Thursday, February 14, 2002

IN RESPONSE to readers who've complained about my continual use of the perjoratives "boomer" and "yuppie," I've been searching for new cliches-in-the-making. In Chicago, I'm happy to report, they've coined a new name for style-conscious, career-concerned, and sex-savoring young-adult white females--"Trixies."

posted by clark 5:21 PM

Wednesday, February 13, 2002

LENT CAME EARLY Tuesday night in Pioneer Square. The police were out in their promised droves and operated under the prime directive of Fun Prevention. The thousand or so (almost all-white) Eminem-wannabe doodz who assembled from the suburbs, who hoped for a (less violent) repeat of last year's unauthorized Mardi Gras street party were thwarted by arrests and citations for any untoward behavior, especially jaywalking. "Jaywalking," as an arrestable offense, was interpreted to even include walking thru parking spaces. Thus, the doodz (and a very few doodettes) were crammed onto nearly impassible strips of sidewalk outside the Pio. Sq. bars (which, in keeping with city orders not to specially-promote Mardi Gras this year, mainly stuck to their regular fare of techno and white "blooze" attractions). Any dood who stood in one place on the sidewalk, even if the way in front of him was completely blocked, was "politely" ordered by the Fun Police to move along or else. The result: A lot of people out there, almost none of whom looked like they were enjoying the evening. (There were even almost no festive costumes; most doodz preferring to conform to the Abercrombie/Hilfiger uniform standard.)

Eight blocks north on First Avenue, several hundred other young folk were indeed having fun, at the Showbox's all-ages Gwar show. The theatrcial-metal band's durable formula of cartoon-gore spectacle was perfect for Fat Tuesday's traditional meaning of one last debauch before the start of Lenten pentinence. Outside afterwards, the street was filled with sweaty, hard-of-hearing, happily-tired-out guys (and at least some gals) stumbling in blown-away, wide-eyed glee. Many were clad in T-shirts that had become permanently dyed pink-orange, from the band's having drenched the front moshpit area with fake blood.

The lesson: Banning Mardi Gras isn't good for anybody. Planning a safe, healthy mass release of pent-up emotions is much preferable.

posted by clark 11:28 AM

Tuesday, February 12, 2002

THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS came in this morning, and that literary action-adventure epic Lord of the Rings snatched the most preliminary honors. No matter what you think of the film's achievements, it's a semi-sad occasion because its success means more bucks go into the undeserving pockets of Saul Zaentz. The minor media mogul didn't have a direct part in making the new Rings film but still profits from it. That's because he owns all the film and merchandising rights to the Tolkein characters. (He got those rights when he funded Ralph Bakshi's failed 1978 animated Rings.)

As we've noted here previously, Zaentz is infamous as the record label mogul who cheated Creedence Clearwater Revival bard John Fogerty out of his royalties and song rights. In a particularly sleazy misuse of the Creedence legacy, Zaentz recently leased Fogarty's antiwar anthem "Fortunate Son" for a "patriotic" blue-jeans commercial. (The song's re-recorded with vocals that fade out before the harsh messages start.)

posted by clark 9:44 PM

I'M NOT EXCESSIVELY worried about too many things, but could we really be able to cope with the possibility of a world without chocolate?

posted by clark 7:52 PM

Monday, February 11, 2002

AN ENVIRONMENTAL WEBSITE gives some needed skeptical glances at The Skeptical Environmentalist, a book making summarizing the conservative boasts about how we supposedly don't have any environmental problems and should just let big business do whatever it wants.

posted by clark 5:20 PM

AS GOVT. ARTS FUNDING remains stagnant at best, more institutions are succumbing to "Enronization."

posted by clark 1:22 PM

REQUIRED READING for all self-styled "political" readers, writers, and speakers: A systematic examination of logical fallacies. (Found by Fark.)

posted by clark 11:06 AM

DEPT. OF THE OBVIOUS: A new biography depicts the President-Select as a know-nothing i/r/t American pop culture.

posted by clark 11:01 AM

Sunday, February 10, 2002

COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN in the decade-since-grunge hype of last fall was the 10th anniversary of another, sad, occasion, the death of that great local bard of brutal honesty Jesse Bernstein. Here's a site with links to some of his best pieces.

posted by clark 6:29 PM

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