Classic Reprint: Train songs, washboards, and snot
The following was my first published piece of writing. I submitted it to the Illinois Times in November of 1987, at age 20, and it led to my unofficial position as go-to rock music writer for the paper over the next three years. More than two decades on, it still seems almost inconceivable that the…
I Love You Phillip Morris
In the new fact-based comedy-drama I Love You Phillip Morris, (opening at Champaign’s Art Theater this Friday, January 28, 2011) Jim Carrey has the role of a lifetime as gay confidence man and multiple prison escapee Frank Russell. Perhaps even more over-the-top than any previous character portrayed by Carrey, Russell’s compulsion to manipulate, lie and…
Waco Brothers And Blue Ribbon Revival At Bar None 1/22/2011
“History is written by the winner / This is a loser’s song.” So sang Waco Brothers leader Jon Langford last night at Springfield’s Bar None. The song was entitled “Walking on Hell’s Roof Looking at the Flowers,” from the band’s most recent CD, Electric Waco Chair, and at last night’s show it provided a rare…
Hurry on over to Big Belly BBQ
They’re almost impossible to resist: food trucks, or more properly, “mobile food concessions.” Many serve ethnic or regional specialties. Food trucks are starting to receive serious attention from the food world. In fact Roy Choi, chef of Kogi, a Korean taco truck and his food have been written up in Time and the Wall Street…
Victory in court nears for developmentally disabled
Rick Wilson of Springfield never thought it was asking too much for his daughter, Jennifer, who has cerebral palsy, to live in a comfortable environment. But when the Wilsons asked the State of Illinois to place Jennifer in a supportive living arrangement for adults with disabilities – instead of an institution – they were repeatedly…
Long live the king
Celebrate January-born Elvis Presley and shake on downtown Jan. 21-22 to the Midwest Tribute to the King Competition. Fifteen Elvis tribute artists from six states entertain and compete for prize money in one of the country’s largest Elvis impersonator contests. Special guests are Michael Jackson tribute artist, Rico, and World’s #1 Rock ’n’ Roll Elvis, Kavan…
European standards
“Cosmopolitan Classics” is the name of the next Illinois Symphony Chamber Orchestra concert under the direction of Maestra Karen Lynne Deal held Jan. 21 at St. Agnes Church. Hear famous symphonies, including Haydn’s theater-inspired Symphony No. 63, “La Roxelane,” continuing with Prokofiev’s beloved Classical Symphony and concluding with Schubert’s youthful masterpiece, his First Symphony. Tickets…
Letters to the Editor 1/20/11
MORE ON STREETCARS I read with interest your “Riding into town on a rail,” [by James Krohe Jr., Jan. 13]. However, the article missed three important points about the Springfield’s streetcar system. The Springfield Consolidated Railway was organized in 1893 and a further reorganization in 1903 created the Springfield Railway & Light Company, in 1922…
Stormy weather ahead for tax-increase Democrats
Whether they admitted it or not, a large majority of Statehouse denizens was relieved last week when the General Assembly approved the income tax hike. Ironically enough, Republicans may have been the happiest. The state’s horrific structural deficit was finally addressed, which is good news all around. And since they didn’t put any votes on…
Hornet lacks sting
I don’t really know where to begin with The Green Hornet. It lacks direction, it fails to maintain a consistent tone throughout and its main character is an unlikable lout. Its lead actor gives a shrill one-note performance and for a superhero movie it lacks even a modicum of excitement. It’s more likely to induce…
State education funding woefully inadequate
Properly educating a schoolchild in Illinois takes upwards of $2,200 more per pupil than the state currently ensures, according to the latest report from Illinois’ Education Funding Advisory Board. EFAB, which earlier this month issued its first findings since 2005, is charged with recommending to state lawmakers an appropriate “foundation level” – the minimum amount…
From death row to hero
At the State Capitol, former death row inmate Randy Steidl became the improbable champion in the successful campaign to get the General Assembly to abolish the death penalty. Now he is trying to persude Gov. Pat Quinn to sign the repeal into law. He traveled a long road from death row to Springfield’s halls of…
Joe Cooke Band
From a stint at Berklee College of Music, where he hung with fellow student and future legendary guitarist Al DiMeola, to years as Springfield’s reigning rock guitarist in the ’70s, and from a run as sideman to blues-rocker Jerry Doucette of “Mama Let Him Play” fame, to his Nashville years with St. Louis native Greg…
New kid on the block
The year was 1969 and Sheila Simon remembers fidgeting in her seat as her father, the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon, was sworn in as lieutenant governor of Illinois. Nearly eight years old at the time, Sheila Simon was “one of those squirmy kids who wouldn’t sit still,” she told a crowd of nearly 5,800…
Spending cap will ‘strangle’ state services
The Illinois General Assembly passed a tax increase and a cap on government spending this month, but at least one budget expert says the spending cap will strangle public services as costs rise. The tax increase “won’t come anywhere near” fully funding public services, said Ralph Martire, executive director of the bipartisan Center for Tax…
FREE TAX HELP
With tax season right around the corner, the Center For Economic Progress is giving low- income families and individuals a head start and a break. Free tax help is available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Saturday, Jan. 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and running through Monday, April 18. After Jan. 22, services…
Intelligent design
Make sure to visit Robert Morris Gallery, downtown, in the next month or two as local legend Jeff Williams exhibits new paintings dealing with a range of subject matters such as automatons, bike awareness and environmental issues. Artist first, inspired at a young age by Springfield Art Association art lessons and a graphic designer grandfather…
Kids get up close with Cubs
Second grader Taylor Kennedy sits cross-legged in the front row of her classmates as Chicago Cubs second baseman Blake DeWitt reads about Abraham Lincoln’s hat. Leaning forward in his chair, a pair of camouflaged Oakley sunglasses slip from his shirt collar and into the 8-year-old girl’s lap. As he keeps reading, she quickly grabs them,…
Classic country kicker
Small town waitresses (and want-to-be country songsters) all want to save the bar they work at by singing up lots of cash. Jo, the owner’s daughter, has her head focused on a group that will bring in a crowd, but mistakenly books a band of classical musicians. Who will save the day? This entertaining “classic…
End greed, invest in healthy economy
As a business owner who has created hundreds of jobs over the past two decades, I understand economic policies that build sustainable growth. Yet the billions in tax cuts for the wealthy recently signed into law compromise our shared future. The promise of “trickle down” economics has failed. When recent studies suggest that one in…
Garlic mojo hot dog
Mojo is a Cuban sauce made from the juice of sour oranges (or, in this case, a mixture of orange juice and lime juice). It’s truly versatile. The sauce works as a marinade or salsa for beef, fish, pork and poultry – yes, and even hot dogs! For the garlic mojo: 1/4 c. olive oil…
Wacked out Waco Brothers
By any estimation the Waco Brothers are considered one of the finest purveyors of punk and country, folk and rock, tradition and innovation, performing on the American scene today. Many critics and fans alike rave and rail about the band as “the best live rock band on the planet” and “a force to behold live”…
Big Belly BBQ Chow
Topping pulled pork sandwiches with slaw is de rigeur in certain areas of the south. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll be hooked: the bright tartness of vinegar-based slaw is the perfect foil for the richness of the pork and BBQ sauce. This type of slaw is known by a variety of monikers such as Crispy…
Power from the banks and to the people
Populist banker. Now those are two words you rarely see linked together. But Thomas Hoenig, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, truly is a rarity. Firmly rooted in small town Iowa and Kansas, he has never aspired to be part of the Wall Street-Washington power elite, and he has no hesitancy to…
Mad politics
I have little doubt about what we all ought to talking about after Tucson. The most pressing social issues revealed – again – by these shootings is the absence of a workable system to identify and help the many manifest loonies wandering our towns, and of a reliable way to keep guns out of their…
SINGING VALENTINE
Whether the goal is romance or embarrassment, the Land of Lincoln Barbershop Chorus has lovers and Valentine’s Day friends covered. Members of the organization on Feb. 14 will split up into groups of four to deliver songs – including “Love me tender,” “I love you truly,” and “Let me call you sweetheart” – wherever star-crossed…
A Dilemma in more ways than one
I have a feeling that the title of Ron Howard’s new movie took on multiple meanings for the versatile director. While making successful comedies and dramas is nothing new for the filmmaker, The Dilemma suggests he simply didn’t know how to approach this material. While the film’s premise is pitched as a comedy, its story…
