An Open Letter to Everett True: 5 Songs from the Boy Who Listened to “Nerdvana”
Dear Everett, I grew up in an alternate dimension where Nirvana didn’t exist. (That’s the introductory hook that’s supposed to make you want to read this, of course, since you are arguably the universe’s foremost authority on Kurt Cobain and Co.) Now for something less striking (although I will return to this alternate dimension blather...
CTJ Presents “Dark Potential: A Virtual Gallery by Artist Megan Frauenhoffer”
In 2004, I had the privilege of having a tremendously talented young artist in my public speaking class, although I did not know it at the time. Megan Frauenhoffer was quiet, reserved, and a good student. Like most of her peers, public speaking made her visibly nervous. But buried in her head were innumerable images...
Difficult to Wine About Such Grape People!: Press Update
Danny J. Gibson (@DJGKCMOUSA) has become the (slightly burnt) toast of the Kansas City art scene this fall. He’s been on KC’s NPR affiliate, KCUR, featured in The Pitch, celebrated in New York City’s Felt & Wire, interviewed at length on one of @BARRR‘s A. D. D. Podcasts, and celebrated on numerous blogs as well. Just when Danny...
Rubblebucket Tours for “Omega La La” LP, Sings Omega Lullabye for Evie
I was already off work this week, attempting to help the wife keep our almost 3-week-old daughter from sabotaging sanity and sleep alike, but it was Rubblebucket that really made my week. It’s one thing to take perverse joy in the knowledge that your coworkers are handling all the “TPS reports” without you, and another...
The Last Megaplex: How the Cold-Blooded Murder of Cartoon Shoe Helped Me Get Religion
Today’s guest blog is by Mr. Clint Bland, who knows how to wield words. He used to live immediately next door to me at Hawks Pointe apartments here in Lawrence. Caught up in my writing solitude, I did not hang out with him as much as I could have. Plus, he was far more sociable...
Hunting for Musical Easter Eggs: An Interview with Indie-Rock Icon Mitch Easter
Mitch Easter’s name suits him well. His records are obscure, hidden in record shops all over the world like so many Easter eggs. In the ’80s, he fronted the North Carolina-based jangle-pop outfit Let’s Active, and released an EP and three full-length records. While iTunes and eMusic offer a few isolated songs from my favorite Let’s...
Honeymoonwalking to Jail: Two Smooth Criminals Marry and Murder
Two years ago, Michael Jackson died while my wife and I honeymooned in Kansas City. He moonwalked out of this life the same week we walked down the aisle together to celebrate the sort of bond so often celebrated in pop songs like Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel.” Last year, as our anniversary...
When Films Speak in Tongues: On Fighting Foreign Film Phobia
Just as the people who witnessed the disciples speaking in tongues at Pentecost were alarmed, most people seem to be somewhat afraid of foreign films. “The film is in Chinese?” they say, as if I have just said, “The film wants to eat Neapolitan ice cream out of your hollowed-out skull.” “Yes, the film is in Chinese,”...
The Cinemaddict on Harmony Korine’s “Mister Lonely”
You would think I would find it endearing when independent filmmaker Harmony Korine makes an appearance in a documentary on Norwegian black metal (Until the Light Takes Us), but nothing could save that meandering, formless film from mediocrity. I wanted to find it fascinating – this was a documentary about Satanic black metal bands who...
An Open Letter to KC Artist DJG About “Inception”
Photo above by DJG (www.djgdesign.com). “Deer” DJG*: Remember two years ago when The Dark Knight came out and we called it The Dork Newt? We thought it was a snoozer, and we suspected the film critics were raving simply because the film featured the recently deceased Heath Ledger. Although I have generally liked Christopher Nolan’s...
A Radio Broadcast Featuring CTJ & DJG (Right-Click & Save Target)
Follow Me and Give Me Reason to Issue a Restraining Order