Music – Page 2 – Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3

Nothing Lasts Forever

Another chapter of Chicago theatre history comes to a close

You know how you know that nothing lasts forever? When you go online to search for images of a place you worked, shed more than a few beads of sweat, blood, and tears in, and you can’t find images of it.

That’s the case here. I’m referring to Theatre Building, at 1225 W Belmont, Chicago. Yes, there is no “the” in front of it. Like Apple insists that there is no “the” before iPhone. In the case of the performance space that was intentional. Pretentious maybe, but purposeful nonetheless.

Theatre Building was founded as such in 1977 by three theatre companies: Travel Light Theatre, Pary Productions and the Dinglefest Theatre Company. The latter of those became Performance Community, and then the New Tuners Theatre, and after Travel Light and Pary Productions hit their respective closings, ended up managing the three theatre complex.

At one point or another just about every Chicago theatre company, and some from outside the city, rented performance space there. It was one of the centers of gravity in the Chicago theatre landscape. I can’t tell you the number of amazing performances by Chicago actors that I’ve seen on those stages. Shows hit. Shows flopped. Shows happened. And that was the point and purpose of Theatre Building.

Theatre Building was sold to Stage 773 in 2010 and still continued providing a home for Chicago theatres, until it changed it’s focus and became WHIM, which was supposed to be a sort of interactive attraction before it folded.

Here we are in 2025 and The Chicago City Council has granted approval for the property to be converted to a five-story apartment complex. As I said. nothing lasts forever.

My theatre company, The Absolute Theatre Company rented space there for a number of years, and I later served on the staff of New Tuners Theatre and helped manage the facility. I helped renovate the three theatre spaces in the late 90’s. So there are quite a few personal memories attached to those stages. They seems like another lifetime ago.

Change happens. The sad thing about this one is that there are three less performance spaces in Chicago, but that’s been the case since Stage 773 ran into financial difficulties and had to shut down after becoming WHIM.

I may not have been able to find a picture this morning of Theatre Building, but I do have this brick from the building that was given to me after my last show, before I headed out to Virginia for that part of my theatre career.

Guess I’ll hang on to that piece of Chicago theatre history.

You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

A Trip Worth Taking: Billy Joel Documentary ‘And So It Goes’

Terrific trip down my lanes of memories.

Talk about bringing back the memories and the feels. The excellent Billy Joel documentary, And So It Goes, is a must watch if you’re a fan. Or even if you’re not. I am a fan and have been since I worked a load-in, load-out shift for a Billy Joel concert back in my college days and partied with his road crew.

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The excellent two-part documentary chronicles the ups, downs, and of course there’s plenty of Joel’s music, because it’s always about the music and where it took Joel and those of us who grew up with him. It’s more than a trip down memory lane, the four hours is a well spent vacation back in time. I highly recommend this.

It’s interesting, and I dare say rewarding, that two of the music artists I grew up with, Joel and Bruce Springsteen, have had excellent recent documentaries about their careers. As they and I both hit later decades of life it’s a good way to look back and dredge up memories often buried in the hurly burly of the current day to day. I consider these documentaries on HBO (or whatever it calls itself this week) gifts well received.

For those interested further, there’s a playlist of the music from And So It Goes available on all the usual music streaming services. If your library, like mine, is filled with the entire catalog of Joel’s music, it’s worth adding just to track and hear how some of his songs have matured, yet not lost any of relevance, and even gained both relevance and resonance with time.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Sheryl Crow’s New Protest Song ‘The New Normal’

We need more protest songs.

I wish we heard more like this from our musical artists. Sheryl Crow doesn’t shy away when it comes to letting her political feelings out. In her latest song ‘The New Normal’ she certainly lets her voice be heard.

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“Is it science fiction or prediction wrapped in George Orwell?” If the news is fake and fear is hate and nothing’s immoral to the leader of the free world, then welcome to the new normal,” goes the refrain.

I certainly don’t want to think of any of this as normal, new or otherwise. But I like the song and the motivation behind it.

You can listen to ‘The New Normal’ at this link.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Dye Me A River

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

My favorite version of Arthur Hamilton’s song, Cry Me A River, was covered by Joe Cocker. I especially like the live version. While others pump up the bagpipes or crank out The Pogues to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I cue up Cocker’s version today.

One of the things you can still count on in Chicago beyond crazy politics and potholes is that every St. Patrick’s Day they still dye the river green. For some reason the first time I heard about that tradition Hamilton’s song title morphed in my brain to Dye Me A River.

Well, it’s St. Patrick’s Day again, and yes both traditions will continue. They’ll dye the river green and I’ll play the song. I’ll also down a pint and have some corned beef and cabbage, a family tradition, though none of us are Irish.

But I’ll be staying away from any of the large number of parades honoring the day. It’s one thing when the river runs green, but I prefer my beer downed once, and not tossed back up into the streets.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

This Is A Must See: QuestLove’s Video Tease of 50 Years of SNL Music

One helluva a teaser for the retrospective of 50 years of SNL music.

Hands down. Stand up. Let your head spin. This Questlove video mix of 50 Years of SNL Music is a must watch for fans, non-fans, or anyone who has a heartbeat.

The clip above teases the upcoming Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of S.N.L Music airing on January 27th. If you’re not teased I don’t know what else could do that for you. As if the memories of the performances in this tease aren’t enough, the editing is something to be in awe of.

Just sit back. Watch it. I’ve archived it everywhere I could. You should too. I’m looking forward to the full show. How could you not be?

Then New York Times has a write up on the piece and interview with Ahmir Light (Questlove) by Alan Light you might also want to check out.

FYI: You may have to find the video on YouTube. The Watch on YouTube link above appears to work sometimes and others note.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Sunday Morning Reading

Good reading and good writing is just a heartbeat away in this week’s Sunday Morning Reading

What do Aristotle, Katherine Hepburn, Garth Hudson, beautiful minds, and ugly hearts have in common? They all make an appearance in this week’s Sunday Morning Reading. Or at least writers doing their thing and writing about them do.

Hearts can be ugly things, yet they draw our poets, songwriters, and story tellers like moths to a flame. NatashaMH flutters around the heat in The Beautiful Mind Of An Ugly Heart. Speaking of ugly hearts, quite a few of them are on appearing on shirt sleeves alongside all the chest thumping and Nazi salutes going on here in the U.S (and elsewhere). We’re only a week into the victory laps and lapses of humility, yet already writers are wearing out keyboards with words of resistance. Ian Dunt has penned How To Resist The Tech Overlords. In this new and hot category of writing, let’s hope none of this seems like fiction down the road. Another way to resist the tech overlords is to just say no when they overreach. Microsoft overstepped by raising everyone’s Office 365 subscription prices on the inclusion, wanted or not, of its Microsoft 366 Copilot AI features. There’s a way to avoid the price hike written up by Mark Hachman on PC World. You might want to check that out. For a good read on the entire Microsoft situation, Ed Bott chronicles the story of Microsoft’s latest AI unintelligent move in The Microsoft 365 Copilot Launch Was A Total Disaster. Meanwhile the Chinese might have found a way to fight the AI money grab and spend long before we reach the cash out stage. Zeyi Yang lays it out in How Chinese AI Startup DeepSeek Made A Model That Rivals OpenAI. The sexy stories about TikTok might be taking a back seat to this one. Alex Himelfarb tells us The Politics of “Common Sense” Is Making Us Meaner. He’s right. Joan Westenberg takes it all on in Clash: Power, Greed, And The Fight For a Fair Future. If you’re concerned about what the tech side of all of these moments of madness we’re living through might mean, remember it’s not the tech and it is. Check out Nina Metz’s review of the Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy flick Desk Set. As Ms. Metz puts it, This Movie With Katherine Hepburn And Spencer Tracy Anticipated Anxieties About The Internet And AI. Oh, also check out the flick. You won’t be sorry. There really is nothing new under the sun, including cribbing and cropping from the work of others. Massimo Pugliucci takes a look at Ayn Rand’s Objectivist theories and her claims to be influenced by Aristotle. As he puts it well, “one can hardly imagine what possible points of contact the two might have.” Take a look at On Ayn Rand and Aristotle. These are indeed challenging times and often they feel quite dark. Alexander Verbeek gives us the always needed reminder that When Darkness Returns, Art Exists. And on that note, and since we lost one of the greatest musical artists of my generation, Garth Hudson, this week, Check out Amanda Petrusich’s Remembering Garth Hudson, The Man Who Transformed The Band. Remember many of Hudson’s and The Band’s creations came in another turbulent era in our history. A beautiful musician and beautiful mind. If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here. You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks under my own name.

Sunday Morning Reading

It’s a cold late Fall morning, with some crisp and cold writing for you in this week’s Sunday Morning Reading.

Sunday, it’s a Sunday. The Sunday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday, although every Sunday these days feels like it’s the Sunday after yet another Black Friday. Even so, it’s time for some Sunday Morning Reading. This week’s edition contains some somber writing, fitting for the onset of a winter of discontent and reflection, along with some thinking on the tech scene and vaccines. For good measure, there’s a history of dive bars at the end. Enjoy.

Leading off, David Todd McCarty’s piece I Was F*cking Wendy Under The Stars, The Night Elvis Died, reflects on the risks we take, and perhaps don’t take, in building a life.

Promises and Scars by Kelly Gawitt is an excellent piece of writing on second chances. We all need them.

Joan Westenberg says We’re Dying. Here’s How to Make Better Decisions. Joan’s Mortality Matrix is something to see.

Sam Roberts gives us a look back at a real heroine in Madeline Riffaud, ‘The Girl Who Saved Paris,’ Dies at 100. I’m thinking we might need some Madeline’s going forward.

Patrick Fealey offers a harrowing and personal inside look at homelessness in America in The Invisible Man.

Tim Berners-Lee, who conceived the World Wide Web is taking a crack at a new way our digital lives are stored online with a new venture called Solid. Harry McCracken takes a crack at explaining it all in The Man Who Gave Us The Web Is Building A Better Digital Wallet. Hope it works.

Christopher Mims says that Googling Is For Old People. That’s A Problem For Google. The lede is fantastic:

If Google were a ship, it would be the Titanic in the hours before it struck an iceberg—riding high, supposedly unsinkable, and about to encounter a force of nature that could make its name synonymous with catastrophe.

Vaccines. Who in their right mind thought we’d ever be debating anything about the miracle of vaccines? Donald G. McNeil Jr. says that Vaccines Will Have To Prove Themselves Again. The Hard Way. Warning: the “hard way” isn’t a pretty way.

And after all of that if you need a drink or two or three, check out Linze Rice’s piece on The History of Chicago’s Dive Bars, Once Called ‘The Vilest Holes In The City.’ Bottoms up.

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here. You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks under my own name.

Stevie Nicks: Shines a Beacon with The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse from Stevie Nicks is a song for this political moment.

I’ve been bemoaning the fact that given what’s at stake in this election, we’ve seen (heard?) very few musicians create what we used to call protest songs illuminating the moment. Thanks to Stevie Nicks, we have at least one memorable, and hopefully galvanizing one called The Lighthouse.

Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac produced records (yes vinyl) that I always wore down, later to be replaced with other media. Their songs still play featured roles in my playlists. I remember fondly and passionately that era of music, when songwriters and musicians were sources we turned to for inspiration and validation in big moments of our lives.

Longing for that, I wish we had seen more from more of them in this moment.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

The Marsh Family Is Back with Bohemian Trumpsody

The Marsh Family takes on Trump with Queen in Bohemian Trumpsody.

Music might sooth the savage beast though I’m not sure it’ll help us through this last week before the election that will decide the fate of the United States and possibly the world. But The Marsh Family is certainly giving it a shot with another terrific musical parody, turning Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody into the Bohemian Trumpsody.

As with their previous parody take on JD Vance, the lyric content hits all the right notes. Interspersing video footage of January 6th, the video hits home in a way that might make calling it a parody seem odd, but the political punch is spot on.

This British family must have a blast putting these efforts together. Their musical efforts have been a highlight in a dangerous political era.

Watch and share it.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.

Sunday Morning Reading

Steering clear of politics (mostly) here’s some Sunday Morning Reading to share.

It’s a tough weekend to put this Sunday Morning Reading column together in the wake of last week’s U.S. Presidential debate. I’ve never seen so many knees jerk so violently at once leading me to assume there are quite a few bruises caused from crashing them against computer desks. So, I’ll be avoiding politics this morning. Perhaps. Maybe. We’ll see.

Did you know that milk is the latest front in the culture wars dividing America? Tony Diver tells us how.

Yes, it’s political but no, it isn’t about recent events specifically, so once again I highly recommend you check out The Split by Steve Radlauer and Ellis Weiner. The Split, now up to Chapter 34, is a terrific serialization of all things political, social, and well… all things.

James B. Stewart and Benjamin Mullen take a long look at the future of streaming in The Future of Netflix, Amazon and Other Streaming Services. It’s a worth your time kind of read even though it takes awhile, but it more than hints that none of the titans of this industry has a clue.

The entertainment industry isn’t the only place run by folks without a clue. Check out The Federal Reserve’s Little Secret by Rogé Karma. Apparently those folks pulling the strings on interest rates don’t have much of one either.

And speaking of titans of industry and god-like powers David Todd McCarty thinks If Someone Asks If You’re A God, You say Yes.

On the Artificial Intelligence front Wired has been doing some good work lately reporting on on that front. Check out Lauren Goode and Tom Simonite’s This Viral AI Chatbot Will Lie and Say It’s Human.

Also check out Elizabeth Lopatto’s Perplexity’s Grand Theft AI. Sounds human to me.

Joan Westenberg has an interesting think piece on the misconstruing and appropriation of the message of George Orwell’s 1984 in “This Is Just Like 1984.” Great piece.

I said I’d avoid the political hot potato of the presidential debate. It’s not that I lied, or changed my mind, it’s that this piece is too good to not recommend. Check out Natasha MH’s view in The US Presidential Debate Reminded Me of My Divorce.

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here. You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome.You can also find me on social networks under my own name.