A Year of Fear and Sorrow
R.W.B. Lewis, who died in June, was one of the founding scholars of the academic discipline known as American studies. Lewis, a biographer and literary critic, claimed “the phenomenon of being an American” as his special field of inquiry. His seminal book The American Adam (1955) offers the myth of “the authentic American as a…
See & Do
SEPTEMBER 11 – WEDNESDAY Together We Remember is the uninspired name chosen for the city-county’s “official” commemoration of September 11 in Marshall Park, from 8:46am to 10:10am. Events will include bells tolling at the different times planes crashed on September 11, 2001; processions of various groups such as firefighters, police, Red Cross and others to…
Arena Wars
Now that City Council has voted on a location, hired architects and consultants, and is poised to continue negotiations with the NBA, it seems that plans for a new downtown arena in Third Ward are moving ahead quicker than ever before. Some say that’s the problem. Several urban planners, architects and City Council members are…
Where’s Waldo?
Some men really need to be relieved of the self-consciousness that afflicts the lesser endowed of the male gender. The person that dared to contradict “Size doesn’t matter” with “Oh yes, it does!” forgot that the phrase may apply to men’s bank accounts, but it certainly doesn’t involve the size of his, um, manhood. I,…
Letters to the Editor
Earle Makes Him Hurl Re: “The God and the Infidel,” by Don Hazen (August 28). The fact that Steve Earle is much less popular than The Boss and the fact that Bruce Springsteen has sold more albums in a year than Mr. Earle could hope to sell in his lifetime explains why Earle wrote “John…
Stargazer
For All Signs Between September 14 and October 6, Mercury, planet of communications, will turn retrograde in the sign of Libra. Because Libra is a relationship sign, we will have a few weeks to contemplate our personal relationships. We may feel the need to set previous decisions on hold for a thinking period. This is…
Why D’you Wanna Know?
Good for Simon Cowell. In the summer TV hit American Idol, he re-introduced America’s self-esteem mongers to actual opinion undiluted by rationalization. If a singer stank, he told them so. If they should have been voted off the show, he said it.In the spirit of Simon, I’m getting a little plainspoken this outing and answering…
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser:I have a problem and need some help to keep me from making some really bad karma for myself. I’ve been married now for a little under two years to a man who is in the armed forces. We met, dated and got married in a very fast amount of time: just over…
In Case of Terrorist Attack:
In psychological terms, doing something pointless to avoid doing something difficult is called a displacement exercise. That’s exactly what this nation’s leaders have engaged in in the year since September 11 — a $200 billion, multi-agency, bureaucrat-laden displacement exercise ultimately designed not to combat terrorism but to cover political hides in time for the next…
The Imperfect Crime
He (Ghantt) enjoyed telling me about listening to the radio while driving to work in his truck on the morning of the crime. “They were playing “Take the Money and Run,'” he said. “I shit you not.” — Jeff Diamant What else can you say about one of the most imperfect crimes in history? Most…
The Eleventh Day
The number of people who died was extensive. It took a long time to read the list of names aloud, one after one, intoned with due solemnity by the small boy at the head of the subdued gathering. Row upon row, the audience of boys stood still, listening with heads bowed and eyes lowered. Each…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music 25th Anniversary Concert Carolina Pro Musica, Charlotte’s period instrument ensemble, celebrates 25 years. The program features soprano Rebecca Miller Saunders in the premiere of “Gloria” by George Frederick Handel. Part of Charlotte Shout. Sat., Sept. 21, 8:15 p.m. $12 regular admission and $6 for students and senior citizens. St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 1510…
The Blotter
If You Can’t Say Anything Nice: Over a two day period, a woman received a litany of threatening phone calls from a former “friend.” Among the numerous threats were such gems as: “I hate you and wish I had never met you;” “I’m going to make you lose your job and kill you;” “I’m gonna…
All About Beer
I confess. I am a wine lover. Wine magazines litter my coffee table while books about wine are crammed into my sagging bookshelves. I can easily navigate my way through the lengthiest wine list. When it comes to beer, however, I am an admitted neophyte. Sure, beer hits the spot on hot days, at ball…
News of the Weird
Take that: During the last four months, an unidentified motorist in a maroon Volvo has been reported by construction workers in the California cities of Fremont, Hayward, Brentwood and Dublin to have approached them and requested that they fill his car with concrete or hot asphalt. An employee of Independent Construction (Concord, Calif.) honored the…
Good Eats
All Around Town Anntony’s Caribbean, 400 S. Tryon St., 704-339-0303; 2001 E. 7th, 704-342-0749. All locations have different owners. A hint of the tropics; rotisserie chicken with Jamaican jerk sauce, ribs, Paradise Island fish special, curries, and Caribbean styled greens. $$ Brixx Wood-Fired Pizza, 801 Scott Avenue, 704-376-1000; 225 E. 6th Street, 704-347-2749; 16915 Birkdale…
Back At Last
Here’s your chance. If you’ve been lamenting the loss of JazzCharlotte, if you’ve been wishing for a downtown festival that offers more than cold beer and hot asphalt, if you’ve been complaining that no one brings good bands to Charlotte anymore, this is what you want. As one of the signature events in the month-long…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY 9.11 Bruce Hazel & The Noise — Bruce Hazel manages the rare feat of biting, vitriolic commentary, combined with all sorts of muscular hooks — imagine Elvis Costello co-habitating with a drunken Ryan Adams circa the Strangers Almanac tour. Eschewing for the most part any semblance of country (except for the odd, twangish lead),…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Sep. 11 Arnie’s Tavern, Huntersville Paul & Jannette Cajun Queen 7th Street Gator Band Cajun Queen, Pineville 7th Street Gator Band II Center for Positive Living Christy Snow Charleston Chops, Cornelius Kent Steel Comet Grill Scott Dailey * Double Door Inn Bruce Hazel & The Noise The Evening Muse American Red Cross/North Charlotte Firefighters…
Picture Perfect
Who would have ever guessed that at this point in his life, Robin Williams would be born again? I’m not referring to his personal religious convictions — he could be a “Moonie” for all I know or care — but rather the complete overhaul that he has recently applied to his career. The dirty secret…
Scandal Sheet
By now, we’ve all heard about actress Winona Ryder’s continuing troubles with the law, which started when she allegedly was caught shoplifting from a posh store. Of course, celebrity scandal is nothing new, but the larger question always revolves around whether the star’s silver screen status has been irreparably damaged or if a long and…
Film Clips
NEW RELEASES CHARLOTTE FILM SOCIETY Movies begin this Friday at the Manor and continue the following Friday at Movies at Birkdale. Call 704-414-2355 for details. * LAGAAN: ONCE UPON A TIME IN INDIA We consider it a quintessentially American movie plot — the underdog who rises up to vanquish his oppressors — but proving yet…
