CHICAGO MARKS 20 YEARS SINCE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND DUMPED 800 POUNDS OF HUMAN WASTE IN RIVER

PEOPLE

 

Chicago Marks 20 Years of Dave Matthews Band Dumping 'Disgusting' 800 Lbs. of Human Waste in River

On Thursday, Aug. 8, the "Windy City" recalled the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band's infamous "poopgate" incident that occurred 20 years ago

By Njera Perkins  Updated on August 8, 2024 03:25PM EDT

 

Chicagoans today are remembering the sickening Dave Matthews Band incident from 20 years ago that got regrettably flushed into history forever. That's right, #poopgate.

 

Thursday, Aug. 8, marks the 20-year anniversary of the 2004 incident in which a driver (Stefan Wohl) for the band's tour bus unceremoniously dumped 800 lbs. of human waste from its septic tank onto Chicago’s Little Lady boat passing under the Kinzie Street Bridge.

 

Dozens who were onboard the sightseeing boat and many from the city still shudder at the mention of the messy mistake that they, as FOX 32 Chicago anchor Sylvia Perez puts it, "would like to forget."

 

The outlet recalled that Dave Matthews Band — known for their environmental activism — "created a foul footnote in Chicago music history" that fateful day, but the city continues to revisit it as a cautionary tale.

 

FOX 32 Chicago's Dane Placko resurfaced his original 2004 footage reporting on the "sickening soaking" this week, noting that it earned the infamous bridge incident a commemorative plaque and a sticker that reads, "I survived Dave Matthews Band Poopgate 2004."

 

"It was pretty... pretty disgusting," Sonja Lund, the captain aboard Chicago's Little Lady that day, said in an old interview. "I don't even know if I could describe to you how disgusting it was."

 

Dave Matthews Band's bus driver eventually pleaded guilty to the dumping on misdemeanor charges of reckless conduct and water pollution. According to the Chicago Tribune, he was sentenced to 18 months of probation, 150 hours of community service and fined $10,000.

 

Dave Matthews Band wasn't aboard the bus at the time of the incident, but the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees have since tried to rectify the mistake by donating $50,000 each to the Chicago Park District and Friends of the Chicago River, per NBC Chicago.

 

According to the outlet, Matthews, 57, continued to express remorse to the city of Chicago years after the incident, telling former WTMX radio host Cara Carriveau in a 2009 podcast interview, "I'll apologize for that as long as I have to."

 

"The bus driver lost his job, and I didn't have my finger on the button, but it was one of our buses —wasn't mine — but it was one of the buses in my employment, and so I feel bad about it," he added. "It would be funnier if it was anyone else but me."

 

Currently, Dave Matthews Band is on their summer tour, which wraps up in Washington on Sept. 1. They're also scheduled to perform at New York's Farm Aid festival later that month.

 

A dance party at Hideout Chicago is marking the city's 20-year anniversary of the dumping on Thursday with a sold-out event called "Don’t Drink the Water." Meanwhile, the city's sports team mascots commemorated the occasion with a viral video.

ELTON JOHN GETS SUPPORT FROM PORTABLE URINAL COMPANY AFTER PEEING IN BOTTLE IN STORE

TMZ

 

Elton John Gets Support From Portable Urinal Co. After Peeing in Bottle

PORTABLE URINAL CO. SAYS HE'S #1!!!

7/13/2024 12:20 AM PT

 

Elton John's recent pee emergency in a French shoe store might be a troubling sign for the legendary singer ... but, the folks at a portable urinal company say they've got him covered.

 

Here's the streaming news Elton -- and others, we're sure -- can use ... Jeffrey Luckey is the owner of Biorelief.com, and says his company's got a bunch of options for the 77-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.

 

As we reported, Elton whipped out his "Rocketman" in the middle of the store in Nice, and relieved himself in a bottle.

 

JL says the company's all about discretion -- something Sir Elton was lacking -- and they make that possible with products he can conceal under any outfit.

 

Stadium Pal Kit Portable Urina biorelief.com

 

Take their Stadium Pal for instance ... Luckey says you can go anywhere at any time, so Elton could've taken a whiz and bought a pair of sneakers at the same time.

 

BTW, Luckey -- like Michael Blackson, who we got at LAX earlier this week -- says Elton's age means he needs a john more often, so best to be prepared ... whether out and about or in bed at night.

 

As we told you, Elton took a whiz in the middle of the shop when the owner told him there was no public restroom -- but no hard feelings, they shook hands before parting ways.

 

Just think, with a portable urinal, you could shake hands and shake out the last few drops at the same time! 

ELTON JOHN PEES IN BOTTLE IN STORE IN FRANCE, OWNER SAYS

TMZ

 

Elton John Pees in Plastic Bottle at Store in France, Owner Claims

SHOE SHOPPING'S A REAL PISSER ...

EXCLUSIVE DETAILS

7/8/2024 10:40 AM PT

 

Elton John couldn't hold it while shopping for sneakers over in France, and ended up pissing in a plastic bottle in the middle of a store ... so says the guy who runs the shop.

 

Ryan Sukkar, owner of Sugarkikz in Nice, tells TMZ ... Elton came into his shop Monday afternoon with his 2 sons and a bodyguard and asked if there was a public restroom.

 

When Elton was told there wasn't a toilet around, the shop owner says the singer turned to his security and asked for a bottle ... then took a few steps away from other shoppers and began taking a leak in the receptacle.

 

Sounds like Elton's got poor aim ... we're told he got some pee on the floor and asked his security for a towel to clean up the mess.

 

The shop owner says he was "shocked and frustrated" a customer would take a tinkle like that ... and this was a first in his 3 years running the business.

 

Seems Elton really had Ryan's head spinning ... he says he had no idea who EJ was when this was all going down, and when he asked Elton what he did for a living, the singer simply responded, "I'm Elton John." Classic Elton, really.

 

Ryan says he did a quick search online, and that's when he realized this was a huge deal. In the end, we're told Elton bought 2 pairs of sneakers for his sons, snapped a picture for the store and shook hands with Ryan before leaving.

 

No word if he used his "pee hand" during the salutation, but there was no mention of the pee-pee incident.

 

And Ryan clearly wasn't crying over spilled urine, because he tells us ... overall, Elton was very cool.

 

When you're Elton John, the world is your toilet!!!

LESLIE JONES MAKES GUESTS SIGN A FORM TO GET IN HER POOL TO PREVENT THEM PEEING IN IT

Entertainment Weekly

 

Leslie Jones makes guests sign a form to get in her pool to prevent them from peeing in it

"I don't let nobody get in my pool," Jones quipped.

By Maureen Lee Lenker  Published on July 2, 2024 06:16PM EDT

 

Leslie Jones takes her pool hygiene seriously.

 

The former Saturday Night Live cast member explained her strict policies surrounding her swimming pool while appearing on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast. "My whole pool is a bath," she explained, noting that she keeps the water temperature quite high. "I'm kind of a germaphobe like you. Plus, I don't let nobody get in my pool, and you have to sign something to get in my pool."

 

Mandel and other guests, including his daughter Jacqueline Schultz, questioned Jones. "You have, like, an NDA for your pool?" asked Schultz.

 

But Jones explained the reasoning behind her pre-plunge paperwork. "Because people pee in your pool," she continued. "Let me explain something to you. People don't know what their ass or their d--- or p---- does in hot water until it is emerged. My [pool] is 104 degrees. If you step into a hot pool, you don't know if you're gonna fart automatically. You don't know if that s--- gonna make you p---. I make people go to the bathroom. I make them take a shower before they get in my s---."

 

Jones is also serious about banning people not just from her pool, but from her company if they break their contract. " I tell them, 'If you pee in my pool, that means you will pee in my life. Get the f-- out,'" she said. "I could count how many people has been in my pool."

 

One question remained about this policy, however, which is how does Jones know if someone breaks the rule? No, she doesn't fill her pool with a special chemical that exposes the culprit. "I just know," she insisted. "They have that look on their face. Every time I go to a pool, I could tell where somebody's peeing. It's a dead look."

 

But while she may have strict guidelines around her private pool, Jones is going to be spending a lot of time around an Olympic-sized pool this summer when she returns to NBC as the chief super-fan commentator of the Paris 2024 Summer Games.

 

Perhaps she'll be less concerned about pool hygiene if she's too busy screaming Katie Ledecky's name.

AH: I wouldn't get in her pool because 104 degrees is too hot for me. I wouldn't even go in a hot tub     temperature.

WHY CHANGING DIAPERS IS A PRIVILEGE

I found this post by a dad heartening. 

HOW TO POTTY TRAIN A CHRISTIAN

Here's a fifth post, this one focused more so on young Christians rather than those who are more mature in Christ as the previous posts did. 

POTTY TRAINING AND MY WALK WITH GOD

Wow! Here's a fourth post with even more wisdom drawn from the physical toilet training experience.