Art For Sports’ Sake
by Linda Luise BrownIs art just one more form of entertainment for the people to enjoy? As an advocate of art for art’s sake, someone who believes that art has a higher purpose than simply to entertain, I’m troubled when I see visual art bundled into a voters’ package to spice up the male-dominated sports…
Cover Story
Summer RerunsMost seasonal movie fare seems 2 familiarBy Matt Brunson photo: 20th Century FoxNicole Kidman & cohorts in Moulin Rouge For all its faults, there’s one good thing you can say about the film capital of the world: They sure know how to recycle out there in Hollywood. If there’s one expression that can be…
Citizen Servatius
Citizen Servatius What Price For Jewels? Tara Servatius pull: City staff answer these questions from council members as if they’re talking to a child who’s a bit slow on the uptake. And the answers often are just assurances that everything will eventually turn out OK. I almost feel sorry for City Manager Pam Syfert. It’s…
Books
Books Southern Haunting Book explores the ghosts of joy and lossBy Jordan Adair The Cry of an Occasion : Fiction from the Fellowship of Southern Writers edited by Richard Bausch (LSU Press, 222 pages, $29.95). Something haunts me about these stories. Pain balanced by pleasure, confession resulting in conversion, anger soothed by joy, violence mitigated…
Metrobeat
MetrobeatPolice Move More Officers Into David 2 Department responds to concerned citizens, media attention cap: Open-air Drug deals like this may be easier to catch now photo: Radok By Tara Servatius Seven additional police officers are now patrolling the streets of the David 2 police district. As reported in Creative Loafing recently, increasing complaints over…
Arts Agenda
ArtsAgenda By Molly H. McKinneyThe Huddled Masses Many people paint portraits, but true artists somehow manage to capture not just the image of the person, but also the reality of what the image represents. If the artist is truly gifted, they may even offer us a glimpse inside the head of the subject — something…
Letters
Letters to the editor Chief Needs A New Neighborhood To The Editors: Tara Servatius may be a brilliant reporter, but she would solve a lot of the problems she poses if her left brain (Metrobeat) could talk to her right brain (Citizen Servatius). In the latter, Ms. Servatius asks the police chief why he is…
Cuisine Goodeats
GoodEats The following is Creative Loafing’s bite-sized guide to restaurants in Charlotte. Inclusion in this guide doesn’t necessarily serve as a recommendation, but does stand as a source of quality fare. Where possible, we have included our subjective opinions. The dollar signs at the end of each item are indicative of the cost of a…
Mellow Out
While perusing the 114 beers on the Mellow Mushroom beer bottle list, which includes selections from Germany, Scotland, and England as well as Brazil and Zimbabwe, I glanced up to notice a woman at a neighboring table contemplating a tasting tray consisting of Hoegarrden Belgian White, Franziskaner Dunkel Weisse, Paulaner Hefe-Weizen, and Hacker-Pschorr Dunkel Weisse.…
Feature
Cuisine Food for Thought: Ancient FlavorThe options are unlimited when creating condimentsBy Joe George Condiments. They’re so common you probably don’t even notice them, but they’re on every table in America and around the globe for that matter. From local diners to fancy restaurants, tables are often laden with an assortment of condiments. In one…
Full House
2001-04-07 “I serve food people love,” says Greg Kroustalis, owner of Greg’s Famous Bar-B-Q in Matthews. “And I love people who love quality food.” Kroustalis should know. He has been in the Charlotte restaurant picture since the 1970s. Kroustalis, a native of Karbenise, Greece, came to Charlotte in 1970 after his mother moved here. “Charlotte…
Cuisine Feature
Mellow Out Pizza just part of the attraction at this restaurantBy Tricia Childress phot:Radok cat: MELLOW MUSHROOM Pizza, hoagies and lots of beer choices While perusing the 114 beers on the Mellow Mushroom beer bottle list, which includes selections from Germany, Scotland, and England as well as Brazil and Zimbabwe, I glanced up to notice…
Gently Down the Stream
2001-04-28 Streams are an important component of Charlotte’s geography; in fact, there are 400 miles of streams in Mecklenburg County. Our rolling terrain is cut by creeks: Briar, Davidson, McDowell, Long, Paw, Steel, Little Sugar, Mallard, and Clear. People who lived here a generation ago talk about the beauty of these waterways and of fishing…
In Tune
In Tune Let Sunshine InCharlotte native featured on debut album and on tourby Lynn Farris capt:SUNSHINE ANDERSON Charlotte native Sunshine Anderson recently released her debut album, Your Woman, on Soulife Entertainment/Atlantic Records. After graduating from North Carolina Central University some years ago, Anderson relocated to Washington DC and later moved to Los Angeles. She’s been…
The Main Event
2001-02-24 New American cuisine is the latest catch phase for food of the moment, the trendiest food of the “00s.” New American is what “Eclectic” and “Fusion” were to the 90s and what “Nouvelle” was to the 80s. Those terms are now jaded, I mean faded, memories, but are still used by some non-hip search…
Vibes Music
Music MenuBy Tim Davis,Samir Shukla and Co. capt:UNKNOWN HINSON plays the Double Door on Friday Belmont Playboys The Playboys are finally back after having taken some time off from the club circuit (ain’t real jobs a bitch!). So hold tight to your women and your liquor because Lord knows it’ll probably be a throw-down. The…
Noble Endeavor
2001-05-26 One of the variables inherent to restaurants is change. Servers change. Chefs change. Managers change. Owners change. Sometimes even locations change. At better restaurants, menus and wine lists change. Restaurants are dynamic and change is part of the game. Sometimes change is necessary. Even though the 212-seat, 8000-square-foot Noble’s opened last December, some changes…
Vibes Sounds
Sounds CD Disc-overiesAn anthology, by George; Minibar is open; and from G. with Love By Tim Davis, Lynn Farris, Gene Hyde George Benson — Anthology (Warner/Rhino) This two-disc career summary begins with Benson’s funky mid-60s organ-based band, a showcase for his fluid, Wes Montgomery-influenced chops. His talent was such that Miles Davis invited him to…
Still Standing
2001-06-02 When Patti Labelle performed in Charlotte, she dined at Simmons Fourth Ward Restaurant. “She loves our food,” one employee told me. “She was here every night. Marie Osmond, too. She likes our baked chicken.” The walls of this small center city restaurant are plastered with autographed pictures of gospel singers and musicians, actors and…
Soundbrd
Soundboard Call us with your Soundboard info, 704-522-8334, ext. 135, or fax it to 704-944-3605. We need the date, the venue, the band name and a contact name and number for questions. photo:THE TENDER IDOLS play Mojo on Saturday WEDNESDAY, MAY 2 BAYOU KITCHEN Country & Western Bill BI-LO CENTER, GREENVILLE SC Dave Matthews Band…
Trading in Tapas
2001-03-10 I wanted to have a restaurant which served food the same way I go out to eat. When I go out to eat, I like to sample as many dishes as I can,” says Tim Henderson, owner and chef of Vidalia & Grapes. “I offer all my dishes in an appetizer portion, or a…
Film Clips
Film Clips by Matt Brunson Andrew Cooper/New Linecredit: SCHLUMPY OLD MEN capt:Garry Shandling and Warren Beatty put their long marriages on the line in Town & Country. NEW RELEASESDRIVEN More like Drivel. With rare exception, the mini-genre of race car flicks has always been a disreputable one, as proven by the likes of Elvis Presley’s…
News Jerry
Dark Secrets by Jerry Klein pull: I have no use for cookie-cutter images of politicians as holy figures — because there aren’t any. In its buildup for the May television ratings period, NBC’s The West Wing has come up with a provocative story line, in which the fictional President of the United States comes face-to-face…
Add It Up
THE IRON MAIDEN & THE SENATOR Jesse Helms and his favorite female politician Margaret Thatcher got together for a speech and a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Helms Center on the campus of Wingate University on Saturday. pho:Kirby Purvis OUTBLAZING THE HEAT The Hornets were the story of the NBA playoffs’ first round as they…
News Comm
It’s a Crap Shoot by Lucy Perkins pull: No doubt Gov. Easley’s been pondering the implications of a super-educated race of South Carolinians swarming his state’s borders. I don’t blame him. It is a scary thought. It’s a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme that is brilliant in its simplicity. The key to it lies in its audience. After…
Stargazer
For All Signs A cycle that began in 1994 has arrived at a period of fruition during the months since last August. Think about what you may have begun in ’94 that involved regeneration and expansion of your life territory. Throughout these eight months you have seen evidence of the outcome. The aspect particularly favors…
Sports
Sports Proven TalentPanthers, Sting draft picks rely on performance, not “potential” by Susan ShackelfordThe pro teams in this town all need to put fannies in seats, and the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Sting recently had major opportunities to do something about it through top draft picks. Some people think they blew it. I believe they…
Cartoons
JIM HUNT Editorial Cartoon Jim Hunt’s Website www.jimhuntillustration.com/ or emai: jimhunt@mindspring.com
Feature
Feature cap: Spalding Gray ph credit: Paula Court Gray MattersSpalding Gray discusses sex, death, existentialism and cocktail hour By Christopher Denny You may recognize Spalding Gray from his appearances in such films as True Stories, Clara’s Heart, King of the Hill and Beaches, but Gray is first and foremost a storyteller. (It was his role…
