Comings & Goings - Chicago

Downtown Chicago, lighted for the holidays (I love lights in trees; I wish such festiveness were visible all over the city)

Chicago's skyscrapers, looking towards Michigan Avenue

On Chicago Street, right near Northwestern's Chicago campus

The Luc Tillmans billboard in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art

The extraordinary Roscoe Mitchell and his ensemble, at the AACM's 45th Anniversary Celebration at the Museum of Contemporary Art (flautist Nicole Mitchell is at the far right)

Roscoe Mitchell, playing his alto sax, at the AACM 45th Anniversary Celebration at the MCA

Members of Renee Baker's Brass Band Epiphany, letting loose (they were incredible)

Fake movie set café in my neighborhood (it will appear, I imagine, in the movie Contagion

The movie café's post-filming interior

Fake movie snow

My undergraduate honors advisee, Simon Han, who was awarded second prize in the Union League of Chicago's Civic & Arts Foundation's Creative Writing College Division competition, for his story "Bear Hands"

Streetcorner puppet show, Andersonville neighborhood (I passed this on my way to see Rikki Beadle-Blair's new film Fit

Zakes Mda, who was visiting writer in residence at the university's Center for the Writing Arts, delivered a smart and insightful lecture on the relationship between landscape and his writing (I have been a fan of his for years, so it was marvelous to meet him in person)

On November 30 at the Silver Room, Artistically Linked was hosting a multi-artist-art show; each week leading up to that, you could see the artists working on the installation, so I caught painter/grafittist Rahmaan Statik at work

Literary scholar Jahan Ramazani gave a terrific talk at the university on the relationship between postcolonial poetries and affiliated discourses (I am still studying my notes on this one; it opened a number of doors, so to speak; and he even played clips of poet Patience Agbabi reading/rapping!)

Who says Chicago doesn't have its own flavor: Rogers Park's very own Prince

Rogers Park Prince from a distance

Melissa Harris-Perry spoke at the university on Michelle Obama, and was nothing less than incandescent

Independent scholar Justin Spring gave a talk on his acclaimed study of queer scholar, tattoo artist, porn writer, and archivist Samuel Steward: Secret Historian: The Life of Times of Samuel Steward: Professor, Tattoo Artist, and Sexual Renegade (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2010).

An artist working on a mural in Rogers Park

RhoDeo 1009 Grooves

Hello, after almost 10 weeks since the restart it was high time i posted something in the fridaynight groove corner. Music to dance to and warm those freezing feet. Numerous compilations of '70s soul, funk, and fusion have been compiled in the name of blaxploitation throughout the years, whether or not all the inclusions were actually used in blaxploitation films (granted, just about everything from this era was fit for soundtrack use). Blaxploitation films have made a profound impact on contemporary hip hop culture too, several prominent hip hop artists have taken the no-nonsense pimp persona popularized first by ex-pimp Iceberg Slim's 1967 book Pimp and then by films such as Super Fly, The Mack, and Willie Dynamite, as inspiration for their own works. Here's 170 min. of grooves there to take in..

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Blaxploitation is a film genre that emerged in the United States in the late 1960s when many exploitation films were made specifically (and perhaps exclusively) for an audience of urban black people, these films were the first to feature soundtracks of funk and soul music. When set in the Northeast or West Coast of the U.S., Blaxploitation films tend to take place in the ghetto, dealing with hit men, drug dealers and pimps. The genre frequently takes place in an atmosphere of crime and drug-dealing. Ethnic slurs against whites (e.g., "honky"), and negative white characters like corrupt cops, politicians, prostitutes and gullible gangsters were common. Blaxploitation films set in the South often take place on a plantation, dealing with slavery and interracial marriage/sex.

Despite the civil rights movement of the sixties, a large section of black Americans remained frustrated and marginalised. Unrest and rioting spread from the southern states across America exacerbated by the murder of Marin Luther KIng and Malcolm X. With no signidicant black owned radio-stations or press, vinyl was the main medium for the Black Power message. By the early '70's social commentary was rife in the groovesfrom the more militant (Last Poets) to the well known (M.Gaye, Staple Singers). Along these strong musical messages black action movies were providing escapism that proved immensely popular with the black movie-goers. Many of these films featured funk and soul jazz soundtracks with heavy bass, funky beats and wah-wah guitars. These soundtracks are notable for a degree of complexity that was not common for radio-friendly funk tracks and rich orchestration that included uncommon instruments such as flutes and violins.



Best Of Blaxploitation 1 ( 126mb )

01. James Brown - The Boss (3:12) ('73)
02. Cymande - Brothers on the Slide (4:10) ('73)
03. Kool & the Gang - Jungle Boogie (3:04) ('73)
04. Marvin Gaye - "T" Plays It Cool (4:28) ('72)
05. Curtis Mayfield - Freddie's Dead (5:25) ('72)
06. Syl Johnson - Different Strokes (2:22) ('67)
07. Lightnin' Rod - Sport (2:36) ('73)
08. The Last Poets - It's a Trip (4:46) ('77)
09. The Politicians feat. McKinley Jackson - The World We Live In (4:20) ('72)
10. Ike Turner & His Kings of Rhythm - Funky Mule (3:22) ('69)
11. Joe Tex - I Gotcha (2:14) ('72)
12. Mavis Staples - Chocolate City (5:16) ('78)
13. Pee Wee Ellis - Moonwalk (2:44) ('69)
14. The Meters - Tippi Toes (2:27) ('70)
15. Gil Scott-Heron - Back Home (2:52) ('73)

Best Of Blaxploitation 2 (134mb)

01. Curtis Mayfield – Superfly (3:56) ('72)]
02. Eddie Kendricks - My People...Hold On (5:38) ('72)
03. The Temptations - Papa Was A Rollin' Stone (5:10) ('72)
04. Aaron Neville – Hercules (4:14) ('73)
05. Cymande – Bra (5:06) ('72)
06. The Notations - Super People (3:47) ('75)
07. Maceo & All The Kings Men - Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself Again (6:18) ('70)
08. Johnny Pate - Brother On The Run (1:58) ('73)
09. Syl Johnson - Concrete Reservation (2:26) ('70)
10. Ohio Players- It's A Cryin' Shame (2:22) ('68)
11. The Rimshots- Neighbour! Get Your Own (2:54) ('72)
12. Maceo & All The Kings Men - (I Remember) Mr. Banks (5:28) ('70)
13. Ripple - Get Off (3:20) ('73)
14. The Meters - Funky Miracle (2:28) ('72)
15. Lee Dorsey - Yes We Can Can (4:49) ('70)

Best Of Blaxploitation 3 ( 126mb)

01. The Last Poets - When The Revolution Comes (2:29) ('70)
02. Gil Scott-Heron with Brian Jackson - The Bottle (5:14) ('70)
03. Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up (Live) (3:02) ('71)
04. Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul - (I've Got) I've So Much Trouble On My Mind (6:17) ('73)
05. The Whatnauts - Why Can't People Be Colors Too? (4:52) ('71)]
06. Ripple - A Funky Song (3:20) ('73)
07. Mickey Murray - Mama's Got The Wagon (2:42) ('69)
08. Alvin Cash - Doin' The Ali Shuffle (2:59) ('77)
09. Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul - Give Me Back My Freedom (3:31) ('73)
10. Ike & Tina Turner - Livin' For The City (3:32) ('74)
11. Ohio Players - Cold, Cold World (3:45) ('68)
12. Pee Wee Ellis - That Thang (2:46) ('69)
13. Moody Scott - (We Gotta) Bust Out Of The Ghetto (6:14) ('70)]
14. Backyard Heavies - Soul Junction (3:03) ('71)
15. Leroy Hutson- Cool Out (2:57) ('75)

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Katie Trying On Wedding Gowns

Our niece, Katie, tried on many wedding dresses. She and her parents finally went to New York and picked her dress. But there are some of the dresses she tried on before they went to New York.

Trying on wedding gowns.

Craft and Hobby Rooms

With our lifestyles today, most of us have time for some hobbies and leisure activities. For some this is sports but for others, it's more sedentary activities like scrapbooking, sewing, knitting, playing music, singing, photography, etc. Our hobbies require some organization and a place for everything whether it's camping supplies, sports equipment, sewing machine and fabric, etc. Sometimes the organization of our hobby equipment get away from us. We can end up with a mess. If this is you then there are some things to think about.

If you don't have room in your home to organize and store your equipment then maybe this hobby isn't for you. There are hobbies that take less room. For instance, if you thought you would love kayaking and you bought the kayak and all the trimmings but now it's taken up 1/2 of your garage and you only use it once or twice a year... then maybe you should think again about kayaking as a hobby. You could sell that big kayak, roof rack and oars and give yourself back the garage. Maybe it's snow skiing with all the skis, snow boards, boots, ski poles, winter wear but you only use this stuff once or twice a year, maybe it's time to re-think your hobby. If you have a small apartment, you might consider a hobby like reading (buy an ereader and keep your library on it and it won't even take up shelf space), hiking (which only takes good hiking shoes), going to the gym (which only takes good shoes and workout clothes), etc. Choose your hobbies according to your likes and dislikes but also according to your budget and the ability to store the accoutrements.

Here are some nice craft rooms.

This one is the craft room in Heaven! Just kidding, but it's heavenly to me!

















Notice the closet behind the desk that hides the musical instruments. The closet doors, when closed, would look like a wood panelled wall! Pretty smart!


To see my post about creating a scrapbook room go HERE.

To see my post about sewing rooms go HERE.

To see my post on organizing a garage go HERE.

Some of My Christmas Decorations

I bought the center piece at a thrift store for $2.50 (batteries and all). It plays different tunes and has light bulbes inside the houses. I painted the 2 separate houses myself and bought a couple of extra trees.


Another yard sale purchase was this complete white ceramic creche. I got all the pieces for $20!






I got all the pieces of this little creche at a yard sale for $1.00.

Uncomfortably Numb

This is clearly the worst cover "band" on the planet. And if any of their other songs that they "play" are anything like this one, they're moving closer toward the worst band on the planet, period. I realize that I'm using the term "band" loosely, as they're absolutely horrible. Towards the end, the look on the singer's face makes me realize that even he knows they couldn't place last at a 4th grade talent show.

If the video below doesn't play, you can try clicking here to watch it over at YouTube.

Recent Comings & Goings - NYC

A few photos of recent events or shows I've attended, street scenes, and all that good stuff.


A pop-up designer store in Chelsea

Alexander Bonin Gallery in Chelsea

Look west in Chelsea, towards the Hudson River (that's the IAC building on the left, and the High Line Park horizontally splitting the frame)

Lanterns strung outside the New York Film Academy Café, near Astor Place (I can remember when this spot was a Starbucks, and a Fuqua's, and even part of the Cooper Union)

Outside Thé Adoré

At Thé Adoré, a great spot near NYU (that's my old friend Jerry W., on the left)

Inside the Limelight Mall (I actually partied at the Limelight, both in my 20s and again in my 30s, so it remains a bit of a shock for me to step inside this space and see what it's become, but it's a metaphor for New York: a mismatched mall!)

Angels posing (I have no idea what this was about...but in the old days, half would have been male and all would have been wearing less clothing with those wings.)

Exterior of the Limelight (Mall)

Interior of St. Francis Xavier Church, West Village (I've passed this church many a time, known graduates of its famous high school, and decided finally to peek my head in. The woman at right urged me to "come in," but having devoted a good portion of my youth to the Roman Catholic Church, I decide a snapshot would suffice.)

Pop-up Gallery, in Chelsea; I believe this is the same spot that not even a week later was the jewelry store pictured above. Also interesting how some icons, like Twiggy, remain in circulation, while others vanish without a trace

Gallerists at work

Décollage (so common all across Manhattan, and here it adorns a building site)

Rainwater mirror (this is photography 101, but I am endlessly delighted by the mirrors that rainwater or thawing ice make. My new novel even opens with an image of this sort.)