May 2007

Hungry eyes

Panel from Jacob T. Stoltz's hilarious and bizarre recent local comic zine Should You Encounter a Cougar, which contains such practical cougar-encountering advice as "Always be aware of your surroundings" and "Always carry a sword & shield." (Available at Big Brain Comics and other stores.) Stoltz's rock poster website is Jovialjams.com.

Nice piece on Golden (MySpace) in the Strib today--give him a listen. (Some background, and this week's City Pages mention.) The rapper plays a CD-release show tonight at the Fine Line, which I hope to make if I'm feeling well enough. Same with Maria Isa's CD-release on Tuesday. Oh, and maybe the Punk Rock Prom II below. Happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Recently posted elsewhere or below:

'Crawdaddy' revived by Wayzata rock fan (CPBlotter.com 5/23/07), my feelings about Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (scroll down) (ILM 5/18/07), Message in a Bottle: For TV's Ian Rans, there's no such thing as an unhappy hour (5/9/07), Pickled cable access host and St. Paul mom... separated at birth? (CPBlotter 5/15/07), Cable-access TV in Minnesota: complete links (Complicatedfun.com 5/3/07), Homegrown Festival in Duluth this weekend (CPCulture 5/4/07), Scenes from the MN Rock and Country Hall of Fame (5/1/07), previous roundup.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at May 25, 2007 6:46 PM | Comments (0)

Spinderella's autograph

Nice to hear MC Shan and Eurythmics mingled in the DJ set last Saturday at Foundation by Spinderella (of Salt-N-Pepa), a benefit for B-Girl Be. Seems like outside of that, I've been sick or working for weeks, so I'll have to catch up with EMPers, friends, and blogging soon (Homegrown recap on the way). Happy Art-A-Whirl.

Video: Brother Hitchens vs. Al Sharpton

In debating Sharpton on the existence of God, Christopher Hitchens claims Martin Luther King had a profound influence on himself as a young man (really?), misquotes the title of Taylor Branch's latest book, and calls the author "my friend" (really?). Quality iconic fun in any case--and no, I'm not on God's side.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at May 18, 2007 2:47 PM | Comments (0)

In defense of Billy Joel

Both his greatest and worst hits belong to everyone now, as iconic and critic-proof as the Eiffel Tower, and there's a good chance, anyway, that your reason for dismissing Billy Joel is somebody's favorite song. "Uptown Girl" was such a plain and wonderful bit of acting--nearly surpassing its Four Seasons inspiration--that I can't believe critics took it as a character flaw made manifest. Tell it to the exultant lesbian who won an otherwise all-male drag-queen contest a few years ago in Eau Claire by lip-synching the '83 tune in greaser gear. Writer Chuck Klosterman has more recently attempted to liberate Joel from contemporary standards of cool, but I seem to remember the piano player's '70s albums being wrapped up in my own Midwestern childhood image of New York City, the state of mind quoted by Nas in which couples fight because that's romance, and where giving attitude is merely sociable. Smeared as defensive at the time, "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" was a fighter's homage to the new wave, complete with ska bridge, while "Allentown" was more sympathetic and place-specific than "Pink Houses," never mind its Broadway-style video. The entire back catalog, in fact, seems gentler in retrospect, with even the don't-blame-the-boomers rap of "We Didn't Start the Fire" sounding almost reasonable now that another generation is fucking things up. As a melodicist, Joel towers above us, and now he's back-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack (playing the Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday). Hope he sticks around for a while.

[Note: Edited later to reflect the fact that I fell in love with the Four Seasons after Rhino issued that boxed set in '07.]

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at May 7, 2007 6:03 PM | Comments (3)

Family photos

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at May 3, 2007 6:47 PM | Comments (2)

Cable-access TV in Minnesota: complete links

Here are all the cable-access community television stations in Minnesota (what I could find on the web as of May, 2007, anyway). Note that Minneapolis/St. Paul and surrounding suburbs have a slew of them--Twin Cities stations include AFRCC, BCAT, BECT, CCTV, CTN, CTV, ETC, FCTV, FMT, HCTV, LCTC, LMCC, MCN, MTN, NDC4, North Metro TV, NWCT, QCTV, SCC, SLPTV, Shakopee, SPNN, and VACTV. With cheaper and improved technology, it's easier than ever for anyone in this state to pick up a camera and go make your own television. It couldn't be worse than what's on.

Minnesota cable-access stations:

Access Television 8, 18
Fergus Falls community television
http://www.pegaccess.com/

AFRCC 6, 10, 12, 16, 22
Apple Valley Farmington Rosemount Cable Commission
http://www.ci.apple-valley.mn.us/Channel_16/

BCAT 16
Bloomington Community Access Television Channel 16
http://www.ci.bloomington.mn.us/cityhall/dept/commserv/commun/bcat/bcat.htm

BECT 14, 16, 18, 19, 20
Burnsville/Eagan Community Television
http://www.bect.tv/

CCTV 12, 13, 21
Mankato Community Connection Television
http://www.accesscctv.net/

CCTV 15
Chaska Community Television
http://www.chaska.tv/Community.asp

CTN 15, 16, 19
CTN Studios of Coon Rapids
http://www.ctnstudios.com/

CTV 11, 12
Chipewa Valley Community Television
http://www.cvctv.org/

CTV 14, 15
Community Television Channel 15, run by North Suburban Communications Commission (a.k.a. North Suburban Access Corporation), serving the inner north suburbs of the Twin Cities, including Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, Roseville, St. Anthony, and Shoreview
http://www.ctv15.org/

ETC 33
Everyone's Television Channel 33, Fridley
http://www.etc33.org/

FCTV 10
Faribault Community Television
http://www.faribault.org/

FMT 17
Fridley Municipal Television Channel 17
http://www.ci.fridley.mn.us/citymgr/cable.htm

HCTV 14
Hastings Community TV
http://www.hastingstv.com/

HCVN 7, 10
Hutchinson Community Video Network
http://www.hcvnonline.com/

Howard Lake Cable Access Channel 10
http://www.howard-lake.mn.us/tv.html

HPAT 12, 22, 23
Hibbing Public Access Television
http://www.hpat.org/

ICTV 2, 5, 7, 32, 35, 37
Itasca Community Television
http://watchictv.com/

KING 11
Spring Valley Community Television
http://springvalley.govoffice.com/

Lakeville Cable Television Channel 16
http://www.ci.lakeville.mn.us/departments/cabletelevision.htm

LMCC 8, 12, 20
Lake Minnetonka Communications Commission
http://www.lmcc-tv.org/

MCATV
Moorhead Community Access Television (unknown channel)
http://www.mcatv.org/

MCN 6
Metro Cable Network Channel 6, serving the seven-county metro area around the Twin Cities
http://www.mcn6.org/

MTN 16, 17, 75
Minneapolis Television Network (a.k.a. Minneapolis Telecommunications Network)
http://www.mtn.org/

NDC4 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21
Northern Dakota County Cable Communications Commission, serving Inver Grove Heights, Lilydale, Mendota, Mendota Heights, South St. Paul, Sunfish Lake, and West St. Paul
http://www.townsquare.tv/

North Metro TV 14, 15
Channel 15, serving the outer north suburbs of the Twin Cities, including Blaine, Centerville, Circle Pines, Ham Lake, Lexington, Lino Lakes, and Spring Lake Park
http://www.northmetro15.com/

NTV 12, 26
Northfield Community Television
http://www.ntv.org/

NWCT 12, 16, 18, 19, 20
Northwest Community Television serving Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth, and Robbinsdale
http://www.nwct.org/

NWCT Channel 12
Northwest Community Television news channel
http://www.twelve.tv/

PACTV 7, 16, 20
Duluth Public Access Community Television
http://www.pacttv.org/

QCTV 15, 16, 19
Quad Cities Community Television, serving Andover, Anoka, Champlin, Ramsey
http://www.qctv.org/

Rochester Government Access Channel 19
http://www.rochestermn.gov/departments/channel19.asp

Savage Community TV 14, 15, 16
http://www.ci.savage.mn.us/DepartmentsAndServices/Administration/cable.htmlhttp://www.cityofsavage.com/

SCC 15, 16, 18, 19
Suburban Community Channels, serving Ramsey and Washington counties, including Birchwood, Dellwood, Grant, Lake Elmo, Mahtomedi, Maplewood, North St. Paul, Oakdale, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Lake, White Bear Township, and Willernie
http://www.scctv.org/
MySpace page
http://www.myspace.com/scctv

SCTV 19
Sauk Centre community television, serving Sauk Centre, Melrose, Eden Valley, Watkins, Kimball, Meire Grove, Grey Eagle, Greenwald, New Munich, St. Martin, and Ward Springs
http://www.sctv19.com/

SLPTV 14, 15, 16, 17
St. Louis Park Community TV
http://www.stlouispark.org/residents/community_tv.htm
alternate website
http://www.slptv.org

Shakopee Channel 15, 16
http://www.ci.shakopee.mn.us/access_tv.cfm

SPNN 15, 16, 19, 20
Saint Paul Neighborhood Network
http://www.spnn.org/

SPPA 7, 8
St. Peter Public Access Television
http://www.ci.st-peter.mn.us/sppa/

SWC-TV 14, 16, 18
South Washington County Television, run by the South Washington County Telecommunications Commission (SWCTC)
http://www.swctc.org/

VACTV 14, 15, 16, 18
Valley Access Channels Television in St. Croix River Valley
http://www.vactv.org/

TV 3
Worthington, Minnesota, Cable Channel 3 Community Internet
http://www.wgtn.net/tv3/

WRAC 8, 18, 19
Willmar Regional Access Channels
http://www.ci.willmar.mn.us/menu/departments/wrac/new.htm

Windom Channel 3
Windom Local Access
http://www.windom-mn.com/

Related:

ACM (Alliance for Community Media)
http://ourchannels.org/

ACM (Alliance for Community Media), Midwest Region
http://www.acm-midwest.org/

The Global Village CAT, "Worldwide links to 700 Community & Public Access Television sites"
http://www.communitymedia.se/cat/index.htm

MACTA (Minnesota Association of Community Telecommunications Administrators)
http://www.mactamn.org/

MCT (Minnesota Community Television)
http://www.acm-midwest.org/minnesotacommunitytelevision/

MNStories
http://www.mnstories.com

National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors
http://www.natoa.org/

NWSCCC (Northwest Suburbs Cable Communications Commission), serving Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth, and Robbinsdale.
http://www.nwsccc.org/

PAAA (Public Access Awareness Association)
http://www.publicaccess.org/

Public-access television Wikipedia entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_access_television

Save Access Wisconsin
http://saveaccesswisconsin.org/

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at May 3, 2007 6:14 PM | Comments (0)

« April 2007 | Main | June 2007 »