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By Ron Rollins
| Saturday, October 11, 2008, 08:01 AM
We’ve all heard it: “This is the most important election in history!!” It seems to pop up in conversations, op-ed pieces and TV talkfests all the time… But, is it really?
Sure, it’s important, and you bet I’m paying attention to every word. But folks… try to keep things in perspective… This short piece from The American Scholar makes a very simple point: Everybody always thinks the election they’re having now is the most important one ever.
Makes sense… People just tend to assume that the times they’re living in are the most interesting and important ever. For instance, how many times have you heard some columnist or other in the last few years of Bushdom say that the United States has become “the most partisan nation ever in its history,” or something along those lines?
Well, I’d ask you as you consider that: Ever heard of this little thing they had a few years back called the Civil War? Now, THAT was partisan….
We will now return to our regular programming.
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By Ron Rollins
| Thursday, October 9, 2008, 10:26 PM
Ran across these quotes I thought I’d share. Love that Groucho….
“Writers, unlike most people, tell their best
lies when they are alone.”
— Michael Chabon
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be
a kind of library.”
— Jorge Luis Borges
“Make no mistake, those who write long books
have nothing to say. Of course those who
write short books have even less to say.”
— Mark Danielewski
“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best
friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”
— Groucho Marx
“Never judge a book by its movie.”
— J.W. Eagan
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By Ron Rollins
| Thursday, October 9, 2008, 02:18 PM
Biggest surprise of the night: Vanity Theft. But more in that in a moment.
My concert-going friend and I had great fun prowling the bars and byways of the Oregon District during the Dayton Music Fest last Saturday, Oct. 4, taking in as many local bands as we could. We treated the evening like one big, tasty musical sampler: A little of this, a bit of that; hey — I’ve heard of these guys; or, oh, that’s what they sound like! In short, it was a great way to catch up with the wide, always interesting variety of music being made around here.
And what we heard just made us want to hear more — the desired effect, I suppose.
Here then, are a few random thoughts:
— The Joose Box: Great idea — a duo of drummer and pianist/guitarist, who mix jazz/classical keyboard stylings with frantic, .50-caliber, high-speed rock beats. I can’t say I loved it, but I’ll definitely want to try them again to decide for sure.
— The Poor Devils have that jangly guitar thing from early Cure-R.E.M.-U2 down pat, with decidedly different vocal stylings than any of those influences. They’ve got a smart sound and put on a tight show.
— Glam lives among the young on the streets of Dayton, thankfully, in the form of Friday Night Vampire Club — a group whose emaciation and energy are inversely proportional.
— The Rebel Set: We don’t have enough rockabilly in town. These wired, well-attired guys work pretty hard to fill the void with a loose, goofy set.
— Guided by Voices is back, under a different name. Bob Pollard’s Boston Spaceships evoke mid-era GBV with songs that feel more complete and fully rounded. The old faithful packed Gilly’s and already knew all the new lyrics. Here’s to the new Bob; same as the old Bob — which is not a criticism of either.
— The Nick Kizirnis Band remains as feisty and dependable as ever, though honestly I enjoy their instrumental tracks most.
— A friend described the Goody Two Shoes as “Gilda Radner doing Patti Smith.” They did not mean it as a compliment, but I thoroughly enjoyed this group, and thought the set was bursting-fireworks punky delight.
— Lab Partners closed the night at Blind Bob’s, and for my money this dense, moody outfit is still, hands-down, the best-sounding, best-produced, most thoughtful rock band in town.
— And as mentioned, the biggest surprise and most fun all night came from Vanity Theft, four girls — yes, they’re still girls — from Warren County who come on like Veruca Salt channeling the Runaways. They write, sing and play with a maturity well, well beyond their years, who manage a real trick in every tune and are definitely ready for prime time.
To anybody I missed: Seeya next year.
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By Ron Rollins
| Wednesday, October 8, 2008, 10:32 AM
Remember Tina Brown? Yeah, the editor from Vanity Fair and the New Yorker who set both of those mags on their heads back in the 1990s.
She’s been kicking around on the fringes of the mediascape for a while, having launched a magazine called Talk a while back that never found its footing and failed pretty quickly. This time around, she’s just launched a new website called “The Daily Beast.”
It’s a lot of fun, too … an aggregation news and culture site with some fresh content as well … sort of a mix of Slate, New York magazine, Rolling Stone and Smart Set, if you can picture that…
Which you can, just by visiting and checking it out. Lots of links to other fun sites as well. Poke around and let us know what you think.
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By Ron Rollins
| Tuesday, October 7, 2008, 04:21 PM
I just got one of the most interesting emails I’ve received in a while… Read and be inspired…
Thoughts, anyone?
Hi Ron,
I don’t know if this is of interest to you… but I think it might be interesting as so many of us struggle with job loss.
My story:
In 2007 I was an elementary art teacher let go from Dayton Public Schools due to budget cuts. It was difficult during that last year at DPS- due to many things- but the worse was losing my livelihood since I support my family.
I accepted un-employment and barely made ends meet. However during that time I turned to my passion— ART.
This is what happened since leaving DPS:
- Appeared at DVAC as a featured artist Spring 2008
- Exhibiting currently at the International Quilt Study Center in Nebraska http://www.quiltstudy.org/
- Have work in other exhibitions in Hawaii and Texas
- One of several Dayton artist featured in Confident Color- by Nita Leland
- Accepted to Quilt National ‘09 http://www.quiltnational.com/
- Discussing the possibility of a new book deal —on contemporary quilting with North Lights
- Co-directing “Art for the Spirit” in Springboro, Ohio— featuring local artist and Argentine artists
- Speaking at the upcoming Ohio Art Education Association
- Found work (adjunct) teaching Art Education at WSU
- Sudden increase in my classes being offered regionally
- Appearing in Gallery 510 in the Oregon District (Loretta Puncer)
- Work on temporary loan to the DAI, upcoming, for their experience center “Q” for quilt.
My point is- I wasn’t what DPS wanted in an art teacher. Somehow I landed on my feet. :)
Cathy Jeffers
www.cathyjeffers.com
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By Ron Rollins
| Monday, October 6, 2008, 11:47 AM
For all of you who read, enjoy and rely upon The New York Times, and who might be wondering about its fortunes of late, here’s an instructive, if worrisome, piece from New York Magazine…
Stay tuned, as they say…
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By Ron Rollins
| Sunday, October 5, 2008, 10:19 AM
Interesting piece from Slate on the latest brouhaha over the Nobel Prize for Literature, touching pretty tidily on a sentiment I’d vaguely felt for some time, and a notion that somehow Roth had indeed been denied his due…
If nothing else, the Swedish comments are a useful reminder of what some people think of our country these days…
But then again, who really cares about the Nobel Prize for Literature anyway, anymore? Even for folks who read a lot, and dig deep into literary work, my guess is that the selections rarely do much to stir one up…
Sorta like the Pulitzer Prize for music never, ever having gotten out of the realm of classical music…. Personally, I’d love to see a rock band win a Pulitzer; that might be some attention.
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