Christmas Music and Crab Legs (Hour 2)

Transcript

Christmas Music and Crab Legs (Hour 2)

Nite Lite with Pete Schwaba and Greg Bach · Mon Dec 1, 2025

Kathryn Lake

You're listening to Civic Media.

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Broadcasting live from the Civic Media Studios in Green Bay, this is Night Light with Peach Wabba.

Your inside source on everything entertainment from Wisconsin to Hollywood.

A guy who does his own stunts, Pete Schwabba.

Pete Schwaba

Welcome back.

Hey, great to have you here, folks.

It is a Monday night after a long weekend where I was, I had to talk about entertainment casually with friends and family, which is fine too, but it's more fun to do it in an official capacity here.

Like we do every night at nightlight.

Happy December 1st, everybody.

The Christmas season is officially upon us.

Lots going on all month.

We've got great guests.

It's great that you're here tonight.

We have a really fun show.

The first hour we spoke with Betsy Gasper from Old World Wisconsin, talked about their breakfast with Santa event coming up.

That sounds like a lot of fun.

Check that out at oldworldwisconsin.org.

Coming up in just a couple of minutes, we'll have the director of the West Shore Corral in Marinette, Wisconsin, a fine organization that does outstanding work in the little community where I live here in Wisconsin.

So we'll talk to Jane Wells in just a couple of minutes.

Dolby Maxwell is here at 635.

The comedian you can see in Port Washington this weekend at Memories Ballroom.

And Matt Miller, our favorite Milwaukee film critic, will be here at 720 to tell you what you can check out in theaters as we get closer to Christmas.

Erin Zommers is sitting in for Conrad Krieger tonight, who is still on vacation.

Do you ever worry that Conrad's just not coming back, Erin?

Well, I

don't really worry about it because, you know, that would just mean that I get to spend more time on the show.

Pete Schwaba

I love it when you're here, dude.

We

always

Pete Schwaba

have a good time.

And we love

Pete Schwaba

Conrad.

Of course we do.

Not in the big way, but he's a good guy.

That's all I can say about Conrad.

He's a very good guy.

So he will be back tomorrow and we've got lots going on this week too.

We've got Lauren Holly on Wednesday and lots of great guests all week.

Mike Siegel will be here possibly.

We've got Matt Miller later this show.

Who else do we have on Tuesday, Somers?

We've got a lot of big...

Here i'm going to pull that up right now because i want people to know uh bill lef is going to help us tomorrow night bill is the uh he is the host of tune in with me a nationally syndicated show on the cartoon network and bill was our first guest here at nightlight so he's going to be here tomorrow night we're going to celebrate our two-year anniversary probably over the course of tomorrow night and wednesday night as well as we lead up to the godfather of greenbay screening december fourth thursday night at the atwood music hall in the atwood

hood of Madison.

So if you're in the Madison area, come on out.

It's the godfather of Green Bay.

We'll start at seven o'clock.

Some of the proceeds go to the Dane County Humane Society.

So it's for a good cause.

The film stars Tony Goldwyn, Lauren Holly, pardon me, Lance Barber, Thomas Lennon, me, Tracy Thorpe, all kinds of fun talent in the film.

It's a feel good film with some big laughs.

I shot it in Marinette.

It's the 20th anniversary screening, so it'll be fun.

Thursday night in Madison.

We'll talk to Lauren Holly about that on Wednesday and We'll talk to Bill left about our anniversary our two-year nightlight anniversary lots of stuff going on this week So it's great to have you here and Aaron's armors to boot if that wasn't good enough Should we mention giving Tuesday again?

Sure.

I mean York you just

Pete Schwaba

did I just do

it.

Well, do you just said giving Tuesday when you asked

if you should mention that I know that doesn't count, right?

I can't yeah

Pete Schwaba

It's always nice when your producer is trying to mess with you on the air.

Giving Tuesday is tomorrow, folks.

Listen up tomorrow.

We will tell you about this great global movement that celebrates the power of generosity.

And this is the perfect time of year to do something like this.

Civic media believes this day is special, impactful, and essential.

Our stations across the state, many of which play nightlight on a nightly basis, will highlight and raise money for local organizations.

I will tell you tomorrow.

But be listening.

tomorrow and learn how you can support your community on Giving Tuesday.

All right, let's get without further ado, let's talk about some West Shore Corral.

If you thought you were in the Christmas spirit, folks, just because it's December 1st, well, good for you.

I do too.

I love Mondays and I love December 1st.

But right now, I'm going to give you an opportunity to road trip to Marinette if you're not in the Marinette Menominee area and see this really cool concert happening this Sunday night.

From the west shore corral and the the group's director is here tonight with me on nightlight for a little bit.

Miss Jane Wells.

Hi Jane.

Hey Pete, how's it going?

Pete Schwaba

It's good.

You sound good.

You sound like you could sing a tune.

I'm not I'm not pressuring you.

I'm not,

you know, I don't warm up

Pete Schwaba

so.

Hey, it's great to have you here.

Thank you for being here tonight.

Thank you so much for having me.

I'm excited.

Pete Schwaba

I have to ask you.

We do a question of the night every night here on nightlight.

somewhat, you know, topical or a national day.

Today is national pie day.

Do you have a favorite pie, Jane?

I saw that actually scrolling across the screen and I was hoping you'd ask me because my grandmother used to make an amazing raspberry pie and it was my absolute favorite.

I've tried to replicate it, but you know, it's just never as good as grandma's.

Pete Schwaba

Do you have the actual recipe?

Like,

did she leave it with you?

Pete Schwaba

Okay.

so what

do you think you're doing wrong when we started dating and uh he didn't even have a slice of it which has become a long time joke it's like a girl made a pie for you and you didn't even try it

Pete Schwaba

listen if someone makes a pie for me on a first date i'm eating the whole thing just out of this it's

a courtesy

Pete Schwaba

situation

right it wasn't a first date but it was like within the first month or two so

Pete Schwaba

well that makes sense that might have been weird if you made him a pie on date

number one

You might

Pete Schwaba

have been running for the hill, so.

I'm not in a Hallmark movie here,

Pete Schwaba

so.

Very well.

Well, that's a great, that is a great answer.

Raspberry Pi, I love it.

Jane Wells, so tell us about this.

Tell us about the West Shore Corral.

How did this come to be?

And I love when, you know, Marinette is not a big town, but we have certain things that happen there culturally that I feel like we're so blessed to have in the West Shore Corral is one of them.

So tell us a little bit about the history of the group, if you could.

Yeah, so unfortunately, I don't remember the exact year that it started.

I believe it was in the early 80s

But David Giebler, who was the music professor at UW Marinette at the time, started this group because he said, you know, for an area of our size, we need some more culture.

We need to promote this kind of stuff.

We should have a community choir.

Kathryn Lake

So

he started that and then students from the university could actually take the choir for credit.

So it was, we called it a community choir.

So he

continued it for over 30 years, almost 40, maybe more than 40, but I took over when he retired in 2018.

And since then, we no longer have the in-person classes at UW, GB Marinette, but we are so lucky that our theater got to hold on to the West Shore Corral.

It's become a really beloved group.

especially for me, but I know our community appreciates it too.

And it's such a special place for our singers and it's a little different every semester.

We just have a great time.

Pete Schwaba

And the shows you do are outstanding.

And it's funny that, you know, when you live in a small town, sometimes when people give up something like David Giebler did when he walked away from this group that he founded,

You know, sometimes you don't have people to step in.

So we're very lucky to have you.

So keep up the great work.

Thank you.

You're so

Pete Schwaba

kind.

Are you having fun?

Do you like doing that?

I mean, I'm sure the practice gets busy around the holidays.

You have to go whether you want to or not, because people depend on you.

It's open to the community right now, right?

The group, anybody

can

Pete Schwaba

join, right?

Absolutely, yeah.

We have singers of all ages anywhere from high school on up.

I mean, we've got retirees, you know, and alongside with somebody who just graduated from high school.

I love doing it so so so much and the joke is always that the music makers are preparing everyone else for the holidays because we're so busy.

We

Kathryn Lake

don't

actually get to prepare for it ourselves but you know this concert we're only

or this group, we only do one concert.

So it really doesn't feel like too much, but I just, there's such a wonderful group of people.

I love that it's so dynamic in age and just what everyone's interested in, but we all come into this room for one purpose, to make music and to make community.

And it just is, it holds such a special place in my heart.

I feel so honored that I get to work with these people.

Pete Schwaba

Wow, that's a great answer.

The West Shore Corral, you can see them December 7th.

That's this Sunday at 4pm at the beautiful Theater on the Bay here in Marinette.

My guest is Jane Wells.

She is the director of the group, took over in 2018 and is doing a great job.

Is there a theme to this year's show, Jane, or is there a theme year to year?

Yeah, so I try to kind of do a little theme that I can work different pieces into each semester.

We do a

winter concert in December, and we do a spring one end of April, early May.

And this one is the winter's night.

So all of our pieces have something to do with snow or, you know, winter, we've got a couple really blustery kind of cold evokes those emotions.

But then

Kathryn Lake

we also

have some nice warm heartfelt, like you're, you know, sitting at the window watching the snowfall with a cup of, you know, hot.

tea or something.

Pete Schwaba

That is something like everybody looks forward to at this time of year and it's so great that the show exists.

I understand you're in a little bit of a predicament this year because the show runs up against the Packer Bear Game.

My guess is some people will still go to the show

in either record the game or catch the second half.

I hope they do because of the work you guys put in.

But what would you say to these people in an effort to get them to come out and see some live music instead of a silly old football game?

All right.

Well, we, we did try our best.

It was originally scheduled for noon and those NFL people just decided to move it.

We were trying to accommodate both, but I understand as an avid packer fan, but as one of my members said, you can always, you know, record it.

And then when you get home, you just get to fast forward through all the commercials and you just straight game.

Pete Schwaba

Exactly.

If that is the play, in my opinion, Jane,

What okay, so if you always how do you pick a space like because theater on the Bay is so beautiful?

It's right on the water if you've been to Marinette folks, you know Bayshore Drive It's a very picturesque setting.

I know they've you've had the concert in churches before too.

Is there an optimal place or venue that you prefer?

Oh

That's a tough question.

It's hard because the Herbert L. Williams Theater is our home.

That's where we meet that's you know

our building.

It's just steps away from the choir room where we rehearse every week.

But, you know, ideally somewhere that was a little more ringy, like a, you know, a small cathedral, or a lot of churches have that more kind of warm, focused sound.

We've only done ours in a church once, and that was because the theater was under construction, because I do feel so strongly that theater on the Bay is our home.

But it's

We would love a little warmer sound, but we do love being at home and the people who come to see us.

Pete Schwaba

Are there times you're directing that you just want to break into song?

How do you keep the singer inside of you from breaking into song when you're directing all these people you're responsible for?

It's really hard.

I want to sing it all the time.

I sing in rehearsals all the time, but I do get to kind of like mouth and live through it.

And there's a different part of the musicality that live in you when you're directing.

And I think that there's, you know, definitely an artistic approach to that too, because how I

how I am looking at them, how I am moving my body, it how I am breathing.

They're looking at me and if they see that they're gonna

That's going to prompt them on what they need to do.

So if I'm being really herky jerky and kind of crazy, that's going to make them nervous and tighten up.

If

Kathryn Lake

I'm

nice and slow and relaxed and I look relaxed, that will help them to also be relaxed.

So a lot of how I always tell them, I'm like, if we're going to make a mistake, you're going to do it because you're watching me.

I'll make the mistake.

You just watch me and then I can take the blame for it.

Like, don't do your own thing.

Pete Schwaba

That's a great answer.

And, you know, some of us just need a little push, Jane, to join the group.

If you could have a big shower setting, I sound amazing in the shower.

I

would bring a

Pete Schwaba

lot to your group.

So just

something to think about.

A stairwell is like the best.

Actually, that's where we should have a concert is in a stairwell.

Pete Schwaba

That sounds fun

to

Pete Schwaba

me.

We're coming right back.

Jane Wells is here.

A very short break.

It's Peach Wabba and Night

Light.

Kathryn Lake

You're listening to Civic Media.

Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.

Visit civicmedia.us slash email to get started.

Pete Schwaba

Mariah Carey, who that is a new classic.

It's very hard to write a Christmas classic as Zomers and I talked about earlier.

My guest is Jane Wells.

She is the director of the West Shore Chorale here in beautiful Marinette, Wisconsin.

Their show is December 7th at 4 p.m.

at the beautiful theater on the Bay here in Marinette.

Definitely worth if you're even close in the area, come on by.

It should be a really fun concert.

right on the water here in gorgeous Marinette.

I hope, Jane, I hope you never pull a Giebler and step down, even though he did it for 40 years.

I don't know if I have another 40.

Pete Schwaba

Well, one year at a time.

All right.

So I have to ask you, this is interesting.

You live a stone's throw away from where I live.

I see you walking your dog out.

We talk sometimes.

And another one of our listeners, who is a regular listener, Dave, grew up down that street, Pine Beach Road.

He texted earlier.

He does not like the Mariah Carey song.

I'm a

big fan.

Pete Schwaba

Where do you come in on the Mariah Carey All I Want For

Christmas?

I don't seek it out.

But when it's on, it's a bop, right?

I mean, you can't not kind of dance along with it.

Like Mariah Carey, she's super talented.

I have no qualms with her.

It's just not necessarily my style of music.

But that song is just a lot of fun.

And it does evoke that kind of

You know, it's like you feel like you're out shopping for Christmas when you hear that song.

Pete Schwaba

So

I'm cool with it.

Pete Schwaba

Will we ever hear that in one of your West Shore corrals?

Maybe

Pete Schwaba

get my dad to sing it.

Tom

Schwab, he's

Pete Schwaba

a member of the West Shore corral.

He'd be happy to belt it out.

I

think that'd be a fun solo for him.

Pete Schwaba

Yeah.

Do you have a favorite Christmas Carol, Jane?

Oh, favorite Christmas Carol.

I mean, I really.

Now I just lost the the name of it.

Oh, Low How Our Rose Air Blooming.

I'm old school.

It's like an old, it's by Hugo Dissler.

There's a beautiful choral version of it.

That's just absolutely gorgeous.

But I love that in my house, it's Bing Crosby.

We are always listening to the classics.

Pete Schwaba

OK, here's another not not controversial question for you.

But the Bing Crosby David Bowie song, Little Drummer Boy, where do you where do you fall in that one?

That one I'm less into, I will again listen to it.

And that's the one where at the end they add the like, peace on earth.

I like that.

Sure, we'll listen to it.

Pete Schwaba

You gotta sing on the show sometime,

Jane.

Even those

Pete Schwaba

little, even not warmed up, you sound great.

I would love to have you in the studio to sing sometime if you're up for

that.

I mean, maybe, sure.

Pete Schwaba

Zomers, you heard it.

We have proof for using it.

Jane just committed.

Before we let you go, Jane, and break a leg this weekend is very exciting.

It's going to be a great show, I'm sure.

Are you binge watching anything that you could recommend?

And we talk about TV a lot on this show, color television and movies.

What could you recommend?

Well, we just finished rewatching Schitt's Creek for like the fourth time, but we recently started the newest season of Man on the Inside.

I love to dance in.

Oh

Pete Schwaba

yeah, that's a good show.

Yeah, so he's like a retired engineering professor who moves into a retirement home to become a PI or not to become but it just inadvertently is a PI and then the second season now he's on a new case and it's just cute and quirky and charming.

Pete Schwaba

Head dancing if he hangs in there things are really gonna start to go his way

Yeah, I think I think he's got something

Pete Schwaba

And real real quick your favorite singer someone you grew up Watching or wanting to emulate as you got older and found the beauty of song as it were

I think So, you know, I might get some flak for this, but I'm a huge Coldplay fan.

Oh

Pete Schwaba

nice

I love their music.

It was a big thing.

I was a, you know, coming of age teenager and my brother was in college and he was like, you got to listen to this new band.

And then my sister sent me a CD and I wanted to be cool like my older siblings.

And then just as I got older, so many more of the lyrics really clicked with me inside my head and my heart.

And as I've gotten older, even now, though their music is so different than kind of like the studio stuff they were doing when they first came out.

Yeah.

just their whole message about being good to each other and, you know, messages of love and whatnot to our other humans on the planet.

I really appreciate that about them.

And so in my world, they can do practically no wrong.

Pete Schwaba

That is a great and very honest answer from my guest Jane Wells.

She is the...

Director of the West York Rail here in Marinette, check out their show Sunday, December 7th.

That's this Sunday, 4 p.m.

at the Theater on the Bay in Marinette.

If you're in the area, you will not be disappointed.

It's a fun show and it will get you in the holiday, the holiday mood, maybe even more than Mariah Carey.

Jane, thank you so much for your time tonight and break a leg this weekend.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate your support and having me on here.

Pete Schwaba

Always.

All right.

That's Jane Wells, my neighbor, Zomers.

How do you like that?

always cool to have a cool neighbor.

I had to go over several times and tell them their music was too loud and they give me a lot of flak.

They've I've threatened to call the cops.

They're like, whatever, whatever radio boy you do, what you have to do.

But

I'm sorry about that.

Pete Schwaba

Keep it down.

keep down the cold play.

That's all right.

That's Jane.

Well, so coming up after the news, Dobie Maxwell, the very funny Dobie Maxwell will be here to talk about his show coming up at memories ballroom in Port Washington.

That is this weekend and our pal Milwaukee film critic Matt Miller will be here in our number three at seven 20.

We will also give you a new keyword in our number three for our multi-state text to win contest here at Civic Media.

Coming up after the news, we'll read some of your texts.

Our question of the night.

What is your favorite kind of pie?

Zommer says Apple.

I say Key Lime.

I would say Key Lime is kind of in the driver's seat tonight.

Would you agree, Zommer?

Yeah, it seems like a lot more people are into Key Lime.

I think I might be one of the only ones who said Apple so far.

Pete Schwaba

It's all right.

It doesn't mean I'm a better person than you.

I'm just saying it's kind of

funny how the chip doesn't

Pete Schwaba

work.

It doesn't not.

All right, we're going to do the news.

We will be right back with Adobe Maxwell.

This is the Civic Media Radio Network and Nightlight with Hwaba.

It's not Christmas either, Zombies.

What's that?

No, that's some new radicals.

Pete Schwaba

Oh, because we got a request on the stream.

Sydney, right?

Yeah, Sydney Politics on YouTube said, please bring back new radicals and smashing pumpkins.

I'm not ready for constant Christmas music.

Pete Schwaba

No, and I mentioned that earlier, Sydney.

I'm not ready.

We got to pace ourselves.

I just got excited because it was December 1st, and I wanted to hear, pardon me, one Christmas tune, but I loved it.

Zommer's found the one... Well, the new radicals are kind of a one-hit wonder.

I only know that song by them that we play that's in our arsenal.

Well, now this is just another one.

Someday we'll know.

I hadn't heard this either, but...

Pete Schwaba

Kind of a good tune.

Sydney Politics also says his favorite pie is pecan pie.

Lil' Irv does not like Mariah Carey, but he does love pecan pie.

As usual, he and Sydney are in cahoots.

So there you go, our question of the night is, what is your favorite kind of pie?

It is National Pie Day.

And, yeah, I feel like I got like a pecan stuck in my throat.

Has that ever happened to you?

Let's, you know what?

Let's bring in another guy who knows.

He's, he brings the funny.

He's a, he's an old radio pro and he's done comedy specials and all kinds of fun stuff.

And I'm going to tell you where you can see him this weekend.

He joins us now over the stream.

And if that wasn't cool enough, he's Wisconsin native.

Been here before he knows the drill.

Mr. Toby Maxwell.

Hey pal.

Mr. Pete Schwab or should I say Joe Keegan's alter ego from the godfather of Green Bay?

Thanks for having me on and my favorite kind of pie American American boys singing whiskey and rye This will be the day that I die

Pete Schwaba

and the best part about that kind of pie is it lasts for about 28 minutes I think So good to hear it's good to hear your voice

Kathryn Lake

good

to see you

Pete Schwaba

buddy

Yes, my pleasure.

And that's a great answer, too.

I expected nothing less than for you to have some kind of sarcastic pick being a comedian.

I

do have a real enough French silk.

Did anybody bring that up yet?

I love French silk.

Pete Schwaba

You know what?

Nobody did.

But I was I was going to bring that up earlier, like a chocolate satin or something like, does that even count?

It's so heavy.

And it's very

un-pie-like, if that makes sense.

It does make perfect sense.

That's why you have a lot of salad at the meal and you jam the pie down to just lock it in your innards.

That's what you do.

Pete Schwaba

Excellent use of the word innards, by the way, my friend, I love

it.

Well, thank you, because we in Wisconsin know how to eat out of a fey.

We get dyslexic.

It's not all you can eat.

It's eat all you can.

as a child, no bread, no vegetables, meat.

I want you to smuggle a picnic ham between your thighs.

I want you to put them on a business, $12.95 to get in.

I want $700 worth of food eating.

Pete Schwaba

You know, and I hear maybe you can help me with this, though, because I like a good all you can eat buffet as much

as the

Pete Schwaba

next guy.

We have our share of them in Wisconsin.

But do you get irritated with the people in line in front of you at all you can eat buffets?

Like, yes.

And I see it too.

I get people like wanting me to make up my mind or something and like they're staring like I should have a game plan going in.

It's really annoying.

Yes.

Well, the worst is when they have crab legs because it comes out and there's a big mountain and then some, you know, dude from Plover comes in there and he piles his high plate high and I get one little little fingernail of a

a crab.

Oh,

Pete Schwaba

hopefully not a finger, an actual fingernail.

No, you know, I'm saying that little whatever the jabber is that the crabs used to keep the carp away, whatever they do.

It was a good fresh load of crab.

I get none because the guy in front of me took it all.

Pete Schwaba

And you get those people to holding their plates waiting for a specific item.

That is

Pete Schwaba

true diehard buffet behavior.

And in clover, obviously, it's the crab legs.

I love

that.

I want a gallon of gravy and a diet coke.

The Chinese buffets, yeah, pizza now.

Is that original Asian fare?

Pete Schwaba

Sure.

They could throw a couple of some curry in there or something, but it's, yeah.

We have a couple of them, and this is honestly, God, this happened.

I pulled in about, I don't know, five months ago.

Got done a little early, left Green Bay, got back to Marinette.

I was really jonesed for some Chinese buffet, and I call.

It's 8.30, and I'm thinking they're open until nine.

I call and I said, hey, are you still open?

And she said yes for nine more minutes And i'm like what you close at 8 39 what's the deal like

yeah

Pete Schwaba

i got over there because i love their food it didn't matter to me

but metric time

Pete Schwaba

Hey so all right let's get uh let's get the business out of the way so we can continue the silliness you got a

big show coming up this weekend because every show is a big show and I know you bring it every show.

Tell

Pete Schwaba

us about Memories

Ballroom, my friend.

As these are hood approaches, I have many memories and I had come up with a show called Schlitz Happened, an old Milwaukee Blats from the Papst.

And it's a little play on words there.

And I wrote to the, all the breweries are under one now.

There's, they're like, I think boutique breweries are called.

So I have permission to use it.

And it started out as, cause I moved to Chicago.

You live in Chicago a long time.

And it's like the thing that they talk about channel nine and Ray Rainer and Garfield goose and things.

I didn't grow up.

I grew up in Milwaukee with all those things.

I said, well, I'll come up with my own show.

Because everywhere I went around the country, oh, you're from Wisconsin, you're from Milwaukee, and they would bring up things about Milwaukee, like Leon's Frozen Custard, or George Webber, Alan Bradley Glock, or things like that.

If you're from the state, you kind of know those things.

So I came up with a show, and I thought, well, that was the main course.

And like a Chinese buffet, the garnish was childhood.

Now as I get older, I'm thinking, you know what, a lot of people have childhood issues, you know, don't talk to siblings and a lot of things.

There's a lot of pain there that's unresolved.

So I kind of, that's the main course.

And I've got a ton of stories.

And then the Milwaukee is the garnish.

And I just did a show in Racine, sold out 300 seats and I just kind of.

talked.

Kathryn Lake

It wasn't

necessarily stand up comedy, but I told stories that were very relatable.

My grandpa was great.

If I wasn't, it wasn't for him, I'd be dead or in jail.

My dad was a biker.

We rode with the Outlaws Motorcycle Gang.

My mom abandoned three kids when I was five months old.

How do you abandon three kids?

She's still living.

Kathryn Lake

I'm

approaching geyser hood and she hasn't never come back.

I don't know what it is.

So you got to deal with that.

And

Kathryn Lake

I found out

a lot of people, as they peel their own personal onion, have a lot of these issues.

And they come up to my show and say, man, I thought I was messed up till I saw you.

And you get some less.

It's healing.

It's therapeutic.

There's a lot of hugs.

My grandma was German.

I don't know if you have any German in Schwab, but that sounds like a German name.

A little

Pete Schwaba

bit.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, Germans aren't there.

My grandma had the warmth of a popsicle and I got my first hug when I was 37 and I wish that was a.

Joke

it's not we had a happy ending with her so it does have a happy ending because grandma was cold and nasty and German and it totally turned around at the end and people are saying oh my god because Richard Pryor talked about today happens to be Richard Pryor's birthday yeah I saw it and he talked about he said you know make him laugh is one thing make him cry and then make him laugh again

So it's like a roller coaster, take a bump it down.

So I kind of, this show is like that and Port Washington memories ballroom.

Did you know this?

I didn't know this until recently.

That is the second last place that Buddy Holly played before he went to Iowa.

No way.

He was in Port Washington and then he went to, was it Clear Lake Iowa?

Is that what he?

that's so great.

Um

Pete Schwaba

So have you been there before?

Yeah, three or four times, I think.

Pete Schwaba

You know, it's funny, you mentioned crab legs before, and I want to say it was Memories Ballroom.

Bill Gorgos is on the show, another Chicago comic, and he said that his worst show ever was, I think it was a New Year's Eve show.

I don't know if it was Memories or not, but he said they served crab legs, and all he could hear, well, he's trying

to punch

Pete Schwaba

lines, because people

crack

Pete Schwaba

and crack.

That's funny when it's someone else, isn't

Pete Schwaba

it?

Totally.

If you're in the back of the room waiting to go up, you're laughing hysterically.

Okay, so let's happen.

That's the show you're doing at memories because I thought that was something you were doing like as a one-man show in

Milwaukee.

It was a one-man show, but it's kind of a hybrid of this at memories because the people there are of a certain vintage and they get it.

So it's like, I kind of read the, like an NFL quarterback has to read the defense.

I'll read the audience.

It's like, okay, these people are in my generation.

I'll bring out an Albert the Allecat reference.

you know something that's uh uh unique to the time so i was like working that room because it's like right in in between and people i was like oh man it's like you you made that show just for us well i did

Pete Schwaba

yeah

i grew up

Pete Schwaba

here you're a jukebox like

you have that

Pete Schwaba

ability it's fantastic

i mean i just stated mickey louis i did the upper peninsula dup comedy festival does that sound like an oxymoron it's like ice fishing comedy and and pasties

Pete Schwaba

That's

great.

I came back and I said the waitress is super nice as they're always nice people there I said, you know peach wava Yeah, he taped the scene from his movie in here.

I said I went on his radio show sometimes.

No, you know him Yes, I do.

So you're big big at Mickey loose.

They still love you there.

Pete Schwaba

Did they did they knock something off the bill?

That's what I want to

know They didn't really know

Pete Schwaba

where you

stand.

It's reasonable enough, but they show me where you filmed the scene

Pete Schwaba

Yeah,

they showed me the booth.

It's like oh, I didn't sit in towards some people there

Pete Schwaba

It's one of those, it's funny because it is one of those locations where if you are shooting a movie in a small town and you have access to a location like Mickey Luz, you gotta find, even if you don't have a scene written like that, you gotta

make it

Pete Schwaba

work somehow.

It's a beautiful place.

It is a beautiful place.

Great food.

Pete Schwaba

Yeah, and cheap, like you said.

My guest is Dobie Maxwell.

He is a very funny comedian, Wisconsin native, Milwaukee native.

You can see him this weekend at Memories Ballroom in Port Washington.

Dobie, you mentioned Chicago.

Do you live there now?

No, I live right in between a place called Bristol.

It's about 10 minutes west of Kenosha.

Oh,

yeah, sure.

It's funny because I rented a room from a minister in Kenosha.

My brother had a stroke a few years ago and he was in a nursing home for five years.

He since passed away.

So I thought, well, I'll live between Milwaukee and Chicago so I can visit him.

I try to visit him every week.

And I just saw it add in the paper, typical blind ad.

And it was a minister who took in a drug and alcohol people.

He was the most evil life form I have ever met in my entire life.

This guy was a whack job.

And he would have these drug and alcohol people come and he had separate rooms.

But I was gone doing cruise ships all the time.

So this guy comes up to me, just a random guy said, look, this guy's a whack job.

Let's move someplace else.

I said, hey, man, I don't, I don't want to move.

You know, I moved enough times in my life.

Then COVID came and we're locked down 24 seven with his dude.

I said, okay, you find a place we will move.

So he found a place in Bristol, which is 10 minutes west on the way out.

It's true story.

He says, I should probably tell you this after we signed the lease.

I did 22 years in prison for a second degree murder.

Oh, hey, thanks.

That's a little nugget a tidbit.

You could have dropped before we signed a lease Well second degree.

I mean yeah, but he's actually a very good guy and it's okay They were drunk and they got a fight and he had a guy and his head and died and blah blah blah It happens we've all gotten a brawl.

Pete Schwaba

Just don't don't

get over crab legs.

Yeah to come after my crab legs.

I might not again

I'll Joe Frazier.

Yeah, I will.

Pete Schwaba

That's a great location to actually halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago.

I feel

Pete Schwaba

like Kenosha Racine is going to blow up with climate change and all that.

Maybe it already has, but it's right on the Great Lakes.

You're halfway between

two great cities.

That's a that's a coup.

No, I'm telling you, the Highway 50 is the main dragon, Kenosha.

There are more Illinois plates on Highway 50 now, I feel like.

Kathryn Lake

They opened

a boner beef.

I'm surprised it's going to be a portillo.

It's like

Kathryn Lake

little

Chicago is creeping north.

Kathryn Lake

So it really is a

good place.

And Bristol, they call it out in the county.

Even Governor Pritzker of Illinois even got a property up this way because he doesn't want to pay Illinois taxes.

He's a governor.

Pete Schwaba

We have, all right, this is interesting.

I want to get your take on this because you've spent time in Chicago.

You've taught comedy in Chicago.

But you're a Wisconsinite.

I'm a guy.

who spent the first part of this childhood in Chicago, right in the city, till I was like 12 years old, moved up here.

So I feel a connection to both places.

Now I live here as an adult, but I also take a lot of abuse when I'm in Chicago and I'm a cheesehead.

And when I'm here and I'm a bear fan, I'm a fib, whatever.

So I feel like a man without a home.

So I put this to you, Dobie, a frequent guest on the show, Frank Anderson, who is this great Wisconsinology.com website, All Things Wisconsin.

He said, Chicago should be Chicago, Wisconsin.

He goes, it's more like Wisconsin than anything south of Chicago.

And I was like, I finally felt like if we could make this happen, I would have a home again.

Thoughts?

Your thoughts?

Well, I think, you know, you told me years ago when we first crossed paths, that story.

And I respect you.

You said, hey, they would just, they would tease me as a kid.

So I just heard the Bears and said, I respect that.

You're an intelligent guy.

You like football.

Yeah.

And there's, there's drunken idiots on both sides.

People say that.

I moved to Chicago and the Brewers are in the American League when I was a kid, so I cheered for the Cubs.

They were my National League team.

So I cheered for the Cubs and this year was torture.

Cubs versus Brewers.

Pete Schwaba

Keep that thought.

Let's pick up there when we come back.

We're going to do a very short break.

The very funny Dobie Maxwell is here and I'll tell you again where you can see him this weekend.

It's Pete Schwabba and highlight on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Kathryn Lake

You're listening to Civic Media.

Find the latest news, information, and archives of all your favorite shows on the Civic Media website,

Pete Schwaba

civicmedia.us.

Good choice summers and thank you Sydney little nerve on the stream says Jane hates it too.

She's chicken to admit it Don't know who Jane is

referring to all I want for Christmas is you by Mariah Carey No, I know but I don't

Pete Schwaba

know who Jane is unless Jane

matter

Pete Schwaba

could be Jane Madden.

Oh, I love Jane Madden there.

I know maybe it's his wife Yeah, Jane's awesome task talented young lady to

Pete Schwaba

absolutely.

She's coming

Pete Schwaba

into her own

Hey, coming up next hour, folks, it's another chance to win our multi-state text-to-win contest.

I will give you a new keyword after the news.

It's coming up early in the next hour.

Our question tonight is, what is your favorite kind of pie?

It's National Pie Day.

And joining me over the stream right now is Mr. Dobie Maxwell.

You can see him at Memories Ballroom performing his show, or parts of his show, perhaps.

Schlitz happened.

Yeah, it'll

be a lot of local references.

If you're from the 414, the 920, or the 608, you'll get it.

Pete Schwaba

You'll get it.

So we were talking about how Chicago should be part of Wisconsin.

That would make me feel more at home.

Honestly, when I was in LA, I kind of felt like I was like, OK, yeah, nobody knows.

anything about my Illinois or Wisconsin background here, but I didn't surf.

So it had its issues.

However, I think that, you know, it's funny because you really do now when I'm older, I don't care, you know, whatever.

But when you're young, you're impressionable.

How did you feel living in Chicago as a native Wisconsin?

Well, I would wear my my brewer and packer, you know, stuff.

just because that's part of your wardrobe.

And then people would say something, and I'm like Bruce Lee in the bar.

You want to talk to me?

I'll take you out verbally.

And they're like, whoa, geez, this guy's like a little brother.

I got the bully syndrome.

You want to talk to me about the Packers?

OK, all right.

And then they said, I don't care.

At this point, as I get older, it's like they got our money.

Bears and Packers are both good.

Isn't that great for football, for sports?

I love this.

This is going to be one of the biggest games in years this Sunday.

Pete Schwaba

It won't be because as a Bear Fandobee,

I've started to buy in and that means we're going to get spanked this weekend and I'll have to come back down to reality because the Packers have broken Baris Van's hearts for so long now.

It's ridiculous.

Buddy, I was in the Chicago in the 80s and it was embarrassing the other way.

It'll be the other way again.

This could be the turn.

Don't get cocky on either side.

That's my advice to anybody.

Pete Schwaba

Well

said.

Packer fans have gotten cocky.

It's like, okay.

It's like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

It can change and it will.

As a Packers fan, you are 100% correct.

Yes.

You know, it's like I can't believe that I care so much.

I just it upsets me that I care

Pete Schwaba

dude It's at this age at this stage of my life.

I'm with you I'm like I really don't want to care most most days when I watch the game now I pull out my computer and I do some work because I don't want to Feel annoyed that I wasted three hours of my life to be heartbroken, you know at least you guys have won a little bit the last few years and

So you got that going for

you.

What's worse?

You stink the whole season or you get close and get it taken away from you.

I don't like either one.

Pete Schwaba

I don't even know about the latter for the last few years.

So I guess I'll go with that.

If life was fair, which it isn't, every 32 years, your team would win the Super Bowl.

Pete Schwaba

Exactly.

Hey, all right.

So Dolby Maxwell is my guest.

He is a very funny comedian, Wisconsin native.

gonna take the stage as they say this weekend at memories ballroom in port washington a great venue is it really like an old ballroom dope does it have

that yeah there's hardwood floors it's got high ceilings it really is great there's a guy named roland that runs it and the staff is super nice to go in there it'll take you back in time great meal the entertainment to be good and there's a guy that's on uh fox six a weather guy named uh rob haswell he as a house mc so he hosts the shows

You

Kathryn Lake

can see a

celebrity.

Rob's a good guy too.

And people come in.

It's so funny because I'm sure you've done this too.

And people that haven't heard of you after this show, wow, you were really funny.

Like they're surprised.

Like the place booking.

Well, you're not going to get Eddie Murphy in Memories Ballroom.

No offense to Eddie or the ballroom.

You get who you get.

Pete Schwaba

Exactly.

Eddie Murphy would probably, if the price was right.

Yeah, sure.

I think Eddie would

take

Pete Schwaba

stage, so to speak.

All right, so you also are on the show with another guy.

I remember from when I used to do stand-up in the 90s, Jeff LaFleur.

Very funny.

What I

Pete Schwaba

remember is being very funny.

So

that's a very show.

Tell us about Jeff.

Jeff is also a Milwaukee native, and he worked at Zanies in Chicago.

And we were kidding.

It's like, we got to keep this under our hat.

It's like gay actors in the 40s.

They had to have a beard.

They couldn't have not, hey, be who you are.

We're both cheeseheads.

We both worked at Zanies.

He's a funny, nice guy.

Yeah, he'll be on the show too.

Plus Rob Haswell.

Great.

And chicken.

That's grand chicken.

Freshers off me.

If you don't like me, there's other things to like, but I think there's plenty of

Pete Schwaba

chicken.

If the show sucks, just fill your

Pete Schwaba

face with chicken.

That's great.

It's nice to have a fallback.

Are crowds different, Dolby?

Like you played both.

You lived in Chicago.

You taught comedy there.

Are Wisconsin crowds different than say crowds in Chicago or LA or even Minnesota?

Well,

you're different.

Yeah, I think age is a big thing about it.

Because I remember your young buck and you look out, oh, my gosh, they're old.

And then one day without warning, you look out, oh, man, they're young.

Wow.

And I was used to make fun of the headliners when they would do an outdated reference.

Like, how about that Lola Fulana?

And then I did it.

I said something.

And the younger guys are looking at me.

It's like, full circle.

Pete Schwaba

Yeah, who's Sam alone?

Yeah.

Hey,

can I

Pete Schwaba

keep you for a few minutes past the news?

Can you

stay around?

I'm here for you, Pete.

Thank you for having me.

Pete Schwaba

I got some questions.

I want to take you back to your Mr. Lucky days, too.

You've got

great

Pete Schwaba

stories.

And it's a testament to, I remember hearing these stories, though, and just like my writing partner, Greg Liana, said comedy is other people's tragedy.

And it's

Kathryn Lake

so

Pete Schwaba

true.

Like when you're watching another comic, chew it on stage, that's

Kathryn Lake

funny.

Pete Schwaba

But you have these stories that are so great.

So we'll get into a few more of those in the next hour.

So thank you for sticking around.

Our question of the night is, what is your favorite kind of pie?

Bridget from the 818 says, I love pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream.

That is the way to eat it.

I'm totally with you, Bridget.

Tony, the trucker in the 608 says, Pete, I'll take warm strawberry rhubarb pie made with fruit from my garden topped with a scoop of quality Wisconsin vanilla iced cream.

Wow.

His pizza count is pie.

Sure.

Pete Schwaba

What do you think?

Sure.

Yeah.

I'm at 3.14.

You see, that counts as pi.

That's the definition of pi, baby.

That's my birthday at 3-4.

That's pi day to me.

Pete Schwaba

That's pi day.

And then Al from the 262 says, tune in with me is on Me TV, not our tune network.

Thank you, Al, for the clarification.

I did know that.

I just misspoke.

And my friend Bill Lef will be very happy for the clarification.

All right, coming up next hour, Matt Miller will be here talking movies, our favorite Milwaukee film critic, and we'll have Dobie for a few more minutes after the news in Act 3.

That's all coming up next.

And there's a keyword on the way for the multi-state civic media text-to-win contest.

Peach Wava and Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Kathryn Lake

The national news cycle never stops, but it can be hard to find news about your local community.

Civic Media is dedicated to providing quality local and state news coverage across Wisconsin.

With the Civic Media app, you can get notifications about local stories that matter to you and your community.

Find the free Civic Media app in your phone's app store and choose notifications from the menu to tell us what kind of news you want to hear about.

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