January 2006

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The very last Frey day

Filed under: Pop Culture

Today officially marks the end of FreyGate. Really. We promise you'll never have to hear this guy's name again. Ok, we just lied like we're James Frey wearing a pair of burning pants on Oprah and all we can think about is that awesome Queen song. But we did it for a good cause.

Upon perusing Amazon earlier today, we stumbled upon this gem of an interview with James Frey from a few months back. In the web site's "significant 7" Q&A, Frey is asked, "What is the worst lie you've ever told?" His answer: "No way I can answer that." Hmmmm...do you suppose Nan Talese prepped him for that question? He answered like someone was holding a gun, or a golden Oprah-book-club check, to his pulsating temple.

But it got us thinking. Frey, though he still remains recalcitrant and stoic, has to feel somewhat unburdened by these revelations. Plus, the beginning of the year is a great time to publicly come clean and unfasten ourselves from all those suffocating fish stories. So let's do it: What's the worst lie you ever told? I'll start.

Posted by at January 31, 2006 11:35 PM | Comments (3)

 

Larry Batson, columnist and patriarch of the Hypstrz and Mighty Mofos, dead at 75

Filed under: Obituary

One of the best pieces of rock writing to ever come out of this burg was penned by Larry Batson in the Minneapolis Tribune in the early '80s. This was before the electronic archives allowed us to search and find just about everything, so you'll have to trust me when I say that this column, about a proud father listening to the floorboards shake as his sons Ernie and Billy roared in the basement of their northeast Minneapolis home, was as good as anything that got the elder Batson nominated for a Pulitzer. Larry Batson died Monday at the age of 75; our condolences go out to Billy and Ernie and the extended Hypstrz and Mofos family.

Posted by Jim Walsh at January 31, 2006 8:57 AM | Comments (4)

 

What's Your iTunes Smart Playlist?

Filed under: Music

If you have Apple's iTunes loaded on your 'puter you've no doubt played around with what the software calls "Smart Playlists". You can use layers of criteria to filter your library of MP3s. Simple Smart Playlists would be "All songs from 1988", or "All songs with Genre 'Metal'", or "All songs that are Track 3". A web site dedicated to Smart Playlists uses a forum to show how others use this wonderful feature.

So I wondered what sort of cool Smart Playlists others had been building? Let us know the criteria for your Smart Playlist and then post a top ten Party Shuffle list that uses your Smart Playlist as the source.

Here's one I came up with:

Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll:
- Match ANY of the following conditions:
- Name contains sex
- Name contains drugs
- Name contains rock
- Name contains roll

1. Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine - James Brown - The CD Of JB
2. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker [Original ABC Single Version] - The Ramones - Hey! Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology (Disc 1)
3. Superfunkycalifragisexy - Prince - The Black Album
4. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) - Johnny Cash - American III: Solitary Man
5. Red Rocking Chair - Doc And Merle Watson - Watson Country
6. Sextape - Har Mar Superstar - Body Request
7. Rock Your Socks - Tenacious D - Tenacious D
8. Lover's Rock - The Clash - London Calling
9. Rock Rock Y'all - A Tribe Called Quest - The Love Movement
10. Harold Of The Rocks - Primus - Frizzle Fry

[Oh, SmartPlaylist.com has a good 'How to Create a Smart Playlist' page if you need help getting started.]

Posted by at January 31, 2006 6:34 AM | Comments (12)

 

How high will your definition be? Maybe not that much

Filed under: Stuff

The format war between high-definition DVDs known as HD DVDs and the competing Blu-Ray discs became more complicated when Toshiba announced that its HD DVD player will be in stores in March for $500-- half the cost of the cheapest Blu-Ray player and months before those players hit the shelves. Now comes news that neither format may deliver what it promises, thanks to another war: the one on piracy. Because the hi-def discs lose their copy-protection when plugged into an analog television, the signal will be degraded to keep pirates from making perfect copies. The argument is that it won't be noticable on the average analog TV; the problem is that many first-generation hi-def TVs have analog-only inputs. In other words, the poor suckers, er, early purchasers of HD sets will be getting about one-quarter the picture they paid for, no matter what the format.

Posted by Steve Monaco at January 31, 2006 12:41 AM | Comments (0)

 

Atmosphere meets Mary J. Blige

Filed under: Local Music

Happy obsession of the day: DJ Benzi's mashup of "Ohh" by Mary J. Blige's and "Modern Man's Hustle" by Atmosphere (via Benzi's site, via DUNation). So, how large (or small) is the crossover of these two artists? Both play great concerts and put out great albums. By the way, I'm all for acclaim for Mary's new one, but who else thinks the last one, and Atmosphere's new one, are oddly underrated?

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at January 30, 2006 3:51 PM | Comments (2)

 

Aging Rocker's Morality Questioned

Filed under: Music

The Onion's rave review of Robert Pollard's new album, From a Compound Eye, begins with this puzzling sentence: "Given Robert Pollard's profligacy, it's only natural to greet his 26-track, 70-minute post-Guided By Voices 'debut' solo album with skepticism."

The first definition of "profligate" is (from Random House Webster's Unabridged) "utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated; thoroughly dissolute." What might this mean?

1.) Duh, Mr. Safire, the writer was looking for "prolificacy," since Pollard has put out like 4,000 records and in the process bored all but GBV diehards. It's a tiny usage error, not unlike those you've made in print, asshole.

2.) Mr. Pollard is known to imbibe heavily of Satan's brew onstage. Drinking is a sin, Jesus' moderate consumption of wine notwithstanding. The Onion will not tolerate sinfulness even from the rock and roll musicians it covers and does not want to encourage dissolute behavior among its youthful readers.

3.) Mr. Pollard is prolific--too prolific. His extravagant output can in fact be called intemperate and it is clearly a sign of deep vanity ("vanity of vanity; all is vanity"!), which is also sinful.

Posted by Dylan Hicks at January 30, 2006 3:37 PM | Comments (1)

 

Music News of Minor Interest

Filed under: Music

In April, Bangle Sussana Hoffs and noted bauble Matthew Sweet are releasing "Under the Covers, Vol. 1," a duet album featuring the following '60s pop gems:

I See The Rain (The Marmalade)
And Your Bird Can Sing (The Beatles)
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan)
Who Knows Where The Time Goes? (Fairport Convention)
Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young And Crazy Horse)
Alone Again Or (Love)
Warmth Of The Sun (The Beach Boys)
Different Drum (The Stone Poneys)
The Kids Are Alright (The Who)
Sunday Morning (The Velvet Underground)
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young And Crazy Horse)
Care Of Cell #44 (The Zombies)
Monday Monday (The Mamas And The Papas)
She May Call You Up Tonight (The Left Banke)
Run To Me (The Bee Gees)

Posted by Dylan Hicks at January 30, 2006 2:12 PM | Comments (2)

 

New distributor for Minneapolis-based Bukowski film

Filed under: Film

Factotum, the Bent Hamer film with Matt Dillon playing Charles Bukowski's alter-ego, Henry Chinaski, has been given a second lease on theatrical life in the United States-- IFC Films picked it up at the Sundance FIlm Festival after the picture's first distributor dropped it. The film was shot around Minneapolis, which filled in for '70s-era L.A. It's a good, not great, Bukowski movie (his own Barfly is still the standard, although Crazy Love comes close). Dillon is decent as Buk, but he's just too clean. Still, some moments soar, like this exchange between Chinaski and a new friend.

Chinaski: Do you have a woman?
Friend: No, if you have a woman, all they want you to do is fuck 'em all the time.
Chinaski: Get a woman you like to fuck.
Friend: No, because if you wanna go out and drink, or you wanna go out and gamble, they don't like it because it's time away from them.
Chinaski: Well, maybe you need a woman who likes to fuck, drink and gamble.
Friend: Who wants a woman like that?

Posted by Steve Monaco at January 30, 2006 1:48 AM | Comments (1)

 

Fifth Dimension

Filed under: Music

Here's a Friday afternoon time waster that I first ran into on the "I Love Music" discussion group. Pick a favorite musical act that you think has made (at least) five truly great albums, and rank those albums in order of preference. Lists cannot exceed five albums! There won't actually be any consequences for exceeding five, but just play fair. Also, greatest-hits albums don't count, which I realize punishes all sorts of great pre-album artists and singles specialists, but let's cover those folks in another time-wasting exercise.

Also, if someone does, say, the Rolling Stones, and you also want to do the Rolling Stones, that's fine.

I'll start, with the Rolling Stones:

1. Let It Bleed
2. Aftermath
3. Exile on Main St.
4. Sticky Fingers
5. Beggar's Banquet

Posted by Dylan Hicks at January 27, 2006 2:13 PM | Comments (93)

 

Oprah: "It's not sad for me. It's embarrassing."

Filed under: Books

Today on "Oprah," talk-show host Winfrey brought out James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces, who is probably understandably nostalgiac for the days when he had the support of his one-time backer (read Emily Carter's take on things in this week's City Pages). His self-styled credibility as a bad-ass two-fisted addiction survivor was deflated considerably by a recent piece in The Smoking Gun that revealed, among other things, that Frey's story of beating up, and being beaten up by, several cops was actually a minor arrest without incident that saw him freed in a couple of hours.

Posted by Quinton Skinner at January 26, 2006 5:40 PM | Comments (2)

 

Rumor confirmed: Rake publisher buys MNSpeak

Filed under: Blogs/Web

"Tom Bartel (publisher of The Rake) and his son, Matt, are the new owners of this site," writes Rex Sorgatz at MNSpeak.com, confirming the gossip relayed here last week. "This site needs more resources, and these guys are committed to making it happen. Basically, I really trust them." A press release from Loquamur, LLC., the company controlled by Rake publisher Tom Bartel, confirms the news: "Matt, a senior economics major at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, will take over as the site's primary caretaker, while Mr. Sorgatz will continue in an advisory role." Here's the Rake press release...

LOQUAMUR, LLC PURCHASES MNSPEAK.COM

Loquamur, LLC., a Minnesota corporation controlled by Tom Bartel, Publisher of the Rake Magazine, and son Matt Bartel, has purchased the assets of MNSpeak.com from MNSpeak founder Rex Sorgatz. Mr. Sorgatz sold the site after accepting a position with the Microsoft Corporation in Seattle.

"We've been fans of MNSpeak since the beginning and we admire the work Rex has done. When it became available, we jumped at the chance to continue what Rex started," said Tom Bartel.

"I was happy to find buyers like the Bartels who will continue with an approach that's been successful so far. We have a lot of loyal readers who I think will be happy with the future direction of the site," added Mr. Sorgatz.

Matt, a senior economics major at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, will take over as the site's primary caretaker, while Mr. Sorgatz will continue in an advisory role. Said Matt, "I have some big shoes to fill after Rex leaves, but the driving force behind the site has always been the users. As long as people in the Twin Cities are interested in local discussion, the site will continue to provide them with a forum."

Mr. Sorgatz plans to start a similar site in Seattle called SeattleSpeak.com.

Loquamur means "let's talk" in Latin.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at January 26, 2006 1:11 PM | Comments (3)

 

Oak Street Cinema seeks volunteers

Filed under: Film

You gotta love Al Milgrom, who helped launch MN Film Arts more than 40 year ago (as the U Film Society), and is now one of the last remaining staff: His wee-hours post on Monday at the new Save the Oak Street blog was about as impolitic as PR gets. Before inviting fans of the financially troubled Oak Street Cinema to volunteer for MN Film Arts (which runs the repertory movie house, and screens documentaries at the Bell), Milgrom berated the audience ("Where were you guys this weekend?"), old colleagues ("[MN Film Arts is] a very unhappy moniker... It was a [Bob] Cowgill & Co. name"), and anyone who might miss the Swedish film scheduled to open next month ("I would find it inexcusable if, for example, you failed to show for 'Illusive Tracks'... Not on DVD!! And won't be... it will knock you on your ass!!"). The Save the Oak Street organization, meanwhile, aired its own complaints the following day: "As a group, we have decided to make no further financial contributions to MFA until we have a clearer sense of its mission and its plans to implement that mission...

"We are concerned that our contributions may go to waste or may help only to exhibit films that commercial theater chains are already screening. We are eagerly awaiting the follow-up community meeting that the MFA Board promised on the night of the 14th. So far, we have heard of no plans to hold this second meeting, and we plan to wait with our donations and membership renewals until we know more."

Until the board of directors, staff, and supporters of Minnesota Film Arts see eye to eye, here are a few things you can do to help the Oak Street and the organization overseeing it: 1.) Get on the email list for Save the Oak Street, 2.) contact MN Film Arts to volunteer, and 3.) go down to the theaters and see some great films: The Oak Street calendar currently runs through February 9, with Music From the Inside Out (all titles link to reviews), Don't Look Back, and The Last Waltz playing through Thursday of this week (today). Opening Friday (tomorrow) are two acclaimed pictures you might have missed in other theaters, The Squid and the Whale and Ballet Russes, both screening through February 2, with Ballet Russes continuing through February 4. Illusive Tracks opens February 3 and screens through February 9. (Don't be shy about asking staff to focus these films, by the way; Oak Street projection is gorgeous when crisp.)

The Bell calendar, meanwhile, runs through February with a number of well-reviewed documentaries, including Ganges: River to Heaven through February 2, New York Doll from February 3 through February 9, and The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till (click title for Nation review; Democracy Now! segment here; official site here) from February 10 through February 16. MN Film Arts's essential 16mm rarity series at the Bryant-Lake Bowl, Search and Rescue, is also confirmed for February 8. (Last month featured a great little educational film on how phonograph records are made.) Anyway, Milgrom says the Oak Street will stay open at least through April's Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival.

How Minnesota Film Arts came to this crossroads: Here's a Jan. 15 MNSpeak discussion on the controversy, a Jan. 19 MN Daily editorial, a MNStories video of the the January 14 public meeting at Oak Street, with the document handed out by the staff that night, a Jan. 12 press release from the board, and accounts of the meeting from City Pages (Paul Demko updating this item), Euan Kerr (at Stephanie Curtis's new MPR movie blog), Bug, the New Patriot, the Pioneer Press, the Onion, the MN Daily, Holk, and the Star Tribune. For more backstory, here's some commentary on Jamie Hook's dubious 2005 tribute to Milgrom, a 2001 profile of Milgrom before the merger between U Film Society and Oak Street, which created Minnesota Film Arts, and more on Cowgill's 2004 departure after the merger. More recently, here's Cyn Collins's Pulse item on saving the Oak Street, an older Strib story, another Pi Press story and more MNSpeak discussion, plus a Complicated Fun post with Collins's initial email breaking the story.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at January 26, 2006 2:44 AM | Comments (3)

 

Reeling in the bargain

Filed under: Theater

Tonight is pay-what-you-can night for Children's Theatre Company's production of "Reeling." It's an homage to 1920's silent movies, with music, action, laughs, and those cherished pratfalls. The ticket minimum is a dollar, though of course pay-what-you-can is not synonymous with stiff-the-theater. Still, if you're light in the wallet and have a tyke to take to this all-ages show, this is your ticket. Showtime is at 7:00 p.m., thrifty ones.

Posted by Quinton Skinner at January 25, 2006 2:15 PM | Comments (0)

 

Music with a Twist: Flying the rainbow flag or homogenizing the homos?

Filed under: Music

Sony recently announced the launch of their gay record label, Music with a Twist. The label is one of a few new LGBT-themed media outlets founded by Wilderness Media & Entertainment; the company also responsible for MTV's gay and lesbian channel, Logo, and a nationally syndicated radio show called Twist. The label promises a roster of gay artists, as well as straight musicians who've been "embraced by gay, bisexual, and trans-gendered audiences." Will Music with a Twist really promote growth in the queer music community or just encourage the "us/them" mentality? Local lesbian singer/songwriter Ellis agrees with the former.

"I think it's great! Anything that affirms the LGBT community has the potential to be very positive," she says. "Though I am very open about being a lesbian artist, my primary goal is to touch people with my music. Since I have both fans from the queer community and also fans who don't identify in that way, I'm not sure it would be the best fit for me."

On the other hand, Tim Carroll of local metal band Faggot had this to say: "I hate the name of the label. I take offense to any reference to the Queer culture being somehow twisted/off kilter/etc. Sounds like a pretty generic "safe" gay label. I'd love to see Sony take on Faggot with songs like 'Fuck You, America,' 'You're Gay/You're Dead,' or 'I Have a Disease,' but I'm certain they won't go any more extreme than RuPaul or Indigo Girls or Liza Minnelli's greatest hits."

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at January 23, 2006 3:34 PM | Comments (3)

 

Brother, of Brother and Sister, seeks intern

Filed under: Local Music

Email from Michael Gaughan (of Ice-Rod and Brother and Sister fame; more here): "Hey everybody. Do you need an internship? I need interns to help organize public performance art pieces. please send a letter of interest and resume via e-mail. From Michael." Gaughan is probably one of the more fun and important local artists/musicians of this century, so anyone game?

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at January 23, 2006 11:02 AM | Comments (0)

 

For those about to risk exposure to rabies, we hospitalize you for observation!

Filed under: Music

It's been 24 years, but an entire nation remembers what it was doing that fateful day...

From the always indispensable dailyrotten.com:

Jan 20 1982

Rock musician Ozzy Osbourne is hospitalized in Des Moines IA after he bites the head off of a dead bat. The bat was tossed on stage by a fan during a live performance.

Posted by Steve Perry at January 20, 2006 1:27 PM | Comments (0)

 

Hipster Lit blog that you may already know about

The Rake's Progess (a bookchat blog unrelated to the local monthly) has been around for quite a while, but I just discovered it. Worth a look, or a second look.

Posted by Dylan Hicks at January 20, 2006 11:37 AM | Comments (0)

 

Wicked Pickett dead at 64

Filed under: Obituary

The first time I ever remember saying "sign of a good party!" when dancefloor turbulence made the record skip, I was in junior high and The Exciting Wilson Pickett was on the turntable. There is a powerglide moment in "Land of a Thousand Dances," right between the "nah, nah-nah-nah-nah" chant and the "like boney maroney" lyric, when my friends and I would go batshit with pubescent glee--damn straight we made that needle jump.

Pickett, who died today of a heart attack at the age of 64, had a voice and a fervor that were instant gratification for a freshly minted teenager. Never before had I heard a singer emit something perfectly pitched at the midpoint between a howl and a coo until Pickett told us, "All ya gotta dooooo is PICK UP your telephone and dial now, 6-3-4-5-7-8-9. That's my number!"

"In the Midnight Hour" is on the record, ranking with "Dances" and "Mustang Sally" among the Wicked one's greatest hits. But the record also had daft covers of "Barefootin'"--a squirrelly hit for Robert Parker--and Don Covay's "Mercy Mercy," both done in Pickett's inimitible sweaty, soul-soaked manner. And it had Steve Cropper's "Ninety-Nine and a Half Won't Do," which may as well have been Pickett's motto.

He released a slew of records, with his best moments by far coming in the mid-to-late 60s. Vocally he was the aural opposite of the dulcet-toned Lou Rawls, who also passed recently. Pickett was the man with elan, rivaling Otis Redding for onstage excitement. He had the Atlantic label production crew and the boys from Memphis and Muscle Shoals. At his best, he squeezed out sparks on every syllable, ballads be damned. Drop 99 cents on one of his tunes--cheaper than Red Bull and twice as energizing.

Posted by Britt Robson at January 19, 2006 5:15 PM | Comments (2)

 

A convention for people not cool enough to get into Comic-Con

Filed under: Blogs/Web

Registration is currently open for Blogging Man 2007, a three-day event to be held in October 2007 featuring speakers, media presentations, political candidate speeches, and e-mail breaks. Don't let the sorta-hip Burning Man-like name fool you, this won't be no hippie love-fest! The only thing smokin' at this event will be dozens of laptops employed to take down that dreaded mainstream liberal media. BM 2007 Chairman Eric Odom, a conservative activist in Northern Nevada, has enlisted a small battery of neo-con bloggers to speak, including Pamela a.k.a. "Atlas" of Atlas Shrugs, "Wyoming Christian" contributor Christopher Adamo, and the godfather of neo-con blogs himself, Hugh Hewitt (above). The first 500 early-bird registrants will receive a 50% discount (a $75 value), as well as a free copy of Hewitt's blockbuster tome "Blog," which Hugh will no doubt be distributing from the trunk of his car. As the website touts, "with 5,000 bloggers in one room, who knows what will happen"? Let's just hope they remember to slip out of their jams and put some pants on.

Posted by Corey Anderson at January 19, 2006 1:03 PM | Comments (0)

 

Who's buying MNSpeak and DUNation?

Filed under: Blogs/Web

Rumor has it that the Rake is negotiating to buy MNSpeak.com, one of the best local web discussion boards. MNSpeak proprietor Rex Sorgatz said today he wouldn't comment on the gossip, but says that he'll make an announcement in ten days. He does confirm that he'll be licensing the idea, and serving as a consultant for whoever takes over the site. "I've purchased the name Seattlespeak with the idea of starting a legitimate startup/franchise opportunity," he says. "There's a possibility that I'd turn it into a genuine startup company." Lars J. Larson, meanwhile, has confirmed that his own message board, the hip-hop-oriented DUNation.com, is also being considered for purchase by a group of investors. Will these essential online outlets of Minnesota culture flourish under larger owners? Or will they lose some of their WTF flavor?

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at January 18, 2006 6:00 PM | Comments (4)

 

Why the long nose, Glenn?

Just weeks after an investigative piece published by The Smoking Gun website revealed that key elements of James Frey's best-selling memoir, A Million Little Pieces, were distorted or fabricated, Culture to Go has learned that several solo hits by former Eagle Glenn Frey are similarly riddled with exaggerations, half-truths, and outright fibs. After obtaining authenticated photocopies of entries from Frey's mid-'80s diary and conducting interviews with various session players and roadies, CTG has determined that the subject of Frey's successful single "You Belong to the City" in fact felt no special loyalty to urban environments and is now living happily in a bucolic Bibb City, Georgia. Hiram Lind, briefly Frey's auto mechanic and the inspiration for "You Belong to the City," told us flatly that the song is a fake. "I don't reckon that one iota of that confounded number could be said to be the truth," he said. "Matter of fact, I always got to feelin' lonesome in the big city, even when it was just Macon, but 'specially when I spent a spell in Los Angeles, after a lady friend went out there tryin' to make it in pictures. No indeed, hoss, it's the small town that suits this Georgia boy."

Similarly, session bassist Chuck Pliny says that he has always questioned the veracity of Frey's "The Heat Is On." "I don't know, man," said Pliny, "it might've been a little touch and go there for a few days, but the heat was never really on, definitely not in any kind of life and death way. If Glenn thought the heat was on, well, then he's a fool, and Glenn Frey is no fool. Does that make him a liar? That's not for me to say."

At press time, neither Frey nor his management had responded to our interview requests.

Posted by Dylan Hicks at January 18, 2006 1:18 PM | Comments (6)

 

Get thee behind me, throat lozenge

Filed under: Music

According to their official web site, The White Stripes "are unfortunately postponing their upcoming Japanese tour dates because Jack White is suffering from an acute vocal cord problem. As part of his treatment, the doctors have instructed Jack not to speak or sing for the next two weeks." There's no word yet on how White is faring during his doctor-imposed period of silence, though he might want to recall the cautionary tale of Miles Davis, who famously blasted out his voice in similar circumstances and spoke in a muted rasp for the rest of his days.

Posted by Quinton Skinner at January 17, 2006 3:28 PM | Comments (0)

 

I don't know art, but I know what rocks

Filed under: Art/Museums

Gig posters have a long, colorful past but MCAD's Graphic Noise: Rock Posters at 1,000 dBs will get you caught up on the last ten years. After perusing more than 550 rock posters from all over the world, you might feel like a bit of an expert. Artists' signature aesthetics are quickly recognized, whether they be Ben Wilson's big-eyed, sallow-skinned characters, or Tara McPherson's uncluttered, melancholy cartoons. Elsewhere, you'll be able to identify artists whose work you've seen around town or on a best friend's living room wall: An entire hallway is devoted to local artists like Squad 19, Aesthetic Apparatus, and Burlesque of North America. It takes a lot to get noticed in such flashy company but sometimes it's as simple as the material the poster was printed on. Standouts include a cowboy painted on burlap, a gun composed of skeletal remains on faux-velvet, and maybe most impressive of all, a screenprint that looks astonishingly like magic marker scribbled on cardboard. Now that's old school. The exhibit's opening party takes place Friday night, and features music by STNNNG, the Deaths, and DJ Lori Barbero.

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at January 17, 2006 1:38 PM | Comments (0)

 

Celebrate American (and Minnesotan) song Tuesday

Filed under: Local Music

From our email (arriving too late for publication), here's a press release for a Tuesday event that's probably a lot more interesting than it sounds: 'LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS JAMES H. BILLINGTON AND BARITONE THOMAS HAMPSON CELEBRATE "CREATIVITY ACROSS AMERICA" WITH 11-CITY CONCERT TOUR. The internationally acclaimed baritone Thomas Hampson will give the fourth performance in his 11-city "Song of America" tour at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, Minn. Highlighting the performance will be the world premiere of a commissioned work by Stephen Paulus, "A Heartland Portrait," based on poems by Poet Laureate Ted Kooser.

'...Each concert is customized to highlight special contributions of the host city’s pre-eminent composers and musicians by displaying original musical manuscripts of their work. As part of the St. Paul initiative, educational outreach staff from the Library of Congress will conduct a teacher institute, "Making a Statement Through Poetry and Song," for local K-12 educators at the Minnesota Humanities Commission. Invited teachers will learn how to incorporate the Library's unique online collections into their classrooms to encourage critical thinking skills among their students.

'The "Song of America" concert repertoire spans from our nation's founding to the present day and emphasizes American songs' context in society. The performace will include national favorites such as Stephen Foster’s "Beautiful Dreamer," the folk anthem "Shenandoah" and many rarities such as Harry T. Burleigh's "Ethiopia Saluting the Colors."

'A native of Spokane, Wash., Hampson has long been regarded as one of the most passionate advocates for American song, which he has championed throughout his career. His companion CD, titled "Song of America" (EMI Classics), is a 20-track collection of American song, created in association with the Library. The album features songs that Hampson will sing on the tour, as well as many other favorites and lesser-known gems.

'Friends of the Library of Congress and members of its private advisory group, the James Madison Council, have made possible the "Song of America" tour featuring Thomas Hampson. It is one of the first in a series of events in the Library’s broader celebration of "Creativity Across America."

'The Library is the world’s largest library with more than 130 million items in nearly all languages and formats. It serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both through its 21 reading rooms on Capitol Hill and its award-winning Web site at www.loc.gov.

'Events in conjunction with the concert:

'EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH PROGRAM at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17
Teacher Institute at the Minnesota Humanities Commission, 987 East Ivy, St. Paul, MN. For more information, call (651) 774-0105.

'CONCERT at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17
Public viewings of treasures from the Library of Congress at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and The Schubert Club include the first edition cover of Stephen Foster’s "Beautiful Dreamer" and pages from the musical manuscript of Aaron Copland’s "Appalachian Spring," along with items chosen specifically for the tour stop, such as the sheet music of "My Minnesota Home" by Lyle Regal "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan.

'A pre-concert panel discussion with composers Stephen Paulus and Libby Larsen on the historical and social significance of song in America beginning at 7 p.m.

'"Song of America" concert featuring Hampson and pianist Wolfram Rieger. For tickets and information, contact (651) 224-4222, www.ordway.org.'

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at January 16, 2006 8:30 AM | Comments (0)

 

Will the last movie fan please shut off the popcorn machine?

Filed under: Film

On Saturday evening Twin Cities film enthusiasts will have the opportunity to view two of the most celebrated movies of all time, Citizen Kane and Casablanca, at the Oak Street Cinema. Prior to the screening, attendees will be invited to grapple with a question even murkier than the identity of Rosebud: Will the city's only repertory theater be closing?

In recent weeks the rumor has been rampant in Twin Cities cultural circles that the East Bank cinema, started by Augsburg College professor Bob Cowgill in 1995, will be shuttered. After the double bill of Citizen Kane and Casablanca, the sole event on the calendar--which typically runs three months out--is two midnight screenings of the horror film Live Freaky! Die Freaky!

Oak Street is operated by Minnesota Film Arts, which also organizes the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Festival and runs the Bell Auditorium--a screen devoted to documentary film. Last month, under financial duress, the nonprofit group's board of directors voted to shutter the facility. Soon after, however, the board rescinded the decision--for now.

"Right now the Oak Street's back is against the wall," says Gretchen Williams, who resigned as managing director of the organization earlier this month. "Each week that goes by it's a stickier and stickier situation."

(Despite similarly sluggish attendance, The Bell is deemed secure because the organization has a favorable lease with the University of Minnesota that allows them to operate the theater at little cost.)

Those on the inside are largely keeping mum at present. What seems clear, however, is that there is a schism between Minnesota Film Arts' four main employees and the board of directors over the future of the theater and the organization. The staffers are publicizing a membership meeting for Saturday night prior to the screening of Citizen Kane to air their views of the situation and answer questions. The meeting may also serve as something of a pep rally to motivate supporters of the theater to lobby the board.

Given that apparent agenda, the meeting itself seems cloaked in conflict. "Please note that the staff has called the meeting as a staff, not as official representatives of the organization," the workers' email announcement reads. "There's never been much good faith between the staff and the board," Williams notes.

In recent weeks there has been an ongoing discussion about whether Cowgill will return to take over the helm of the Oak Street and possibly the entire operation. Under Cowgill's direction, the Oak Street screened movie classics and new art cinema seven days a week, and paid down the mortgage on the building. Presently, Cowgill declines to comment on any of the talks. "Obviously I care that the theater that I founded have a chance to go on," he says. "I would do whatever I could to make that happen."

Board members maintain that no decision has been made about the future of Oak Street. "There's really nothing to talk about," says board member Tim Grady. But in what limited comments trustees will make about the organization's plans, they're conspicuous in focusing on the film festival rather than the repertory house.

"The organization is liquid," says longtime board member Stephen Zuckerman. "We're not going out of business. The festival's going to go on."

"We're looking forward to a bigger better festival," adds Larry Lamb, who recently joined the board. "Exactly how we get there, I think we're looking at all the pieces."

Most people agree that much of the blame for the nonprofit group's perilous financial condition goes to former executive director Jamie Hook. He was fired last year after less than 12 months on the job. During that short tenure, Hook tried to steer Minnesota Film Arts toward becoming a player in the local indie filmmaking scene and diverted resources to that mission. At the same time, Hook missed the deadline for a $50,000 State Arts Board grant last April that left the organization with a substantial budgetary hole. The ousted director acknowledges that he was culpable for the oversight. "That was totally my fault and stupid," he concedes. "I felt really shitty."

But apparently that was not the only act of financial negligence during Hook's tenure. "He missed numerous grant deadlines," says Lamb. "His folly was on a grand scale."

Hook places much of the blame on the board members. He says that upon taking the job he suggested that the board raise $30,000 annually to support the organization. "The reaction to that, to say the least, was like I had exploded a bomb," he recalls. "They were like we don't do that." Hook also says that he pleaded with the board to bring on someone with accounting expertise to help with the books, but that they ignored him. "All summer I yelled and screamed we need help with regard to accounting," he says. "We need a CPA in here."

It's unclear exactly how deep the financial malaise is at Minnesota Film Arts. The most recent 990 tax return available is for the fiscal year that ended on June 30th, 20004--well before the organization's current problems. In that year Minnesota Film Arts had revenue of just under $800,000, with an operating deficit of $25,000.

The organization refinanced the mortgage on Oak Street last summer, bringing in roughly $20,000. But even after that infusion of cash, according to Hook, the group was operating in the red and bouncing checks last summer. He predicts that if the repertory theater closes the entire operation will collapse. "I think if you lose the Oak Street you lose the organization and you lose the festival," Hook says.

The board, according to numerous sources, does not appear to share that last theory. The film festival has ample sponsorship and has historically turned a profit.

The double bill of Casablanca and Citizen Kane is a reprise of the two films that played during the theater's grand opening in 1995. While the ending of both of those films is well known to local film fans, it remains to be seen whether the doubleheader will ultimately lead to a rebirth or to the theater's demise.

Posted by Paul Demko at January 12, 2006 5:24 PM | Comments (6)

 

Bob Feldman, 1949 - 2006

Filed under: Obituary

Bob Feldman, founder and president of Red House Records, died in his St. Paul home Wednesday. Jon Bream's obit in the Star Tribune has more details. Jon Dolan's feature on Red House from 1998 has more details about the importance of Feldman's independent spirit.

The last time I saw Feldman was in the fall. We were walking our dogs at the dog park near the Mississippi River with our families. He and his wife, Beth Friend, gushed to us about how beautiful the woods and river are in the winter, and how the dogs love to romp through the snow.

We talked fast and furiously about our latest mutual fave, Eliza Gilkyson, who had recently released her tremendous Paradise Hotel on Red House. He was thrilled that it was getting airplay on The Current.

When I think of Feldman's terrific radio show, Urban Folk, on KFAI-FM, I go back to the river. I was tooling around one Sunday afternoon during the Winter Carnival a few years ago, looking for the medallion, and he played Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows." It was such a perfect moment, all these souls with nothing better to do than sift through the snow looking for a little prize, and Cohen/Feldman commenting on the madness of the outside world.

I can still hear the enthusiasm in his voice. I can still hear the enthusiasm in his records. I discovered so much music from him. Please feel free to leave your own memories about Feldman in the comments section below on this very sad day.

Posted by Jim Walsh at January 12, 2006 8:56 AM | Comments (17)

 

Spielberg loses, but Munich DVDs safe from pirates

Filed under: Film

Each year the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) provides its 5,000 members with screener DVDs of the movies up for nomination. Thanks to region coding, an early attempt to keep DVDs free from unauthorized distribution, Steven Spielberg's Munich won't be in the competition-- all the screeners were accidentally coded for North American players, which won't work on European machines. Region coding doesn't keep DVDs from being copied, but was meant to control the availability of films in the world market (and keep cheaper import DVDs from killing the sales of new releases). Too bad BAFTA or Dreamworks didn't know about this program that strips off all copy-protection from DVDs, including region coding-- they could have made a few thousand copies and Spielberg might have won.

Posted by Steve Monaco at January 11, 2006 1:15 AM | Comments (0)

 

Frey gets fried

Filed under: Books

Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors, among other memoirs, might not have had that Santa Claus-looking kook of a caretaker he claimed he did. And local writer Nicole Lea Helget, author of The Summer of Ordinary Ways, might not have been a progeny of a mentally ill father who once killed a cow. Questions surrounding recent memoirs' authenticity haven't hurt book sales (or movie deals), though certain literary circles have shunned both Burroughs and Helget for fictionalizing certain aspects of their "memoirs" like repressive parents banned Paul Reubens in the 90s for porning up his mid-afternoons in Florida theaters.

James Frey, author of the million-selling addiction memoir A Million Little Pieces, is also taking a beating for allegedly fabricating his memoir, and he can't claim this one caused him to loose his teeth and show up on a cross-country flight looking like he'd been dipped in a vat of human excrement: Forget waiting for any reaction from Oprah Winfrey and the Harpo employees who got all teary-eyed and sychophantic when an oddly stoic and visibly uncomfortable Frey appeared on Oprah in October after The Op selected the memoir for her book club; it's those in recovery who became part of the thousands of Frey followers and enthusiasts who have been quick to publicly criticize Frey and admit they feel the most betrayed by the author's supposed embellishments.

For those of you who have read the memoir (teary-eyed Harpo employees included!), here are a few questions: Were his stories about what he encountered at Hazelden believable to begin with? Why would a dentist doing a root canal deny Frey novocaine? Like it'd really have an adverse affect on his recovery? Friggin' NOVOCAINE? Who's ever heard of a novocaine junkie? Did any of this seem credible to begin with?

And is it of any real consequence if parts are fictionalized? If a memoirist uses a skeleton of their life to tell their story, filling in with embellished bits that lead to the next chapter of their life, does it really matter if, in the end, they end up in the same place? Does it matter if they got there by spending three days in jail or three months? Or is Frey, who has been an inspiration for numerous addicts, immoral for fabricating parts of his story?

Posted by at January 11, 2006 12:52 AM | Comments (11)

 

Nightstand confessional

Filed under: Books

The Minnesota Rollergirls square off in monthly bouts at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, and on January 29, a traveling team will take on Raleigh, North Carolina in an interleague match. So what does a Rollergirl read to pass the time in the tour bus, the penalty box, and the hospital?

I am currently reading Christopher Moore's The Stupidest Angel. I've always felt that Christmas tales should include more zombies in them, and this book fits the bill. --Scarmen Hellectra

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. While I read this I constantly think about my grandpa's life growing up during the dustbowl and the depression. This last summer I visited his hometown in Kansas. I can see everything in the book so vividly and it is making a huge impression on me. --Contessa M.

I am reading The Da Vinci Code at the moment and am completely friggin' addicted. I start reading earlier ever night. I love it. I'm reading it because I've wanted to read it since the buzz started and I just found it at an estate sale for $3--hardcover even. Bonus. In addition to keeping me on the edge of my bed, its extra cool cuz they're in the Louvre and I've been there a couple times so I can totally picture it. I can't wait for the movie. --Flora this-is-only-the-second-book-I've-read-in-the-last-year-cuz-I'm-too-busy-with-roller-derby Flipabitch

I just finished re-reading the entire Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. I hadn't read it since I was younger, and after seeing the film, I wanted to read them all over again. Reading that collection as an adult was just as enjoyable. --Pain Gretzky

Right now I've been enjoying books involving pirates, history, or the Wild West. I started out with Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune and then Pat Murphy's Nadya, which involves not only crossing the prairie in a covered wagon but also features a lesbian werewolf! Currently I'm working my way through Louis L'Amour's Sackett family series after roller derby practice. Unfortunately, I don't expect pirates to return after the first two books, but I'm sure there's still plenty of knife-fighting and musket shooting to come. --CleoSPLATra

I'm currently re-reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. It's an amazing story about a young girl as she comes to terms with her death after she was brutally raped and murdered. The story is narrated from her "heaven" and takes the reader through her murder investigation, her family and friends' lives after her death, and ultimately her acceptance of her own death. I love this book--it reminds me to live each day to the fullest. --Hot Karla

I'm currently reading Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak. I majored in Russian language and literature and watched the movie as part of a class. I have also read some of his poetry in both English and Russian. Reading the classic literary work was the logical next step. --Dr. D. Bauchery

Currently, my boyfriend is reading me the The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. He is so romantic. --Jackie Mehoff

I just finished reading The Celestine Prophecy. I started reading this book because a friend and I were talking about people's energy that they give off and how you can pick up on different energies. The book basically is about being able to tune into your own energy and see other people's energy in colors and about achieving a higher state consciousness. --Sinderella

I am currently reading Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier. It is about an American born, 17-year-old girl of East Indian descent who is going through the normal teenage dramas but also starting to tackle the issues of being bi-cultural and what that means to her. It interested me because it is a light-hearted, engaging novel about coming of age (in a modern, realistic way) and I am also very interested in Indian culture. --Supersonik!

I am reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote because a few weeks ago the husband and I saw the movie Capote and he irritated me so bad I had to read the book. So far I am liking his writing way more than his awful voice. --Chastity Belt

I'm currently reading The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass. It's truly a great book. Full of obscure and obvious humor with just the right amount of disturbing, yet titillating content. The main character is German man who lived through the Nazi nightmare and has managed to stunt his own growth to a mere 3 feet tall using only his only strong will to stay little. Of course the book starts with his autobiographical worldview from the mental institution where he lives. I'm so far very pleased, but not yet finished reading. --Holly Go-Fightly

I am reading Woman by Natalie Anger. It is a book about everything anyone ever needed to know about a woman. From menstruation to what kind of birth control is the best or worst. She even describes a hysterectomy in intimate detail. I am reading it because I have always been extremely interested in female health and anatomy. It breaks down a lot of myths woman hear about their bodies. It has really empowered me already even though I am only half way through it. --Flogging Molly

I'm reading A Million Little Pieces by James Frey and it is amazing and I am in love with him even though he is a drug addict and an alcoholic, but he writes so well and goes through such pain. I'm reading it because I got it for Christmas from a boy I like right now after I told him I like to read about drug addicts. He did so well. --Rolls Wilder

Right now I'm reading Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins. Although I'm only about 50 pages in, it is typical Robbins style in that he never writes about what he's actually talking about. In this book, 3 airmen get lost when their B-52 bomber crashes in Laos. So far, I love it! --Knocker Blocoff

The Fuck-Up by Arthur Nersesian. Set in NYC, the "hero" of the story's life goes from bad to worse, as he manages to survive when everything gets taken from him piece by piece. What begins with a fight with his girlfriend on the same day he loses his job soon spirals down to places you and I would hope to never be. Perhaps because it's his own choices that cause him to end up in the worse situations, the book somehow keeps from being an exercise in depression. I picked this one up because a friend recommended the book as a favorite. Plus, it offends ninnies when they see the title, is almost square, and fits perfectly in my purse for waiting room enjoyment. --Honeydew Felon

I'm reading Memoirs of a Geisha. I got it as a Christmas gift! Very good book! --Lil' Hellion

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. And Classroom in a Book: Adobe InDesign CS2. --Barbie Brawl

Currently, I'm reading Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. Why? Because it'd been out for several years now and it's been referred to so often; I felt like it was time. It's a heavy read (non-fiction, historical, lots of scientific information), but it's also incredibly interesting and not as tough to slog through as I thought it might be. It's giving me a better understanding of cultures around the world, and making me more curious about them. --Norah Torious

I just finished Tipping the Velvet, a very sexy lesbian fiction. --Mandelicious

I am currently re-reading The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood. There's something so viciously tantalizing about her baking a cake version of herself and devouring it when her lover refuses. I imagine her licking her fingers, one by one, with a gleeful smirk upon her face--finally satiated and free. --Kitty Whompass

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at January 10, 2006 3:43 PM | Comments (2)

 

Roget Loyalist Has Hissy Fit (also kicks up a shindy and gets mighty splenetic)

I just noticed that on the dust jacket (the cover, even) of The Original Roget's International Thesaurus (sixth edition) there's an endorsement from Time magazine. "A sterling reference tool," it says. That might be fine for one of those joyless and only moderately useful dictionary-style thesauri, but Roget's certainly doesn't need to vulgarize its cover with banal hosannas from a source less authoritative than itself. The following comparison is hyperbolic and probably blasphemous, but no self-respecting publisher of Bibles would devote valuable cover space to something like "'A top-drawer religious text.'--Newsweek," or "Way better than the Koran." --U.S. News & World Report. I also wonder when Time issued that review.

Posted by Dylan Hicks at January 9, 2006 4:42 PM | Comments (5)

 

Cat power

Filed under: Art/Museums , Art/Museums

Never before has artwork faced so much competition for attention from the gallery it was displayed in. The first night of Jim Grafsgaard's new exhibit, which runs through Valentine's Day, coincided with the grand reopening of the Smitten Kitten at Lake and Lyndale. (The feminist-owned sex shop was originally located in south Minneapolis.) Patrons munched on appetizers catered by a self-proclaimed "chef/pervert," while perusing Grafsgaard's comical black and white ink drawings and Technicolor paintings. They also browsed over dildos shaped like Jesus, Mary, and, for those looking for a little more girth, Buddha. Despite the store's distractions, Grafsgaard's work couldn't have picked a better showroom. Like the Smitten Kitten, his doodles reveal a playful openness when it comes to sex. Plus, he offers something for all erotic tastes. I personally find the drawing of a teenage girl squatting over a mirror and exclaiming, "Oh boy! Boobies!" a bit ostentatious. I'd opt for something a little more understated--"Dong Bouquet" perhaps.

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at January 9, 2006 4:10 PM | Comments (0)

 

New DVD formats look great, except on the shelf

Filed under: Stuff

Like the record labels, movie studios enjoy re-selling us our collections, and now they're looking for a new DVD format so they can do it again. They have a couple: a high-definition disc called HD DVD, and Sony's Blu-Ray format, which promises to hold all three Lord of the Rings movies in hi-def on one standard disc. Hewlett-Packard is backing both, which makes it likely that there will be a format war like VHS vs. Beta in the '80s. (Sony's Betamax lost, leaving a lot of people with unfixable machines and worthless tape collections.) Speaking of the Betamax, the first batch of new hi-def players are evoking memories of those huge, clunky old machines. CNet's Daniel Terdiman just saw them at the Consumer Electronics show: "This thing was big and bulky and plodding, even as it produced stunning video. It felt odd seeing such great looking pictures from something that looked so utterly out of date."

Posted by Steve Monaco at January 9, 2006 3:19 PM | Comments (0)

 

A tribute for Lou

Penumbra Theatre Company is putting together a benefit this week to salute Artistic Director Lou Bellamy's recent Lifetime Achievement Recognition at the Ivey Awards. Bellamy's acceptance of the award was a high point in the evening, and was accompanied by a photo essay encapsulating his 30-year-plus career in the theater. The event takes place this Wednesday, January 11, at the Dakota Jazz Club from 5:00-9:00 p.m. Penumbra's T. Mychael Rambo hosts, with music provided by Moore by Four. Click here for ticket information.

Posted by Quinton Skinner at January 9, 2006 12:58 PM | Comments (0)

 

All the Pretty Horses play last show

Filed under: Local Music

Email from Venus of All the Pretty Horses, who play their last show at the Triple Rock on Friday, January 13: This will be ATPH's last show. The band is taking a hiadis and is not scheduling any more performances until further notice. (it will be a long time) ATPH would like to thank Minneapolis and St. Paul for all their support over these last 9 years. And I, (Venus,) want to personally extend that thanks. I feel proud to have remained based here in Minneapolis throughout ATPH's run. And I feel strongly about staying based here as I venture onto new musical projects.

Taking our hiatus has been a hard decision for me to make. With the exception of our second CD (Queens and Angels,) release on Minneapolis' own Twin/Tone record label, I have kept ATPH as an independent band while running our own record label, and promotions company: Skindog Productions.Through our 9 years run, we've toured the US, been to both coasts, toured the UK twice, New Zealand once, and performed in Amsterdam's 'Paridiso'. We've released 5 CD's. And throughout, we've called Minneapolis our home...

I feel so honored to have been, along with my wife, Lynette, and my band, ATPH, the subject of the documentary by Emily Goldberg: "Venus of Mars," which is still making the rounds world wide. (recently it won the Best Feature Documentary award at the 2005 Milwaukee International Film Fest. I found myself without words, when after 9 years ATPH was awarded the 2005 Minnesota Music Awards Hard Rock Artist/Group award. Our first and only musical award. (it's been sitting on our studio's bar, since that night, (ironically it was just 3 days before the award that I had made the decision to take our hiatus. )

I have struggled with the weight of debt, felt growing frustration as my innocence of how the music industry works was lost. I've grieved, along with friends and band members, as we lived through deaths, suicides, and crumbled hopes.

Since I was 18, I've lived a rock and roll life as a total jerk, a desperate wanna be, and an aggressive musical asshole. In addition to this early stage of my career choice, I have come to learn that life isn't always what you want, or expect. Through the years, my nature has been tempered, and my own personal journey of unraveling my own gender identity, has contributed to this.

My determination to follow my dream, no matter what, has caused me to nearly destroy my marriage, ( I recently lived through a 13 month separation from my wife of 22 years, (during which time I wrote the bulk of my upcoming solo CD.))

Despite all this, I wouldn't change a thing.

I personally want to thank you all, the Mpls/St.Paul press; City Pages, Pulse, Star Trib, St. Paul Pioneer Press, The Rake, Rift Mag, MPR, The Current, KQ, 92X, KFAI, Radio K,(have I missed anyone?,) for all your continued support of this project, and I hope you would set aside time to come join us for this, our last scheduled Minneapolis / St. Paul performance, as we come to the end of this long path, and begin to dream of new and independent journeys.

Sincerely,
Venus / All The Pretty Horses

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at January 6, 2006 4:47 PM | Comments (0)

 

Worst. Joke. Ever.

Starting this week, Culture to Go will run an online contest and weekly department where we'll post what we think is the new worst joke ever told. Here's the catch: These jokes must be new and original. That means only jokes made up by a CP staffer or you, the readers (who can post your new and wholly original joke in the comments thread), are eligible to become America's Next Worst Joke Ever. If you have the new Worst Joke Ever, your joke, along with the runners-up, will be posted the following week.

Keep it clean. We're talking about worst joke ever here, so it's perfectly acceptable to regress back to those pre-junior-high years where doing Mad Libs and making up jokes about Michael Jackson was the original blogging. (Note: we said "original" jokes, so Michael Jackson is probably off limits unless you come up with a real stinker.) Remember: These must be ORIGINAL jokes made up by YOU.

Here's the winner of this week's Worst Joke Ever (made up by a reader) to get you started:

Q: What did Vinnie Barbarino say to the 25-cent piece?

A: Hey, Mr. Quarterrr.

Can you do worse than that?

Posted by at January 6, 2006 2:02 PM | Comments (13)

 

You'll Never Find...

Lou Rawls, who died early this morning, was an eclectic of the old school with one of the most distinctive voices in all of pop. The last time Rawls came though Minneapolis, Britt Robson wrote this short and sweet A-list:

With the passing of Ray Charles, Lou Rawls is the reigning standard-bearer for the soulful, supper-club sophistication of Nat King Cole-styled R&B. Lacking the genius (and the demons) of Charles, he has built a pretty fair career pitching his rich, honeyed drawl into smooth Philly soul, classic balladry, and highfalutin blues. Hearing him sing is a reliable elixir for hypertension.

Posted by Dylan Hicks at January 6, 2006 11:29 AM | Comments (1)

 

Belle & Sebastian Too Heavy for You?

Filed under: CD Review

Jose Gonzalez Stay in the Shade EP Hidden Agenda

Jose Gonzalez is 25-year-old Swedish singer of Argentine extraction who covers Kylie Minogue tunes and sounds like a '60s British folkie. His acoustic guitar picking, precise but not fussy, and his 2:00 a.m. singing, gentle but not precious, brooding but not dour, combine for bohemian easy-listening music worth hearing even if you already have Nick Drake and/or Bert Jansch records. This EP leads with an extended version of "Stay in the Shade," from Gonzalez's 2005 full-length, Veneer, and follows with a handful of generally tuneful B-sides. His version of Minogue's "Hand on Your Heart" recalls Aztec Camera's take on Van Halen's "Jump": an acoustic rendering of a pop hit that bypasses novelty entirely just by aiming for the vulnerable heart of a good song.

Posted by Dylan Hicks at January 6, 2006 11:17 AM | Comments (0)

 

Withering satire soldiers on

Filed under: Theater

The Brave New Workshop's Caleb and Katy McEwen will be appearing this weekend in Chicago SketchFest 2006. They landed coveted headliner slots for Friday and Saturday, January 6-7, to perform their two-person revue Shut Your American Pie-Hole; or Discount Family Values. The show, which opened September 9, 2005, at the BNW, is an acerbic and frequently daring shot at the wiggly concept of "family values." SketchFest is the largest sketch comedy festival in the U.S.

Posted by Quinton Skinner at January 4, 2006 2:59 PM | Comments (0)

 

"PHC" to open SXSW Film Festival

Filed under: Film

Director Robert Altman's adaptation of Garrison Keillor's