A friend asked me if I was planning to see the new Bodies Revealed exhibition at Union Station. “Are you kidding?” I answered. “I can barely stand looking at my own body, let alone a bunch of preserved cadavers that are probably in better shape than I am.” Unless it’s a burlesque show, I prefer most bodies to be…
If you’ve got yourself a big corporation in need of some muckety-mucks to sit on the board of directors, take it from us: You don’t want Irvine O. Hockaday Jr. The dude’s got some kind of boardroom curse. Just the same, the 70-year-old Hockaday sits on a lot of boards. A resident of Mission Hills and a former CEO of…
“All the Love You Need” by Big Head Todd and the Monsters from All the Love You Need (BIG Records): Not content with making its new album available for free download, Big Head Todd and the Monsters distributed 500,000 free cardboard-case promotional copies of its latest, All The Love You Need, flouting not only the functional obsolescence of the…
“Knievelkore” by Cretin 66 from Burnin’ Rubber Outta Hell’s Garage (Woundup Records): “The Power of Rob Tyner” by Cretin 66 from Burnin’ Rubber Outta Hell’s Garage (Woundup Records): When Cretin 66 finally calls it a day, the fabled Kansas City band’s tombstone might read: Not bad for a bunch of hair farmers. That was one audience member’s comment following a…
Archie’s Funhouse: The Complete Series (Classic Media) Army of the Dead (Maverick) Arranged (Film Movement) Ben 10: The Complete Season 3 (Turner) Billy Wilder Film Collection (MGM) Dead Moon Rising (Anthem) Half Moon (Strand) Lonesome Dove: Season One (Echo Bridge)Magnum P.I.: The Complete Eighth Season (Universal) Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (Fox) Mrs. Doubtfire: Behind-the-Seams Edition (Fox) My Kid Could Paint…
In keeping with recent trends, the Charlatans UK is giving away its 10th LP. Drummer Jon Brookes posted this explanation on the band’s online diary: “As the digital revolution took place, the head was severed leaving behind a tail which grows with endless possibilities.” You Cross My Path was made available to download via England’s XFM radio site last week…
“Dashboard Believer” by True North from Live at the Café: With his messy, graying hair, black-rimmed glasses, sailor’s tongue and refusal to dress like a medical professional, it’s easy to imagine Gary McKnight as a real-life version of TV doctor Gregory House. “Probably, some people would prefer I wear a white coat and a three-piece,” McKnight says over a Corona…
To all the gun-toting video-game bad guys out there: Please stop standing next to exploding barrels. Seriously now. Of the hundreds of places you could squat and shoot, you and your henchman pals always camp beside the neon-orange canister with “Flammable!” painted on the side. Really, we don’t need your charity. Of course, we get it anyway in the…
Into the Wild (Paramount) Sean Penn waited a good decade before adapting Jon Krakauer’s book about Chris McCandless, who graduated college in 1990, then disappeared into the American unknown, re-emerging as Alexander Supertramp before his final, tragic farewell in the Alaskan wilderness in ’92. Penn’s patience is evident in every finely wrought frame of this masterwork. Sadly, the film…
You know how every small town in America tends to look alike? A little of that goes a long way. American photographer Stephen Shore’s exhibition at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art includes more than 150 images. It includes the “Uncommon Places” series in which he documented ’70s-era parking lots, motel rooms, restaurants and highways across the country. His…
By JEN CHEN Last night, The Real Housewives of New York City made its debut on Bravo, and with it came the national TV appearance of former Fort Scott resident Alex McCord. She’s the one who’s married to a gay/not-gay Australian who goes shopping and gets pedicures with her. Oh, and he favors Speedos, while she frolics in a…
NOFX Tuesday, March 4 The Beaumont By ANDREW MILLER During NOFX’s sound check, a squinting Fat Mike addressed the lighting technician. “Can you do one thing for me?” he asked. “Could you put some of these lights on the audience so they can be as annoyed as I am?” Even when no crowd is present to witness his witticisms, Fat…
%{}% BY CHRIS PACKHAM We’re All Going to Die! Part I Influenza A-H3N2 defeats the communal spirit of brotherhood: St. Thomas More Catholic Church has banned handshaking at church services to keep from spreading the virus. Avoid making eye contact as well because any fellow parishioners infected with the rage virus may be prone to ripping out your throat with…
By CRYSTAL K. WIEBE Never trust a published set time. That was the lesson of last night’s sojourn to Lawrence. According to the Granada Web site, a line-up of the Whigs, the Spinto Band and the Fourth of July was supposed to kick off at 8 p.m. That’s about what time I arrived, relieved at the early set time…
%{}% BY CHRIS PACKHAM Why does this sound so weird to me right now? A Chilhowee school teacher has been accused of “furnishing” porn to minors. “Furnishing.” In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to photograph your balls, select an underage recipient from your phone book and hit “send.” We’ve all done it. Because texting is instantaneous, it’s just…
By CAROLYN SZCZEPANSKI Now you see it, now you don’t. This time last week, Missouri officials approved the construction of a new, coal-burning power plant. Today, the electric company put those plans on hold. Last fall, Springfield-based Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., announced its intent to build a new facility in Norborne, a small town 60 AEC’s New Madrid coal…
This just in from Live Nation, folks. The Cure Special Guest: 26 Days of Static Monday, May 19th Live at Starlight Theatre! Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 am Reserved: *$40 and *$50 *Ticket prices do not include service charges Any questions? Categories: Music
Bill Callahan Saturday, March 1 The Jackpot Saloon By GRANT SNIDER When I grow up, I want to have a voice like Bill Callahan. I’ll sing about women and horses and God, and I’ll sound deep, sincere, and ruggedly artistic. But until I hit that elusive second puberty, I’ll settle for hearing Callahan’s deep voice in concert. The artist formerly…
By ANDY VIHSTADT Casino King For those of you holding out for the follow-up to LCD Soundsystem’s Sound of Silver, Stereogum’s got something to hold you over. The song, “Big Ideas,” will appear in 21, the film adaptation of Ben Mezrich’s Bringing Down the House. The O.S.T. hits stores March 18 on Sony. Men at Work Kudos to Method Man…
Kansas City has ample representation at this year’s SXSW. Here are the local acts going that we know of, so far, annotated. If you know of any that we missed, post the info in comments. For a complete list of SXSW bands, go here. And of course, I will be blogging while I’m there, so check back here for updates…
%{}% BY CHRIS PACKHAM “Hey… you wanna see a dead body?” Union Station is on the path to financial redemption with the Corpses Revealed exhibit that everyone loves so much. Mike Hendricks asserts that there “isn’t all that much to do sometimes” in Kansas City, and that the exhibit will therefore make a lot of money. And I’m like, “Not…
