Month: September 2006

  • Let's Go Demo

    Here are the rules of the demolition derby at the 150th Vernon County Fair, as explained to me by the 68-year-old lady who sat to my left for the evening’s entertainment. 1. No hitting the driver’s side door; all the doors are painted a different color from the rest of the car to help with…

  • Cool Water

    I could be mistaken –I could always be mistaken, I often am– but this seemed to be the scenario: I was asking for a glass of water. I was begging for a glass of water. I was so fucking thirsty that I could barely swallow. My tongue was all fat and fuzzy. It felt like…

  • Material issues…

    The first-ever Rake Appeal event is tonight. It features trend master Robyn Waters reading from and discussing her new book, The Hummer and the Mini. And it’s set at a BMW dealership, which, coincidentally, sells the Mini… Some wine and cheese are tossed in for good measure–‘cept this is a tricky instance cuz you might…

  • Conversations Real and Imagined: The Substitute

    The Science of Sleep, 2006. Written and directed by Michel Gondry. Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat, Miou-Moiu, and Emma de Caunes. Now showing at the Uptown Theater. Hello class, my name is Mr. Fresno and I’m your substitute for today. What do we have here–this is Health Education? You guys are, what……

  • Mercy, Mercy

    I fell asleep briefly and was startled awake at three a.m. Upon getting up and muddling about I was additionally startled to discover that there were apparently no pens to be had anywhere in the world. There was no ink. There were no pencils. There was no way for me to write anything down, to…

  • Tommy Keene

    Tommy Keene, one of the “greatest, underappreciated indie rock icons of all time” (nugget courtesy of Mr. Brad Zellar), plays the 400 Bar this eve. If you haven’t heard of ‘im, please refer to the college music charts from the 1980s. The inimitable Mr. Keene has since had the good taste to align himself with…