The Loop was born in 1977 when Phil Chess of Chess Records changed the call letters from WSDM to WLUP. After the Chicago radio station that employed DJ Steve Dahl switched formats to all-disco, Dahl joined The Loop. In July 1979, Dahl organized an ill-fated promotion with Chicago White Sox owner, Bill Veeck, called “Disco Demolition.” Dahl encouraged listeners to attend a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers and bring disco records that would be blown up on the field between games. Owner and ever-the-promoter Veeck sold tickets for 98 cents. Dahl did blow up the records, rock fans stormed the field, and MLB canceled the second game due to the mayhem.
I do not ever recall hearing about Disco Demolition after it happened – I was attending a high school in Minnesota. It was during my sophomore year at North Park College in Chicago that I learned of Mr. Dahl. My roommate listened to Dahl’s segment…he was paired with Garry Meier…and my roommate encouraged me to listen to these two funny guys. “Shock jocks” they were called, in the pre-Howard Stern era. Yes, Steve and Garry were very funny! Over the years the Loop employed jokester Kevin Matthews and also Jonathon Brandmeier who were more about talking than spinning AOR records.
For over four decades WLUP played classic rock with virtually no change from relying on the same songs from Journey, Tom Petty, AC/DC, Pat Benatar, Foreigner, Boston, Led Zeppelin et. al. The format changed very little even with the arrival of the 21st century. The Loop would play one of Metallica’s worst songs, Enter Sandman, on occasion, and the obligatory Smells Like Teen Spirit. No Korn, Mastodon, Nine Inch Nails, or Slipknot. The station employed Erich “Mancow” Muller the last few years for the morning commute.
Today my son and I went to an auto show called “World of Wheels.” It is a car show that features no new cars; instead, you can view cars that have been passionately restored by their owners. Vehicles like a ’62 Corvette, a ’57 Bel Air, a ’32 Ford pickup, and a ’69 Barracuda that all have fantastic paint jobs. Think 1980’s ZZ Top videos. Anyway, coincidentally, as we pulled into the parking space at 2:12 pm we heard the transition from The Loop to “positive and encouraging” K-Love. Steve Dahl was quoted in the paper earlier this week: “I hope the last song they play there [at WLUP] is AC/DC’s ‘Highway To Hell!” Neither my son nor I recall the Loop’s last, unremarkable song. I definitely know it was not ‘Stairway to Heaven.’
Here’s a great article and some entertaining videos on the subject:
Here’s why some of us feel such nostalgia over the loss of ‘The Loop’ / WLUP-FM
