Quick–name one rock band with a black woman for a lead singer. I dare you. Hell, I double-dare you. What’s that? Tina Turner? Get outta here. Sure, she can strut as hard as Mick Jagger, but have you heard that song she has in the new Bond flick? I don’tknow…
The Amps Pacer (4AD) It’s easy to look back on Kim Deal’s checkered musical past and feel pity mixedwith admiration: She’s continually stymied by the company she keeps. After watching her play George Harrison to Black Francis’ Lennon/McCartney, Dylan to Tanya Donelly’s Donovan and, in the latest chapter of this…
They were about halfway through a take in the video shoot for Pam Tillis’ recent hit “MiVida Loca” when the country diva suddenly directed the camera crew to stop filming, turned to Dale Watson and told him to flatten his pompadour. “She had a problem with my hair,” remembers Watson…
The Slims Slow Road to Hell (Mainliner Music) Slims drummer Scott Seymann sports a “London Calling” tee shirt in this CD’s insert photo. That’s tres cool, but the Clash is light-years from the Slims’ stripped-down, medium-tempo fare, which more easily recalls the Feelies. Greg Simmons’ guitar unfurls melodic lines with…
I’m not quite sure of the proper name for what Katherine “Kat” Gallant is wearing. It’s not a teddy, not a bustier exactly; it appears to be made from vinyl, is skin-tight and seems as revealing as a bloody fingerprint. Then there is the garter belt, and the black stockings…
“Tiger” Grrrreat I am not an avid reader of New Times. However, I must say that I was very much taken by the story “The Case of the Terrified Tiger” (Michael Kiefer, November 23). The writing style is very compelling, taking the reader along for a good ride. I had…
Committee of None Governor J. Fife Symington III still has three years left inoffice, but gubernatorial wanna-bes from Eddie Basha to Mark Killian are starting to make rumblings about running for the seat in 1998. None has gone so far as to make signs and bumper stickers or issue a…
On October 27, Governor Fife Symington wrote a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opposing the reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf to Arizona on grounds it would bring on a rabies epidemic. The missive also questioned the scientific studies backing the wolf project, worrying that its target…
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. … It’s a plane. … It’s Santa Claus?!” Technically speaking, no. But don’t try telling that to the thousands of motorists who’ll risk fender benders, stiff necks and sunburned tonsils while cruising past the intersection of Central Avenue and Clarendon over the…
Media access to fires and other breaking stories in the city of Phoenix–the meat and potatoes of the local mainstream press–has been thrown into doubt by a trial that ended November 20. KTVK (Channel 3) van driver Jim Cox was found guilty of disobeying a police officer at the scene…
Rick Ross is describing how Arizona’s cults use mind control to exploit their members. He warns about 70 people gathered at Arizona State University’s Memorial Union that they are prime targets for groups that tend to prey on university students. The Moonies have a house on North Central. Scientology has…
When a black Labrador named Moose lost his life last month after eating a bowl of antifreeze-laced cat food, the Arizona Republic was there. The front-page coverage–including a huge color photograph capturing Moose’s last moments with his wheelchair-bound mistress–was so touching that Republic readers responded by the thousands. But Republic…
’tis the season “Cowboy Santa”: Sort of a cross between Tom Mix and Saint Nick, this version of the jolly old elf wears an honest-to-gosh ten-gallon hat instead of that little red number adorned with the cotton ball. He delivers gifts and good cheer via horseback in benefits planned for…
thursday november 23 Turkey Trot 10K: Organizers bill the traditional Thanksgiving Day run as the oldest annual 10K in Arizona. This year’s event also includes a two-mile fun run and a one-mile fitness walk; they both step off at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, with the Trot following at 9. The scene…
’tis the season Here Comes Santa Claus: He might be a bit pressed for time, but magic–like being in two places at once–is one of the jolly old elf’s strong suits. Saint Nick takes up residence for the season at 9:30 a.m. Friday at Christown Mall, 19th Avenue and Bethany…
The title of Smoke, which is set in a Brooklyn cigar store, refers to what the characters spend much of the movie blowing at each other. Its informal companion piece, set in the same store, is called Blue in the Face. This time, the title refers to the state that…
Optimism is the chief cash crop of Las Vegas, and everything about the city–the seductive casinos, the fast marriages, the endless, artificial daytime–is carefully devised to cultivate it. What sets Ben (Nicolas Cage) apart from the millions of other people who go to Vegas is that he’s not in the…
Order in the Court: Eating out is the national pastime. But suing runs a close second. And more and more people are taking restaurants to court, especially since a woman who carelessly spilled McDonald’s hot coffee onto her lap was awarded $2.9 million (later reduced to $680,000). Ponder these recent…
It’s the end of an era. Theater Works, arguably the best community theatre in the Valley, must be out of its Glendale facility by December 31. The troupe plans to move to a new site at 91st Avenue and Thunderbird in Peoria, but that venue won’t be ready until next…
Don’t expect any clowns at the Jim Rose Circus. Ninjas with machetes, maybe, but no clowns. Trained poodles? Try maggots and scorpions. And, in lieu of a tightrope walker, look for the guy who balances a running lawn mower on his lip while dodging vegetables. Ringling Bros., this ain’t. “We’re…
Because disco music was largely the product of assembly-line craftsmanship–conceived by megalomaniac producers and executed by anonymous session musicians–few superstars emerged from the genre. And those who did probably wish now they weren’t so closely identified with that thump thump thumpity thump. Take the Bee Gees, who are still feeling…
Not Miranda, you fool, Mirainga. After a week spent skipping down more blind alleys than an Alphabet City speed freak, I’ve called off the hounds. At this point, I’m willing to confirm status upon Mr. Mirainga as “the band from nowhere.” Make that everywhere. The publicity flacks at MCA still…
