Dave Congalton
Dave Congalton is a radio talk show host.
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Question for the SLO Symphony musicians: WTF?
OPINION By DAVID CONGALTON I called former San Luis Symphony conductor Michael Nowak at home Wednesday morning. Michael had invited me to serve as emcee at the special Pops concert he was planning for Labor Day weekend in Avila Beach. After initially and enthusiastically accepting, I told Michael that I thought it best to step […]... (Continue Reading)
Dennis & Me: Remembering Dennis Farina
OPINION By DAVID CONGALTON Actor Dennis Farina died Monday morning at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona at the age of 69. Medical reports indicate a blood clot. Genuine, well-deserved praise has splashed across the Internet in honor of this former Chicago-cop-turned-television-and-film-actor. Media coverage has repeatedly mentioned his last two movies, both yet to be released, […]... (Continue Reading)
Why is there no justice for Valerie Lane?
OPINION by DAVE CONGALTON I have been trying to figure out why. I have been trying to figure out why I continue to be so upset by the video of Valerie Lane being brutally assaulted by a fellow patient at county mental health. It’s been more than a week since Karen Velie first broke the […]... (Continue Reading)
Come home Sam—We need you
OPINION By DAVE CONGALTON I begin by making a statement that I have offered repeatedly on the radio these last few weeks. I have been part of this community for nearly 25 years and I’ve never seen San Luis Obispo, a town I love deeply, so torn apart. This special election on Measures A […]... (Continue Reading)
Travel: Following Custer to the Little Bighorn
By DAVID CONGALTON On a steamy hot June afternoon in 1876, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, who graduated last in his class at West Point, rode off into the history books as the commander of the worst U.S. military defeat on American soil. With him were more than 200 soldiers, mostly young Irish-Americans barely out […]... (Continue Reading)
Mount Rushmore: Four heads are better than one
By DAVID CONGALTON There are two places in this country that everyone should experience before they exit. One is the Grand Canyon, and the other has to be Mount Rushmore. Rushmore has drawn millions of visitors from around the world, all of us fascinated by the dream of one man and the labor of hundreds […]... (Continue Reading)
Movie Review: Midnight in Paris
BY DAVID CONGALTON The good news is that Midnight in Paris is one of the stronger Woody Allen films of the last 20 years. There are, I submit, three main phases of Allen’s iconic career as a director. First came the slapstick comedies of Sleeper and Bananas, culminating in his Academy Awards for Annie Hall […]... (Continue Reading)
Concert review: Peter Gabriel at the SB Bowl
BY DAVID CONGALTON The facts of Saturday night at the Santa Barbara Bowl are easy enough to report. Rock artist, and that really is the operative word for the British musician, Peter Gabriel performed with the New Blood Orchestra. It was a 20-song set, beginning with Gabriel’s solemn remix of David Bowie’s ‘70s “Heroes” and […]... (Continue Reading)
Glen Campbell: Rhymes with True Grit
BY DAVID CONGALTON It was a $39 concert. Perhaps that’s the most charitable way to describe singer Glen Campbell’s performance Sunday night before a sparse crowd at the Tachi Palace in Lemoore. I only paid $39 for my ticket, so quite honestly, I wasn’t expecting much. True confession. When I can’t sleep at night, I […]... (Continue Reading)
Travel: Rafting with the Hualapai
By DAVID CONGALTON Second in a series When it comes to whitewater rafting, certain rivers pop into mind. Folks talk up the American River and the Kern River and the Upper Sacramento, or the Lower Klamath. All fine places, I’m sure. But in the West, the Holy Grail of all rafting experiences has to be […]... (Continue Reading)
