Being a concise survey of bizarre coincidences in the life of real public figures and wholly manufactured fictional characters. 1. Astonishingly, Garrison Keillor was included in the top 10 of Playgirl’s sexiest men of 1986. Others on that list included Sen. Robert Dole, Billy Crystal, William “The Refrigerator” Perry and Donald Trump—so one begins to … Read more
Top honors for the July 11 Op-Ed Slam went to Tim Shea of Minneapolis. Judges were an assortment of folks who were challenged by the wide range of 3-minute presentations. Some sang, some shouted, some railed, some simply read, and some waxed poetic. Some had opinions. Other awards went to Colleen Kruse of The Rake … Read more
So you walk out of a late show at the Uptown Theater on a Friday night and your stomach is angry with you for stuffing it with Sour Patch Kids and popcorn instead of dinner. You only have $10 in your pocket and you don’t feel like sitting in a dingy, smoky bar waiting for … Read more
On a recent weeknight, we had the few odds and ends to pick up at the Mall of America and decided to see what was cooking at Napa Valley Grille. Chef Tom Anderson was up to his usual stuff, so it was extremely hard to decide what to order—not that the menu is terribly long, … Read more
While their movie Run Ronnie Run languishes at New Line Cinema, the comedy duo of Bob Odenkirk and David Cross has released the first two seasons of their now-legendary HBO program, Mr. Show , on DVD. The sketch comedy follows in the tradition other recent HBO hooters such as The Larry Sanders Show and Curb … Read more
This is one helluva week for the Xcel Center, and it points up why this may be the perfect model for the future of arena entertainment, at a state-of-the-art civic center in the heart of a vibrant city. We can certainly expect major growth in the area of mid-sized geezer rock ’n’ roll shows, thanks … Read more
For the past several years, the Minnesota Zoo’s outdoor amphitheater has been one of the most reliable venues in town, with a roster of solid locals and national touring acts from John Prine to Ween. This summer’s series winds up well, with two cornerstones of African-American music. George Clinton, of course, is the grandmaster of … Read more
We’ve been big fans of Greg Brown for a long time now—for almost as long as he’s been obsessed with the Driftless, that rugged beautiful part of the country down where Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota all come together, the land the glaciers forgot to plow under. Seems most of the music-making world is a fan … Read more
Well, it’s about time. Nine years since the fondly remembered First Avenue reunion shows, 15 since their breakup, and 22 since In Combo first popped up in the vinyl racks, Beej and the boys’ original albums are finally out on CD. It’s a fine opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the ’Burbs’ brand of buzzy and … Read more
More a collection of vignettes than large-scale narrative, Seed: Awesome Vessel of Power is a rumination on a simple, oft overlooked object of nature. Initiated by Associate Artistic Director Beth Peterson in collaboration with four other puppeteers and three musicians, Seed was first performed two years ago at HOBT. Peterson’s vision came in response to … Read more