He is the only Pop/Rock Star I can think of from Central Illinois because everyone else moves to Chicago and makes it their hometown. The city of Peoria was always glad to brag about him since the other famous resident was Richard Pryor and his drug problems were legendary. Fogelberg did have a couple strong rockin’ tunes despite being part of the Wuss Rock movement led by James Taylor. Seriously. The local Rock station WWCT still played certain tracks, namely “Same Old Lang Syne” around this time of year. (I caught this in the car today too. It’s a cheesy, melodramatic tune yet it has a clever, flowing narrative in the same vein as Fountains of Wayne’s material.) Supporting a local hero came first with WWCT but they still made time to play “Stairway to Heaven” every day.
Denis Leary immortalized him in 1993 with his routine No Cure for Cancer:
“Explain it to me. Heavy metal bands are on trial because kids commit suicide, what is that about? Judas Priest was on trial because my kid bought the records, and he listened to the lyrics, and he got into Satan…ALLALALALALALLALA! Well that’s great. That sets a legal precedent. Does that mean I can sue Dan Fogelberg for making me into a pussy in the mid Seventies, is that possible, HUH?”
Dan’s stuff wasn’t my thing since he was a bigger star when I was a kid and after I became an adolescent, his stuff was on par with Barry Mannilow in the minds of my peers. Besides, if I had to hear “Longer” one more time, I was gonna’ scream. In his defense, he did work with Joe Walsh, Emmylou Harris, Graham Nash and David Lindley, writers and musicians I know from my studies of Pop Music History so maybe I’ll have a reconciliation with his material. I did with the Bee Gees…anything is possible.