How long would it take to adequately explain the influence of myths on culture, history, language, and identity? About thirty-nine years, say the editors at Cannongate. The British publisher has just launched an ambitious one-hundred-part series to explore myths from contemporary angles, one that’s off to an auspicious start with authors Karen Armstrong, Margaret Atwood, … Read more
Every holiday season since 1963, a baroque, fairy-tale-inspired display has been assembled on the eighth floor of the original Dayton’s store in downtown Minneapolis, a tradition that began as the Dayton family’s annual “gift to the community.” But earlier this year, when Federated Department Stores became the new parent company of Marshall Field’s and vowed … Read more
You could be forgiven for believing that Minnesotans had something to do with inventing the Zamboni. But the celebrated Dr. Seussian vehicle wasn’t invented in the back of an Iron Range machine shop, nor in a Twin Cities garage. Your second guess—somewhere in Canada, right?—would be wrong, too. The home of this icon of winter … Read more
GONE TO HEAVEN Northeast Minneapolis, December 24, 2001— Victim stated that unknown suspect entered their front yard and removed an animated Christmas ornament of an angel. Victim stated that this angel’s wings moved back and forth. Victim has no witness or suspect information. ABANDONED VANDAL Longfellow, Minneapolis, December 24, 2003— Squad dispatched on a damage-to-property … Read more
Everyone seems to remember the Pope Incident, but few recall that a) O’Connor later asked John Paul II to forgive her for that indelicate photo crop, and b) she was singing Bob Marley’s “War” when she did the deed. It’s one of Marley’s most searingly political songs, and it revealed O’Connor to have more than … Read more
The Mexican wrestling masks this surf rock quartet dons for every performance make them look menacing, but these guys are pretty friendly. This summer, they ran a series of twist contests, encouraging fans to get onstage and dance. No one got pummeled by the band, not even the lousy dancers. The blistering pace at which … Read more
It’s not hard to understand the aversion some people have to the ubiquitous music of Christmas. There are literally thousands of recordings in this genre, and every year the market is flooded with new product. Much of it is indisputably execrable, and obviously driven by the crassest and most exploitive of impulses. But then, it’s … Read more
Choral music sounds especially good in December, although the Rose Ensemble can get even the statuary at the stodgiest of churches to prick up its ears at any time of the year. Known for its magnificent renditions of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music, the ensemble specializes in obscure and unpredictable pieces, and its holiday programs … Read more
This may be one of the last chances to see the legend. He’s already decided that his scheduled U.K. tour will be his last one there, and when an eighty-year-old performer says he’s weary of life on the road, we tend to believe him (certainly more than when we hear it from, say, Cher). King … Read more
You acted all negative at breakfast, making everything heavy and chore-like. You were like this: Where is my coffee? Is there one thing on this menu that is not fried? What’s wrong with Grandma? Do people in rural America have like super strong hearts that don’t get all plugged up and clogged? Grandma is healthy … Read more