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Catching up on our rock reading: The Beats and Rock Culture

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:48:00 -0500

Most people at this time of year are compiling their stack of books to bring to the beach, so what say we music fans catch up on our reading and take a look at some of the best recent rock-related tomes?

Topping this list is Text and Drugs and Rock ’n’ Roll: The Beats and Rock Culture (Bloomsbury) by U.K. journalist and University of Leeds lecturer Simon Warner. The goal is a noble one: to explore the historical intersection between poets and novelists Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and the rest of the Beat gang of the ’40s and ’50s and the rockers of the ’60s and later eras, as well as the influence of Beat prose on rock lyrics. And with an academic thoroughness that doesn’t hamper the flow of his own pen, Prof. Warner does make dozens of illuminating connections between the two worlds, some obvious (Dylan and Kerouac; Ginsberg and his various brushes with the Beatles; later-day Beat rockers Patti Smith and Jim Carroll) but many much less so (we also get a discussion of Cream lyricist Pete Brown, a consideration of Kerouac, Tom Waits, and the song “On the Road,” and a look at Burroughs in the work of Genesis P-Orridge).

Unfortunately, for such a heavy read (it checks in at more than 500 pages in hardcover), Warner slights some Beat/rock connections that deserve a lot more discussion, including the admitted influence of Beat writers on pioneering rock critics Lester Bangs and Richard Meltzer; the way that Burroughs’ cut-and-paste methodology was adapted by Kurt Cobain (who pops up only very briefly), and the enduring allure of On the Road as a sacred text and a way of life for three generations of young musicians who’ve climbed in the van to cross America on indie-rock tours and/or indulge in the never-ending “quest for kicks.”

As you might expect, Warner does spend quite a few pages on the Fugs, including a moving tribute to Tuli Kupferberg. I’ve expressed admiration for these legendary ’60s weirdoes in this space before, as well as for bandleader Ed Sanders’ must-read tomes Tales of Beatnik Glory and The Family (the best book on the Manson clan). Now comes Sanders’ first-hand history and celebration of his group, Fug You: An Informal History of the Peace Eye Bookstore, the F*ck You Press, the Fugs, and the Counterculture in the Lower East Side (Da Capo).

Sanders’ recounting of the early ’60s through 1970 is episodic but always charming and engaging. “In this book of remembrances I decided not to drain to its dregs the urn of bitter memory, to paraphrase Shelley’s famous line,” he writes. Instead, “I have chosen to accentuate the energy, the wild fun, the joyful creativity, and the schemes of Better World derring-do and to consign as much bitterness and bad memories as possible to the halls of darkness.”

Fair enough, and, really, how scholarly, encyclopedic, or “objective” would we want the auteur who helped bring us “Group Grope” and “Boobs-a-Lot” to be? The lingering buzz of what we do get is more valuable: A deeper appreciation, sans Baby Boomer/Sixties clichés, of a period of anything-goes, no-rules creativity, and the feeling that, damn, it must have been a lot of fun to be there.

I actually was there for a different happening in a different era some years later: the burgeoning indie-rock scene across the Hudson River from the Lower East Side in the Hoboken of the early and mid-’80s. Recalling those particulars, as well as the broader nationwide underground they typified (and which would in turn nurture the alternative-rock scene of the ’90s) is one reason to revel in the pages of Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock (Gotham) by Brooklyn-based music journalist, DJ, and musician Jesse Jarnow.

The other reason is, of course, to chart the history of the long-running band led by guitarist Ira Kaplan and drummer Georgia Hubley. Having seen their first shows at Maxwell’s in 1985, I for one would never have thought that I’d be looking forward to seeing them again for the umpteenth time 28 years later at this summer’s Pitchfork Music Festival, let alone that they’d have given us 13 wonderfully consistent albums in that stretch (including the latest, Fade).

Despite one’s familiarity with the band in its many incarnations, there’s plenty to learn in these pages. Not that these musicians are especially forthcoming: Kaplan and Hubley never have been big talkers, and they’re never more reticent than when chatting about themselves. Yet Jarnow knew that in some ways, they’d be the least interesting part of their own biography, and a more colorful, less Everyman band might only have distracted from the bigger story of indie-rock as it morphed and developed (for better or worse) from the nascent days of post-punk fanzines and college radio stations to Pitchfork, podcasts, and corporations looking for cool tracks to pilfer for TV commercials.

Follow me on Twitter @JimDeRogatis or join me on Facebook at Jim DeRo.

Chicagoans prep for massive 'civic hackathon'

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:27:00 -0500

Day 2 of jury deliberations at Trump trial

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:40:00 -0500

Jurors are into their second day of deliberations at a civil trial in Chicago where an 87-year-old grandmother alleges Donald Trump cheated her in a condominium deal.

The federal jury resumed deliberations on Thursday. After closing arguments Wednesday, jurors deliberated for 90 minutes before heading home.

Jacqueline Goldberg is seeking damages totaling around $6 million. If jurors decide Trump defrauded Goldberg, they'll have to decide how much money to award her.

The case focuses on the glitzy Trump International Hotel & Tower near Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago.

Goldberg alleges the "Apprentice" star wooed her into buying properties by promising her a profit-sharing plan, then reneged after she committed to buy.

Trump's lawyers say she signed a contract giving Trump rights to cancel the offer whenever he saw fit.

Illinois lawmakers vote to remove limits on TANF recipients’ assets

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:04:00 -0500

In Illinois, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients cannot have more than $3,000 in assets for a family of three. Assets include college savings accounts, emergency funds and second cars.

The Heartlands Alliance’s Lucy Mullany coordinates the Illinois Asset Building Group, an organization that was key in pushing the bill through.

“A lot of research shows that any asset test makes families feel they can’t save anything,” Mullany said.

She says that is confusing for families who are told saving will help them escape poverty.

Opponents of the bill argue that current limits ensure that the state only spends money to support people who really need it.

But Mullany says other restrictions since welfare reform ensure only the poorest of the poor are on TANF and eliminating the asset test will save money. She says last year, Illinois spent nearly a million dollars to enforce the asset test. But they only found eight people who were over the limit and some of those were only over by a few hundred dollars.

The bill is now on its way to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk.

Shannon Heffernan is a WBEZ reporter. Follow her @shannon_h

What are we going to do about 51st Street?

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:00:00 -0500

When the Orange Line was built in 1993, the planners left an opening in the ‘L’ structure to accommodate a future extension of 51^st Street. Twenty years later, that opening is still there, still awaiting the extension of 51^st Street.

If you’re familiar with the South Side, you know that 51^st Street is a major half-section street. It carries significant traffic from the lake (where it’s called Hyde Park Boulevard) straight through to Kedzie. West of Kedzie, 51^st gradually trickles into a minor side-street until it stops at Harding, just short of the Orange Line viaduct and Pulaski Road.

A 1902 city map shows 51^st continuing to an intersection with Crawford (Pulaski). But shortly afterward the Belt Railway constructed a spur track through the area, cutting off 51^st a block short of Crawford. Since this was a remote part of the city, closing the street didn't matter very much.

By the 1930s the West Elsdon neighborhood was growing up. A streetcar ran on 51^st as far west as Lawndale. Plans were being made to elevate the Belt Railway. Then 51^st and its car line could be extended, perhaps all the way to Cicero Avenue.

More years pass. The 51^st Street streetcar gives way to the trolley bus, and eventually the diesel bus. More houses are built, but a Belt Railway viaduct isn’t. The barrier is still there, and 51^st remains a local street.

Curie High School opens. There’s again talk about elevating the Belt Railway tracks and extending 51^st, so the bus line can serve the new school. Nothing happens.

The Orange Line is built. The planners leave that gap in the ‘L’ structure. Now the railroad tracks will surely be elevated, and the bus run through to the Pulaski-51^st station. Nothing happens—and the bus line is cut back to serve the Kedzie-49^th station.

Will 51^st Street ever be extended to Pulaski? Perhaps it should be kept the way it is. Archer Avenue passes through just to the north. Adding another arterial street to the area could cause traffic headaches.

Still, the opening in the ‘L’ is there in case the city ever changes its mind.

U.S. Rep. Quigley floats bill to curb bird building collisions

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:44:00 -0500

When Columbia College called on Gensler to restore a historic Michigan Avenue façade, the design team put a bird on it.

They had previously discussed Chicago’s problem with bird collisions — due to the city’s location amid many major migratory routes, Chicago’s skyline kills more birds than any other in the country — but abandoned the idea of plastering a classic Michigan Avenue address with conspicuous bird decals. Instead of dots and lines comprising the frit pattern, they asked, what about stylized bird pictograms?

“At first we were just playing with it, but it turned out to be a really functional, practical way of depicting the image of the old building,” said the firm’s Chicago design leader Elva Rubio.

The goal, Rubio said, was to create an abstracted “ghost” image of the building’s original terra cotta facade using a pattern of pixels.

“Your eye doesn’t even catch the bird,” Rubio said.

But they hope the pattern will catch the eyes of migrating birds. Gensler’s own windows in the nearby Carson Pirie Scott building served as the test kitchen, playing host to more than 50 mock-ups refined using a computational program developed in-house.

U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) wants to require all federal buildings to explore such bird-safe materials and design features. The Federal Bird-Safe Buildings Act, introduced Wednesday, calls for each federal public building constructed, acquired, or altered by the General Services Administration to “incorporate, to the maximum extent possible, bird-safe building materials and design features.”

As “the nation's largest landlord,” the GSA could make a dent on the considerable problem of bird collisions. The American Bird Conservancy estimates between 300 million and one billion birds, both resident and migratory, die each year after hurtling into buildings.

Quigley’s office said birding generates some $4.4 billion in federal tax revenues, and is responsible for roughly 670,000 jobs. The new bill, which follows an ill-fated 2011 measure by the same name, has been deemed cost-neutral by the Congressional Budget Office.

When he was a Cook County Commissioner, Quigley sponsored legislation in 2008 that codified bird-friendly building guidelines. Quigley, who taught environmental policy at Loyola University and bikes to work at the Capitol, recently gained a seat on the influential House Appropriations Committee.

“I’m in a good position to help at the worst possible time,” he told scientists at the Chicago Botanic Garden during a “climate tour” of the Chicago area earlier this month. Climate science deniers have obstructed environmental legislation, he said, so far squandering Congress' chance to address the global problem through legislation.

“I’m convinced that if it didn’t agree with their policy subset,” Quigley said later during that tour, “[the people I serve with] wouldn’t believe in gravity.”

As Lori Rotenberk wrote for Grist, birds appear to be migrating sooner and even getting smaller — possibly adaptations to global warming. The source of that data? A library of bird carcasses recovered by the Chicago Bird Collisison Monitors.

Chris Bentley writes about the environment for WBEZ. Follow him @cementley.

DePaul study calls for end to FAA electronics ban

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:40:00 -0500

More and more airline travelers have their eyes and fingers glued to tablets and e-readers, according to a study released Wednesday from DePaul University, leading authors of the research to call for an end to the ban on electronic devices during takeoffs and landings.

According to the study out of the university’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, once an airplane has reached the required altitude, more than 35 percent of travelers are switching on electronic devices at any random time during the flight -- up from around 18 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, the growth of tablet or e-reader usage is even higher: The research says one in nine passengers on an airplane are tapping and reading away while traveling.

Transportation expert and study author Joseph Schwieterman said for the sake of all these tech-savvy travelers and the airlines they fly, the Federal Aviation Administration needs to drop their electronics ban during takeoffs and landings.

“You know, airlines are paying big bucks to outfit their airlines with Wi-Fi and some have tablet rental programs and back-of-seat screens you can plug your devices into,” Schwieterman said, “And those devices on short flights are 50 percent useless because so much of the flight’s consumed by the ban.”

Schwieterman says the FAA hasn’t released any evidence that shows why using these devices could be risky during takeoff or landing. By his numbers, the ban is keeping airline travelers off their electronics for over 100 million hours in 2013.

Meanwhile, the FAA says they brought together a group of technical experts, aircraft manufacturers and others from the electronics industry in January to explore which forms of technology could be safe to use. Spokeswoman Alison Duquette said the group should finish their work sometime this summer, then the FAA will review the results.

—Lauren Chooljian is WBEZ’s Morning Producer/Reporter web producer. Follow her @laurenchooljian

Gay rights groups bristle at being excluded from immigration bill

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:33:00 -0500

Some Illinois gay rights advocates say they feel betrayed by their Democratic allies because same-sex couples aren’t legally recognized in an immigration overhaul bill that’s headed to the floor of the U.S. Senate next month.

The provision to recognize so-called bi-national same-sex couples was dropped from the bill at the last minute on Tuesday, just before it was approved, 13 to 5, by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Some Senate Republicans had warned the amendment would sink the larger immigration bill. That apparently prompted some Democrats who traditionally back gay rights issues, including Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, to urge his colleagues to leave the language relating to gay couples out of the bill.

"I believe in my heart of hearts that what you're doing is the right and just thing," Durbin said at Tuesday’s hearing. "But I believe this is the wrong moment, that this is the wrong bill."

Recognition of a same-sex relationship in federal immigration law would mean that marriage or civil unions could be grounds to grant legal status to an immigrant spouse, or to prevent their deportation. Federal law currently defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, although the U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing the issue.

Its exclusion from the Senate bill, after months of lobbying lawmakers, prompted a backlash from Illinois gay rights advocates.

“My initial reaction is anger. Anger that, again, we get scapegoated,” said Julio Rodriguez, chair of the LGBTQ Immigrant Rights Coalition of Chicago.

“That’s not only a tragedy, but I think it’s a sad statement on the part of our allies, and the relationships that I think we believed that we had,” Rodriguez said.

Despite the setback, activists will continue to lobby lawmakers to include recognition for gay couples in a later amendment to the bill in the Democrat-led U.S. Senate, said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, the state’s largest gay rights advocacy group.

“This is the right bill and this is the right time,” Cherkasov said Wednesday. “You know, this is a comprehensive immigration reform. This could be the only chance we have in a decade, if not in a generation, to fix all the problems of our broken immigration system.”

The pressure from gay rights groups puts Illinois’ two senators in a difficult political position. Durbin is a liberal Democrat who has traditionally enjoyed support from the gay rights community, and Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk recently bucked his own party to announce his support for same-sex marriage.

But Durbin didn’t immediately respond to WBEZ’s interview request Wednesday. And Kirk’s office declined to comment on whether he supports recognition of same-sex couples, saying that he’s still reviewing the bill.

The news comes as a blow to the estimated 267,000 gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, according to one recent study.

The lack of legal recognition puts that group in limbo, said Phillip Knoll, a 31-year-old Chicagoan who has been dating his boyfriend, who came to the United States from Singapore on a student visa, for the last five years. The legal uncertainty makes it hard to plan for their future together, Knoll said.

“It’s weird to have to consider whether or not you’re able to make the sort of decision that’s really personal, and that something political has to happen first,” Knoll said. “I think that’s an odd way to think of yourself.”

Still, Knoll said he and his partner remain optimistic that they’ll stay together geographically. But down the road, Knoll said his boyfriend’s immigration status could affect their decision to marry – or even to leave the U.S.

“And it would feel like getting pushed out, right?” Knoll said.” I think it would feel like we were not welcome in the country [where] I was born, and in a country that he’s been welcome as a student. Why can’t he stay and contribute?”

Alex Keefe is a WBEZ political reporter. Follow him @akeefe

Rebuilding after a tornado, branch by branch

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:15:00 -0500

Having grown up in Tornado Alley, my husband and I both learned from a young age what to do when the tornado sirens go off. But no drill, no practice prepares you for the devastation a tornado can bring.

It was two years ago today that Joplin, Missouri experienced the deadliest tornado to hit the United States since 1947. Though we had seen images on TV and spoken on the phone with family and friends, seeing the destruction in person was surreal. It looked like a bomb had been dropped in the middle of this quiet Midwestern community.

And for me, one of the most scarring sights was the massive loss of trees.

Growing up on the prairie you have a special appreciation for trees. They are landmarks. They carry history. They offer crucial shade on hot summer days and protect the environment from soil and wind erosion. These seemingly broken, bark-stripped and uprooted trees had been a part of people’s lives for generations, always around. Their loss caused psychological and emotional damage, forever changing the landscape of Joplin and the hearts of its residents.

I thought of my husband. Of his childhood in Joplin. Of how dramatically this place had been changed in an instant. Of what my sons would never see.

It was now clearer to me than ever before: money couldn't fix this. Money couldn't bring back these ancient trees. But new trees could be replanted. We could help with the rebuilding and support those who were committed to bringing back the community they once knew, including the trees.

So within days, we set up a fund, thanks to the Missouri Conservation Foundation.

It’s estimated over 1,000 new trees have now been planted. Many of these were distributed to families to replant in their own yards because a local naturalist group thought it necessary to focus on neighborhoods.

Recently, a Joplin native sent a grateful note. He said that the new trees this summer would mean Joplin children would again hear the cicadas. Have a safe base playing tag. That families, schools, and communities centers in the devastated areas enjoyed a sense of community pride from their efforts to bring back the peaceful landscape they so tragically lost.

On our most recent visit, we saw a community that continues to heal. It will take a long time for the horizon to look as it once did, but progress continues. As I watched my sons run and play I got a glimpse of what recovery will bring. Trees are something we share. And I will enjoy watching these new trees grow, knowing someday they will again provide shade.

Breeze Richardson is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at WBEZ, overseeing the station’s community engagement initiatives. Her husband is a native of Joplin and just days after the tornado the family traveled there. The Tree Planting Fund was established thanks to the Missouri Conservation Foundation and planting was overseen by the staff of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Chicago Bears' Brian Urlacher announces his retirement

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:45:00 -0500

Brian Urlacher wasn't sure how dominant he could be any longer, so he's calling it a career after 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears.

And what a career it was:

—Eight Pro Bowl seasons;

—Defensive Player of the Year in 2005

—A trip to the Super Bowl as 2006 NFC champion.

And now, it's over. The eight-time Pro Bowler announced his retirement through social media accounts Wednesday.

"After spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a decision to retire," Urlacher said in a statement. "Although I could continue playing, I'm not sure I would bring a level of performance or passion that's up to my standards. When considering this, along with the fact that I could retire after a 13-year career wearing only one jersey for such a storied franchise, my decision became pretty clear.

"I want to thank all of the people in my life that have helped me along the way. I will miss my teammates, my coaches and the great Bears fans. I'm proud to say that I gave all of you everything I had every time I took the field. I will miss this great game, but I leave it with no regrets."

Urlacher was the face of the Bears, and he ranks among the best middle linebackers to suit up for a franchise with an impressive list that includes Hall of Famers Bill George, Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary.

"Great player... Great teammate... Awesome person!!!!" receiver Earl Bennett wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

In March, Urlacher and the Bears were unable to reach a contract agreement and he became a free agent.

He started 180 games from 2000-2012, and made a team-record 1,779 tackles. He has 41 1/2, 22 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries and 11 forced fumbles.

Last year, he was slowed by a knee problem and then missed the final four games with a hamstring injury.

Urlacher had posted pictures on Twitter indicating he was working his way back into shape before the split with the Bears. But when they announced he would not be back, it was hardly a surprise.

Urlacher told the team's flagship radio station at the time that he was not shocked and the offer he received was "more like an ultimatum" in which they were telling him, "Sign this contract or we are going to move on."

The split with Urlacher was just one of many moves in a busy offseason for the Bears.

They fired coach Lovie Smith after a second straight late collapse left them out of the playoffs for the fifth time in six years, even though they did finish with 10 wins.

They replaced him with the offensive-minded Marc Trestman, hoping he could get the most out of quarterback Jay Cutler, and revamped their offensive line.

On defense, the only starting linebacker returning is Lance Briggs. Veteran free agent acquisition D.J. Williams and second-round draft pick Jon Bostic are expected to compete for the middle linebacker job with Urlacher gone.

A safety with lightning speed when he was drafted out of New Mexico, the 6-foot-4 Urlacher initially lined up at strong side linebacker for the Bears, but lost the job to Roosevelt Colvin. He made the switch to middle linebacker during his first season when Barry Minter was injured, and went on to become the 2000 Defensive Rookie of the Year, the start of a long run that saw him anchor a defense that consistently ranked among the league's best.

But he clearly wasn't his old self last year. The speed and quickness that allowed him to wreak havoc for years simply wasn't there.

Urlacher sprained his medial collateral ligament and partially sprained the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the 2011 regular-season finale against Minnesota, He hasn't been the same since then.

He barely participated in training camp, had an arthroscopic procedure in mid-August to relieve the swelling, and spent most of the season trying to regain his old form.

Then, he came up lame in coverage on the second-to-last snap of the Bears' overtime loss to Seattle in early December, an injury that ended his season and, ultimately, his career.