Is Protest Music Dead?
Ever since John Lennon and Yoko Ono led a raucous crowd of flower-toting, peasant-bloused hippies in a pot-hazy chorus of “Give Peace a Chance,” it seems to have been a pop axiom: When the United States goes to war, the musicians begin calling for peace. But not this time. At least, not yet. But is…
Letters
Conservative Yes, Ruler No John Sugg did as thorough and detailed a job on presenting the views of reconstructionists and adherents of dominion theology as anyone I’ve ever read in the secular media (“America the Theocracy,” Mar. 24). It is refreshing to see a report where the writer truly did his homework. Reconstructionism is cause…
Hayes in Fowl Mood
Ever since his days in Greensboro’s early-90s folk-grass heroes Boys of Blue Hill, Sean Hayes has had one of those voices that you remember. Seemingly fragile and shopworn, it’s a perfect match with his cross-stitch songwriting, and the resulting artifact usually comes across as something of a Southern sampler, full of color and texture. Hayes…
News of the Weird
Air head: Louis Paul Kadlecek, 21, who had never even been in an airplane before, broke into a hangar at an airport near Lake Jackson, Texas, on Feb. 29, and, using trial-and-error, got a Cessna 172 airborne for about a mile, intending to fly to Mexico, before slamming into power lines. Although the crash left…
Marah, fans reconcile
In hindsight, it was one of those knock-down, drag-out blowouts married couples have to go through to see if they’re in it for the long haul. In the case of Marah vs. Marah’s fans, it was an acrimonious but temporary split — lots of name-calling, a little action on the side, separation, and the eventual…
Gutsy Move
I’ve seen a lot of things over the course of writing this column, but the Colossal Colon probably takes the cake. Now, don’t get me wrong — I bump into some colossal a-holes every week — but a 20-foot replica of a diseased colon? What a way to make people aware of the dangers of…
Sit & Spin
Calexico Convict Pool Quarterstick Calexico is, as they might say on the diamond, strong up the middle. The well-seasoned Joey Burns pens internationally flavored songs championing the underdog and has developed into a top-notch starting guitarist; Volker Zander’s wide range on acoustic bass shifts effortlessly from subtle to punishing, and drummer John Convertino, one of…
Stick to your own skin
I’m convinced that there is divine retribution after all. A recent news article reported that African ape hunters are being infected by a virus related to AIDS as a result of their “hunting and butchering of primates.” The viral strain is called “simian foamy virus,” and I hope anyone who would murder and chop up…
Music Menu
THURSDAY 4.8 Alan Rhody — Despite corny song titles like “The Wind in Her Hair,” Rhody manages to keep the kitsch at bay while creating memorable music. Rhody’s talent lies in writing simple tales that manage to cover wider territory. The Kentucky native’s latest recording, Journey, is another fine effort in his oeuvre and features…
Casualties of War
Ginger McDonell Systems Analyst “My first thought was that if these people don’t appreciate what we, out of the goodness of our hearts, are doing for them, then we should just blow the shit out of all of “em.” Zora Hostedtler Convenience Store Owner “I guarantee you that if Iraq had invaded the US, we…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Apr. 7 Amos’ Southend Goapele Baoding Robert Fernandez Blue Melinda Hansen, Royce Guin, Korey Dudley & Rob Knox Bricktop Lounge El Es Dios Cajun Queen 7th Street Gator Band Cecil’s Robin Rogers Band Double Door Inn Two Cow Garage w/ Patty Hurst Shifter The Evening Muse Chris Smith w/ Dave Potts & Ladd Van…
The Blotter
PIZZA TURNED TO STONE: Remember the joke where you order a pizza for someone else’s house? Well, a business totally rewrote the book on that one when they ordered 848.79 tons of crushed gravel from a local company. To pay for their mammoth load, they simply billed it to another company down the street from…
Between The Rock And A Hot Place
Walking Tall is an example of what I like to call the “2am movie.” It’s the type of film invented for night owls and insomniacs, the sort of unexceptional, no-deep-thinking-required fare that plays best with a slice of cold pizza, a can of Coke, and the neighbor’s dog howling in the background. To actually spend…
See & Do
APRIL 7 – WEDNESDAY One of the city’s best events, the Taste of the Nation Gala, takes place tonight at Marriott City Center Hotel downtown, featuring food from over 30 of the city’s best restaurants, including wine and beer samplings, live entertainment, silent and live auctions, and lots of nice clothes. Taste of the Nation…
Sliding Scale
Watching the riveting Bus 174 (***1/2 out of four) on the heels of the Oscar-nominated City of God, it becomes clear that one of the world’s major war zones can be found not across endless oceans but on the continent next door. Like the based-on-fact City, this documentary concerns itself with the “invisible people” of…
Ask the Advice Goddess
Of Mice And Mice Last week, after running into a girl I used to date, I called her. I said it was good seeing her again, and we should get together soon. She said “definitely.” Yesterday, I called again and left the message, “Do me a favor and let me know if you want to…
View From The Couch
CHARADE (1963). One of the best Hitchcock films that Hitchcock never got around to making, this delightful mystery-cum-romance sparkles with all the vigor of freshly uncorked champagne. Clearly a product of the early 60s — if the playful opening credits designed by Maurice Binder don’t tip you off, the lush score by Henry Mancini certainly…
Stargazer
For All Signs Mercury, ancient god of travel and communications, turned retrograde on April 6, and remains so until April 30. Retrogradation is not literal; the planet does not actually move backward. It is a phenomenon that gives the appearance of backpedaling from our perspective on the planet. We are prone to garble communications, schedules,…
Film Clips
NEW RELEASES ELLA ENCHANTED Freely adapted from the book by Gail Carson Levine but completely owing its body and soul to Shrek, this is yet another fractured fairy tale designed for kids living in a postmodern age. Anne Hathaway, the wide-eyed star of The Princess Diaries, plays Ella, a young woman who, thanks to a…
Worth The Gamble
Duy Huynh has a gift. He’s long had this gift, but has, in the past, perhaps shared it too abundantly, spread it too thinly over Charlotte. His murals and paintings, on walls and on canvas, have graced bars, cafes, lounges, friends’ houses and hole-in-the-wall galleries. But Duy has consolidated and moved uptown. Kind of. Duy…
Weather Wars
They’ve got color-coded charts. They’ve got three-dimensional graphics. They’ve got slick brand names attached to their forecasts like “SkyMax,” “Accuweather,” and “Microclimate.” The way they hype their forecasts, you’d think that they alone have the only High-tech Double-Doppler AccuClimate StormTracker machine in town parked in their newsrooms. Yet despite all the gizmos, the five weather…
Barbecuing The Kids
The deeper we stray into the primeval woods of familiar folktales, the closer we come to the subconscious core of our fears and desires. So it is in Hansel and Gretel, which opened wickedly last weekend at Children’s Theatre and resumes on April 23. That candy-encrusted cabin in the heart of the woods, together with…
Deconstructing Reconstruction
I am a pastor, a Presbyterian pastor. Theologically speaking, I am a traditional pastor, which means I hold such beliefs as trusting in the Bible to tell us true things and faith in Jesus of Nazareth as the central element for true life. But I am also a newsreader, a Creative Loafing newsreader. I open…
Saddle Up And Ride
Much like baseball, the Western, whether as a movie genre or a literary one, is continually mourned as a fading relic with little hope of long-term survival. And yet, just as disgruntled fans become enamored with the erstwhile national pastime each October, the Western manages to rekindle its admirers’ hearts even as it is diminished.…
CL Ain’t Pimpin’, But. . .
If a TV news report aired that said that you contribute to prostitution in Charlotte, you’d be sure you heard it right the first time, then you’d call up the station and ask for a retraction (if you didn’t decide to sue) and, come to think of it, you’d be angry. The “you” in this…
Here Come De Final Judge
Recently, a few readers left me some nasty voicemails after reading something I’d written in our annual List Issue. In a list of new genres of fiction I’d like to see, I had included religious fiction in which “the fundamentalists are taken up to heaven and leave the rest of us in peace, never to…
Indian Giver
Indian food has that love it or hate it appeal. Love it and the strong, heady spices are perfectly melded to add layers of flavors. Hate it and tandoori chicken becomes dried out meat dyed Fiesta pottery radioactive red. In other words, Indian cuisine is anything but boring. India’s rich regional culinary tapestry weaves threads…
Chain of Errors
Faithful reader Bill pointed out that in last week’s column I erroneously said that in Douglas Adams’ books, “the ultimate answer to the question of Life, the Universe, and Everything was 41.” The correct answer, of course, is 42, which should have been glaringly obvious to me since Papa Bush was 41 and Shrubya is…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Davidson College Chambers Singers Concert will include works by Mozart and Henry Purcell. Wed., April 7, 8 p.m. Free. Sloan Music Center, Davidson College, Davidson. 704-894-2357. Spring Choral Concert Prsented by Queens University Choral Dept., featuring selections spanning the Renaissance to American 20th century.Belk Chapel, Queens Univ. Wed., April 7, 8 p.m. Free.…
Not on My Shoe
Is there anything more annoying than a blowhard? I know every profession has their nemeses, and ours are numbskulls who insist on spewing their wine knowledge, attempting to impress spectators at wine tastings. These lingerers monopolize a pourer’s time (especially if a celebrity winemaker), elbowing out others who might just want to taste and avoid…
Tattered Tapestries
Take two simple words, Regional and Planning. Put them together and you create one of the most contentious concepts in American public life. When I work in communities and suggest collaborative visions for future growth, there’s always a vocal section of the public that loves to insult me. My favorite epithets so far have been…
Good Eats
All Around Town Anntony’s Caribbean, 400 S. Tryon St., 704-339-0303; 2001 E. 7th St., 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. $$ Azteca, 116 Woodlawn Rd., 704-525-5110; 9709 Independence Blvd., 704-814-9877; 1863 W. Franklin Blvd.…
Outsourcing Your Privacy
The way Jignesh Tanna sees it, he has a right to publish your medical records on the internet if he doesn’t get paid. The thing is, if you see a psychologist or psychiatrist in Charlotte or Gastonia, he may have copies of those records. For two years, Tanna’s company, Vashi Transcribe, transcribed an average of…
