Something Chocolate
During February it’s hard not to notice the food of the month. It’s chocolate, of course, and if you are not a chocoholic you may find the craving difficult to understand. After all, you reason, vanilla is still the most highly esteemed and desired flavor of ice cream, right? But some people can’t get enough…
The Blotter
happy valentine’s day: A woman reported her car had been vandalized. A suspect within her family carved “I love you” on the hood of her Jetta with an unknown object. The sculptor also scratched the door panels. Damage to the car is estimated at $2,000. Calling Joe Friday: A 20-year-old man called police from a…
Meta Africana
If you have limited vision, Corey Harris could be labelled a bluesman. Yet a closer look reveals that blues is just a jump-off point for the singer/guitarist. “I don’t really look at labels,” Harris said last week by phone from his Charlottesville, VA, home. “I’m looking at the roots. I’m not trying to do anything…
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: I had to feel sorry for the schmuck who erased all the phone numbers out of his girlfriend’s Blackberry, because the same thing happened to me. I bought a phone on Craigslist (my first mistake) and had trouble with it from the beginning. I could not figure out how to turn the…
Pressure Drop
We all owe debts to our parents; and most aspiring artists are saddled with iconic influences. But in young bluesician Duwayne Burnside’s case, the shadow cast by his progenitor is longer than most. Even beyond death, the legacy of his father, country blues master R.L. Burnside, remains formidable. Growing up in the north Mississippi hill…
Letters
Boomer Bad Re: “9/11’d To Death” (“Boomer with Attitude” by John Grooms, Feb. 8): President Bush and others remind people of 9/11 because it is an important event. The terrorists hate us and want to kill us. I promise you that they have not forgotten 9/11. They use it to recruit and motivate more terrorists.…
What You Need?
Just as Star Search faded to black in the 90s, VH1 brought us Bands on the Run, a rock & roll-meets-Survivor type contest (anyone remember Flickerstick?). Soon after, the American Idol concept crossed the Atlantic and, well, damn near changed everything. And that ain’t a good thing. Suddenly, it no longer takes 10-plus years of…
From the Editor
You may have noticed some differences in our recent covers — particularly the giant lips on last week’s “Lust List” issue. This is not your imagination. Our creative services department, based in Atlanta, has been working closely with the editorial departments of each of our papers — Atlanta, Tampa, Sarasota and Charlotte — on ways…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Feb. 15 Ballantyne Resort Tommy Joy Brickhouse Tavern, Davidson Robin B & Andy Seets The Evening Muse Secondhand Stories w/ Fedor & Guthrie Garden Cafe Open Mic w/ Ansel Couch The Gin Mill Wizards Roadshow Graduate East Open Mic w/ Basikly Irish Cue, Cornelius Gabe and Friends The Loft John Alexander Trio Manifest Discs…
I Know It When I See It
You’d think that, by my popularity alone, Keiger would offer my unemployed ass a job bartending at the Local. But I guess there’s two huge flaws in my argument: One, they don’t need another bartender at the Local; and two, the reason I’m so popular is because the single time I did bartend there, I…
Everyday Zombies
Vestal virgins by a cool oasis; a river to cross and a boatman who must be paid; your poked-out eye waiting for you in the outstretched hand of your wife. Most of the world’s religions have at least a word or two to say about what we’ll find when we leave this life. But what…
Joe Thompson
Joe Thompson is the last of his kind, a legendary Carolina fiddler who has kept up the string band tradition. “I think I’m doing pretty good at it,” said 87-year-old Thompson last week, by phone from his home in Mebane. “I’ve been doing it at least since I was 7 years old.” Thompson grew up…
The Iceman Cometh
There’s only one cool way to see the new arena, and if you aren’t special — say, a wealthy business tycoon or the inventor of dryer sheets — your chances of getting the royal tour aren’t very good. I’m neither a tycoon nor an inventor, but publicity is a powerful bargaining chip, so the good…
CL Recommends
The Amalgamation Polka by Steven Wright (Knopf hardback). Wright’s Civil War opus is a testament both to the perseverance and peculiarity of the American character. It is a descent into the fevered madness of a country sickened by its own conflicting moralities and seething with an appetite for war. Wright’s visceral and disorienting imagery lends…
Spaced cowboys
Y’all wanna fuckin’ knuckle ’bout it, fine, but Sly Stone is a genius, perhaps the most important musical icon of the postwar era. I don’t care that such statements coming from rock critics are annoying at best, treated as suspect. Were it not for a dynamic duo of Southern genius — Texas transplant Sly Stone…
Claws Celebre
David Foster Wallace (hereinafter referred to as DFW, as the acronym-fond author would no doubt prefer) is one of the preeminent literary lights of his generation. Equal parts logorrhea and locution, he’s been compared to such legendary word wizards as William H. Gass, William Gaddis and Thomas Pynchon, and DFW’s got the lengthy, doorstop-sized masterwork…
Bellying Up At The Bar
With its cushy armchairs, antiquated sofas and elegant tables, there’s a distinctively clubby feel to the Sunset Club down on South Boulevard. Yet the woodwork, the lighting and the bar add enough roadhouse flavoring to make this venue perfect for the steamy action of Torches, the high-octane dramatic cocktail from the BareBones Theatre Group. In…
Money Doesn’t Talk, It Swears
Webster’s defines the word “tacky” as “distasteful” or “tastelessly showy” — such as, placing a car dealer ad on taxpayer-owned space. “Tacky” is what came to mind when I heard that County Park and Rec wants to sell naming rights for Freedom Park’s bandshell to Scott Clark Toyota. Irate park neighbors agree it’s a crass…
This Other Hilary Plays Around
Despite her stony senatorial demeanor, there is irrefutable DNA evidence proving that the former First Lady has “done it” at least once — unless you subscribe to that scandalous artificial insemination theory. Without prying into the privacy of her boudoir, we can assert that another Hilary is definitely putting out — on the concert stage…
Iron Man
Urban development mixes a bittersweet cocktail. Fast-moving urban development gives the city a buzz, just like a gin and tonic affects our senses. But when the mix includes the inevitable gentrification of previously disregarded parts of town, the cocktail is often bitter for the tribe of artists living there and, most often, it is sweetest…
Tiger Lily
On a 47-degree Tuesday afternoon with a steady wind blowing from the north, Jabeen Akhtar, painted like a tiger, stepped out of her black robe at the corner of Trade and Tryon streets and crawled into a cage. The first-time exhibitionist was topless, concealed only by pasties and her black and orange body paint. The…
Wine List
Villa Antonio Wine Tasting Five wines, free appetizers and live music. Wed., Feb. 8, 6pm. $20. Villa Antonio, 4707 South Blvd. 704-523-1594. Wine Classes www.CarolinaWineClub.com. Tues., Feb. 21, 6:30-8:30pm, Wine and Cheese Pairing. $35. Westye Group Southeast Showroom, 127 West Worthington Ave. # 104. 704-344-8027.
The Last Rassler
This story features excerpts from Tony Earley’s “Charlotte.” The professional wrestlers are gone. The professional wrestlers do not live here anymore. Frankie Belk sold Southeastern Wrestling Alliance to Ted Turner for more money than you would think, and the professional wrestlers sold their big houses on Lake Norman and drove in BMWs down I-85 to…
Down the Drain
There’s a lot of ways to measure the cost of $2 million in taxpayer money that has gone down the drain. It’s enough money to provide daycare subsidies for 1,000 low-income kids. It could pay for 40 additional child welfare workers. It’s about the amount of money the county spends to operate an elementary school…
Some Like It Hot
Judging by the critical shit storms stirred up with each Fiery Furnaces’ release, you’d think we were reliving the infamous furor occasioned by the 1913 première of Igor Stravinsky’s dissonant The Rite of Spring. Back then, rioters tore apart the Paris theater where the ballet debuted, and the next day’s newspapers declared imminent end-times. Maybe…
Stargazer
Pisces The Fish (Feb. 19 — Mar. 20) Stay aware of yourself and your attitude. You may attract those who want to argue and prove that you are somehow in error. The experience could become an unpleasant memory if you let yourself get emotionally “hooked” into proving who is right. Travel and legal activities are…
Stop the Violence
Spouses convicted on domestic violence charges in Mecklenburg County almost always are ordered to attend a program designed to teach them the error of their abusive ways, according to local advocates. But batterers elsewhere in North Carolina aren’t necessarily held to the same standards. Thirty-six of the state’s 100 counties don’t have certified batterer intervention…
9-11’d To Death
George W. Bush wasn’t even two minutes into his State of the Union speech last week before he began beating his favorite dead horse: September 11. He gave it another good whack just a couple of minutes later and then managed to squeeze the words “terror,” “terrorism” or “terrorists” into his speech more than 20…
Film Clips
New Releases FREEDOMLAND An adaptation of Richard Price’s novel that itself owes a debt to the real-life Susan Smith incident, Freedomland is a forceful drama that would be compelling enough without all the needless fuss made by director Joe Roth. Two hard-hitting lead performances combine with some salient points about racial tensions to produce a…
El Dia de Los Enamorados
Did you know St. Valentine was a Christian priest who died on Feb. 14, 269 AD and left a farewell notice to his jailer’s daughter, whom he had become acquainted with and was probably the only person he appreciated? The note said, “From your Valentine …,” and a lot of other corny stuff that a…
View From The Couch
ELIZABETHTOWN (2005). Many directors reveal little about themselves through their motion pictures, yet Cameron Crowe clearly isn’t that type. Crowe has consistently penned and/or directed movies that tap into some aspect of his personal life, with this autobiographical penchant reaching its pinnacle via his Oscar-winning screenplay for Almost Famous. With Elizabethtown, he seeks to honor…
Short List
Dubya the grouch If Bush follows his plan to cut $157 million in PBS funding, send him to the garbage can. McCrory applauds Myrick/Sheriff anti-illegal immigration measures Perfect — now police can spend less time on those pesky murders and rapes and more time checking green cards. Mike Brown testifies Homeland Security knew about Katrina…
Past Their Prime
If ever there existed a compelling argument as to why Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford should not proceed with their long-marinating plan to make a fourth Indiana Jones movie, here it is in the form of Firewall. At 63, Ford is already looking the worse for wear; by the time the Indy flick rolls, he’ll…
Spies Like Us
From the way they’re carrying on in Washington, you’d think the National Security Agency is the only federal agency collecting data on people. In reality, the NSA wiretapping program that has caused such an uproar is one of the least intrusive data-mining enterprises the federal government currently has going. If people had any idea what…
Wine From Walla Walla
David is giving Goliath a noogie. Washington, the second largest wine-producing state in America, is ready to rumble with California. The state now boasts more than 400 wineries and eight designated growing regions (or appellations), three established in the last two years. Sixty-seven wines from 30 wineries (on 30,000 acres of vineyards) took home awards…
No Trekkies Here
Here it’s all about the books. Comic books. That’s right Comic-Con descends on the Queen City. So dust off your Amazing Spider-Man, Action Comics and Detective Comics, coz it’s convention time. Every year thousands gather to buy, sell, trade and revel in comics whether they be anime, DC, Marvel, Darkhorse or whatever catches your fancy.…
Fox in the Hen House
By 12:30am on a summer evening, the diligent dishwashers had concluded their tasks in an upscale Charlotte restaurant and bade adios to some of the remaining employees. Sitting at the bar, a thirtysomething, hard-drawn server pours herself another drink and downs it. Soon she walks to another bar where many of her co-workers and acquaintances…
See & Do
Wednesday, February 15 Southern ladies wearing their most glorious chapeaux to Sunday church. It’s an African-American tradition that’s unknown to the Brooklyn hip-hop protagonist of Crowns, coming to Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte through March 5. Yolanda’s awakening isn’t merely a runway revelation of hats; it’s a righteous explosion of gospel music praising the king on…
