WGN "THE BRICK" AND BLURT!

I've been on The John Williams Show numerous times over the past 15 years, but this one will go down as most memorable. I got to Tribune Tower early on Friday and stopped for a picture of the Showcase Studio before my segment.


As you can see, the window at far left is intact as it reflects the white truck. I then headed into the studio reception area and relaxed.


As I waited for the producer to arrive to take me to the studio, it became apparent to me that something was going on because the receptionist was a bit agitated. That's when the producer arrived and told me what had just happened.

A disheveled woman had hoisted a large brick over her head and hurled it through the very window I had just taken a picture of not 5 minutes earlier. She then went and sat down in the middle of Michigan Avenue and stopped traffic. She was promptly arrested and taken away. Inside the studio I found a calm John Williams and a pumpkin-sized hole in the outer glass pane which looks out onto Michigan Avenue.


Soon about 15 or so WGN employees joined us in the studio to see the damage and hear John, who hadn't even acknowledged what had happened as it went down live, explain what happened on the air. I was a fly on the wall, listening to everyone share what they saw and heard. It was captivating.

It was a tough transition going from flying bricks to Blurt, but we managed. John, who is a really great guy, kept me on through the break and we played Blurt with a handful of callers who went up against Leslie Keiling and Steve Bertrand. It was a hoot.


After all the BLURTING, I snapped a few more pics of the hole from both sides of the glass. Back outside, local news crews arrived to film the aftermath. Just another day on the worldwide Blurt tour!

EPILOGUE: You can see/hear me in this video as I wait to go on air. I'm the bonehead who says, "I must have just missed it, because I came from Starbucks and walked..."