The Event Promoters ordinance will go before the city council at 10:00 AM, Wednesday, May 14th. I received an e-mail about a campaign to flood city hall with opponents of this ordinance. The campaign is being organized through The Point, and the goal is for 100 people to commit to attending the council meeting tomorrow. Save Chicago Culture will present a petition opposing the ordinance at the meeting.

Because the proposal was fast-tracked through committee, the Chicago arts community has had very little time to respond. I, for one, will be attending the council meeting tomorrow. If you care about preserving Chicago’s theatre, music and comedy I expect to see you there too. If you can’t make it, please e-mail your alderman today and express your opinion.

Otherwise, I suppose you could just pay a hundred bucks a pop and go see Wicked again.

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Well, this is appalling.

This Wednesday the city council votes on the so-called “Event Promoters’ ordinance.” If this thing passes it could mean that any artist wishing to produce or promote his own work would have to pay up to $2,000 for a license. He or she would have to be over the age of 21, must get fingerprinted, submit to a background check, and inform the police seven days in advance of an event. This ordinance is aimed directly at small venues and new artists who have yet to develop an audience. Larger spaces that seat over 500 — in other words, places that can actually afford the license — are exempt.

The weblog Save Chicago Culture is collecting signatures in opposition to the ordinance. On their site you can find a .pdf of the complete text of the ordinance, as well as links to the city council site, and your local alderman. The Sun-Times’ Jim DeRogatis has an in-depth analysis on his blog.

The problem is, blogs are the only place this thing has gotten any attention. So, if you don’t want to lose the Double Door, Schuba’s, Martyrs’, the Vic, the Riv or the Metro, get a message to your alderman at once.

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It’s entirely unclear whether the people who might once wanted you to boycott Mojoes (2849 W Belmont) might still want you to do so. I’d love to contact them and ask them “why” but they’ve left absolutely no contact info on these stickers littered around the neighborhood. Which, in the age of free MySpace pages and Gmail accounts, is pretty inexcusable.

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Why do I have the feeling that that smokestack used to be just a bit taller?

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My ears are ringing.

Last night at the House of Blues the wife and I finally saw the Ministry concert I wrote about getting tickets for a few months ago. At that time it was the first of two final U.S. shows for the band; it became the first of four. For those of you who are interested, there are apparently still tickets available for Sunday.

I must confess, I am getting old. No more jumping around in the pit for this guy. We found comfortable seats along the rail in the mezzanine section, near the bar. We had a great view, and managed to avoid all the crap getting thrown around down on the main floor. Being slightly removed from the action did not stop me from getting up and doing a little headbanging when the moment called for it though. Now, of course, my neck is sore. Like I said, I am getting old.

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Yesterday turned out to be Incredibly Awesome Thursday, and I’m determined to make it a weekly occurrence. Essentially, Incredibly Awesome Thursday (IAT) involves saying “yes” to something that you normally wouldn’t, perhaps because it sounds boring, it’s too far away and you’re lazy, whatever. My “yes” last night was to a dance performance at the Chicago Cultural Center featuring Matthew Hollis’ and the Power of Cheer. My mom, a former high school cheerleader extraordinaire, was quite keen on going, so I somewhat reluctantly agreed to tag along…and it ended up being awesome. Incredibly awesome, in fact.

Matthew Hollis, an amazing choreographer, dancer, and performance artist, presented a taste of the work he’s developing with a grant from the Chicago Dancemaker’s Forum, a unique blend of cheerleading, modern dance, theater, activism and a little bit of therapy. Hollis and his troupe of equally talented dancers (did I mention they’re all in short shorts?) act out stories from Hollis’ life, including a particularly impressive number performed on teetering stilettos. The cheer that I can’t get out of my head? “Guns are bad, guns are gross, you might as well eat poo on toast!” Well put.

Before the performance, we popped into the Gallery 37 Store, which was chock full of fantastic artwork by Project Onward artists, from colorful silk screened tees and bags to vibrant pastel drawings. Project Onward is an organization designed “to support the creative development of visual artists with developmental, cognitive, and mental disabilities.” Rock on.

We also had a chance to investigate the Puppet Bike, which, unfortunately, was out of commission by the time we arrived, but even the outside of this happy little cart covered in whimsical paintings of frolicking bunnies and kitties was entertaining. According to the Puppet Bike website, the stage on wheels was created by Mr. Trusty for a bipolar friend who couldn’t hold down a conventional 9-5, but the portable theater offered the perfect solution–work when you want, park it when you get bored. I’ll definitely be heading down to Millennium Park this summer so I can see the Puppet Bike in action. (Metblog’s Fuzzy Gerdes beat me to the Puppet Bike punch in his February post, but I just had to ramble on about it again.)

So that, my friends, is what Incredibly Awesome Thursday is all about. Next week–who’s with me?

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Ooh wee! My calendar just got a little happier with the addition of the Manifest Urban Arts Festival on May 16 and Andersonville Bike Week, May 12-18.

Manifest is a smörgåsbord of artsy amazingness created by Columbia College seniors and graduate students, including a two-hour live broadcast, Going Green For Our Future; an Animation Production Studio Screening; You Gotta Hear This: A Fiction Writing Department MFA student reading; Music! Music! Music!; and so much more.

Andersonville Bike Week packs in Yoga for Cyclists, Bike Maintenance 101 clinics, jazz, hip-hop, and spinning classes, art exhibits and body cleansing, along with tons of discounts at local merchants when you bring in your helmet. You’ll definitely find me heading over to La Cocina de Frida with my bike helmet to receive 15% off their yummy, plantain filled enchiladas. Oh yeah.

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Last night I saw a preview for the new Second City e.t.c. show, Campaign Supernova!, or How Many Democrats Does It Take to Lose an Election. It was Friends and Family night, ’cause that’s how I roll. (Actually, my wife works there.) I have a number of friends who are involved with Second City in some capacity, so I find myself seeing shows there on a semi-regular basis. Last night I saw probably the best SC show I have ever seen.

In the late ’60s my dad went to high school on the South Side and he used to go to Second City shows all the time. He told me once that he regretted never auditioning or taking classes there himself. When he comes into town nowadays we try to get over there and see whatever’s going on. He still loves it, but he has often wondered what happened to their “edge.” I wasn’t sure what he meant. I mean, all of their shows are topical, address current politics, whatever.

Then came last night, and suddenly I think I know what my dad has been talking about.

The lights came up, they grabbed the crowd by the balls and did not let go. It was relentless. I hurt myself laughing. But even better, there were moments when this cast dared not to be funny. One scene involved the female cast members jumping back and forth between a trio of Lincoln Park trixies at a gym and three Middle-Eastern women torn by war and oppression. The overall effect made the whole wide-eyed audience sit up and say, “Yikes.” But in a really, really good way.

The theme of the evening focused on normal Americans’ desire to do good in the world, and how that desire is tempered by the temptations and necessities of living in modern America. A stand-out scene centered on a couple on their wedding day, their relationship strained by the effort of making everything socially conscious, while secretly they yearn for overpriced-yet-useless knickknacks from Crate and Barrel.

The cast worked together with a precision rarely seen in sketch comedy. The musical moments and choreography were sharply executed, and every performer had stand-out moments. The closing moments in particular held moments of poignancy and hilarity combined.

Also, there are paper mache puppets. You know you don’t want to miss that.

Campaign Supernova!, or How Many Democrats Does It Take to Lose an Election officially opens Thursday, May 8. (Yes, I copy-and-pasted the title just then. I’m not typing that beast twice.)

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For the past few days, I’ve had my head buried in Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine, a book outlining a process whereby unpopular economic theories (think widespread privatization and drastic cuts in social programs) are instituted following a crisis, be it a hurricane, a war, or the onslaught of an enemy (real or imagined), when the people are too shocked and disoriented to protest. For those of you familiar with something called 9/11, this should trigger disconcerting recollections of the creation of a booming industry in the name of “homeland security,” not to mention the vast sums of money allocated for rooting out the “enemy” abroad, as well as the use of “interrogation techniques,” also known as torture, which were practiced openly by the US government without fear of prosecution, thanks to the rewriting of a few pesky laws.

You may be wondering what in the heck this has to do with Chicago. Well, it just so happens that this wonderful theory of economic upheaval was created by Milton Friedman, the late University of Chicago professor, and he and his ardent followers have been instituting their particularly harsh brand of capitalism around the globe, acting as high-ranking advisors to politicians in Chile, Argentina, Indonesia, and the United States, among others. Pretty scary.

Check out the short film created by Klein and Children of Men director, Alfonso Cuaron, to learn more.

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Okay so I love meat. LOVE IT. I mean for heavens sake, my nickname is Bacon. For reals. I love my steak rare and my burgers with bacon on them. I’ll eat any kind of meat at least once. I LOVE MEAT!! I was a vegetarian for a bit in my early years but when my roommates ordered buffalo wings for some reason I had to have one and I’ve been a carnivore since.

Since I work in the neighborhood it is hard for me to not eat out everyday for lunch. And I have to say I complain about it all the time. I’m tired of the same 5 places that I eat at so when I see a sign for a new food establishment I have to say I get giddy. So when I saw the sign for Veggie Bites I was intrigued and excited.

It is an all vegan fast food place. They serve up yummies like chili cheese dogs and gyros and the like. Everything is organic and delicious! And very reasonably priced. I had the pleasure of eating the chili cheese dog and it was served on a whole wheat bun and it was really good. When my boyfriend heard that I had eaten there he said “gross” but I will soon convert him. Maybe, he does love meat as much as I do……

For more info on the place go ahead a check out their website

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So, I started taking percussive dance at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Man. Not only is Old Town totally awesome, the class is amazing!

There is no required skill level for my class, so it’s very diverse and fun. From novice to professional dancers, to hobbyists like myself. I had to dust off my old tap shoes in order to, well, percuss, and it was sooooo much fun. it’s like STOMP!, but I’m the one stomping!

I had so much fun that I didn’t realize how sore I was until a day later! My body is definitely mad at me - I haven’t danced for sport in, ohhhh, a decade or so. Mild pain and discomfort aside, I love this class.

I love Old Town.

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The NFL draft was last weekend. If you ever wanted to learn about the subtle intricacies of the game of football, don’t watch the games themselves. Watch ESPN’s live coverage of the draft. A team selects a player, and then you get a breakdown of that player’s strengths and weaknesses. When watching a game it is easy to deduce the pros and cons of the players who actually handle the ball, but the other guys kinda get lost in the messy pile of players in the middle. But watching the draft you learn that that messy pile is not a mess at all, and is instead the result of careful strategy, finding ways to combine the specific skill sets of individual players into one of two goals: Move the ball, or stop the ball.

In this football fan’s humble opinion, the Bears had one of their best draft weekends in recent years. They shored up their aging offensive line, added depth at key defensive positions, and made for some interesting preseason competition at running back and wide receiver. I’m particularly excited about our first-round pick, OT Chris Williams from Vanderbilt. Six-six, 315 pounds, Williams will provide badly needed pass protection from the left side of the line, and will also allow the old left tackle, John Tait, to return to the right side where he has more experience. Given how porous our offensive line was last year, don’t be surprised if Williams gets added to the mix early. He’s smart, disciplined player, which counts for quite a lot at the pro level. I think I’m gonna like this guy.

I’m also very interested in seeing what happens with our 2nd-round pick, RB Matt Forte from Tulane. Forte finished his college career as the second-ranked running back in the country, with 2,127 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns. Coming from Tulane it might be argued that he hasn’t played much against heavy competition, but his impressive display at the NFL scouting combine (this guy ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds!) gave a few more points in his favor. He’s a big guy, more of a down-hill, crash-through-the-line kind of back, rather than a guy who makes quick cuts on the outside, which interests me because that’s pretty much the same description as last year’s starter Cedric Benson. Benson has been pretty much a bust since he held out on his first contract after his own draft. He’s been plagued with injuries, and just hasn’t lived up to the hype. Holding onto Benson while trading Thomas Jones was probably the biggest mistake of last year’s offseason.

There’s been a lot of buzz about the fact that the Bears did not draft a quarterback this year. The Bears have already committed to giving Rex Grossman one last shot at regaining the brilliance he showed flashes of two years ago. I think that’s the right move, especially when you consider that there just weren’t that many stand-out QBs available in the draft this year. I doubt that there is any position in football that has a more difficult transition from college to the professional level, and there are just too many intangibles to accurately assess which players have what it takes make it in the NFL. I think it’s safe to say, however, that if we don’t at least make the first round of playoffs then this will be the last we see of both Grossman and Kyle Orton in Bears jerseys.

There won’t be much more football news until it gets closer to the start of preseason, so we shall just have to content ourselves with the fact that right now both of our baseball teams are still at the top of their respective divisions. (Well, as of last night the Cubs are tied at the top of theirs, but the Sox are 2.5 games up! Awesome!)

Bear Down!

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So now that it is no longer a cold mess outside (okay so the past few days don’t count….) I have been taking Little Mac (yes he has a myspace page….) for long walks around the neighborhood and I have been using the sidekicks camera to take pictures….I love tulips.




The little sidekick takes good pictures in the daylight, don’tcha think? For more of them check out my flickr account

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So, it’s Sunday morning and I’m watching X-Play on G4, because my wife is something of a video game nerd and I am a guy who thinks they are cool and wishes he was good at them. And they mention something I was unaware of before, but now that I know about it I want to pass it on: Gcycle.org.

Gcycle.org is, first of all, a great source for information about recycling your old electronic equipment. Just type in your ZIP code, select the type of thing you would like to recycle — anything from batteries, printer cartridges and floppy disks to old computers and game consoles — and get a list of locations in and around the city that will take your crap off your hands. I was surprised to learn that most area Staples and Best Buys will take most of this stuff, but even the Lincoln Park Zoo has a use for some of it. Each location has its own list of items they will accept.

The other reason to check out Gcycle.org is because it is one of the coolest websites ever. You gotta check it out. It’s just plain fun to poke around on this thing.

I’ve always wondered what to do with this stuff. I’ve got old cell phones taking up drawer space that I just couldn’t bring myself to throw in the trash.

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I just realized that nearly all of my posts have been about food. My taste buds are clearly running the show here, and there’s no point in fighting it. Last night, my friend was feeling rather generous, so he treated me to dinner at Andersonville’s newest eatery, Big Jones. There were maybe two things on the menu that I could actually eat without abandoning vegetarianism*, but as soon as the Eggplant Fritter sandwich became acquainted with my mouth, the meat-heavy menu was a distant memory. If the crispy breaded eggplant smothered in sweet, green tomato relish didn’t bring me to heights of epicurean ecstasy, the a’ plenty (a medley of fried onions, okra and potato) catapulted me into food heaven. Seriously, it was that good.

As if the night couldn’t get any better, my friend and I made our way over to Andersonville’s Sicilian sweet shop, Pasticceria Natalina, where I gorged myself on rich, creamy gelato followed by an unbelievably light and tasty bigne, oozing with cream and covered in chocolate. Heaven, I tell you.

*Our server suggested visiting Big Jones for brunch, when the menu offers just as much vegetarian as fleshy fare. Good to know…

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