Cover Story
The Spring Arts Preview
Arizona has nothing on Tucson. The state is turning 100 years old on Feb. 14, prompting a flurry of arts events—but the city is far older than the state. The Old Pueblo celebrated its 236th birthday last August, and that’s only counting the years since Irishman Hugo O’Conor claimed the place for the Spanish crown.…
Presidential Candidate Cesar Cisneros: “We Will Drill for Oil in All 49 States and the Gulf of Mexico”
Republican Cesar Cisneros started running for president a year ago, long before he had heard about Project White House 2012. But when Project White House told him how he could get on the ballot in Arizona, Cisneros got his paperwork in order and delivered it to the Arizona Secretary of State—which is more than we…
You Should Watch This MNDR Video
MNDR, which is more or less one person named Amanda Warner, has a new song called “#1 in Heaven”, which is sadly not a cover of a similarly titled Sparks song, but is still quite good, if you enjoy female-sung dance pop.
Presidential Candidate Ron Zack: “My Main Purpose in Running Is To Enrich Myself and Some of my Friends”
Republican candidate Ron Zack has kept mastered the art of keeping his presidential platform simple: 1) I promise to run my campaign and my presidency with total honesty, openness and transparency. 2) My main purpose in running is to enrich myself and some of my friends, legally through through collateral benefits of the office, and…
Josie’s and The Sushi Store Next Door
A new self-serve frozen-yogurt shop called Josie’s is opening in half of the space that used to be Pizza Plus #1 at 914 E. Speedway Blvd. According to this website the only sweetener the chain store uses is “pure crystalline fructose,” which sounds like a controlled substance but is actually a natural substance that’s sweeter…
Martinez v. Huppenthal: Can We Say ‘Ass Whooping’?
Tucson attorney Richard Martinez, who represents students and teachers in an ongoing federal lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the state’s anti-Mexican American Studies law, debated state Superintendent John Huppenthal this morning on Democracy Now! Huppethal does what we’ve come to expect (other than lie) — throw around tea baggery words like Marxist, but his…
If You Miss Wikipedia, Let Me Help
While I do believe that SOPA and PIPA are terrible bills threatening the very internet we enjoy today, I also understand that the need for information doesn’t just stop just because Wikipedia is down in protest today (Katie Notopoulos is collecting the tweets of panicked college students wondering how they’re going to write their papers,…
RIP, Jonathan Holden
Local concert promoter Jonathan Holden, who brought blues, roots, Americana and other acts to Tucson for decades, has passed away at the age of 60. Our own Linda Ray wrote about Holden for No Depression: The Tucson roots music community is shaken this evening by the sudden and unexpected death of long-time Tucson music promoter…
Finally, a Proposed Law I Can Really Get Behind
The fabric of our society is crumbling as we watch, and no one seemed willing to step in and tackle the real problem we face as Americans, until Louisana’s Caddo Parish District 3 Commissioner Michael Williams made a bold, possibly unpopular, move to preserve our nation’s dignity: Khiry Tisdem, of Shreveport, has no problem going…
Mitzi Cowell & the Valients, Jan. 14, 2012
C. Elliott Mitzi Cowell & the Valients, Jan. 14, 2012 Mitzi Cowell & the Valients performed as part of Second Saturdays Downtown, Jan. 14, 2012. C. Elliott Mitzi Cowell & the Valients, Jan. 14, 2012 C. Elliott Mitzi Cowell & the Valients C. Elliott Mitzi Cowell & the Valients, Jan. 14, 2012 C. Elliott Mitzi…
TUSD Banning Books? Well Yes, and No, and Yes
Are books being banned from Tucson Unified School District classrooms as part of the district’s work to dismantle Mexican-American studies after the governing board voted Tuesday, Jan. 10 to end the classes? Well, it depends on your definition of “ban” … maybe yes, and maybe no. School textbooks are being taken out of MAS classrooms—the…
Cookin’ and Rockin’ With the Rocking Gourmet
Please enjoy the first episode of Tucson’s new rock-and-roll cooking show Rocking Gourmet, which you will find below. This episode features music by the Cleavers and the Cordials and tips on grilling ribeyes and making a Manhattan. Bon appetit.
Presidential Candidate Charles Skelley: The Won-2-3 Plan “Fixes the US Economy by Fixing Manufacturing”
After winning 50 votes in the 2008 Arizona GOP primary, Republican Charles Skelley is back for another shot at winning the hearts and minds of Arizona Republicans. Here’s his platform: THE WON-2-3 PLAN — FIXES THE US ECONOMY BY FIXING MANUFACTURING Part 1: Defining the core US economic problems in 2011 This WON-2-3 plan is…
Goodbye, Louise Serpa
Louise Serpa Jim Mihalek on HUD, Tucson Rodeo 1971 The Range is regrettably late in expressing our condolences to friends and family of rodeo photographer Louise Serpa, who passed away on Jan. 5. I only met Louise a few times, but she was a wonderful woman and an extraordinary photographer. She took a cherished portrait…
“Hello”, Sadly Minus the Sculpture of Lionel Richie’s Head
I really wonder how someone finds the time to assemble something like this, only to know that for a few days people will be highly amused, then it will sink back into the collective forgetfulness of the internet. Still, Lionel Richie songs are kind of funny, so this works.
Presidential Candidate Peter “Simon” Bollander: “Let’s Do It! I’m Old School With a New-Age Mind!”
Peter “Simon” Bollander made quite a splash in his first run for the presidency in 2008. He’s back this year, although he’s switched from a Democrat to a Republican and has evidently joined the Hair Club for Men. We don’t have time to go into Bollander’s entire 10-Star program, but we’re hoping he has time…
Republicans Apparently Booing the Idea of Mexico Now
I honestly can’t explain what happened during last night’s debate when Mexico was mentioned briefly as a question about Romney’s grandparents, and it seemed to be just one or two attendees, but this is where we’re at now? People are just booing when someone just says “Mexico”? Way to go, South Carolina. I’m so glad…
Carmona Launches U.S. Senate Campaign
Democrat Richard Carmona, the former U.S. surgeon general, releases a Web video as part of the formal launch of his U.S. Senate campaign this week. He’s speaking to reporters in Tucson and Phoenix today.
A Phrase You Probably Didn’t Expect to Hear on “Jeopardy!”
I don’t really know what sort of people are working in the writer’s room at Jeopardy!, but I sort of think that someone must have known that someone would have answered “donkey punch”. There’s a Wikipedia article for the (hopefully) imaginary practice and everything. However, this does start preparing the game show world for more…
At Least It’s Not During Finals Week
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales announced Monday that the Internet’s collective knowledge bank will be blacking itself out Wednesday, Jan. 18 to protest both the Stop Online Piracy Act moving through the U.S. House of Representatives and the PROTECT IP Act that will be voted on by the U.S. Senate Jan.26. From Wales’s Twitter: This is…
Presidential Candidates Michael Oatman: “Take the Power Back, With Love!”
Presidential candidate Michael Oatman, who ran as a Democrat in 2008, is now seeking the Green Party’s nomination for the presidency. You can see his campaign video from 2008 above, learn more about him here or read his platform below: Please allow me to introduce myself; my name is Michael Oatman and I am seeking…
Tucson’s First Pinkberry Location Coming Soon
Tucson’s first location of Pinkberry, a frozen-yogurt outfit that started in Hollywood and spread across the world with a quickness, opens next month at the University of Arizona. How did Turkey and Peru get Pinkberry locations before Tucson? The world may never know, but you can check in at the page counting down the days…
MSNBC Looks at the SOPA Debate
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Up With Chris Hayes is apparently a show on MSNBC, which airs on Saturday morning before they dive full on into their weekly marathon of shows about prison life, but the program this weekend did an excellent job of explaining the debate over…
The Food Truck Diaries, Volume 27: Animal Farm
Animal Farm is a new food truck that specializes in meals made with locally raised meat and vegetables. If you’re into big juicy burgers; banh mi sandwiches piled high with thick slabs of pork belly; and some of the tastiest deep-fried cheese curds on earth, you should check it out some time. I found the…
Stephen Colbert Certainly Did Not Attack Mitt Romney
The Colbert ReportGet More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive Since Stephen Colbert is now running in the South Carolina presidential primary, he can’t operate the Super PAC he founded, so clearly this ad attacking Mitt Romney wasn’t his doing. However, it is running in the state in which Colbert is a…
About Last Night: Ben Folds, Calexico and Silver Thread Trio at Fox Theatre
Elliot Ben Folds performs at the Fox Theatre as a benefit for the Fund for Civility, Respect and Understand. More photos from the show with Calexico and Silver Thread Trio below the jump. Elliot Elliot
Gov. Jan Lifts Block on MMJ Dispensaries
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has seen the light and will halt the ludicrous legal fight to block medical marijuana dispensaries across the state. In a statement issued Friday, the governor told God and everyone that she has ordered the processing of dispensary applications in Arizona, but not immediately. “I have directed the Arizona Department of…
A Feast Is Upon Us
La Taverna at Roma Imports, the restaurant inside the well-stocked Italian grocery store Roma Imports at 627 Vine Ave., is getting ready for another series of feasts. They’re calling it “Let’s Go Rome Again,” and the first one takes place this Saturday, Jan. 21. From the menu: ANTIPASTISuppli alla romanaBruschetta with roasted Tomatos and BasilArtichoke…
You Should Go See St. Vincent and tUnE-yArDs
One great thing about Coachella is that you don’t have to go to reap the benefits of their lineup, since quite a few of the bands playing the two weekends in Indio will end up playing in Tucson on the way there or back. Sure, we might not get an At The Drive-In show here,…
The Only Bon Jovi-Related Video You’ll Ever Need
1996 was a wonderful time, falling somewhere between the advent of numerous video effects and most people’s ability to use them correctly.
Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr., who would have turned 83 yesterday, on the Mike Douglas Show, November 2nd, 1967. Part 1: Parts two and three, below the cut. Part 2: Part 3:
Green Presidential Candidate Gary Swing: Corporate Media “Focus on Distractrations Rather Than the Real Issues”
Gary Swing, a Green Party “Favorite Son” Candidate for President of Arizona, discusses federal cinnamon roll policies with swing voter Mary Swing in the back yard of her Tucson residence. Green Party candidate Gary Swing is ready to rumble with his fellow Green candidates on Arizona’s Feb. 28 presidential primary ballot. When Richard Grayson, a…
Presidential Candidate Donald Benjamin: “Congress Shall Adjourn for Two Years Without Pay Before They Can Do Any More Damage”
Donald Paul Benjamin offers his presidential platform: Donald Benjamin: “A junta of fifty six-graders (one from each state) selected based on decorum and attendance will run the legislative branch while Congress is adjourned.” When elected President of the United States, I will immediately pursue constitutional amendments and/or executive mandates to accomplish the following: 1. Between…
Presidential Candidate Richard Grayson: “Like Most Presidential Candidates, I Am a Megalomaniac Who Is Greedy For Power”
Green Party presidential candidate Richard Grayson has already scored one of great prizes of any political candidate: An interview with a local TV station. In an interview with Phoenix TV station ABC-15, Grayson was upfront about his motives in running for president: “Like most presidential candidates, I am a megalomaniac who is greedy for power,”…
Presidential Candidate Jim Terr: “I’ve Got Nothing Better To Do Between Now and November”
Jim Terr sends along his platform: I’m Jim Terr. I’ve been a proud Republican all my life. Just like I’ve been a proud resident or Arizona all my life. Terr—pronounced as in “termite.” The meaning and ethnic origin is unknown. But of course we in Arizona don’t care about that. We care about a person’s…
Presidential Candidate Sarah Gonzales: “After Seeing Who Else Applied From the Republican Party, I Think I Have a Shot”
Presidential candidate Sarah Gonzales: “Some of these ideas might be too specific … but I’m pretty sure it makes more sense than 999.” Sarah Gonzales, the only woman on the Republican presidential primary in Arizona, explains why she decided to run for president: I am recently unemployed and in the process of applying for jobs.…
Kozachik Vs. Rio Nuevo, Round 37
The Rio Nuevo Board rushed out a press release on Friday night in what appears to have been an effort to head off the story in the Sunday edition of the morning daily that hammers the Rio Nuevo Board for spending upwards of a million bucks on lawyers and nothing on actual downtown redevelopment. But…
Political Roundtable: State of the State, TUSD’s Mexican-American Studies, Mitt’s AZ Campaign & More!
Arizona Illustrated’s Political Roundtable does its usual week-in-review as Jonathan Paton, Rodd McLeod, Christopher Conover and I hash out Gov. Brewer’s State of the State, Arizona’s finances, TUSD’s Ethnic Studies shutdown, the presidential race and more.
A Drunk Chef Talks Bourbon
While superstar New York chef admits in the video itself that he’s had a fair amount of the liquor he’s discussing here, David Chang does provide quite a bit of actually helpful information about bourbon, even if he recommends the Pappy Van Winkle line that is too expensive for me to buy and that Tucson…
Political Roundtable: The State of the State, Arizona’s Cash Flow, Mitt & More!
Tonight on Arizona Illustrated’s Political Roundtable: Guests Jonathan Paton and Rodd McLeod, along with Arizona Public Media reporter Christopher Conover, come on down to talk about Gov. Jan Brewer’s State of the State, discuss the state’s finances, size up the presidential race and more with your Range scribe and Roundtable host, Jim Nintzel. Tune in…
One Million Bowls of Chicken-Feet Soup
Is that chicken foot flipping me off? Peruvian food is good. I especially enjoy the seafood soups that can be bought for a few bucks at restaurants along the country’s long and beautiful coast. Papas huancaina, which is served across the country in one form or another, is also incredibly delicious, as are the large…
Seriously? This Again, Arizona Legislature?
Somehow Jeff Dial (the guy whose website lifts text from Wikipedia to explain the Arizona Legislature) didn’t get in on the action this time, but the Arizona Legislature is trying to shame food stamp recipients with a bright orange card again. This is, of course, because trying to feed your family when you’re poor is…
This Is Actually Something From the New York Times
If your “public editor” is positing this idea and asking for input from a comment section on the internet (nothing personal, commenters), that’s a good sign you need to hire a new “public editor”: I’m looking for reader input on whether and when New York Times news reporters should challenge “facts” that are asserted by…
I Don’t Drink Dr. Pepper, but This Is Depressing
Dublin Dr. Pepper is no more, as the Texas holdout still using cane sugar gave in on its years long feud with Snapple, the owner of the brand. It seems like it would have been a better PR move to just let the plant make the drink their way instead of doing this to a…
Stephen Colbert Jumps in the Presidental Race
The Colbert ReportGet More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive Poor timing, Mr. Colbert. You should have made this decision last week and got in on the Project White House action. Oh well, as I think we’ve proven, having more candidates is good for democracy.
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
The Pima County Library is looking for volunteers to assist with its new Bookbike. Check out the bike and see how you can get involved. The Tucson Bicycle Advisory Committee takes a look at what they accomplished in 2011. Who inspires you to ride your bike? Check out how Brian inspires us. The city council…
Banning Traffic on Congress Street is Great Start for Making Tucson More Pedestrian-Friendly
Photo Ryn Gargulinski Despite Tucson’s copious amounts of crosswalks, being a pedestrian in Old Pueblo means taking your life in your hands. Many motorists have neither patience nor tolerance for pedestrians, with 2010 Tucson Police Department statistics showing seven pedestrians hit and killed by vehicles and 210 hit and injured, with 52 of them hit…
Playground Opened Today
The new bar and lounge Playground at 278 E. Congress opened at 4 p.m. today, Thursday, Jan. 12. I’ve been lurking around over on the place’s Facebook page and checking out the pictures of the interior and outdoor cinema area, both of which are pretty cool looking. Four bars in one building and a menu…
Taco Bell Wants to Beat Chipotle at Their Own Game
It’s a little weird to me that Taco Bell would want to try to take on Chipotle, considering that one difference between the two brands is that Chipotle actually cooks stuff in their restaurants, instead of reheating and hydrating, but things can change. If I were in charge of Taco Bell, I’d probably aim to…
Tucson Weekly Readers Are Awesome
A few weeks back, I wrote about an effort to raise money for a women’s shelter by selling soup and brownie mixes. I heard back from those people today and they said they’ve seen an outpouring of support from Tucson Weekly readers, which is very awesome. The organizers of the project got especially excited when…
Talking Comics: “Fatale” Edition
Finally, Eric and Arnie discuss Bucky, sidekick to Captain America, again. Not the entire time, because the video is actually about a comic which is deeply influenced by H.P. Lovecraft, but still, more Bucky, always.
Brian Lopez: “The Killing Moon”
Brian Lopez offers a preview track from Ultra, set for release on March 6.
The Grill at Hacienda del Sol Starts Serving Breakfast Next Monday
The Grill at Hacienda del Sol, the restaurant at the posh resort at 5501 N. Hacienda del Sol Road, will start offering breakfast service Monday, Jan. 16. The people who handle public relations for the place tell us the new breakfast offerings will be sort of an extension of the brunch the place offers each…
Rachel Maddow Tells the Nation About Al “Dick” Perry
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Al “Dick” Perry has hit the big time: A mention on the Rachel Maddow show. Meanwhile, Dustin Volz of Cronkite News reports: There is at least one new Republican voter in the state. Al Perry said he had to switch party affiliation from…
Bob Barker Pitches in to Help Reid Park Elephants
Folks working to keep the masters of Reid Park Zoo from separating longtime-companion elephants Connie and Shaba received a much-deserved dose of good news this week, when it was announced that Bob Barker would kick in up to $500,000 to have the animals resettled together in a bucolic California sanctuary. His pledge would go into…
Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers Is Open
The new Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers on the corner of Thornydale and Orange Grove roads, in Marana, is open. The burger-and-frozen-custard thing—which started in Tucson with the opening of two Culver’s restaurants and continues with Freddy’s—is a bit too calorie-rich for my tastes, yet I fully support it. I find it amazing when an…
Girl Scout Drama Over Transgender Inclusion
A teenage Girl Scout from Ventura County, California has kicked off a bit of controversy by recording a video asking for the boycott of the organization’s famous cookies, due to a Colorado troop’s admission of a transgender child in November of 2011, and now a Houston-based “pro-family” group called “Honest Girl Scouts” has jumped in…
Rep. Wasserman Schultz and the Republicans Squabble Over Tucson
Decide for yourself: Does it seem like Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz “blames [the] Tea Party for [the] Giffords shooting” like the Republican National Committee and its chairman, Reince Priebus, repeatedly tweeted last night? Wasserman Schultz fired back, also via tweet: The transcript, below the cut. AUDIENCE MEMBER: The American people are losing faith in…
Guest Commentary
A cop friend told me not long ago that he had changed his mind on the idea of legalizing drugs. His current take: “Legalize everything but meth, and hang the meth-pushers”—or something close to that. We were talking about a kid we both had known back in the day, a kid who had some problems…
Parents With Problems
Four frequently great performers are put in a room together, and not surprisingly, the results are worth watching in Carnage, the latest from director Roman Polanski. Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly and Christoph Waltz all deliver good work in this somewhat predictable but ultimately enjoyable adaptation of the Yasmina Reza play, God of…
Black Pyramid: II (Meteorcity)
To secure a suitably heavy-sounding band name, all you apparently need do is affix the adjective “black” beside a noun—Sabbath, Flag, (Veil) Brides. This time we have Black Pyramid, a Massachusetts power trio that doesn’t initially seem inspired by the Luxor, the black, pyramid-shaped Las Vegas hotel—though the band has things in common. Like the…
Political Futures
Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords led thousands of Tucsonans on the UA mall in the Pledge of Allegiance on Sunday, Jan. 8, punctuating her delivery with an emphatic vow to stand for “liberty and justice for all!” Giffords’ onstage appearance marked the first anniversary of the day that a crazed gunman opened fire at her Congress on…
Top Ten in Music
1. Stefan George and Tom Walbank My Old Friend the Blues (self-released) 2. Rainer The Best of Rainer: 17 Miracles (Glitterhouse) 3. Rainer The Westwood Sessions (OW OM) 4. Silver Thread Trio Silver Thread Trio (Old Bisbee) 5. Grams and Krieger That’s the Way We Work (Vitalegacy) 6. Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl Children…
Various Artists : Tucson Songs (Le Pop Muzik)
Imagine yourself a casual European music fan listening to this 18-song sampler of music by acts from the Sonoran Desert. Tucson actually sounds pretty damn credible as a musical hotbed on this compilation CD, released by the same German label behind recent recordings by locals Marianne Dissard, Naïm Amor and Andrew Collberg, each of whom…
The Skinny
The Arizona Legislature gets back to work … Mike Hellon wants to be on the Pima County Board of Supervisors … Presidential candidate Al “Dick” Perry beats Texas Gov. Rick Perry … and more!
Top Ten in Movies
1. Contagion Warner Bros. 2. Rise of the Planet of the Apes 20th Century Fox 3. Midnight in Paris Sony 4. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark Sony 5. The Hangover Part II Warner Bros. 6. Margin Call Roadside 7. Colombiana Sony 8. Warrior Lionsgate 9. Apollo 18 Weinstein 10. The Guard Sony
Bombay Bicycle Club: A Different Kind of Fix (A&M/Octone)
North London’s Bombay Bicycle Club is like that kid in class who makes it all too easy to pick on him. Rarely do American bands get away with the sort of precious, earnest and affected evocation found on BBC’s third studio album, A Different Kind of Fix. The young quartet also is a little too…
Final Judgment
When a TV-news reporter asked Raúl Aguirre why the Tucson Unified School District was singled out by those behind the state’s anti-ethnic-studies crusade, his reply was a punch line to a cruel joke that threatens millions of dollars in state aid to the district. Among other things, the ethnic-studies law prohibits public schools in Arizona…
A True Classic
Beauty and the Beast is so good, it’s still worth watching in amazingly lifeless 3-D. Disney’s classic retelling of the classic tale first arrived in theaters 20 years ago. It was, at the time, notable for using some computer animation. Disney had previously employed CGI widely in the less-memorable Rescuers Down Under, but it’s not…
Weekly Wide Web
This particular catch was probably mentioned somewhere in the terms of service I rapidly clicked past, but soon, the online music service Spotify will start restricting the amount of time during which users are able to stream songs for free from their site. This is no particular surprise, since Spotify has a premium product it…
Media Watch
Enrique Mayans leaves town; Sales manager shifts; RIP, Denny Monahan
Now Showing at Home
The Guard (Blu-ray); Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (Blu-ray); Shark Night (Blu-ray)
To Catch a Beer Thief
Have you ever scrolled through Facebook pages and, after discovering unflattering pictures of someone you know, briefly wondered why you associate with that person? Thanks to Circle K, such observations could now lead to a cash reward—that is, if the people you know happen to have pulled off beer skips or cigarette raids. Since August,…
Sweet Spot
If the good folks at Rice House China Thai would ease up on the use of sweeteners and brighten up the décor a bit, they might be on to something. Rice House opened on Congress Street in late 2010 to almost no fanfare whatsoever—even though the place introduced proper Thai and Chinese food to the…
The Cost of Cuts
Since we don’t want to jinx his still-in-motion case, we’ll give him a fake name. Jaime will do. Not long ago, Jaime was sued by a credit agency for the overdue balance on a 2004 Dodge Durango, bought off a local used-car lot. Only thing is, Jaime didn’t own a 2004 Dodge Durango, and apparently…
Noshing Around
The Community Food Bank wants your citrus; New restaurants; Healthy eating
Police Dispatch
They’re coming to get him; Missing birdbaths
Ultimate Together Thing
Ben Folds cleared his schedule, dropped all other projects and dedicated this month to focusing on writing songs for what will be the first Ben Folds Five record in 13 years. Then the call came from Ron Barber’s Fund for Civility, Respect and Understanding, requesting a benefit performance. Without hesitating, Folds put the long-awaited reunion…
Soundbites
The 20th Wooden Ball; Tucson’s bluegrass kings; New music from A House, A Home; and more!
Family Circus
Do you think your family is a circus? If so, perhaps you should check out a real family circus—and feel free to bring the family. This weekend, UApresents will host six performances by the Zoppé Family Circus, a one-ring circus run by and starring members of an Old World Italian family—the Zoppés, of course—who’ve been…
Nine Questions
Theo Kipnis is a native Tucsonan, freelance marketer, entrepreneur and music fanatic. What was the first concert you ever saw? Sha Na Na, with my parents. But for all you know, it (could have been) Black Flag in the UA Cellar in 1984. A bunch of us skipped class near Tucson High to see a…
City Week
Talkin’ climate change; John Amos comes to town; A Tucson bluegrass anniversary; Paper airplanes!
Live
Live, Big Meridox is the “beast” he calls himself in rhyme, tense and confrontational as he roams the crowd and delivers lines with urgency and, at times, an edgy growl. Joined by DJ Bonus on turntables and a MacBook, Meridox performed 12 songs, produced by Gunky Knuckles. Sweating and swaggering like a boxer, Meridox gives…
TQ&A
After Cheryl S. Lazaroff’s first visit to the Tucson Community School, she went home and announced it was the only place she’d teach in Tucson. That was 35 years ago, and she still teaches TCS preschoolers. Classes at the 63-year-old nonprofit, parent-owned cooperative start at age 3 and go into kindergarten at age 5; the…
Name Game
I happen to own an unabridged Oxford English Dictionary, which might be a cumbersome thing but for the fact that it’s a compact version printed with four reduced original pages per page. Even with that, the 1933 dictionary is more than 4,000 pages, and I have always considered it a definitive source on English. When…
Editor’s Note
Some attaboy-style news and notes this week: • Congrats to Al “Dick” Perry and the rest of the Project White House candidates who made the Feb. 28 Arizona presidential primary ballot. You can read more about the candidates in The Skinny this week, and in these pages over the next several weeks. Meanwhile, it’s amusing…
Love and War
Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and The Crucible are American classics. Lesser-known is Miller’s first theatrical success, his 1947 drama All My Sons, currently being produced by Live Theatre Workshop. Watching LTW’s production, one can’t help but think that All My Sons might speak to today’s concerns more urgently than Miller’s better-known works, which…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: How come Mexicans don’t perform in the Winter Olympics? What—no talent? Or are Mexicans afraid of snow? I’m thinking both. Also, Mexicans don’t do too well in the Summer Olympics, either—they even suck in soccer. There is plenty of snow in Mexico, so don’t use that excuse. Dumber, Stupider, Pendejo-er Dear Gabacho: Lies,…
Danehy
Before we jump headlong into this new year (it is only the 12th, after all), I have a few things to clear up. I love to read the comments that people post after my column comes out, even (or, perhaps, especially) the mean ones. I almost never respond to those, because I’ve already had my…
Truth Through Story
Theater is a wonderful, remarkable scam. “Scam” may seem like a strong word, but think about it: We pay good money to open our minds and hearts to apparently benign strangers who assume identities to tell a story that we know is not factually true—but we also know the story has the potential to deliver…
Messina
Dr. Dolittle has nothing on Tucsonan Kat Riegel. Dolittle, as you may recall, is the character created by author Hugh Lofting, made famous by Rex Harrison and, later, Eddie Murphy. Dolittle was able to speak with animals. So can Riegel—even when an animal is not in the room. I discovered Riegel’s ability at a recent…
Modern Restlessness
There is a boy and there is a girl. Jane sees the girl on Tuesdays and Fridays and she sees the boy on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The other three days she sleeps by herself … .” Relationship happiness, as sought by the characters in Shannon Cain’s debut collection of taut short stories, seems to rest…
Mailbag
Let zoos decide what to do with their animals; The real news is out there
Top Ten in Books
1. The Tiger’s Wife: A Novel Tea Obreht, Random House ($15) 2. Yes Is Better Than No Byrd Baylor, Silvercloud ($19.95) 3. A Safeway in Arizona: What the Gabrielle Giffords Shooting Tells Us About the Grand Canyon State and Life in America Tom Zoellner, Viking ($26.95) 4. Cyclepedia: A Century of Iconic Bicycle Design Michael…
The TUSD Vote to Suspend MAS: ‘You Continue to Treat us Like Enemies’
It took most of the evening for the Tucson Unified School District to get to the business that brought several hundred people to the district’s administration building, filling the board room while a crowd stood outside listening to the meeting broadcast on speakers. It was board member Michael Hicks who brought the resolution before the…
We Should Drink Out of Jars Now
I didn’t know drinking out of canning jars was a thing people were doing (except for moonshine, for obvious reasons of authenticity), but I suppose it makes sense. At very least, you don’t have to worry about leaking issues. However, while drinking out of jars works exceptionally well while seated and motionless, the process is…
I’m Going to Post Michael Kiwanuka Videos Until Everyone Loves Him
The third in my series of Michael Kiwanuka video clips, this is the BBC Sound of 2012 winner playing Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” on the Zane Lowe show on BBC Radio 1.
