CHICAGO — To remember Chicago’s “best friend in the whole world,” WXRT hosted a special broadcast Monday to honor Lin Brehmer.
Brehmer, 68, passed away Sunday morning following a battle with prostate cancer.
The Chicago radio legend returned to the airwaves in November after taking a leave of absence in the summer.
Longtime co-worker and friend Terri Hemmert had to give the difficult news to listeners Sunday who felt close a man they may have never met through his love of air guitaring, his poetic essays through “Lin’s Bin,” watching the Cubs close out a day game and eating great Chicago food.
Hemmert was on hand Monday morning at 10 a.m. along with several other WXRT DJs to host a special broadcast remembering Brehmer.
“A true renaissance man, he could talk to anybody about anything and he was brilliant — he was just so loveable,” Hemmert said.
Hemmert shared that when he was sick, she didn’t want to get too close to him because of COVID-19. But when he was recently back in studio, she gave him a kiss on his back and he smiled.
Two of his most beloved institutions in the city, the Metro and Wrigley Field, honored him with tributes on their marquees.
The founder of the Metro, Joe Shanahan, joined Terri Hemmert to tell multiple great stories about Brehmer.
As previously mentioned, every live music lover could see themselves in Lin and Shanahan said he had to tell “The Jack White story,” following a Lollapalooza aftershow in 2018.
“That night, I started acting like a 16-year-old kid. Who is jumping up and down next to me? Lin Brehmer,” Shanahan said. “I remember these stories and moments because the man meant so much to our community.”
Some of the bands Shanahan would book back then gained exposure because Brehmer, who was music director at WXRT before DJing the morning show in 1991, “was first.”
“He was first on a record, first coming to shows that were under the radar, the first getting the touch of ‘XRT love,” Shanahan said.
While Brehmer wasn’t born in Chicago, the city was made for him.
“Chicago had everything he wanted; music, live music, baseball, pizza,” longtime WXRT DJ and friend Johnny Mars said.
In addition to a great playlist, WXRT featured numerous clips of Brehmer — from tear-jerking recordings of his iconic “Lin’s Bin” (“Where Does The Time Go?” was featured Monday) to him accidently mispronouncing Bono’s name in 1981 when he was a young DJ at WQBK.
The crazed-Cubs fan sang the 7th inning stretch at games, was a season ticket holder down the right field line and helped out WGN for our final season broadcasting the team.
He narrated multiple videos about his beloved Cubs, including one about “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks.
Rest In Peace Lin.
A portion of WXRT’s tribute playlist is below, from 10 a.m. through 2:45 p.m. Listen live here.
Led Zeppelin – Hey Hey What Can I do
The Record Company – Off the Ground
Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter
The Who – Blue, Red and Grey
Echo and the Bunnymen – Sugar Kisses
Storyville – Good Day for the Blues
Steve Earle – Someday
The Roundabouts (Lin’s high school band) – Steppin’ Stone (Monkees cover)
Lowen and Navarro – Walking on a Wire
Garland Jeffreys – R.O.C.K.
The Beatles – In My Life
John Prine, Kurt Vile – How Lucky
Peter Gabriel – That Voice Again
Eddie Vedder – All The Way
Suzanne Vega – Marlene On The Wall
Gomez – See The World
Joan Baez – They Drove Old Dixie Down
Richard Thompson, 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
Led Zeppelin – Friends
Tuff Darts- All for the Love of Rock and Roll
Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
The Smashing Pumpkins – Cherub Rock
Cheap Trick – On The Radio
Warren Zevon – Mohammed’s Radio
The Rolling Stones – Loving Cup
The Godfathers – Birth, School, Work, Death
World Party – Put The Message In The Box
The Avett Brothers – No Hard Feeling
Grateful Dead – Music Never Stopped
Mike Doughty – Light Will Keep Your Heart beating
James McMurtry – Candyland
Guster – Careful
U2 – Satellite of Love
Little Feat – Time Loves a Hero
Steve Earle – Hard Core Troubadour
The Staple Sisters – I’ll Take You There
Warren Zevon – Keep Me in Your Heart
George Harrison – All things Must Pass
Fleet Foxes – Mykonos
Poi Dog Pondering – Complicated
The White Stripes – We’re Gonna Be Friends
Queen – You’re My Best Friend
Bruce Springsteen – Glory Days