The Truth (With Jokes)

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The Dead in Our Clouds

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TransAmerica

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Studs Terkel

By Paul Snyder Studs Terkel can talk. This is unsurprising to those familiar with the Chicago legend’s broadcast career. Terkel’s voice could be heard on radio waves in the City of Big Shoulders as far back as the 1930s, when he would provide dialogue for soap operas and announce news and sporting events to the city. One of the most eclectic and enjoyable disc jockeys on the air, his award-winning Studs Terkel Program aired until 1997. There was also a short-lived TV show in the 1950s, called Studs’ Place. But his wider audience may know him mostly for his books. Required reading in assorted classrooms throughout the United States, Terkel’s print work expanded his audience from one city to the entire nation, and established him as a preeminent voice in the American oral history genre. Titles like Working, Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression and The Great Divide: Second Thoughts on the American Dream exposed readers to stories of the common man and told about our country’s history from the eyes and mouths of those who lived it. Terkel was 44 when his first book, Giants of Jazz, was published in 1956. Now 93, he has just released And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey, to positive reviews. It’s ridiculously difficult to avoid clichés like “full circle,” but it seems more than apropos that a half-century’s worth of published work is book-ended by two volumes on one of the man’s deepest passions – music. And They All Sang chronicles Terkel’s time behind the mic hosting The Wax Museum, his radio show that debuted in 1945 and explored all genres of music. Interviews range from Edith Mason to Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin to Louis Armstrong, and Dizzy Gillespie to Ravi Shankar. But those are the big names. Mention one of music’s unsung heroes, and Terkel raves like your best friend trying to turn you on to this great new album he’s just heard. Take Bill Broonzy, for instance… “Big Bill Broonzy!” he exclaims. “Oh, he was wonderful! You like him? He’s an underestimated blues singer of our time, and none of the guys ever mention him. I’m glad you did. That was his farewell song that he did on my program. He was saying goodbye to all his friends. That was a wonderful one. Boy, you’ve got good taste.” In reading Terkel’s interview with Broonzy, one can almost imagine high school teachers and college professors poring over the socially-conscious undertones of the interview for history lessons. It took place shortly before Broonzy’s death and found the artist musing on the new sensation of rock & roll and white folks essentially pilfering this old black music. Though the interview was far from containing hostile overtones (much less undertones), it is ironic to note Broonzy’s reflection on how much money and notoriety white folks were getting from playing the blues. Though considered highly influential in the music industry, even name-checked by George Harrison in his 1987 song, […]

The Gift of Wine

By Nathan Norfolk During holiday crunch time, wine makes a perfect gift. Wine is festive and especially suited for celebrations. And it’s always great for that last minute what-do-I-get-my-boss-or-my-uncle situation. If you don’t know anything about wine, don’t be afraid to ask a wine merchant for advice. They want you to come back and buy wine at their store again so you can feel at ease in trusting their advice. Just tell them your budget and be firm about it. You can even be cheap. There are hundreds of great wines that retail for less than 20 dollars, and there are many that are simply good for less than 10 dollars. If gift wrapping strikes fear into your heart, you can easily just slip a bow on the bottle. Most retailers also carry a plethora of decorative bags  made solely for gift giving. If you’re paranoid about getting just the right wine for a gift, here are a few simple guidelines. First, get something different. The big California wine brands already get everyone’s attention. A decent merchant will steer you clear of all the normal impulse wine buys you could get at any grocery store. There are many good wines at every imaginable price point, so that avoiding the Beringers and the Kendall-Jacksons of this world should be easy. Second, if you are going to buy someone a gift, you may as well get one for yourself. This may sound self-indulgent, but when do you have a better excuse to treat yourself than the holidays? Try the wine out and see what you think. This will give you the ability to a give a gift that is that much more personal. If you don’t like the wine, don’t give it as a gift (or at least don’t give it to anyone you really like). If you do like it, share your thoughts on the wine with the recipient. No one will think you’re cheap if you just give one bottle. In the best-case scenario you can cater to someone’s wine desires, but if you don’t know what they like here are a few safe suggestions at a variety of prices. • The real deal French Champagne starts at about $30 a bottle. No other wine is quite as elegant or appropriate for the holidays. Most of them will have the word “Brut” prominently displayed on the label. This indicates that the Champagne will be bone-dry. If you seek something a bit fruitier, look for Extra-Dry or Demi-Sec styles. A great budget Champagne is the non-vintage Duval-Leroy. • For those with Champagne taste and a beer budget, there are plenty of sparkling wines in the eight-to-20 dollar category. Sparkling wine simply refers to any wine with bubbles that isn’t made in the Champagne region of France. Italian Prosecco is bit more floral and fruity than Champagne and typically about half the price. Two great producers of Prosecco are Jeio and Zardetto, both retail for less than $15. • If you think […]

December 2005

By Jon Anne Willow Dear Readers, This is something every American should see. Gyeongju, Republic of KoreaNovember 17, 2005, 12:15 p.m. local timeTranscript excerpt from press conference with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun Q: Mr. President, Vice President Cheney called it reprehensible for critics to question how you took the country to war, but Senator Hagel says it’s patriotic to ask those kinds of questions. Who do you think is right? BUSH: The Vice President. Q: Why? BUSH: Well, look, ours is a country where people ought to be able to disagree, and I expect there to be criticism. But when Democrats say that I deliberately misled the Congress and the people, that’s irresponsible… It’s irresponsible to use politics. This is serious business making – winning this war. But it’s irresponsible to do what they’ve done. So I agree with the Vice President. . . . ME: He must be kidding. He is kidding, right? Dissent is “using politics?” Even more laughable, when did the Bush administration grow averse to the practice? Anyone remember Bill Frist’s crocodile tears on the Senate floor over Terry Schiavo? How about Libby and Rove dropping the dime on Joe Wilson’s wife when his weapons investigation didn’t come back from Africa as instructed? We could sit around all day thinking of more examples, but let’s not. The holidays are stressful enough without rehashing our national shame. Bush’s words have already been all but washed away by Rep. Murtha’s call for withdrawal from Iraq and the Republicans’ subsequent quashing of that resolution, as well as by the president’s free-falling approval ratings, but his statement is an event of major significance. It may not be news, per se, but to hear the words spoken plainly, in front of an international audience, should at least piss you off and embarass you on behalf of your country, regardless of your party affiliation. In this month’s “We The People” (p. 31), Phil Walzak takes up another aspect of the partisan struggle. So-called “liberals” are angry with current policies that favor war, bloat the national debt and prey on the vulnerable, and yet they (we) continue to offer no alternate plan, disagreeing over details and letting conservative strategists frame the debate. We all know this, but it’s crucial we knock it off right now. Can we put our differences aside, even if only long enough to take up the mantle of responsible governance? Are we really so willing to risk our very democracy that we can’t unify on key issues? Some say the beauty of liberalism is its plurality of ideas, and this is certainly true, but when one faction seeks to undermine the very tenets of our nation, it is the sworn duty of the other(s) to defend them, and to build bipartisan alliances with others who hold the same belief. Oppression is not inevitable. We can restore our lost principles. But we have to call it like we see it and not turn away because it seems scary and […]

By Lucky Tomaszek When I mention I’m a writer, I find that lots of people have a novel brewing in the back of their heads. They’ve been picking at it for years, sometimes; waiting for the time, the talent or the wherewithal to sit down and commit it to paper. Some have well thought-out plot lines and characters, while others have a rough idea of what they want to say and how they want to say it. But regardless of where they are in the internal planning stage, most shrug it off as another thing they’ll probably never do. I am one of these people! Or, at least, I was. I’ve been writing this column for over two and a half years. Additionally, I’ve written articles for professional journals and some short stories for myself and my friends. But a whole novel? What an overwhelming concept! I have kids and work and volunteer responsibilities. Would I have enough to say? And what would I do with it if I ever did manage to finish it? Building character.About a year ago, I overheard an offhand comment while I was sitting at Bremen Café. And in that one comment the idea for an entire book sprang into my mind. I tried to give the idea away to several other writers, and even an independent filmmaker friend. I tried to push it down and out of my head, but it kept percolating. Still, it wasn’t something I was willing to take on myself. I had an image in my mind of stacks and stacks of dusty, unfinished manuscripts littering my little flat, serving as another reminder that I sometimes have a hard time finishing what I’ve started. Then I heard about NaNoWriMo. It’s short for National Novel Writing Month and it happens every November. Last year about 42,000 people sat down with the goal of writing 50,000 words in thirty days; approximately 6,000 of them succeeded. The NaNo participants I met online said it was one of the most rewarding writing experiences of their lives. They had to push through all their own hang-ups and just write. Edit later, fret and panic later; write NOW! The support of writing with a group of people helped, too. The idea appealed to me. It had two of my best enticements to productivity; a firm deadline and social activity. I was nervous because November is always hectic, but every other month is really just as crazy when you look closely. Fifty thousand words seems like a lot to pound out in a month, but when I broke it down it was really 1,667 words per day. That didn’t sound so bad. I considered it for several months, worried about the toll it would take on my family life. When I’m on a writing tear I can get pretty focused on my keyboard. My kids aren’t babies anymore at five, seven and ten, but they’re young enough to need my attention for a large portion of every […]