Thursday, April 22, 2004

WHAT KIND OF BREAD WOULD YOU LIKE WITH THAT CIRCUS? I know I'm not the only one who doesn't care about "reality television shows" -- but you'd never know it, given the sheer volume of attention given over to this stuff. The incredible level of interest in these people is amazing. In yesterday's edition of USA Today, for example, a reader writes: [I] could not agree more with those who think that no-talent wannabes who come from reality TV programs are most certainly not stars of any kind. Most reality TV shows are, in essence, merely game shows. I'll expand on that. Not only are people who appear on reality TV shows not stars, nearly every "star" isn't a star. Aside from entertaining us, precisely what have most of these actors, athletes and musicians done with their lives to elevate themselves to Mount Olympus? At one time, describing someone as being in show business was no compliment. I'm thinking of a scene from "My Favorite Year" in which one Manhattan swell tells another than an Errol Flynn-type character is dangling from the balcony. "Alan Swann is beneath us," he says. "Of course he's beneath us," comes the reply, "he's an actor." 1:34:40 PM    Comments []

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

"Twang & Thunder" singer-guitarist and producer Marty Larkin reacts as Booster newspaper reporter Pat Butler sets a land-speed record for Johnny Cash's classic "I Walk the Line." TWANG & THUNDER I've been having a great time helping out with "Twang & Thunder," a classic country music revue continuing at Wishbone's Lincoln Avenue restaurant every Tuesday night through April 27. Tonight's show starts at 7:30. You get one free beer if you show up in a cowboy hat! (Note subtle shift into the news release. Do I know how to repurpose content or what?) The show is hosted by veteran country performer, singer and music-history raconteur Kent Rose (seen at right), appearing as "The Rhymin' Ranger," a fictional character who has played with, drunk with, toured with, inspired, been locked-up with and generally crossed paths with just about all the great country singers -- and their music. "Twang & Thunder" showcases classics by Hank Williams Sr., Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Gene Autry, Patsy Cline, Robert Earl Keen, John Denver and more. Among these time-tested classic songs, The Rhymin' Ranger weaves clever (some might say "corny") rhyme to tell true facts and stories you've probably never heard about these country legends. Twang & Thunder also features special guest singers and musicians, plus "Country-Oke," which encourages selected audience members to take the stage and sing with the band. "We're excited to be bringing this show to Chicago audiences," says "Twang & Thunder" producer Marty Larkin. "What we're seeing is the leading edge of a new appreciation for classic country music." This isn't the kind of music you're likely to hear on popular radio these days, Larkin notes. "Think Hank Williams, Tex Ritter, Gene Autry, Patsy Cline and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans," he says. "It's always been popular, but it's never been pop." Check out the picture of me (at right), taken by photographer Brendan Shultz. 12:51:15 AM    Comments []

Monday, April 19, 2004

ALL OUR YESTERDAYS Around 1 a.m. Saturday, I stood on the deserted LaSalle Street subway platform, waiting for the Blue Line train that would take me back to Jefferson Park. I had just completed a photo assignment for the Chicago Tribune's RedEye edition. For some odd reason, I kept thinking of a really wonderful stew my mom used to make. Lean, seared beef strips, a savory brown gravy laced with tomatoes -- and, best of all, potato quarters that had first been baked. As I sat there awash in comfort-food memories, I remembered that Mom usually cooked this delight on Wednesdays. And then it hit me: I was thinking of what we called "Lost in Space" Stew! Yep, we typically ate that stew while watching "Lost in Space" on the Curtis Mathes Home Entertainment Center. Every Wednesday night. So, why was I thinking of "Lost in Space"? Check out the photo I took of the subway platform. The concentric ring pattern created by light and shadow reminded me of another Irwin Allen show, "The Time Tunnel." Guess I should get a life. While waiting, I checked out these interesting "Time Tunnel" sites: http://www.iann.net/timetunnel/ http://www.story.com//classification.htm 1:54:12 AM    Comments []

Sunday, February 1, 2004

THE HORROR, THE HORROR The Janet Jackson halftime-show fallout tomorrow should be a riot. I've already seen two of my favorite words -- Horrified! Outraged! -- used numerous times already. And during the West Coast "dinner hour," too. Oh, the shame of it all. 11:13:45 PM    Comments []

THE MOST ROMANTIC SONG Last night, I swung by Katerina's out in Ravenspark to ask the Reader Reviews question of the week for Wednesday's RedEye metromix section. In keeping with impending Valentine's Day, we wanted to know what folks thought to be the most romantic song. I got some pretty good answers, which you can read Wednesday in RedEye. What you won't read in the paper, however, is what I consider to be the most romantic song. And everybody I interviewed wanted to know it. So, I'll go ahead and tell you: Lilli Marlene 3:51:47 PM    Comments []

Tuesday, January 6, 2004

Professor John and His Band and Tom Jackson (Tom's the tallest guy in the beard) at The Hideout. LAISSEZ LES BON TEMPS ROULER! Saturday night really hopped for me. First, I went down to a South Side place called The Lucky Strike to do an assignment for metromix.com. They've been sending me out to ask the musical question of the week. I get people to answer the question -- and I take their picture. It's a lot of fun. Check out the dead-tree edition of metromix in Wednesday's RedEye and look for "Reader Reviews." Getting down there was a bit of an effort, though. Because I'd be stopping in at the Hideout later on, I felt obliged to get into my cowboy gear. My friend ____ had palpitations over the prospect of me riding the Green Line down to 55th and Garfield dressed like McCloud, but nothing untoward happened. As I've said before, I seldom get negative comments about the hat. And besides, I think the South Side has an undeservedly bad rap as far as public transportation safety goes. Once I'd shot up the South Side, I haightailed it to the Hideout, where my Pens & Lens partner and I watched Chicago's Mystick Krewe of Laff Social Aid and Pleasure Club and Professor John and His Band kick off the Mardi Gras season. MC for the evening was Krewe Captain Tom Jackson, who hosts popular radio programs devoted to the Louisiana music scene and more. Check out his site to see some of my photos from the event. 2:58:20 AM    Comments []

SHOCKINGLY CLOSE TO THE TRUTH! Check out the latest edition of Saucer Smear. Editor and Still Supreme Commander James W. Moseley serves up his usual smorgasbord of tasty eclectica. I found this tantalizing bit of information about shenanigans at a UFO conference especially amusing: "Following the banquet, there was a small party in the hotel room of one of the speakers, and free wine & beer was provided. Shockingly, a woman came by with a small amount of marijuana, and later another attractive young lady indulged in a little harmless necking with some of the male attendees. Your editor took a few pictures, only to find out later that the film had been literally ripped out of the camera when he wasn't looking! We are about 99% sure who did this and why, but we decided not to make a scene." Once Saucer Smear whets your appetite, have a look at Moseley's "Shockingly Close to the Truth: Confessions of a Grave-Robbing Ufologist," a free-wheeling tale of his adventures investigating (and occasionally playfully perpetuating) the paranormal. 2:14:45 AM    Comments []

Sunday, January 4, 2004

THE CONQUEST OF SPACE Robert Picardo, who played the emergency holographic doctor on "Star Trek: Voyager," nicely sums up my feelings about Spirit safely landing on Mars. The New York Times quotes Picardo: "We really should have a timetable to send a man to Mars. The whole world felt a sense of accomplishment when we set foot on the moon. I keep remembering Tom Ridge saying to be vigilant and careful this holiday season, but maintain your travel plans. Well, Mars should be part of our travel plans." Some good linkage at The Mars Society, Mars Exploration Rover Mission and Susan's 2020 Hindsight. 9:36:27 PM    Comments []

Saturday, January 3, 2004

JED CLAMPETT MEETS THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD Thanks to a gift certificate for iTunes Music Store, the good news is that I've recently bought great material by Gene Autry, Connie Francis, Moe Bandy, John Williams, Robert Earl Keen, Glenn Miller, Dwight Yoakam, and the Ramones. The bad news is that in my initial excitement, I didn't preview the songs on one album -- making me relearn a lesson from back in elementary school. Grandma had taken us to see "Mary Poppins" at a Denver theater on Broadway (it would later become a Kitty's porno palace) and she really enjoyed the film, so I wanted to buy her the soundtrack for her birthday. Off I went to the Lakewood Kmart, the one that was next to Sach's Fine Quality Furniture and its "Leon the Neon Giraffe" near Colfax and Wadsworth. And there, in the record bin, I found a copy of the "Mary Poppins" original score for something like $1.29. Sold! Unfortunately, when I got home, my sister delivered the bad news: That wasn't really Julie Andrews on the album cover, but a rendering that was close enough to look like the real thing while still avoiding Disney's lawyers. No way, I said, it says it's the original score! To prove it, I opened the album and fired up our Curtis Mathes home entertainment center. OK, sis, listen to this.... Lesson learned. The original score ain't necessarily the original soundtrack. I had a similar feeling yesterday after I downloaded "Fantastic Television!!" I knew the album wouldn't be the actual original soundtrack recordings, but only after downloading its 28 tracks did I discover that the producers' definition of "Fantastic Television!!" includes not only science-fiction stuff like "Star Trek," "V," "seaQuest" and "Outer Limits," but also "The Rockford Files," "High Chaparral," "Gunsmoke," "Paladin," "Bonanza," and (egads!) "The Ballad of Jed Clampett"! The one positive aspect of all this is that the bizarre juxtapositioning of Westerns and sci-fi made me recall a genuine oddity -- 1958's "The Fiend Who Walked the West," which cribbed portions of Bernard Herrmann's music from "The Day the Earth Stood Still" for the opening credits. Weird or what? 1:30:35 AM    Comments []