About ten years ago, intrigued by the rerelease of Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and amused by Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, I decided to explore the rest of Russ Meyer’s oeuvre. I figured that such a project was best tackled with the same voluptuous spirit in which Meyer made his movies, so I walked … Read more
St. Paul Human Rights Director Tyrone Terrill, usually nattily attired, does not look like a flame-throwing, flak jacket-wearing radical. But some think he sounded like one in his recent open letter chastising the local African-American community for failing to distance itself from gang members and their “terrorist” acts. The letter, published in the Minneapolis Spokesman … Read more
An old friend of mine, Rich, is gay but he was married to a woman for ten years. His was not the typical scenario, in which a closeted gay man discovers a decade too late that he prefers men. No, this was one of those marriages of convenience. Rich had had boyfriends since he was … Read more
One of those basic-cable lifestyle programs recently ran an episode on a hotel/spa that caters to the dogs of celebrities. Andy Warhol would have loved it. Classical music gets piped into a sleeping chamber lined with rows of plush dog beds. Guests drink from personalized Baccarat crystal water dishes and dine on cubed beef filets … Read more
A few weeks ago, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty set tongues wagging when he vetoed a bill that would have created a state poet laureate. The position would have required no public funding, but would have acknowledged a longstanding tradition that is observed by thirty-three other states and the federal government. In a world of civil … Read more
The blond woman grabbed the shiny brass pole and, with a single athletic move, flipped her body upside down, her legs splayed—toes pointed, mind you—on either side of the pole. As she slowly slid down, she stared at her audience with confidence. Christina Aguilera’s “Dirrty” blared from the sound system. Heading down to the hardwood … Read more
The other day, customers entering the Office Max in St. Paul’s Midway were greeted by bold signs bearing an urgent message: “Avoid Identity Theft. Protect Personal Information.” Next to them were sprawling displays of home paper shredders, all bearing names intended to invoke fear, awe, and consumerism: The Sentinel. The PowerShred. The Paper Monster. Lynne, … Read more
With its low ceilings, faint sawdust smell, wood paneling, and seventies-era earth tones, Jim Fiorentino’s front office is what you’d expect of an old garage door company. Going into the larger warehouse, however, is like entering some kind of a fairytale world. It’s not just the massive, hundred-year-old Belgian band organ, decked out with painted … Read more
Dear Barry 761: Of course I don’t think you are a loser because you are a DJ! Nor do I feel it was presumptuous of you to sign up for “professional singles” as opposed to just “singles.” Although throughout our eight-minute date you seemed not to actually work as a DJ anywhere and didn’t have … Read more
Early on the afternoon of the Northern League exhibition season opener, Midway Stadium is bustling with activity. The Rolling Stones are blasting from the public address speakers, and players are already stretching and running in the outfield grass. Underneath the grandstand, in the cramped bunker that serves as the offices of the St. Paul Saints, … Read more