"RE-RELEASE: Noah's Mill; Chicago Cubs" with Special Guest John Benedeck

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/O9yWOKtEzO8

This episode was originally released on 5/7/2024 with Special Guest John Benedeck.

Imagine clinking glasses with John Benedeck, the maestro behind the organ at Wrigley Field, as we savor the robust flavors of Noah's Mill bourbon. Our latest episode isn't just a symphony of whiskey notes; it's a laughter-laden journey from John's classical piano roots to orchestrating the electric atmosphere at Cubs games. We reminisce about mentors and college days, where music and sports announcing intertwined, and even encounter a superfan's memorabilia that could rival any museum.

Our conversation strikes a chord with anyone who's felt the electrifying connection between performer and audience. Whether you're tickling the ivories or tickling funny bones, it's this dynamic that amplifies the magic of live entertainment. John, Matt and Phil share insights on the spontaneous art of engaging a crowd, whether at a comedy club or amidst the cheers of a ballpark, unravelling how the energy shared in these moments fuels the fire of performance.

Cap off your day with tales that will have you chuckling into your glass as John and the hosts reveal behind-the-scenes quirks and personal anecdotes. It's all about the playful banter, the clever jabs, and the shared love for the spirited blend of music, comedy, and good whiskey. So, tune in, kick back, and let the good times roll with us – and don't forget to hit subscribe for a front-row seat to the fun!

#WhiskeyBitsPodcast #NoahsMillBourbon #WrigleyField #CubsOrganist #JohnBenedeck #ComedyPodcast #WhiskeyLovers #MusicAndComedy #LiveEntertainment #BourbonTasting #CubsFans #SportsAndMusic #BehindTheScenes #PodcastLife #Storytelling #CheersToThat

🔔 Don't forget to like, share, subscribe, and hit the bell for more Whiskey Bits with Matt and Phil! Cheers to laughter, great whiskey, and memorable moments! 🥃✨

🎙️ Listen to Whiskey Bits on your favorite platforms:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• YouTube

 🥃 Connect with Whiskey Bits:

• Facebook.com/WhiskeyBitsPodcast
• Instagram.com/WhiskeyBitsPodcast
• WhiskeyBitsPodcast.com
• WhiskeyBitsPodcast@gmail.com

 😃 Connect with Matt & Phil on Instagram:

• @mattsommerfield
• @philstokes21

Transcript

Meeting John Benedict

Speaker 1 0:00

John is one of the most talented musicians I've ever met.

Speaker 2 0:04

Honestly, yeah, honestly. No, it's true.

Speaker 1 0:07

You can typically find him playing the piano at such amazing establishments as the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

Speaker 2 0:15

Ooh, the organ. It's an organ. It's an organ, it's an organ.

Speaker 3 0:19

He is tapping on the keys of that organ in some amazing ways Slap at the keys of that organ in some amazing ways Slappity keys.

Speaker 2 0:29

Welcome to Whiskey Bits with Matt and Phil, where we talk all things whiskey and all things comedy. Welcome, john. Hey, who do we have here today, john?

Speaker 1 0:41

We have John here.

Speaker 2 0:43

Oh it started. John Benedict, yeah, okay, john, we have a John here. Oh it started.

Speaker 1 0:47

John Benedict. Yeah, okay, we are honored to be joined by the very talented John.

Speaker 3 0:51

Benedict.

Speaker 1 0:51

Stop it.

Speaker 3 0:54

Thanks, phil, you're welcome.

Tasting Noah's Mill Bourbon

Speaker 1 0:55

It's really good to have you. Tonight we are going to be drinking Noah's Mill. This is a Will it brand whiskey, will it?

Speaker 2 1:05

Will it taste good, will it? And I have?

Speaker 1 1:07

never had this. Will it taste?

Speaker 3 1:09

good Dad joke. Yeah, I think you gotta hit the dad joke bottle there. What if I laugh at a dad joke?

Speaker 2 1:12

You can laugh at dad jokes yeah, yeah, you just can't say one. Cheers boys Cheers.

Speaker 1 1:17

So this comes recommended from a customer.

Speaker 2 1:20

Hold on. I learned a new way to do it To do this the nosing. Keep Hold on. I learned a new way to do it To do this the nosing. Keep your mouth open. You did learn something new I watched. Neat, you did watch.

Speaker 1 1:30

Neat the documentary Very, very good. I knew it Very good.

Speaker 3 1:33

Yep. So yeah, you open your mouth a little bit. All right, you were going to tell me the history of it.

Speaker 1 1:37

I don't know much history about it as much as.

Speaker 2 1:39

You put on your mustache, I asked.

Speaker 1 1:43

I saw a person wearing a pair of socks that said ride bikes, drink bourbon, and it made me laugh. I chuckled.

Speaker 3 1:52

Like a Schwinn or like a Harley, no, like a Schwinn. Schwinn Like a cyclist, yeah.

Speaker 1 2:01

Like a cyclist, yeah, and so we started talking about bourbon and asked the famous like what's your favorite, what do you go to?

Speaker 2 2:09

Noah's Mill, oh, and I'd seen this. We'd seen this bottle. I've never heard of it.

Speaker 1 2:13

I've seen this bottle all over the place and I've just never picked it up because I didn't know much about it.

Speaker 2 2:28

Or maybe you didn't have hands at that time time.

Speaker 3 2:29

I've had hands my entire life. Oh, as far as you know, this is, this is what I, this is what I do. This is what matt, I just interrupt him with.

Speaker 2 2:33

I gotta hand it to you, stupid statements that's, that's gonna take, that's worth there that is worth a day, so this one comes from some from bardstown, kentucky.

Speaker 1 2:42

Uh, the willett distett Distillery is who makes this one Mentioned earlier, before we got started. This is a high proof. 114 proof, I thought you said somewhere. Yeah, 114.3 bottled by hand Versus what.

Speaker 3 2:59

I was going to say by machine.

Speaker 2 3:03

More machine now than that?

Speaker 3 3:05

I don't know how they bottle stuff. Usually, if I bottle something, I pour it in with my hands.

Speaker 2 3:10

But that makes it better, unless you don't have hands like Phil didn't used to.

Speaker 1 3:14

Wow, this one is really. Yeah, this is really good. I really like that on the nose, the nosing.

Speaker 2 3:20

I almost said it tastes good, but I haven't even tasted it yet. It tastes good with my nose.

Speaker 1 3:24

There is a very unique flavor in the nose here that I'm trying to pick up.

Speaker 2 3:29

Can I just say something? I feel like eventually we're going to need to get some diversity because we all look the same, literally.

Speaker 3 3:38

Well, I mean, you look significantly different.

Speaker 2 3:40

Well, now, because I cut my hair.

Speaker 1 3:41

We used to look more alike.

Speaker 2 3:43

All of us, all the same, we could be brothers, you and I.

Speaker 3 3:47

There's a relationship prior to this recording.

Speaker 1 3:48

By the way, where I know him, so I know, both of these people I was going to say I generally know him, but people have said that you and I were separated at birth. Really.

Speaker 2 4:00

Probably twins, I'd be talking to my parents.

Speaker 1 4:06

I'm like like all right, I mean I I talked to my mom, she's very adamant that no yeah, I, I talked to my parents as well and uh, you've never come up yeah, well they've never come up, but like maybe they don't know. Yeah maybe they don't know, just say it I. I think it'd be cool if we just started telling people that we were separated. Or Am I still in this situation?

Speaker 2 4:31

Or did I lose out because I cut my hair? Am I no longer a part of this?

Speaker 1 4:35

I think you have your own brothers so.

Speaker 2 4:40

Or brother Brothers. I was right the first time. Should have said it that way and left it there. Anyway, should we drink?

Speaker 1 4:43

the whiskey.

Speaker 3 4:44

Or brother, brothers, brothers. Okay, I was right the first time. Seven of us told Should have said that Should have said it that way and left it there.

Speaker 2 4:47

Yeah.

Speaker 1 4:47

Anyway, should we drink?

Speaker 2 4:48

the whiskey yeah.

Speaker 3 4:49

Not really been talking about. Let's do it.

Speaker 1 4:51

There's something good there. I just I can't place it yet. Wow, joy.

Speaker 2 5:04

It's very earthy For a bourbon yeah you're earthy for a bourbon sorry I'm so sorry, this is what he does.

Speaker 3 5:11

It's like that didn't even make sense there's a pete like a pd in there really I got I don't know like. It's like a super sweet scotch, if I had to put it, because it's not, there's not much syrup, or like a sweetness, the sweetness hits, it's there mostly in the smell, though yeah, I got raisin like a sweet raisin yeah, I'm catching some coffee.

Speaker 1 5:34

I think that might be the and that might be a little bit of the earthy stuff, but I'm catching a little bit of coffee in there.

Speaker 3 5:40

Somehow we're talking I'm not getting the coffee at all no, well, I mean, where are we talking kenya?

Speaker 2 5:45

we talk in mexico high elevation high elevation coffee costa rica easily single origin oh yeah yeah, so you're typically a scotch guy.

Speaker 3 5:56

How much of a tool do we sound like right now, just the biggest?

Speaker 1 5:59

lots of yeah, all the like a tool belt or a full belt.

Speaker 3 6:03

Or a full tool belt, full belt. We're not just one tool, we're just the case. Yeah, we're like a.

Speaker 2 6:10

Milwaukee Christmas deal pack.

Speaker 3 6:12

That's right.

Speaker 2 6:16

Okay, so good.

Speaker 1 6:16

Continue it's so good, I was going to ask John here. So you're typically into bourbons, or, I'm sorry, scotch.

Speaker 3 6:22

Well, I like bourbons, or I'm sorry, scotch well, I like bourbons, okay, like I like some scotches, but they tend to be more expensive okay it's easier to get a less expensive good bourbon and a less expensive. Good scotch okay from what I've seen, that's fair, I'm not much. I don't go around looking for deals, I'll go to like carfield or binnie's okay, well, there's four roses is on sale, there's one?

Speaker 1 6:42

okay, hey, look at that.

Speaker 2 6:44

So all things whiskey then that's good, let's grab one that's good. And buy one. There it is.

Speaker 3 6:49

Not much for rye Okay.

Speaker 1 6:53

Is it for a particular reason that you don't like the rye?

Speaker 3 6:55

No, it could just be a preconceived notion.

Speaker 1 6:59

I don't have as much experience.

Speaker 2 7:00

Spicy or spicy or well, I like, but I like scotches, do you like? Right? Like loggable and 16.

John's Journey to Becoming the Cubs Organist

Speaker 3 7:08

It's like the 90 day, yeah, but do you like rye bread? Yeah, the marbled rye with butter, oh yeah marble rye, yeah, marbled tobacco, yeah, yeah, marlboro, the marlboro reds bread love it, you get it benedict.

Speaker 2 7:20

Very smoky, very smoky, a little nutty A little nutty.

Speaker 1 7:28

Toasted right. Toasted nuttiness. Toasted nuttiness.

Speaker 2 7:31

At the end, kind of the back taste. I'm getting corn husk.

Speaker 1 7:37

Okay.

Speaker 2 7:41

Almost like roasted corn husk, a little bit like when you put corn in the cob on the grill.

Speaker 3 7:46

The smell of the, the kind of the burning corn husk, yeah see, I used to think all whiskeys taste like jet fuel, like that was like even just like a year ago, yeah, but like slowly I grew into just loving jet fuel.

Speaker 2 8:01

So now whiskey tastes good, now whiskey yeah, yeah, so you have enough jet fuel and jet fuel tastes terrible. Yeah, yeah, and it's way more expensive. Oh, yeah, so much. Yes, plus the planes need it. Yeah, well, you gotta protect the country. That's not, that's not stop talk to boeing about that boeing? I don't know what the heck was that I'm sure I'm trying to get back to.

Speaker 3 8:24

Boing. It's the sound the plane makes when it hits the ground.

Speaker 1 8:28

Oh my gosh. Too soon, too late, too late.

Speaker 3 8:31

There's been four incidents with the same plane. Do something about it.

Speaker 1 8:34

Do something about it. Boeing Do something.

Speaker 3 8:37

Do something, I don't know which camera Do something.

Speaker 1 8:40

This is weird.

Speaker 2 8:46

There's multiple Look at all of them At the same time, all of them, and I will cut to all of them that one's the biggest screen and it's got a decent view. Yeah, maybe you should not wear shorts.

Speaker 3 8:52

It was nice out today. It's going to snow next week, inevitably. I'll tell you what.

Speaker 2 8:56

It's not nice in here right now. Yeah, it is. I'll tell you that.

Speaker 3 8:59

It musky.

Speaker 2 9:01

I don't think I can use the wide shot.

Speaker 1 9:05

Well, he's in that shot.

Speaker 3 9:08

You're in all the shots.

Speaker 2 9:09

You're in all of them. I'm going to use AI and put a kilt on you.

Speaker 1 9:12

The back of your head is ridiculous. I think a kilt would be worse. I think a kilt would be worse At least it would be interesting. At least we'd have something interesting to look at. Yeah, so what do you think of the Noah's Mill? I like that a lot.

Speaker 3 9:26

I like the higher proof burdens.

Speaker 1 9:29

Did you want to see this? Is that why you're reaching?

Speaker 2 9:32

Yeah, I'm really getting the corn husk.

Speaker 1 9:34

Yeah, a lot.

Speaker 2 9:35

Yeah, for sure.

Speaker 1 9:37

There is a very, very sweet something on my nose that I can't quite place.

Speaker 2 9:42

It's sweet at the beginning, it's really really enjoyable.

Speaker 1 9:45

Yeah, it's sweet at the beginning.

Speaker 3 9:46

I always get a caramel.

Speaker 1 9:48

Yeah.

Speaker 3 9:48

Like they usually anytime. I have any bourbon. It just seems to be this like candy caramel, that's a thing, yeah. But I've gotten licorice and this may it's like a blend, because I don't like licorice, but usually if it's just kind of a hint, like you're smelling it almost, yeah, that could be that, but I have to think about it.

Speaker 1 10:07

Yeah, there's just something that kind of cuts through that sweet there and I enjoy it, it's fantastic, it does smell good. So great suggestion on that one. This one comes in about $65. How much About $65 for?

Speaker 3 10:22

this one.

Speaker 2 10:23

That's not bad. That's not bad, that's as much. That's not bad.

Speaker 3 10:26

That's not bad. That's as much as a wild turkey.

Speaker 1 10:29

Like a good wild turkey. It's a rare breed.

Speaker 2 10:31

Yeah, Not an actual turkey people.

Speaker 3 10:33

No, those are free if you go to Bull Valley, you're just a bunch of dead turkeys.

Speaker 2 10:39

We have a bird theme going on. I feel like with a lot of our episodes.

Speaker 1 10:42

Yeah, well.

Speaker 2 10:44

We like birds. What can we say? We like birds, me too.

Speaker 1 10:46

We're big fans, big fans of birds, big fans of birds. Any feathered creature, really Any creature, most creatures, we like them all except deer rats with hooves they're terrible. We really don't like geese do you not like geese?

Speaker 3 11:04

they're called Canadian geese. I always thought Canadians were very temperamental and sensible and patient, kind, supposedly, supposedly or supposedly.

Speaker 2 11:19

I don't know, I'm actually supposedly there's a d.

Speaker 1 11:23

We've triggered john. Again, oh again.

Speaker 2 11:26

He's gonna play some music. Do you get it when you get triggered? Do you just go right to I'm gonna play some music? No, I usually just yell like in footloose and they get mad. They dance, they go to the warehouse. Yeah, I'm just gonna dance. What if that was the way we did everything in life? Like, whatever your skill is, when you get angry, you just do that West Side Story, just you just do that skill even harder.

Speaker 3 11:46

We're going to fight in the alley, but we're going to dance it out.

Speaker 2 11:51

I just go somewhere and I just start telling jokes like to a brick wall, which is basically like doing comedy.

Speaker 1 11:57

I mean you're in front of a brick wall.

Speaker 2 12:00

That's pretty much just I've described. An open mic is what that is, that's right.

Speaker 1 12:04

That's right. So John is one of the most talented musicians I've ever met.

Speaker 2 12:11

Honestly, honestly.

Playing at Wrigley Field During COVID

Speaker 1 12:13

No, it's true. You can typically find him playing the piano at such amazing establishments as the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

Speaker 2 12:22

Ooh, it's an organ.

Speaker 1 12:26

He is tapping on the keys of that organ in some amazing ways. So you are a Cubs fan.

Speaker 2 12:35

You're the Cubs organist. This is the Cubs organist.

Speaker 1 12:38

If you haven't figured that out, thank you for explaining that. You're welcome.

Speaker 2 12:41

We weren't sure if Well you said piano, so I think people added it together. What?

Speaker 1 12:47

were you saying, phil, big Cubs fan your whole life. You guys don't need me for this, do you? No? Finish your whiskey, look into this camera and don't do anything else for the next couple minutes I'm going to talk to our friend John.

Speaker 3 13:00

This is partially his podcast. He just derails it the whole time.

Speaker 1 13:03

The entire time, the whole time.

Speaker 3 13:05

It is what we do, and speaking of accommodations, if you guys have two chairs and you expect we're going to have a guest thing, okay, do you want to bring in the roster of chairs?

Speaker 2 13:19

I have a lot of them. It looks like you raided an old schoolhouse.

Speaker 1 13:23

Those are the chairs you have Like, here you go.

Speaker 3 13:25

Here's a plank from the Depression. The problem is and then you sit on that and then this is, and I told him, of all the chairs, this was the most comfortable chair he has. That is a child's chair and it was a joke, it was a joke, it was a joke, and it's the most comfortable chair you offered me.

Speaker 2 13:43

I didn't offer you my lap. That'd be pretty comfortable. Do you have an?

Speaker 1 13:48

HR department in this podcast. No, it's his wife.

Speaker 3 13:53

She doesn't listen. She already fired me. Help, help me.

Speaker 1 13:59

You can thank Madison for finding all these chairs on the side. She already fired me. Help, help me. There's already been several write-ups.

Speaker 2 14:02

You can thank Madison for finding all these chairs on the side of the road.

Speaker 3 14:05

That's right, you're going to be a hashtag. Dude, I'm telling you.

Speaker 2 14:08

I hope so. At least there'll be something.

Speaker 3 14:11

You can cancel before it is. Were we talking about something.

Speaker 2 14:13

So you're the Cubs, organist Born we've established.

Speaker 1 14:24

Now that you are, I guess you play the organ for the Cubs is this what you decided? Yeah, great. So Cubs fan your whole life. This has to have been the reason you started playing piano so here's the thing.

Speaker 3 14:40

I was a piano player from like six years on. I was classically trained by a wonderful woman named sally mantillo. She still is wonderful, very patient with me. I learned you in the first couple of years that I could play by ear, like that was my thing. So reading music became second d secondary second D second D it became second D.

Speaker 2 14:59

I don't know what I was going to say.

Speaker 3 15:03

Supposedly, supposedly became second D. It became second D. Yes, no, it's like it was on the back burner and she's like classically Juilliard trains. And she tip. She had every right to be like John. No, you're learning the music, learn technique. But she didn't do that. She's like I can see this is the way you want to go, but it's also important to learn this stuff.

Speaker 3 15:22

So we put those two together for my entire time with her and that's how I grew up, so I appreciated the Mozart's, the Beethoven's, the Bach's, all that stuff and then could also invent and do fun things with it. So through that I can kind of play stuff that you'd hear on the radio that wasn't necessarily put to music, so pop music. There's no really sheet music for Lady Gaga, some of it maybe, but that's not typically how you learn that song or hear it.

Speaker 2 15:53

Usually you go to a club and bounce around, bounce around, and then you do that enough times. You remember the song? Exactly yes.

Speaker 3 15:58

Good point man. And then you do that enough times. You remember the song Exactly. Yes, good point man.

Speaker 1 16:02

The more you know.

Speaker 2 16:07

See if I can superimpose the star.

Speaker 3 16:09

You got to do it over my yeah.

Speaker 1 16:12

I'm totally doing it If you could add it to his hand so that he drew the star.

Speaker 2 16:18

It would give me a lot of work. That's a key frame, that's a motion track. Yeah, a key frame and a motion track it's taking forever to do this. I'm tired already. This is so easy. You just keep doing it. Send me the file, I'll do it.

Speaker 3 16:27

I'll do it five times, because it's the fifth time I've done it. I'll do it, I did an array of things through college or through high school and then into college, and I ended up not going into music. That was a thought to go do conservatory or something, but it was expensive and I wasn't as hard of a worker as I probably should have been, so I didn't get any scholarships. So you know college is expensive.

Speaker 2 16:51

I feel you there, brother, I'll drink to that. This guy didn't even finish high school.

Speaker 1 16:58

Thanks, Matt.

Speaker 3 17:07

I didn't realize that's where we were headed um. Great, okay, uh, is this also just?

Speaker 2 17:13

an audio form? No, because yeah, the camera. It's just video no, it's also an audio. Yeah, people right now are listening on Apple going. What is happening? Why is there so much silence? So yeah for those who are just listening.

Speaker 3 17:25

We're not doing audio that was Matt insulting his co-host needlessly for no contextual reason and I had my hand pressed on my face like this and I didn't. I just didn't know what to say. I had to remember that there was eight full seconds of nothing, and I have to now narrate the silence.

Speaker 1 17:49

Yeah.

Speaker 2 17:49

Because, it's audio.

Speaker 3 17:51

So that's a good segue because I went into radio production. That was my college thing. Okay, and one of my jobs that I got there was the public address announcer for all these Sporting events Basketball, volleyball, softball, baseball.

Speaker 1 18:03

And this was in college, just in college, at Western Illinois.

Speaker 3 18:07

For the Knicks, for the baseball games. Whatever you say, john, I had a foot pedal For my microphone and I had the keyboard that I would have like an organ patch okay, oh, at in college yeah, at college. So like me and the athletic director were like pretty tight and he said yes to a lot of stuff that I asked him so I was just like hey, can I bring a? Keyboard, is it yeah?

Speaker 3 18:31

sure 50 people at the games. Who cares? And uh, set it up. It was kind of like. I have a picture of it somewhere, but it's like a one-man band and that's how I got the rhythm of the game down. I had no idea where it would lead me in anything, so I graduated, started producing You're doing freelance production for podcasts. People would send me files and I'd make them and send them off. One of them was a guy in Lake and the Hills named Stu Stu.

Speaker 1 18:55

Stu.

Speaker 3 18:56

McVicker what?

Speaker 1 18:57

a name.

Speaker 3 18:58

What a name I know, take a Cubs fan, like your idea of a Cubs fan, multiply it by 1,000, and you still haven't touched him.

Speaker 1 19:05

Okay.

Speaker 3 19:05

He's got millions of dollars of memorabilia in his basement. He decked it out.

Speaker 1 19:10

Wait, he's in Lake in the Hills. Yeah, I've seen this basement.

Speaker 3 19:13

Yeah, my friend used to be his neighbor.

Speaker 2 19:15

Yeah, Stu, he's great.

Speaker 1 19:16

Not a neighbor anymore, but completely decked out.

Speaker 3 19:18

I've seen that thing. It's incredible, it's insane. He's got Kerry Woods' locker.

Speaker 1 19:23

He's got a life-size bobblehead of him.

Speaker 2 19:24

Does Kerry Woods know he may be looking for that? Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's signed it. He had people looking for it.

Speaker 3 19:28

He signed it Life-size bobblehead of who no hearing the whole thing.

Speaker 1 19:37

You were listening.

Speaker 2 19:37

Yeah, anthony Rizzo. Yeah, and he signed that too. A life-size bobblehead. Yeah, it's six foot two Full-size bobblehead.

Speaker 3 19:44

That was sent to him by.

Speaker 2 19:46

Tom Ricketts Does it do this when it's bobblehead? It doesn't do the hips.

Speaker 1 19:51

No, see how your head's not moving. No, but this is how he bats, because apparently you have to.

Speaker 2 19:55

Yeah, he does the hip thrust, hip thrust the air. If you watch Rizzo waiting for the ball, he does that with his hip thrusting.

Speaker 3 20:01

That's why he gets hit by so many pitches. It's either hypnotizing or annoying. If you thrust that much you should get hit by a pitch.

Speaker 2 20:07

That's all I have to say or have a life-size bobblehead made of you.

Speaker 3 20:11

Right, so that was sent, but anyway. So Stu through this podcasting thing, so I meet him from a mutual friend because he has what he does with this basement, his man cave. So he has Cubs players or personalities anybody associated with the Cubs over and he charges in a mission for people to come hang out with them and get autographs and hear the interviews and he gives all the money away to charity. I think, he's raved like 900 grand out of his basement.

Speaker 2 20:44

Yeah, that's awesome. I think I met him at an event. You probably met him. Yeah, that we were at once. Yeah, I think he came to your last show. Yeah, he did, he came to your last show?

Celebrity Encounters at Wrigley

Speaker 3 20:53

Yeah, he was there. Nice guy, great guy, and among all of his memorabilia he has an organ that was at Wrigley in the 90s that was just collecting dust. No one was playing it. So I said, hey, I'm a piano player, let me give us a try. At least turn it on and give it some noise for the events he's like. Go for it. So I did At one of these events. I think it was Mitch Williams, early 2020. It was right after Gary Presley retired. Someone Gary Press, it was the organist that replaced Sorry context.

Speaker 1 21:32

Thank you, I'm tracking.

Speaker 3 21:34

Good, I'm following you. Just pretend that you are.

Speaker 1 21:40

Just watch me for the chances I'll just catch myself with the reaction.

Speaker 2 21:43

No who retired.

Speaker 3 21:44

Gary Pressy. Gary Pressy is the former organist that replaced for no who retired? Gary Pressey Gary.

Speaker 1 21:50

Pressey is the former.

Speaker 3 21:51

He was the organist for 34 years man okay he was there a long time. Never missed a game, not one wow, I think he passed up Cal Ripken Jr for consecutive games which is crazy.

Speaker 2 22:02

Yeah, should have a bobblehead of him. Could just be his hands, I can get you one.

Speaker 3 22:06

No, it's his face. He's got a good one.

Speaker 1 22:08

I can get you one, alright, you know you could ask for that, yeah.

Speaker 2 22:12

But you want every bobblehead now.

Speaker 3 22:14

I'll find it somewhere. It's probably on eBay, I don't know. But so anyway, someone caught me on tape Playing at one of these events, Threw my hat in the ring and the Cubs reached out to me. One thing led to another Five days before the world shut down 2020, they gave it to me, we'll give it to this guy.

Speaker 2 22:33

The world's closing anyways. What have we got to lose? Little did they know, the world opened back up and Mr John Benedict is the Cubs organist.

Speaker 3 22:44

Actually, that first year was terrible.

Speaker 1 22:46

You were all alone, you were playing all alone the baseball season wasn't terrible, just the year itself was awful. Yeah. Really really weird. What a weird year, but yeah, there was no one in the ballpark.

Speaker 3 22:57

It was like the silver lining was that we can get all the, we can work out all the kinks and just figure it out, make some mistakes, but no one was there. And then by 2021, when some people are coming back- we're good to go. So well, that's fantastic.

Speaker 1 23:14

And congratulations. It's really uh, it's a really cool story. That's cool man, that's really awesome. That's awesome.

Speaker 2 23:18

And you like doing was one of them. Bob Odenkirk yeah, the guy that everyone tells me.

Speaker 1 23:29

I look like that was a fun one, Actually more. Say it again he looks like Bob Odenkirk, kork, kork, odenkirk, odenkirk, odenkirk. Did you meet?

Speaker 2 23:41

Jim Gaffigan. Yeah, oh man, yeah.

Speaker 3 23:43

How about Dan Eric Royd? No, I haven't met dan chris chelios, yes, a couple of times yeah, I saw that one recently yeah, so the first time he came up he had like my entire something, and then he's, can I play? Something and and he preaches over, the organ is muted because we're gonna rehearse, so he's just playing. I'm like chris chelios is playing the organ.

Speaker 2 24:05

It's pretty cool, bill Murray.

Speaker 3 24:08

He's been there. I did not meet him, so me and Josh Langhoff, my counterpart, we split the season and he was at that game when Bill Murray I don't know if he went in, because sometimes they don't come in to rehearse- If they've done it enough or they don't care, they just go up and sing it and leave. But most of the time they come in and rehearse. Okay, If they've done it enough or they don't care, they just go up and sing it and leave.

Speaker 2 24:29

But most of the time they come in and rehearse my dad ran into Harry Carey at a urinal, at a what Urinal. Oh naturally A urinal or a trough? Well, at the time it was a trough.

Speaker 1 24:41

And you knew it was because my dad looked over at him.

Speaker 2 24:49

He's like hey you're Harry Caray.

Speaker 1 24:50

He's like how Quit looking over here. Actually not a bad. I was not expecting that good of a. That's pretty good.

Speaker 2 24:58

That is pretty wild.

Speaker 3 24:59

That's actually pretty good.

Speaker 2 25:00

That's the only impression I can do. Apparently, I think we got to add that one into the show. How are you?

Speaker 1 25:05

You'd kill him Cobbles. Will You'd kill him Cobbles?

Speaker 3 25:08

will.

Speaker 1 25:08

You'd kill.

Speaker 3 25:09

Yeah, dropping that one in. Just throw on the big black room glasses.

Speaker 2 25:14

Is it me doing Will Ferrell doing Harry Carey, or is it just me doing Harry Carey? I think it's anybody Does it matter? It's such a hyperbole. I like Will Ferrell's like.

Speaker 3 25:23

Yeah, he just went with the shake, yeah, man?

Speaker 2 25:29

Yeah, he just went with the shake. Yeah, mad cow disease If the moon were made of cheese?

Speaker 1 25:35

would you eat it? How? So you answer no questions. So you answer no questions. Say yes, oh my gosh, so the trough thing. How gosh so, so the trough thing. Most of like I. I don't want to say that our demographic is mostly going to be, uh, of a particular gender. Yeah, but I would imagine that it is most.

Speaker 2 25:56

There's no chicks watching this. What are you talking about? Madison doesn't even watch it. I have to like beg her to watch it and literally I kid you not. Cora, our three-year-old, was in the car listening to like most of the episode and at one point Cora said today, listening to our latest one, can you please turn this off like thanks, child, you're grounded I appreciate you speaking but thanks for the honesty.

Speaker 1 26:23

So we don't really we don't know what our demographic we don't test well with three-year-olds.

Speaker 3 26:27

It's men, it's men.

Speaker 1 26:32

So we can confirm. This was a conversation that we had the other day. We can confirm that the troughs still exist at Wrigley Field.

Speaker 3 26:40

Yeah, they do.

Speaker 1 26:43

They pee into troughs at Wrigley Field. Like cows it's very economical.

Speaker 2 26:47

Cows don't pee into troughs. Thoughrigley Field Like cows, it's very economical. Cows don't pee into troughs though.

Speaker 1 26:49

That's why where do they come up with this?

Speaker 2 26:50

They eat Right, so what is the message here that we're trying to say Convenience? You know how cows it's not convenient.

Speaker 1 26:56

There's rarely a line. It's very green of them. It's rarely a line.

Speaker 2 27:01

Well, yeah, because everyone's peeing in their pants in their seat? No, in their seat.

Speaker 3 27:04

No, they just walk up there and sit in the trough. You guys ever do trough slides? No, so you know, slip and slides, right. Oh, so you can participate and usually for money or after you don't really know who you are anymore as you're pointing. You do a running, start, yeah, crow hop and you do a good old slide.

Speaker 2 27:31

That does not sound fun, but it's a unique experience. It certainly is unique, that's for sure.

Speaker 3 27:38

That's who you do it for.

Speaker 1 27:39

Nowhere else in the world.

Speaker 3 27:41

The stories or the memories. One of the two.

Troughs and Trolling Opposing Players

Speaker 1 27:43

If you can remember it. You won't, you won't. So you said something about crowd work. I did. I was going to.

Speaker 2 27:53

Well, 40 minutes into the episode, let's get to a joke.

Speaker 1 27:58

Here. I am over here.

Speaker 2 27:59

I'll just shut up and drink my whiskey.

Speaker 1 28:02

There's the clap again. What I was going to ask was and I think you guys can both relate to this- you don't even need me for this episode, do you? I'd prefer you just leave.

Speaker 2 28:13

You're figuring that out now. You guys just want my house, my office. It's fine, it's good. Give me the whoppers, hand me the whoppers. You want the whoppers?

Speaker 1 28:20

Yeah, just whoppers, we're not listening to you eat on this podcast again.

Speaker 2 28:25

Yeah, I can't even listen to myself.

Speaker 1 28:26

It's, it's like pretty terrible, oh yeah I was going to ask you so in your performances. So obviously, with with doing the cubs games, you don't have a ton of interaction with crowds, but you have performed, live for, for different, at different venues, for different things like, like you mentioned, weddings. You've done some coffee houses, you've done some dueling pianos. Um, talk to me about, like some of the like more interesting crowds that you've worked with some of your pet peeves about what what crowds can be like, some of the things that you say and I think I think matt will have a.

Speaker 1 29:02

You know, have some some thoughts here too, because, like both of you are, are very much dependent on how the crowd reacts to you and responds to you and let me hear a little bit about that.

Speaker 2 29:12

let me just say this so like I can, before you answer, like, so I can say that one of the things I look forward to, and actually one of the things I love about stand-up, is that it's live and that you can react with the crowd and use the crowd to kind of feed into your performance and play off of them and all that stuff. So crowd work, meaning like improv-ing a little bit with the crowd, that's one thing. But then, just in general, your performance and like almost there's almost two parts to this. There's like the skill of crowd work, which there's some people who are just so good at it Like Matt Rife is one of the guys who's really really good at it. Um, like matt rife is one of the guys he's really really good at it. Uh, gosh, what the heck? There's a jeff arturi.

Speaker 2 29:51

Yes, I was just about to say that he's really good um, anyways, there's a lot of comics that are really good at the crowd work and uh. But then there's the inspirational side of it, which is like I as a performer get jazzed up and I get energy in the middle of the show that almost helps me continue to do the show from the crowd response. So for you, like I mean I've been at you know like, when you do shows at the coffee house and you're playing your music, are you getting that same kind of reaction at a coffee house versus, like, doing it at the Cubs? Like, do you hear? Response how does it go?

Speaker 3 30:27

It's very it. The cubs like do you hear? Response how does it go? It's very, it's. It's very different type of crowd interaction because at at a cubs game, you are more or less in the same position as the spectators. The, the spectacle of a ball game, is the players, right, okay, that's like the, the match or the game or whatever you want to call it. That's happening is what everyone's watching. Everyone is just reacting to it. I'm reacting to it with, with the music, everyone else is reacting to it with their booze or their cheers or whatever their golden slides whatever they're doing there you go, that's golden.

Speaker 2 31:07

That's what you said. It was right, Trop slide. Trop slide, but we all know what it really is. One of its worst.

Speaker 3 31:14

I don't know which one, but no, but Again.

Speaker 2 31:17

So I'm just the cheerleader with the music at a ball game and there is some call and respond type thing where Like yeah, and you, where I've seen them, where you've trolled the other team, which is amazing.

Speaker 3 31:35

There's also a DJ who plays canned music, regular music for the walk-ups for Cubs players, because they choose their walk-up song. It's their theme song. For opposing players, I will play something that pertains to their name and I am again, I am not the innovator in this. I fully plagiarize. Nancy Faust was a White Sox organist for 44 years or something like that.

Speaker 3 32:01

And then Matthew Kaminsky, down at the Braves. He's been doing this exact same thing, and multiple organists do this. They take a name, like I'd say it's manny, manny pina. He was a brewer. I play pina coladas, if you like harrison bader, darth bader something like that, and I'll just take their song or there's there, you can go deeper than that, I think.

Speaker 2 32:23

Uh, the best one was what's the best troll you've done? I feel like I saw one not too long ago and I was like, oh, oh, uh, well, tommy edmund.

Speaker 3 32:32

He was a cardinal. This is a favorite, so his last name's edmund. Uh, so I'll play wreck of the edmund fitzgerald. It's super somber, sad song and usually it usually goes over pretty well, um, I think, do you?

Speaker 2 32:47

ever get anyone to get mad at you.

Speaker 3 32:49

Not really, I don't think the players care, they don't care.

Speaker 2 32:54

I could play a different song.

Speaker 1 32:55

Apparently, you guys are against.

Speaker 2 32:58

Charles Barkley.

Speaker 3 32:59

Is that how ballplayers sound?

Speaker 2 33:00

Let me tell you what that song was Terrible, terrible, terrible. If Charles Barkley were walking up, what song would you play Well, some of them, charles, don't. That's Frank Caliendo doing. Charles Barkley were walking up. What song would you play? Wolf on them, charles doll, that's Frank Caliendo doing. Charles Barkley. Terrible, terrible, terrible. Is that Kermit the Frog doing?

Speaker 1 33:16

it. If Charles Barkley were walking up to the plate as an opposing player, what song would you play?

Speaker 3 33:23

Who Let the Dogs Out, barkley? Oh Okay, I was going to go, gnarls, and I thought you'd be able to go Gnarls, and I thought Gnarls Barclay looked crazy.

Speaker 2 33:35

Yeah exactly.

Speaker 3 33:49

It's exactly Okay, we're done. You know what it reminds me of? Have you seen that, jimmy Fallon?

Speaker 2 33:56

The Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake.

Speaker 3 33:59

Barry Gibb yeah.

Speaker 2 34:01

With Justin Timberlake. Yeah, because he goes Andy Gibb and Barry Gibb.

Speaker 3 34:12

Barry Gibb. This is enthralling stuff.

Speaker 1 34:16

If you're still listening. They've left. They've all left. This is for us now.

Speaker 2 34:23

Certainly my three-year-old Cora has shut it down Can we turn on something else. Well, this was good, this was fun. Crowd work, crowd work man.

Speaker 3 34:33

We only talked about half of it, I guess.

Speaker 2 34:36

We talked about you, man. This is good, this is good. We're going to have to have you back.

Speaker 1 34:41

Okay, a less grumpy John.

Speaker 2 34:43

We'll have you front too. Hey, I'm only gonna.

Speaker 1 34:46

I'm sorry we don't want your back, we want your front. Yeah, we're getting enough of your front.

Speaker 2 34:54

From this angle, I'm ventilating thanks for coming in the space to ventilate.

Speaker 1 35:01

It was really good to have you thanks for sharing your story. Appreciate and uh and and some whiskey I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Speaker 3 35:08

Thanks, phil. I certainly enjoyed our time, brother.

Speaker 1 35:11

This guy's got to go.

Speaker 3 35:14

Thanks, Phil.

Speaker 1 35:16

You. You're welcome, and Matt.

Speaker 3 35:19

Thanks, Phil.

Speaker 1 35:20

It's fine, you're welcome, john.

Speaker 2 35:21

I'm going to use AI to cut all of your heads off and it'll just be. I'm going gonna put like a barbie doll head on you and motion track it can you help me with that if you gotta punctuate that sentence in some way?

Speaker 1 35:34

no, punctuate your face it's gonna puncture you right in the face.

Speaker 2 35:41

That's the end next time on whiskey bits well, phil, I have the flannel again. Welcome back, flannel. And I have much less hair heidi ho flandarino heidi ho flandarino, you're like the al borland to my tim taylor, aren't? I'm wearing the flannel? I'm more more like the Wilson. Yeah, you're the Wilson. Yeah, hide your face I should. Maybe we get more viewers.

Speaker 1 36:13

My mom always said I had a face for radio.

Speaker 2 36:15

Oh, that's sad.

Speaker 1 36:16

Yeah, it is sad. Hey, thanks for sticking around. That's it for this episode of Whiskey Bits, but if you enjoyed yourself, please like, share and subscribe on your favorite platform.