Clik here to view.
Did you read about Kabul, Zara, and Tom Hanks's typewriter app?
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:• About how a giant panda in China apparently faked a pregnancy to get special treatment?…[ Read more ][ Subscribe...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Listen to local dream-pop outfit Savage Sister cover Kate Bush's 'Hounds of...
Next Wednesday the Whistler hosts Chicago's fourth annual tribute to mystical British singer-songwriter Kate Bush, which also just happens to coincide with Bush's recent return to the stage after 35...
View ArticleClik here to view.
James Foley and the ultimate cost of newsroom cuts
Last Friday my friend Dave Jones, a former Reader colleague, e-mailed me asking me to weigh in on James Foley. David had just read Michael Lev's tribute to Foley in the Tribune as an uncommonly brave...
View ArticleClik here to view.
African great Amadou 'Balaké' Traore dead at 70
Yesterday one of Africa's greatest and most dynamic singers and bandleaders, Amadou "Balaké" Traore, died in Ouagadougou, the capital of his native Burkina Faso, at the age of 70. In recent years he...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Celebrate the life of Christopher Saathoff tonight at the Empty Bottle
Ten years ago, local musician Christopher Saathoff, a collaborator with Alex White and member of Chin Up Chin Up, was tragically hit and killed by a drunk driver on Western Avenue while leaving the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bit Bash puts Chicago's indie-gaming scene in the spotlight
You can hardly throw a game token ten feet without hitting a vintage arcade bar in certain Chicago neighborhoods. The barcade boom has been a boon for lovers of old consoles, and it's also piqued...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Michel Gondry's Mood Indigo, now with 5,000 percent more corpses
As a fan of Michel Gondry's Mood Indigo, which played at the Siskel Center a few weeks back in the 94-minute version that Gondry prepared for international release, I recently purchased a copy of the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cocktail Challenge: Black sesame
Challenged to create a cocktail with black sesame, Patrick Smith of the Violet Hour makes a drink that’s "like a painkiller." by Julia Thiel OO.ready(function() { window.player =...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Reader's Agenda Fri 8/29: Noir City, North Coast Music Festival, and Taste of...
Looking for something to do today? Agenda's got you covered.…[ Read more ][ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
View ArticleClik here to view.
To Catch a Thief, White Material, and other Reader-recommended movies to...
Each Friday, we recommend seven Old Movies to Watch Now, all of which come recommended by one of our critics and can currently be screened online. Read the review, watch the movie, feel accomplished.…[...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mechanic says police, not drug dealers, threatened him during murder...
Gustavo Granados said he told the police what little he knew when they came by his west-side auto shop on August 15, 2008. They were curious about a car he'd worked on—a 1996 Buick Regal owned by a...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Out of the closet, out of the shadows, and the rest of this week's screenings
In this week's long review, Ben Sachs describes the filmmaking of French director Philippe Garrel as "a cross between Romantic poetry and the experimental cinema of Andy Warhol." Garrel's latest...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Did you read about Rick Perry, The Shadow Hero, and Hot Doug's?
Reader staffers share stories that fascinate, amuse, or inspire us.Hey, did you read:• That Illinois isn't the only state where elections are flooded with more campaign donations than ever?…[ Read more...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Listen to 'Birthday,' dreamy shoegaze pop from Bay Area trio Night School
The shoegaze-revival scene keeps cranking out great bands, and today's 12 O'Clock Track is another shining example of just that. It's called "Birthday," and it's the debut track from brand new Whirr...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dispatches from girl world
Most of what I know about close, lifelong female friendships—the all-consuming kind, that start in the sandbox, continue through confidences about first periods and first gropings with boys, and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Celebrating the Sun Ra centennial
May 22 was the official centennial of the birth of the brilliant bandleader, composer, and keyboardist Sun Ra, but I'm thankful that the entire year is being used to celebrate his memory and particular...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Street View 212: Hijab envy
Street View is a fashion series in which Isa Giallorenzo spotlights some of the coolest styles seen in Chicago.Tradition and fashion intersect in Salma's look, which is demure but also fresh, colorful,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mayor Rahm's favorite books
For the last few days I've been lying in bed, fighting a cold and ruminating over the reading habits of Mayor Emanuel. I know that may seem like weird thing to ruminate over—so blame it on the cold.…[...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Where to begin with late filmmaker and video essayist Harun Farocki
I've failed to write about the influential filmmaker, theorist, and video essayist Harun Farocki since he died three weeks ago, in large part because I knew very little about him before this past...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lemurs, elephant birds, and bats: The Field Museum resurrects Madagascar
One terrible day about 3,700 years ago, a herd of dwarf hippos stopped to drink at the Betsiboka River in northern Madagascar. They got swept up in the current and pulled into the Anjohibe cave.…[ Read...
View Article