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Heroes of Hedonism, by Alphonso Mayfield
To attend a 2 Live Crew concert is to experience a mixture of hedonism and mass hysteria. Between the kick of 808 drum patterns and thongs moving to the rhythmic swing of the music, who would guess this group had once fought one of the most significant wars regarding free speech in the United States?
Mayor Johnson's ‘State of the City' Address
In its entirety: State of the City Address, Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr., August 26, 2003, 5:30 p.m., Union Station
Take That, Joe Lieberman
After all the talk-show babble of the last couple days about Howard Dean being such a "far-left" candidate, it's a relief to see a New York Times story today that actually explores his hard-to-define independence—which may well be drawing much of his surge of support: "But in Vermont, whose political center of gravity lands left of the nation's, one of the secrets to Dr. Dean's success was keeping the most liberal politicians in check. Over 11 years, he restrained spending growth to turn a large budget deficit into a surplus, cut taxes, forced many on welfare to go to work, abandoned a sweeping approach to health-care reform in favor of more incremental measures, antagonized environmentalists, won the top rating from the National Rifle Association and consistently embraced business interests."
Studying That Good Ol' Way, by Nina Parikh
When I toured through the Delta three years ago with the acclaimed filmmaking brothers, Joel and Ethan Coen, I don't remember listening to music. It's possible we even drove in silence as they looked at locations to shoot their film, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?." If we listened to anything, it certainly wasn't bluegrass or roots or any songs that T. Bone Burnett would later put on the soundtrack, which quickly became the hottest "new" music in the U.S.
David Banner, Native Son, by J. Bingo Holman
Also read the JFP "Tough Questions for David Banner" interview here
Haley Barbour's New "Democrat-Lover" Nastygram
July 30, 2003: Gubernatorial hopeful, and former national GOP party head, Haley Barbour seems more stressed about Davidian challenger Mitch Tyner than you'd think. A rather breathtaking nasty-politics flyer landed in the JFP PO box this morning. In a tone worthy of Ann Coulter, the four-color (read: expensive) Barbour fold-out shows Mitch Tyner in the backseat of a stretch limo driven by a donkey (you'd think that'd be hard to afford with the $209,484 Tyner has raised to date, compared with Barbour's $5,316,884) with "Liberal Trial Lawyer and Democrat-Lover Mitch Tyner." With a huge photo of a zebra on the front, the headline reads: "A zebra can't change its stripes and neither can a donkey!!" READ MORE ...
Live Blogging from Peterson Party at Hal & Mal's
Donna Ladd and Ronni Mott are blogging live from D.A. Faye Peterson's post-election gathering at Hal & Mal's.
Obama & McCain Win Virginia, Maryland
This about says it all, I guess, from The New York Times:
DA Faye Peterson on Radio JFP Friday at Noon
District Attorney Faye Peterson is the guest this Friday, July 27, at noon on Radio JFP on WLEZ. Listen at 103.7 FM, or hear the stream live at http://www.wlezfm.com. The JFP will record the show and link it here later that day. Please feel free to post questions here that you would like us to ask Peterson during the show. Candidate Michele Purvis previously appeared on the show (hear the audio and read a long discussion thread here), and Robert S. Smith was invited to appear last week, but could not make it. The JFP also moderated a Q&A session with the three candidates recently at Schimmel's. Hear the audio here.
Herman's Picks: July 8-14, 2004
The Bold New City is undergoing its own sort of VH1 Classic Reunion this week. Nostalgia go boom, and get you ready for the new W.C. Don's. You can rotate from Soulshine to Hal & Mal's to Martin's; to the rest of the Martin's building, in the new two-story, multi-room cool hang-out of W.C. Don's.
JFP Lounge Thursday Night!
Come on out and join us at the monthly JFP Lounge Thursday night, March 23, from 7:30 to 11 p.m. in the Oyster Bar at Hal & Mal's. Just a gathering of creatives and progressive thinkers. Make new friends and network. Come alone, or bring friends. Free munchies. Non-smoking (can smoke at the main bar). We're combining parties, so to speak, with a wrap party for the film Todd has been working on in Canton. So it'll be a double-whammy tonight of creative juices (if anybody has any left).
Busting Out of Jail, by David McCarty
Ten years after Elvis died, Bob Dylan said that when he first heard the King's first single "That's All Right" as a kid, it "was like busting out of jail." Music is the most important thing in my life, but I don't think most of us feel that freedom Dylan did. Maybe Elvis busted us all out of jail nearly 50 years ago, and so we don't have to worry about it. Thinking about it made me struggle to find the songs that revolutionized my life, but I didn't find Elvis, or Dylan or even the Beatles. I found R&B classics and Top 40 trash and leftist punk and heavy metal, and it was less like breaking out of jail than this really great, ugly old quilt that keeps me warm at night. Nothing to look at but comforting to have around.
Malcolm Shepherd at Thalia Mara Hall 7/15
Thalia Mara Hall "Paints the White House Black" with musical theater featuring the local R&B/gospel sensation from Dirty South, Malcolm Shepherd. Call 451-9098 for details. Buy tickets at Be-Bop or at the door.