If Walt Disney had ever lived in Phoenix, he might have been inspired to write us a theme song. It would probably be something like “It’s a Suburban World After All,” because if you drive any direction from the central corridor, there’s nothing but dreaded urban sprawl — it’ll take…
What if we lived in a world where people were freaked out by illegal immigrants from Canada? And the derogatory name for the threatening hordes of border-crossers was Great Lake Swimmers? That would be crazy, eh? In real life, that moniker belongs to a Toronto-based band that traffics in low-key,…
It’s tough to find a nice patch of dark anymore, which is why local stargazers swear by Estrella Mountain Regional Park. Close to the urban core, it remains one of the areas least affected by light pollution. Let “star guy” Steve Dermer show you the sky the way it’s meant…
There’ve been quite a few rappers from the early-´90s heyday that have plunged into hip-hop’s purgatory, and for various reasons. Keith Murray was banished from the Def Jam label after choking an employee. Chicago ganja-rap ensemble Crucial Conflict never sobered up from their marijuana anthem, “Hay.” And, one of our…
Vats of mini-chimis. Free domestic canned brews. Chicks wrestling in pudding, to the delight of hygienically challenged individuals. Sounds like an Apache Junction special recipe, or the perfect concoction for yet another Doggy Style party. Though it may be tough to trump last spring’s shindig, we’re confident that Doggy Style…
Remember Roger Rabbit and his hot wife, Jessica? No one understood how the hell those two got together until she explained that the little fuzzy weirdo made her laugh. She may have looked like a bimbo, but she had a point — an ugly yet funny man can do no…
Growing up in Geneva, New York, Scott Coblio’s storybooks were all about murder. “My mother was a huge true-crime buff,” the filmmaker recalls from his home in Los Angeles, “and so Helter Skelter and biographies of Lizzie Borden and Hitler, those were my storybooks.” Coblio was especially drawn to Phoenix’s…
Think suburban high school cheerleaders and what comes to mind? Girls Gone Wild contestants. Competitive, Nancy Kerrigan-esque freaks in Bring It On. That bodacious blonde cheerleader playing hanky-panky with James Van Der Beek in Varsity Blues. Anything but a Jack Kerouac-type Dharma Bum searching for enlightenment. Annie Weisman’s new play,…
In the few short months that the Ruby Room has been open, it’s hosted killer DJs (Djentrification, Pablo Luna), bands (Colorstore, Power of Positive Thinking), and nightly lounge shindigs with beer and spirits. So, we thought, is there anything it hasn’t done? Uh, not now, especially when the hipster automotive…
Some people say that the NBA is scripted. Well, we don’t know about that, but the saga that is the Phoenix Suns sure is a page-turner. Just weeks ago, Shawn Marion expressed his desire to be traded after eight seasons and Amaré Stoudemire got back on the gurney for his…
The word “lederhosen” is soooooo overused this time of year, so we won’t mention that a lot of dudes will be wearing ladies’ unmentionables at the “Old World” Oktoberfest. Nor will we say that brats will be served, nor brew consumed, nor polka performed. Sat., Oct. 13, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.,…
Besides three insane “Japanese action comic punk” rockers riffing in a straight-ahead, garage band style, what else can one expect from NYC-based Peelander-Z? Well, during last year’s dual shows at Modified Arts and Trunk Space, they tore up both joints with Jackass-style maneuvers, like human bowling, which actually looked like…
We’re all in favor of saving breasts here at Night & Day, so get your socially conscious self down to Wesley Bolin Plaza for the Susan G. Komen Phoenix Race for the Cure. The PHX event has raised more than $11 million for breast cancer treatment/prevention in its 15 years…
As with most outlaw art, graffiti was only outlaw ´cause it was ahead of its time. Now way “law,” the former scourge of urban-beautification Nazis has made the quantum leap to high society, as with the new “Graffiti Art and Fashion” exhibit, which features creations by pioneers such as Haze,…
On the surface, printmaking is one of the less glamorous stepchildren of the visual arts. Sure, it’s a discipline combining technical craft and detailed vision, but the finer elements of the process are little known to the general public. A real artist struggles alone with intractable materials and personal demons,…
The Arizona Exposition & State Fair is 123 years old. That’s older than all the standing structures in Phoenix combined — plus all living Arizona natives. But you’ve gotta love the hoary old dame ’cause, among other things, the fair is one of those signature events marking the end of…
You’ve gotta love the Heard Museum, which simultaneously celebrates Native American traditions and smashes them to bits, as with its gutsy new “Remix” exhibit and the equally bold Heard Museum Film Festival. The fest features 50-plus flicks, including many that challenge the status quo. Oct. 12-14, 2007…
There’s beauty and goodness in the world when the Arizona Cardinals can find a franchise that’s in roughly the same leaky boat. Though the Carolina Panthers (three playoff appearances in the team’s 12-year history) aren’t the model of futility like the Cards, they’re definitely a squad whose immediate future ain’t…
When I first heard the title “But It’s a Dry Heat,” Tempe Center for the Arts’ inaugural show, it was mid-August and I was automatically turned off. In my sweaty misery, I was in no mood to hear any excuses for summer’s jerk behavior. But despite my surly outlook, I…
When I was 14, my best friend and I stayed up all night in her parents’ backyard, sprawled on the trampoline, discussing the relevance of time as we stared into the night sky and chain-smoked a pack of stolen cigarettes. While I don’t remember the details of this long-winded conversation,…
Paintings by Xiao Shunzhi at Calvin Charles Gallery: After a few hours of viewing art, I sometimes feel as if Ive rubbed my eyeballs with sandpaper. The visual wear makes everything blurry, and the only thing that returns focus is seeing something truly excellent. Such was the case on a…
The Audrey Hepburn DVD Collection (Paramount) Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Collector’s Edition (Sony) Christmas Television Favorites (Warner Bros.) The Comedians of Comedy: Live at the Troubadour (Image) Criminal Minds: The Second Season (Paramount) Day Night Day Night (IFC) Entourage: Season Three, Part 2 (HBO) Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer…
