Steve Goodman is a doorway to my life and heart

 [Adapted from Storied Stuff, published originally on March 16, 2022]

I bought this album used for $2.

Steve Goodman album cover, 1971

I didn’t own a stereo until freshman year in college, when some of my high school buddies hitchhiked from Chicago to Grinnell to present me with one. My family had no stereo or record player, so growing up, I played no albums or 45s. I spent most of my time at home, watching TV with my parents. Otherwise, I listened to music on AM radio.

The stereo gift and the weekend sojourn to Grinnell were surprises rendered insignificant by the happenstance delivery method that accompanied the gift and my friends. The guy who picked up my hitchhiking buddies was Steve Goodman, for us one of the most exhilarating performers we hitched our wagons to. I'm told my buddies got into the car and Goodman asked where they were headed. They said Grinnell and he said, “What a coincidence, I'm playing at Grinnell tonight.”

The gig was in an intimate setting. At one point, Goodman said, “Apparently somebody here has a birthday. Why don't we give that person a chance for a request.” I asked for I'm My Own Grandpaw, a goofball song from the’40s that Goodman sang with relish.

The Goodman connection doesn't end there. When I met Margie--who would become my wife--our first date was to go to Milwaukee Summerfest because they were featuring Steve. We fell in love that day, of course.

Early the following fall, on Sept. 24, 1984, the Cubs clinched their first post-season opportunity since 1945. Goodman, possibly the Cubs’ most enduring fan, didn’t get a chance to celebrate. Twelve years into his bout with leukemia, he died four days before the Cubs clinched. He had written “The Go Cubs Go” anthem and “A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request,” which he'd been singing since 1981.
At the time, I was working at WBBM Newsradio and was responsible a few months later for writing a year-ender about Goodman.

Original script for WBBM Newsradio year ender

Fast forward to children. We have two. A couple of years ago, Noah the younger and I decided to create a game together. It's evolved into Lines n’Lyrix, an online game that riffs off of song lines. From the lyrics on the screen, you guess the name of the song, who's known for singing it and who wrote it. We release five questions online a day.
If you play, and we hope you will, we’re providing the readers of Storied Stuff an exclusive hint and two teases. You’ll find I'm My Own Grandpaw in the country edition.

You can find five Goodman tunes buried in various editions. You might want to play to unearth them. It’s worth it. Where else would you find, “Dealin' card games with the old men in the club car, ​penny a point ain't no one keepin' score.” ?

Goodman's spot in my life doesn't end there. There's mystery afoot. For that, check out A Dying Cub fan's last bequest.

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Jack Doppelt is an emeritus journalism prof who’s created a music lyrics game with his son.