AltWeeklies Wire
Rally 'Round the Books, Boysnew
George W. Bush's administration has been disastrous for forests, as evidenced by a glance at bookstore shelves. Dead trees take the form of scathing and scathingly funny critiques: It's enough to concern the most passive "arbolist."
Illinois Times |
Corrine Frisch |
08-12-2004 |
Nonfiction
Americana Beautynew
On this album, Jolie Holland doesn't just doll up hissy old 78s for the digital age; she taps into their timeless passions and creates something fresh and arresting, something that's hard and pure and anything but quaint. Also reviewed is Nina Nastasia's Dogs.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
08-12-2004 |
Reviews
Schools Need Courageous Politicsnew
Illinois public schools need more money. Raising it requires a politician brave enough to take a traditionally unpopular position: The burden for education funding must be shifted from property to income tax.
Illinois Times |
Fletcher Farrar |
08-12-2004 |
Commentary
Keyes to Victory? The Illinois GOP Banks on Blusternew
Illinois Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Maryland export Alan Keyes, has a history of failed campaigns based on extreme right-wing rhetoric -- but he's somehow managed to escape intense media scrutiny.
Illinois Times |
John K. Wilson |
08-12-2004 |
Politics
Monstrous Monster Movie Deserves an Angry Mobnew
"Van Helsing" isn't a movie. It's an assault on the senses and an insult to the intelligence of any viewer.
Illinois Times |
Chuck Koplinski |
08-07-2004 |
Reviews
Dominican Sister Mourns Bombing of Cathedral in Iraqnew
Last December, Sister Beth Murphy attended a service in the cathedral that a car bombs reduced to rubble on Aug. 1. She has sent a message pleading for a new approach to the conflict to hundreds of leaders of the Dominican order.
Illinois Times |
Todd Spivak |
08-05-2004 |
International
Ralph Nader Sues to Get on Illinois Ballotnew
The independent candidate is challenging the constitutionality of Illinois election law in federal court. His lawsuit contends that Illinois' definition of a qualified voter "imposes significant burdens" on his campaign's First Amendment rights.
Illinois Times |
Todd Spivak |
08-05-2004 |
Politics
The Big Show in Bostonnew
Onstage, the only word less spoken by the conventioneers than "Kerry" is "Iraq." The two really big elephants in the room aren't Republicans but a profound ambivalence about the "presumed nominee" and the fact that we are still involved in an occupation about which no one wanted to talk.
Illinois Times |
Gale Walden |
08-05-2004 |
Politics
Tipping Ever So Slightly to the Centernew
Even though Tipping is weaker that The Roots' last album, Phrenology, it still smacks the pants off most commercial-rap-radio fare.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
08-05-2004 |
Reviews
Movie Theater Chains Split on Whether to Show Moore's Filmnew
Two movie chains based in Springfield, Ill., and owned by members of the same family made conflicting decisions about exhibiting Fahrenheit 9/11. GKC Theatres banned the film in 28 of its 29 theatres, but Kerasotes Theatres showed it.
Illinois Times |
John K. Wilson |
07-22-2004 |
Movies
Paging Elvis and Other Rock 'n' Roll Fantasiesnew
This book on the myths, legends, and curses surrounding rock 'n' roll will entertain anyone who's ever used a turntable to play Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" backward.
Illinois Times |
Corrine Frisch |
07-22-2004 |
Nonfiction
Songs That Demand to Be Hummednew
A honeycomb tangle of bright, sticky hooks and tart counterpoint, this disc teems with ideas. Also reviewed is Petracovich's Blue Cotton Skin.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
07-22-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: A.C. Newman, The Slow Wonder
The More Things Change...new
The sound of !!! is goofily anarchic, a jumble of scabrous funk, brittle postpunk, and pockmarked disco, a clanging, clattering, sample-studded din that suddenly opens up to reveal disquieting spaces. Also reviewed is Eleni Mandelli's Afternoon.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
07-15-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: !!!, Louden Up Now
Revisionist History: Dig Upsets Descendant of Freed Slavenew
A former University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor has denounced
recent efforts to recreate what is considered the country's first town
founded by an African American.
Illinois Times |
Todd Spivak |
07-15-2004 |
History
Never Say Die: Woman Is Rearrested for Her Son's Murdernew
Despite a killer's confession and a successful appeal, Julie Rea-Harper
faces yet another trial for the brutal murder of her 10-year-old son.
Illinois Times |
Dusty Rhodes |
07-15-2004 |
Crime & Justice
