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“The Auditorium, a theater, and the Billy Goat, a tavern, are two Chicago landmarks. The first sprang for the vision of Louis Sullivan, nonpareil of architects. The second sprang from the vision of nonpareil journalist Mike Royko, when days seemed too long and nights too short. It is our good fortune that Rick Kogan, of a fabled Chicago legacy, has put forth a work so whimsical, wistful, and wondrous.” —Studs Terkel
"Rick Kogan. . . has become our local Boswell, a serendipitous chronicler of the nooks and crannies and curious characters that can turn the very act of living here into an adventure.” —Jonathan Alter, Chicago Tribune
“In the book’s acknowledgments, Kogan writes, ‘Reading the work of all the writers who have, with varying degrees of literary license, told the story of the tavern through the years, reminded me why I got in this business in the first place. There were once poets working for newspapers.’ Well, fortunately for us, there still are a few, and Kogan is one of them.” —Bob Sirott, author, One More Thing
“The book is slender, like a volume of poetry, and I immediately read it cover to cover. I would say that it is perfect—celebratory and sad, a deft encapsulation of the present and an elegy to the past.” —Neil Steinberg, Chicago Sun-Times
“Colorful and true Chicago-styled journalism.” —Food Industry News
“Incredible that this story has not been told until now. But, what a story it is. . . . As readers, we’re not just reading about the Billy Goat—we become one of its patrons, sitting alongside the bar, listening to these stories as if we were shoulder to shoulder with Rick, Mike, Sam, or Billy . . . for a few hours we feel like part of the family, too.” —Gapers Block
"Rick Kogan. . . has become our local Boswell, a serendipitous chronicler of the nooks and crannies and curious characters that can turn the very act of living here into an adventure.” —Jonathan Alter, Chicago Tribune
“In the book’s acknowledgments, Kogan writes, ‘Reading the work of all the writers who have, with varying degrees of literary license, told the story of the tavern through the years, reminded me why I got in this business in the first place. There were once poets working for newspapers.’ Well, fortunately for us, there still are a few, and Kogan is one of them.” —Bob Sirott, author, One More Thing
“The book is slender, like a volume of poetry, and I immediately read it cover to cover. I would say that it is perfect—celebratory and sad, a deft encapsulation of the present and an elegy to the past.” —Neil Steinberg, Chicago Sun-Times
“Colorful and true Chicago-styled journalism.” —Food Industry News
“Incredible that this story has not been told until now. But, what a story it is. . . . As readers, we’re not just reading about the Billy Goat—we become one of its patrons, sitting alongside the bar, listening to these stories as if we were shoulder to shoulder with Rick, Mike, Sam, or Billy . . . for a few hours we feel like part of the family, too.” —Gapers Block
From the Back Cover
"The Auditorium, a theater, and the Billy Goat, a tavern, are two Chicago landmarks. The first sprang for the vision of Louis Sullivan, nonpareil of architects. The second sprang from the vision of nonpareil journalist Mike Royko, when days seemed too long and nights too short. It is our good fortune that Rick Kogan, of a fabled Chicago legacy, has put forth a work so whimsical, wistful, and wondrous."
--Studs Terkel
--Studs Terkel
Let the Goat In!
In the summer of 1934, a baby goat fell off a truck, limped into a tavern owned by Greek immigrant William Sianis, and a Chicago icon was born. The Billy Goat Inn became a haven for newspaper reporters, policemen, politicians, and anyone else drawn to the hospitality and showmanship of hardworking "Billy Goat" Sianis and his often antic, uniquely comforting establishment. But did Billy jinx the Cubs? When he and one of his goats were barred from entering Wrigley Field during the 1945 World Series, the Cubs' eventual loss to Detroit fueled a legend as enduring as their fans' "Wait 'til next year" mantra. Today there are seven Billy Goat Taverns, including one in Washington, D.C., and Billy's nephew, Sam Sianis--a celebrity in his own right--oversees what Illinois Senator Dick Durbin called "a national institution."
Rick Kogan's affectionate tale plunks you down at a barstool next to some of the Billy Goat's regulars, visitors, employees, and such luminaries as columnist Mike Royko, and those young stars--John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Don Novello--who immortalized Sam and the tavern in the Saturday Night Live Olympia Diner ("Cheezborger, Cheezborger! No fries . . . chips!") skits. "I remember . . . I miss . . .," someone will say, and names and faces begin to float through the tavern air. . . In these echoes Kogan lets you see and hear why taverns remain essential social focal points and lets you understand what makes a Chicago original.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By TundraVision
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I had an existential "A-ha!" moment in Rick Kogan's tribute to "A Chicago Tavern: a Goat, A Curse, and the American Dream."
Kogan says:
Around 1950, there were almost 7,000 taverns in Chicago. In 2006, there were fewer than 1,250.
This reviewer basically learned how to read while accompanying my father to visit his friends at Peg's Tavern in Hinckley, IL (They would give me nickels and quarters to play the juke box - so I learned P a t s y C l i n e and all her friends and all their songs.) There was a real sense of community and camaraderie among the regulars, like an Irish village pub/hub, that one doesn't encounter in the "fern bar" Chains of today, contributing, one can extrapolate, to the loss of neighborliness and sense of community in current culture. (See also Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community)
Kogan tells about a family of Greek immigrants who created a place where all collars, blue, white, and clerical meet and mingle; a tale of a Billy Goat's tail and the "truth" about the "curse" on the Chicago Cubs. Making appearances in text and photos are the Sianis family; various animal goats; various old goat humans: Mike Royko and Harry Caray; Aykroyd & Belushi (this is the real deal - where the "Cheezborger, Cheezborger! No fries . . . chips!" were made;) some presidents and other politicians; and even that Stinkier- than-a-Goat Devil & Demolisher of the 2003 Pennant Hope, Steve Bartman.
Docked a star because Kogan's choice to write the whole thing, even the historical stuff from 1916, in the present tense, riled this reviewer worse than a whole gaggle of sorority girl foo-foo umbrella drinks.
/TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer.
Kogan says:
Around 1950, there were almost 7,000 taverns in Chicago. In 2006, there were fewer than 1,250.
This reviewer basically learned how to read while accompanying my father to visit his friends at Peg's Tavern in Hinckley, IL (They would give me nickels and quarters to play the juke box - so I learned P a t s y C l i n e and all her friends and all their songs.) There was a real sense of community and camaraderie among the regulars, like an Irish village pub/hub, that one doesn't encounter in the "fern bar" Chains of today, contributing, one can extrapolate, to the loss of neighborliness and sense of community in current culture. (See also Bowling Alone : The Collapse and Revival of American Community)
Kogan tells about a family of Greek immigrants who created a place where all collars, blue, white, and clerical meet and mingle; a tale of a Billy Goat's tail and the "truth" about the "curse" on the Chicago Cubs. Making appearances in text and photos are the Sianis family; various animal goats; various old goat humans: Mike Royko and Harry Caray; Aykroyd & Belushi (this is the real deal - where the "Cheezborger, Cheezborger! No fries . . . chips!" were made;) some presidents and other politicians; and even that Stinkier- than-a-Goat Devil & Demolisher of the 2003 Pennant Hope, Steve Bartman.
Docked a star because Kogan's choice to write the whole thing, even the historical stuff from 1916, in the present tense, riled this reviewer worse than a whole gaggle of sorority girl foo-foo umbrella drinks.
/TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Numerous vintage black-and-white photographs add a you-are-there touch to this history of a beloved Chicago hangout.
January 5, 2007
Format:Paperback
WGN radio personality and Chicago Tribune columnist Rick Kogan presents A Chicago Tavern: A Goat, A Curse, and the American Dream, the true story of a baby goat who fell off a truck in 1934, hobbled into a tavern owned by Greek immigrant William Sianis, and became a Chicago icon. Known as The Billy Goat Inn, Sianis' tavern gained a lasting reputation as the leisure pub of choice for newspaper reporters, policemen, politicians, and more. But did Billy put a jinx on the Cubs? After Billy and one of his goats were prohibited from entering Wrigley Field during the 1945 World Series, the Cubs eventually lost to Detroit - and kept on losing. Today the single tavern has become a prosperous chain of seven, including one in Washington, D.C.; A Chicago Tavern acutely on the folklore, daily life, humorous anecdotes, and more revolving around the classy establishment that started the legend. Numerous vintage black-and-white photographs add a you-are-there touch to this history of a beloved Chicago hangout.
By LES KRANTZ
Format:Paperback
I met my first Kogan at the Billy Goat, Herman, the author's father. I met Royko there too and Studs as well. I always knew there was glory here, at "the Goat". This book captures all of it and more. Rick, who wrote this lovely salute to the best bar and burger joint in Chicago, has the place in his blood. It'll be in your blood too when you read this, even if you're not from Chicago, just from the human race. Amazing what this place did to almost everyone who walked in. It humbled them, feed their egos too and it's all here in the book. Just loved it!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great piece of history explained
I read this book on the way to Chicago and by the time I got there I was ready to go check out the piece of history that is the Billy Goat Tavern(THE ORIGINAL). Read more
Published on November 19, 2007 by E. King
5.0 out of 5 stars
Typical Chicago history and typically great reading
Kogan nailed it all: a history lesson about somebody else's family turns into a cultural escapade in and around a neighborhood joint. Read more
Published on May 25, 2007 by Mark F. Braun
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Chicago Tavern
This is an excellent book, easy to read, especially interesting to a native Chicagoian. Very nice photos. Extremely informative.
Published on March 13, 2007 by Arthur J. Reed
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