Almost fifty years ago today, humanity took its first tentative steps into the infinite void when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. To celebrate that milestone, space lovers in forty countries around the world — and the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station — will come…
Although perhaps a bit dated, George Carlin’s infamous “seven dirty words” routine is still one of the most famous — and funniest — standup shticks of all time. The world has come to expect nothing less of Carlin, the first person to host Saturday Night Live (on October 11, 1975)…
Every poet has a secret life: Denver Poet Laureate Chris Ransick’s is stored in a keg. Aside from fostering his deep love of verse, Ransick has also nursed a twenty-year obsession for home-brewing that’s left him an experienced aficionado with a palate for poetic suds. One of his favorites, a…
Opening with the bouncy, infectious “Ramona, Just the Other Day,” These Record Highs finds Breezy Porticos in the familiar mode of slipping smart, emotionally mature observations into finely crafted pop masterpieces. Pop music doesn’t need to be dumb or rife with cliches to be enjoyable, something Breezy Porticos proves in…
It’s been a Gee’s Bend spring here in Denver: The Denver Center Theatre Company toasted the multi-generational Alabama quilt-making community with a theatrical stage bow earlier this year, and the Denver Art Museum will continue hosting the exhibit Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt through July 6. But this…
Believe it or not, our dusty little burg’s been flourishing here on the plains for 150 years now, all the while supporting the rise of new buildings and laying more than a few to rest. Accordingly, “150 Years of Denver Architecture” is the theme of this year’s Doors Open Denver…
Meat-eaters might feel as though they have no reason to attend the first-ever Denver Veg Fest & Health Expo, but they couldn’t be more wrong. If you enjoy fish or chicken or even the occasional taste of — gasp! — beef, you’ll still find something worth chewing on at the…
It’s the nature of aerial dance to be different in the first place, but Nancy Smith of Boulder’s Frequent Flyers Productions has never had a problem letting her freak flag fly — through the air, literally — during her twenty years of off-the-floor choreographing. So her latest flight of fancy,…
The down-home charm and rustic spirit of the work of the artist known simply as JACK speaks for itself. His portraits of musicians — mostly older, rootsy artists such as Willie Nelson, Little Richard and Etta James — and his signature stick flags are easily understood by everyone, which is…
During the ’70s, when he went from being a mainstay in England’s rough-and-tumble pub-rock scene to a notable part of the new-wave movement, Nick Lowe was known as “Basher.” These days, of course, bashing isn’t at the top of his agenda. At My Age, his most recent platter, is a…
In a gift economy, you contribute out of the goodness of your heart, and in return you get, maybe, a usable dose of positive karma or perhaps a returned favor. It’s a recycling of kindness that makes sense among folks who have the discipline to make it work. Folks like…
Because of his regular beat, not to mention his hosting duties on the public-affairs program Your Show, 9News political reporter Adam Schrager meets and interviews candidates and public officials on a near-daily basis. But when it came time to write a book about a politician he truly admired, he chose…
Though Converse sneakers are certainly an obligatory staple in the modern day hipster’s uniform, they have been around since the early 20th century and boast a rich and interesting history. According to Wikipedia, the Converse sneaker was born in 1908 when would-be founder, Marquis M. Converse, “fell down a flight…
Ah… the “Gay Boyfriend.” Where would the modern woman be without her favorite accessory? Take, for example, Grace’s Will (may they rest in peace.). Or Wilhelmina’s Marc. Or, of course, Carrie’s Stanford (That movie comes out in 63 days, by the way. I’m totally taking that day off). I, myself,…
George Carlson. Put together by curator Ann Daley, who has shaped and defined the Western collection at the Denver Art Museum, George Carlson: Heart of the West deals with the career of an accomplished neo-traditional artist who looks to the century-old Impressionist style for inspiration. The Carlson exhibit includes nearly…
The Baseball Show. Evil, malaprop-prone Vincent Vascombe, owner of the Beloit Bulldogs, is determined to hold on to his star player, Bill “The Bomber” Dawson. But Dawson — aided by his smart, competent fiancée, Helen — has plans for the majors, and there’s a talent scout hanging around. So Vascombe…
As John Simon once said of Jeanne Moreau — cast in a virginal role — making Simon Pegg a fat guy is like casting Lassie as a vegetarian. Take Chris Elliott, subtract Don Knotts: the remainder is Pegg, the British actor-screenwriter who barely registered as an appetizer for Shaun of…
Considering that the war in Iraq has proven to be Washington’s shot-by-shot remake of Vietnam, it’s only natural that Hollywood has followed suit, giving us a series of Iraq-themed films that can be set neatly alongside their Vietnam-era counterparts. Just as the initial wave of angry anti-Vietnam documentaries (In the…
Ben Mezrich’s 2002 bestseller Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions was a smart narrative about…well, you saw the subtitle, right? Mezrich more or less recounted a fantastic tale spun by an old acquaintance from Boston, an M.I.T. grad named Kevin…
Do we need another look back at the rotten heart of the ’50s nuclear family? Ira Sachs thinks we do, and as one who can’t get enough of sweaty melodramas about rotting families, I’m with him in principle. Mind you, Sachs’s noticeably childless new movie is less about families than…
For local artist Duane Hess, there’s really no better way to introduce a kid to the wonders of art than through the medium of LEGO. “It instills creativity and problem solving in kids. It helps them step through the logical thinking that they need later in life to solve their…
In my misspent youth, I subscribed to the theory that Wednesday, by virtue of being the halfway point to the weekend, was a day to party. The logic may have been spurious, but it did make the week fly by. In that spirit, tonight’s Monolith Madness pre-party is coming to…
