Hunter S. Thompson shot and killed himself at his home in Aspen Sunday night. “Juan Thompson found his father’s body. Thompson’s wife, Anita, was not home at the time.”
Tag: 02.20.05
Childs’ Play
David Childs has won some major commissions in recent years. But he is “no longer content to be the pet architect of the mainstream development world: he now longs for the kind of critical recognition that has so far eluded him. Increasingly, in seeking it he has begun to position himself as a worthy rival to the more daring architects from whom he once sought to distance himself.”
Rappin’ To The War
“If rock ‘n’ roll, the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and Creedence Clearwater Revival, was the music of American service members in Vietnam, rap may become the defining pulse for the war in Iraq. It has emerged as a rare realm where soldiers and marines, hardly known for talking about their feelings, are voicing the full range of their emotions and reactions to war. They rap about their resentment of the military hierarchy. But they also rap about their pride, their invincibility, their fallen brothers, their disdain for the enemy and their determination to succeed.”
Key To A Better Cleveland?
Are major development projects the key to a better Cleveland? “The U.S. Census Bureau has ranked Cleveland the poorest big city in the country. The city school dis trict, which says it needs a new tax levy desperately, is near a financial meltdown. When the econ omy was stronger a decade ago, Cleve land built the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and new, major- league sports facilities. Now the city seems to have stalled, despite surprisingly strong pockets of new and renovated housing.”
Missing The Park, Resenting The Gates
Michael Kane doesn’t like Central Park with the Christo Gates in it. He’s “Gates hatin’: The park was better before. It was a peaceful oasis in a grid of metal and concrete. The spindly trees, the sweep of the lake, even the curvature of bridges, stone walls and steps blended organically into the backdrop. Now, in the interest of art, Christo bolts down jarring, squared-off frames (in orange, no less) throughout this vital sensory escape. So aesthetically insensitive. So rectangular. So lame.”
A Soapbox Issue: Where’s The New Music?
Andrew Druckenbrod likes the Pittsburgh Symphony’s new season. But he’s dismayed there’s so little contemporary music. “This has became a soap-box issue for me out of concern for the field, not for selfish reasons. I love the classics as much as anyone, but if the industry stagnates, it will fall off the map. Not die, just become less and less important, and ironically, fewer canonical works will be heard. Presenting the canon is good for marketing and subscriptions in the short term, but years of that shortsightedness creates lack of relevance that eventually does show up in the box office, as it has for orchestras and the PSO even before Sept. 11.”
City Ballet From The Nose-Bleed Section
The best place to see New York City Ballet? Gotta be the fourth ring. Not only can you see the structure of the choreography, there’s also Miriam Pellman…
Charlotte Rep To Shut Down
Charlotte Repertory Theatre, that city’s major regional theatre, says it has lost its fight to survive, and will shut down. “It is very unfortunate that there was little community support for a core cultural organization — the Rep — in our city. We feel that it is a tremendous loss to the quality of life for our entire region … a major cultural loss that will be felt for many years to come.”
Art-As-Homework? Hmnnn…
How much ought you to know about an artwork before seeing it to get the maximum appreciation? “There are compelling arguments for appreciating an artwork on its own terms. Some people refuse to read movie reviews for fear that not only surprise endings but also subtle textural details will be revealed and spoil an otherwise fresh encounter. If they want to dig deeper into a film or an opera or a dance, they wait until they’ve seen it, then double back and do their research. But the sedimentary texture of knowledge, the layerings of appreciation, can provide pleasure on a first encounter, too.”
Arts Council Chairman: Scottish Opera Funding A Disgrace
Scotland’s new Arts Council head says he’ll fight hard for the arts, and that Scottish Opera’s funding crisis is a national disgrace. “Richard Holloway, speaking out in his first week as chairman of the Scottish Arts Council (SAC), said he regretted the national opera company was about to enter a year of enforced silence. The former Bishop of Edinburgh said he would use his position not only to press for extra funding for Scottish Opera but for a “massive infusion” of cash for the arts in general.”