Monday night at Gibsons Steakhouse, Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen kicked off a whirlwind week of publicity in the town that gave them their start. As a bevy of Chicago notables—including Mayor Richard M. Daley, actor Dennis Farina, restaurateur Richard Melman, and Chicago Bears Tom Thayer and Tim Wrightman—looked on, Tim and Tom recounted performing at Mr. Kelly’s, the legendary Chicago nightclub that occupied the spot on Rush Street where Gibsons now stands. Taking turns on the mic, they told of the surprise and anger they encountered from audiences in their early days as a duo; the long, hard road they followed to eventual success as solo performers; and the unbreakable bond they forged in their years as a team. To cheers, toasts—and, of course, laughter—Chicago welcomed Tim and Tom home. (For more about the party check out the latest posting on the official Tim and Tom blog.)
Yesterday during morning drivetime, Tim and Tom were interviewed on WGN Radio’s Spike O’Dell Show. Both audio and video are available for that interview. In last Sunday’s Chicago Sun-Times, reporter Mike Thomas delivered a nice synopsis of the duo’s groundbreaking career. Nodding to a few other Chicago celebrities, Thomas writes that Tim and Tom were “side-splitting social commentators and creators of such characters as Super Spade and the Courageous Caucasian … the Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo of yuks, the Barack Obama and Joe Biden of politically incorrect humor. Minus the fame and fortune.”
This week Tim and Tom continue to celebrate Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White with more Chicago events. Tonight they sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field, where the Cubs face the Brewers. Thursday at noon they are at the Borders on State Street and at the Borders in Beverly at 7:30 Thursday evening . This Saturday at 2:30 pm they are at Barnes and Noble in Naperville before heading to New York for another leg of the book tour.
For details on these and other events in Chicago and across America head to our author events page. You can also read an excerpt from the book.