Fire in the Disco

Photos by Brian Jacobson + Eric Walton “Everyone calls me a magician. I don’t mind it so much, but – at least get it right.” If you’ve lived through a summer in Milwaukee and you’re not a total shut-in, you’ve probably seen Marcus Monroe – he’s hard to miss on his eight-foot unicycle, juggling knives taped to torches (the “knorch,” Marcus’ own invention) with a firecracker strapped to a helmet on his head. The extreme juggler and performance artist has been a fixture on the local festival circuit since he was a teenager. In 2004, Marcus moved to New York City to start his career as an entertainer and it’s been nothing but rock star success ever since – taking the stage at all hours of the night at NYC “playgrounds for billionaires,” opening for Cake and Talib Kweli, traveling the world with a knock-off Louis Vutton bag of juggling clubs and living with two other jugglers in a “fun house” apartment in the big city. But he’s more than just a certified phenom with a pretty face: the magnetic Marcus Monroe, a 23-year-old Milwaukee native, wants you to experience juggling like you have never experienced it before. He wants to make it fresh. He wants to make it hot. He wants to change it – forever. As a kid, Marcus “was kind of the goofy juggler,” he says. “But I wanted to appeal to a mass market. I wanted to start a new style of juggling … not the traditional sequined vest, crazy, ridiculous suits, colorful ties. I realized that there are no rules. I’m my own boss. I started dressing the way I would want to see a juggler dress. I wore what Justin Timberlake was wearing. I watched pop concerts to see what Usher was wearing and asked, how can this work on me? “I looked good. And the juggling was good.” JUGGLE FEVER When he was nine, Marcus saw one of his schoolmates juggle in a talent show – “just three balls, very poorly when I think about it,” he says. “But it was so inspiring to think about, someone that young … just a kid … juggling.” He spent that whole summer with his father learning the skill. “It took me so long, but my dad and I were so into it. I surrounded myself with everything juggling. I went to juggling clubs at UWM, started going to conventions, buying books on juggling, performing, videos – I didn’t care about school. I wanted to focus on juggling and performing.” His first performance – in overalls and a polka dot shirt, juggling to “Closer to Free” by the BoDeans on a boom box – was in fifth grade at the school talent show. Less than a year later, he was juggling at block parties, birthday parties, fairs and festivals. In high school he got a gig at Park Bar opening for bands, juggling fire, knives and glow-in-the-dark hoops. It attracted him a gathering of fans from […]

Calatrava’s Wings Get Clipped in NY

Santiago Calatrava’s design for the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Quadracci Pavilion (known to most locals as simply The Calatrava) has had an unquestionably transformative effect on our city’s urban landscape. This super-modern, sleek structure helped catapult Milwaukee into the new century. Though not of Milwaukee, Calatrava lent his brilliance, prestige and audacity to our city and we’ve embraced his design as the symbol of how we present ourselves to the world. It was only a matter of time before another high-profile Calatrava project usurped our unique relationship with the architect. His design for the new transit center at the site of the decimated World Trade Center promises to take Calatrava’s fame up a notch and supplant MAM’s position as the highest profile example of his work in this country. So perhaps Milwaukeeans will be excused for feeling a bit of schaudenfrade at the cost overruns and artistic compromises that the New York project is facing. These challenges will be familiar to those who have followed Calatrava’s career and the chances are good that the result will still be spectacular. Only time will tell, of course. But the guy sure knows how to get your attention. Avert your eyes at your own risk.

Mavericks and leaders

There are only three paths in life for a free spirit: lazy dreamer, maverick and leader. Of course there’s a fourth option, and one that many attempt – some to the end of their days – avoidance of embracing one’s true nature. The strongest of these reassure themselves that they’re “doing the right thing” by attaining middle management status so their kids can have the opportunities they didn’t (though I believe this is a myth, and that foregoing your own fulfillment sets a terrible example). Others spend their lives bouncing from job to job, looking for that magical situation in which they can finally be happy. But for those who recognize their own nature and acknowledge its calling, none of the choices are easy (assuming the absence of a trust fund). Lazy dreamer is the most attractive option for the young. Life is simple: when you have ten bucks, you get three beers at your corner bar. You might have a guitar, or a cat, or a collection of first edition Raymond Carver hardbacks – things you cherish not for their material value, but because they’re special to you. You’re probably satisfactorily under-employed somewhere that offers a flexible schedule. Your friends are artists and activists, and collectively you reinforce each others’ belief in simple pleasures and the evils of material enslavement. It’s a good life for awhile, and some folks keep with it all of their days. For others, there comes a time – typically in one’s late 20s or early 30s – when la vie bohème loses its charm. You may want to set up house with your baby, you might be tired of being broke all the time or perhaps you’re simply sick of hearing that you’re a chronic fuck-up. At this disheartening fork in the road, there are two paths: the aforementioned denial of your nature (at least temporarily) or the reinvention of yourself as a maverick. Mavericks are the mythic darlings of American culture. They work tirelessly in pursuit of their personal goals while bowing to no man; they are the innovators, the self-made millionaires, the rock stars. They don’t punch a time clock. For hard-working free spirits, this is probably the best life imaginable. It’s helpful to have an in-demand business skill you can hone into a personal empire, but even if you don’t you can dedicate yourself to becoming a skilled artisan and make a nice living while maintaining your independence. One thing not taught in maverick school, though, is the catch: the successful ones will find themselves at another fork in the road, and they’ll have to make a choice: to stay free and accept the limits of the one-man band, or to build something larger than one person can achieve. It’s the very definition of irony. While mavericks enjoy (immensely, really) widespread fraternity with other mavericks, with the people for whom they provide services and with any envious joe they find on a barstool at 5:30 on a Friday night with their […]

Steady

Kareem Abdul Jablog

Whenever I think my life is way too hectic (… and fun!) to even consider keeping a robust and regularly updated blog, it pays to stumble across the blogs of giants. And by giants I mean people who have far less free time, and many more important things to do, than me. While I flirt my way around town, catching record spins at the Y-Not 3 and biking to Bradford Beach to play bocce ball, there are legendary people in very high places with estimable responsibilities turning the heavy cogs of society, attending many dignified functions, allocating finances, raising families, building important structures either tangible or conceptual, WHO STILL FIND TIME TO BLOG. Today I got a press release from the good people at the American Library Association, who want me to know that their spokesperson for September’s 2008 National Library Card Sign-Up Month is none other than … KAREEM ABDUL JABBAR! I love him. And now I’ve discovered his blog, a very thoughtful and thorough compendium of Kareem’s thoughts about basketball (mostly), the Harlem Renaissance, jazz music, Dubai, the death penalty, boycotting the Olympics, and books and records he likes. Reading it, I feel like we’re friends. I feel like he’s my smart, charming, intellectually curious and NBA all-time lead scoring uncle, and I just want to hang out with him and talk about how we feel about the world. So take it from Kareem. Go get a library card, so you can learn things, think about things, and then write blogs about them. Then go play some bocce ball.

Reasons to vote Republican

Dancing Queens

The Tuckers and the Tomaszeks have decided to learn the Cotton Eyed Joe before July 4th. We started today, dancing and laughing our tails off in the living room. To be clear, we are not good dancers. We might be weaker dancers than we are singers – and for anyone who has heard the tribe belt out Buttercup, you know that’s saying something. But we’re learning it anyway, because we think it will be a hoot to do at the annual Fourth of July cookout. If anyone wants to come practice with us, you’re welcome to do so. I promise you’ll have a good time.

Summer days, summer nights with De La Buena

By Amy Elliott and Amber Herzog De La Buena is: David Wake, Cecilio Negron Jr., Andy Noble, Julio Pabon, Aaron Gardner, Eric Jacobson, Mike Pauers, Jesse Sheehan, Holly Haebig, Elladia Regina James Wake (De La Baby). Not pictured: Jeremy Kuzniar, Jamie Breiwick. Ready for festival season? We sure are, especially because it inevitably means the return of De La Buena, one of Milwaukee’s most distinctive party bands. We sat down with band leader David Wake waaaaay back in February after they played a smashing set at the City of Milwaukee Birthday Party. We thought you might like to hear more about them now, though, since it’s sunny, hot, and everyone’s ready to salsa. Viva De La Buena! And read on … Ed. Describe the sound of De La Buena. In simple terms, De La Buena is a sophisticated dance band. First and foremost, we’re a Latin Jazz band, but we are no doubt influenced by the traditions of Salsa and Samba infused by the great bands of the 1960s and ’70s coming out of New York, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Cuba. We have a big sound that includes a four-to-five-piece horn section, Hammond organ, bass, and three percussionists (one of which is a kit drummer). The instrumentation we employ stretches beyond tradition and allows us the freedom to step into other realms of musical and artistic expression. Obviously, De La Buena is a large band full of musicians from eclectic backgrounds. Where do they come from, how did they come to De La Buena, and what do they bring the project? The band shares a very strong family bond and we’re family people who take their art and their craft seriously. Most of us inherited a deeply rooted love of Latin music from our families, and have the ability to stay true to that history and those traditions without becoming predictable. We love to have fun and make music, but we also want to put out music that has integrity and taste. What’s the appeal of the music you play – for you and for your fans? We bring something for both body and mind. People come to the shows to listen, and people come to the shows to dance. Folks really seem to love a big band with a big sound and they know that when they come to a De La Buena show, it will be a culturally diverse scene, especially in a town so infamous for its segregation. For the band, our appeal lies somewhere between tradition and innovation. We learn about and share the history of Latin music, but always leave room for innovation and new ideas. How has the band grown and changed over the past five years? We started as a trio. Adding a drummer, a tenor saxophonist, and a trumpet was another, more improvisational phase of the band—a period of discovery. Our songs consisted of much less organized ideas and grooves that we would use as launch pads for improvisational explorations. Our album, […]

Insurgent Theatre needs your old junk!

Insurgent Theatre ain’t too proud to beg cuz their commitment to re-use, re-cycling, and re-ally affordable theater is more important than their pride. Here is a list of materials needed for their ambitious summer plans (check out insurgenttheatre.org to see what those plans are): RAW MATERIALS -1 x 4 lumber, lots of it. Approx 4 ft lengths or longer -4″ diameter PVC pipe, we need 11 ten foot lengths. -4″ PVC couplers, right angles, three sides, T-bones, etc -Duct tape -electrical tape -loose pin hinges (common door hinges) -silver paint that will stick to PVC -8 to 10 yards heavy white fabric (for sewing into costumes) SET PIECES (LARGE PROPS) -a cot that folds up real small and brings the sleeper at least 12 inches off the floor. -two identically matching desks, either white, or can be painted white, with drawer -two identically matching straight back armless chairs, also white or paintable, should look okay with the desks -2 rolling office chairs PROPS -2 matching unbreakable white dinner plates -2 fake sniper rifles -How-To books about basic electrical work, demolitions, or hand to hand combat. Especially with large audience-readable titles on them. -shiny wrapping paper, to wrap a box the size of a hatbox or large shoe box -4 large heavy duty canvas sacks, no printing on them -4 inflatable pillows (to go inside the sacks and make them look full) -old paint rollers/brushes -an old, non-working cell phone COSTUMES -2 50’s style men’s suits (sizes TBA) -black button up shirts -black beret -2 identical pair white high heel shoes, size 8 and 9. -6 mother of pearl buttons -2 pair nylons -2 identical pair white button earrings – fashionable medium to small sized long raincoat, film noir-ish. If you’ve got this stuff laying around, or know how to get it cheaper than normal, please call Rex at 414.305.9832!

Incredible Hulk Review

Branson Joke Reel

After the Deluge

The good news is that nobody appears to have died as a result of the cataclysmic amount of water that fell from the sky on Wisconsin since Friday. So it may be hyperbole to compare this weekend’s natural disaster with the horrible devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 as well as the tsunami, the cyclone and the earthquake that took untold thousands of lives around the world in recent memory. But seeing homes collapse in a matter of seconds and hearing people weep that all of their worldly possessions were lost brought to mind the overwhelming force of nature that is common to all of these events. The other theme that connects these disasters is the important role that government plays to anticipate these catastrophes to the extent possible and move quickly and effectively to direct resources to help the people affected and to restore the services necessary to return lives to normal. In a perfect world politics would have no place following such disasters. Certainly, everyone can agree that this is a basic function of government regardless of party or political persuasion. But this is not a perfect world as the image broadcast by ABC World News Tonight last night of Gov. Jim Doyle speaking in Oak Creek with Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker by his side made perfectly clear. Walker’s commitment to shrinking government may be popular on election day but it doesn’t do much good when citizens are desperately in need of help. For Walker to nod in agreement as Doyle called attention to how the rains destroyed property from the Mississippi River to Lake Wisconsin took an amazing amount of gall. Walker has been an outspoken advocate of privatizing government services to the extent that he is open to the suggestion to transfer everything that the county does to local and state agencies and private contractors. Why don’t we just bring in the infamous Mike Brown to manage this cleanup? Brown, you will recall, was President Bush’s appointee to head the federal Emergency Management Agency which was such a phenomenal failure following Katrina. It is important to note that FEMA was an extraordinarily effective agency under President Clinton. Bush came into office pledging to restore dignity to The White House. If only. Under his leadership we have witnessed travesties foreign and domestic. While Republicans made much of Clinton’s personal peccadilloes and his propensity to let contributors bunk in the Lincoln Bedroom, who doesn’t pine for the days when our federal government took its responsibilities seriously? Just today a new report is out detailing how Bush officials bent over to accommodate uberlobbyist, and now convicted felon, Jack Abramoff. They say Wisconsin is a critical swing state and that both Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama will be fighting tooth and nail for our 11 electoral votes. They say McCain will be struggling to distance himself from the current occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But what are we to think when he comes to town and Scott Walker […]