knee jerk

with possible connections to the mob

2008-04-23T10:10:00.001-05:00

Yes, there WAS a pawn shop on Clark between Superior and Chicago. And of course, the neon beacon in the night of "Stop and Drink" (now the Clark St. Ale House.) Oh, and the Greek diner with possible connections to the mob, Mr. G's.

http://forgottenchicago.com/forum/read.php?1,647

Let's get lost

2008-04-18T14:35:00.001-05:00

Outta business, baby.
Like nowheresville.
Gone, daddy, gone.
Nobody home.
Splitsville.
Out of time, out of space,
no time left,no sense of place.
Erase your face.
End of the race.
Negativeland, negative space.
Gone.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86125374@N00/sets/72157604356700936/

buggy whip boutique?

2008-04-16T08:30:00.002-05:00

Ther﹣esa says:
"I don't think there's much work for vcr repairmen anymore."

And here I was hoping to franchise a chain of typewriter/8-track/vcr repair shops! Guess I'll just go back to developing my buggy whip boutique concept...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86125374@N00/2418076954/

Ich bin a jelly roll!

2008-03-12T11:37:00.002-05:00

"Hey, don't dis the Pei -- he "rocks" (as in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.) And of course, he who lives in glass pyramids shouldn't throw rocks -- he should employ robots to wash his windows. Until recently, I lived in I.M. Pei's University Park complex ("Monoxide Island") in the middle of 55th Street in Hyde Park. Ich bin a jelly roll!"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/m500/2329212414/
(click on Kneejerky to catch my stream)

I "heart" bricks

2008-02-22T17:18:00.005-06:00

This is a love letter to the city of broad shoulders, broads, and pork shoulders. She's had plastic surgery, but the nose is still broken.

I like bricks, and, Jack, she's a brick house. She's a skirt steak, free fries with a shake. She's got the meat and the motion. So I'd like to know where you got the notion.

Cheap rents,
sleeping in tents
attention, gents,
that's my bottle.

Old-man bars,
rust-bucket cars,
pennies in jars
for your thoughts.

Hanging around,
nothing to do but frown,
rainy days and mundanes
always get me down.

Fly dump on a
dry hump day.
Don't sit there like a lump.
Don't be a chump.

Punch Drunk
went out to lunch
with a sucker punch,
he had a hunch
it was a supper club.

A 5 o'clock shadow falls over a stumblebum corner. Pull down the shades and call the coroner.

A shave and a shine,
come back to the five and dime,
you got more than a Dollar in Store,
Mr. Woolworth.

Hubcaps and cheap sox,
raindogs sleeping in a box,
"cheat you fair" --what do you care?
Shut the door and check the locks.

Dig -- she plays the squeeze box,
cold as an icebox,
their eyes lock
in a street shot.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/86125374@N00/

GlueTube

2008-01-05T10:53:00.000-06:00

"I don't know. I find the visual experience of YouTube to be on par with watching old kinoscopes on a screen the size of a slice of toast (not that I didn't waste a few days myself when I first discovered it -- just as I also lost an entire weekend to MTV when I first experience that in 1980.) Still, that experience, that is "Music Television" and all its spawn, was a superior presentation (at least audio-visually) to watching the often seriously degraded vintage videos uploaded to GlueTube."

http://www.post-punk.com/ppvideos.html

play Misty

2008-01-01T12:27:00.000-06:00

"Makes one wonder what Mr. Bates' deeper psychological motivations are. He spends 10 years stalking street walkers and johns to nail 'em with a gotcha. He wraps his self-described vigilante "crusade" with a morally motivated, not religious, justification. Just wondering, does the Video Vigilante secretly "get off" on his voyerism of other people's depraved and degrading behavior?"

http://www.youtube.com/comment_servlet?all_comments&v=_SU4rg0zifk&fromurl=/watch%3Fv%3D_SU4rg0zifk

on a one-way ride...

2007-12-31T14:35:00.000-06:00

Speaking of juxtapositions -- on that theoretical playlist that loops in my head, I have long conceived of Pere Ubu’s “Waiting for Mary” followed by The Association’s “Along Came Mary” followed by The Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man” followed by The Association’s “Never My Love”…

Yes, “Third Reich & Roll” was also my intro to the deconstructionists known as Residents. And speaking of Dick Clark (to be found on the cover), I see that his re-animated corpse (didn’t he suffer a stroke a few years ago?) will be rockin’ in the New Year alongside torch-bearer Ryan Seacrest on ABC tonight. I think I’d rather listen to Casey Kasem (as Shaggy, of course) perform the count-down…

30 seconds over Tokyo,
Curt Spins

old piss

2007-12-24T09:49:00.000-06:00

"... the dive that used to sit on the NE corner of Madison & Halsted. It reeked of old alcoholic urine with denizens who could have came straight out of a painting by Hooper, a novel by Chandler or Algren, or a song by Tom Waits."

Nevermind

2007-10-08T11:46:00.000-05:00

curtsy - October 8, 2007 @ 9:45 am
"Actually, Emily Litella’s punchline was “Nevermind.” “It’s always something” was Roseanne Roseannadana."

http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/linux/2002/02/18/remember-emily-latella/#comment-71088

banning the letter P

2007-10-08T10:59:00.000-05:00

I read with amusement this "14 Point Plan" in the HP Herald. Given its "Emily Litella-like" quality, this letter or "PLAN" can hardly be taken seriously. Yes, some of THE PLAN echoes NIMBY attitudes, however, it reaches a point where I expect a proposal to ban the letter P from the English language.

On the other hand, I know a few of the co-signees of the McMobil petition, and they are far from being senile crackpots (or self-serving elitists.) In fact, they are seriously committed to the larger community/society via community service and social justice. Recently, one of the signees shared with me, without prompting, that he thought the reference to "excessive blocking of sunlight on nearby homes" was, in his words, "NIMBY" and should not have been included. He also felt that the height restrictions could be reasonably extended beyond 4 stories (however, if the developer wants a variance, which is necessary to build beyond 4-stories, then he will need to play ball.) Furthermore, my friend completely agrees that Doctors' Hospital is not architecturally significant and that a hotel development makes good sense.

Chevy Chase: Weekend Update recognizes its obligation to present responsible opposing viewpoints to our editorials. Here to reply to a recent editorial, is Emily Litella.

Emily Litella: I'm here tonight to speak out against busting schoolchildren. Busting schoolchildren is a terrible, terrible thing. I hear this is going on all over the country. Mean policemen arrest little children and put them in jail in the wrong neighborhood, so they can't even play with their little friends. Imagine, busting schoolchildren! The food in jail isn't good, and even though they get bread, I don't believe they can get toast. Or nice cake. Now, who will tuck them in? Where will they hang their leggings? Where will they set up their little lemonade stands? Well, they don't have toys in jail, except maybe..

Chevy Chase: [ interrupting ] Miss Litella?

Emily Litella: Yes?

Chevy Chase: I'm sorry. The editorial was on bussing schoolchildren. Bussing. Not busting.

Emily Litella: Oh. I'm sorry. Never mind.

What a Maroon!

2007-10-03T13:52:00.000-05:00

"In response to a different entry on the same blog, a reader wrote, 'I am thinking of opening a buggy whip & typewriter repair shop in Harper Court myself,' implying that the shops in Harper Court are outdated and not worth saving." -- yours truly quoted in the Chicago Maroon (as taken from my original comments @ http://hydeparkprogress.blogspot.com/)

someone left the cake out in the rain...

2007-09-20T14:32:00.000-05:00

Having recently received my pledge premium (the spotty "Children of Nuggets" compilation) and the Summer '07 Program Guide (just in time for fall!), I noticed the birthday cake celebrating WRUW's 40th birthday decorated with a 45 disc claiming, "We're 40... not Top 40." What IS this Top 40? (I know, if I recognize a 45 rpm, I must be familiar with the concept that was Top 40.)
On our local PBS outlet, I recently viewed a documentary on the history of The Big 8 -- CKLW (the Motor City.) It was pledge drive time AGAIN, when PBS serves up nostalgia for its core viewers. I was formed, informed, and influenced by growing up on that powerful 50,000 watts of rock steady signal pounding out of Windsor/Detroit in the late 60's and 70's. However, I think that it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to re-create that feeling & sound in a film documentary. The profound and fundamental differences in the mediums makes radio elusive -- clearly television and film are not just "radio with pictures." I actually find listening to the old airchecks to be more evocative than the reminisces and "re-creations" and testimonials. Check it out.

http://www.thebig8.net/sounds.html
http://www.reelradio.com/index.html

Devil's Advocate

2007-09-13T13:25:00.000-05:00

"C-Pop (that's with one "o", right?)-- I DO fancy myself a bit of the class clown/general jester, but I doubt you would be so quick with the "clever" nicknames if we were to be discussing these issues in person, face to face, say at Istria. Surely that is one of the true pleasures of anonymity on the internet.

Although I actually agree with much of the POV expressed here, I also enjoy playing Devil's Advocate (which, by the way, does not automatically align me with the HP Establishment.) In fact, I have long been amused, bemused, and annoyed by the neighborhood's political culture. Nevertheless, I am not prepared to swallow the Kool-Aid you are selling. Your inclination to go ad hominem somewhat undermines the credibility of your arguments." -- Curtsy

http://hydeparkprogress.blogspot.com/

tired spire expired

2007-09-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

"I believe the Unitarian Church's decision to not continue to allocate funds to the preservation of its steeple (which, as I recall, was not a part of its original design) was a rational decision based on their core mission as a church community. I too loved the view of that spire as I walked west along 57th Street. However, I highly doubt that the long-term cost of maintaining the supplemental spire could have been supported by local donations. How much would YOU pay yearly for the pleasure of its presence?" -- http://hydeparkprogress.blogspot.com/

the Devil and Daniel Burnham

2007-09-09T10:53:00.000-05:00

"Perhaps (recognizing the Devil that the Burnham Plan is) the Point Savers' point is not to bring the Promontory closer to Caldwell's vision but back to its pre-landfill condition!" -- Curtsy comments @ http://hydeparkprogress.blogspot.com/

cunning linguists

2007-09-07T12:10:00.000-05:00

"Here, here! I, for one, am glad that my eyes are no longer assaulted by that musty and tarnished symbol of staid stability that was the "vintage" Hyde Park Bank clock. I can't wait until it is replaced by a vinyl banner ad for new condos at 53rd & Cornell and on 53rd across from Nichols park! I'm only slightly disappointed that the proposed 8-story "skyscrapper" at X-mas Tree Crossing won't cast a dark and dramatic shadow on the Murray School playlot. It would offer needed protection from melanoma to the cunning little linguists."-- Curtsy comments @ http://hydeparkprogress.blogspot.com/

Hide Park Progress

2007-08-31T11:49:00.000-05:00

Handy HYDE PARK PROGRESS Glossary:

"community activist" -- whiny pinko Communard

"Harper Court" -- failed 60's Utopianism

"the 1960's" -- failed Utopianism

"Lakefront Taskforce of Hyde Park" -- mythical Committee of One (also see under "SharonJoyless Jackson)

"Committe of One" -- One Ms. Jill White (also One Ms. Joyless Jackson)

"NIMBY" -- Not In My BackYard (That's where my garage sits! But I'll criticize HANS for wanting to park his car on the street where he lives.) No Bolshevik bar-b-ques allowed!

"gritty, urban neighborhood" -- 56th & Kenwood (in the Golden Rectangle, where the Fairy Castle stands just down the block from the cul-de-sac where the Bixler Playlot and Ray School Commons lie -- say, a GREAT location for mixed-use retail/residential development! Say, while we're at it, the Midway is just ripe for strip mall development! And we could mitigate at least some of the parking congestion in East Hyde Park by PAVING the POINT!!)

"feisty folks at HPP" -- True Believers in the First Church of the Free and Unfettered Market

"ideological chimera" -- exotic Kool-Aid flavor favored at GSB

"47th Street Co-Op" -- Hyde Park's Maltese Falcon/albatross that represents unfilled dreams and fantasies of monopoly (in the case of the Co-Op) AND of a national big box retailer (in the minds of underserved consumers)

"Diane von Rudofsky" -- suspect Bolshevik and would-be tasered swimmer who plans on swimming at the Point for 100 years

"curtsy" -- manque` writer for The Onion and equal-opportunity lampooner

http://hydeparkprogress.blogspot.com/

dancing on the rim

2006-06-14T12:23:00.000-05:00

Pulled from my comments at Gapersblock regarding closed venues...

http://www.gapersblock.com/fuel/archives/favorite_closed_venues/

curtsy (June 14, 2006 11:55 AM) said:
The Del Morroco (at the NW corner of Lake & Halsted) with the dancing couple balancing on the rim of a cocktail glass was the reddest room imaginable.

At the old Greyhound station (NE corner of Clark and Randolph) tucked away behind the escalator, the Loop's cheapest beer could be quietly enjoyed among fellow travelers.

Ronnie's Steakhouse WAS NOT across the street from the Woods Theatre. Ronnie's (near State) was a block east of the Woods (near Dearborn), both were on the north side of Randolph.

The West End was fine little joint in its day, but BEST ROCK CLUB IN AMERICA?? Nostalgia does fog the mind.

I'm a little surprised that no one referenced Batteries Not Included on Clybourn (before the over-nite gentrification/transformation of that strip.) I recall the Chesterfield Kings and Precious Wax Drippings on stage.

Yes, the Oak Theatre, where I once saw Todd Rundgren perform (which was a trip in the wayback machine in itself) and where I spun vinyl at an Art Institute Halloween party that the Flying Luttenbachers played.

What of Lower Links? I recall Algebra Suicide and Eugene Chadbourne on the stage there. I also played dj there on an infamous August evening back in '91 when my girlfriend, who was starring in her first solo cabaret performance, dumped my sorry ass.

Where is the Bluebird?? And Sharon's Hillbilly Heaven??

How did he know?!

2006-06-14T12:07:00.000-05:00

Culled from unsolicited comments to my last post...

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That's not writing, it's typing.

2006-01-17T13:17:00.000-06:00

Culled from yesterday's email exchange with LcHuge`...

I would love to read some of Joseph Mitchell’s collected work as I was, in fact, deeply influenced by Joe Gould’s Secret. I imagine that this will require my returning the long overdue “Lies (and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them”?

The strip of Ashland that you speak of is Back of the Yards (or less commonly known as New City.) I know of and have read a bit of Dom Paycyga on the internet while informally researching various south side neighborhoods. In fact, I was going to post a link along with yesterday’s shots to a piece he wrote a few years ago on the shifting definitions of neighborhoods.

I dig the scenario you paint of an opening for a solo show of my shots. My main motivation might be just to create that mix-tape! And this beatnik vibe that you evoke reminds me of this great giddy bohemian jazz scene we watched last night in D.O.A. that was set at a fictitious Fisherman’s nightclub in San Francisco in 1950. As phony and contrived as it was, it was interesting to see such a portrayal of this scene seven years before the publishing of “On the Road.” This was practically at the same time that Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady really crossed country (in 1949) in search of kicks as they inhaled deeply and consumed/devoured the moments that Jack excreted subsequently. Still, I would like to make it a primary goal for this year to finally put together such a showing.
http://partners.nytimes.com/books/97/09/07/home/kerouac-cody.html

The Waits reference reminds me of breakfast last Monday with my mom at Room 12 at the NW corner of Roosevelt and Wabash. This joint is a breakfast/brunch shrine by the same souls who created the Bongo Room up on north Milwaukee in Bucker Park. The space was a former carry-out liquor stop in the Roosevelt Hotel, which was a grand “residence hotel” (SRO) before being recently converted to condos and apartments. That morning’s soundtrack was a stream of Waits followed by, of course, a course of 80’s new wave. The vantages from this location are pure city of Chicago, now and then, with the deteriorating remains of the Trailways bus station across the street framed by the new rising South Loop.

http://generik.blogspot.com/2005_04_01_generik_archive.html
“In one of my favorite old noir movies, D.O. A., Edmond O'Brien's character, on a visit here from Los Angeles, (editor’s note: actually it was Banning) gets a little something from a hotel desk clerk as he's checking in. "Here's a guide," the clerk says, a bit ominously, ‘telling you how to have fun... in San Francisco.’”

Who has the time to sift through all this blogging diarrhea?? Just consider the link above as a footnote or a tangent. And I know how much you DIG my web of tangents…

Blogging IS NOT a literary movement -- it’s a bowel movement,
Curt Spins

at the corner of 45th Street and Michigan Avenue

2006-01-17T12:58:00.000-06:00

The following was culled from a recent photo exchange with Ron @ http://slats.org

"Regarding Bronzeville becoming a yuppie den in 5 years, it certainly has the potential to become a “buppie” den if the housing bubble doesn’t pop. However, the historic patterns of racial segregation in Chicago, particularly in that neighborhood, will prove challenging to uproot. And then there is the question of amenities. Some retail geniuses must find the balls to develop some local shopping opportunities."

“It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it.”

2006-01-10T11:52:00.000-06:00

"It only did fair box office? Not even all that funny?" No, a "cult" classic that far surpasses the likes of freakin' Stripes and that's a fact, Jack. A comic book deadpan farce with grit, it has real meat (in a smokin' soundtrack) and gristle (in the use of "authentic" locations) on it bones as it captured a slice of Chicago (vs. Vancouver or Toronto or Winnipeg) that was disappearing. Yes, the white fanboy dork factor, they who "discover" the blues via this vehicle, and how this film has filtered many fans' (even Chicagoans') perceptions of the Avis City complicate the evaluation and appreciation of this musical car-wreck. Still, on a scale of one to five, I'd rate it 4 1/2 Orange Whips. I would also recommend Used Cars of the same year (1980) by Robert Zemekis (and starring Kurt Russell & Jack Warden.) It should have been a hit, but it was buried by The Blues Brothers. "Tagline: Estimated Laugh Count: 287 City, 410 Highway. Use these numbers only for comparison. Your actual laughs may vary depending on how you feel about used car salesmen, nude women, spectacular car stunts, and the President of the United States."

http://www.suntimes.com/special_sections/bluebros/cst-nws-bbplymouth21.html
http://www.kevinwolf.com/archives/2005/05/ladies_and_gent.php

I'll cut (and paste) you

2005-10-14T11:15:00.000-05:00

Consider the (open) source, a flowing stream of couscous,er, consciousness that results in a collective of mix-tapes that can be discovered at the following locations, if you dig.

1. Warm Leatherette/Under My Skin -- Look inside the stone wall on Pitney Ct. at Archer Ave.
http://www.foundcity.net/maptags.php?user=chicago_tapes&tag=bridgeport
2. Final Day Solution/Don't Fear the Reaper, Frankenstein -- Hidden inches above the sidewalk on Damen at 1958 W. Grand.
http://www.foundcity.net/maptags.php?user=chicago_tapes&tag=ukrainianvillage
3. Little Girl Lies and Other Truths -- Lurking at 1840 W. Chicago beneath the lonely bird's silhouette.
http://www.foundcity.net/maptags.php?user=chicago_tapes&tag=eastvillage#

While on the prowl this week, I discovered that Zorba's, the 24-hour Greek diner shrine at the SE corner of Jackson & Halsted, was closed. I almost always ordered the spanikopita dinner, which was a great value. The spinach pie came with a bowl of soup, a generous pile of rice pilaf or Greek garlic fries (which I preferred), a large Greek salad, and dessert (rice pudding, please!) All of this for $6 plus tip.

Across the street at the New Jackson Hotel, I noticed that on the southwest corner of the second floor Pat's Barber Shop appearred to be gone. Pat was my regular barber for years and must have been the oldest working barber in the city of Chicago. Pat was somewhere around 90 years old. I deeply dug the ambience of his shop. Before he moved upstairs he had had a beautiful, vintage street-level shop down on Halsted. However, his shop and the hard-times bar next door were gutted, and a nightclub was built out of their space. I will always remember how the sun would shine through his windows, with southern and western exposures, in the late afternoons while listening to real music on Pat's vintage AM radio. There were tasteful pin-ups, the inevitable Rat Pack pics, and you could always count on Pat to talk about "those crooks" (also known as public officials) and the Working Man. Once Pat told me of how he was cheated out of his retirement by some corrupt union officials who had helped themselves to the pension fund.

http://www.artworldchicago.com/corsnacshop.html
Although the copy on the page above leaves something to be desired, the painting really does capture the noir element of the New Jackson and, God damn, it's Pat in the window!

Below is a link and an entry to Johannes' travel diary from his US trip in 1997. Notice how many times he eats at Mickey D's.
http://www.tyve.se/johannes/usa/thestory.html
Tuesday July 8 Chicago -
Had breakfast at a genuine american breakfast-joint. Johannes was addressed as "honey" by the waitress. The pancakes tasted like paper. A park policeman told Emil not to skate on the parkbenches. Checked in at the New Jackson Hotel. Est. 1898. The floor sloped and there were bloodstains on the sheet. Antique TV-set. Ate at Mc Donald´s. Had a few beers at a sportsbar. Johannes got free beers from the bartendergirl. Went home 9 pm.

Sunday August 3 SF -
Ate at an italian restaurant where they had a pepper-boy "Wanta di pepper?". Went to SF. Looked at sealions. Saw Alcatraz from a distance. Walked around in the Palace Of Fine Arts. Nice.

Excavate, you dig?

2005-09-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

Pulling on a past thread on the resurgence of the mix-tape, dig this local community project of sharing mixes via discreet public spaces.
http://www.illcutyou.com/tapes
"leaving found audio, mix tapes, loops, sound projects and other recordings in... an alienating environment that is often tuned out by the senses"

For your own copy of Ladies Room/ I Dig Chicks, visit Pitney Ct. in Bridgeport on the southwest corner of Archer. Side A kicks off with The Monkees riffing on the Rolling Stones with Valerie, followed by Bobby Sherman with another tiger beat, Julie, Do Ya Love Me? The flipside opens with Sammy Davis, Jr. covering There is Nothing Like a Dame from South Pacific. The sole copy of this original mix can be found inside a hole in the stone & brick wall along the west side of Pitney, approximately 7' south of the corner. See the following link for photo & map info.
http://www.foundcity.net/maptags.php?user=chicago_tapes&tag=bridgeport&PHPSESSID=708cac460183ea2c8d00dbf19bb69919#

Weaving Spiders Come Not Here

2005-07-14T18:00:00.000-05:00

This month we are on summer holiday in the Redwoods of Sonoma, where nearby the "secret World government" cast off their "Cares of the world." The Bohemian Grove encampment, a tinfoil hatters' owl cult conspiracy (just trust me here and follow the links), don their Klan robes and burn their ritual fires beginning this weekend in nearby Monte Rio.

http://www.counterpunch.org/bohemian.html

"...plus many other near-dead white men in the adjacent landscape in a state of intoxication so advanced that many of them had fallen insensible among the ferns, gin fizz glasses gripped firmly till the last."

http://www.sonomacountyfreepress.com/bohos/spiders.html

crawling along Montrose

2005-07-02T21:45:00.000-05:00

In compliance with my 44th birthday, Ricky & I performed our annual pub crawl. In past years we have cruised US 41 and Routes 42 and 43. However, this year we found no highway 44 in the immediate metro area, so we crawled Montrose Avenue (4400 N) instead.

We started at O’Lanagan’s (2335 W. Montrose) where we were greeted with a happy patron roaring, “Like I’m a hillbilly!” to her drinking buddy. We also learned from a local that the U.S. Supreme Court was responsible for more “freaking” problems in this country and that Homeland Security was too busy screwing with some poor Paddy instead of protecting our borders. Dining note – after 5 pm O’Lanagan’s offers Uncle Ben’s Bowls ® in two flavors – Spicy Beef & Broccoli and Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo for $5.
http://www.planet99.com/chicago/bars/11001x.html

Next stop was the Montrose Saloon (2933 W. Montrose) which is the home of a lively bluegrass scene and the Human Sexual Response on the jukebox. It is a vintage tavern with a well-cared for tin ceiling and an unusually large area dedicated to behind the bar.
http://www.chicagobarproject.com/Reviews/Montrose/Montrose.htm

At 3056 W. Montrose the tip top and tidiest of tap rooms, the Peacock, operates on the northeast corner of Albany. I’d recommend ordering a Lowenbrau.
http://www.gapersblock.com/detour/tapped_out/

After fish & chips & pints at Hops & Barley (4359 N. Milwaukee), we made our fifth and final stop at the mysterious Algiers Drive-In (Flo’s Place.) My demeanor was evidently deteriorating as Flo subtly explained that the Zywiec we were drinking was a bigger bottle and with higher alcohol content than your beer garden variety domestic brew. I suspected she was suggesting that I had had enough to drink. And I had.

Tapeheads (1988)

2005-06-25T15:00:00.000-05:00

This film starred a young John Cusack (a full decade before "High Fidelity") and Tim Robbins (before "Bob Roberts") as underachievers who lose their jobs as security guards and seize this as an opportunity to "chase their dreams" as... rock video producers. This flick is a perfect time capsule. The pop references and parodies fly fast and furiously.

This Monkeeman/Repo Man/Tapehead was Executive Producer.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0626452/
"Nesmith then invented and sold the concept 24 hour music television to Time Warner. He produced a proof of concept called "Pop Clips" which Time-Warner aired on the Nickelodeon channel as a test. It was an instant success. From there was developed the MTV network."

He was the "genius" behind UHF...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098546/
"TV as it was meant to be seen. In a movie theater."

The Motor City Madman (as himself)...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0637823/
*Attempted to buy the background-music company Muzak so he could shut it down; his offer was rejected. [1989]

He was the pride of Youngstown and formed his own New Church...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0061217/

She was one of the original VJs.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0703925/
http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=mojo_nixon
"...first gained attention with a delicate love-letter ditty to then-MTV VJ Martha Quinn subtly entitled "Stuffin' Martha's Muffin."'

He played Kevin (the nerd) in Repo Man and bass for the Circle Jerks...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0772428/

This agent for the FBI was a Dead Kennedy...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0080470/
"If evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will evolve."

"Mo Fuzz" was captain of the Soul Train...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004843/
"...was pulled over by Chicago Police officer Don Cornelius. While officer Cornelius was asking him the typical traffic stop questions, Cobb noticed his unique speaking voice and told him that he was in the wrong profession. Cobb suggested that Cornelius come down to the radio station WVON and make a demo tape."

This fresh cat was the original human beat box...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0294366/bio

He was Sam of Sam & Dave and Sam & Dan (Aykroyd)...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0601844/

This Rock-A-Bye Baby fronted the Foremost, who went on to become The Lettermen...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0828328/
"Warner Bros. signed her up for their hot detective series "Hawaiian Eye" (1959) and she was off. As pert and pretty Cricket Blake, a slightly flaky and tomboyish singer/photographer, Connie became an instant teen idol -- trendy and undeniably appealing. A couple of record hits came her way including "Sixteen Reasons" and the novelty song "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb."'

This "ageless sidekick" was the proto-type (along with Troy Donohue) for the character Troy McClure and is best remembered as Trampas in "The Virginian", "The Men From Shiloh", and the movie "Backtrack!"
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0565982/

He also was a "Virginian"...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0347656/
"Revitalized his career in the 80's in scores of horror flicks that took advantage of his ever-growing wild-eyed, eccentricities."

This femme fatale was the answer to the existential question of 1980...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002026/

She was obsessed with the song "Misty" ...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0910055/
"...she was the psychopathic fan who terrorized disc jockey Clint Eastwood in the proto-Fatal Attraction thriller Play Misty for Me (1971)."

He was a member of the Dead Ducks, who was kicked out for lack of musical talent...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001281/
"He directed his cult classic film "Shakes the Clown"(A.K.A. The Citizen Kane of Alcoholic Clown Movies) in 1991."

She has made a career out of playing sluts...
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001482/
and played an uncredited role as a spanker in Tapeheads.

With a capital "T" which rhymes with "P" and that stands for "Public"

2005-06-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

It is outrageous that Congress would contemplate cutting completely its modest, yet significant, subsidy of NPR and PBS. The $100 million proposed cut for this year alone is LESS than what we are currently spending for a HALF DAY of OCCUPATION in Iraq. The current total federal budget outlay for public broadcasting is LESS than what it is costing us for TWO DAYS of OCCUPATION in Iraq!

Interestingly, this threat to public broadcasting comes at the very same time that the public has become more skeptical of the "rationale" for embarking on this expedition and less confident in the integrity of the major news networks (including the "newspapers of record.") Speaking of PBS and integrity, this week Bill Moyers was a guest on The Daily Show. Echoing Steven Colbert's crack a few weeks ago that "the TRUTH no longer had credibility", Moyers claimed that the truth is diminished, lost, or made irrelevant amidst the cacaphony of news noise.

In Search of Ancient Mariners

2005-06-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

But who was the better actor – Booth or Reagan?? Certainly Morris the Cat was superior to Garfield.

As for Chariots of the Gods, I devoured Von Daniken and Hal Lindsay (“The Late, Great Planet Earth”) when I was an adolescent. I was seduced by In Search of Ancient Astronauts. However, the following review culled from the IMDB succinctly describes my current estimate:

I was fooled... as a child, 21 March 2000
Author: Steve Schonberger from near Seattle, WA, USA
“In his books, von Däniken promoted the idea that the mysteries of the world can all be explained by space aliens, who inspired the ancients to write strange things in their literature, and helped them build archaeological wonders. Of course, his ideas don't stand up to any real scrutiny. As a child, I found the von Däniken fiction-disguised-as-documentary fascinating, because I didn't check behind his nonsense. Years later, I asked an ancient languages scholar to translate the text on an ancient inscription photographed in a von Däniken book. The scholar, lacking a sensationalized agenda, translated it as something like "King [somebody] ruled here. Scribe Gishga wrote this", in contrast to the book's translation about flying chariots of fire. His quotes from materials with well-known translations are distorted by taking selected passages out of context.I'd give the movie a "1" for its academic dishonesty in a movie that pretends to be a documentary, but it deserves slight credit (maybe a "2") for convincingly presenting its indefensible claims. For someone who is aware of the dishonesty of the movie's claims, there might also be some camp entertainment value.”

I’m not a former structural engineer (and I don’t even play one on TV!) so I naively find it quite plausible, given the “official” analysis I was willing to sit through that was presented on Frontline, that those planes brought down the WTC (vs. WTF!) Oh, I know, that’s what THEY want me to believe… it was really Mossad, with coordination provided by Bush operatives, that engineered 9-11.

And speaking of stardust, what of the connections between Dennis Wilson (of the Beach Boys), Charles Manson, Squeaky Froome, Gerald Ford, Chevy Chase, Henry Ford, and the Ford Theatre??! Don’t even get me started about the connections between Cousteau, Serling, Nimoy, and John & Bob Denver!

I Know You Are, But What Am I?

2005-06-10T10:20:00.000-05:00

At the mature age of 3, Van & Elvis are just now being exposed to the strange & curious world of television. Until recently, the boys had only watched Sesame Street, Bob the Builder (watch out for product placement!), Arthur (dreadfully animated), and Thomas the Train (what dreck!) in passing a couple of times (and a little baseball.) They have three videos and two dvds in their collection -- "I Love Big Machines, Pt. 2", "Mighty Machines of the Harbor", "There Goes a Fire Truck!", "Where the Wild Things Are (and other Maurice Sendak stories)", and "The Great Barrier Reef."

Thus, when I discovered late last year that Paul Reubens was finally re-releasing Pee Wee's Playhouse in DVD, I knew I had found my intro. Boy, have I been waiting to share this with the boys. It's been 20 years since "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" (1985), which was followed the next year by his Saturday morning playhouse. But would my playhouse gang "yike" it? They dig it, daddy-O.

Of course I remembered Lawrence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis, but I didn't realize that Phil Hartmann (pre-SNL) had played Captain Carl! In an early episode in the first season, Pee Wee and Cowboy Curtis teach each other how to dance, CC teachin' Pee Wee how to square dance while Herman teaches Fishburne how to pogo (complete with mohawk wigs!) In another early episode, Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) slips in traces of Mongoloid during a mock "punk look" beauty makeover segment!

This all reminds me of my missed opportunity back in 1991 when I came across a big cardboard box at the Salvation Army full of Pee Wee dolls. The dolls were marked a couple dollars a piece. This was literally days before his infamous arrest for indecent exposure. Needless to say, the value of the dolls skyrocketed.

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/P/htmlP/peeweespla/peeweepla.htm

Lost

2005-06-08T14:50:00.000-05:00

Tony Flare
http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/features/tonyflare.htm
His “lost year” in 1972 at the age of 18: Tony Flare - The shaggy-Haired Guy Behind the Spacematic Disco!

The sounds of silence ..."begins with the introductory declaration 'This is Chicago,' from the canned voice that announces stops on CTA trains."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-0506070130jun07,1,6055530.column?coll=chi-techtopheds-hed
"For more than two years Frantz collected the ordinary and extraordinary sounds of real life."

Stories of Chicago's Rapid Transit...
http://www.thisisgrand.org/

Crawling the Kinzie Corridor...
"Free Walking, a 'nomadic social experiment that seeks to explore Chicago on foot,' offers a walk through a part of the city's industrial history. Participants will meet at 1958 W. Walnut, at 7:30pm, for the 8pm walk through the Kinzie Industrial corridor. Melinda Fries will lead tonight's walk. Contact Bonnie Fortune, at lefortune[at]gmail[dot]com for questions." (Thanks to Gapers Block.)
http://www.ausgang.com/

Litany of Garbage or Platters From Heaven?

2005-06-07T16:15:00.000-05:00

I happened again. I found another stack of LPs neatly tied together in two bundles atop a garbage can on 54th Place in Hyde Park yesterday. The yield this time was 32 platters of mostly classical and folk titles. The highlights include Frankie Laine's "Greatest Hits" and Morricone's "Once Upon a Time in the West." It's really starting to feel like my birthday.

http://www.oldies.com/artist/biography.cfm/id_199.html
http://www.spectropop.com/TerryMelcher/TerryMelcher4.htm

Thinking of my birthday, I, for one, am happy that the Bulls fell out in the first round of the NBA playoffs this season. Throughout the 90's, during the Jordanaires' double three-peat championship performances, my birthday celebration was repeatedly upstaged by el Toros. Most memorable was my 30th birthday (June 12, 19991) when they beat the Magic Lakers for their first title. I remember the city exploding and then rioting for my rite of passage...

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/5876275.htm
"In other words: Looting happens."
http://www.pep-c.org/civildisorders/
"The 1991 Championship was followed by 100 arrests. The 1992 Championship (occurring approximately one month after the Rodney King verdict) was followed by 1000 arrests, hundreds of injuries (including 95 injured police officers), and many burned and looted buildings."

Jack and Jerk

2005-06-06T12:20:00.000-05:00

This "Jack" format sounds like a knee jerk to me...

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2005/04/jack_radio_form.html
Well, maybe not so knee jerky...
"Listening to Jack is a bit like listening to an iPod set on shuffle."
"And Jack stations often (but not always) use a smart-alecky recorded voice, rather than a live DJ, to make short quips between songs."
"It often felt like I was listening to the soundtracks of several car commercials in a row."

Below is pulled from last year's B-Day observance (thanks Ricky!):

"So lets drive down I-55 to Harlem, head south to the dumpy canal town, have a starter beer, then head north. If nothing else there is James Joyce in Berwyn south Cermak. I've been there it is very real Irish, and they have Smithwicks on tap. We then have Oak Park and then Elmwood Park and Chicago and into the north burbs.
What better slice of Chicago can ya ask for than Harlem?"

In celebration of my 36th birthday (June 12th, 1997), the original Alkaline Trio played the Newman (my old loft at 1526 S. Wabash.) Of course, they are big stars now appearing on Letterman, Conan, and touring abroad. They have a new album being released this month and will perform a sold-out show at the Riviera June 18th (just in time for my 44th B-Day!) I'm not sure I'm game for the goth-lite schtick for kiddies though...

http://www.alkalinetrio.com/crimson_site/crimson.htm

smeared a bluish green

2005-06-05T22:40:00.000-05:00

"When I was younger/it was plain to me/I must make something of myself./Older now/I walk back streets/admiring the houses/of the very poor:/roof out of line with sides/the yards cluttered/with old chicken wire, ashes,/furniture gone wrong;/the fences and outhouses built of barrel-staves/and parts of boxes, all,/if I am fortunate,/smeared a bluish green/that properly weathered/pleases me best/of all colors./>>>>>No one/will believe this/of vast import to the nation."---William Carlos Williams

The following is culled from an email I received in November, 2000 (thanks to Steven Oppedal and Rachel Reynolds):

"This string of blather, which somehow manages to be simultaneously sentimental and incomprehensible, was created by cutting and pasting the lyrics of the "Loveboat Theme" into the Babelfish internet translation software and translating them from English to French to English to Spanish and back to English. I think we can all agree that this ode to amore is truly alcohol in a new novel."

Loving, captivating and new come on board. We waited to him. Love, compensates it smoother of the life. It lets to spill it, floats again with you. The boat of the lover soon will make with another step the promises of the boat of the lover who something for each put a course for the adventure, its alcohol in a new novel. The lover will not hurt it is plus a smile opened in a comfortable border. Yes He blankets! He is Loving! The boat of the lover soon will make with another step the promises of the boat of the lover who something for each put a course for the adventure, its alcohol in a new novel. The lover will not hurt it is plus a smile opened in a comfortable border. He is Loving! He is Loving! He is Loving! She is the Barco-boat-oh lover! It is the boat of the lover!

And, finally, a recycled email by Lindsay Huge from July, 2002:

Wed. night, July 3, we saw the B-52s play at Ravinia. I did not know what to expect, but they pretty much delivered. The bee-hived girls are a little more ample these days, but can still croon in harmony. I don't know that I've ever SEEN the B-52s before (I've never watched many music videos in my day...) but, as I was watching Fred Schneider through my binoculars (they never give us close seats) I thought 'What a great American act. Some sort of swinging B-movie freak who rocks with joy and HUMOR.' On the way out of the show, I told Lisa: "Don't you think if Curt was a rock star, he'd be Fred Schneider?" Lisa said, "But that guy's flaming!" I said, "Well, yeah, without that part..."

Eight Track Mind

2005-06-04T09:45:00.000-05:00

Live at Quimby's Bookstore -
"We will Rock you"Saturday, June 18th, 8:00 PM FREE. "We will Rock you" will be Chicago's first ever celebration of the mixtape--audience members will each bring a mix cd to swap with someone at the reading. Featuring readings and music by: Joe Meno, Punk Planet contributing editor and author of Hairstyles of the Damned Sean Carswell, Razorcake editor and author of Barney's Crew Mickey Hess, 2nd Hand contributor and author of Big Wheel at the Cracker Factory Anne E. Moore, Punk Planet editor and author of Hey Kidz, buy this book! Liz Mason editor Caboose zine plus music from PAL.

http://quimbys.com/events.php

Am I the only one to find it slightly ironic that this "first ever celebration of the mixtape" is asking for mixed discs?

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.04/play.html?pg=3
The Best 90 Minutes of My Life --
Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore on the power of the mix tape.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=362699&category=LIFE&BCCode=&newsdate=5/21/2005

...and the livin' is easy?

2005-06-03T13:59:00.000-05:00

The following is a list of answers to the question "What is your favorite outdoor spot in the city?" (drawn from the crowd at Gapers Block):

http://www.gapersblock.com/fuel/archives/outdoor_spots/

06.03.05, 07:15 AM — curtsy said:
1. Along the railroad tracks in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor
2. 63rd Street Beach House
3. Picnic table on the side of the Skyway Dog House at the intersection of US 41 & 95th Street
4. Underneath the Red Line in Lakeview
5. Peeble Beach @ 4900 S. LSD
6. Swimming between Promontory Point & the Museum Harbor (5900 S.)
7. My rooftop
8. Northerly Island
9. Wrigley Field (of course)
10.And on inclimate days, Garfield Conservatory

And reminiscent of my radio days as Curt the Jerk, your host of Knee Jerk, desperately trying to give away free tickets to see Decline of the Western Civilization showing at the New Mayfield Repertory Theatre, I am again offering a free and one of a kind mix-tape "Blues, the Mother of Sin/ Cooked." Be the first to reply (I did have an anonymous reply) and the cassette is yours.

More American Graffiti

2005-05-29T00:00:00.000-05:00

From the archives (May 2001):

Greetings fellow travelers and members of the Tribe,

First of all, thanks for the fascinating insight into the origins of the Hippie movement. I always prefered the Yippies for their sense of surreal humor. Furthermore, I recall a drunken, bloated Kerouac in the late 60's denouncing the Hippies during an appearance on The Tonight Show not long before his premature death. The Hippies were honoring Jack and the Beats as spiritual godfathers while Jack went off on how he was a "good Catholic!" It was funny, sad, and pathetic--quite a contrast to some years earlier when on the same program (while hosted by the late, great Steve Allen) Jack read with Stevo providing surprisingly effective jazz on piano accompanied by a rather raw, primitive piece of black and white cinema verite. Very evocative.

Back in 1994 The Baffler (some malcontents at U of C) published a series of enlightening examinations of the commodification of youth culture and teen rebellion. You could trace it back to the pop phenemon that was Elvis in the 50's--unihibited, "black music", dark looks, vaguely suggesting a "dangerous unknown." Of course, both Colonel Parker (and the U.S. Army) commodified and "civilized" this wild-looking hound dog. Then there were the commodified, prefab, imitation Elvises (Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Rick Nelson, etc) which proliferated during the King's stint in the service. These boys were safe creations--hell, they make Fonzie look tough in comparison!

Two quick personal asides/cases in point. I knew that "new wave/punk" was DOA back in 1984 when I spotted a Sears ad co-opting the "new wave" look. In 1994 "grunge" was officially dead when PayLess Shoes began marketing their "grunge" style.

The commodification of nostalgia began in earnest in the early 70's when "American Graffiti" became an unexpected box office smash. As you should remember, this led to "Happy Days", "Laverne and Shirley", "Grease", and coincided with renewed interest in survivors of 50's rock and roll (Elvis had just came back, Ricky Nelson scored with "Garden Party", Chuck Berry returned to the charts with the novelty hit "My Ding-a-ling", Gene Vincent had been unearthed, Frankie Vallie was "Swearin' to God" along with telling us that "Grease" was the word, have ya heard?) This cultural legacy equals Lucas's "Star Wars" franchise and its role in creating the "blockbuster" mentality (which helped kill the 1970's independent film movement.)

We take this regurgitation cycle for granted today. The mass market fascination with the 1960's era during the 1980's was epitomized by the posthumous comeback of Jim Morrison and the Doors around 1980-81. There was that infamous cover of the Rolling Stone with a reprint of a young, virile Morrison (originally shot for Tiger Beat or Sixteen magazine) with the headline "He's hot, he's sexy, he's dead." Furthermore, we have been reliving the 70's in style/look, if not summary of spirit, throught out the last decade. It was inevitable, with Quentin Tarantino in the role of George Lucas this time around.

It is then no surprise that we are currently drowning in a wave of 70's/80's acts which have managed to reform/resurface--Psychedelic Furs, Duran Duran, Gary Numan, Tom Tom Club, Go-Gos, Bangles, Television, Wire, Echo and the Bunnymen, Soft Boys!, Cheap Trick, Bon Jovi, Berlin, Roxy Music, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Misfits.... Granted, some of these bands are strictly "oldies" acts, while others have had new material/albums and thus more vital/alive.

The fact is that advertisers have long figured out how to market to a given demographic group. It's not a complicated formula. One simply mines the pop charts of the era when the desired group came of age/turned 18/graduated from high school. This returns the target group to a "golden era."

If you want to "Ring My Bell" (Anita Ward, 1979) and sell it to me, play "Heart of Glass" (or anything off of "Parallel Lines", for that matter.)

You dig? But I digress,
C-Spins

http://www.thebaffler.com/
http://neighborhoodies.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=137
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0226260127/ref=pd_sxp_elt_l1/102-8095686-0577737

***Be the first to respond/comment and receive a free mixtape informed by my recent field findings at Spruce Park.

The Voices in my Head

2005-05-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

In a category all his own, "hillbilly poet" Howard Morris (Ernest T. Bass & Atom Ant) is dead...

http://www.ernestt.com/etb.html
http://www.wxii12.com/news/4526559/detail.html

Henry Corden, the second voice of Fred, is dead...

http://www.ourdailydead.com/
***Our Daily Dead gets it wrong when they refer to Corden as the voice of Barney. See the NYT obit included for the story of record.

Meanwhile, Cedric the Entertainer will be playing the original Flintstone, Ralph Kramden, in the upcoming big screen treatment of "The Honeymooners" (which reminds me of that novelty rap recording by Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo back in 1985.) Odd enough, but even stranger is discovering that the ADD-suffering John Zorn played sax licks for The Honeymooners Rap!

http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=john_zorn

Tracks, Trails, Tails, and Sails (Sales)

2005-05-24T19:00:00.000-05:00

Following the high ground from Vincennes (Indiana) to the South Side...

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/012004_st_vincennesavenue.html
(see the Slideshow for early images of Vincennes Ave.)

From imaginary soundtracks to album covers for imaginary bands...

http://www.upoursleeve.org/
(Maybe I'll find that lost Monk Parakeets' LP "Hide Park"?)

I've got a tiger by the tail and Tony the Tiger is dead...

http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2005/05/24/sections/local/obituaries/article_531914.php
(singing his signature song "You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch)
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/grinch/
http://www.spaceagepop.com/mann.htm
http://www.johnnymannsingers.com/
http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/inductees/buck_owens.html

And, from S.S. Minnow to slumlord...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0505230159may23,1,7163850.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

Riddle Me This...

2005-05-22T11:45:00.000-05:00

Frank Gorshin is dead... (a new song for the re-united Bauhaus?)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/aptv_story.asp?category=1401&slug=Obit+Gorshin
http://www.bauhausmusik.com/tourdates/
(There were two men in a boat with three cigarettes but no matches. How did they manage to smoke?)

Seriously, the Joke is Dead...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/22/fashion/sundaystyles/22joke.html
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/7537/joker.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cesarromero.jpg

Happy trails to you...
http://www.royrogers.com/lane-index.html

A: They threw one cigarette over and made the boat a cigarette lighter!

"The Nat King Cole Song Book" by Sammy Davis vs. "Bring It On Home (and other great Same Cooke hits)" by Lou Rawls

2005-05-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, while scouting for empty dime bags in Spruce Park, I found the motherlode. Dumped there in the new trashcan next to the playground equipment was a thick stack of vinyl -- some 70+ long plays, some still sealed in shrink-wrap. Lacking my little red Radio Flyer, I promptly shlepped this cornucopia of recordings home to begin digesting.

http://www.radioflyer.com/history/history1930.html

An incomplete listing of titles recovered:
Roy Milton & his Solid Senders
Chick Webb at his Rare of All Rarest Performances (Vol.1)
Earl "Fatha" Hines/ The Grand Terrace Band
Lloyd Price/ His Big Hits
Lloyd Price/ The ABC Collection
Hank Williams Jr./ Family Tradition
Marty Robbins/ Devil Woman
Andre Previn Plays
Perry Como/ It's Impossible
Pete Fountain's New Orleans
Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra featuring Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra/ All the Way
Johnny Mathis/ Romantically
Bobby Womack/ Greatest Hits
Nancy Wilson/ Goin' Out of My Head
Ester Phillips
Ester Phillips Sings
Lou Rawls/ Feelin' Good
Lou Rawls/ Natural Man
Lou Rawls/ Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You
Lou Rawls/ Bring it on Home
Bill Withers/ Menagerie
Gloria Lynne
Gloria Lynne/ Calendar
The Banks Brothers
Willie Bans and the Messengers/ Mother Why?
Jimmy Witherspoon & Gerry Mulligan
Dionne Warwick's Greatest Motion Picture Hits
Dionne Warwick/ The Windows of the World
Flip Wilson/ Funny and Live at the Village Gate
Basie/Eckstine Incorporated
Bobby "Blue" Bland & Johnny "Guitar" Watson/ 2 in Blues
Arthur Prysock Does It Again!
Supersax Plays Bird
Eddie Rabbit/ Rocky Mountain Music
Joe Simon/ Simon Country
Moms Mabley at the UN
Rev. Martin Luther King/ The Great March to Freedom (Detroit -- June 23, 1963)
Ray Charles/ True to Life
Billie Holiday/ Lady Day Blues
The Incomparable Helen Humes
Bill Henderson Live at the Times
Carmen McRae Alive!
Slappy White/ Just for Laughs
The Sunrising Kings/ Ring Out the Name of Jesus
Brooke Benton/ There Goes That Song Again
Dinah Washington (on Emus Records)
Dinah Washington/ Back to the Blues
Dinah Washington/ I Don't Hurt Anymore
Dinah Washington/ The Finer Dinah
***There's a short story in this pile waiting to be written...

Surfing yesterday (and by way of Gapers Block) I discovered the following essay on the vanishing West Side...

http://elwoodgrobnik.blogspot.com/2005/05/vanishing-west-side.html#comments
http://www.gapersblock.com/

Riffing on Rawls and roads (Tobacco and Wentworth), check this out, y'all...

http://www.soultracks.com/lou_rawls.htm
http://www.rockabilly.nl/references/messages/lou_rawls.htm
"Frank Sinatra, who once said Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game," also said he and Rawls both were saloon singers."

More Songs About Buildings and Food

2005-05-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

Today I found myself deep in the midst of the Clybourn Corridor, hunting and gathering at Trader Joe's. While Sal and the boys stocked the pantry, I went on safari, looking for the young, the affluent, and the arrogant of Lincoln Park.

http://www.traderjoes.com/
(a "store of stories" and loud Hawaiian shirts)

Although I was disappointed in not finding more boorish behavior on display, I did manage to capture some fleeting vintage remnants of this transformed cityscape. Anyone who remembers the Clybourn strip back in the mid 80's knows that distinct sense of disorientation that occurs when cruising it now.

http://www.chicagocriticalmass.org/ridereports/nov0001.html

And speaking of smashing sacred temples, the Mies Van Der Rohe masterbox, IIT's Crown Hall, was roughed up today by the architect who is in charge of renovations and Mies' grandson.

http://mies.iit.edu/
http://www.archined.nl/archined/4697.html
http://www.construction.com/NewsCenter/Headlines/AR/200504028r.asp

Don't Box Me In

2005-05-16T11:15:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe, but in my rounds today I found a Christmas tree (!) still surprisingly green lying in the alley behind 1217 E. 50th in Kenwood. Evergreen, indeed.

Speaking of green, I later encountered the legendary and beloved monk parakeets of Hyde Park grazing on dandelion heads over in Burnham Park. When I form that surf/lounge/new wave band that I've always dreamed about, I'll call them The Monk Parakeets (or perhaps the Zebra Mussels?)

http://chicagowildernessmag.org/issues/winter2003/monkparakeets.html

I have yet to see the documentary, but I first became aware of Mark Bittner sometime last year as I searched the internet for info on feral parrots. The film "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" has been well regarded by reviewers. Check it out.

http://www.pelicanmedia.org/wildparrots.html
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wild_parrots_of_telegraph_hill/

Finally, last night I viewed "Rumblefish" (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983) for the first time since college in the mid-80's. The soundtrack, by Stewart Copeland of The Police, has always been on my short list. Watching it again reminded me of the influence it has had on my own visual sensibility.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086216/

Tracklist:
1. Don't Box Me In (with Stan Ridgway) 2. Tulsa Tango 3. Our Mother Is Alive 4. Party At Someone Else's Place 5. Biff Gets Stomped By Rusty James 6. Brothers On Wheels 7. West Tulsa Story 8. Tulsa Rags 9. Father On The Stairs 10. Hostile Bridge To Benny's 11. Your Mother Is Not Crazy 12. Personal Midget / Cain's Ballroom 13. Motorboy's Fate

(Nothing But) Flowers

2005-05-15T18:26:00.000-05:00

Returning my empty booze bottles for recycling at the Co-Op in the Hyde Park Shopping Center, I was struck by the muzaked strains of a familiar song. In the past I have been stopped in my tracks as I recognized an Elvis Costello song given the dental treatment or "Temporary Beauty" (by Graham Parker) given death by Muzak. Today it was "(Nothing But) Flowers" by Talking Heads.

http://www.bigbaer.com/lyrics/talking_heads_nothing_but_flowers_lyrics.htm
"There was a shopping mall, now it's all covered with flowers..."

This caused me to recall shopping at Whole Foods some years ago and hearing the Clash question "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" (At least it wasn't muzaked! Although I remember that Devo had massaged some of their songs into an E-Z Listening Disc some 20 years ago...) Of course, I thought that "Lost in the Supermarket" would have been more appropo.

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclopedia/D/De/Devo.htm

"This was a discount store, now it's turned into a cornfield..."

Well, I must have appeared to have been lost/confused/or stressed as I contemplated alone in the courtyard of the shopping center because a young street evangelist/messenger of peace promptly handed me a pamphlet promoting a Quan Yin Meditation seminar at the International House in the Map Room.

http://www.godsdirectcontact.org

"Once there were parking lots, now it's a peaceful oasis..."

Walking in the parking lot, I realized that I had a theme as I read the LED screen on the shopping center's front sign, and it asked, "Are you going the wrong way??" "Don't ask me for directions." "I'm lost myself!"

http://hydeparkart.org/exhibitions/ruth_horwich_gallery/interaction.php

"I'd pretend that I was a billboard, standing tall by the side of the road..."

The Indian smiles

2005-05-14T13:57:00.000-05:00

"The Indian smiles, he thinks the cowboy is his friend. The cowboy smiles, he is glad the Indian is fooled. Now he can exploit him." Rhino Records will be reissuing the Gang of Four's "Entertainment" (1979) on May 17th.

"‘Natural’s Not In It,’ which addresses this whole notion that when I go through my day I have no control over it, like it’s a natural thing. What people don’t realise is that they’re being stifled by media and government mandates. They forget that they actually have control over their own lives, and it’s apparent in America more so than anywhere else. Just look at the landscape of the shopping malls: everything’s just so uniform, it’s almost as if it ought to be that way, as if that’s the natural thing.” -- Dave Allen, on bass with The Gang of Four

To Hell with Poverty (and "zealots.") Ahhh, for the days of Mao swimming the Yangzi...
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/b6136a28-c418-11d9-a56d-00000e2511c8.html

And, finally, recalling the American/Pima Indian war "hero" who was immortalized in photograph, bronze, and song (by the Man in Black, Johnny Cash)...
http://thegoldweb.com/voices/irahayes.htm

Natural's not in IT

2005-05-13T17:11:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or have you too been finding allusions to fingertips in your bowl of chili everywhere lately?? Which reminds me, Steveland Morris, better known as Stevie Wonder, was born on this date in 1950. At the tender age of 12, Little Stevie Wonder scored a number one hit with "Fingertips (Pt 2.)"

"... that everyday life - wage labor, official propaganda, the commodity system, but also the way you bought a shirt, how you made love, the feeling you had as you watched the nightly news or turned away from it - was not "natural", but the product of an invisible hand." -- Greil Marcus
http://www.gillmusic.com/go4_history.html

Find the "natural" on the menu board...
http://www.fourteenplacestoeat.com/archive/000388.html
Exactly what's in the "beanie weinie"?

And, finally, the jig is up...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7844274

The Original gang-related Quartet

2005-05-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

The Gang of Four's shockingly convincing performance last night at the Metro quickly proved that these 49 year-old codgers could still bring it on. Word to Interpol -- don't let these old men open or they'll kick your stiff asses off the stage and school ya.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050510/GANG10/TPEntertainment/Music

And speaking of that old gang of mine...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4533401.stm

sir mix-a-tape

2005-05-12T15:37:00.000-05:00

Mixed last week expressly for Sticky Lefauve:
side A
We've Heard it All Before - 10cc
I Don't Know - The Undertones
Everything's Ruined - Fountains of Wayne
Everything's Fucked - The Dirty Three
The Perfect Kiss - New Order
Love Hates - Marianne Faithful
Lipstick - Suzi Quatro
I Wanted to be Alone - Sam Phillips
Nice Bike - Ry Cooder
Goodbye San Francisco/Hello Amsterdam - Doug Sahm
Oh Lonesome Me - Nancey Sinatra/Lee Hazelwood
A Shot in the Dark - Antietam
Shoot Out the Lights - X (written by richard thompson)

side B
Fascination - Undertones
Good Morning Judge - 10cc
Good Morning Judge - Buster Poindexter
Cleveland Confidential (Real World) - Pagans
Daytripper - Shockabilly (Beatles)
Stumblin' In - Suzi Quatro/Chris Norman (reached #5 on the US charts in 1979)
Get While the Gettin's Good - Nancy Sinatra
A Face in the Crowd - Kathleen Edwards (Tom Petty)
Highway 23 - Ry Cooder
On Interstate 15 - Wall of Voodoo
Hostile Bridge to Benny's - Stewart Copeland (from Rumblefish soundtrack)
Sound in 70 Cities - Simple Minds
Speed of Life - Bowie
Metal on Metal - Kraftwerk
Goodbye Stranger - Supertramp

Malls are culture too!

2005-05-11T14:30:00.000-05:00

http://your-philosophy-sucks.blogspot.com/

"Next on the WB" -- there's your authentic American existence. It's a travesty that the suburban American Dream hasn't been more thoroughly represented/ mythologized via the vast wasteland. Malls are culture too!