May 2004

This Month
in History

Amanda Aikman
Culture Editor

     

———

May 21, 1969:

John Lennon and Yoko
Ono begin a ten-day “bed-
in” in Montreal’s Queen
Elizabeth Hotel.

Ten days? What's the big
deal about that? I haven't
left my couch since the last
day of the winter semester
but you don’t see me hold-
ing a press conference to
brag about it.

    
  
   
   
   
    
   
  
  
    
  
  
    

ay 22, 1980:
An unknown thief breaks
into Electric Lady Studios
in New York City, the
ecording studio built by
Jimi Hendrix, and steals
tive Hendrix gold records.
A loss for rock and roll
archivists I know, but a def-
nite gain for my rec room.
h, I mean the “unknown
hief’s” rec room.

ay 26, 1976:
A drunken Jimmy Page and
Robert Plant verbally
hssault and harass first class
passengers (including Telly
Savalas and Dudley Moore)
bn a transatlantic British
Airways flight. The details
bf their antics were not
eleased but I'll bet there
ere wedgies involved.
[hat Robert Plant fella
ooks like a total wedgie
aster.

  
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
  

 

Check out these latest releases
while they’re still warm!

Movie: Coffee and Cigarettes
Release Date: May 14

Wien ©

COFFEE ANOCIGARETTES

Director Jim Jarmusch (Dead
Man, Down By Law, Mystery
Train) is back, and he’s brought
Steve Buscemi with him again.
The dynamic duo, along with
actors Roberto Benigni, Cate
Blanchett, and Steve Coogan,
bring us Coffee and Cigarettes,
a collection of short vignettes
that expose and espouse on the
absorbing nature of the obses-
sions, joys, and addictions of
life.

Vancouver is one of only
three lucky Canadian cities to
get a crack at this flick in a first-
run capacity, so grab a double
espresso and a Marlboro Light
and get yourself down to the
theatre.

: ture Editor

Arts

Book: On the Down Low: A Album: i, Magnetic Fields

Journey into the Lives
“Straight” Black Men who Sleep
with Men, by J.L. King
Release Date: May, 2004
Apparently there is some “epi-
demic” (publisher’s word not
mine) of black men sleeping
with other men and lying to
themselves and their female
partners about what that really
means. It’s true; I saw it on
Ricki Lake. No really, I’m not
kidding, I actually did watch a
“living on the down low”
episode of Ricki Lake. Yes, I am
a loser, but we're not here to
talk about me

According to the author, this
“living on the D.L.” trend is
causing a dramatic increase in
sexually transmitted diseases
amongst African American
women. It seems a little sketchy
in a racist/homophobic kind of
way, despite the alarming statis-
tics he uses to back up his argu-
ment, but then I haven't read

the book.

 

A souency ITO THE LIVES OF
“STRAIGHT” BLACK MEM

  

 

 

of Release Date: May 4

 

Tage ee ee dn

 

 

After a long five-year hiatus fol-
lowing the release of their mag-
nificent three-CD boxset, 69
Love Songs, Stephen Merritt
and company are back with a
new album on Nonesuch
Records. And get this, every
song starts with the letter “i.”
That’s why they called it 7. Get
it?

That is so clever, that in hon-
our of them, I will finish the
rest of this write up in the same
manner.

I haven't heard this album
yet. It will probably be good
though, based on the talent of
the collaborators
Included in the collaborators
are John Woo (banjo, guitar),
Sam Davol (cellist), Claudia
Gonson (piano, percussion),
and Stephen Merritt (vocals,
and whatever else he feels like
doing). I think you should go
buy this album. Isn’t it great to
have new and interesting music
to listen to? | agree. It is.

involved.

 

OtherPress | | 3

 

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