“Who’s the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks? Chef! You’re damn right. Who is the man that would risk his neck for his brother man? Shaq! Can ya dig it?” Well, if you can, then you’re probably a good deal younger than I am. Because that’s not how the above … Read more
Oblivious to the gathering thunderclouds in my world, Everyman the puppet snoozed under his colorful patchwork quilt. In Everyman’s world, in fact, a glowing sun was rising (courtesy of a TV monitor) and continuing its journey (on yet another screen). At some point, Everyman would awake to find a hole in his belly, which would … Read more
“We’re not stuffy classical,” insists flutist Kate Steinbeck. And her point is well taken: Classical music, for all its sexy prodigies like Lara St. John, still invokes images of grimacing, black-clad men and women prodding somber tones from such inexplicable instruments as the oboe or bassoon. Steinbeck and her group, the Keowee Chamber Music Festival, … Read more
Senatobia, Senatobia (Arc Entertainment, 2003) Last week, I found a copy of Senatobia’s new, self-titled, four-song demo among a pile of press kits in Xpress’ arts-and-entertainment office. It had been a slow day, and I thought this would be good for a laugh, if nothing else. But for the better part of the afternoon, as … Read more
By midsummer, my tidy garden parties have become informal and disheveled. Herbs, a strong presence by then, create a certain amount of chaos. As my gardener-granddaughter, Ivy Rose, observes, herbs are weedy, wild things that sprawl, ramble and flop. But the benefits of interplanting them with vegetables — superior pollination, protection from pests and diseases, … Read more
He rode his bike through six continents, covering more than 46,000 miles. Along the way, he battled malaria and war zones in Africa, and suspicious customs agents practically everywhere else. But Reza Baluchi remained undeterred — after all, he was on a mission to promote peace and nothing was going to stop him. Ironically, however, … Read more
Keep out. That’s the stance Buncombe County Planning Board members took last week to stop people from bringing old mobile homes into the county. The board voted unanimously Aug. 4 to recommend to the county commissioners that manufactured homes — a.k.a. mobile homes — built before July 1, 1976 should not be allowed to be … Read more
Even though the Battle House has long stood silent, the 1928 home – purchased by the Grove Park Inn in 2000 — continues to make noise in the adjacent residential neighborhood. The city’s Historic Resources Commission has recommended the grand stone structure, long home to WLOS-TV, for historic-landmark designation. All that’s needed is for Council … Read more
Unless Buncombe County devises a more palatable proposal, piles of construction-and-demolition debris will continue to be buried at the Buncombe County landfill — rather than being recycled. Under threat of legal action from waste-industry behemoth Waste Management Inc., the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously decided Aug. 5 to rescind an ordinance requiring all waste … Read more
