Cover Story
The Smoking Gun
America certainly has no deficit of fast-food joints and oil-smudged parking lots. Or, for that matter, blood. Sitting here on the curb, gazing across the sweltering asphalt at a midtown Jack in the Box, I realize that this place now has a ghost. The stain of death is probably here, too, though I’m hard-pressed to…
Graphic Novelist Craig Thompson Talks Up Hippie Jesus, Quran and New Book
Graphic novelist Craig Thompson talks about hippie Jesus, the Quran, mean evangelicals, and family strife in this great Mother Jones interview, I recommend even if you think comic books and graphic novels just aren’t your “thing.” Thompson’s new book, Habibi is 672 pages and out this week. It sounds fantastic: “… a richly rendered love…
Schweikert’s War on the Dollar Bill
Arizona congressman David Schweikert wants to get rid of the dollar bill? But what will the strippers do? How will we buy a soda at the vending machine? Will this bill just bolster the mining industry while destroying the environment in the process? But a more important question: will the coin purse do a back-to-the-future…
It’s Bill Murray Day!
Good afternoon fair citizens. Allow me to turn your attention to an important fact about today, September 21. Today is not only the day in which millions of people feel torn between thinking it’s both the first part of the week and the last part of the week; today it is Bill Murray’s birthday. He…
(Minor) Bummer of the Day: R.E.M. Break Up
And with this post to their webpage…. “To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt…
TucsonWeeklyTV.com – Palm Tree Fire!
Just in case you were wondering what it looks like when two palm trees are briefly on fire, this video is for you.
They’ve Started Serving Breakfast at the Tucson Tamale Company
Todd and Sherry Martin of the Tucson Tamale Company have started serving breakfast on Sundays. This came as such a shock that I thought Tucson Weekly boss man Jimmy Boegle had been misinformed when he told me he’d caught wind of pancakes on the grill at the shop at 2545 E. Broadway Blvd. It turns…
The Tale of Two Executions Scheduled for Tonight
Remember when we were arguing about the death penalty, how it should be applied and how we should feel about it? Well, tonight (to some extent) our ideological rubber meets the road, as Georgia is set to execute Troy Davis, a man thought by many to be innocent of the crime he will be punished…
What to Listen to Wednesday: Early Contest Edition
First things first, you should enter to win a pair of tickets to see Young Galaxy open for Junior Boys Sunday at Plush. It’s as easy as logging in (assuming you have a login to our site, which you should, so you can leave witty comments and such) and we’ll draw a winner on Friday.…
Essentially Everything You Need to Know About the Facebook Change
My conspiracy theory: the government uses massive updates to Facebook as a distraction tool to avert the public’s attention from our country’s increasing lean towards economic disaster. Either that or Mark Zuckerberg likes to read the complaints of privileged citizens of the internet.
Sabine Blaese Knows How to Throw a Proper Oktoberfest Party
You have to give it to a woman who loves Oktoberfest so much that she starts celebrating it in September. Such is the case with Sabine Blaese, owner of Café Passe at 415 N. Fourth Ave. Her Oktoberfest celebration kicked off last week and continues through Sunday, Oct. 2. She was born in Germany, so…
Carlos Santana: Welcome to Arizona Libre
Writer and journalist, and damn fine poet, Jeff Biggers shared this poem welcoming Carlos Santana to Tucson at the CultureStrike event last week. Three Sonorans’ David Abie Morales put it on video for all of us to enjoy and spread the word in welcoming Carlos, who plays in Tucson tonight at Casino del Sol’s AVA.
The Fall Club Crawl Schedule Is Here!
The Fall edition of Club Crawl will be here before you know it, with 90 bands playing 30 stages all over Downtown Tucson and Fourth Avenue. Wristbands are still on sale at your two local Zia Records locations, so you can save $2 and a great deal of hassle at the gate. And now, the…
DADT, Don’t Come Back Now, Y’Hear?
One minute past midnight today, the 18-year-old policy Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, responsible for the discharge of about 13,000 gay and lesbian U.S. military personnel, <a href="” was finally shown the door. Here’s President Obama’s full statement today on its repeal: Today, the discriminatory law known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ is finally and formally…
If You Care About Our Economy, You’ll Order a Beer
You’ve heard about the financial crisis in Europe? Turns out (as long as you ask brewers, and why would they lie?) quite a bit of the problem stemmed from people not going out for beer as often as they should: Declining beer consumption may be contributing to the European debt crisis — at least according…
When the Wal-Mart Army Takes Over, This Will Be Their Anthem
It would take a lot to get me pumped up to put in a workday at Wal-Mart, and I don’t suspect this particular take on a Queen classic would be quite enough. In the interest of equal time: [Clearly Dope]
I Really Don’t Think I Can Shop at Amazon Anymore
I don’t generally buy much from Amazon, although I, like most not-terribly wealthy people, am not immune to great deals so occasionally I’ll click away. However, reading how they apparently treat the people who pull their orders, I think I’ll just fully commit to just sticking to what I can buy in town: Over the…
The Teeth of Our Children May Save Us All
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy I have come to believe that the Tooth Fairy has been stealing our children’s teeth to power some sort of underground evil stem-cell fueled society. These teeth could be curing Parkinson’s apparently, so the dollar that parents are getting in exchange is a…
A Celebration of the Life of Hugh Holub
According to a Facebook invite created by his family, a memorial for Hugh Holub takes place Saturday, Sept. 24, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress St.: Please join us in remembering the life and accomplishments of Hugh Holub. We’re asking for people to share their memories through words and music.…
Darwinism In Action!
Thought the Internet couldn’t get dumber? You’re wrong! Who cares about waiting a year to be “officially amazing,” as the Guinness World Records website proclaims, when Recordsetter.com has finally taken stupid record setting to the 24-hour internet cycle? The site’s manifesto states, “We believe every person on earth has potential to be the world’s best…
Empty Airport Short Film Going Viral
There’s nothing worse than being stuck in an airport. Everything from the overpriced-gaggy-microwaved food to sleeping on ungodly uncomfortable chairs just flat out sucks. So what did two automotive photographers do when they got stuck in the Dallas Airport one night?Well they didn’t sleep, that’s for sure. And the fact that they just happened to…
Electricity…How Does It Work?
I personally think there are Christian schools that manage to provide a quality education via the lens of faith, but stuff like this page from a science textbook for fourth graders published by Bob Jones University (an academic institution perhaps best known for having a decades-long ban on interracial dating) isn’t helping. At all. Then…
Bill O’Reilly’s Healthy Self-Esteem
Why have we been wasting our time trying to enact social and economic change via the legislative process? Really, we all could have saved ourselves a lot of time taking our troubles to the real boss, the King Solomon of our time, Bill O’Reilly: Fifteen years into the role, O’Reilly’s success—his primetime cable competitors don’t…
Yes, It Seems the Lou Reed/Metallica Collaboration Is Actually Happening
I guess this 30 second clip from Lulu, the album by Lou Reed and Metallica coming out next week, is exactly what I was expecting (Lou talking over Metallica’s tired hard rock riffs), but that doesn’t make in any less disheartening. Remember the Velvet Underground? Remember Master of Puppets? Yeah, those were cool.
Finally, a Musical Tribute to Dubai’s Malls
I try to avoid going to Tucson’s malls (mostly because I can’t resist the temptation of Cinnabon), but this guy and his delightfully Autotuned lyrics really make Dubai’s palaces of commerce seem so appealing. Did he say that one of the malls has an ice rink and a 22 screen cinema? Get me a ticket,…
An Endless Stream of YouTube Videos to Ruin Your Life
At first, it seems like a really terrible idea to set up an endless stream of YouTube videos based on a keyword, but maybe you feel like you just want to spend the rest of the day listening to songs featuring sadly underrated Dade County rapper Trick Daddy. The site makes zero distinction between good…
Super-Bunny to the Rescue
I’ve never really been an animal person, you won’t find me posting cutesy photos of puppies or cats that do funny tricks… but this is just impressive. A rabbit saved it’s owners from a fire. Yes, really, a rabbit. A southeastern Alaskan woman claims that the rabbit woke her up by scratching her chest. Once…
Clarification and Moore: Want to Make $1,000?
The prospective new owner of the Pima County nursing home facility, Posada del Sol, checked in late last week to ask for a correction in the story “Under-Sold?.” The piece at one point identified two other properties actually owned by William “Avi” Rothner in Nebraska as being owned by Hunter Properties Investment. The properties are…
Check Out the New Mazage Cafe and Hooka Lounge
Is hookah-smoking the hot new thing, or is it just a coincidence that numerous hookah joints have opened recently? There’s one next to the Sky Smoke Shop on Grant Road, another named Kasbah on the corner of Grant and Campbell, the one over on Prince Road that I wrote about some months ago and now…
Columnist and Attorney Hugh Holub Dies
Our condolences to Tucson Weekly contributor Annie Holub who lost her father Hugh Holub early this morning. Holub, an attorney, was a regular contributor to the Weekly’s sister newspaper, Inside Tucson Business: Hugh Holub, 65, who wrote an opinion column Another Point of View and was a regular blogger for Inside Tucson Business, died suddenly…
Another Example of Facebook’s Technology Offending, Misjudging Me
I’m not going to lie: Facebook often embarrassingly understands what I like and what I’m interested in. Yes, Facebook, I love cats. I enjoy green tea. I love bikes. They even know somehow that I have a penchant for Yahtzee! I’m going to put my tinfoil hat on now. But sometimes the algorithm coughs up…
A Helpful Breakdown of Obama’s Deficit Cutting Plan
I can only imagine what the response will be, but in case you missed this morning’s speech, here’s how the helpful blog DC Decoder has a solid breakdown of Obama’s debt reduction scheme. The most controversial section? The not raising/raising of taxes for the wealthy: 4. $1.5 trillion from tax reform This is where things…
I Really Never Understood That “One Nation Under God” Idea Until Now
Mr. Hollywood and Mr. Weeping Supreme Court Justice…when will you ever learn and recognize that America is nothing but a Christian nation? Why do you deprive the rest of us of our blessings? Will this poster, as seen on TV, help to change your wicked ways? BONUS: A video on the making of the painting,…
Idiot Boksen – The Mindblowing Second Season of “Louie”
In late June, I wrote a column about how awesome Louis C.K. was, about how the first season of Louie was inventive and brilliant, and that the first episode of season two portended more greatness. Then, a month ago, I wrote about how Louie was the best of the excellent comedies airing right now. I…
The Atlantic’s Scathing Look at the NCAA
Taylor Branch’s new article, “The Shame of College Sports” in The Atlantic’s latest issue, is a fascinating exposé about the NCAA, going so far as to call the organization a “cartel,” designed to use college athletes freely without paying them or compensating them for injury. The article combines a staggering breadth of reporting with historical…
His Name is Jairo Zavala and You Must Go to Plush on Sunday
It was a few days after HoCo Fest, and a Facebook conversation with a co-worker — calendar gal/music writer Linda Ray to be precise — started with her posting about a musician we’d never seen before who played almost every stage during the last night of the fest: “There’s a guitar player from Madrid who’s…
Eat Thai Food With Wat Buddhametta
Wat Buddhametta, a Buddhist temple and meditation center at 1133 S. Swan Road, is holding its first community buffet dinner tonight. I’ve cooked with some of the people making this Thai feast, and they certainly know what they’re doing. So if you’re into small community gatherings and fragrant Thai food, this might be a fun…
Political Roundtable: The Big Debut!
Here’s the debut of our new Political Roundtable on Arizona Public Media. Republican strategist Jonathan Paton, Democratic strategist Rodd McLeod, reporter Andrea Kelly and I talk about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ recovery, the mayor and council races, redistricting, the Arizona presidential primary and a whole bunch more.
A Brief Recap of the Davis-Monthan Press Conference
According to Col. John Cherrey, 355th Fighter Wing commander, who just spoke at the base entrance, a “floor-by-floor, room-by-room” search was conducted and nothing was found. No gun, no shooter, nothing at all. I guess that’s it, then.
No Clue What Happened at DM, but It’s Over
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base put out a press release regarding today’s “security incident” at the base: 9/16/2011 – DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. — Base officials have terminated the response to a potential security incident that began at 11 a.m. today. Increased security measures were taken around the base following the unconfirmed sighting of a…
This Week in Tucson Bicycling
Edward Gomez Nava The driver accused of killing a cyclist earlier this month was indicted for second degree murder and extreme DUI. Read more about the other indictments here. One reader wrote that a change on Broadway Boulevard “horrified” her. Find out why and what the city is doing to make it better. See how…
Political Roundtable Debuts Tonight on KUAT-TV’s Arizona Illustrated
I spent the morning at the Arizona Public Media studio on the UA campus, where we taped our first Political Roundtable with AZPM reporter Andrea Kelly, Republican strategist Jonathan Paton and Democratic strategist Rodd McLeod. We talked about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ recovery, the battle over Arizona’s new political boundaries, the races for mayor and City…
Speak Peace Tomorrow at the UA Poetry Center
Ta Thank Khue, age 15 Together Protect Peace Speak Peace: American Voices Respond to Vietnamese Children’s Paintings, currently on display at the UA Poetry Center, features poems written in response to Vietnamese children’s paintings on peace and war. The traveling exhibit contains 34 paintings collected by the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City,…
Davis Monthan on Lockdown: “No Shots Fired” [UPDATED]
There’s very little news so far coming out of the Air Force base, but the entire area is apparently on lockdown, including the elementary schools on premise. 12:16 PM: According to KMSB 11, Tucson Fire has confirmed one “patient” with multiple shots fired. [This turned out to be incorrect.] 12:28 PM: Not much new information,…
New Hip-Hop Group “The Project” to Play Tonight At Plush
A new self-described “hip hop/prog” group called The Project, featuring members of Holy Rolling Empire and Dead Western Plains are playing their second show tonight at Plush, 9 p.m., for a whopping $5. Also playing are local rock group Lariats and psychedelic rockers Hollow Hills. The Project’s eclectic but jam-worthy mix of hip-pop, rock, funk,…
The Universe Might Be Unspooling
You have until October 10th at 1:30 pm to get your affairs in order, because I’m pretty sure Steve Harwell from inexplicably famous surf-rock-something-or-other act Smash Mouth eating 24 eggs as part of an online bet at Guy Fieri’s restaurant was one of the last signs of the apocalypse. Check the first Left Behind book,…
In Defense of Yuma: It’s Not the Hell It Might Seem – Even with a Broken Air Conditioner
Photo Ryn Gargulinski Dehydrating dogs find shade beneath a monster truck in Yuma. Word has it you haven’t been to hell until you’ve been to Yuma. This is simply not true. You haven’t been to hell unless you’ve been to Yuma and your car’s air conditioner breaks down. Actually, we were about 16 miles west…
The Only Taxidermy Commercial You Need to See
While this commercial would slightly more authentically weird if it weren’t the product of a reality show, it’s still quite entertaining. If I had a dead animal around that I wanted to remember in the long-term*, Chuck would definitely be the guy I’d call. * I don’t foresee any situation where there is even the…
Today’s Storm: It’s a Record-Breaker!
Garrett Dangerfield It was wet today at Reid Park, too. For those of us who toil or reside in the scenic, southside/airport area of Tucson, today’s storm was … insane. Really. You know how monsoon storms will usually be intense for, say, 15 minutes, before calming down and, after a few fits and spurts, going…
Someone Must Do Something About “Toddlers and Tiaras”
Here’s my idea: The government sends out an email or a letter or something to every parent of a pageant-aged girl in the country, saying they’ve been selected to appear on the new season of Toddlers and Tiaras. Everyone who replies that they would love to be on the show, we take away their kids…
Men, Give Up on Your Pathetic Stubble
Now you can skip the ragged unprofessionalism of trying to grow out a sad patchy hipster beard that doesn’t quite create the aesthetic you hoped for and just jump to a convenient finished product (that you can also carry in your pocket). This is the convenience I was really hoping for from the 21st century.…
The Movie of the Year for Fans of Yelling and Profanity
I know that it seems like we’re recommending another movie showing at the Loft every few days, and I get it, there are movies at the megaplexes with 3D and sharks and Ryan Gosling, etc. etc. There’s only so much time for the arty stuff, with the foreign languages and the thinking. Listen, I paid…
Now Open in a New Location: Cora’s Cafe
Cora’s Cafe has been a well-kept secret for decades, quietly keeping the locals fed with big breakfasts and Mexican food near the corner of Irvington Road and South Sixth Avenue. Its new location in the old Cilantro’s Columbian Grill spot at 4525 S. Park Ave. makes it much less of a secret, but the food…
The Loft Picked to Host Sundance Films
Coolest thing ever alert! The Loft has been chosen as one of nine cities to play host to a filmmaker from Park City to discuss their “direct-from-Festival” films with audiences. Proof But if you still need help deciding between staying here and going to Utah, let me lay out your options. Would you rather look…
Calling All Food Trucks!
As I’ve mentioned in the past, a local food-truck festival would be awesome. Gathering a half-dozen or more mobile-food operations and providing a central dining area would provide a unique eating experience while creating a micro-economy that could help spur Tucson’s mobile-food movement forward. Hey, it’s worked in other cities, so why not here? I…
Put Your Money Where Your Ignorant Mouth Is, Michele Bachmann
[Skip ahead to 2:10 to see Bachmann link the HPV vaccination and “mental retardation”] Penn Professor and bioethicist Arthur Caplan is challenging Michele Bachmann’s anti-HPV vaccination scare tactics: If she can produce a case in one week starting today verified by three medical experts that she and i pick of a woman who became ‘retarded’…
Now Showing at Your Public Library
Generally, free screenings of films can be a “you get what you pay for” situation, but the Now Showing at Your Library series seems to always bring in interesting films that might not be seen otherwise, including this month’s selection: September marks the return of the new season of Now Showing at your Library free…
Now Open: Tako Burger
Tako Burger, the new drive-through restaurant in the old Taco Shop building on the corner of South Sixth Avenue and 35th Street, is officially open and serving up hamburgers and a slew of Mexican food. The restaurant proclaims itself the home of the “mega dog.” I didn’t have the stomach capacity to do a full…
Critter of the Week [Dog Edition]
Dear old Goldie is looking for a family to adore. Found wandering the streets one hot August day, Goldie was fortunate to come across a Good Samaritan willing to offer her safety from the elements. Although her past remains a mystery, Goldie must have been someone’s companion at one point since she was found wearing…
Downing
Toward the end of the far-away 1990s, I was a full-time movie reviewer for a couple of years, which, among other things, cured me forever of wanting to go to movie theaters. I still like movies, but I learned to really despise the “movie-going experience.” I’m hardly alone. Given the way technology has evolved, I…
Across the Big Pond
The issue of the delicate nature of what can be bought and sold—goods, services, souls, elections—is flashed across our video screens and smacks us as we read our newspapers. Thus, George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara is as incisive and provocative now as it was in 1905, when it was first produced. The Rogue Theatre deserves…
Dwarves: The Dwarves Are Born Again (MDV)
Chicago’s seminal punk/thrash band Dwarves has foundered since the mid-’80s, partially due to aggressive genre-hopping and antagonizing, politically incorrect lyrics and cover art. Since the 1990 classic Blood Guts and Pussy, the band has produced a number of albums in which erratic style changes have caused dissention among its punk-rock fan base. The Dwarves Are…
Mailbag
Defending the Glock raffle; Online readers comment on our new column
Fairy-Tale Performance
Ashley Bowman and Claire Hancock spent much of May and June herding nearly four-dozen performing artists through China. Their Art.if.Act Dance Project, which kicks off the fall dance season in Tucson this weekend, had been invited to tour 14 Chinese cities. Forty dancers (including the two artistic directors) and four musicians performed in their Great…
Elks: Destined for the Sun (Tee Pee)
At this crucial moment in our troubled nation’s history, as infinite war and stock-market crashes threaten to bring low a once-mighty nation, do fans of super-heavy music really need a concept album chronicling the strange saga of “a tribe of nomadic space Vikings”? Hell yeah, we do. Escapism is what metal often delivers, and the…
Guest Commentary
Salomón Baldenegro, a respected Latino activist, wrote last week about my “discriminatory actions against Mexican Americans” while serving as president of the Tucson Unified School District board. These allegations are highly charged, so it is important to respond to his points. Mr. Baldenegro complains that “a Mexican American asks for extra time to read a…
Something’s Coming
In the classic musical West Side Story, dance is easily the equal of the music. “It’s a dancer’s musical,” says Mario Di Vetta, of Broadway in Tucson, which is bringing a traveling production of the 2009 Broadway revival to town. From the dramatic opening scene, the Prologue, with young men dancing out their anger on…
Top Ten in Movies
1. Hanna Universal 2. X-Men: First Class 20th Century Fox 3. Everything Must Go Lionsgate 4. Something Borrowed Warner 5. Jane Eyre Universal 6. The Conspirator Lionsgate 7. Forks Over Knives Virgil 8. Win Win 20th Century Fox 9. The Perfect Host Magnolia 10. Priest Sony
The Skinny
Why it’s going to be a lot harder for women to get abortions in Arizona … Democrats have a lot more money than Republicans in the City Council races … Jim Nintzel is the new host of Arizona Illustrated’s Political Roundtable … And so much more!
High-Speed Story
In English Lessons, an Arizona governor-elect is assassinated, skinned and hung upside down to flap in the desert breeze. J.M. Hayes’ sixth “Mad Dog and Englishman” mystery opens with a description of this politician’s skin. He was previously a hard-line sheriff given to rounding up “illegals” and clamping down on the border, and he’s named…
Police Dispatch
Meth in a lunchbox; Wearing underwear in the street
Top Ten in Books
1. The Help Kathryn Stockett, Berkley ($16) 2. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins, Scholastic ($8.99) 3. Left Neglected Lisa Genova, Gallery ($15) 4. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption Laura Hillenbrand, Random House ($21.60, sale) 5. A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1 George R.R.…
Horne Swoggled
The legal wrangling over Arizona’s medical-marijuana law has been heating up, so I thought I would take a moment to scan the horizon for significant happenings, and to catch us all up to speed. Two legal maneuvers in recent weeks have poured a bit more smoke into the legal air—or maybe they’re smokescreens. Time will…
Historically Horrible
Obviously, there is a worst movie every year. But there is not necessarily a historically bad movie every year, a motion picture so lousy that it becomes a benchmark for future horrible films. “Well, at least it’s better than Freddy Got Fingered,” audiences would shrug in the years that followed it, or, “Sure, that was…
Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I live in upstate New York (that’s any part of the state north of the city, for you West Coasters), and while we have a relatively small Mexican population, we have a large number of Puerto Ricans, especially in the community where I live. Here’s my question: A number of times, I’ve overheard…
Cough! Cough!
After the deadly virus thriller Contagion, Gwyneth Paltrow will surely have the power to clear a room whenever she coughs. The sound of anything raspy leaving her mouth will cause large, grown men to scatter as if somebody dropped a rabid weasel with a bomb strapped to its ass. In director Steven Soderbergh’s latest, Paltrow…
Weekly Wide Web
A tale of two tweeters; Best of The Range; Comment of the week; and more!
Under New Management
When the Tucson City Council voted 6-0 to can City Manager Mike Letcher last week, it was Councilwoman Karin Uhlich who made the motion to fire him. “I know you to be a man of integrity, and I want to applaud you and thank you for your service to the city of Tucson,” Uhlich said…
Now Showing at Home
The Killing; Bridesmaids (Blu-ray); X-Men: First Class (Blu-ray)
Media Watch
Chuck George takes a break; Radio ratings war winners; New faces at the anchor desk; And more!
A Fresh Buffet!
I am not generally a fan of buffets—they usually mean dried-out meats, soupy pastas and food served at less-than-ideal temperatures. There are buffets done right, though, and Curry Leaf—occupying the former Amrutha Indian Cuisine restaurant space near Grant Road and Tucson Boulevard—offers an excellent lunch buffet. With a sparse interior, Curry Leaf isn’t much to…
Under-Sold?
Ed Moore says there’s no hidden agenda behind his challenge of the proposed sale of Pima County’s nursing home. He says something just doesn’t feel right. Moore, who served three terms as a Pima County supervisor until 1997, says he has a “concern for Pima County taxpayers,” and after studying documents and researching the buyer,…
Noshing Around
New restaurants; Dinner with Janos; and more!
Double Negatives
The man suspected of setting a distress fire that blew out of control and became the Murphy Complex Fire was an illegal alien from Toluca, Mexico, and the federal government doesn’t think you have a right to know his name. The fire began on May 30 and continued through mid-June, burning 68,000 acres, most in…
A Mission to Rock
The best rock ‘n’ roll is often played with the sense that the musicians making it understand that it’s inherently a ridiculous effort—but they do it with balls-to-the-wall intensity, anyway, as if they were sharing an in-joke with the audience. If you don’t get it, no one is going to be able to explain it…
Soundbites
Friki Fest II; Tejano Fest: Calexico favorite DePedro; New releases; and more!
Opening Doors
Wingspan’s Puertas Abiertas project is recognizing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Latinos with seven days of events, featuring everything from hot dogs to drag queens, and dance parties to art shows. Tucson Latin@ Gay Pride is back for its fourth year. The week is a celebration of sexuality, community, heritage and family. Events will take…
Top Ten in Music
1. Run-On Sunshine Memory Game cassette (self-released) 2. Add Toner: A Cometbus Collection (book) Aaron Cometbus (Last Gasp) 3. Mr. Free and the Satellite Freakout Guru-Gaga LP (Bloat) 4. Annihilation Time Annihilation Time II (Manic Ride) 5. Besmirchers Besmirch and Destroy (Steel Cage) 6. La Cerca Rock ‘n’ Roll to the Rescue (self-released) 7. Broken…
City Week
Praying the gay away?; Oktoberfest; Flamenco festival; Tucson’s history via food and booze
Nine Questions
By day, Brian Green teaches at Skyview High School. After dark, he plays bass for folk, rock and jazz acts including Leila Lopez, The Possibles and several others. He moved from Cooperstown, N.Y., to Tucson in 1995 to attend the University of Arizona; after earning a degree in math, he stuck around. Green, 35, can…
Editor’s Note
As I type this, the final page proofs for the 2011 Best of Tucson® edition are sitting about an inch and a half from my left elbow. The art director, the former art director, the assistant editor and I spent part of last Saturday (the part before the mega-monsoon hit and uprooted seemingly every power…
TQ&A
David Pike is founder and director of the Arizona Underground Film Festival, which kicks off its fourth year on Friday, Sept. 16, and gives Tucson cinema-lovers nine days of films in every genre, from drama to documentaries, from Japanese to exploitation. Pike says this year’s festival is full of world premieres—and a slate of Tucson…
Live
The monsoon unleashed its fury on Tucson last Saturday. Although Fourth Avenue could’ve been traversed in a kayak, the storm didn’t dampen the spirits of those who wanted to wish Mr. Morgan Schlaline a happy birthday at Sky Bar. Who is this Morgan guy, anyway? He performs with both The Croutons and The Monitors, so…
Danehy
Do you know how many illegal votes were cast in the recently completed vote-by-mail primary election in the city of Tucson? Well, neither does anybody connected with the city of Tucson. And you know what else? They apparently don’t care, because voting by mail saves money! Local right-wing radio talk-show host Jon Justice and I…
Different Sides of N.Y.
“I think I was born in the wrong era,” says Perri Rubin (Betsy Kruse Craig) in the opening scene of the Invisible Theatre’s In the Mood. Indeed, the whole play winks at another era and the works of old masters of farce like Noël Coward and Philip Barry. The result plays like a contemporary remix…
Combo Westside: Full Bloom (Tortuga)
It’s hard to imagine a place where elements of Latin, reggae, ska and smooth jazz peacefully coexist with covers of “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Bang Bang” (Cher), but that’s exactly what Combo Westside has managed to pull off on its debut CD. Throw in some revisionist disco, and you’ll find yourself asking: Who…
What to Listen to Wednesday (and the Rest of the Week)
Another week, another set of recommended songs from our music writers. Jarret KeenePaw, “Jessie” Nirvana and Tad aside, I loathe grunge beyond all reason. (Only so many subpar Sabbath riffs I can stomach, you know?) But of all the flannel-wearing clones that followed, Lawrence, Kansas’ Paw resides in my heart’s softest spot. The band’s 1993…
