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We turned the tables, or the mics, on Steve Edwards this past Friday at The Interview Show. Here, Steve talks about his love for public radio, his history at WBEZ and, of course, his new show, Afternoon Shift. (Note: If you're at work, listen with headphones; there's a little cursing — by me, not Steve.)
by Mark Bazer |
Feb. 16, 2012
If you're interested in rap music — specifically the Chicago scene — beyond what you hear on B96, there is no better place to go than Fake Shore Drive. The editor and founder, Andrew Barber, stopped by The Interview Show last month to talk about the site, what artists to look for this year in Chicago hip-hop (King Louie, YP, among others) and why Kanye West can't live here anymore.
The next Interview Show -- our four-year anniversary -- is Friday, Feb. 17, at The Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia) at 6:30 p.m. Guests include WBEZ's Steve Edwards, Hot Doug's Doug Sohn, the Portable Models, Soup & Bread's Martha Bayne and DePaul "embedded sociologist" and filmmaker Greg Scott. More info here.
by Mark Bazer |
Feb. 14, 2012
Is this just a made-up memory or did Valentine’s Day in elementary school used to be a much crueler affair?
Today, my son brought 20 valentine cards to school to give to the 20 other kids in his class. He’ll come home tonight with 20 valentines from them, and, when he’s not looking, we will throw them out.
There’s no angst, no mystery, no tears — just love. Or a boring facsimile of it. For elementary school kids, that’s probably a good thing.
But I remember The Valentine’s Day Wall in our 1970s and 1980s classrooms. We’d each tape our big valentine-card-collecting envelope to the wall and hope and pray classmates deemed us worthy of their valentines.
In other words, teachers (and parents) essentially said, “OK, kids, go give tangible approval to kids you think are cool and feel free to skip the ones you think aren’t!”
If you got only a handful of valentines, tough luck, kiddo. If the girl or boy you desperately loved skipped over you, well, get used to it.
How the hell was this allowed?
Was there a paper shortage back then? Had child psychologists not been invented? What was going on?
And how and when did it...
by Mark Bazer |
Feb. 10, 2012
Listen to Mark Bazer discuss this post on Afternoon Shift
AfternoonShift_20120216_Bazer.mp3
There's no part of the grocery store experience more pleasurable than reading the comment boards. People find all kinds of wonderful ways to tell grocery stores that they're not up to snuff. But in this age of "the customer is always right," the grocery stores just take it. Their answers all begin, "Thanks for the feedback!" and typically end with an apology. Here, using real comments from area Whole Foods (but made-up answers) I recommend how grocery stores should respond.
“Many of the foods made at Whole Foods are way too spicy for me — including the root vegetables I just tasted. Also the guacamole! People can add heat...
by Mark Bazer |
Feb. 06, 2012
Last week, I shared my Super dilemma.
In short: Have a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Sit alone. Nosebleed seats. Dilemma: Promised son, 6, I'd watch with him. One more detail: I grew up in New England. WHAT DO I DO?
People here and elsewhere weighed in — and the most interesting part of the whole debate was how unpredictable people’s answers were. Friends I thought would say “go” said “stay,” and others I was convinced would answer “stay” said, “Are you crazy? Go!”
Crazy or not, I decided to stay home with the boy. And I think I dodged a bullet — aside from the outcome of the game, WHICH WE WILL NOT DISCUSS.
Anyhow, I promise the following is true:
My son has a friend who lives down the...
by Mark Bazer |
Feb. 01, 2012
Here’s the dilemma.
I have been offered a ticket to the Super Bowl. It’s one ticket, and I’d be sitting alone. In nosebleed seats. But I grew up right outside of Boston and, despite my attempts to join Beardom, I am and will always be a Patriots fan. For example, I don’t even know if Beardom is a term Bears fans use.
OK, so what’s the dilemma?
The dilemma is I told my son, age 6, that I’d watch the game with him. He’s excited. As much if not more, by the idea of a “just the guys” experience with Dad than by the actual game.
Listen to Mark on Eight Forty-Eight, where he let listeners decide his Super Bowl fate.
2...
by Mark Bazer |
Jan. 30, 2012
I was looking to describe White Mystery while doing publicity before I had them on The Interview Show a couple months ago, and I kept writing in cliche. (Music writing isn't my strong point.) Then, a friend, posting on the show's event page, effortlessly described the White Mystery experience.
"Saw them a couple of weeks ago and they completely blew my face off."
That about sums it up.
Here, along with blowing people's faces off, the brother-sister duo talks about the band and growing up on music in Chicago.
by Mark Bazer |
Jan. 17, 2012
You know how sometimes you see a play in Chicago and think, “From now on, I’ll see whatever that actor’s in. I don’t care what it’s called, I don’t care who wrote it.” That’s the way I felt seeing Marc for the first time on stage last year as Jerry in Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo at Victory Gardens. And I kicked myself for missing everything he'd been in beforehand, not to mention the epic two-part Cider House Rules he directed with David Cromer several years ago.
Now, Grapey stars in David Mamet's Race at the Goodman. Mamet has described the play (in previews now and officially opening Jan. 23) as a courtroom drama without the courtroom. But it's also, of course, a lot more, including a caustic dialogue about our inability to talk honestly about, or find justice in, matters involving race. Here, Grapey does a much better job than me talking about the play — and also weighs in on Mamet's politics, cell phones ringing during the show, audience members' feet on stage and more.
...
Mark Bazer
Mark Bazer hosts The Interview Show, a live talk show, at The Hideout in Chicago. He is also a syndicated columnist and has written for the Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Boston Phoenix, New York Observer and GQ. He is currently working on a nine-part documentary about Ken Burns.
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