Beefed-up scene
Prodigious patties for the post-grad set
Schach treatment
In vigilante epics, nothing’s better than Moore
Cross the line
Meta-swan song sees Phoenix descending
Of principals and principles
French schoolhouse drama motivates and devastates
This Little Underground
It’s the oontz-oontz-oontz edition! The beat Downtown’s new weekly dance event has officially arrived, er, arisen. I speak of the curiously acronymed J.E.S.U.S., which stands for … well, who the fuck knows. It’s the ambitious Thursday-night party held by the organizers who made the original Saturday/Thursday a nightlife juggernaut, at least for a good 15…
Live Active Cultures
I’m a seasoned sci-fi geek, practically from birth, and since my first weekly column (Feb. 7, 2008), I’ve been bringing you dispatches from my annual visits to various fanboy conventions. I was hoping to report on the guest stars, speakers and vendors at MegaCon 2009, the massive gathering of comic connoisseurs and anime aficionados assembled…
Happytown
Journey back with us to 2007, when everything was wonderful. Real estate values were sky-high. Condos broke ground daily. The city’s coffers overflowed. Anything was possible. We could drop almost $2 billion on sports and arts venues and assume we could pay for them, eventually, no problem. We thought that Cameron Kuhn would save Church…
Police Beat
Feb. 20 (2009-82561) 9:43 a.m.: From the Weird Things to Steal File, part one: “An unknown person gained entry to the fenced-in car lot by unknown means. The person cut the convertible top to a 2003 Honda S2000 and removed the two seats. The person then exited at an unknown point.” (2009-82961) 2:16 p.m.: From…
Comments
Spread the word I just wanted to let you know how much we Planned Parenthood folks love the “Immaculate deception” article `Feb. 26`. You provided a very clear, transparent picture of this troublesome program `crisis pregnancy centers` and its proponents. We are going to be hand-delivering copies to many of our allies in the state…
State of the city:Perilous
Another early morning in February, another opportunity for Mayor Buddy Dyer to tell us how we’re on the brink of becoming “the next great American city.” Then we drive back to the office, past blocks of empty storefronts, wondering what planet he lives on. Feb. 25 marked Dyer’s sixth — and most somber — state…
Voice of the plains
Though his powerfully plaintive individual performances are well-known, the reality is that Lucero frontman Ben Nichols is such a force unto himself that a solo release was inevitable. Based on the Western novel Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, the debut release by the celebrated artist frames an unmistakably intimate perspective with only two accompanists: pianist…
20 random things about Bad Brains
1. Bad Brains are the best punk band to come from Washington, D.C. Yes, that includes Minor Threat. 2. Singer H.R. and drummer Earl Hudson are brothers; H.R. was born in London, Earl in Alabama. 3. All the members of Bad Brains are at least 50 years old, with the exception of bassist Darryl Jenifer,…
The 30-year-old Virgin
Is it tough to be an old guy in a punk rock band? It all depends on who you ask. Pose the question to the guys in Agent Orange or D.O.A. or NOFX and you’re likely to get three entirely different answers. Ask Orlando’s Sam Johnson and you’ll get a pretty simple one. Though he’s…
Punk monk
Brad Warner has practiced Zen for more than 20 years. He’s become an internationally noted teacher of the spiritual discipline, but it hasn’t eliminated his problems. Staring down a divorce and pondering an affair, the punk-bassist-turned-Zen-teacher had the idea for his new book, Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate: A Trip Through Death, Sex,…
Blister
“If you remember this tomor- row, you’re never gonna forget it!” has become a sort of gruff-voiced, drunk-fuck-in-a-dark-alley credo for Taylor and me lately, a mantra muttered at 3 a.m. while picking the dirty toenails out of our foreheads, all stifled sobs in hot bath fetal positions. In a way it’s a small life affirmation…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” said Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s chief of staff. “It’s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.” While your crisis is nowhere near as pressing as those faced by Obama’s team, I recommend that you adopt…
Savage Love
I have lived with my boy- friend for almost two years. He says he loves me and does a lot of loving things for me. We are both in our early 60s, but we have the sexual energy of 20-year-olds. Here’s the problem: I am overweight (size 18). I was overweight when he met me.…
