Al Cisneros is declaring an end to the term “stoner rock.” For starters, the singer/bassist of San Francisco’s Om claims most bands in the indie metal underground aren’t really stoners at all. Users, yes, but not stoners. “It’s a lot of alcohol. It’s a lot of cocaine,” he sneers. “I mean, most of those people […]
2008
Posted inMusic
The Return of the Frog King
The Enigmatic Jeremy Enigk
It’s not supposed to be this way, but my copy of the liner notes from Diary, the 1994 debut from Sunny Day Real Estate, are held together in defiance of gravity with a delicately placed combination of tape and staples. To handle the lyric book without using the utmost level of cautious, gentle page turning […]
Posted inLetters
Letters to the Editor
WHERE THERE’S SMOKE THERE’S IGNORANCE DEAR MERCURY—To Mandee, the smokin’ vegan who is only comfortable hurting herself [“A Cry for Help,” Letters, Jan 10]: Please get off your high horse for a brief reality check. You claim to minimize your footprint by riding a bike. At the same time, you provide direct support to one of the […]
Posted inNews
In Other News
RESISTING TRIAL A woman burned on her kitchen stove last June during a forceful encounter with police was due to stand trial for resisting arrest on Monday, January 14, but has had her trial delayed for a fourth time. Kemisha Samuels, 25, originally faced trial for resisting arrest last July, and now her hearing is […]
Posted inI, Anonymous
I, Anonymous
Make Way for the Cream
Why do so many of you bastards insist on blocking the cream and sugar counter every time I get a cup of coffee? Here are a few simple guidelines for those of you too dim to figure out how to make room for others: To the Anal Retentive: Do not block the counter while you […]
Posted inNews
Hall Monitor
Back to School
“Where’s my coffee?” Mayor Tom Potter asks his Chief of Staff Austin Raglione on Tuesday morning, January 15. It’s been ages since a staffer left to fetch him a double short latte. Usually, Potter can get his caffeine fix in the mayor’s office break room, or hop over to one of several coffee shops within […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Mommy Movie Day
Succinct Reviews for the Discerning Cinephile
Mad Money dir. Callie Khouri Opens Fri Jan 18 Various Theaters A Hollywood dream team for the post-menopausal set, Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes, and Queen Latifah star as Federal Reserve employees who hatch a brilliantly (read: ludicrously) simple plan to sneak away with some of that worthless American currency before it hits the shredder. ‘Course, […]
Posted inMovies & TV
What’s My Motivation?
The Growing Indifference of Woody Allen
If the last few years have taught us anything about the current state of Woody Allen’s creative process, it’s that he stopped caring about his actors a long time ago. Once meticulously cast ensembles comprised of otherwise neglected talents, Allen’s actors have now largely become a means to an end: marquee-lit lightweights eager to exchange […]
Posted inNews
Blind Spot of Justice?
Prosecutors Decline to Charge Driver Who Killed Cyclist Tracey
Tracey Sparling put herself in harm’s way last October 11, the day she hopped on her bicycle and rolled down SW 14th toward class at Pacific Northwest College of Art—at least according to some media accounts. The 19-year-old woman was obeying the law, riding in the bike lane, and stopping at a red light on […]
Posted inNews
Calling Dr. Laura
My “Conversation” with the AM Radio Morality Maven
Dr. Laura Schlessinger is one of the last people I would invite into my home. I’m exasperated by her disdain for premarital sex, premarital cohabitation, same-sex adoption, and single parenting (to name only a few). That said, I couldn’t wait to speak to her. In radio for over 30 years, Dr. Laura (who has a […]
Posted inMovies & TV
Monster Mash-Up
AAAAAGGHH! A Monster! Quick! YouTube It!
“We get the hell out of Manhattan. Now,” Jason Hawkins (Mike Vogel) declares early in Cloverfield. His reasons for wanting off the island are pretty legit: Something’s attacking the city, leaving behind a massive swath of splintered skyscrapers, burning streets, and bloody bodies. Like Jason, we don’t have much of an idea about what’s doing […]
Posted inSold Out
Touching the Untouchable: Art Jewelry
by Marjorie Skinner
Much is made of the relationship between fashion and art—undoubtedly creative, fashion’s link to human necessity nonetheless makes it forever outside the high-art inner circle (with the exception, arguably, of couture). That gray distance between fashion and art might be sweepingly referred to as “craft,” making Portland’s recently revamped Museum of Contemporary Craft the appropriate […]