R.I.P. Hilly Kristal

From CNN:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Hilly Kristal, whose dank Bowery rock club CBGB served as the birthplace of the punk rock movement and a launching pad for bands like the Ramones, Blondie and the Talking Heads, has died. He was 75.

Kristal, who lost a bitter fight last year to stop the club's eviction from its home of 33 years, died Tuesday at Cabrini Hospital after a battle with lung cancer, his son Mark Dana Kristal said Wednesday.

Last October, as the club headed toward its final show with Patti Smith, Kristal was using a cane to get around and showing the effects of his cancer treatment. He was hoping to open a Las Vegas incarnation of the infamous venue that opened in 1973.

"He created a club that started on a small, out-of-the-way skid row, and saw it go around the world," said Lenny Kaye, a longtime member of the Patti Smith Group. "Everywhere you travel around the world, you saw somebody wearing a CBGB T-shirt."

While the club's glory days were long past when it shut down, its name transcended the venue and become synonymous with the three-chord trash of punk and its influence on generations of musicians worldwide.

The club also became a brand name for a line of clothing and accessories, even guitar straps; its store, CBGB Fashions, was moved a few blocks away from the original club, but remained open.

"I'm thinking about tomorrow and the next day and the next day, and going on to do more with CBGB's," Kristal told The Associated Press last October.

Kristal started the club in 1973 with the hope of making it a mecca of country, bluegrass and blues -- called CBGB & OMFUG, for "Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandisers" -- but found few bands to book. It instead became the epicenter of the mid-1970s punk movement.

"There was never gourmet food, and there was never country bluegrass," his son said Wednesday.

Besides the Ramones and the Talking Heads, many of the other sonically defiant bands that found frenzied crowds at CBGB during those years became legendary -- including Smith, Blondie and Television.

Smith said at the venue's last show that Kristal "was our champion and in those days, there were very few."

Throughout the years, CBGB had rented its space from the building's owner, the Bowery Residents' Committee, an agency that houses homeless people.

In the early 2000s, a feud broke out when the committee went to court to collect more than $300,000 in back rent from the club, then later successfully sought to evict it. By the time it closed, CBGB had become part museum and part barroom.

At the club's boarded-up storefront Wednesday morning, fans left a dozen candles, two bunches of flowers and a foam rubber baseball bat -- an apparent tribute to the Ramones' classic "Beat on the Brat." A spray-painted message read: "RIP Hilly, we'll miss you, thank you."

Other survivors include his wife, Karen, and daughter, Lisa.

We should all be grateful he gave such wonderful music a chance to be heard. All the best to his family and friends.

I learn from "Mystery."

I stumbled across an episode of a show on VH1 called "The Pick-Up Artist." It's (gasp!) a reality show where contestants learn "the art of seduction" from a man who calls himself only "Mystery." Now, Mystery claims to be a expert, and with the help of his wingmen "Matador" and "J-Dog" (not making this up, by the way) says that he can teach this misfit bunch of guys his secrets.

The secrets to be learned from these Zen masters? According to VH1's website, " the ins and outs of the Mystery Method-- "how to open a set," "the number close" and "the kiss close" among others." In plain English, those roughly translate to "how to approach a group," "how to get a girl's number," and "how to get a girl to kiss you." The gist of the whole system is basically this: Use canned or rehearsed lines as conversation starters. Show interest, but not too much. Use backhanded compliments-for example "I like your nails. Are they real?" Repeat as needed until the bar skank girl gives you her number, kisses you, etc. The bottom line is that the contestants on the show are seemingly well-meaning guys who desperately need some confidence. If they walk away feeling better about themselves, great. But I can't take any of this seriously, especially when the "master of seduction" looks like this:


Seriously. That's him.

When it's all said and done, I still like to believe that nice guys can wind up with quality girls. I'll gladly leave the bar skanks of the world to Mystery and his pals.

A new favorite.

I recently picked up a copy of Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, and I have to say that it's an instant classic. Yes, I know, it's been out for a while, but it's new to me. For those of you unfamiliar with Bourdain, he's an author, chef, and sometime TV host (check out No Reservations on the Travel Channel-great show). Les Halles, the New York City-based restaurant where he serves as executive chef, specializes in traditional French bistro food. Here, Bourdain covers everything from the "classics" (coq au vin, escargot noix), to recipes calling for kidneys and hearts.

This isn't a book for everyone, though. A pretty fair number of the dishes, while simple to make, require ingredients that definitely can't be bought at your average supermarket. Many will require a trip to the butcher shop, or an order from one of the suppliers listed in the back. And for anyone who gets a bit uncomfortable when encountering some casual profanity, this one isn't for you. I'd never seen pearl onions referred to as "little f---ers" before now. For that matter, I'd never seen an equipment list calling for a "novelty apron or vintage Ted Nugent t-shirt" while preparing cote de boeuf. Swearing and joking, aside, the food is excellent. I've only had the opportunity to try a couple dishes so far, but I found them both suprisingly easy to make (i.e. filet of beef with sauce porto and roasted shallots) and packed with lots of flavor (les halles' onion soup). Hardcore Bourdain fans and foodies alike should love this one. I highly recommend it.

Ooh, shiny red ball!

Miss Teen South Carolina gives her insightful opinions concerning education, Iraq, South Africa, and maps.



To borrow from the classic Billy Madison:
"... What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

UPDATE:
According to South Carolina newspaper The State, the contestant in question (Lauren Caitlin Upton) says that she "completely misunderstood" the question. The same article mentions that she graduated from her high school with a 3.5 GPA. If this is true, what exactly would an answer from a "D" student have been? Unfortunately, he was unavailable for comment...

TWISIB 101

With the dog days of summer in full swing, I thought it might be a good time to cover the basics. Since my good buddy Tim (aka Tman) was kind enough to give a shout-out to TWISIB on his blog, I figured I'd go over a few things for the benefit of his readers who might find their way over-or for anyone else who has ever stumbled upon my blog. So this, dear reader, is TWISIB 101.

A little about me:
I'm a Nashville native. That in itself is a rare enough thing these days-it seems like everyone in Nashville is from somewhere else. Cubs fan. I never made it on the Braves bandwagon-I got hooked on the Cubs watching the great mid-80s teams play on WGN. Ryne Sandberg, Mark Grace, and of course Harry Caray all had something to do with my baseball addiction.

I'm a bit left of center, but I'm not as much of a lefty nut-job as Tim might have you think. Although we don't agree on everything, some of that is simply me enjoying the role of devil's advocate. I have my own views, but I'm always willing to listen to someone else's. With that in mind-should there ever be some heated debates going on in the comments, let's keep it civil, folks. Treat other people the way you'd want to be treated. Fair enough? I hope so. If you're looking for a place to read (and talk) about sports, politics, and the occasional Frank Zappa record, this is the place for you. Come on in. Make yourselves at home. Post a comment, even. Enjoy.

Things heat up...

Literally and otherwise-the temperature has been north of 100 degrees, and the pennant races have gotten very interesting. The one nearest and dearest to my heart, of course, is the NL Central. The Cubs, now in first place, have finally managed to capitalize on the Brewers' skid, despite being 4-6 in their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Cardinals have been not-so-quietly gaining ground, going 7-3 in the same stretch. The 4-game homestand that kicked off yesterday at Wrigley is a must-win for the Cubs.

The good news is that the Cubs have finally started to pull it together offensively, even with Soriano out of the lineup and Derrek Lee struggling big-time at the plate. The not-so-good news is that the bullpen is still shaky. Not a good thing, when you look at the big numbers the Cardinals' offense has been putting up lately-a staggering 55 runs in their last 10 games, including three straight thrashings of the Brewers.

That being said, the Cubs did a couple key things in the win yesterday-

• Get a quality start from the pitcher. Rich Hill's numbers from yesterday: 7 IP, 3H, 1R, 2BB, 7K. A very good outing.
  
• Keep it close. Howry and Dempster both did a good job of shutting down the Cards' offense.
• Make things happen offensively. Although the 2-run, 4-hit box score doesn't look that impressive, coming up with an answer to Pujols' homer was key.
  

If the Cubs can make those same sorts of things happen today (and on through the weekend), there's a very real change of pulling out to a fair lead in the division. It's time to start looking towards October.

Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win!

Ladies and gentlemen...your NL Central leaders, the Chicago Cubs.

That is all.