Chicago Insight August 2nd 2026

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
As the individuals who are doing extraordinary things in our
cities and communities. This morning, it's all about the power
of music and theater to heal, entertain, and connect us.
We'll begin with funk legend Bootsy Collins, who is using
music to treat mental health. Next, we'll celebrate 40 years
of Chicago's Shakespeare Theater, and we'll close out our discussions

(00:21):
learning about the checkout, which is introducing people to the
beauty of classical music. But first up, mixing metal and
mental health with Bootsy Collins. The relationship between music and
mental health goes back to millennia. The Bible talks about
how David played to Saul to soothe his troubled mind.
And today, science speaks about how music can play a

(00:43):
positive role in our mental health. Joining me this morning
to talk about how metal music can help with mental
health is the legendary Bootsy Collins. Bootsy, it is a
pleasure to talk to you.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
How are you doing, my friend?

Speaker 3 (00:58):
I'm doing good, really doing good, man. And thank you
for the time to put something else on other people's mind.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Man, and it's what we want to put on people's
mind is the healing virtue that's in music. And you're
doing it in your own funky way. unique way in
terms of combining metal music with mental health, creating a
whole new situation called metal health.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yeah. Well, I think, you know, with myself and Buckethead,
you know, we connected back in 1991. And since then,
we always kept in touch. And, you know, to look
back on where we came from, it's all been kind

(01:48):
of a struggle, but at the same time, we've been
on that edge of losing it, but somehow getting over
the hump and, and it's, it's gotta be the music. It's,
it's the music. And we get to a point here,
like now that, you know, people want to hide the

(02:11):
fact that something is wrong, you know, and this record,
we wanted to put this out to, to say, it's
okay to not be okay.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
You know?

Speaker 3 (02:22):
Um, and so when, when we find ourselves in that situation,
we have to get help. We have to help ourselves
and get help. And it's, you know, it's not like
what it used to be where you had to hide everything.
Everything's out in the open now. So we need to
talk about it. We need to dance about it. We

(02:44):
need to funk about it. And, you know, it's okay
to not be okay.

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Back in the day, in terms of Jimi Hendrix, he
spoke about manic depression. Yeah. He did a cover with
Eric Gale of that great hit that he had.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
Well, we had to do that because all the stars
lined up and... Janie Hendrix actually allowed us to do
the cover. And so everything worked so beautifully that it
was like, well, we got to do this. And, you know,

(03:21):
to my mind was like, who can I get to
cover this that would bless it? You know, and since
we did the experience tour together, Eric Gales and I,
it was like, I had to get in touch with him. And,
you know, this happens to be a real hot time
for him now. And like I say, all the stars

(03:44):
lined up and, you know, he jumped in and did
his thing and blessed Jimmy and Jimmy blessed us. And,
you know, we on and smoking now.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
So what is it about metal and funk? that allows
a collaboration to deal with this sensitive issue in terms
of getting your head right. When we talk about your head,
your mental head.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
I think the frustration part, the anger, you know, all
of that stuff that comes up with mental health, you know,
you have to attack it from all sides. You can't
just be soft, you know, or be lukewarm. You can't
be soft.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (04:32):
You have to attack it, you know, and with the
funk and the metal health together, you know, it can't
be like one without the other. You know, it has
to be both sides. Everything is on the one, but
it takes two to funk. You wrote that down, right?

Speaker 1 (04:50):
I got that down. But also, you got to deal
with the one who is you, that one, to convince yourself. That,
as you said before, it's okay not to be okay.
And this is a reality that we contend with consistently
in the Black community, among Black men in particular.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
You're absolutely right. We don't want to be the one that's,
you know, that's known as out.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
There, you know.

Speaker 3 (05:19):
And so, you know, you gravitate towards, you know, trying
to prove that you are okay. You know, and everybody,
you know, everybody knows, especially in the community, that you
ain't okay. Right, right. So, you know, that's what happened
to me when I was growing up. You know, like,

(05:41):
I had to carry the welfare bags. And most of
us was weary about doing that because they didn't want
nobody to know that they were on welfare.

Speaker 4 (05:53):
Stigma.

Speaker 2 (05:53):
It was a stigma.

Speaker 5 (05:54):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (05:55):
And so I didn't really care because it... You know,
at least I was eating and my mother was trying
to do everything she could do to get us something
to eat. And so when the kids was laughing about
me carrying bags, I was laughing, too. You know, it
wasn't like I was laughing at them.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
So well, anyway.

Speaker 6 (06:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 7 (06:17):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (06:18):
And so we have to treat these things like, you know,
let's let's get it out. you know, it's all right,
you know, and you can talk to people about it,
you know, because we all got that same thing. Some
of it's more so than others, but, you know, we

(06:38):
all got the same thing. So, you know, let's come
together on this. Let's, you know, let's breathe. Take a
deep breath.

Speaker 2 (06:45):
And breathe.

Speaker 6 (06:46):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:47):
And take time to listen to the music and smell
the coffee so this week.

Speaker 2 (06:52):
But 2026 is a.

Speaker 1 (06:54):
Really significant year for you. It's your 75th birthday. It's
the 50th anniversary of your debut, stepping out in the
Bootsies rubber band. I grew to that when I was
in college and today.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
Oh, man. Wow.

Speaker 1 (07:11):
All the way, man. You know, people are still, you know,
trying to recreate. I hope you had a chance to
copyright and trademark those glasses. But talk about all of
these events that you have in addition to this mental
wellness campaign that you're embarked on. You also are dealing
with the Bootzilla Bucketheadland Evolution event.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
What is that? Yeah, I'm going to let my wife.

Speaker 3 (07:39):
She's beaming to get in on the conversation.

Speaker 2 (07:42):
It's Peppermint Patty.

Speaker 1 (07:43):
Hey, Peppermint Patty. Hey.

Speaker 5 (07:45):
So we just did Pale Fest. And Pale Fest was
where we launched Metal Health. It was our album release party.

Speaker 4 (07:52):
So visualize this.

Speaker 5 (07:54):
We were at a water park in Middletown, Ohio. It's
actually labeled as Land of Illusions. So we had children
running around everywhere. We had Bootsy, gigantic, six foot tall
Bootsy dolls all around the park. Buckethead mask all around
the park. Barbie T, who's the female Buckethead, she had

(08:15):
her own telephone booth, which she could step in and
out of. So it was just an amazing, amazing day.
And the results of that, our people are contacting us saying, hey,
I now know it is okay not to be okay.
So we just feel really good about what we're doing
and how we're moving.

Speaker 4 (08:33):
And it's all about community.

Speaker 5 (08:35):
It's all about your neighbor. And we're just lifting everybody up.

Speaker 3 (08:38):
That'll help. And it's actually startup, you know, saying something
positive about, A negative. And sometimes it allows people to
do that within themselves because a lot of people think
they don't have a voice, you know, and we're saying, yes,
you do.

Speaker 2 (08:58):
You know, it's OK.

Speaker 1 (08:59):
And not only that, it stretches across ethnicities and genres
and brings people together. Yeah, it's unifying. And that's the
beauty about it. But I really want to talk quickly
about the Bootsy Collins Network and then you having your
own e-game in terms of Fortnite.

Speaker 2 (09:18):
Oh yeah, my girl again. She hooked me up. She's
wide-eyed and ready to go. Go ahead, Patty. Can you
believe that?

Speaker 5 (09:25):
Can you believe it? So we have a producer and
we've been working on this for a good year.

Speaker 4 (09:29):
So we now have.

Speaker 5 (09:33):
Bootsy's own Fortnite map, and it's on the Epic platform,
and it's called Capture the Funk. So we actually took
this game to Pale Fest, the Bootsy buckethead lane of illusions.
But this time we brought a gaming truck with us.
And the reason, Daryl, why we brought the gaming truck
was because Bootsy's game, Capture the Funk, the children have

(09:57):
to play together.

Speaker 6 (09:58):
That means.

Speaker 5 (10:00):
a child cannot silo themselves in their room or wherever
they are. They have to connect with someone. So that's
what the game is like really programmed to do. And
we're able to put Bootsy's singles that we want to
release on Amazon. each and every game that we produce.
And we're working with artists like Davey. We're working with

(10:20):
artists like Uwe, our son. And they are able to
also release their new music on the Bootsy Collins Capture
the Funk game forever. So this is very exciting. Yes, sir.

Speaker 1 (10:32):
And give us the one website where we can get
the majority of all this information we talked about today.

Speaker 5 (10:40):
BootsyCollins.com.

Speaker 1 (10:44):
That is the way to go.

Speaker 6 (10:45):
Yes, sir.

Speaker 7 (10:46):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (10:47):
Well, you are very welcome, Bootsy. Nothing but success and
happy birthday to you, my friend. Oh, man.

Speaker 3 (10:52):
Thank you so much, man.

Speaker 2 (10:54):
Pleasure talking to you.

Speaker 1 (10:55):
There are numerous reasons why Chicago is considered one of
the world's great cities. Near the top of the list
are its cultural and artistic offerings. One of those institutions
that is part of the mix is Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
It's hard to believe, but the Theatre on Navy Pier
is celebrating its 40th anniversary. And joining me this morning
to discuss this milestone event for Chicago Shakes is its

(11:19):
artistic director, Edward Hall.

Speaker 2 (11:21):
Edward, congratulations. Thank you so much. And thank you for
having me. It's lovely to be here.

Speaker 1 (11:27):
It is wonderful to hear you and also to commend
Chicago Shakespeare Theater, which we affectionately call Chicago Shakes. And
going back and looking at it, it started on a
rooftop in 1986. Describe its origin.

Speaker 8 (11:42):
Yes, in 1986, the legendary Barbara Gaines brought together a
small group of actors and they performed for free on
the rooftop of the Red Lion Pub in Chicago. and
began Chicago Shakespeare Theater. She actually, she was teaching Shakespeare
before that in a basement. I heard, she told me

(12:02):
the whole story the other day, and then that slowly
evolved into an idea of doing one of the plays,
and it was so successful, it kind of grew and
grew from there.

Speaker 2 (12:13):
And she is such a dynamo.

Speaker 8 (12:17):
Got so much creative energy and determination, cut to, about 2002, 2003,
and I'm standing on the pier doing my first show
at this incredible new building that Barbara has somehow managed
to rise out of Lake Michigan and sits there looking
over the lake and the city. I mean, it's the

(12:38):
most stunning place. And I directed my first play there
for Barbara in 2003 and started my personal love affair
with CST and with Chicago.

Speaker 1 (12:49):
We are the better because of that. But the thing
that I find that is full of so much gumption,
if you will, is the fact that she chose Navy Pier,
which was being renovated and totally transformed in terms of
what it is today, to be the location for Chicago

(13:09):
Shakespeare Theater. What was it that she saw in Navy
Pier that took something stodgy like Shakespearean theater and to
be on a place that has become the number one
tourist attraction in Illinois.

Speaker 8 (13:22):
I think she recognized an opportunity. I mean, visionary leaders
see opportunities before other people. And she saw the opportunity
to create a palace of dreams over the lake in
the most beautiful setting. And today, when you walk up
that pier or you drive and you get out of
your car and you get up into the building, you're
straightaway struck by the majesty and beauty of nature around you.

(13:47):
and the incredible beauty of the architecture of the city.
And it sort of just allows you to let go
of your day, let go of your worries.

Speaker 2 (13:56):
Go somewhere else.

Speaker 8 (13:57):
And then you walk into this theater with a group
of strangers and you sit down and you watch a
play and you're ready imaginatively to receive that story and
enjoy it with a group of people you don't know
and come together in community over one of Shakespeare's incredible stories.
she recognized the place that this Navy Pier was and

(14:19):
the magic of that place, the potential for a theater,
which is, I always say, theaters are palaces of dreams,
and it's a perfect place to have them.

Speaker 1 (14:29):
There also is this sense of opening up something that,
in many respects, people consider to be a closed environment.
I'm not talking about the theater complex itself, but I'm
talking about Shakespeare type of works or classical works like
Shakespeare in terms of opening it up to the masses,
because that really is also what Chicago Shakespeare Theater does.

Speaker 2 (14:53):
Yeah, it is.

Speaker 8 (14:54):
It's really important that, and it's important to her. And
it's one of the things that has driven me through
30 years of working with Shakespeare is largely Shakespeare's.

Speaker 2 (15:04):
Audiences couldn't read. They couldn't write. They were working people.

Speaker 8 (15:08):
And that's who Shakespeare the majority of his audience were.
Today at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, if you are 30 or
under 30, you can get a $ 30 ticket for any show,
any time of the day. And that hopefully will follow
on from your first experience in a theater, perhaps high school,
coming to one of our short Shakespeare shows.

Speaker 2 (15:29):
Last year, we had nearly.

Speaker 8 (15:31):
20,000 young people through our doors enjoying Shakespeare. I'm watching
it in a way that I think I always say
like brings it down to eye level. I don't want
my audiences to have to have swallowed a dictionary in
order to enjoy one of the plays and they shouldn't
be like that. So we work really hard to make
sure that these stories reflect the world we live in now.

Speaker 1 (15:53):
I just want to give some of the just highlights
of your 40 year existence. You are considered one of
the largest year-round theater companies in the nation dedicated to Shakespeare.
You produce more than a dozen productions annually. You serve
nearly a quarter of a million people in terms of

(16:14):
visiting each year. And this is the thing that I
want to commend you the most for. You provide educational
programming for more than 20,000 students and teachers each year.
Speak about that mission.

Speaker 2 (16:29):
Yeah, that's really important. You know, theatre is entertainment. Of course,
it's entertainment.

Speaker 8 (16:35):
It should be something that transports you somewhere else and
that you can enjoy. But it's also, we know, particularly
for young people, it's a great arena to develop your
critical thinking and your social-emotional skills. I think particularly now
what I've observed over the last few years.

Speaker 2 (16:55):
And I have a teenager.

Speaker 8 (16:57):
I have a slightly more grown up daughter, but is
that young young people learn and relate more and more
in a digital environment. And whilst there are huge pluses
and pros to that, the possible negative sides of that
are well documented.

Speaker 2 (17:12):
And we're wrestling with that every day.

Speaker 8 (17:14):
And in the theatre, you can come together in space
and connect with real people in real time. And we
know that this helps people's social skills, their emotional skills,
their critical thinking. So for young people, I think theater
and culture is not a.

Speaker 2 (17:34):
Nice to have. It's a need to have, actually. It's
a right to have.

Speaker 8 (17:38):
And I always felt it's every young person's right to
have that as part of their.

Speaker 2 (17:43):
Education in growing up.

Speaker 8 (17:45):
And we'd like to try and make that as accessible
as possible. to our audiences in their 20s and 30s,
and then our kind of more senior patrons who've been
supporting the theatre for many, many years, some of them.
I mean, there's a huge support and love around this
institution that I feel very honoured.

Speaker 2 (18:05):
To take over and steward over writing its next chapter
forward from its 40th anniversary.

Speaker 8 (18:11):
And there's an incredibly proud and loving group of Chicagoans
from our board of directors and onwards to our donors
and philanthropists and supporters, who see the value of having
that theatre in this city and what we can actually contribute,
not just in dollars, to the economy, to jobs, the
kind of trickle-down effect of when we do a show

(18:33):
like Lord of the Rings and we have people coming
in from 44 countries around the world, all 50 states,
they're bringing commerce, economy and all sorts of things into
the city. But I think just serving particularly the communities
within Chicago, which is the most fantastically diverse community of
77 neighborhoods and trying to find ways, as we are

(18:56):
now in our current season, we're doing our first full-scale
bilingual Spanish Shakespeare and serving the people.

Speaker 2 (19:06):
In the local locale in which.

Speaker 8 (19:07):
We operate, mixing that up with a very kind of
international outlook as well. So the rest of the world
can start to appreciate what I've begun to appreciate since
i've been here is the beauty and brilliance of chicago
as a.

Speaker 1 (19:22):
Global well you are going to mark this wonderful 40th
anniversary with a free open house that's taking place at
the theater on monday august 3rd tell me all about that.

Speaker 8 (19:33):
Yeah we're throwing the doors open from 4 30 in
the afternoon it's completely free so if ever you've wanted
to do shakespeare karaoke We have a dressing up box.

Speaker 2 (19:43):
We have lines.

Speaker 8 (19:44):
Come on to our famous courtyard stage and try your
hand at actually doing a bit of Shakespeare.

Speaker 3 (19:49):
I'll be on air.

Speaker 2 (19:50):
To give you a little bit of support. You can
learn how to speak Shakespeare. You can do a backstage tour.
We're taking people backstage to see how.

Speaker 8 (19:58):
It's all made, props, costumes, what it feels like to
be in the wings in one of these big spaces.
We've got photographs, photographic opportunities with.

Speaker 2 (20:09):
Olivier Awards and Tony Awards. We're doing a silent auction.

Speaker 8 (20:13):
We've got some wonderful things for people to bid for,
including books signed by Sir Ian McKellen, who was here
earlier in the year and did an incredible event for
about 800 high schoolers in our theatre, which he did
for free, which was fantastic. And then we finish off
at seven o'clock with a fantastic hour of presenting and

(20:37):
opening up our 40th anniversary season. And there will be
special appearances by cast members for some of the shows
and little performance moments and a surprise video from a very,
very special guest.

Speaker 2 (20:49):
So all of that starts at 4.30 on Monday. It's
the 3rd of August.

Speaker 8 (20:54):
It celebrates our 40th anniversary and opens up our doors
to people who are interested in getting behind the iron
and seeing a little.

Speaker 2 (21:03):
Bit more about how it's all done and how it's
all made.

Speaker 1 (21:07):
And in addition to what we talked about this morning,
what is the best way for people to find out
more about CST?

Speaker 8 (21:13):
Well, you can come to our website, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
website is the best place to come to.

Speaker 2 (21:19):
Everything is on there. I like to think it's very.

Speaker 8 (21:21):
Quick, simple and accessible and click on book tickets and
it says free tickets and there you go and you'll
be on.

Speaker 2 (21:29):
The list and you'll be in. Parking is very easy
on CST. We've got discounted parking for for anyone who.

Speaker 8 (21:36):
Wants to drive, and of course the bus stops right
at the end of the pier, and you can make
a real day of it and walk up the side
of the pier and enjoy the views of the lake
and the city before you get to our lovely theatre.

Speaker 1 (21:47):
Well, we want to encourage people to attend that day,
but also the other 364 days of the year where
people have the chance to witness Shakespeare live on stage.

Speaker 2 (22:00):
Yes.

Speaker 8 (22:01):
I love it in the winter, you know, when the
temperature's really plunged and the pier goes quiet and our
audiences are flocking into the warmth of the theatre and
you can drive in underneath the building so you never
have to feel that biting wind hitting your face off
Lake Michigan.

Speaker 2 (22:22):
It's a really lovely time, actually, in the heart of
the winter as well.

Speaker 1 (22:26):
Well, Chicago shakes year-round, so it's only appropriate that you
had the opportunity to do it in the spring, summer, winter,
and fall. We want to thank you for everything that
you bring to the city.

Speaker 2 (22:38):
Thank you very much. It's a pleasure. I have a.

Speaker 1 (22:41):
Confession to make. I really enjoy classical music, particularly the
works of the Romantic and Impressionist periods. I'm speaking about
works from composers like Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Liszt, Debussy, and Ravel.
Chicago is considered one of the classical music centers of
the world. But the most popular music form in Chicago

(23:03):
is hip-hop. Here now with more on how to attract
new audiences to classical music is our intern with Northwestern University,
Allie Park.

Speaker 2 (23:11):
Allie?

Speaker 7 (23:12):
This is Allie Park reporting for Chicago Speaks and Chicago Insight.
Classical music has long been viewed as an art form
rooted in tradition, but the checkout is reimagining what that
experience can look like. By transforming a former convenience store
into an intimate venue for our chamber music, jazz, cabaret,
and contemporary performance, The Checkout is making live music more

(23:34):
welcoming and accessible to audiences who may never have considered
attending a classical concert. Coming up, we'll explore how innovative
performance spaces are reshaping classical music and building a community
through the arts.

Speaker 1 (23:47):
Thanks, Allie. Joining us this morning with more on The
Checkout are Seth Bosted. He is the founder of Access
Contemporary Music, as well as its director of development, Christy Bennett. Seth,
first of all, I want to commend you on what
you're doing here in terms of access contemporary music, in
terms of building audiences of diverse music platforms. But what

(24:09):
was the inspiration for The Checkout?

Speaker 4 (24:11):
Well, you know, it's in our name, Access Contemporary Music.
I mean, we want to do two things. We want
to celebrate the past with classical music, but also show
people that it's a living art form and that, you know,
composers that live today are much like the people who
live today, you know. So the composers that you mentioned
are from the past are absolutely fantastic. But there are

(24:32):
a variety of people that are still writing what we
call classical music today. So that's really something that we're
very interested in. And the second is the accessibility part
of it, just bringing it into people's neighborhoods. I think
that the Chicago Symphony is fantastic. And I kind of
think of the, you know, Symphony Center as like the
temple for classical music, as it were. But we want

(24:52):
to be the storefront churches. We want to be in
the neighborhood, kind of, you know, preaching the gospel, as
it were, of classical music in the community. And so
this idea that there was an abandoned 7-Eleven church. in
the Uptown community, it was just irresistible to me to
turn that into a venue that would be accessible to
all kinds of people to come in and hear music
from all different eras.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
Speak specifically in terms of where it's located.

Speaker 4 (25:15):
Yeah, so it's in Lakeview, Uptown, I mean, the broader district.
We're in the Uptown Chamber of Commerce, but it is
on Clark Street, just south of the Black Ensemble Theater,
just north of the Music Box Theater, and across from
the Graceland Cemetery.

Speaker 1 (25:29):
I know exactly what you're talking about. And that's a
wonderful space there. I find it interesting because as a
young person growing up, I had the opportunity to see
Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concert with the New York Philharmonic.
And it was just extraordinary to be a young kid
from the Bronx to go down to Lincoln Center and

(25:52):
watch this performance of classical music. I remember seeing Swan
Lake and Peter and the Wolf. And exposure is so
necessary in terms of broadening people's palate when it comes
to music. Is that one of your goals here? Yeah.

Speaker 4 (26:08):
And I mean, Bernstein is an incredible, you know, his
legacy is just unbelievable because he did exactly that. He
did these people's concerts. He did that wonderful television series.
And his lectures were, you know, they were funny. I mean,
he's very serious about the music, and the musicians are
very well prepared, and everybody's doing what they're supposed to
be doing. But he was also very approachable. He didn't
take himself overly seriously. And I think that is kind
of a model for us. I mean, to say, look,

(26:29):
we're going to, you know, present really high-end music. The
musicians are going to be very good. They're going to practice.
You know, they're going to do all the things they're
supposed to do. But, hey, you know, this used to
be a 7-Eleven. We're also going to have slushies. I mean,
it's going to be fun. It's going to be approachable,
you know?

Speaker 2 (26:43):
Christy, speak out.

Speaker 1 (26:44):
The venue, going inside, what is going to be the
sensory experience that people will receive?

Speaker 6 (26:51):
Well, you walk in the doors and you're going to
hear that familiar 7-Eleven ding. That's the first thing you'll
notice as you walk in the door. We kept a
few things from the old 7-Eleven to keep that spirit alive.
And as you walk into the space, it's a really warm,
welcoming space. You've got a bar to the left where
you can get all kinds of beverages, both alcoholic and non,

(27:12):
and you're slushy, as Seth mentioned. And then to your right,
you'll see a performance space and a nice spread of
tables and chairs where you have a comfortable seat to
enjoy the show amongst your neighbors.

Speaker 1 (27:27):
What about the schedule?

Speaker 2 (27:28):
We have shows.

Speaker 6 (27:30):
Basically seven days a week throughout most of the year.
We always print a brochure that has a list of
our offerings. And the schedule includes not only classical music.
We also have some jazz offerings. Thursday night is jazz
night and we have some cabaret shows. So it's always
a good idea to keep up with what's going on
through our social media or grabbing a brochure when you

(27:53):
come by.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
And what is the best way for people to receive
that information online?

Speaker 6 (27:59):
We are at thecheckoutchicago is our handle for basically all
social media sites.

Speaker 4 (28:07):
And they can also go to thecheckout.org.

Speaker 1 (28:09):
Seth, what has been your experience in terms of looking
at people that go through the doors of a former 7-Eleven?
And then come out transformed.

Speaker 4 (28:20):
Well, you know, I mean, you know, the building, you know,
the neighborhood. I mean, so do so many people. It
was a 7-Eleven. It was a White Hen before that.
I mean, it's amazing. I actually want to collect the memories.
People have so many memories of this building and people
walk in and they say, oh, my gosh. You know,
it was empty for I mean, we kind of disagree,
but anywhere between seven and 10 years, it was empty
for a very long time. And we had the fortune

(28:42):
to get some money from the city and to raise
some money and be able to really radically transform this building.
I mean, so, you know, what you normally see is
joy and delight and then this kind of flood of memories.
I used to come here and get my Chicago Sun-Times.
I used to come here and, you know, et cetera.
And I love that. I mean, before they even hear
a note of music, they're already in this headspace of joy.

Speaker 1 (29:02):
Yeah, get a burnt hot dog on a stale roll.

Speaker 2 (29:05):
I used to love that.

Speaker 1 (29:06):
Yes.

Speaker 4 (29:07):
Well, we did tell ourselves we were not going to
follow 7-Eleven standards of hygiene.

Speaker 2 (29:12):
No offense. Indeed.

Speaker 1 (29:14):
Ali, a question you may have for either Seth or Christy.

Speaker 7 (29:18):
Just a more general question. I'm wondering what you guys
hope is visitors' main takeaway after attending their first performance
at the checkout.

Speaker 6 (29:27):
I really hope that they feel like they had a
unique experience. I feel like the things that we put
together at ACM are different than what you experience.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
In other venues.

Speaker 6 (29:37):
Like obviously Chicago is rich with really great venues, and
I hope that they feel like, well, that was a
really fun, different night. That's always kind of my wish.

Speaker 2 (29:50):
Yeah, I agree.

Speaker 4 (29:52):
I would say that You know, we take it's Chicago.
So we borrow from the improv community and their philosophy
of yes. And that's our philosophy, too. Whatever music you're
already listening to. Yes, we love it, too. You know,
you're a hip hop fan. You're a gospel fan. That's fantastic.
We don't want anybody to replace what they're listening to.
We're just really interested in, you know, presenting classical jazz
cabaret in this small, accessible neighborhood venue and adding that

(30:14):
to their musical diets.

Speaker 1 (30:15):
Well, I can tell you that I am going to
visit the checkout because I'm intrigued. at your mission. What
is the best way for people to support you, not
only as a volunteer, but also financially?

Speaker 4 (30:28):
Well, they can go to acmusic.org or thecheckout.org. And there
are certainly links to donate. We are a 501c3 nonprofit
and donations are a big part of what floats the boat.
There are not very many organizations or venues in the
world that make things work on ticket sales. I think
we all know that. And we really do strive to
pay the musicians as much as we can. That's really
important to us. And in fact, Most of the ticket

(30:50):
sales at the checkout do go to the musicians. That's
really something that we're really very, very strongly believing in.
So we do hope that people will consider going to thecheckout.org
or acmusic.org to find out more about all of our
opportunities and things that we do. We also have a
classical music street festival coming up in August. So that's
going to be August 22nd and 23rd in the Ravenswood

(31:10):
neighborhood on Wilson Avenue. And they can find out more
at acmusic.org.

Speaker 1 (31:14):
Well, I want to thank Seth Brostead, as well as
Christy Bennett and Allie Park for joining us. Nothing but continued.

Speaker 2 (31:21):
Success for you.

Speaker 4 (31:22):
Thank you, Daryl.

Speaker 1 (31:23):
Well, that wraps up this edition of Chicago Insight. In closing,
please take advantage of the useful information presented today.

Speaker 4 (31:29):
I'm Daryl Denard.

Speaker 1 (31:30):
Always remember to use informed insight in everything that you
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