Mike Stephen talks with:   Chicago Housing Initiative executive director Leah Levinger and board member Rodney Dawkins about the struggles of public housing in Chicago (see also Eve Ewing’s New Republic story “Rahm’s Next Scandal? Public Housing“);   Newcity editor/publisher Brian Hieggelke about getting into the local film industry via Signature Move and the Chicago Film Project; and   Illinois Eye Institute executive director Dr. Leonard Messner about how the Eye Health Life Health Coalition is advocating for eye health in this region’s most underserved communities.   Meanwhile, we recall an encounter from a TBOX (aka The Twelve Bars of Christmas) past.   This week’s local music is provided by Fever Chills.   OTL host Mike Stephen is passionate about eye health.   To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.

Mike Stephen talks with:   Local renaissance man and music historian Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) about his new book My Kind of Sound: The Secret History of Chicago Music Compendium;   Roosevelt High School junior Gabriel Virella working for better school lunches via his civics class and The School Lunch Project: Culinary Denial blog; and   Columbia College history professor Dominic Pacyga about Chicago’s meatpacking days as chronicled in his book Slaughterhouse: Chicago’s Union Stock Yard and the World it Made.   Meanwhile, we learn that Chicago is ranked as the sixth best city for public transit in 2016. See also #CTAfails.   This week’s local music is provided by Wired Minds.   The Secret History of Chicago Music mastermind Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) and OTL host Mike Stephen strike the most badass of badass poses on Western Avenue.   To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.

Mike Stephen talks with:   Chicago Publishers Resource Center [ChiPRC] director John Wawrzaszek about their Indiegogo campaign to support their mission of  serving Chicago’s literary and arts community;   Nothin’ but Blue Skies: The Heyday, Hard Times, and Hopes of America’s Industrial Heartland author Edward “Ted” McClelland about the future of the Chicago accent; and   Plastic Crimewave (aka Steve Krakow) about early-1970s acoustic guitar master John Hulburt for this week’s edition of The Secret History of Chicago Music.   Meanwhile, Mike digs into our archives and plays a clip from OTL #38 in honor of local coffee roaster Intelligentsia selling out to Peet’s Coffee & Tea.   This week’s local music is provided by John Ballantyne’s Crazy Heart.   OTL host Mike Stephen offers Baby Mikey his first non-Intelligentsia/non-Peet’s coffee.   To subscribe to the OTL podcast, please visit our iTunes page or RSS feed.