OpenStage’s Splitting Infinity, which I review in the January 11 issue, made me think about the one Nobel laureate I have had the privilege of meeting: Nigeria’s Wole Soyinka, a forceful critic of colonialism and winner of the prize for literature in 1986. Soyinka was attending a conference on the…
“There are hundreds and hundreds of books in this collection, enough to fill an entire storage unit, and almost all of them have some value beyond just being a used book,” says Dale Lashnits, who’s coordinated a Book Sale at the Aurora Central Library Community Room, 14949 East Alameda Parkway;…
The second item of the December 21 Message column concerned ESPN Radio’s shift from KLZ/560 AM to the former KCKK, at 1600 AM, as well as the break-up of Tim Neverett and Jim Armstrong, hosts of 560’s stellar a.m. gabfest The Press Box. At the time, Armstrong, a Denver Post…
The much-ballyhooed arrival in Denver of the scroll bearing Jack Kerouac’s On the Road manuscript brings back memories of the last great Beat convergence in these parts, a time when wacky Kerouacians crowded the University of Colorado campus in Boulder to revel in all things Jack. The year was 1982…
The sight of the Steve Canyon sculpture in Idaho Springs draped in lazy, yet effective, holiday festoonery inspired this haiku: Posed like a hero Who cares if you’re a cartoon? The sky’s the limit…
The People’s Republic of Boulder is all about life, liberty and the pursuit of self-esteem. So it’s not surprising that local bureaucrats would come up with the first-ever Pinnacle Awards, a way of recognizing Boulder County employees “who exemplify the county’s guiding values.” But check out their website here for…
On Sunday night, I spotted a few helpful bums settling their very drunk friend into a trash-filled cart for a comfy nap. It inspired this haiku: Lights out, no one home Only booze in residence. A long winter’s night. — Amy Haimerl…
A common journalistic mistake? The assumption on the part of writers that their experiences mirror those of everyone in their readership. Rocky Mountain News classical music scribe Marc Shulgold made just such an error in “Too Many Let Fine Concert Slip By,” a generally benign January 6 piece that crimped…
Late word from Greg Goldfogel over at Ristorante Amore in Cherry Creek, who took possession of the former Sambuca address at 1320 15th Street (shown above) after New Year’s Eve. Goldfogel had already started a massive turn-around of the space (redoing the bar, tearing up floors, re-covering or replacing most…
I have realized the greatest dream of every attention-starved American. I was on reality TV. It wasn’t MTV’s booze-fueled LoDo soap opera, but rather the home-improvement show that refuses to die: TLC’s Trading Spaces. That’s how Westword contributor Michelle Baldwin starts her account of being a Trading Spaces star –…
Vonnegut Thursday is the new Friday. You got the memo, right? That said, here’s some kick ass shows worth checking out tonight… Vonnegut, Epilogues, (die) Pilot and All Capitals comprise a kickass local bill at the Bluebird, while former Against Tomorrow Sky guitarist/vocalist Mike Stephens’ new band Sedalia shares the…
I’m listening to Billy Joel right now, and it’s all Chuck Klosterman’s fault. That prick. Prompted by a passage that I read earlier this morning in one of his books, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto, I’m sorting through several of Joel’s deep cuts, among them a…
A short side note before we get into Episodes 8 and 9. Talking to my brother, who was in from out of town, I realized that he knew the guy who was dogging Davis for wearing eyeliner in Episode Four — he’s my brother’s best friend’s little brother (got that?)…
Spotted at Moontime: Bartender Gillian Gertridge’s new tattoo, done by Ben “Chase” at Th’ink Tank, in honor of her new home. (The area code of her hometown in Massachusetts is on the inside of her other wrist.) The sight inspired this haiku: Location at hand 508 left, mile high now…
Among the items that awaited me in the e-mail directory I largely neglected during two weeks of vacation was a note from the press office of Al Jazeera English, the latest spinoff from the controversial Al Jazeera network. The copy within the e-mail avoided association with any specific faith. It…
The mayor was all for it. The city council blessed it twice with unanimous approval. The developer was on board, and so was a group of local residents who stood to benefit from the deal. But somebody forgot to ask the citizens of Lakewood whether they wanted to swap 22…
He slipped into Denver unannounced, just another traveler on his way to wherever. No fanfare, no welcome party. A man alone, on his way to identity and destiny. It was a brief stay, just ten days in the summer of 1947, a side note in a journal. But this man…
December turned Denver into a giant snow globe, sealed off and insulated from the rest of the world — but with a whole lotta shaking going on. The shakiest sight was just off Speer Boulevard on New Year’s Day. An Off Limits operative driving out of downtown just after 8…
TV or not TV: After an episode of Trading Spaces featuring her home aired this past Saturday, Westword contributor and burlesque star Michelle Baldwin offered this first-person report: I have realized the greatest dream of every attention-starved American. I was on reality TV. It wasn’t MTV’s booze-fueled LoDo soap opera,…
Dusk. Day 376 of a torrential downpour of white vitriol, spat from the angry heavens. The camera pans in on a humble home in the Baker neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. A large purple recycling bin sits on the porch, filled to the brim with beer cans. It needs emptying, pathetically…
2006 in Review, December 28 The Devil and Mr. Jones Honestly, you put Mike Jones, that meth prostitute, on Westword’s final cover of the year? Certainly someone is more deserving! Have you no shame? Better yet, have you no taste? Erik Erikson Denver Whoa, baby, what a year! Alan Prendergast’s…
Three cheers for the efficiency of the Traffic Division of Denver County Court! This horror story started when my mom called me at the office the day before Thanksgiving. She was firmly bivouacked in her seasonal holiday trench of hysteria, overwhelmed by all there was to get ready, and she…
