Too Late Blues at the Portage tonight
One of our critics' picks this week is Too Late Blues, which screens tonight at the Portage Theater (4050 N Milwaukee Ave). It shouldn't be missed—not so much because it's a great movie, but because it's hard to see, and is arguably a crucial link when it comes to making sense of the storied, brilliant career of indie pioneer John Cassavetes. Made during a brief flirtation with studio filmmaking that followed the first and second versions of his directorial debut, Shadows (1959), the film tellingly (and perhaps self-reflexively) concerns a blues musician named Ghost (Bobby Darin), who struggles with a choice between commercial calculation and staying true to his idiosyncratic whims. On some level, this trade-off reflects Ghost's perception of his manhood. A crucial turning point in the movie involves his failure to protect an aspiring, depression-prone singer (Stella Stevens)—the woman he says he wants to marry—in a bar brawl.
Even with the film's relatively defined structure, the volatility and empathy of later Cassavetes is on full display; the characters say all the wrong things and act out at the wrong moments. While not as distinctively choppy as the director's signature work, Too Late Blues is also considerably rougher than your average Paramount production of 1961. There's a ring of mannerism in the dialogue ("I never saw anybody look so good in the sunlight before." "I never got in the sunlight before"), and Darin, both drawing on and complicating his public image, is more polished than the typical Cassavetes lead. Still, shot in ragged black-and-white, full off-kilter close-ups and surprising grace notes, Too Late Blues remains undervalued. The Northwest Chicago Film Society will screen a 35mm print at 7:30pm. $5.
More secret sales for TOC readers
In honor of this week's "secret" themed issue of the magazine, we've secured a handful of under-the-radar deals at Chicago stores—just for you, our favorite TOC readers. We included 14 special sales in the print edition, but guess what? We have three more bonus deals right here:
CityBlue Apparel & Denim This Old Town shop recently revamped its offerings and includes a nice variety of lines including Citizens of Humanity, Ricj & Skinny, Just a Cheap Shirt, Ella Moss, C/Fan and more. Check out the selection and enjoy 15 percent off your purchase when you mention Time Out Chicago. 1444 N Wells St (312-664-2222).
L.K. Bennett The Middleton sisters love this high-end British chain for its dressy options and stylish accessories. You'll love it for the special TOC discount. Mention your favorite magazine (that's Time Out Chicago, yo), and you'll get 15 percent off the following: The Anna bag (in black), the black Tricia dress and the black Romance shoe. 900 N Michigan Ave (312-374-0958).
The Left Bank Chicago brides-to-be flock to this Lincoln Park spot for elegant headpieces, shoes and jewerly. But you don't have to be planning a wedding in order to endulge here. Check out the nice selection of jewelry and French-inspired gifts—and enjoy 15 percent off when you say TOC sent you. 1155 W Webster Ave (773-929-7422).
Click here for the complete list of secret sales. And don't forget to mention those three magic words: Time Out Chicago.
This week's cover story | Neighborhood secrets
Here's what's coming up on newsstands in tomorrow's Time Out Chicago magazine:
You think you know your neighborhood pretty well, right? Well, I guarantee you we've uncovered some fabulous little restaurant, under-the-radar bar, overlooked shop or other hidden spot in your 'hood in this weeks Secrets issue. We've dug up dirt on 15 neighborhoods—from Rogers Park to Bridgeport—and we reveal inside info on enclaves you've probably never heard of (Pill Hill? Chrysler Village?). Plus, WBEZ's Justin Kaufmann surely will ruffle some feathers when he uncovers what neighborhoods secretly think of each other with a hilarious insult map.
Genghis Khan at the Field Museum | Exhibition review
Full-scale replica of a trebuchet, or catapult, in "Genghis Kahn"
I excitedly anticipated the Field Museum's Genghis Khan show—a traveling exhibition produced by Imagine Exhibitions, Inc—opening Friday. The press release states that many of the 200 objects "capture the essence of Khan's empire," which by the time Khan eliminated entire populations, was twice the size of the Roman Empire. Sounds intense, right? Except I failed to realize that means many objects aren't actually from Genghis Khan's time. Alas, the lack of 13th-century Mongolian artifacts makes the "unforgettable journey into Khan's legendary empire" a bit forgettable. But a few artifacts, mostly weapons, are worth seeing—especially for blood-thirsty Game of Thrones fans.
Bonus: "Genghis Khan" stays open at the same time as the the terrific "Mummies." Even the cheapest ticket to the latter ($15–$22) also gets you into the Genghis Khan show, so it's worth a look-see. For more of the exhibit's good and bad, read on after the jump. Buy tickets at fieldmuseum.org.
Kinky Boots musical will get Chicago tryout
Cyndi Lauper
Kinky Boots, the new Broadway-bound musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music by Cyndi Lauper, will get a tryout this fall at Chicago's Bank of America Theatre, Broadway in Chicago announced this morning. The show, based on the 2005 British film of the same name (which was itself inspired by a true story), will be directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.
Fierstein, a four-time Tony Award winner, and Grammy winner Lauper, who appeared on Broadway in 2006's The Threepenny Opera, adapt the film's story of a family-run shoe factory that, with the help of a friendly drag queen, turns to manufacturing drag and fetish footwear to stay afloat. When I spoke to Fierstein for an interview in last week's issue, he was coy about rumors of a Chicago tryout for Kinky Boots. Broadway in Chicago and producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig say the show will play here in October; come December, the Bank of America Theatre will host The Book of Mormon's extended run.
What's on TV Tonight | February 22
Happy Endings 8:30-9pm, ABC. Brad and Jane's annual argument let the rest of the gang know when winter will be over.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 9-10pm, CBS. The team investigates how thieves managed to remove an entire house from its foundation without being noticed.
Bloggers' Choice Part 2 | Eat Out Awards 2012
This week, we asked our friends in the Blogosphere to share with us their picks for the 2012 Eat Out Awards. To see their first five picks, check out Monday's post. As a reminder, our panel includes scoops king Ari Benderksy of Eater Chicago (whom we erroneously reported lives in Edgewater; he lives proudly in Uptown and we regret the error), video maestro Mike Gebert of Grub Street Chicago, taco titan Nick Kindelsperger of Serious Eats Chicago, smarty pants Anthony Todd of Chicagoist and nightlife know-all Audarshia Townsend of 312 Dining Diva. Here are their choices in five more categories: If at any point while reading you feel so inclined, go here and vote.
The beat goes on for Chicago radio’s golden sage
Clark Weber
After almost seven years and 1,404 broadcasts, Chicago radio legend Clark Weber is pulling the plug on A Senior Moment. But that doesn’t mean he's stepping away from his audience.
The one-minute daily radio feature, which Weber started writing and producing for Sound Targeting in 2005, expanded to 34 stations and online streaming. Billed as “golden advice from the golden years,” the essays served up Weber’s wisdom, insight and humor on a wide range of life’s experiences. (This week’s topics run the gamut from “beautiful cars and beautiful women” to “government regulated industries.”)
“Although I really enjoyed doing the show, I decided to hang it up,” Weber told me. But he’s already in talks with Salem Communications about bringing it back in some form on news/talk WIND-AM (560), where he worked under previous ownership in the ’70s and ’80s.
Guns N' Roses at the House of Blues | Photos and full review
Guns N’ Roses is calling its current club jaunt its “Up Close and Personal” tour, but is there anyone less likely to get up close and personal, in any context, than Axl Rose? The guy’s spent so much of the past couple of decades extricating himself from the standard rules of social engagement that just getting him in a room—whether it seats 1,000 or 100,000—is often trouble enough. To ask much more beyond that, that’s just asking for, well, more trouble.
That’s not to say, however, that Guns N' Roses is nearly the erratic dictatorship many make it out to be. In fact, under Rose’s leadership, the group in its current incarnation has been relatively stable, all things considered, with only modest turnover and refinements to its lineup over the years. And it has been a while: Bassist Tommy Stinson, for example, has held his GNR position for longer than the entire lifespan of the Replacements. So whether or not it’s the original lineup of Guns N' Roses on stage together is by now pretty much irrelevant. Rumors of an imminent reunion at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame aside, that band is done. If Axl’s GNR were not a well-functioning rock and roll machine, built to spec, he certainly wouldn’t be taking it on the road, let alone to venues as small as the House of Blues, where the band played Sunday night.
And that’s the problem: The current GNR may be packed with a motley crew of colorful characters, each more than adept musically, but when it comes to personality, Axl’s outsized presence alone isn’t enough to carry his capable ciphers. Bizarro world Guns N’ Roses works well as a simulacrum of its former self, but the reckless personality of the original GNR is missed.
That said, Guns N’ Roses c. 2012 is at least playing more like a band than it seemed in the past; it’s still a clusterfuck, sure, but it’s a more collaborative clusterfuck. Taking the stage at a reasonable quarter to midnight, Rose and his rogue’s gallery of weird haircuts and mismatched fashions delivered pretty much the setlist any fan would want, playing nearly all of Appetite for Destruction, a couple of choice Lies nuggets (“Patience,” “Used to Love Her”), a smattering of the Use Your Illusion singles and, of course, an inevitable taste of the inertia-killing bombast of Chinese Democracy (hard to believe, but it’s been three and a half years since that album’s anticlimactic release, and Rose still hasn’t given up hope).
Unfortunately, it couldn’t be left to that. Instead the set was larded up with kitschy solo showcases, teases of other songs and so-called “jams” whose glaring lack of spontaneity merely underscored their role as place-holders while Axl ran off stage for who knows what. In fact, the still-mustachioed Rose (who just turned 50, believe it or not) regularly vanished off-stage, whether to change a hat or jacket or simply to catch his breath, admittedly to everyone’s benefit, given the relative strength of his still-strange caterwaul. But the tomfoolery combined with the band’s own indulgences certainly dragged on the set, and when the final barrage of “Paradise City” ended nearly three hours after the show’s start, you could feel the crowd’s exhilaration shift to outright relief.
That’s ultimately the biggest problem with this all-Id version of Guns N' Roses: It’s exhausting. Not the epic concerts, not the occasional waits for Axl, but the music itself. Lacking in subtly and stifling in stimulation, it’s like getting stuck in an engine for three hours, getting pounded and pummeled by pistons. But like doing high-speed laps around a track, the night ended basically where it began. The Guns N’ Roses race isn’t over yet, but neither does it seem to be going anywhere. And Axl, as is his enigmatic wont, isn’t in any hurry to get there.
Dr. Dog at the Vic | Photos
On February 18, psychedelic rock band Dr. Dog played at the Vic Theatre. While this ragtag group's music is spacey and characterized by a patchwork sound (indeed, there are elements of Neil Young, George Harrison and even Sesame Street to be found), their sound is also cozy and homespun. Their live performances are every bit as interesting as their records, as they always decorate the stage in some unique, motley motif.
The Pennsylvania-based Dr. Dog released their first album, Toothbrush, in 2002. Their seventh album, Be the Void, was just released on the Anti- label in early February. Scroll through the slideshow above to see pictures from their February 18 concert here in Chicago.
