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Reading The Natural and almost feeling hopeful about the Cubs
I received a text the other night from my friend and colleague Ben Joravsky, and strangely enough it wasn't about Rahm Emanuel. "Baez hits 2 homers!"…[ Read more ][ Subscribe to the comments on this...
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Mr. H. Forman of London kindly requests your presence at a salmon tasting
The first thing I ask Ethan Forman as he slices smoked Scottish salmon in my kitchen is where's his English accent? "Everyone asks that.…[ Read more ][ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
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Did you read about Karen Lewis, Edward Snowden, and Cubs fans?
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:• That Karen Lewis has a Hawaii condo, and shares a vacation home in Union Pier with her sister, and has stakes in...
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Noise-rock trio Whores gnarl the Cure's 'Jumping Someone Else's Train'
For this last week's Soundboard, I wrote about American Sharks, a party-hard band of dudes from Austin who are pretty keen on ripping through sludgy guitar riffs and bong hits. They're opening up for...
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Fringe theater goes on parade with the 26th annual Abbie Fest
The Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Theatre Festival features 72 hours of performances starting with a march from Daley Plaza. by Kerry Cardoza The 26th annual Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Theatre...
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How the influence of existentialist philosophy plays out in Richard...
In a post last week I considered the possible influence of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Katzelmacher on a key sequence of Richard Linklater's Boyhood. I failed to acknowledge, though, how this sequence...
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Bachelor in Paradise is heaven for people who enjoy cringing
I'm about halfway through I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends, a memoir and shoo-in for the Pulitzer by Bachelor villain and season 16 "winner" Courtney Robertson (cowritten by an actual writer person)....
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iO makes a big move into founder Charna Halpern's 'dream theater'
iO leaves behind two decades of history as it moves to founder Charna Halpern’s “dream theater.” by Brianna Wellen"I can't wait for this to be done," Charna Halpern says. "I'm so exhausted."…[ Read...
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Chicago stories in the New Yorker archive to read right now
Unfettered, unmetered, and, most importantly, free access to the unbelievable archives of the New Yorker—it's a dream for lovers of longreads. Taking a spin around the digital stacks of this standard...
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South-side MC Mick Jenkins goes deep on new mixtape The Water[s]
On "THC," the second song on Mick Jenkins's brand-new The Water[s], the south-side rapper dissects his inspired mixtape concept: "Water is the most important natural component we have today. It makes...
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The Upstairs Gallery ditches its physical space
When the Upstairs Gallery was voted Best Underground Art Space in this year's Best of Chicago readers' poll, the folks who run the space at 5219 N. Clark took that as a sign to go out on top. At the...
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Chicago producer Starfoxxx talks about dumb tattoos, sampling cats, and his...
Local-music stalwart David Beltran wears a lot of hats. He cofounded FeelTrip, a collective and record label that once operated out of a cavernous loft in the South Loop—Beltran and his cohorts threw...
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Fifth Star Award winners announced
The city presented us today with its list of the five honorees for the first annual Fifth Star arts awards, which recognize "exemplary" Chicago artists and arts institutions working in art,...
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Unlucky in the other kind of puppy love
Dan advises a lovelorn aficionado of puppy play, a woman posthysterectomy, and more by Dan Savage Q I'm a 25-year-old gay male into puppy play. About a year ago, I joined a pack with one Sir and...
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Reader's Agenda Thu 8/14: Hank Williams: Lost Highway, 'Cargo Space,' and...
Looking for something to do today? Agenda's got you covered.…[ Read more ][ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
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Best shows to see: Spider Bags, Spellcaster, Ahleuchatistas, Holmes Brothers
Andrew Bird returns to town on Saturday to headline the Chicago Theatre—he's also one of the participants in this week's Artist on Artist, which you should go read if you haven't already. If you're...
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Did you read about Ferguson, gentrification, and Andy Warhol?
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:• Greg Howard on how the events at Ferguson indicate that America is not for black people?…[ Read more ][ Subscribe...
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Premiere: 'Tulsa, OK,' lo-fi, outre emo from the Spirit of the Beehive
I've been a fan of Ice Age Records for nearly as long as I've lived in Chicago—the local DIY label has released music by defunct postpunk trio Cloud Mouth and a handful of fourth-wave-emo outfits,...
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Robin Ventura gets mad
I haven't seen Robin Ventura this angry since he charged Nolan Ryan 21 years ago. Actually, even when he charged Ryan, Ventura was Quakerish about it.…[ Read more ][ Subscribe to the comments on this...
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Toy Masters to dominate Chicago Filmmakers this Saturday
The Chicago Cinema Society has been quiet since April, when the programming organization presented the Chicago premiere of the Italian art house horror item Across the River. On Saturday at 8 PM the...
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