HEATON-MURPHY DUO Ever since they started performing as a team a couple of seasons ago, guitarist Matthew Heaton and flutist Shannon Murphy have gathered quite a following. Neither is yet a knockout virtuoso, but the duo’s winsome personality and penchant for imaginative programming set it above most other start-up acts. For their latest series of […]
Tag: Vol. 25 No. 21
Issue of Feb. 29 – Mar. 6, 1996
Posted inArts & Culture
Lecture Notes: Flurin Spescha’s Romansch Novels
Flurin Spescha grew up in a small village in the Swiss Alps speaking a dying language. Today less than 1 percent of the country’s population know Switzerland’s fourth national language, but for five years the 37-year-old writer has published plays, stories, and novels in Romansh anyway. “I often wonder for whom am I writing?” says […]
Posted inNews & Politics
News of the Weird
Lead Story In January the Wall Street Journal reported on the growing smoking fetish, citing as examples: (1) an erotic video from an Oklahoma City firm showing a young blond dressed in a strapless gown and a veiled black hat lighting her cigarette from a nearby candle and taking “numerous long drags”; (2) a smokers’ […]
Posted inMusic
Way Off the Dial/Schmitsville
Way Off the Dial The vibe on Internet radio follows the pattern of a lot of discussion on Internet matters. The possibilities are endless–no need for $20 million broadcast licenses! Pretty soon kids’ll be programming great radio stations out of their dorm rooms! Yay! Then comes reality, which is somewhat different, adjusted to conform to […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Incredible Shrinking Woman
Shirley Miles lost 350 pounds and gained a new life.
Posted inNews & Politics
Police Scanner
Monday, January 29, 12:00-1:00 AM 1406: Citizen tells me a male black Hispanic bailed out of this car and was seen westbound through the alley. I’m playing Indian out here, following some tracks, so be aware. Dispatcher: OK, cars in the vicinity of 2700 Nelson, be on the lookout for a male black Hispanic, may […]
Posted inArts & Culture
J.B.
J.B., Retro Theatre, at National Pastime Theater. According to Retro Theatre’s press materials, Archibald MacLeish’s verse-drama retelling of the Book of Job has not been produced in Chicago in “over 20 years.” I’m not surprised. I can’t think of many actors in town with the diction and sensitivity to language necessary to bring MacLeish’s carefully […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Transylvan String Quartet
TRANSYLVAN STRING QUARTET In a season already blessed with visits by renowned and emerging European string quartets, the local debut of the Transylvan String Quartet surely qualifies as the most unusual. Very little is known about the foursome except that its members are quite young (early 30s) and have been anointed as a quartet worthy […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Rhino in Winter
The Rhino in Winter Offered as an adjunct to the annual summer Rhinoceros Theatre Festival, this monthlong showcase of fringe performance features work by the likes of locals Jenny Magnus, Beau O’Reilly, Frank Melcori, David Isaacson, Scott Turner, and James Schneider. The fest runs through March 2 at the Lunar Cabaret and Full Moon Cafe, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Charlie Kohlase Quintet
CHARLIE KOHLHASE QUINTET As long as Charlie Kohlhase can find work, you know that jazz–even in the neo-classic age–still has room for uncowed iconoclasm and unrepentant wit. Kohlhase, a baritone and alto saxist, has built his spiffy quintet like a classic Jaguar, with fluid lines suitable for virtually any situation. The band doesn’t have a […]
Posted inNews & Politics
Reader to Reader
A woman and I were waiting for an elevator on the 24th floor of a downtown building when a bicycle messenger came bustling around a corner whistling some tune. “It’s nice to hear someone whistling,” the woman said to him. “I certainly don’t feel like it.” “Having a bad day?” the messenger asked. “I hate […]
Posted inNews & Politics
A Killer Idea
You know, you’re right. Your front-page article about the convicted murderer, and how he should be let out of jail already, really made a good argument [“No Mercy,” February 16]. I mean, after all, why should he have been put in jail at all? Why not just put him in a program for murderers, a […]
Posted inColumns & Opinion
Savage Love
Hey, Faggot: I’m a gay male in my mid-20s involved with a handsome, blond, sweet, generous guy also in his mid-20s. We’ve been dating for a few months and we are very much in love. There is only one problem: no matter where we go or who we’re with, there’s always someone staring in his […]