“The Loop Files” Tells the Inside Story of a Groundbreaking Chicago Radio Station

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND

Steve & Garry. Kevin Matthews and Jim Shorts. Jonathon Brandmeier and Buzz Kilman.

If reading these names makes you smile and recall great radio memories from the 1980s and 1990s, than you’ll want to read The Loop Files: An Oral History of the Most Outrageous Radio Station Ever (356 pages, 979-8988332473, $30, Paperback/Digital), which has just been published by Eckhartz Press. The book features more than 200 photos and interviews with 100 Loop alumni. 

The Loop (WLUP-98.7 FM) began as a mainstream classic rock station (arguably the best-known one in Chicagoland), but gradually evolved into a personality-driven station (especially on its AM counterpart, WLUP-1000 AM). Musically, I’m definitely more of a WXRT fan, but I also enjoy classic rock. But I didn’t listen to the Loop for the music. I tuned in for its on-air personalities.   

As a 12-year-old, I’d close all the doors to my parents’ den and listen to the forbidden Steve & Garry (S&G) show with the volume low for as long as I could before being caught. When I became old enough for a part-time job at Garden Drug, I’d sit in my car listening to S&G after delivering prescriptions instead of going back into the store and “facing” shelves, unpacking inventory, selling lottery tickets, and mopping floors. It’s weird to admit this, but I used to fall asleep listening to cassette recordings of S&G, Kevin Matthews, and Johnny B.

Buzz Kilman & Jonathon Brandmeier
Garry & Steve
Kevin Matthews and Dorothy Humphrey

Copyright Paul Natkin

I loved listening to the Loop because you never knew what would happen—not just from day to day, but from minute to minute on the shows. In the wasteland of formulaic radio, the hosts of the Loop did not play it safe, and the listeners benefited from the audio anarchy. It was wonderful dumb fun, smart fun, and every kind of fun in between.

In our modern what-seems-like-a-thousand-channels world, it’s hard to convey what an entertainment juggernaut the Loop was in its heyday—and a Chicagoland cultural phenomena. “AM 1000 was more than just a radio station,” explains Kevin Matthews in The Loop Files. “It was this ball of culture. People listened day and night. If you wanted to hear and know what was happening in Chicago, you had to listen to AM 1000.” Matthews, Dahl, Meier, and Brandmeier were not just radio talkers, they even had bands. Jonathon Brandmeier had Johnny & the Leisure Suits, Steve & Garry had Teenage Radiation, and Kevin Matthews had Ed Zeppelin. They sold out shows all over the Chicago area. Could any local radio host do that today?

I recently talked with Rick Kaempfer, the author of The Loop Files, about the book and the past and future of radio. Kaempfer had a long career in radio (including working at the Loop from 1987 to 1993). He is now an author, publisher, and film director.

Q. Can you give me an overview of The Loop Files for readers who may not have heard of the book?

A. For that period of time when all the stars aligned, when rock and roll and comedy and radio were all simultaneously kings (1977–1998), when the 1927 Yankees of Radio all gathered in the same hallway at the same time, the Loop created something that will never be forgotten. I have gathered all the people who worked there to tell the story of that great radio station, in their own words.

Q. What made you want to create the book?

A. I felt like the Loop was starting to drift from our collective memories, and I wanted to chronicle the greatness of the place while all or most of the significant players were still around. I figured I was uniquely positioned to bring that story to life. As a former Loop employee myself and current media writer (Illinois Entertainer) I either personally know or have interviewed nearly everyone who worked there. They trusted me to tell the story honestly, and without an agenda. And as a Chicago publisher, I also knew how to market this book to its most loyal audience.

Q. After writing the book, did you learn anything new about yourself and/or have any types of new perceptions from your time at the Loop?

A. It wasn’t until I started putting all the stories into a chronological order that I recognized the definite story arc. The good times, followed by the great times, followed by the challenging times, and finally what brought that incredible era to an end. I lived through it at the time without recognizing it was happening.

Q. Is there any place today on over-the-air radio for the unscripted fun and anarchy of the Loop in its best eras? How has radio changed since your time at the Loop?  

A. There really isn’t anything to match it on terrestrial radio. I listen to a smorgasbord of podcasts that collectively rival those old days, but not really, because even if they are taped live, they are still taped. At its best the Loop was unscripted genius from morning until night. Hall of Famers in every timeslot. Budgetary restrictions alone will prevent that from ever happening again. That, and radio consolidation has genericized the medium to the point that radio programmers would never take a chance to do something daring. I’d love to be proven wrong about that. Nothing would make me happier. —–

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The Loop was the radio station of my teens and 20s. As I look back, it’s a symbol of my fancy-free days before getting married, having a son, getting a real job, and moving into middle age. The Loop brought me joy as a young guy, and reading The Loop Files also brought me joy and helped me to recall many forgotten radio moments that had been hiding somewhere in my gray matter. I’m thankful to Rick Kaempfer for writing it. The Loop Files: An Oral History of the Most Outrageous Radio Station Ever is a great read and highly recommended. You can learn more about the book by clicking here.   

Copyright Andrew Morkes (text, except interview, and material quoted from the book)

Copyright (interview text) Rick Kaempfer

Copyright Paul Natkin (photos of Brandmeier, Matthews, Dahl, and Meier)

Copyright Rick Kaempfer (book cover photo)

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Looking for some great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $18.99.

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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES

I have been a writer and editor for nearly 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of “The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends” blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I’m also a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school. 

In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 60 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, the Vault Career Guide to Accounting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series) and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades and Cool Careers in Science series).

Here’s a list of the environmental-focused titles that I’ve written:

• Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
• Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
• Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
• Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
• Environment (Getting Started series)
• Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)