IN THE BEGINNING
Peet came up with the show’s name “Smorgasbord” to represent a show with endless possibilities, where anything goes. Even though Peet was not allowed to be an “official” show member since he was from a different school, he would be a driving, creative force behind some of the best bits performed by Chris and Dave. The show would premiere on September 11, 1982, 8pm. Chris and Dave secured the prime-time Saturday night, 8-10pm slot for their crazy antics in Season 1.
We would still manage to sneak Peet on the air. One way was to record the shows from my home studio, and broadcast them later. Another way was to take the show off-site, as we did in the Spring of 1983, our first attempt at a remote radio show. We got total access to Castaldo Park in Woodridge, IL for our radio/TV show. Dave was not present for this broadcast since he could not get the day off from work (Rose Records).
CASTALDO PARK
In our first attempt at doing a remote broadcast, the extent of our audience that day was about four 6-year olds who showed up and gave us the finger. We couldn’t use that footage for the TV show. It was a pathetic turnout. Even my girlfriend at the time was embarrassed for us and left. I wonder what those kids are up to now. They’ve got to be in their 30’s by now. They are the Generation X slack-offs that I interview now! There is a picture in this slideshow of Peet wearing bright red pants. I remember he wanted to wear something that would look good on television. What was he thinking?
After the 1982-1983 season ended, Chris and Dave split up to do their own solo shows. Dave’s Sunday night show was called “Open Mind”, another “anything goes”-type show. Chris continued with the Smorg brand name. He teamed up with Geoff Beran, a rather quiet individual. The show worked, however, and built up a rather loyal following. “Smorgasbord Saturday Night” moved to the 10-midnight time slot, and had 26 shows. In February 1984, Chris would take the show to television in a 2-night simulcast between WDGC-FM and CATV. Sadly, no record of these TV shows appear to exist. In the 1983-1984 broadcast season, the Smorg crew did two more remote broadcasts, the Tivoli Bowling Alley and The Barn in Naperville.
TIVOLI BOWLING ALLEY
Our 2nd Remote Broadcast was a huge success. At first it was a bit intimidating walking into the bowling alley/pool hall, where the town burnouts called their home. We set up our equipment, and they all sat down waiting for us to entertain them. We decided to make them part of the show, so if we failed to please, they had everything to do with it. It ended up being a blast, especially when one charming young lad recited his holiday poem, Twas the Night of the Party.
THE BARN IN NAPERVILLE
Our 3rd Remote Broadcast – This show had the formula for both success and disaster all rolled up together. Although I’m not sure what success ended up coming of it. At least Peet and I cleaned ourselves up for this one. I think by this time, we had both already been laid. That certainly changes a guy.
We had given away 200 seats on the air for this live broadcast. Both Lisle and Downers Grove cable stations were there to tape the show for a later broadcast. We had 2 local bands open for us. We spent $200 to rent the place and Peet plopped down an additional $200 for pizzas. This was to be the show to push us in the upper stratosphere of high school radio fame! What could possibly go wrong???
On March 17, 1984 and Peet’s 20th Birthday, the largest snowstorm of that season hit. Naperville got 12 inches of snow dumped within a 10-hour period. Since most of our audience relied on their parents for transportation, a total of 7 people showed up. There was some good news – No one gave us the finger that night. Needless to say, for the next three months, Peet and I had pizza as an ingredient in everything we ate. (Sandwiches, salads, cereal, etc.). Chris and Dave tried to make the best out of the night. That was the first time Dave ever wore a tie!
After about 45 minutes we realized no one was going to show up. We left the stage and went home. A punk rock band took over. These guys were jerks. They were pissed off at the world. What were they pissed off for? They were getting free stage time. Plus they didn’t have $200 worth of pizzas to deal with.
SUMMER 1984
Chris and Dave’s Last Season: Following Chris’s 6-week suspension from the airwaves for parking his car on the grass outside the radio station, Chris and Dave reunite for 9 final shows. Shows include Live at the Carlisle (A fake live broadcast at a fancy banquet hall), Live on the Moon, Mystical Melinda’s Psychic Readings, and of course “The Final Chapter”, Chris and Dave’s last broadcast was heard August 17, 1984. For this last show, we broadcast for 6 hours. At midnight, all went silent at WDGC 88.3 FM. You can hear the best of these bits in the “Classic Chris and Dave” section of the site.
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