Short Attention Span Policies
“Blank Generation” by Richard Hell and the Voidoids was released in 1977. Generation X was spawned from 1965 to 1979, Generation Y from 1980 to who knows when. And now there’s another generation, brought to you by the letter W and the number 43; welcome to Generation ADD — Americans who can’t keep their mind…
The Columbia Nine
Creative Loafing went to Columbia, SC last weekend to hunt for a Big Idea. You know the kind — that visionary government proposal that expands possibility — the New Deal, the Apollo program, the Peace Corps. And what better place to look than the spot where all nine wannabes for the Democratic nomination for president…
Tasty Treats and Superheroes
Give them credit for truth in advertising. The Taste of Charlotte Festival was held in downtown Charlotte last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and, true to its moniker, gave folks just a taste of food in exchange for tokens, which one could purchase in $5, $10, and $20 “packages.” Five dollars got you six tokens, which…
Beaten For Yelling
Add another bloody face to the list of those who claim out-of-control Mecklenburg County sheriff’s deputies beat them while they were handcuffed or otherwise restrained. Jeffrey S. Medlin and his wife Tammy were taking a walk around their neighborhood in September 2001 when Tammy Medlin decided to return home early. After a phone tip a…
Fast Forward Farce
What’s a French farce doing in rural Connecticut? I’d estimate about 25 miles above the speed limit at the SouthEnd Performing Arts Center. But although BareBones Theatre Group’s new production of Marc Camoletti’s Don’t Dress for Dinner is criminally fleet, you’re going to enjoy the unpredictable ride — and every kinky twist of the road.…
More Price, Less Space
For those who don’t follow Charlotte’s basketball arena soap opera for a living, it probably seems that its cost keeps rising while its size keeps shrinking, while nobody’s even driven a nail yet. That’s understandable. In the half-decade or more that city leaders have been seriously discussing a new arena, its estimated cost has never…
The Deadly Circus Rolls On
After making their way from the Knife River, where the steamer Rocky Mount has been abandoned, to the confluence of the Missouri and the Yellowstone, the dyspeptic aristocrats known as the Berrybenders have settled in for a long winter in the West.One night during dinner, a grizzled mountain man named Hugh Glass bursts into a…
More Kudos For CL
Creative Loafing writers won four awards this year from the NC Working Press, which were presented May 3 in Greensboro at the NCWP Awards ceremony. The winners, and the judge’s comments, are as follows:Matt Brunson won first place in Criticism. Judge’s comments: “His ‘I Am Sam’ review gave me a laugh-out-loud moment. I enjoyed him…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Broadway Bon Voyage Presented by Carolina Voices. Featuring the Mainstage Choir, jazz ensemble IMPROMPTU!, the Eddy Mabry Dancers and a live orchestra. May 9-10, 8 p.m.; May 10-11, 3 p.m. $20-$25. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-348-5800. Celebrate Life The Youth Choir of Myers Park Baptist Church presents a fully…
It’s Tele-vision
WFNZ-AM’s Mark Packer debuted his new TV show, The Southern Fried Sports Show on WTVI April 27. It co-stars another sports media guy with opinions, namely John Kilgo. We always root for new local shows, and WTVI always needs more of them, but this one seems an odd fit for a PBS station’s Sundays at…
All Day-O
The interior of Di Banana Boat may not evoke its tropical namesake, but it’s hard to be island-like within an outdated strip shopping center across the street from Hickory Grove Baptist Church. No matter, it is what Di Boat brings to the table that will bring you back.This small bare bones shop offers a choice…
A Price Quietly Paid
What would you give up to stop the next terrorist attack from happening? It’s easy to answer “a lot” when you’re not the one doing the sacrificing. But would you be willing to slash your income by $70,000, give up your cushy lifestyle, sell your beautiful home, trade your slick sports car for a Ford…
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.…
Letters
Great MTV Article The article about the MTV thing was great (“Drivel, Sex and Marketing!,” by Sam Boykin, Apr. 23). When I was reading it, there were some quotes from the kids that I kept reading aloud to my friends, and we then commented on them. I’ve been reading Creative Loafing for the past five…
Buzzes Revealed
In college, while funneling Crystal Light and Vodka, we wasted precious study hours philosophizing about the various types of buzzes. The vodka buzz was different from beer was different from wine. No final determination came out of the long hours of discussion, so I assembled a thirsty crew of editorial-types (smokers, drinkers, etc.) to establish,…
The Blotter
Encore A man called police after noticing that someone had stolen his lawn mower and an accompanying gas can in the middle of the night. The man told police this was the second time it had happened. I Nose That Had To Hurt After two men and a woman started arguing, one of the men…
Idol Conversation
“Hi. Is Doc there?” “Just a minute. Are you an interviewer?” It’s Rosa Lee Watson, Doc’s wife. “Yes, I am,” I say. “Just a minute. You’re an interview? Now you hold on, hear?” “It’s an interview, honey…” Rosa Lee calls out to her husband of many years. She’s probably done this a thousand times over…
News of the Weird
ANIMAL HEADS: Palmer, Mass., construction contractor Anthony Morales, tired of fighting customer Gail Kapulka over payment of his bill, planted the freshly severed head of a deer on the front seat of her car on Christmas night, according to police. And a frozen sheep’s head was left inside a car owned by a Democratic political…
Taylor Made
The ever busy folks from the Charlotte chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) are presenting “Stage Performance,” a lecture and workshop with Livingston Taylor at the Evening Muse. (If you can’t tell from the photo, Liv has a well known brother named James.) The workshop will be held from 10am to 3pm on…
Music Menu
WEDNESDAY 5.7 Drums and Tuba — The adventures of Drums and Tuba bring you guitars and other objects with the original, you guessed it, drums and tuba shredding diverse genres — electronica to rock, punk to funk — and tossing it all into a basket. The trio has several records under its belt and the…
Soundboard
Wednesday, May. 7 Cajun Queen 7th Street Gator Band CAT’S CRADLE, CARRBORO The Faint w/ Les Savy Fav Comet Grill Pervis & Sonya Lee Double Door Inn Rainbow Trout The Evening Muse Roy Book Binder; Michelle Swan Fairwinds Coffee Co., Cornelius Lena Mars Fat City Jim Payne w/ Green Light Fishbone Grille Ansel Couch Graduate,…
The X-Philes
The most common complaint regarding the 2000 summer hit X-Men, an adaptation of the popular Marvel comic book about a team of mutant superheroes, was that by necessity it spent too much time familiarizing general moviegoers with its myriad characters — an odd gripe, since critics usually denounce most summer movies for containing more action…
See & Do
MAY 8 . THURSDAY NC Dance Theatre will present Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux’s ballet Cinderella for five performances beginning tonight in Belk Theater. One of the most elaborate productions the company has mounted, Cinderella includes music from Sergei Prokofiev, 20 DancePlace students and eight full-sized puppets. Showtimes are 7:30pm tonight, 8pm on Friday and Saturday and 2pm…
Die Another Day
Roman Polanski’s The Pianist may have been showered with Oscar glory a couple of months ago, but the best Holocaust film of 2002 was actually The Grey Zone, which is being presented as part of this month’s Charlotte Film Society series (call 704-414-2355 for details). Writer-director Tim Blake Nelson, the fine actor from O Brother,…
Karma Cleanser
Dear Karma Cleanser: Last year, a developer purchased a heavily wooded tract of land in my neighborhood. There were many large trees on the property, and my neighbors and I fought for many months to try to save as many of these trees as possible, especially one enormous white oak that was close to 50…
Film Clips
NEW RELEASES THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE The appeal of the Disney Channel’s top-rated kids’ show Lizzie McGuire can doubtless be traced right to its star, 15-year-old Hilary Duff. Duff plays Lizzie as part Lucille Ball, part Britney Spears (minus the sleaze factor) and part Julie Andrews, serving up a squeaky clean teen whose only flaw…
Stargazer
For All Signs Mars, the red planet, represents the ancient god of war. “He” exists within each of us as our personal warrior, the part of ourselves that can be assertive and pursue what we desire. Some are born with a strong Mars factor and others are not. This week Mars has multiple aspects, suggesting…
The Rise of Body Art
“One must be a work of art, or wear a work of art.” — Oscar Wilde “A good tattoo isn’t cheap, and a cheap tattoo isn’t good.” — Popular tattoo saying That guy you see over there, the one with the arm chock full of Technicolor art that begs for a closer look? He’s part…
