Apparently I now like “world music.” I’ve spent a lifetime avoiding it — mainly because its fans. You know the type. They talk in hushed tones and sip vintage cabs. Only slightly more adventurous than the average blues aficionado. My tastes, on the other hand, range…
Let me start out by saying I am not a violent man. Sure, I huff and I puff to blow off a little steam when I get frustrated. When I was in grade school, I thought I invented the F-word. I’ve been using it liberally…
Is it me for a moment?
I’ve become a huge fan of The Best Show on WFMU hosted by the irascible Tom Scharpling. The call-in show has been on the air for about a dozen years, although I’ve only been listening to the podcast for the past few. It’s a formula I instantly fell in love with. Tom starts the show with a mix of indie rock and Led Zeppelin sandwiched between two theme songs, puts down his producer AP Mike, threatens to quit and then takes calls from a cast of regulars and people who don’t always have much to say. Frequent guests have been people like comedians Julie Klausner and John Hodgeman and musicians like Ted Leo. If you haven’t heard this show, check it out.
Lately Tom has been playing cuts from the Deluxe Edition version of The Who’s 1973 classic album Quadrophenia, which came out in November. The Director’s Cut edition is available on Amazon.com for only $133.78.
I hate graffiti. I don’t see the art in it. At it’s best it’s a cliche urban fake ghetto expression. Mostly it’s just selfish, juvenile and costly. OK, I’ll admit that some bathroom graffiti amuses me, because let’s face it, a cartoon penis is always funny….
Hey, I saw your dad the other day. Oh yeah? Where’d ya see him, on one of his walks around the block? Nah. Saw your folks and Mary Jo at Mr. Cipriano’s wake. Oh he finally died? I knew he was in a bad…
It’s an annual indulgence. Linda picks up a few bags of candy for the trick-or-treaters the week before Halloween and I try to ignore them. I usually hold off for a few days. But in the end, I wind up stuffing my pie hole with…
Dark clouds hang over White Sox Nation.
The final indignity of a season of disappointments will likely soon come, with the contract of stellar lefthander Mark Buehrle expiring today with the end of the 2011 season. With the Sox poised to go into rebuilding mode, it is doubtful the free agent pitcher is part of the team plans moving forward. And that is a shame.
Over the past 11 seasons, Buehrle has been hands-down my favorite player in baseball. For a fan who treats baseball like his religion, this off-season is going to hurt. Last night’s performance — 7 innings, no runs, no walks and pitching out of jams caused by two errors — was typical of the man who can barely hit 89 MPH on the radar gun, yet has consistently fooled the best hitters in baseball with his great control and ability to throw first-pitch strikes. A tater served up by reliever Jesse Crain was the only run allowed in a hollow 2-1 victory.
I first met her on my way home from work. I was walking down the sidewalk; she was showing off her belly. She knew how to get a guy’s attention. I greeted her by stroking her chin and rubbing that belly. But I had someone…
You learn a lot of things when you have a garage sale. Linda and I held a garage sale Saturday with our tenants Andy and Christine. We one once every three or four years. It usually takes me that long to want to go through…
“There are no two finer words in the English language than ‘encased meat,’ my friend.”
–The motto attributed to Secret Robbie on the wall at Hot Doug’s
“This is what happens to me always. I want to write so many things but I get tired.”
I just got back from the eye doctor after first having lunch at Hot Doug’s — the Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium. After last night’s Bulls loss, I needed to nurse my pain and get my vision checked; I’m sure I was not watching the same game as the referees.
My knowledge of Nottingham, UK, extends to the Robin Hood movies I grew up watching as a kid courtesy of WGN Family Classics (featuring Douglas Fairbanks) and Disney (with a cartoon fox). I don’t know much of its music scene, yet I’ve been obsessing lately over instrumental recordings from a pair of bands that hail from there — Kogumaza and Souvaris.
I avoided an accident today. Maybe even a heart attack. At the very least, I managed to not get stuck in rush hour traffic on the Kennedy or the Tri-State. I need to pick up filters and a crush washer so I can change the…
I often cut through the North Bridge Mall on Michigan Avenue to get to the Grand subway station on my way home from work — especially when I want to avoid the weather. It’s a straight shot that takes me over Rush Street through Nordstrom…