Hereafter, My Soul to Take
HEREAFTER *** From his spaghetti Westerns through the surprise box office smash Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood has offered increasingly mature treatises on the subject of death, specifically how it relates to the act of one person taking another’s life. Hereafter, Eastwood’s newest and (arguably) most misunderstood movie, finds the filmmaker coming at us from a…
One man, one cause
Isa Abdullah Ali is a rogue warrior. He began life as Cleven Holt, a poor kid from the hardscrabble Washington, D.C. projects, where drugs, domestic violence and gang wars were just things you had to live with. At 17, he lied about his age and joined the Army, where he trained as a sniper. Honorably…
Lords of literature
I wrote a book at the age of ten called ‘My Relatives.’ Seven copies were printed and distributed by me. It was in the naturalistic vein and it was not well received. – Flannery O’Connor In a coup for Savannah, legendary author Pat Conroy last week announced the finalists for the National Book Awards from…
Happy campers
Just in time for Halloween, that campy standby The Rocky Horror Show is coming our way, via Bay Street Theatre at Club One. It’s the club’s second annual production of the wacky, sci–fi musical comedy about cross–dressing mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter and the zoo–load of zanies that inhabit his spooky old castle. There’s…
Brotherly Love
An officer was called by a 50 year old man who was scared his brother was going to beat him up. The officer met the reporting party down the street from his home. He explained that his brother threatened to hurt him if he didn’t tell the truth about calling his parole officer. The two…
District 2: Michael Gaster
In the wake of his battle against the City during the 2009 jaywalking scandal, Michael Gaster decided to take his civic clout to a larger stage — the state legislature — challenging incumbent Democratic Senator Lester Jackson for Georgia’s Second District seat. We caught up with Gaster two weeks ago at his downtown campaign headquarters…
District 2: Lester Jackson
Looking at the national news, there’s no shortage of talk about how the midterm elections are going to be difficult for incumbents. But that hasn’t dampened the spirits of Lester Jackson. With more than a decade in the state legislature, first as a State Representative and most recently as a Senator, Jackson sees his successes…
‘Scuse me while I kiss the strings
The Turtle Island Quartet is set up like your standard–issue string quartet: – two volins, viola and cello. This, however, isn’t a classical music chamber group. These four guys, each a virtuoso on his own, combine jazz, swing, European gypsy music, funk and even rock ‘n’ roll. Improvisation is a key element in every performance.…
Damned if you don’t
Peter Shannon’s trademark enthusiasm is at an all–time high. The musical director and conductor for the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus is telling me that Friday’s The Dream of Gerontius will be his group’s best concert yet. There’s a gleam in his Irish eyes I haven’t seen before. When he talks about the dramatic music…
Mark your calendar: ‘Rabbit Hole’ added to film festival lineup
On Oct. 31, the Savannah Film Festival will screen Rabbit Hole, the new film from director John Cameron Mitchell, creator of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Actor Miles Teller will be here for the screening, and receive the Discovery Award. Starring Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, Rabbit Hole is based on the 2005 theatrical drama…
The Art of nothing
It makes me physically ill that my best friend has bought a white painting. – Marc, a character in Art Things aren’t always what they seem on the surface. Except when they are. Don’t bother trying to figure out which character has right on his side in the genteel tug of war that is…
West Duffy Cafe is my Savannah Mom
So, I wanted to isolate just one dish to write about at the West Duffy Cafe (a.k.a. Zeny’s Restaurant, a.k.a. That Sunbeam Place, a.k.a. That Place on Jefferson and Duffy; it’s got about four names on it), but it didn’t really work out like that. I have to write about everything I’ve had there. It’s…
Bites & Pieces: Green Truck Pub
Green Truck Pub Finally, someone remodeled this former fast food joint into what feels like a real restaurant and bar – not just some dude cooking food in, well, an old fast food joint. There are comfortable tables, easily accessible tables with chairs and a massive, concrete bar hta’s home to an exceptional beer list…
New goodies on the market
I tasted three new–to–market products last week that will be nice additions to any home bar or party. If you can’t find them right away, ask your retailer to order for you. Arrr, pass the rum The spiced rum category is growing more crowded every day, but this new player, Crusoe Spiced Rum, is a…
Review: ‘The Glass Menagerie’
To fully understand the deep, dark, emotional undercurrents that flow like raw riptides beneath the surface of The Glass Menagerie, watch Maggie Hart’s eyes. Hart, a SCAD student working towards her MBA in performing arts, plays Tennessee Williams’ tragic heroine Laura Wingfield in the Collective Face production of The Glass Menagerie at Muse Arts Warehouse.…
Congressional District 12: Ray McKinney
Ray McKinney has had his eye on the 12th District Congressional seat for a few years now. Although he didn’t make it past the primary his first time out, in 2010, he came out on top of a crowded field of candidates to challenge incumbent Democrat John Barrow. We caught up with Ray by phone…
Apple, peeled
Classical composer John Tavener probably didn’t expect to become a pop star, much less a cult figure, when he wrote his polyphonic cantata The Whale in 1969. Tavener, who was knighted by the queen in 2000 (thus becoming Sir John) went on to compose, conduct and record a series of dramatic musical works for chorus…
These United States, Worn in Red
THESE UNITED STATES Saturday, Oct. 23, with Magazine Ave., Megan Jean, Adam Arcurragi The Wormhole Bar, 2307 Bull St. “Cumulonimbus WordPop fr th’ Jangly Railyard Dreamer,” that’s how this rootsy American band from Washington, D.C. (and thereabouts) whimsically describes itself. I like this band because it isn’t just sloppy fun – Americana, alt/country, whatever you…
Congressional District 12: John Barrow
John Barrow is no stranger to election challenges for his Congressional seat, and the incumbent Democrat has survived them all relatively unscathed. This is a tough year for incumbents, but while Barrow isn’t taking his position for granted, he is confident that his record as a pragmatic politician rather than a partisan is clear for…
Back to basics
There is a certain irony in a best–selling author waging war against the digital machinations of e–commerce that have, in part, helped him achieve success. But the Unchained Tour is about something far greater than book sales. Fourteen years ago, author George Dawes Green started “The Moth,” an event dedicated to preserving the art of…
