Cover Story
The Legendary Nellie Cashman
One hot morning in Tucson in July 1879, John Clum looked up from his desk in surprise. The new publisher of the Arizona Citizen, the first daily newspaper in the Arizona Territory, Clum had been in town only since the fall. Still, he thought he knew what was what in the Old Pueblo. But on…
The Restaurant Going in at 50 E. Broadway Blvd.
At this point many of us have driven by the papered-up windows of the space at 50 E. Broadway Blvd. – where signs have proclaimed an opening in early 2012 since forever – and wondered what the hell is going on in there. The agave prints on the paper in the windows have hinted, to…
Talking Comics: Age of Apocalypse Edition
This week, Eric and Arnie discuss Age of Apocalypse, an alternate-history look at the X-Men and the rest of the Marvel universe. In other Heroes & Villains news, the store is hosting a master-class in the art of comic illustration. The press release is below the cut. LOCAL COMIC SHOP OFFERS “HOW TO” CLASSESHeroes and…
Stopping At Red Lights Is For Liberals
The Arizona Guardian dug up footage of congressional candidate and state Sen. Frank Antenori rolling through a red light in Scottsdale in January. Antenori, who is seeking to complete Gabrielle Giffords’ congressional term and is running in the new Congressional District 2 in the fall, has been dealing with stories about his driving habits and…
Chatting With the Guy From the New Restaurant Opening on Mount Lemmon
Being that the new Sawmill Run Restaurant on Mount Lemmon is located where the Mount Lemmon Cafe used to be, one glaring question must be answered: Will there be pie? “I know a lot of people will want to know, so, yes, we will have pie,” said Gabriel Greenberg, the managing partner of Sawmill Run…
Critter of the Week: Meet Baron
Baron – #708793 — 1 Year Old — Shar Pei Mix — MalePoor Baron lived his entire life on the streets with no one to take care of him. But he’s no stranger to affection now! Brought to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona frightened and covered in cuts and scabs, Baron took a while…
Coming Soon: Big Juan’s
A new restaurant called Big Juan’s is opening two locations in Tucson. The first location opens Saturday, April 21, at 4532 E. Speedway Blvd. A press release says a second location is planned for 4470 N. First Ave. The restaurants are being opened by a company owned by John Schwimmer, the guy behind the Filiberto’s…
The Only Drag Queen Wilson Phillips-Parodying Protest Video You Need to See Today
While I appreciate any pop culture moment that incorporates a reference to “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips — otherwise known as the most inspirational song of all time — I don’t know if I’d go boycotting Chik-Fil-A quite yet if you’re going on former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Willam Belli’s reasoning for doing the song:…
Win Tickets to See The Aggrolites on Thursday Night!
The Aggrolites are playing Club Congress tomorrow night with Mike Pinto and we have a pair of tickets to give away to a lucky fan of roots reggae. You’ll have to hurry and enter, since we’re drawing a winner at 5:00 pm tonight. Just go to our Free Stuff page (where you can still enter…
Barber Reax: Nan Stockholm Walden Declines To Run for Congress
Nan Stockholm Walden has called her Congressional District 2 race following Ron Barber’s announcement that he would seek the office in the fall. Walden’s statement: After consideration and discussion with my family, I have chosen not to run for the Congressional District 2 seat at this time. I want to thank the many friends, both…
The Best Chocolate I Have Ever Tasted
This a chocolate filled with caramel and topped with sea salt. It is made by the new chocolate shop Chocolate Fox Chocolatier located in the tiny space next to HUB Restaurant and Ice Creamery at 266 E. Congress St. The shop does not have a retail space but you can buy the chocolates at a…
Why You Shouldn’t Open a Restaurant, According to David Chang
Occasionally, I fantasize about throwing my lucrative career in blogging away and embarking on a culinary adventure, opening a low-key, but clever restaurant somewhere in town. I appreciate New York City’s hipster king of chefs, David Chang, for his helpful advice discouraging me from going down that likely ill-advised road.
Let’s All Listen to JC Brooks
I’ve got a few scrambled thoughts about SXSW that I’m trying to string together for y’all, but in the meantime, I thought I’d share this cover of Wilco’s “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” by the astounding JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound. I closed out SXSW somewhere around 2 a.m. Sunday morning in…
They Sell Some Interesting Items on the Walgreens Website
Who knew that Walgreens has an entire section of their website dedicated to “sexual wellness” with remarkably detailed product descriptions, including this one for the “Tenga Flip Hole.” Tenga Flip Hole is designed to be the best male masturbator on the market. The Tenga Flip hole is deliberately not a simple artificial vagina – it…
This Food Truck Event Sounds Different and Fun
Moveable Type is a portable printing press contained entirely inside of a 1982 Chevy step van and it’s coming to Tucson this Sunday for an event with local food truck Foodie Fleet at Conrad Wilde Gallery. Here’s the poster from the event. There’s more on Foodie Fleet – which makes amazing sandwiches and waffles -…
Barber Reax: Aboud Staying in Congressional Race
In the wake of Ron Barber’s announcement yesterday that he was running for the new Congressional District 2 seat later this year, State Sen. Paula Aboud tells The Range that she also plans to stay in the CD2 race. “I’m focused on the new district and the new term and I’m continuing forward,” Aboud says.…
“Will the Real Mitt Romney Please Stand Up?”
Because I am easily amused, here is a video editing together clips of political candidates over the beat from Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” intended to humiliate Mitt Romney. No particular political insight, just clever splicing to make politicians say funny things. At this point in the Republican primary/caucus process, I could use a laugh.
TPM: Bombs on the Border
Nick R. Martin of Talking Points Memo looks at how extremists are now experimenting with explosives on the border: Arizona became a hotbed for a certain brand of extremist groups in the past decade as it took center stage in discussion about how to handle the nation’s broken immigration system. But while a report by…
Your “Frank Antenori Loses His Mind” Moment of the Day
In case you dozed off somewhere in the middle of the Star’s extensive story on Frank Antenori’s speeding ticket/suspended license woes, you might have missed this gem from the penultimate paragraph: A Phoenix police officer testified against the measure last week, saying he believes it will lead to more accidents and deaths. That led the…
You Might Want To Look For Another Urgent Care Today
The area around the east side of Ajo Way and Interstate 19 is a little congested this morning, what with all the Pima County Sheriff’s Office vehicles surrounding an urgent care facility with some … minor damage to its back wall, compliments of an SUV crashing into it during a high-speed chase. According to PCSO,…
Register by Midnight Tonight for CD8 Special Election Primary
Not that it makes much difference for Democrats or Greens, but if you’re planning on voting as a Republican in the CD8 Special Election in the April 17th primary, you’ll need to be properly registered by midnight tonight (the 19th). It’s incredibly easy to register, re-register, update your address, whatever — just as long as…
Casey Dewey’s SXSW Diary: Post-Mortem
After an obscene amount of Lone Star beer, numerous stops at various food trucks, an untold number of incredible shows, three band-aids applied to scrapes and cuts, and fourteen hours plus of driving back to Tucson, my time at SXSW has come to a glorious end. Here’s the last round-up. Mutillation Rites – Caught this…
Barber Reax: Heinz Says He’ll Stay in CD2 Race
State Rep. Matt Heinz says he plans to continue running for Congress, even though Ron Barber, the former Giffords’ aide, announced today that he plans to run in Congressional District 2 in the fall. “My plans have not changed,” Heinz tells The Range. “It’s an open seat in CD2. We always expected a large field…
Barber Reax: Farley Abandons Congressional Run, Now Running for State Senate
State Rep. Steve Farley, who last month announced his plan to run for Congressional District 2 later this year, says that with Ron Barber now in the congressional race, he’ll go back to his original plan of running for the Arizona Senate. “I’m doing everything I can to help (Barber) out in the fall and…
Ron Barber: Running For Congressional District 2 Seat in the Fall
Democrat Ron Barber, the longtime aide to former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords who is already seeking to complete her term in Congressional District 8, just announced on a conference call that he’ll also be seeking to run in Congressional District 2 later this year. “I have made a decision that I’m going to run for Congressional…
I Would Drink Anything for Thirst, but I Won’t Drink That
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy I’ll generally try anything, but I’m going to draw the line at drinking tea made from panda feces. Previously, that line was set at “The McRib”, but this is definitely worse. RELATED:
Win Tickets to Showtime Boxing at Casino Del Sol!
If you enjoy watching people dance around, occasionally striking each other with their fists, then you’ll want to be at Casino Del Sol’s Event Center on Friday night for the lineup of pugilistic throwdowns set to be aired across premium cable as part of the Showtime Boxing series. Tickets are on sale now via the…
Jeff Biggers: What if El Librotraficante was TUSD Superintendent?
Jeff Bigger’s latest piece on AlterNet brings up a topic tossed about lately — not necessarily what life would be like for those who teach and send their children to schools in the Tucson Unified School District if someone like Nuestra Palabra’s Tony Diaz was our superintendent — but what could have been done differently…
Freeze Alert!
There is a freeze warning for Tucson and Southern Arizona for Monday night into Tuesday morning. Temperatures are predicted for 32 degrees. Your home could be 4-10 degrees cooler, especially if you live near a wash. Plant Protection List:~ Most plants should be plenty wet from yesterday’s rains. Potted plants under a ramada or roof…
MALDEF Asks Again: Return Mexican-American Studies Classes Immediately
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund isn’t letting go. On Thursday, March 15, MALDEF, representing the Mendoza plaintiffs against the Tucson Unified School District in the ongoing desegregation legal battles, asked the court to reconsider its order from late February that denied the immediate return of the dismantled Mexican-American studies classes. Here is…
Sunday’s Tucson Spring Training Game Postponed to Thursday
The incoming storm has led to the postponement of Sunday’s scheduled spring training game at Kino Stadium. The news release: TUCSON — With severe weather and cold temperatures expected Sunday, the game between the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 22 at 1:05 pm at Kino Stadium. Gates will…
Rain, Wind Threat Cancels Solar Rock; Cyclovia, Water Festival Are Still On
The big storm that’s supposed to arrive later today and cause lots of rain tomorrow, with snow (!) possible on Monday, has claimed Solar Rock (which was scheduled for tomorrow, aka Sunday) as its first victim. Here’s the news release from Cpley Ward at the Food Conspiracy Co-op: Dear liberal media, Rock bands can’t perform…
A Whole Lot of Strangeness in One Video
No big deal, just Bozo the Clown speaking Portuguese introducing a disco group made up of people in superhero costumes. You probably see stuff like this all the time.
Springsteen: SXSW Is Some “Mutant Teenager’s Wet Dream”
Jim Nintzel So I haven’t posted much from SXSW, mostly because I’ve been too busy soaking up the music and the scene, which is loud and crazy and chaotic and crowded. Or, as Bruce Springsteen put it during his two-hour, 40-minute concert, SXSW is some “mutant teenager’s wet dream.” Yeah, that’s right: I was lucky…
Live Review: Other Lives and Radiohead, Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, March 15
Straight out of Oklahoma and brandishing a southern-flavored style of stoner rock, Other Lives managed to quell the wicked temper of Thom Yorke’s groupies and rabid Radiohead fans alike as they opened for Glendale’s sold-out performance at the Jobing.com Arena. Frontman Jesse Tabish’s lowing melodic voice carries with it all the gravitas of something you…
Local Short-film Showcase Tonight at Crossroads 6 Theater
Local film company Authentic Productions presents their best 2001 short films tonight at 9 p.m. at the Crossroads 6 Grand Cinemas, 4811 E. Grant Road. $7. Film descriptions from a press release: “Lionhearted” tells the story of a young boy and his journey to becoming a young man following a nuclear attack on his hometown.…
The Wet Books Are Coming! The Wet Books Are Coming!
At 5 p.m. tonight, Nuestra Palabra’s Tony Diaz and his bus of 60 Latino writers, artists and activists—all supporters of Tucson Unified School District’s dismantled Mexican-American studies program—will be in Tucson on their Librotraficante caravan, bringing a truck full of those wet books that the school district continues to explain away and argue away regarding…
Talking Comics: Batman Beyond Edition
It’s Batman! From THE FUTURE! Also, Eric references the Juggalos.
Food Trucks at the Tucson Museum of Art This Weekend
We just discovered that there will be numerous food trucks at the Tucson Museum of Art today, Friday, March 16, through Sunday, March 18. More on that here. The exhibit of photographs of Frida Kahlo currently hanging at the museum is seriously well worth checking out. The embroidered pieces on the lower level are breathtaking…
Casey Dewey: SXSW Volume 3
Tucson’s own Casey Dewey (you may know him as Dewtron) is recapping his adventures at SXSW for us: Still alive and kicking. Just shotgunned a PBR for breakfast. Last night was a blur, but we can cut through the fog and get down to business. Andrew W.K. – I had decided to make the Thrasher…
A Note for Cathi Herrod and Her Attack on Anti-Bullying Laws
A quick note for Cathi Herrod, president of the Center for Arizona Policy, who singlehandledly used her lobbying power to kill SB 1462, which would have set up a system for reporting bullying on school campuses and programs to educate administrators, teachers and students on the dangers of bullying and how to spot it. I…
Mari Herreras on “Buckmaster” Today With John Pedicone
Oh, this should be fascinating radio. From our own Mari Herreras’ Facebook page: On Bill Buckmaster Show today, 12 Noon, KVOI AM 1030 interviewing Tucson Unified School District Superintendent John Pedicone, followed by the Reporters’ Roundtable. Tune-in. The show streams at KVOI.com or you can listen to it later at BuckmasterShow.com.
Arizona Family Council Hates New Jobs for Arizonans (and Porn)
The war on Arizona-based pornography is on, as Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is threatening to prosecute adult filmmakers fleeing the condom laws of Los Angeles, and the Arizona Family Council (an organization seemingly comprised of lawyers of the LDS faith) is sending out press releases applauding his imaginary effort: Arizona Family Council is aware…
Caveman Is Coming to Club Congress
Caveman fall into the category of the more library-friendly indie rock acts like Bon Iver, who work in more subtle, hushed tones, so if you generally enjoy music played by bearded guys in collared shirts or miss when the Shins weren’t quite so noisy, you’ll probably like the Brooklyn-based (of course) band quite a bit.…
Free Wine Tasting This Friday
There’s a free wine tasting this Friday, March 16, at Sanders Galleries at 6420 N. Campbelll Ave. Jon Rogers from Wines Without the Mystery says it will feature French wines and some rather amazing cheese, which will make for a lovely evening of sipping and snacking in the gallery’s beautiful courtyard. The event takes place…
Arizona and the Birth Control Legislation Fray
It’s always a delight to see Arizona in the national news for all the wrong reasons. This time, Talking Points Memo looks at the controversy surrounding HB 2625, which would allow employers to choose to not cover contraception with their health care plans: At the national level, the Arizona bill isn’t doing its party’s candidates…
Let’s Watch Martha Vazquez (Allegedly) Steal Some Stuff
Thanks to the Arizona Daily Star (it burns to even type that) for posting the surveillance footage of Martha Vazquez’s afternoon shopping trip to the Tucson Mall on February 11th. Below the cut, two additional clips: The Eileen Fisher hooded jacket: Leaving the store, and then returning:
Pizzeria Vivace Is Changing Names
Daniel Scordato’s pizza restaurant Pizzeria Vivace at 4280 N. Campbell Road is changing names to Scordato Pizzeria. Justin Scordato, general manager of the eatery, says the change is expected to happen in the next several months once issues with the signage and other details are worked out. He said the menu will largely stay the…
Casey Dewey’s First Two Days at SXSW
Local DJ and Tucson Weekly contributor Casey Dewey is hitting Austin this week for SXSW. He is providing daily dispatches of the experience for your information/angry jealous rage: Day 1: Starting your first SXSW adventure by sharing an elevator with the legendary singer-songwriter/Love Boat regular Paul Williams is not a bad sign. After the smooth…
Mark Your Calendar: Eat More Pie Party and Contest
The date has been set for this year’s Eat More Pie event, hands down the best dessert-themed event thrown in Tucson each year. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, April 28. More on the event can be found here. The event – now in its ninth year – apparently ran out of pie last…
Let’s Watch a Delighful Andrew Bird Video
[NOTE: We pulled the video, because the player was screwing up our website. Feel free to watch it at Pitchfork, however.] It seems like the Andrew Bird show was announced two or three years ago at this point, but with his new album Break It Yourself on sale now, his concert at the Rialto Theatre…
Another Thai Feast Takes Place This Weekend
An e-mail arrived yesterday asking for a recommendation for a good place to find good Thai food in Tucson. Without hesitation I suggested the monthly Thai feast at Wat Buddhametta, a Buddhist temple at 1133 S. Swan Road. It is truly some of the best homemade food I’ve ever had, and for $10 per person…
New: Sushi Lounge
There’s a new sushi joint called Sushi Lounge at 4802 S. Sixth Ave. If memory serves me right that location was formerly a place called Wok and Sushi and I’m pretty sure it was a Shakey’s Pizza before that. I haven’t heard much about the place yet, except for one righteous detail: Apparently you can…
Editor’s Note
The Arizona Daily Star badly erred in its handling of this week’s controversial “Doonesbury” comic strips. The Star decided not to run this week’s strips, by the great Garry Trudeau, which deal with a woman taking a trip through right-wing ineptitude at a Texas abortion clinic. The strips discuss real laws enacted in Texas in…
Second-Rate on Purpose
If you happened to watch Super Bowl XLVI in North Platte, Neb., you would have seen a beer commercial that nobody else caught until the ad was released on YouTube the next morning. In it, Will Ferrell walks through a soybean field accompanied by no less than Aaron Copland’s majestic “Fanfare for the Common Man.”…
Danehy
More than a year ago, I was interviewing Chuck Schmidt, associate executive director of the Arizona Interscholastic Association, about his organization’s draconian “reorganization” plan. Schmidt was trying to explain why the plan—which is eliminating decades-old traditional rivalries, consolidating power in an ever-tightening inner circle known as the Executive Council, and drastically slashing participation opportunities for…
Top Ten in Movies
1. Hugo Paramount 2. Immortals Universal 3. Tower Heist Universal 4. Jack and Jill Columbia 5. J. Edgar Warner Bros. 6. The Rum Diary FilmDistrict 7. Puss in Boots DreamWorks 8. Footloose Paramount 9. The Way Arc 10. The Skin I Live In Sony
Serraglio
The night before they kidnapped Ramona—my 16-year-old Honda Civic hatchback—I watched the movie Drive, in which Ryan Gosling plays a mysterious Hollywood stunt driver who does his best work moonlighting as a criminal getaway artist. Cruising home, in precise control with one hand on the stick and one on the wheel, I felt like a…
Technically Impressive
While it’s a bit of a relief to see a horror film not using the “found-footage” gimmick, Silent House is done in by a couple of lousy supporting performances and a stupid payoff. There’s a pretty good idea at play here: Keep a camera on a girl who is being stalked by “something” in a…
Mailbag
Fix the economy, Arizona Legislature!; Learn something, Terri Proud!; No more ties, adult men!; No more stupidity, Republicans!
Now Showing at Home
The Deer Hunter (Blu-ray); The Last Temptation of Christ (Blu-ray); Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Blu-ray); My Week With Marilyn (Blu-ray)
Water War
At first glance, it’s tough to imagine Painted Hills as the source of a protracted fight over Tucson’s water future. Hushed in the afternoon calm, slopes dotted by saguaros, these hills could be a poster child for Sonoran Desert tranquility. But they’re also bone-dry. And that’s the whole point. Back in 2005, the Dallas Police…
Soggy Times
When I heard about breakfast-delivery service Bacon and Craeggs, I was pumped: Breakfast is my favorite meal, and the thought of being able to get a hot, fresh breakfast delivered to me anytime in the a.m. hours was awesome. But the more I thought about it, the more I had doubts, because breakfast is not…
Weekly Wide Web
The annual SXSW festival is under way this week, funneling film, music and digital-interactive hipsters into the city of Austin in the quest for gift bags and free booze. However, whenever there are a bunch of tech-savvy people in their 20s and 30s gathering in one area, everyone is on their smart phones—which causes a…
The Skinny
Republicans in the race to finish Gabby’s term are battling it out this week … Daniel Patterson’s legal problems grow, but so do his ex-girlfriend’s … TUSD school board member Michael Hicks faces a recall effort … and more!
Noshing Around
Dizzy Dame’s; Cheesesteaks, Irish style; Elle Wine Bistro has closed; and more.
Media Watch
New anchors at KVOA, but where are the Hispanics on local news?; Lee Enterprises, still teetering
A Necessary Evil
Of the new Lost in the Trees album, group leader Ari Picker says: “The ugly parts are uglier, and the pretty parts are prettier” than the band’s past music. Those extreme textures, and the emotions that go along with them, are woven into A Church That Fits Our Needs, which will be released on March…
Battle Over Ballots
Tucson attorney Bill Risner stood before a Pima County Superior Court judge earlier this month and asked the court to take another look at the 2006 Regional Transportation Authority election. Risner said there was enough apparent foul play involved for the court to change how ballots are counted in the county. Yes, folks: The election-integrity…
Soundbites
Of Montreal, cheap; St. Patrick’s Day, Zep style; Metalachi comes to town; and more!
Police Dispatch
Make sure you have the right bed; Misadventures in beer hiding
Top Ten in Music
1. Francisco Gonzalez The Gift/El Regalo (17th Street) 2. The Missing Parts Sueños (self-released) 3. John Coinman The Man Called Someone (Corazong) 4. Kevin Pakulis Band Shadesville (self-released) 5. Gabriel Sullivan and Taraf de Tucson None of This Is Mine (Fell City) 6. Silver Thread Trio Trigger and Scythe (Prophette) 7. Grams and Krieger That’s…
Off Target
A bill to allow people with concealed-weapons permits to carry guns on college campuses has stalled in the Arizona Senate. Lobbyist Todd Rathner, a board member of the National Rifle Association, said that Senate Bill 1474 ran into trouble after passing the Senate Judiciary Committee in early February. “There were a number of Republicans who…
Nine Questions
Christian Letts plays guitar and sings in the Los Angeles band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. The 10-to-13-member musical collective plays a ramshackle and sometimes spacey brand of folk rock. The unlikely hit “Home” has been featured in numerous TV shows (Community, Ugly Betty), commercials (the NFL, Blue Cross Blue Shield) and one particularly…
Opening Up the Streets
Cyclovia is back for its third year of helping to make Tucson’s streets friendlier for bicyclists and pedestrians. Cyclovia (pronounced “see-clo-VEE-ah,” although organizer Emily Yetman of Tucson’s Living Streets Alliance said she’s heard five or six variations) is based on a weekly tradition in Bogota, Colombia. Streets there are closed to motor vehicles, allowing the…
Live
Some of Blitzen Trapper’s most-gentle songs are about topics including mass murder, and transforming into a wild beast to howl endlessly in a primal, savage world. The band’s wildest songs, then, have some catching up to do, and often fly headlong into a blazing realm of dueling guitar solos and unhinged rock. Yes, it’s the…
City Week
The Water Festival; Bagpipes, booze and crawling; Flying by the pound; Tango!
Bryan Dean Trio: Sobriety Checkpoint (Self-released)
While Bryan Dean has been playing around for a while, it’s only within the last couple of years that he’s begun to get the fame he deserves. His second release should add to his growing legend. While much of this album is crisp, in-your-face blues, there is a lot of wit and whimsy throughout. Although…
TQ&A
If you’re driving on Tucson Boulevard just south of Grant Road, you might be surprised to come across a building with a sign that says it is the headquarters of the United States Handball Association. Even Matt Stamp, the group’s marketing director, says he remembers driving by—before he joined the association—and wondering why the organization…
Lee Fields and the Expressions: Faithful Man (Truth and Soul)
Veteran soul-man Lee Fields’ second album for Truth and Soul picks right up where 2009’s My World left off. Full of passionate, deeply emotive tracks fleshed out with full orchestration and driven with great subtlety by Truth and Soul’s peerless house band, Faithful Man continues Fields’ late-life run of stellar recordings. Soul music is a…
Born for Folk
Seems like it was just meant to be. When the Arizona Theatre Company presents the folk group the Kingston Trio next week as part of its nascent Temple Spotlight Series, George Grove will be there, just as he has been for 36 years, with his banjo, his guitar and his serious passion for the folk-music…
Pharaoh: Bury the Light (Cruz Del Sur)
Believe it not, killer power metal doesn’t begin and end with Iced Earth and DragonForce. There’s a less-widely known yet musically superior band out there that will blow the top of your (metal)head off if you give them a chance. I’m talking, of course, about the mighty Pharaoh, featuring singer Tim Aymar, the guy whose…
In the Middle
Well into this new novel by Lydia Millet, the central character, cuckolded bureaucrat Hal Lindley, muses about his recently discovered marriage issues: “His marriage had been, in his mind, a pure union. And now it was adulterated.” “That,” he continues, “is what adultery does.” And that, dear reader, is what Lydia Millet does: She brings…
Download This!
I’m not much of a talk-radio fan, to be honest. Amy Goodman makes my skin crawl a little, even though I agree with her on a lot of points, and I sometimes think NPR will put me to sleep behind the wheel if I haven’t had a few cups of coffee. But a new podcast…
Top Ten in Books
1. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($8.99) 2. Catching Fire Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($17.99) 3. A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1 George R.R. Martin, Bantam ($8.99) 4. Mockingjay Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($17.99) 5. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest Stieg Larsson, Vintage ($9.99) 6. Poison Flower: A…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I work for a major news organization and often have heard the figure of 10 million illegal Mexicans in the United States. Unofficially, I have seen quoted the number 20 to 25 million illegals, most of them not Mexican. From experience with the government, I would say these numbers are low. Why the…
University of Arizona Hosts Third Festival of Books, Science City
John de Dios One of the newest features at the Tucson Festival of Books was the Science City. In the past, I’ve posted some photos of the Tucson Festival of Books. Usually, I try to post while the event is going on. This time out, and a few days late, are some photos from the…
Meet the Opening Act: Other Lives
Oklahoma indie rock act Other Lives has stumbled into an incredibly unique opportunity: opening for Radiohead on their US tour, which rolls into Glendale’s Jobing.com Arena this Thursday (the show is sold out). I talked to frontman Jesse Tabish, while his band was getting ready to kick off their first taste of touring arenas: DG:…
Here’s Why the TCC Is Failing
Why can’t we come up with the cash to fix the TCC? Because no event coordinator has the guts to book a day of entertainment as amazing as the Lincoln Women’s Expo, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio impersonator Frank Roberts. Instead, we get the circus or professional wrestling, two events that would be far better with a…
