Sep 5, 2023 | Jimmy Buffett
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
By: Kevin Lampe
At a low-key party during my sophomore year of college – in 1980, I met Jimmy Buffett. My fraternity brother Ken Grether or “Cheesey” played the album “You Had To Be There” on the turntable. We felt we were at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta as we drank beer on second-hand couches. The only real difference was we had to get up and flip the record over and later spin record two. I found my North Star.
The story of my journey is full of fictional facts and factual fiction as I dig deep into my barnacle brain to remember the details.
The world of Jimmy Buffett is a big tent. There are the loyal Parrotheads whose commitment runs deep and is an important facet of their lives. Others go to one concert a year, like Catholics, who only attend mass on Christmas and Easter, wearing the costumes and pretending to sing along. I am somewhere in between, a passionate fan.
My first concert was at Poplar Creek Music Theatre in my hometown. I was way up in the lawn section. But it was perfect. The vinyl LP did some justice to a live show. But the connection between Jimmy and all of us reached deep into our souls. There was no turning back. I went to as many concerts as I could. Including some with my Buffett compadre Michael Bergt.
My soon-to-be wife, Kitty Kurth took me to Key West for our first vacation together. She found a houseboat as a floating love nest for a week on the island. We ate and drank our way across the island. We traced Ernest Hemingway’s steps bar hopping and admired his typewriter. We searched for Shel Silverstein, hoping to find him writing a children’s book or an epic, ribald poem for Playboy. Most of all, we mistook every blond stranger for Jimmy. We still are the luckiest couple on the Avenue.
One June, our friends Doug and Robin Tisdahl rented a house on Big Pine Key for a month of island living. The wives returned to the mainland for business one particular Saturday night. Us guys found ourselves on the corner of walk/don’t walk somewhere on US1. “Fuck it, let’s go to Key West,” suggested Doug. I wonder still how many times that phrase has been uttered. A memorable night ensued; luckily or not for us, we were unable to find an open tattoo parlor.
As summer turned to fall of 1988, my pal Laura Rodriguez called to say, “Buffet is playing an acoustic show in Milwaukee.” On that cold night, the audience was red hot. Many too hot. Jimmy Buffett’s smile masked frustration. He wanted to perform an uncomplicated night of ballads, but the crowd had a different idea—still a great night of music and musicianship.
A friend who was an advance man for the White House called on a Thursday afternoon. His girlfriend, who worked for a record label, had four tickets to that night’s Jimmy Buffett show. “Do you want them?” Little did I know, the tickets were in the front row. We called Dave Horwich to join us. I have come a long way from the lawn in Hoffman Estates and a lumpy couch in Macomb, Illinois.
The Billy Goat Tavern is a favorite spot for Jimmy Buffett in Chicago. During that night’s performance of Cheeseburger in Paradise, the screen showed him flipping burgers and shouting Cheezborger, Cheezborger, Cheezborger, from behind the grill. The Goat is my neighborhood tavern, a favorite drinking spot. Damn, we should have grabbed some cook hats from the grill.
Lighting struck a second time the following Saturday, and we had the same tickets. We stopped by Goat and asked Billy Sianis, the next generation to run the joint, to join us. He was being responsible and said he needed to mind the bar. Billy grabbed us a stack of cook hats for the show. We picked up Dave Horwich and headed to the World Theatre.
From the front row, we shared the hats with our seatmates. It was a sea of Buffet fans looking like cooks from the Billy Goat. Jimmy recognized the hats early on. As he struck the opening chords of the carnivorous anthem, he waved Kitty to the edge of the stage. Being a good husband, I stuck to her side. Jimmy motioned to the hat and then to his head. He wanted her to place her hat on him. So Kitty crowned Jimmy. She said he had “soft hair.” Our escapade made Bill Zwecker’s gossip column in the Chicago Sun-Times.
Don’t Stop the Carnival by Herman Wouk is a great read and an inspiration to Jimmy Buffett. Together, they wrote a musical ode to living a dream (and some nightmares) of running a beachside resort. Kitty and I made sure to get tickets for the run in Miami. Another perfect Jimmy night in our life. A stellar show full of vibrant colors and heartfelt performances. Josh Mostel stole the scene each time he walked on stage. When the play had a run at Atlantis in the Bahamas, we joined the Parrotheads of the Palm Beaches on their pilgrimage to the show via seaplane.
In the early days of the internet, people could find others who shared a particular passion. Jimmy Buffett fans found each other quickly. An AOL community quickly sprang up, filled with enough characters to populate an album full of songs. We rushed to our keyboards to find the truth when Jimmy’s plane crashed off Nantucket Island. Our den mother, whose AOL handle included the letters BMW, was a steady hand calming our anxiety.
The Big Dog’s Buffett Listserv was the forerunner for many online groups and websites that chronicled Jimmy’s career from their point of view. The emails were the source of information, rumors, and gossip. Often, a new member would ask a question that had been asked too many times, like “What’s a remora?” The question became a rallying cry among the members. The list led to the first unofficial fan event, RACAfest (Rum and Cooked Animals Fest.)
On a warm Knoxville afternoon, I played hookey from a job I disliked; selling radio advertising – to watch the Chicago Cubs. It was the first time the Cubs had made the playoffs in decades. Another troubadour, Steve Goodman, would have been the choice to sing the national anthem. Cancer silenced his voice weeks before the game. Jimmy Buffett stood in for his friend and partner in crime. Jimmy dedicated the song to Steve. They say there is no crying in baseball, but tears were shed that day.
I admire so many things about Jimmy Buffett – his writing, turn of phrase, quick wit, appreciation for his fans, loyalty to his band and crew, and love of his family.
His commitment to social issues, particularly the environment and human rights, was one area that set him apart. His heart was big, and sometimes he wore it on his sleeve. At the end of the song Mañana, the final line is, “And I hope Anita Bryant never ever does one of my songs. No, no, no.” In 1977, Anita Bryant led a campaign against civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Jimmy used his bully pulpit of a song to fight hate.
But this is an area where some parrot heads can frustrate me. Some object to Jimmy’s political activities. The classic attack, “Stick to music, stop talking about politics.” My question to them is, have you really listened to his lyrics? The art Jimmy has created is borne of his beliefs and values. His liberal view of society influences the songs loved by many. Without his passion for those issues, his art would have never existed.
Show business is a machine that can chew people up, leaving them broken and, more importantly, really broke – meaning no money. At some point, he trademarked Margaritaville©. And his lawyers sent many cease and desist letters protecting his intellectual property. Then, he built a business empire, bars, resorts, liquor, RV campgrounds, and even retirement villages. He has created an entire industry dedicated to finding joy. I am happy I actively participate in the “Buffett Economy.”
In “Cowboy in the Jungle,” he wrote, “We’ve gotta roll with the punches. Learn to play all of our hunches. Make the best of whatever comes your way. Forget that blind ambition. And learn to trust your intuition.” That works for me.
As my North Star for 43 years, Jimmy has shown me the value of having a good time. But also, you must love your wife, love your family, love your coworkers, love the environment, love your job, but most of all, love yourself.
By the way, a remora is not considered to be a parasite despite its being attached to the host. Instead, they are considered to have a commensal relationship with their host since they do not hurt the host and are just along for the ride.
Oct 20, 2020 | Sam Sianis
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Tavern owner Sam Sianis won’t retire, no matter the challenges
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]BY LOUISA CHU
When you descend to the depths of Lower Michigan Avenue now, the neon signs of the
Billy Goat Tavern seem gone. The lights still glow behind blue painted boards. The
owner beams too, sometimes.
“When I’m at the Billy Goat, I feel better!” said Sam Sianis, owner of perhaps the most
iconic restaurant and bar in Chicago.
Sianis, who tends to speak at a shout, turns 86 on Dec. 12. He was born in 1934, the
same year the tavern was founded. That places him in the age group at greatest risk for
severe illness from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
He’s just one of the thousands of restaurant owners in the Chicago area who’ve devoted
their lives to the family business. Just one of the many faces we came to expect behind
the counter, who knew our orders by heart. Just one of those who may never go back to
work again at the place that made them and us and our city.
“I say cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger every day!” said Sianis.
Not quite everyday anymore. When the statewide coronavirus-mandated restaurant
and bar closures went into effect March 16 at 9 p.m., until the stay-at-home order
ended May 29, Sianis stayed away from the business where he has worked since he was 21.
One of his sons, Tom Sianis, explained: “When COVID started shutdown mode, he went
from not going there at all, until the last couple of months where he’s been going a few
times a week, just to get out of the house and see the Billy Goat.”
Sam Sianis is hard of hearing, said his son, who also translated in Greek for his father.
Regulars may be surprised by the hearing loss and need for translation, since the
lifelong barman still seems to understand his customers implicitly.
The Billy Goat currently has eight locations, all in the Chicago area. They are not
taverns technically by city licensing standards. That designation is for businesses that
serve alcohol without food. The city has closed taverns with only indoor seating in an
attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The Billy Goat, however, famously makes cheeseburgers.
Tom Sianis, who said he doesn’t hold a title at the family business, but just works with
his brothers, is a judge for the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. He shared some
Billy Goat history. “We started in 1934 with my great uncle.”
The late William Sianis, a Greek immigrant, bought the Lincoln Tavern on the West
Side 86 years ago. “It was a bar that was across the street from the Chicago Stadium,”
said Tom Sianis. The stadium was near where the United Center now stands, less than
half a mile from a Billy Goat location on Madison Street.
Like any great legend, so many layers have been added throughout the years.
When Sam Sianis, arrived from Greece in 1955, he immediately started working with
his uncle at what was then still just a tavern.
“We moved over to the Michigan Avenue location in 1964, where we added the grill,”
said Tom Sianis. That’s when they started the whole “cheeseburger, cheeseburger, no
fries, chips,” he said. “We had a big lunch line, and to get the orders in and out as
quickly as possible, they would just yell people’s orders to the short order cook.”
In 1978, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray immortalized a fictional Greek
diner on “Saturday Night Live” inspired by the Billy Goat. Customers learn they can
order only cheeseburgers, chips and Pepsi. Belushi, Aykroyd and Murray called out
orders in character, Sianas style, as “Cheezborger! Cheezborger! Cheezborger!”
“Since then, we always kept the motto going,” said Tom Sianis. “It’s just really good
food and people are happy coming in. They’re excited to know that they’re in an
establishment that’s been around since the 1930s.”
His brothers Bill and Paul Sianis now run the Billy Goat business. They are among
hundreds of restaurant owners nationwide who have sued for coronavirus insurance
payouts.
“I was there every day! Seven days a week!” said Sam Sianis.
Tom Sianis shares their new routine. “He calls every day to make sure things are in
line,” he said. “He goes to the Michigan Avenue store and the Madison location
between one and three times a week, just for a couple of hours to see everybody. When
he’s there, we try to keep up social distancing, but he likes to talk to everybody when he
gets there.”
Now when you walk down the steps into the oldest location, on Lower Michigan
Avenue, you’ll find social distancing circles on the floor and branded masks for sale
behind the counter. On a recent Sunday at lunchtime, a few tourists walked in, past a
couple of regulars nursing beers at the bar.
“He goes in the mornings, between 10 and a little after lunch,” said his son. “He’s at the
grill. He yells ‘Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!’ He talks to people when they come in, and
they take pictures.”
Sam Sianis was big on handshakes and hugs before COVID-19. “We’ve cut that off
when one of us is there watching him,” said his son. “He does miss that though.”
The visits have involved the whole family and longtime employees, too. “He used to
drive, up until six or seven years ago,” said Tom Sianis. Now someone needs to drive
the family patriarch to and from the Billy Goat. “We have a schedule of who’s going to
drop him off. Either myself or my sister or my brothers will take him.”
They’ll stay with him, then bring him back home, or one of a couple of employees
working that day will drop him off.
“We’ve been really good about quarantining here,” said his son. “There are limited
places that he goes. He’ll go to my house and family homes, but no public places.”
When Sam Sianis is asked what he does at home, he clears his throat and laughs. “I
work on my backyard!” he said. “Tomatoes and onions!”
Will he retire now? “I never retire!” he said. “I can’t retire because my mind goes inside
the Billy Goat! Day and night, my brain is at the Billy Goat!”
He and his family want everybody to understand that he wants to be with them. “I
think everyone knows that given his age, we’re trying to keep safe by limiting the
amount of time he’s actually at the store,” said his son. “It’s been tough, but he’s
optimistic and hopefully soon we’ll be back to normal.”
“I wish everybody to be healthy!” said Sam Sianis.
“I want to say to everybody,” he said, voice breaking, “I still love them.”[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”10715″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_single_image image=”10716″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1603242605322{margin-top: 20px !important;}”][ult_buttons btn_title=”SEE THE ARTICLE” btn_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.billygoattavern.com%2Fnew-site%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F10%2FCity.pdf|target:_blank” btn_align=”ubtn-center” btn_title_color=”#ffffff” btn_bg_color=”#dd3333″ icon_size=”32″ btn_icon_pos=”ubtn-sep-icon-at-left”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Jun 29, 2020 | Billy Goat Beer
IPA and Pilsner Style Beers Now Available at Billy Goat Tavern & Grill Locations,
Pete’s Fresh Market Grocery, Woodman’s Market Grocery and Independent Retailers
Chicago, Illinois—June 25, 2020 – A long celebrated icon, Billy Goat Tavern & Grill has tapped Chicagoland’s very own Miskatonic Brewing Company for an exclusive line of Billy Goat Beer at retail. JRL Group, Inc., Billy Goat’s exclusive brand licensing agency, brokered the deal.
The Billy Goat Tavern & Grill, home of the Cheezborger! Cheezborger! Cheezborger!™, began bringing the Billy Goat experience to grocers with its world famous burgers in April of 2017. Now, those who can’t get to the restaurants as often as they’d like, can grill up a Billy Goat style burger and crack open a Billy Goat IPA and Pilsner beer at home! “Some customers actually come in every day, others have said they wish they could!”, said Bill Sianis, one of Billy Goat Tavern & Grill’s owners. “We are happy to be able to bring the experience home for those who can’t make it here as often as they’d like,” he added.
The special recipe IPA and Pilsner Billy Goat beers were created by the team at Miskatonic Brewing, lead by the brewery’s co-founder, Josh Mowry. “We are excited to have partnered with this Chicago legend! We’ve created two outstanding beers that can be enjoyed on their own or alongside a delicious burger,“ Mowry said.
At 7% ABV (alcohol by volume), Miskatonic describes the IPA as hoppy and delicious. The 5.3% ABV Pilsner is referred to by its brewers as crisp and refreshing. The IPA and Pilsner styles are brewed at Miskatonic’s Brewery in Darien, Illinois. Both styles are served alongside “No Fries, Cheeps!”™ on tap or in cans at Billy Goat Tavern & Grill locations, and are also available at Pete’s Fresh Market, Woodman’s Food Market, and other independent retailers throughout Illinois.
Billy Goat Tavern & Grill frozen burgers are available at Walmart, Mariano’s, Pete’s Fresh Market and other local grocers.
About Billy Goat Tavern
Home of the Original Chicago Burger, The World Famous Billy Goat Tavern has been serving up its “Cheezborgers!” to Chicagoans and visiting patrons since 1934. Billy Goat restaurants have been spotlighted in numerous newspaper columns, and featured on countless radio, and television shows. From the famous Billy Goat Curse to the inspiration behind the SNL “Cheezborger!” skit, the Billy Goat Tavern restaurants have become Chicago Landmarks and World Famous destinations. The legendary hot spots have won numerous awards, including: Best Chicago Tavern, Best Local Tradition and Best Burger. The Billy Goat has eight locations in the Chicagoland area and Washington, DC, with plans for expansion to other cities. For more information visit, www.billygoattavern.com
About Miskatonic Brewing
Miskatonic Brewing Company is a craft brewery just outside the city of Chicago in Darien, Illinois. Miskatonic has been brewing a variety of ales and lagers for Chicagoland since 2015. For more information visit, https://www.miskatonicbrewing.com/
About JRL Group
Founded in 1999, JRL Group has been connecting brands with consumers through innovative strategic partnerships. JRL Group is a full-service agency specializing in both outbound and inbound licensing programs as well as strategic corporate alliances. JRL Group has successfully extended brands globally and handles all aspects of client licensing programs including strategic planning, contract negotiations, product development, royalty management, and overall program management. JRL Group represents a broad range of clients in automotive, electronics, food, hardware, housewares, publishing, and sports. JRL Group is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. For more information visit, www.jrlgroup.com.
Hi Res Photos Available Upon Request
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Resnick, JRL Group, Inc.
312-320-3940
May 21, 2020 | Billy Goat Burgers
Lockdown got you down?
We’ve got the perfect pick-me-up!
Order your cheezborgers on ChowNow!!
https://direct.chownow.com/order/18172/locations
You can also call in your order:
Michigan Ave. – 312-222-1525
Madison St. – 312-733-9132
Lake St. – 312-346-5620
Our operators are standing by!
Mar 26, 2020 | Billy Goat Burgers
We’re proud to announce that Billy Goat Tavern Burgers are now available at Walmart!
Being stuck at home isn’t so bad.
If you’ve got Billy Goat Tavern Burgers in your freezer.
