too lazy to pack up my
stuff.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Did you know if it sold?
I don't know what Andy asked methat.
I don't know what the situationis yet I'm curious but.
I was telling him I think itmust be an investor from like
out of state or something, RightCause nobody in their right
mind in Rogers park or you know,familiar with the North side up
there, nobody is going to paythat what he's wanting and he
(20:22):
would not budge.
Yeah, wouldn't budge, yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Interesting?
Yeah Well, we can track it foryou.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Yeah, we'll track them down.
Oh yeah, or track the sale down.
Track the sale, that's all.
Yeah, that's what I was goingto say.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
We can take care of them.
Super sleuths Records it's ourside hustle.
Just kidding, just kidding,just kidding.
I mean, you know we don't haveany advertisers, so we're gonna
make money, that's right.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Well, what I thought was really cool, you know again,
we just reconnected, so I justmissed you, but you had some
questions about the process andyou put some questions up on
next door.
I did that's really nice, yeah,and I love next door yeah I
mean I love.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
It's a love hate, you know, just like every community
forum, but you know everyone onwhat I love about next door.
First of all, is you have to beverified you know, they send
you the postcard to you knowverify your zip code so you know
everyone on there is legit andI think that's kind of cool.
But I threw it out thereliterally first time home buyer.
(21:27):
Can anyone refer me to a realestate agent, a contractor, and
I wanted.
What else did I want that?
I realized I didn't needbecause they told me appraiser
because I wanted to have my unitappraised.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Oh sure.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
But then I learned from everyone chiming in your
lender will arrange for that, sodon't spend the money and do it
twice.
But at any rate, I got so manyresponses from people that were
you know, try this person, orreal estate agents themselves,
and my guy, Don Beard.
Don Beard Beard.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
Yeah, he's great.
So he chimed in and he was justno nonsense and I like that.
So he was like all right, adon't do this, b do this.
I mean he just laid it all outin a private message.
So I thought that was supercool.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
And then he ended up helping me with, providing me
with the contract for my privatesale.
I mean, he wasn't going to makeanything.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Right.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
And so he was going to help facilitate this private
sale between me and my currentda-dun-da-dun, and without
making a die, and then, since itfell through, he helped me get
the place in the neighborhood.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
That's great, that's really cool.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Yeah, what a nice story.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Way to do it yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Makes me think I should be on Nextdoor, you
should.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Yeah, maybe we should .
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Oh, yeah, I had a question here what do you love
about your area?
But you're moving areas and youhaven't really explored it yet.
Right, I haven't.
But there is a waterfront cafe.
Waterfront cafe, do you know?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I have been there many times.
Yes, my jazz singer, cousinLibby York, performs there in
the summertime.
Speaker 3 (23:11):
No way.
Yeah, I didn't know they hadmusic.
Yeah, oh, beautiful yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
Like an evening glass of wine, and the singers set up
so that the backdrop is thelake it's really beautiful.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
How's the food?
All right?
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I really wish they would get a really good chef.
Yeah because, it would up theirwhole game.
So much the food is the worstpart about it everything else is
fine, is you know?
But the location's great.
Yeah, it's a little hidden gem.
If you don't know, if, if evenif you're walking by, you would
not even know it's there unlessyou yeah, I saw it on google
maps, but I haven't been yet, soI'm excited to physically
(23:47):
explore.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Maybe we can uh, you know, do a neighbor?
I would love that yeah go havea glass of wine is libby coming
back this summer?
Speaker 2 (23:57):
she is.
I don't know if she's bookedthere yet, but yeah, we'll have
a glass of wine and some shittyfood.
Speaker 3 (24:02):
Love it.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
With a nice ambiance, that's right.
Speaker 2 (24:07):
We could eat before we go and then just have the
glass of wine.
We could just pack our ownsnacks.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Just keep reaching into your pocket for some
cashews.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
Eating goldfish crackers Cheerios.
Speaker 1 (24:21):
Like a two-year-old.
I'm sure you have that.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Yeah, I was going to say yeah, yeah, we could bring
Axel along, yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Yeah, his thing is cheddar bunnies Can.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
I have some cheddar bunnies.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
Yeah, that place seems.
I have been there.
It's an incredible.
It's like something that youdon't think should exist, you
know, because it a very sort ofyou know seemingly city-owned
spot.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
You know what I mean.
Like right, yeah, did you ever?
Speaker 1 (24:49):
go to ropa cabana though it was.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
It's further than I know, it's a little further
north and it's well.
Now it's closed.
They closed because the parkdistrict chicago park district
totally cock, blocked them andmade like they needed repairs,
needed repairs, and they werecharging them out the ass Like
they were barely making any oftheir own profit.
They were barely able to keepany of it because the park
(25:10):
district was literally rapingthem.
So they're done.
But it was, I'm trying to think, loyola Beach.
I think.
And it was in the sand and justa little cabana.
And they had like, if there'ssuch a thing, gourmet chili dogs
, or I mean gourmet hot dogs.
So they had different types ofunique kind of hot dogs.
(25:31):
And then they had non-alcoholicfrozen drinks, pina coladas,
you know, daiquiris, and allthat stuff.
It was great.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
And.
Speaker 3 (25:39):
I'm sad that they're gone, but this Waterfront Cafe
kind of reminds me of thatconcept.
That's too bad, I know.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
My restaurant on the lake closed, and then now I have
to go to the other one.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Do you miss working in the loop?
No, that's where we're at no.
No.
Speaker 3 (25:55):
I do not yeah.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Do you miss being?
You know, not to date us, but20 years younger and working in
the loop?
Speaker 3 (26:03):
I miss all those days .
I'm surprised I survived thosedays, though, to be honest.
I mean for real.
I think back and literallyshake my damn head.
Yeah, what the fuck were wethinking?
A lot of happy hours, Like alot of happy hours at like 3 in
the afternoon.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, a couple that started too early.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
Is this because the nature of the work you afternoon
yeah, a couple that started tooearly?
Speaker 1 (26:22):
is this because the nature of the work.
You guys were working at thelaw firm or just downtown?
We just like to drink, we liketo go out and drink together.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
That's the glory of working downtown, that is, you
skip out like yeah, we wouldliterally just skip out.
Speaker 3 (26:33):
Like what the hell were we thinking?
Yeah, we would be like allright, well to the receptionist,
because no one else, I don'tthink, even really noticed we
were gone, right, but thereceptionist, we'll be right
back.
We gotta run this over towhatever yeah if we even said
that I don't know.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
I mean that was.
I mean I I certainly had youknow, because I was a clerk.
I was right deliver things andI was just um I'll go into the
ladies room, I'll be back.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
Who knows next thing, I know we're like slamming.
What were we drinking?
Speaker 1 (27:03):
probably martini martinis.
Speaker 3 (27:06):
Like, literally like mad men like this just happened
once or twice yeah it was not no, but I'll never forget because
I'm like okay, so this is howwork is it's how work is when
andy's around.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
That's right, yeah yeah, yeah, do you remember one
time I think we were at thisholiday party where it was like
we were looking across the riverand there was that there's 77
west wacker.
We're both like I mean, we'reobviously we just mentioned this
we're both probably drinking ata holiday party.
It's that building that likehas a like sort of fake column
(27:41):
aids wasn't that where Unitedheadquarters?
Was for a while.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
Where are you going with this, Andy?
Speaker 1 (27:47):
I just remember admiring that building.
Speaker 2 (27:51):
She's looking very skeptical for our audience right
now.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Yes, I love that building.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
It's a beautiful building.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Anyway, that concludes our conversation about
the loop, and back in the day.
Yeah, back in the day beforeCOVID.
I like it.
Yeah, way before COVID.
Well, I'm just meaning likeworking downtown every day.
It seems like 20 years ago,yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:13):
Did you have to go downtown like every day before
COVID?
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Well, before COVID, oh yeah, I mean, it was just
regular life, every day.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
What do you mean?
Like working in an officeversus working at home?
Yeah, I guess, yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
I mean, I guess that was a silly question.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Yes, yeah, there wasn't really a hybrid.
There wasn't work from homeNever that would have been great
.
Do any of the attorneys workfrom home.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Or are they all going to the office five days a week?
Speaker 3 (28:44):
At my current firm.
No, a lot of them work fromhome.
I mean, the big day in theoffice is Wednesday, that's when
a lot of people go, and I thinkbecause they provide free lunch
and today was a 3.30 happy hour.
So you know they got to get.
They lure people in.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Yeah, they provide the happy hour.
Oh yeah, nice, what do?
Speaker 3 (29:06):
they serve Booze.
We have our own chef.
You know, Really, this isdefinitely like Mad Men kind of
this is insane.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
Wow, it's great.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
But they just do like hors d'oeuvres kind of stuff
and booze Nice, they derby kindof stuff and booze Nice They'll
even bring in an ice luge.
Speaker 2 (29:23):
They don't fuck around.
What's an ice luge?
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Oh, like they'll have the the name of the firm on the
ice a big block of ice and thenthey'll pour like vodka down it
.
So it's icy cold when it hitsyour glass.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
It's like a fraternity or it hits my tongue
Cause I just stick my face inthere.
There you go On that note.
Why don't we take a quick break?
Yeah, We'll present our recordof the week and we'll come back
and chat with Jen Schlangen.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Sweet Andrew.
Speaker 1 (29:52):
Yes, Karen.
Speaker 2 (29:54):
You know what time it is.
I'm not sure it's time forrecord of the week.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
Record of the week Record record.
Record of the week.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
Okay, I got one for you.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Because I have been falling behind.
This one is an oldie but agoodie of course, of course.
This is my college days andit's a band that we all know and
love called they Might BeGiants.
Oh yeah, it is their hit albumthat put them on the map called
Flood.
Uh-huh, it is their kind oftheir hit album that put them on
the map called Flood, and thissong that keeps coming up from
(30:25):
this album that for some reason,my you know, computers like
Spotify tends to like certainsongs and play them more often
than other songs.
It's a song called Istanbul.
Oh, yeah, yeah, and I have beento Istanbul Me too.
Yes, yeah, and Istanbul.
The song talks about how it wasnot always called Istanbul.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
It was once called Constantinople Constantinople.
I can hear the song now.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
That's right.
So it has been going on in myhead like an earworm all day so
that's why I pulled it out forour record of the week Nice.
They Might Be Giants when ithit.
This album was so weird.
Yeah, it was one of those justrandom outliers that was so odd,
but it it just clicked.
Yeah with people yeah, yeahthey are very fun.
(31:14):
Excellent musicians, excellentsongwriters, quirky and high
energy writing about stuff thatyou absurdist, weird things yeah
but it's delightful yeah andwhat do you when you hear me
talking about they might begiants?
do you have any things that popup in your brain?
Speaker 1 (31:35):
did they sing?
Put a little birdhouse in yoursoul put a little birdhouse in
your soul.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
Yep, that's right not to put too fine a point on it.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
Yep, yeah, I love that song.
And then, yeah, I can hearistanbul was constantinople, is
istanbul constantinople?
Yep.
So yeah, I don't think Ilistened to them, probably much
beyond that.
But I am sure that the othersongs on the album are great,
and those were just the onesthat got on the radio.
But yeah, I mean, it's kind ofalong this theme that, like
music can be anything right.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
You've been talking about that and you're right yeah
.
It's, it's.
There's no rules, and they area perfect example of somebody
who just took the rule book ofrock and roll and threw it out
the window.
Speaker 1 (32:16):
So to hell with you.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
Yeah, and then made it an album that everybody loved
.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Right.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
I remember bringing it home on vinyl and putting it
on my record player oh cool Inmy bedroom in Oak Park and
thinking what the hell is this?
Speaker 1 (32:28):
What did I just?
Speaker 2 (32:29):
buy.
I couldn't stop listening to itand yeah, I can't say that like
it was instantly like oh my God, this is my jam.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
But it was so out there and fascinating that I
just kept listening to it andnow, um, I can't get it out of
my head Nice.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
So what's the?
I'm sorry, what's the name ofthe album?
Speaker 2 (32:45):
again, Name of the album is flood flood.
Yep, and it came out, I think,in the nineties at some point.
So, yeah, cool, check them out,check them out.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
I don't know them oh and to be at the vic on june
19th.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
I think okay, yeah, they're coming, so great, yeah,
we can go see them.
They might be giants and we'reback we're back with jen.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Do we review your qualifications?
Speaker 3 (33:13):
yeah let's go ahead, go down the entire bullet
pointed list.
Concert photographer checkconcert.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Author.
Mid-list Concert photographer.
Check Concerts.
Author.
Check what are you WriterConcert writer, you could say
photojournalist, photojournalist.
Speaker 3 (33:27):
And nip it all in one .
There you go.
That's my point.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
That's why you're the writer Big words.
Recent home buyer yes, Nice.
So I think you know.
If I remember correctly, youwere into metal.
Yes, Still true.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
I still love it, yes, but I don't listen to it at
home, like ever.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Have your.
Speaker 3 (33:49):
I'm not as angry anymore.
I think, yeah, I've gottenolder, yeah, right right,
chilled out.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Chilled out, mellowed out.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
Yeah, but you know, if I hit a metal concert, then
I'm feeling the rage, then I'mfeeling the rage.
Speaker 1 (34:00):
Who were your artists that you enjoyed back in the
day?
Speaker 3 (34:05):
Oh God, back in the day, that would be my vein, mud
vein.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (34:11):
Do you know what a mud vein is?
No, Let me tell you, it soundspretty not nice, but it's really
just the poop on the shrimp.
The mud vein, oh wow who knewI've cleaned shrimp, the mud
vein, oh wow, who knew?
Speaker 2 (34:24):
I've cleaned a lot of mud veins.
Yes, you have.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:27):
Yeah, we all have.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
All right.
Speaker 3 (34:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Mud vein.
Speaker 3 (34:30):
Which is, you know, kind of an odd name for a metal
band, but they are from Peoria,actually, Decatur Okay, which I
lovingly refer to as Decatur,it's because it's ritzy exactly
you know, adm is there, so yeahwhat's adm?
Oh adm, they do like, I thinkthey do like soybean production
(34:57):
and they make high fructose cornsyrup.
I think.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
Okay, it reeks there right, I mean the whole town
smells.
Speaker 3 (35:02):
It's bad.
Decadur, decadur.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
All right, I'll steer clear of Decadur.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
So Mudvayne was from Peoria or Decadur.
Yes, yes, which is where youI'm originally from.
You were originally from Right.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
Right, so I went Mudvayne or Taxi War Dance.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Now, that's more of a metal name, if I can say so
myself.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
Yeah, so that kind of stuff Nice.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
Yeah, did your job as a photojournalist sort of
expand your musical horizons alittle?
Speaker 3 (35:35):
bit.
Oh for sure, yeah, yeah, forsure.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
And it got you listening to other things.
Speaker 3 (35:40):
Right, right, because if you get an opportunity to
shoot someone that you don'tknow, yeah are we talking about
murder again?
It's always in style are youkidding?
Speaker 1 (35:57):
we looked at your.
You know spotify.
Spotify playlist who's who's onthere?
Speaker 3 (36:02):
mitch king mitch who's that?
Let me tell you about MitchKing.
Mitch King is a one-man band,okay, and I discovered him from
watching Bloodline on Netflixand he had played no part in the
show whatsoever.
But the opening music toBloodline was some artist, have
no idea who, but I plugged thatartist into, I found out, I just
(36:25):
don't remember.
Speaker 1 (36:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
I plugged that artist into Pandora and then you know
that it'll choose artists thatare similar right, yeah, yeah.
Mitch King comes on, kicks myass.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Nice.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
And then I look him up on YouTube and he's like got
his harmonica around his neck,he's got his little drum, little
thingies going on his feet andhe's got his 12 string guitar
and he's singing and I've alwaysbeen fascinated with well,
really, musicians, all of them,because I can't, you know, the
(36:56):
old pat your tummy, rub yourhead thingy yeah chew gum, walk,
whatever.
Yeah, this guy is keeping timelike three different ways.
It's insane and he he's kind ofdave matthews.
You might actually like him.
Sure, yeah, he's great, buthe's unsigned.
Yeah, I actually met with afriend of mine at live nation
who's kind of up the ranks and Isaid you guys need to get him
(37:19):
on a buy-on or something fordave matthews.
Just get him.
He's just so great.
Yeah, okay, jen, you know passit down the head and I'm like,
well, I tried, but this guy,mitch King he's lives in
Australia.
It's where he's from, and he'sonly playing farmer's markets
there and he's freaking crazyGood.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
I mean, it's insane, be his manager.
Speaker 3 (37:42):
Yeah, no, I have too many hustles on the side.
Speaker 2 (37:46):
Well, if any managers are out there looking for a new
hot thing, mitch King, mitchKing from Australia, yep.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Speaking of side hustles, you had mentioned that
you just started a business Idid.
Is that still going on?
Speaker 3 (37:59):
It's kind of in a holding pattern until I move and
get settled.
But I did.
I started a business.
I make beach products thatcontain recycled ocean plastic.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
Oh, nice Cool.
Speaker 3 (38:11):
What kind of things do you make?
Well, my first design was thefirst ever beach sled which
would take the place of thebeach wagon.
So there's no metal, rubber,nylon, any of that.
It's a sled.
There's no wheels.
It glides on the sand, Glideson the sand.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
See that.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
And then it's made all with recycled ocean plastic.
Nice Well, nothing can be madewith all recycled ocean plastic.
Technically it's too brittle,but every product has a QR code
that you swipe to see where onour planet the plastic was
harvested.
That's contained in yourproduct oh, that's cool.
Yeah, yeah, that's really cool.
Yeah, it's fun.
Speaker 2 (38:52):
I love the beach you know what's well see, now you're
gonna live in edgewater.
Yeah, on the edge of the water,love it what's the business?
I know right isn't that crazyit.
Speaker 3 (39:03):
It's called EcoBeachy , ecobeachy, mm-hmm.
Spell beachy for me.
B-e-a-c-h-i-e.
Ecobeachycom.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Ecobeachy Yep, how did you get into this Like did
someone just like drop off abunch of harvested ocean plastic
on your front door?
Speaker 3 (39:21):
They did.
And then I'm like what can Imake with this?
What?
Speaker 2 (39:24):
can I make?
Speaker 3 (39:25):
So I started taping it together to make these sleds.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
No, first one the prototype wasn't great.
Admittedly, the prototype, itfell apart.
Speaker 3 (39:38):
It couldn't hold my cooler at all, living in Rogers
Park right on the lake.
There too too.
Oh, this was right when I firstmoved there, so 13 years ago,
and I didn't have in my budgetthe 120 140 dollars for a beach
wagon.
So I just went on amazon andbought a snow sled and I'm like,
(39:59):
and I just drug all my stuff tothe beach.
I like to go to sherwin beach.
Jarvis beach sucks, just so youknow.
Okay, sherwin beach has nobeach nazis lifeguards so
everything goes there at sherwinbeach it's great.
so I just took my little snowsled over there and I got to
thinking, man, I'm just gonnabuy a bunch of these, like go to
(40:21):
alibaba and buy like a shit tonof these sleds and start a
company, slap some stickers onthem and just do a beach sled.
But then I thought I thoughtimmediately of you know backward
hat wearing high five and fratidiots on spring break that are
going to leave these sleds onthe beaches and litter, and I
(40:43):
don't like that.
I love you know our planet, so Ithought there's got to be a way
to make them more economicallyor ecologically responsible.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
Do they glide pretty well, or do you have to wax them
, or how do you you?
Speaker 3 (40:56):
know I did get my prototypes.
My manufacturer in South Africadid not work out.
They more than doubled my pricewhen I went to place the bulk
order and said they could onlymake them in black.
Well, no one wants anythingblack on the beach.
So I lost my ass on that andthat's why the beach sled is in
a holding pattern now.
(41:17):
But I will say this theprototypes that I do have need
to be reconfigured because theyare the bottom ridges need to be
more, much more pronounced.
Speaker 1 (41:28):
I have frisbees too, so I took, which I can't say
frisbees you know trademarkinfringement, so they're ocean
casters.
Speaker 3 (41:36):
yeah, I know it's so eco, beachy, so cheesy.
I love the whole thing has tobe that way.
Yeah, and it is so, but so.
But I thought I'm going to dragthis beach sled, I'm going to
pack it full of Frisbees, I'mgoing to go to Montrose Dog
Beach and this is going to bewhere I make my millions.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
This is it.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
Like screw you.
Tommy Bahama and Ron John.
I know what's up so I get myUber with all my shit, with your
coasters, oh yeah, all of it Iwas wearing even an eco beachy
t-shirt, like I know.
Yeah yeah, and so the frisbeesare boxed in individual boxes
(42:18):
and people kept walking by likeI did shit, like I was trying to
give them away, but theythought they were dog pizzas
because it was a Frisbee in abox.
Speaker 2 (42:28):
Yeah, like.
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Montrose dog beach people.
It's just like you know.
I guess it's just the brainpower there, the people that go
there tunnel vision yeah, orthey were hungry their dogs were
hungry.
Speaker 2 (42:43):
They couldn't see outside the box I want to go
back to the fact that thereneeds to be more pronounced
ridges on the bottom of thedog's.
I mean the beach sled, the ecobeachy beach sled.
Yes, why?
Speaker 3 (43:01):
because when you load it full of shit, it and it's
flexible, it's pretty.
It's not extremely flexible,but the material is pretty
flexible.
So when you load it full ofcrap, it's literally just it
digs in.
Yeah, it's kind of dragging.
So I do have I met with aproduct engineer to reconfigure
and we're gonna do even likeflip up, flip up wheels.
(43:23):
Everyone's always like whereare the wheels, where are the
wheels?
And I'm like it's called abeach wagon.
It's what I'm trying to replace.
Stop it.
But you know, you got to getthrough the parking lot and it
is loud, it is very loud.
Cement, yes, yeah yeah, yeah,and it's durable, It'll hold.
They don't hold up, but it'skind of embarrassing.
What Full of shit.
(43:45):
Frisbees, you know, dog pizzas,whatever.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Is there not a way to put wheels and make it
eco-friendly?
It's just not feasible.
Speaker 3 (43:54):
Well there would have to be no Rubber.
There would.
But I was looking at likeluggage wheels.
So if they stayed small andthey were an external add-on, I
would have to charge you knowwhat 17.99 for the wheels.
I'm just kidding.
But if it was kind of anexternal piece, you know for
people that you know, but also,too, it's going to be.
(44:16):
The whole new design is goingto be kind of awesome, but I
just need to get moved and yeahyeah, first things first I'm
still doing concerts.
That's my joy.
It's just I got too much yeah,yeah, yeah but I do love it.
I love just the idea of takingcare of the planet and doing
something with all thattrillions of tons of plastic
that's floating in the ocean.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
Yeah, yeah, I mean it's.
It's uh heartwarming to see itbe harvested, you know, because
you know how much is out there Ithink every plastic product
manufacturer should be.
Speaker 3 (44:47):
I think it should be a law, Like everyone should be
mandated to use at least a smallpercentage of recycled plastic.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
Like hello, coca-cola , pepsi, where are you?
Yeah, when we were catching up,you told me that you, for a
short time, worked for aproperty owner.
Yes, we don't need a propertyowner.
Yes, we don't need to.
Speaker 3 (45:05):
Property wait developer like manager right?
Is that how you describe it?
Speaker 2 (45:11):
Yeah, Well, a property developer is different
than a property manager.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
Well, no, they did both, they did both.
Speaker 1 (45:17):
Yeah, they did More management than developing
really I think, yeah, and youhelped them with their evictions
.
I did.
Speaker 3 (45:26):
Coming from a legal background, I helped with the
evictions.
You want a job?
Speaker 2 (45:31):
No thank you, I love you.
She's got four jobs, I got dogpizzas in the oven.
Speaker 3 (45:36):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (45:41):
Any horror stories, or were you just like sort of
processing people?
Speaker 3 (45:46):
You know, yeah, I was just the summonses and the
eviction paperwork, filing it incourt and calling the sheriff
Getting them served.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
Yeah, does he own a lot of residential or is it
commercial?
No, a lot of residential.
Speaker 3 (46:01):
Yeah, a lot.
There's one actually down thestreet here.
Okay, I didn't feel good aboutdoing that because a lot of the
residents were low income whichsucks yeah and like especially
in the winter, like I justreally hated to do it.
Speaker 2 (46:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (46:15):
And I know that there are laws where you know if it's
below a certain temperature.
You can't throw anyone out onthe street.
Speaker 1 (46:25):
But still it just sucked.
Speaker 3 (46:26):
Yeah, that's tough, it was a sad process really.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
Yeah, we struggle with that.
I mean, we, our clients, arethe owners.
Yeah, tenants are our customers.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
But it's really hard.
Yeah, I mean they, they wantconcessions and but the one
thing I will say is that the nowthat I'm kind of deep in this
job and have done it enough isthat there are a lot of
opportunities, even when you'resent to eviction.
It's it's such a tenantfriendly town.
I agree that you know you haveopportunities to get to climb
(46:56):
out of that hole and there isassistance and there's help and,
and you know, if you don't takeadvantage of that, then there's
really not any other, any otherchoice.
Speaker 3 (47:05):
I found a lot of the tenants would, just you know,
buck the system and play thegame.
Speaker 2 (47:10):
Oh yeah, Professional tenants.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Professional tenants yeah, yeah, that happens for
sure.
Speaker 2 (47:15):
Right, and that's hard because at some point you
don't know who's telling thetruth and you get kind of you
know jaded because you have been, you know, screwed over by
people who do know how to playthis.
Play the game play the systemand then you just assume
everyone's doing that Right.
Speaker 1 (47:33):
And then all of a sudden you find out that this
you know somebody kind of has to, because I mean you have to
treat everybody know yourfiduciary responsibility is to
your own owners.
Right.
Speaker 2 (47:45):
Yeah.
But, just the mental mindsetgoing in.
You know shifts sometimes, onceyou have enough of those
professional tenants, it's hardnot to think everybody's like
that.
I totally agree yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:00):
What is I mean?
We talked a lot about whatyou're up to anything that we
haven't in terms of what's nextfor Jen.
Speaker 3 (48:07):
No, I think you know, I'm just living day by day,
andy.
I'm just if I can make itthrough today.
Do the best I can If I can makeit through today and start over
tomorrow, then I am happy,happy, happy.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
Any like you know, you've lived in rogers park for
13 years any any restaurants upthere that you can recommend to
our listeners?
Speaker 3 (48:29):
there were a couple, but they closed.
It really sucks.
Were they on the beach?
Now I have to go to the otherones?
No, there really aren't.
I'm gonna just throw it outthere.
I'm gonna feel really badly ifI am forgetting a good one, but
I honestly don't think there areany good ones left I really
don't.
Yeah, honest to god, I do liketo go up to evanston though yeah
(48:52):
, where do you?
Speaker 1 (48:52):
what do you eat there ?
Speaker 3 (48:53):
there's a tapas place that I like.
Oceanique is awesome and thattapas place is good like prairie
moon sure if you get over, likeyou know, prairie moon smells
like it's down in a basement andit just smells like urinal
cakes when you walk in, but onceyou get used to that, the food
is delicious well, that's, Imean, that's.
Speaker 1 (49:14):
That's surprising, because they recently you know,
prairie moon used to be afreestanding building, but then
they tore it down to build abunch of condos and they put it
oh really, so it's like a newerversion of prairie moon their
food is awesome, but it justwasn't it on the corner.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
Yeah, I was like okay yeah, I'm just surprised that.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
I mean, I guess it's probably like six years old at
this point.
So six years old is enough todevelop a little cake smell.
Speaker 3 (49:37):
I honestly think it is their restrooms and there's
some sort of there's some sortof gap they need to patch.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
Lack of ventilation.
Speaker 3 (49:46):
Yeah, or too much ventilation, exactly, way too
much this is a shitty way to endthe show.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
It is a shit, shit, shit way.
You got a lot of puns going onthere, andrew, I do.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
Well, jen thank you for being here.
You guys are the best, thankyou for having me.
Speaker 3 (50:03):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (50:04):
Great to have you and I got to meet my new neighbor.
I'm so stoked, that's rightOkay we're going to go to the
other place.
Yeah, bad food, good wine, badfood, good wine, good company,
bring snacks, that's right.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
That's it.
Thanks, jen, appreciate it.
It was fun, karen, andrew.
So you know, spring is upon us,yay, which is glorious.
Side note to that.
You know, they say time movesfaster as you get older, and I
think that's definitely truebecause, granted, this winter
(50:36):
was super mild, but, boy, itjust didn't seem like it
registered to me at all.
Speaker 2 (50:41):
Yeah, I mean the fact that we really didn't have
hardly any snow Right Just to beable to walk around normally in
.
February, even when it's cold.
Speaker 1 (50:49):
Yeah.
Game changer, but still itwasn't.
It wasn't.
You know summer weather.
Speaker 2 (50:55):
No, no, it got cold.
Remember this cold snap, thecold snap.
We had quite a cold snap twoweeks of cold.
Speaker 1 (51:01):
Yep, but why?
You know, we talk a lot about,um, you know this.
This, the waterfront restaurant.
Why is it so nice to sit nearwater listening to music and
drinking a glass of wine?
Speaker 2 (51:15):
yeah, I think there's something that resonates with
our core like atomic structureas human beings, when you're in
that environment and the oceanwaves.
I don't know if it aligns withyour, your chi or whatever is
happening, but there's a senseof calm that at least comes over
(51:36):
me.
I always say when peoplebecause I live in edgewater, on
the water, and I don't know if Icould live in the city I'm not
a city person yeah, and so beingon that water and having that
vista, that horizon is just.
It reminds me that there's a bigworld out there right and it's
(52:00):
you know, behind me are thesirens and the craziness and the
traffic and whatnot but thenover there to the east is just
calm.
Speaker 1 (52:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (52:09):
And one of my favorite things to do is to go.
I live on right by Hollywoodwhere the Lakeshore Drive ends,
and I go out to that little pierand on the one side of the pier
the waves are coming in acertain way and the other side
of the pier they're kind ofhitting the cement and bouncing
off and they just there'scertain days that they, the
waves, kind of undulate in thisbeautiful.
(52:33):
Oh my god, I can't even I, Ijust it's hard to describe but
it is kind of the most off, likethe the structures that are
there yeah, but the but whenthere's no, it's not windy or
anything, it's just this slow,really long waves, very low, and
it's just you sit on the edgeof that pier and your heartbeat
(52:55):
slows down.
Like your blood pressure calmsdown.
It is beautiful and wonderful.
Speaker 1 (53:01):
Do you get the same feeling sitting by Lake Michigan
as you did because you lived onthe West Coast and near water
for many, many, many, many, manyyears?
I did Many, many, many, many,many, many years 21 to be exact.
Do you get the same feelingsitting by that water as you do
(53:22):
this water?
Speaker 2 (53:23):
I don't, but I have to say I lived a little farther
away from the water over there,but you know the Bay.
I was in Northern CaliforniaBay Area and if you're on the
ocean side of the San FranciscoPeninsula, I mean you're talking
big waves, huge crashing, andLake Mission gets like that too.
I mean people surf rightoutside of my apartment, which
(53:44):
is nuts, but it is different, itreally is.
I think it's because you can'tsee across Lake Michigan.
And here's a fun fact I trackeda boat.
There's a boat that goes it'slike a cargo ship that goes back
and forth on the horizon, rightoutside of like on my view of
the water, and I figured outwhich boat it is and what it's
(54:06):
carrying and how, what the youknow, how it goes from the South
to North and back again, and Ialways assumed that because it
was right on the horizon.
I'm like, oh, that must be likeright, kind of on the other side
of the lake.
They must be really clear.
You know, close to that farshore?
Turns out they are right in themiddle of the lake.
They must be really clear.
You know, close to that farshore?
Yeah, turns out they are rightin the middle of the lake so
(54:26):
what I'm seeing from myapartment in edgewater to the
horizon is only halfway acrosslake michigan.
Speaker 1 (54:33):
That's how big lake michigan is.
Yeah, yeah, nuts, that's crazyyeah and there's uh four other
lakes, not quite as big as lakeMichigan, but I think Superior
is the biggest.
Speaker 2 (54:44):
That's why they call it Superior.
Could be wrong, but anyway.
Speaker 1 (54:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (54:49):
It is one of my favorite things and I don't know
if I could live in this citywithout it.
I'm sure I could.
I would get used to anything.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
Well, I mean, it's a totally different energy, right?
I mean it's calming over there.
So yeah, some plumbing overthere, so we'll look forward to
having a little records and realestate party at the Waterfront
Cafe.
Speaker 2 (55:05):
Ooh, that would be fun.
Let's do that, all right.
Speaker 1 (55:09):
This has been a superior episode.
Speaker 2 (55:11):
Of records and real estate.
All right, Big finish.
Bye Andy.
Speaker 1 (55:19):
Bye.
This has been an episode ofrecords and real estate.
Thanks for listening.
We hope you enjoyed it.
Today's episode was brought toyou by Be Realty.
Be where you want to be.
Be Realty.
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