Cowboys ride roughshod across blazing desert landscapes. Voluptuous bathing beauties frolic in the sand. On a darker note, a steely-faced Hitler stares into the void, and unnervingly cheerful “blackface” characters grin inanely. What kind of bizarre tableau is this, you ask? Some schizophrenic documentary on the Learning Channel? No. These scenes are part of artist … Read more
Going green means more than buying organic produce at the Co-op. It’s about minimizing environmental impact, supporting local economies, and keeping an open mind. Green travel, or eco-travel, is becoming an increasingly popular way to see the world — or even just the next town. In fact, the United Nations designated 2002 as the “International … Read more
The words in my travel journal jumped, jostled and bumped across the page: Jagged letters marked the year 1979, an end-of-summer family trip … six of us crammed into a Toyota station wagon on a journey from Mobile, Ala., to Ottawa, Canada. I huddled in the back, where I could write about the things I … Read more
With summer in full swing, many of us are eagerly anticipating family vacations. As diverse as our region and residents are, traveling seems to be the universal tonic that allows us all to tolerate the remaining 50 weeks of turmoil. Whether you’re taking a weekend camping trip to the Smokies or embarking on an adventurous, … Read more
If I had my way, inns would welcome everyone. But if you’re gay and you want some quality time with your partner in the hotel pool, it might just send Ma and Pa America and their five kids into cardiac arrest. I don’t always feel the need to stay in gay-friendly hotels; my world doesn’t … Read more
The Great American Vacation has grown less and less relaxing through the years. Holiday weekends bring traffic jams, itineraries force families into a rush-around schedule, amusement parks cram vacationers into long lines, and there’s no end to the money that can be spent. This kind of hassle can leave a cynical taste in the mouth … Read more
Of note Shift in identity: The Asheville-based, experimental-metal band RedShift has officially changed its name to Underscore. The band can still be contacted via their Web site at www.redshiftband.cjb.net. Raven set to rock: Local performers George Martin and Michael Channing are set to record their debut CD as the new band Raven. Rock Bottom Island … Read more
Obsession. Mental illness. Incest. Murder. As the playbill says, it’s not your ordinary family Thanksgiving — though Wendy MacLeod’s The House of Yes starts out with an innocuous-enough premise: Beloved brother/son returns home, betrothed in tow, to meet the family. Bride-to-be Lesly is nervous, anxious to please. Soon-to-be groom Marty Pascal is nervous, too, apprehensive … Read more
“By the time Eustace Conway was seven years old, he could throw a knife accurately enough to nail a chipmunk to a tree,” begins The Last American Man, Elizabeth Gilbert’s tour de force about a controversial local citizen. “When he turned seventeen he moved out of his family’s home altogether and headed into the mountains, … Read more
