"I've just never been a real Saints fan." so said Micheal "Brownie" Brown, FEMA director for draft-dodger George W. Bush. He went on to say there are some people who "can't get over the whole Katrina thing,"
http://www.politico.com/click/stori...ver_saints.html



American Aquarium, the great, great band that plays strong rock in a Springsteen/Rocket 88 vein and has built up a strong local fan base through a steady string of Oxford shows, plays Parrishs Pub tonight.
http://www.myspace.com/americanaquarium



Seth Libbey, of Seth Libbey and the Liberals, plays Taylor's Pub tonight:
http://www.myspace.com/sethlibbey



Your #10 Ole Miss Rebels tennis team plays Troy today on campus at 2:30:
http://www.olemisssports.com/SportS...752&SPSID=13138



The Rebel Yell Hotline airs tonight at 6. WTCG 93.7 in Oxford.



Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel speaks on campus tonight:
http://events.olemiss.edu/events/in...r=2010&month=02



How the Letterman-Oprah-Leno Super Bowl Ad Came Together:
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.c...-came-together/



You've heard of Johnny Cash at Folsum Prison? Here's Timothy Leary at Folsum Prison:
http://www.archive.org/details/Timothy_Leary_Archives_305
(They don't let the babe interview him. Shame, really.)
Here is Dr. Leary interviewed while tripping on that LSD (but not an inmate at Folsum Prison):
http://www.archive.org/details/Timothy_Leary_Archives_198



You've GOT to check out this cool wizard. The talking fish is great when he's impersonating a dog on a chain, but the wizard rocks.
http://dotsub.com/view/d5001195-0e94-4ecd-a8ff-713a22cb815f



My Life With Death.
This is the personal blog of a funeral home "first responder":
http://mylifewithdeath.blogspot.com/



This is good stuff:
The Library of Congress invited each state to nominate folk traditions for its Local Legacies Project. The Mississippi page is kind of predictable, but it's cool that First Monday in Ripley made it in.
http://www.loc.gov/folklife/roots/ac-home.html



This is a cool south Mississippi music podcast:
http://podcast.mbirgin.com/4327/sou...sicsampler.aspx



From the Letters of Note Web-site:
For the best part of twenty years until she died, Mary Stuart was either imprisoned or on trial in England at the behest of her first cousin, Elizabeth I. Her entire life was anything but normal, having been crowned Queen of Scotsat nine months of age, married and widowed by the time she was seventeen and even Queen of France for a short period. She also had her eye on the English throne, and that cemented her downfall. The following letter was written by Mary in the early hours of February 8th, 1587, to the brother of her deceased first husband. Just six hours later, as mentioned in the correspondence, she was beheaded in front of 300 witnesses.

Following is the English translation, photographs of the actual letter and the first translation.
Translated Transcript
Queen of Scotland
8 Feb. 1587

Royal brother, having by God's will, for my sins I think, thrown myself into the power of the Queen my cousin, at whose hands I have suffered much for almost twenty years, I have finally been condemned to death by her and her Estates. I have asked for my papers, which they have taken away, in order that I might make my will, but I have been unable to recover anything of use to me, or even get leave either to make my will freely or to have my body conveyed after my death, as I would wish, to your kingdom where I had the honour to be queen, your sister and old ally.

Tonight, after dinner, I have been advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning. I have not had time to give you a full account of everything that has happened, but if you will listen to my doctor and my other unfortunate servants, you will learn the truth, and how, thanks be to God, I scorn death and vow that I meet it innocent of any crime, even if I were their subject. The Catholic faith and the assertion of my God-given right to the English crown are the two issues on which I am condemned, and yet I am not allowed to say that it is for the Catholic religion that I die, but for fear of interference with theirs. The proof of this is that they have taken away my chaplain, and although he is in the building, I have not been able to get permission for him to come and hear my confession and give me the Last Sacrament, while they have been most insistent that I receive the consolation and instruction of their minister, brought here for that purpose. The bearer of this letter and his companions, most of them your subjects, will testify to my conduct at my last hour. It remains for me to beg Your Most Christian Majesty, my brother-in-law and old ally, who have always protested your love for me, to give proof now of your goodness on all these points: firstly by charity, in paying my unfortunate servants the wages due them - this is a burden on my conscience that only you can relieve: further, by having prayers offered to God for a queen who has borne the title Most Christian, and who dies a Catholic, stripped of all her possessions. As for my son, I commend him to you in so far as he deserves, for I cannot answer for him. I have taken the liberty of sending you two precious stones, talismans against illness, trusting that you will enjoy good health and a long and happy life. Accept them from your loving sister-in-law, who, as she dies, bears witness of her warm feeling for you. Again I commend my servants to you. Give instructions, if it please you, that for my soul's sake part of what you owe me should be paid, and that for the sake of Jesus Christ, to whom I shall pray for you tomorrow as I die, I be left enough to found a memorial mass and give the customary alms.

Wednesday, at two in the morning
Your most loving and most true sister

Mari R





Transcript
Reyne descosse
8 feu 1587

Monssieur mon beau frere estant par la permission de Dieu pour mes peschez comme ie croy venue me iecter entre les bras de ceste Royne ma cousine ou iay eu beaucoup dennuis & passe pres de vingt ans ie suis enfin par elle & ses estats condampnee a la mort & ayant demande mes papiers par eulx ostez a ceste fin de fayre mon testament ie nay peu rien retirer qui me seruist ny obtenir conge den fayre ung libre ny quapres ma mort mon corps fust transporte sellon mon desir en votre royaulme ou iay eu lhonneur destre royne votre soeur & ancienne allyee.

Ceiourdhuy apres disner ma este desnonsse ma sentence pour estre executee demain comme une criminelle a huict heures du matin ie nay eu loisir de vous fayre ung ample discours de tout ce qui sest passe may sil vous plaist de crere mon medesin & ces aultres miens desolez seruiters vous oyres la verite & comme graces a dieu ie mesprise las mort & fidellementproteste de la recepuoir innocente de tout crime quant ie serois leur subiecte la religion chatolique & la mayntien du droit que dieu ma donne a ceste couronne sont les deulx poincts de ma condampnation & toutesfoy ilz ne me veullent permettre de dire que cest pour la religion catolique que ie meurs may pour la crainte du champge de la leur & pour preuue ilz mont oste mon aulmonier lequel bien quil soit en la mayson ie nay peu obtenir quil me vinst confesser ny communier a ma mort mays mont faict grande instance de recepuoir la consolation & doctrine de leur ministre ammene pour ce faict. Ce porteur & sa compaigne la pluspart de vos subiectz vous tesmoigneront mes deportemantz en ce mien acte dernier il reste que ie vous suplie comme roy tres chrestien mon beau frere & ansien allye & qui mauuez tousiours proteste de maymer qua ce coup vous faysiez preuue en toutz ces poincts de vostre vertu tant par charite me souslageant de ce que pour descharger ma conssiance ie ne puis sans vous qui est de reconpenser mes seruiteurs desolez leur layssant leurs gaiges laultre faysant prier dieu pour une royne qui a estay nommee tres chrestienne & meurt chatolique desnuee de toutz ses biens quant a mon fylz ie le vous recommande autant quil le meritera car ie nen puis respondre Iay pris la hardiesse de vous enuoier deulx pierres rares pour la sante vous la desirant parfaicte auuec heurese & longue vie Vous le recepvrez comme de vostre tres affectionee belle soeur mourante en vous rendant tesmoygnage de son bon cueur enuers vous ie vous recommande encore mes seruiteurs vous ordonneres si il vous plaict que pour mon ame ie soye payee de partye de ce me que debuez & qu'en l'honnheur de Jhesus Christ lequel ie priray demayn a ma mort pour vous me laysser de quoy fonder un obit & fayre les aulmosnes requises ce mercredy a deulx heures apres minuit

Vostre tres affectionnee & bien bonne soeur

Mari R


http://www.lettersofnote.com/

I've been to some great parties in New York city, but I don't think I was ever at this one (dang it):
There is a large Haitian voodoo community in Brooklyn. These links show and tell about dramatic life going on there.
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio....shtml#slideshow
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/vodou/
The program, a usually-good one called Speaking of Faith, will be broadcast this morning on Mississippi public radio at 9am (WMVA 90.3 in Oxford).


The Lady Rebels will celebrate the coming Saints victory by beating the LSU women (Can't spell SLUT without LSU!) in basketball today down in Baton Rouge. 2pm. Television: SEC Network Radio in Oxford: WCON 105.5


38 years of Super bowl commercials:
http://adland.tv/SuperBowlCommercials


Dwight McKenna is running for coroner down in New Orleans. This is his commercial against his opponent. May not be suitable for children:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRgC...player_embedded


Audio Slideshow: plays that make a championship season:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/....html?th&emc=th


Peyton Manning's case for being the best ever:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/s...ref=todayspaper



Dave Anderson: It’s About the Quarterbacks, and It Always Has Been:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/s...ref=todayspaper


Bush, With Aura of Celebrity, May Finally Become a Star
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/s...ref=todayspaper


Saints Aren’t the First to Call on Fleur Power:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/s...ref=todayspaper



Not Quite Saying ‘Super Bowl,’ but Cashing In on It:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/07/s...ref=todayspaper


Letter to Miami from New Orleans:
http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2010/02/dear_miami.html



First play in Saints history goes for touchdown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCmREK-GsAg&feature=related



Saints host Buddy D interviews Billy Kilmer, part one with game and other clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1LS...player_embedded
Saints host Buddy D interviews Billy Kilmer, part two with game and other clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DZtm2L3NT0&feature=related
Saints host Buddy D interviews Billy Kilmer, part three with game and other clips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDVg3Oo1cOo&feature=related


Who Needs A Running Back To Win The Super Bowl?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123463756


The Super Bowl Stock Market Predictor:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123463752


In Honor Of The Super Bowl:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123445106


Injuries and predictions:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123448010

Something worth checking out today at 5pm as part of the Oxford Film Fest: Now Or Never, a film produced by native Oxonian and current Angeleno Carlisle Forrester (with Lindsey Girardot). Carlie also stars in the film.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1442293/
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2032991/

Oxford Film Festival:
http://www.oxfordfilmfest.com/


Something else worth checking out is El Cantador. This excellent band played Thacker Mountain Radio and Proud Larry's last year and are back in town tonight at Two Stick:
http://www.myspace.com/vivaelcantador


My Name Is John Michael, one of those of-the-moment bands from New Orleans, plays Proud Larrys tonight.
http://www.myspace.com/mynameisjohnmichael


David Allan Coe is at the Lyric Theatre:
http://www.myspace.com/iamdavidallancoe


Delta Moon plays Roosters
http://www.myspace.com/deltamoonrocks


The Trey Lyons Show is at Taylor's Pub:
http://www.myspace.com/thetreylyons


The Oxford Makers Market is today at the Lyric Theatre:
http://www.oxfordmakersmarket.com/


Mookie plays Irie tonight (no, unfortunately, it's not Mookie Wilson).


Dueling pianos at Frank & Marlees.


Fire up your radios! The Ole miss Lady Rebel tennis team takes on Murray State today on campus at 1pm:
http://www.olemisssports.com/ViewAr...TCLID=204881312

The Ole Miss Rebels play Alabama today on campus at 5pm. Radio: WTCG 93.7 in Oxford.
http://www.olemisssports.com/ViewAr...TCLID=204881827

Speaking of radios,
Scott Baretta's Highway 61 blues show airs tonight on Mississippi public radio at 10pm, WMVA 90.3 in Oxford.
http://www.highway61radio.com/

Earlier, Elvis Costello is one of the musical guests on A Prairie Home Companion, broadcast 5-7 pm.
http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/?refid=6

The Thacker Mountain Radio broadcast is repeated at 7.
http://www.thackermountain.com/index.php

Later, American Routes hits the air at 11 and music of Los Angeles is examined.
http://americanroutes.publicradio.org/


Today at 2pm on Mississippi public radio, (WMVA 90.3) the sports talk radio show Only A Game will examine the Super Bowl, which is played tomorrow between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts:
http://www.onlyagame.org/2010/02/saturday-february-6-2010/

Here is the banned GoDaddy Super Bowl commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68WT...player_embedded

Presidents vs Super Bowls:
http://www.americabowl.net/


Galactic was on National Public Radio this morning in a long segment in anticipation of the Super Bowl.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123424006


from The New York Times:
The Who are playing the half-time show of the Super Bowl, and the Times has this feature about the situation that includes video:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/s....html?th&emc=th


Beneath Brown Bags, Saints Had Loyal Fans
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/s....html?th&emc=th


Brees’s Colleagues See an Amazing Athlete Within
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/06/s....html?th&emc=th


Tracy Porter is the Saints' not-so-secret weapon:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/s....html?th&emc=th


New York Times interactive feature: who will win the Super Bowl?
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/....html?th&emc=th


National Public Radio:
In New Orleans, Rise Of Saints Symbolic Of City
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123417854

Who Dat?!: Songs For The New Orleans Saints
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123371188

Saints, Colts Fans: This Super Bowl Is More Than About Sports
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123410830

The Here and Now program on Mississippi public radio yesterday broadcast an excellent story about how the Saints whip the Colts in tribute songs and a very interesting interview with Bert Bell's son about his dad, who as NFL commissioner did much to make the NFL what it is today.
http://www.hereandnow.org/

The New Orleans vs. Indianapolis literary Super Bowl:
http://flcenterlitarts.wordpress.co...rary-superbowl/



I was originally for the Saints in this Super Bowl, and then I was for Archie when I considered how happy he would be for Peyton to win another Super Bowl, and then last night I thought about how happy my cousin Bill (he and my grandfather were the biggest influence on my life) would be for his Saints to win, so now I'm back with the Saints. But it will be cool if another Manning wins another Super Bowl.


This World Was Lucky To See Him Born
Eight X Twelve #8 October 31, 1996

THERE HAD BEEN a Rolling Stones show in Birmingham the night before in that October of 1989. It had been a big large time and well worth the trip over there, but at the moment I had a problem. I had to get to Jackson for the Ole Miss-Alabama game and folks driving out of Birmingham just didn’t seem to like hitchhikers. Maybe it was my looks, I don’t know. Maybe it was my Ole Miss t-shirt. Whatever, I was getting worried. I had seen the Rebels whip that Alabama butt the year before in Tuscaloosa and sure planned on seeing it happen again in Jackson. I had been on the roadside for hours when a van pulled over. The occupants looked like what a Richard Nixon-quoting military man in the late 1960s might have called long-haired freaks. The guys were a band called Beanland.
They were on their way to play at W.C. Don’s Music Hall in Jackson. I climbed in, smiling about karma. I was reminded of the first time I rode into Oxford...it was in a band van with my favorite musician. These musicians who picked me up had long hair, but I can’t really say they were hippie freaks, except for maybe the keyboard player. All I knew that I was on my way to Jackson, Mississippi, and “Desolation Row” by Bob Dylan was happening in the tape player. I told my long-haired saviors that the song was one of my favorite in the world, definitely in the top-ten I would pick to have with me were I stranded in Starkvile. They understood the affinity I had for Dylan’s music.
“With five guys in this band,” said one guitar player, “Dylan is the only thing everyone can agree on.”
_________________________________________

The first time I rode into Oxford that wasn’t for a football game, I was with my cousin Billy Goodwin, a major shaper of my life, in his 1970s band van that had homemade portholes and a Mr. Natural “Keep On Truckin’” sticker. As he drove, Bill repeatedly sang the chorus to a song called “Oxford Town”.
I was 13 and had never heard the song and had no idea it was a Bob Dylan song about the little town we were rolling through. Bill had given me The Basement Tapes, an album by Dylan and The Band. I was mastered.
If you’re lucky, you have someone when you’re young in life, a good person, a person who influences you and shows you things. Years before, Bill had introduced me to the music of the Beatles and the Grateful Dead and Frank Zappa at the same time he had Dylan. I remember being happy about that, but more than anything I tried to learn from the type of person I saw my long-haired and long-bearded cousin was. I learned about the way he looked at the world and I saw how people, all kinds of people, reacted to him.
He has always been a favorite in the family, but the Billy Goodwin I saw when I was that young and impressionable was someone everyone got along famously with. It could be a California Deadhead passing through Gulfport, where Bill still lives, or one of his dad’s Nixon-quoting military buddies or the crippled old black man, who was the first person I ever knew named Ezra, who would smile the big smile and call him “Sonny.”
Every day, Ezra came in the small Gulfport grocery store Bill’s dad owned and bought a Barq’s root beer (in the big old 12-ounce bottle with the blue-and-white label painted on). One day he bought me one too and motioned for me to sit beside him on an upright yellow and red wooden Coca-Cola case. This was at a time when such things were still around stores.
“Sonny your people, ain’t he?” Ezra asked me.
“Yessir,” I said. Mine and Bill’s grandmother had told us, at different times, that black adults were also to be called “sir” and “ma’am”. And, when I heard Bill doing it, that was good enough for me.
“Well, he real good people,” Ezra said. “I likes to see him. Heh-heh, he sho’ do love that music. Sho’ do.”
In the late 1960s Bill was the drummer for a couple of regional bands, one called The Off-Shore Sound and the other The Knack. He seemed a lock for a long career in his obvious love, music. Hodgkin’s Disease got ahold of him and, while it didn’t kill him, it did take away his career in music. He settled for the life of a butcher with only the occasional lament, “I’d sure like to be playing with the McElroys." The McElroys are old bandmates, people who loved Bill just as I did. Instead of complaining about the hand he was dealt, Bill was more apt to tell people, whoever it was, about the great new Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, Doc Watson or Wet Willie album.
Bill treated everyone just like he would want to be treated, including the Richard Nixon-quoting military guys who would sneer at his long hair. Bill was always more likely to quote Bob Dylan. He showed me what a incredible wordsmith Dylan is and gave him me thoughtful advice when, in late 1978, I had to choose between going to a Bob Dylan show in Memphis or a Grateful Dead show in Jackson.
“You’ve already seen Jerry and them, right?” he asked, stroking his long beard. “And you haven’t been to a Dylan show? That’s a no-brainer. The Dylan show!”
That show bewildered me. I loved Dylan records, but didn’t like the way the live sounded.
Bill explained to me that not all musicians sound like their records and that I would appreciate that in time. I knew I could trust him.
Last year in Memphis at Mud Island, when the opening act said “Bob Dylan is next,” it was the best line I would hear all year.
Friday night in Tupelo will be the thirtieth time I’ve seen Bob Dylan and the show, the music, has gotten better every time. I always think of Bill.
Three years ago after the Georgia game on campus, I got home to learn Bill had had a massive stroke and had lived but would never be the same. Today, through the miracles that can happen to good people, he’s not fully recovered but is much better than the doctors said he ever would be.
When Bob Dylan walks out on stage tomorrow night in Tupelo, I’ll think of Bill and thank God for him.
There’s a Woody Guthrie song about FDR called “Dear Mrs. Roosevelt” which Dylan recorded live at a Guthrie tribute show in 1968. It’s just about the best song in the world and has a chorus that goes, “This world was lucky to see him born.”
That line could have been about Billy Goodwin.

Dear George McConnell,

Brother, you know I am blessed in that I've seen many, many of your shows over the last quarter-century, from the Beanland Boys to 1313 Beanland to Beanland to the Kudzu Kings to Widespread Panic to your current excellent band, the Non-Chalants. And I think it's great and wonderful that y'all have a show tonight at Proud Larrys.

But dude, Exene Cervenka is playing the Hi-Tone tonight in Memphis.

You know how much her main band, X, means to me. I was fully in the grip of the Sex Pistols and the Clash in the late 1970s when X came roaring out of Los Angeles, the American answer to the British answer to the Ramones and the New York Dolls. X was and is high-level punk played by severe and accomplished musicians and Exene has led the band for over 30 years with her peerless vocals, lyrics and energy. X rarely, rarely has made it close to the South and I've had to put in some travel to see them over the years (The last time, when they opened on the last American Joe Strummer tour, they just about stole the show). I'm going to have to find a ride up to Memphis and your Larrys show tonight is going to be great, but you know I can't miss Exene when she's this close.

The first time I saw X, in 1987 at Fitzgerald's down in Houston, I had to miss a Beanland show that very night here in Oxford at Syd & Harry's, and I remember hating that I did, especially y'all playing my favorite punk song by you, "Take Me To The Show." That's my favorite by you, although I have many favorites by you, from "Nothing's Wrong" to "Doreatha" (your "Rock The Casbah") to "Sleete Kleeter's Dog" to "Hey Man" to "Veronica Blue" to that new stuff you've got in the can right now.

I know it's crazy for me find a ride north and run off to Memphis when you've got such a great band playing Oxford tonight and y'all are STILL playing "Take Me To The Show"! I hate the thought of missing hearing Max make his stringed instruments squall, Tommy deliver the sure, steady and precise bass and Kenny thunder the drums like Thor on a rampage. I know y'all don't play "Take Me To The Show" every night, but how insane am I to take a chance on missing it? No, life is too short, so I'll be there tonight when you play, maybe for the 1,000th time.

And as for Memphis, at least I won't have to find someone to take me to the show.

Chico


Bob Mehr story in The Commercial Appeal today (The cover story of their Friday tabloid entertainment section) about the Exene Cervenka show in Memphis tonight:
http://www.gomemphis.com/news/2010/...exene-cervenka/
X:
http://www.xtheband.com/
Exene Cervenka:
http://www.exenecervenka.com/
http://www.myspace.com/exenecervenka

Mark Jordan story in The Commercial Appeal today about the George McConnell and the Non-chalants show in Memphis tomorrow night:
http://www.gomemphis.com/news/2010/...-george-mcconn/
There is even more great music in Memphis tonight as Lucero plays Minglewood Hall.


George McConnell and the Non-Chalants play tonight at Proud Larrys:
http://www.georgemcconnell.com/


Jay Lang and the Ringers will rock the world at Roosters tonight:
http://www.myspace.com/3ldblues
Look what a good-looking man Jay Lang is:
http://www.myspace.com/jaylangthevoice


One Mile South plays the Brass Monkey:
http://www.myspace.com/onemilesouth


Calvin Webster plays the Rib Cage
http://www.myspace.com/calvinwebster


Gonzo and the Clean Sneak is at Parrish's
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gonzo...ak/169086805886


Zeebo plays Irie's tonight, starting at 7.


Cadillac Funk plays Two Stick.


Dueling pianos at Frank and Marlee's.



The Oxford Film Festival continues tonight, and you should go see my brother's movie, Cigarette Girl. My story about it and Mike is in The Local Voice, and you can see it here, about half-way down.
http://www.thelocalvoice.net/icyphoenix/
There's a good picture there of Mike with me and you can see who Mom gave the looks to (that's Mike in the red shirt)
Mikes' Web-site:
http://www.guerrillamonster.com/index2.html


It's fight night at the Lyric!
http://www.ringrulers.com/
http://www.thelyricoxford.com/


Damn... it's after 10am and I can't sleep. These fallen Tri-Kappa-Os kept me out last night until 7:45 this morning and I've been tossing and turning on my office floor ever since. They had 8am classes at Ole Miss-- otherwise, they would still have me out and they would still be trying to get into my pants. They wanted in my pants because of what they THOUGHT was in my there...
Last night I was standing out in front of Two Stick, bent on impressing some local African-American high school girls. "Hey," I said, low and masculine, "I've got a cassette."
The one I really liked rolled her chocolate-n-egg-whites eyes at me and awaited explanation.
"George McConnell," I said, with a knowing --yet sinister-- smile. "New stuff. It's the stuff he's going to be playing at Proud Larrys tonight, with his band, the Non-Chalants. Really, really great stuff. He's going to be playing it tonight with the band, but the songs on this tape are just George alone with a guitar and singing. This stuff is full and strong, even though it's stripped down,"
I paused. I didn't really have a tape of George's new stuff, but I had put an old Rolling Stones tape in my pocket, to create the proper bulge. I pointed at it and smiled at her lower lip. "Naked," I said.
Her lower lip moved and her upper did also, and she said, "I'm going to get a hot dog."
I watched her move toward the hot dog stand and wondered if I should call out that I wanted one, too, or if I should just take for granted that she would come back with one for me. I looked forward to watching her eat.
That's when the Tri-Kappa-O touched me.
"Excuse me, did you just tell that African-American high school girl," she asked me, "that you have a copy of George McConnell's new songs?"
Not being a racist, I didn't have a problem lying to either of them.
"Hell yeah, baby."
Next thing I knew, we were in the bar with her two friends, dancing to Bonearama and doing shots. I knew the tape they thought was George impressed them, but when they asked my name, I thought I should not leave anything to chance.
"Chaffee," I said, "Robert Chaffee. I play piano. You've probably seen me play with George."
They were excitedly calling and texting on their cell phones. When the music was over, they said, "We're going to a party." I asked if I could go and she patted the old Rolling Stones tape in my pocket. "You are the party," she said with the right kind of smile.
At the Tri-Kappa-O house, there were 18 of them and me. It was the moment of truth. I was just going to hope they had not heard this particular Stones tape and would believe it was George.
"Okay," I said, pulling it out of my pants. "where's your tape player?"
All 18 of them looked at me like I was a caveman.
"That's like, a cassette?" their leader asked.
"Yeah...y'all got a cassette player?"
The Freshman girls looked befuddled. The Sophomore girls looked disappointed. The Junior girls looked slightly pissed, but openly smirked and laughed. The Senior girls cursed and threw up the their hands, disgusted.
Three of the cooler in their lot said to me, "We know where some late nights are. Some of them are old people. They may have a cassette player. Let's go."
Well, you know how you have those Thursday nights with three wild Tri-Kappa-Os where you go from party to party and you're relieved that there is not a cassette player at any of them? I had one of those Thursday nights. At each party the Tri-Kappa-Os were patting the bulge on my pants shaped like a cassette and announcing that it was new George McConnell songs. I didn't lie: "I've been listening to George play these new songs for weeks, a couple for years, and he's going to perform them with his killer band Friday night at Larrys...he's also going to play a few not-often-heard-live Beanland tunes." At each party, that made me the cool guy who got to go into the side room where the cool people were partying and occasionally even into the closet in that room.
The Tri-Kappa-Os dropped me off outside my office not long after daylight, and just after I had promised them all I would have them on the guest list tonight at Larrys.
"Just tell them my name at the door," I said, " and you'll be treated like royalty."
"YAY!!" they cried, driving off and yelling, "Thank you, Mr. Chaffee! Thank you, Mr. Chaffee!"

RING RULERS: MMA THROWDOWN AT THE LYRIC

TICKETS:
$25 - Standing Room Downstairs
$30 - Stage Reserved Seat
$40 - General Admission Balcony
$55 - VIP Ringside Seat

Doors: 7:00PM ... Fights: 8:00PM

RING RULERS brings their exciting brand of amateur mixed martial arts fighting to Oxford, MS for the first time. Tons of Mississippi fighters will square off in the cage at the best event venue in Oxford. Come to the Lyric and make sure you do not miss any of the action. Also in attendance, the lovely Cage Kittens. For more information and tickets, visit www.ringrulers.com. Doors open 7PM, fights start 8PM.

This one is for all you weirdoes out there who think “the man” is watching every move you make. To the guy who refuses to own a credit card because the government can track his spending habits. To the people who think the government sprays tobacco fields with radioactive compounds to institute population control. And yes, even you, you tin foil hat wearing psycho, who honestly believes that the world is run by five Jewish bankers in a bunker somewhere. Now, as it so happens, you might just have something new to fear. You can now fear your own cars!

I’ve wanted to do a column on this for some time now. But after viewing a few new TV commercials (oddly enough the way I get most of my ideas) I decided it was time. Let me set the stage for you: The commercial starts out from the view of dash cam in a cop car. A call comes in on the radio stating that a Chevy Tahoe has been stolen and its whereabouts on the road. The police cruiser pursues, and identifies the possible vehicle. A representative from GM’s Onstar® comes on the radio and says they will activate the blinkers of the stolen vehicle. The blinkers light up on the suspected car and the officer turns on his siren. After that, the person on the radio says they will disable the vehicle, the Tahoe slows and the chase is over. A nice little commercial, but it leaves me a little uneasy.

The long and short of it is that any vehicle equipped with a global positioning satellite (GPS) device (such as a concierge service, GPS navigation, or even satellite radio) can be back hacked. What this means is that with probable cause (and a federal warrant) the police can find your vehicle’s location within about five yards anytime they choose. Even if the car is off. Without going into some long diatribe about The Patriot Act, this has been true for some time. What’s new is the integration of the concierge technology into the drive train. I’m not saying in any way that all of these services are bad. On the contrary, some features they offer are very nice and can even save your life. With the concierge programs, if you lock your keys in your car you can call a number and they will unlock. Or, if you are in an accident or you break down, help can be sent to your exact location. What gets me is the possible dark side.

“Well, what could happen?” Glad you asked. Let’s just hypothetically say the laws became a little more liberal. Say you have a stack of speeding or parking tickets you haven’t paid. Or, your tags have expired or you don’t have insurance. Or your license has expired or gotten suspended. With the connection of these services to your vehicle’s electronic control unit (ECU), what’s to stop the police from disabling your car till you pay the money? Or if we travel further down the rabbit hole, what if your vehicle is sitting outside of a bar? Cops in some areas already drive around at night writing down plate numbers in bar parking lots. What if they could auto disable your car or even became notified that it started so they could pick you up for DUI?

Now a lot of this sounds crazy, and some of it is. But, this technology does exist and is being used right now in some limited ways. You know those ads for auto credit type car lots? You know: “No credit, no problem!” Many of them now use remote ignition interlocks. To start the car, you have to turn the key to accessory until you hear a beep. Then the car drives normally. Every time you turn that key, the interlock system is checking to see if your account is in good standing. Well, say you haven’t made your bi-weekly car payment. If not, your car will not start and a GPS transmitter goes off to tell the repo men exactly where it is.

Here’s another odd, but true, fact: Some cars today are produced with “black boxes.” That’s right, on-the-fly data recorders just like planes. They only have limited capabilities; such as only recording speed, throttle and brake input, and timing curves. In some cases insurance companies have used this data against people during claims. Though illegal in most states, drivers have been denied coverage due to “unsafe and reckless driving practices.” Say, if you total-out your car in a field and the data recorder says you were doing 95mph in a 30.

Look, I know a lot of what I just said is pretty out there. And a good portion of it is purely hypothetical. These features on cars have their place and aren’t designed by our Orwellian overlords to keep tabs on us. I just think we should keep our eyes open. When technology advances in leaps and bounds we should be mindful it is used as intended to make our lives better, not worse. Besides, if you are so worried that the government is spying on you, you should take your cell phone out of your pocket and hit it with a hammer right now. Every phone since the early aughts has a GPS transmitter in it. How do you think it knows where the cell towers are? Happy motoring.

Tell us about the idea behind The Collectors. When was the film made? What was the writing process/scripting? How long did the film take from conception to finished editing?
I had a vision of these beings from some other place that were taking something from random people. The film was made last year. It was based on some concepts floating around in my head for some time before that. I wasn't sure exactly what the Collectors were collecting, or how it ended. The ending finally came to me, so we made it. Once I got the story together to shoot it, it only took a few days to shoot and edit. I work very quickly.

How did you cast the actors? Tell us about the people in the film.
Sabrina Hawkins gave a great performance as the lead. We work well together and she's up for anything. I hadn't used her friend Traci Tanner for anything except an extra in OCHO, so I thought this film would be a good opportunity for her. Josh Rhudy is the punk rocker-looking character. He's really crazy (in a good way), and I wanted to document that quality. Terri Naugle is his significant other in real life, so I threw her in as well. As a juxtaposition, I cast Carlton Wall because he's a banker and the most straight-up, normal looking person I know.

Tell us about the locations you used in Tupelo.
I'm really fond of the alleys around the Main Street area. I used them in a Jake Wood music video and they look great. Downtown is pretty photogenic. There's this undisclosed location - a ruined old industrial building that was also in the JW video that's just so amazingly photogenic, I had to use it again. It might just find its way into another project. Technically, we were tresspassing, but sometimes it takes criminal acts to make art. Legal...illegal.... I'm an outlaw filmmaker - those terms do not apply. The Blue Bell building can be seen in the background of one shot. It's a very historic icon for Tupelo. It's sort of incidental it happened to be the background of the shot. The Gumtree museum of art is prominently in one shot, but that was just incidental to being better looking than what was behind other benches. However, Glenn Payne is the man on the bench and he is a painter. That wasn't an intended thing, it just worked out that way. This is further proof there is no such thing as coincidence. I think Tupelo was just using us as a vehicle for its own expression.

What kind of equipment do you use?
This was the last thing I shot on standard definition DV. Everything since and from now on is going to be on hi-def. I was using a Cannon camcorder. It was the second-cheapest one in Circuit City. I used a stabilizing rig I built out of metal plumbing from the hardware store and a plate weight from Wal-Mart. It's "the poor man's steadicam."

What other films have you made?
I have made two feature-length b-movies of the so-bad-they're-good variety- OCHO: Arachnid From Hell and It Came From Beyond Beyond. I have made several other short narrative films (such as Faithful Departed, The Picture), one short documentary, and a few music videos like "Never Give Up Hope" - Jake Wood Band and "Freedom Slave" - Ukajie.

How did you get into filming?
We played around with the family camcorder when we were kids. I went to the Magnolia Film Festival one year and saw that they screened stuff shot on VHS camcorders and knew I could probably make something that could get in. I always knew my entire life I could probably make movies. Going to Universal Studios theme park and learning how Hitchcock did rear projection and how blue-screening worked. And those old Making of Star Wars TV specials.... those were my film school. All I was waiting for was a digital revolution to bring me non-linear editing. Eventually, this happened. My brain was in the future, waiting for the present to catch up with it.

What projects are you working on?
I'm not actually working on anything right now. However, this year I am going to make a short about a hitchhiker that my wife April Perea wrote - she may also direct. And I'm going to make a music video for the band Distrait (http://www.facebook.com/l/4164e;www.myspace.com/distraitband). I am also planning on talking three punk bands into letting me make music videos for them. One of those bands is The Cooters.

Tell us about your music projects and bands.
I put out some darkwave/quasi-industrial stuff a long time ago. Then I tried a failed horrorpunk band called The Disenchanted. Finally felt like I was good enough to attempt rockabilly and had much greater success with Dr. Daniel & The Rockabilly Vampires. I swear I tried to write straight rockabilly, but it just came out horror-rockabilly. I can't help it. My horrorpunk side-project is Astrocasket. I wrote and recorded ten songs in two days out of sheer boredom. About four of em were really good and later, I wrote and recorded more songs to go with them. Some day I might actually form a live band to play the Astrocasket stuff. Rockabilly is the most fun to play, though.

Last year you mentioned to me that you were considering running for Mayor of Tupelo. How did that go? Any political plans in the future?
Well I wanted to run mostly to just cut the bullshit and have a REAL candidate for a change that tells it like it is and doesn't worry about PC and pandering garbage. However, I found myself on a black box theater committee with the woman who would've been my opponent, and I decided that it wasn't worth the controversy and possible bad blood my campaign would've caused. (I really did think I could beat her in the primary though.) The qualifying period ends March 1st for 1st Congressional District, ya know. I haven't ruled out running for Congress. Would the Local Voice endorse me?

Do you have a “day job?”
I work in a factory. People have frequently asked why I didn't quit my job and just do music for a living. I thought it had long been proven there ain't no damn money in music! But I get the regular, steady pay, healthcare, and benefits of my day job, and manage to also have all these wonderful music, acting, and filmmaking opportunities I've had. It's the best of both worlds and I'm very grateful for the gifts I've been given.

What other film festivals have you participated? How does Oxford’s compare with others?
I've had projects in Keokuk FF, First Night Saratoga, Indie Memphis, Magnolia, Rocket City, and Tupelo. Oxford really goes all out! I think they have a lot more money to blow on food, parties, and such than the others. Out of the ones I've been to, they're all great in their own way - except Indie Memphis. They screwed up several people's screenings (including mine) And hipsters suck.

How would you describe your filmmaking style?
I would say I have two main styles. There's the b-movie style which is in the vein of Ed Wood, Roger Corman, or William Castle. Then there's the other stuff; the only way I can think to describe it is dark.

Why should folks see your film?
I hate this question. Why should anyone go see any film? I go see films to be entertained, to have an experience unlike waking life. Everybody likes a story. I got a real weird one for ya!

I understand you are an avid video gamer and hold several world records. Fill us in, please!
I currently hold 75 world records at time of writing (it fluctuates quite a bit). I've broken 125 different records altogether - many more than once - on everything from Atari 2600 to Wii. Two of my records were printed in the 2010 Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition which just came out in January. The records in Guinness are for House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. Both are zombie rail-shooters, which I consider my specialty coincidentally.

I also heard you are an ordained minister. What religion(s) do you advocate?
I am ordained in 8 different religious organizations, including Spiritual Humanism, Progressive Universal Life Church, Church of Seven Planes, and the Beer Church. I do not endorse any religion or denomination. Essentially, all religions are the same anyways. What they all boil down to is "don't be a douchebag". It's all the Golden Rule. Everything else is just fodder for argument.

So, Daniel Lee is not your real name? Tell me your birth name and why you chose a different professional name.
Lots of actors (and sometimes musicians) have stage names. The only real reason I have one is that I just got tired of people mispronouncing or mispelling my last name. Daniel Lee IS my name. It's just not my whole name. If anybody wants to know what my given name is, I'm sure they can figure it out.

What’s your favorite color? Black

Have you ever been to Paris? The casino in Vegas? Yes. The city in France? No.

Deciduous or Evergreen? I don't really think in racial terms.

Boxers or briefs? Boxer-briefs

Was everyone really kung fu fighting? If they weren't... they should've been!

What’s the craziest thing that has been thrown at you? A lawn-nativity plastic baby Jesus.

Favorite Patrick Swayze movie? The documentary, Red Dawn.

What’s your favorite thing about living in Mississippi? No traffic, no pollution, de-populated, low cost of living, low crime. It's perfect.

East Coast or West Coast? East Coast is old-school. And old-school is better.

Are you now or have you ever been a vegetarian? No.

How many siblings do you have? Officially, one. Unofficially, three additional. Sometimes you find out surprising things at a funeral.

Where did your parents meet? California.

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If so, what’s yours? No.

What’s your biggest fear? The Mothman is the only thing in the world I'm scared of.

Did you play sports in high school? No.

Does sushi freak you out? Yes.

Do you do your own laundry? No.

Do you Google yourself? Constantly.

Who would you want to play you in a movie based on your life? Mario Lopez

What’s the best way to beat the recession? With a Louisville Slugger!

Conan, Leno, or Letterman? TEAM CONAN

What’s the best way to skin a cat? According to the Chinese, it would be while it's still alive, writhing in agony from a broken neck.

If you could meet one person throughout history, who would it be? Mohammed, before he started Islam. So I could kill him.

What movie or TV show would you like to see Hollywood remake next? OCHO: Arachnid From Hell with Zac Efron as Johnny.

What’s your favorite infomercial? A Ron Popeil one in which they play the Al Yankovic song and the audience of obvious paid extras shameless overacts rocking out as if it's the second coming of Elvis himself.

Do you like movies about gladiators? Yes.

Have you ever been in a Turkish prison? No.

If a tree falls in the woods and there’s no one around to see it, does it make a sound? The laws of physics state that the vibrations would travel through air exactly the same as whether anybody was there to hear it or not. Yet they also state that subatomic particles only exist when they are observed. So perhaps a better question is, if nobody is there to observe a falling tree - does the tree exist at all?! Fuckall whether it makes a sound. We got bigger questions.

If the glass half full or half empty? The glass is half full.... unless it is not being observed, in which case it's definitely empty. And there is no glass.

If you could wrassle anybody, who would you challenge? It would be an honor to be utterly destroyed by the Undertaker, however since I'm a huge Kaufman fan, I would HAVE to challenge Lawler.

What is best in life? The limitless possibilities of it.

What hair style would you like to see get popular? I would like to see The Rachel make a comeback.

Mississippi Queen, a documentary by Paige Williams, filmmaker and native of Mississippi, discusses having to work hard to have a relationship with her parents after a big life issue caused their paths to diverge. Williams’ parents, conservative Southern Baptists, discovered that she was gay when she was a teenager, and a few years shortly after that they started their own ex-gay ministry. Queen is about being gay, being Southern, and it’s about being a Christian, but ultimately it’s about love and family, or as the film’s tagline puts it “This isn’t about God, it’s about y’all.” Mississippi Queen will be showing Saturday, February 6 at 5 pm and Sunday, February 7 at 11 am.

Have you ever been to Oxford? I haven’t been to the film festival before. This will be my first time, so I’m pretty excited about that. I went to Oxford a few times in ‘98 and ‘99 because I had friends in law school there, but I didn’t really get to do much.

You were born and raised in Mississippi? Oh yeah, I was born in Hattiesburg and then when I was in the second grade we lived in Greenwood for just a stint. We moved to Clinton when I was eight and I left after I graduated from Millsaps. I moved to Montana in ‘99.

Can I ask why Montana? Sure. Everybody asks me that. I had friends who’d moved here from Mississippi and they told me I would really like it. I just wanted to get out of Mississippi for a little while. I’ve since really fallen in love with this state. But it’s tough. We’ve thought about moving back, and it’s been up in the air whether that’s the right thing for our family or not. I love Mississippi, I love the South, and I really miss it.

What do you miss about the South? You know I think that from oppression and repression come great culture and art that you don’t find anywhere else. It’s unique and specific to the South. I miss crawfish, and the hospitality and the people. I miss people asking me, “How’s your mom and them?”

The great thing about that question is they really want to know! Yeah! You forget people can be like that when you’re away from it.

In the film, did you say that you came out to your parents in high school? They found out when I was a Senior in high school. They didn’t find the ex-gay ministry stuff until…I think they started going to a support group my last year of college. But it wasn’t till I moved to Montana that they really got into it and started their own ministry.

So they’ve known for a while. What prompted you to make the film now? I graduated with an MFA in filmmaking, and had begun to write a narrative, a fiction piece about an ex-gay ministry. Then I thought, a lot of times reality is a lot more interesting. People have always been really curious about my relationship with my parents and how we still loved one another. My mom asked me to shoot my cousin’s wedding. So I went down there and I took some of my buddies and decided to do the work we were just taught. When I went down there, I didn’t think that I would learn anything. But I was wrong. I learned a lot, and some of the things were not very good. When I got back to Montana, I sat on it for awhile because I was so hurt. But things continue to shift, and my parents continue to learn and I do too.

Can you tell me about experiences you’ve had at festivals so far? The first time my parents saw it with us was at the Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson. It was me and Amelia [Paige’s partner], and my mom and my dad. The theater was packed and it was a great experience, but also terrifying…feeling the audience watch us watch ourselves. I sat in and watched the film at the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Spokane, Washington, and had a totally different experience. It wasn’t in the South and people don’t have the same types of experiences when they’re not in the Bible Belt. To tell you the truth, during the first 20 minutes I thought, people are going to get up and walk out, because it felt so conservative in that environment. But by the end of it, people were on their feet, they absolutely loved it, and Mississippi Queen won the only award at the gay and lesbian film festival, the Audience Award. Even though it’s a queer topic, it’s really about families, and how we love one another when we don’t agree.

Are there any projects you are currently working on? In 2009 I went to Haiti to shoot a film about an agroforestry project that’s going on there that works out of a hospital. We were supposed to be in Haiti doing a film about the hospital when the earthquake hit, but we had delayed it till February. The hospital survived and it’s one of the only hospitals with a surgery unit. It’s about 45 miles from Port Au Prince. We’re going back at the end of February. I’m also working on a documentary called From Place to Place about America’s foster care system, and how it has been failing. Basically we followed six young adults, three girls and three boys, as they aged out of the system and turned 18. We’ve been following them for a year and a half. That film should be finished by the end of the year. There is also a Eudora Welty novella that I really love and I’ve wanted to film that and produce it in Mississippi. That would also give me a reason to come home and be there for a while.

You can purchase Mississippi Queen on the film’s website at www.msqueenmovie.com and also at www.indyflicks.com

There had been a Joe Strummer show there in New York City that night in 2002. At the after show party there was a phalanx of well-known folks from the entertainment world. Having known Ron Shapiro personally for twenty years, I was beyond getting star-struck.

There was one fellow that did catch my attention, that Gotham night: Jim Jarmusch.

Jarmusch was and is my favorite movie director. It didn’t surprise me that the man who made Night On Earth, Dead Man, and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, was there; he and Joe were buddies from when the musician had a role in his 1991 film, Mystery Train. I thought I needed to talk to Jarmusch and I knew what about: my brother, Mike McCarthy.

Mike is a filmmaker who lives in Memphis with his wife, children, and elderly father. He is a visual artist who has tasted success in that genre and a musician, too. It is as a movie maker that he has created his greatest art and enjoyed his most success in this country and overseas. Mike was given up for adoption shortly after birth and years later made a semi-autobiographical film about it, Teenage Tupelo. That movie, full of passion, pretty girls, and rock and roll, has enjoyed cult success for almost 20 years. With the Mississippi premiere of the film in Oxford in 1995 at The Hoka, I met my brother Mike for the first time. Teenage Tupelo is not something that would show during the Sunday matinee at the Malco, but is some out-there art and has fans all around the world.

I was kind of nervous about striking up a conversation with Jim Jarmusch, though. This was someone whose work I’d had deep respect for for years, and he seemed to be from another planet. I did want to talk to him about Mike.

I thought about how when Joe was in The Clash, he had also seemed extraterrestrial to me, but was now just as regular a guy as someone you might see at Larson’s Big Star. So, I walked up to Jarmusch prepared to say something along the lines of, “I’ve got this brother in Memphis named Mike McCarthy and he made this movie called Teenage Tupelo that you might have heard of...”

Instead, I walked up to Jim Jarmusch and said, “Mike McCarthy is my brother.”

Jarmusch looked at me, cocked his head quizzically and said: “Really! Teenage Tupelo is one of my favorites.”

And we then had a nice chat (I even told him the nude three-year-old in Teenage Tupelo was someone playing me) about my brother, who has since made more movies, including Broad Daylight, and his superb new one, Cigarette Girl, which is showing at the Oxford Film Festival.

In a perfect world, the Hoka would still be open in Oxford, and if it were, Cigarette Girl would have already been shown there (and a great band would have probably played afterwards). The movie is a genre-bender where fantasy meets current events in the future.

Cori Dials plays the Cigarette Girl in Cigarette Girl and does a fine, fine job of doing so. The film is set in a future where cigarette smokers are segregated into a dirty and dark part of town, not unlike Jews in a Polish ghetto.

In the movie, the smoking area is turf where those on the outskirts of society end up, the losers and cads and toughs, those who walk with a blade, a gun, and pack a pack. Cigarette Girl finds herself in nasty situations that a nasty part of town would make available. Some of those situations are made by a young runaway girl played by Ivy MacLemore, who I think is the runaway star of the film.

Cigarette Girl is the kind of movie that most likely will never show in Mike’s hometown of Tupelo, but it is showing in Oxford Thursday night at 10 pm. Mike and director Craig Brewer have worked on movie projects together for over a decade and are presently working on a film they’re calling Warbride and other movie projects.

Mike has a very large portfolio of work as a creative person. Bands, visual art, and all sorts of films, from his big dazzling features to many, many band videos, for everyone from The Hives to Amy LaVere to Jim Dickinson. Much, but not nearly all, of the world of Mike McCarthy can be seen at his main Web site, http://www.guerrillamonster.com.

For this feature, filmmaker Faythe Levine traveled all over the United States “to document what has emerged as a marriage between historical technique, punk culture, and the DIY ethos.” The crafting community has experienced a boom recently, with crafters coming together to support one another “through websites, blogs, boutiques, galleries, and craft fairs…together they have forged a new economy and lifestyle based on creativity, determination, and networking.”

The DIY (do-it-yourself) ethos has always been an attribute of punk culture—especially crust—which favors hand-sewn patches, fanzines, and other self-made articles of expression. Lately, DIY has begun to emerge further into the mainstream as more and more people become conscious of certain social issues. Anti-corporate attitudes, environmentalism, feminism, and empowerment of the individual are just some ways that “ethics can overlap with creativity and art with community.”

Levine’s film features interviews with crafters and artists who work with a variety of media. One of my favorites, Jenine Bressner (http://www.jenine.net), lives in Providence, Rhode Island, where she flameworks beautiful glass beads and dolls. “For me, crafts are an extension of living a DIY lifestyle: speaking and acting against globalization and the mass production of everything, and questionable labor practices and doing things locally instead of wearing clothes that come from some place you’ve never heard of,” Bressner says, summing up the general theme of the film.

While the crafty culture isn’t limited to women, the majority of the artists are female. In San Francisco, Stephanie Syjuco (who makes clothing from vintage materials and sells them online at http://www.anti-factory.com/, using the tag line “Because Sweatshops Suck.”) asserts, “This isn’t just what women do in their spare time to make extra money or satisfy some cute impulse.”

Many women, myself included, learned a craft from female relatives. Sewing, crochet, knitting, embroidery, and other types of needlework have often been considered merely hobbies for ladies and not exactly considered “cool.” I regularly receive comments like, “Oh, I never would have taken you for a knitter,” when I pull out my crochet hook and yarn to occupy myself when I have precious free time. Many young women today are challenging that stereotype of crafts being just for your grandma.

Another artist featured in the film, Whitney Lee, designs latch hook kits that she sells online (http://www.madewithsweetlove.com), many of which are derived from pornographic images—nudes taken from Playboy or other Web sites. She explains, “Back [when I started] I held a critical view of the way women are portrayed in mass media, but I also possessed healthy doses of optimism, irony, and humor…now I see my work less as criticism and more as a part of a larger dialogue about feminism, pornography, and beauty.” For her, craft is a political and social statement, at the same time creating a useful thing—in this case, rugs adorned with naked women. (I want one.)

Here in Oxford, Mississippi, with its reputation as a cultural hub, we have evidence of this DIY movement as well. The Maker’s Market was started by a group of local artists who wanted a regular venue to sell their art. The artists get together twice a month to set up booths and showcase their wares on or near the Square. They’ve taken a break over the holidays, but will return this Saturday, February 6th at The Lyric Theatre starting at 10 am, and will be guests of “A Night at the Boom Boom Room” February 12th at The Powerhouse.

For the uninitiated, it’s sort of like bid day—complete with the signing of some sort of form pledging lifetime allegiance to an organization with which the pledge is not all too familiar and the emotional donning of regalia bearing the name or initials of that organization. It’s also a time when old people get really excited about some young stranger becoming a part of this institutional “family.” Aliens would, no doubt, find it all to be stranger than fiction. And that analogy was no doubt useless, since sorority girls only “read” The Local Voice to look like they fit in at Bottletree.

Of course, NSD— you know someone spends too much time paying attention to a thing when unofficial initials are substituted for a common phrase; their profound thoughts on the subject are too important to bear out full words—has come and gone since press time. Last year, Signing Day brought in a whirlwind of surprises, including the surreptitious snatching of five-star offensive linemen Bobbie Massie from the cold and open clutches of Alabama and Nick Saban. That and other last-day commitments reinforced Houston Nutt’s reputation as a “closer,” like the football Kyra Sedgwick—complex, accented, and unconventional, if not quite mad.

Because it passed while your free newspaper was at the presses, RCR has no full-length recap and analysis for you, for that you’ll have to check out the site. (You know why Houston Nutt likes new media? ‘Cuz it’s fast!) We do, however, have a few observations that we are quite sure will still hold true, even after Signing Day has come and gone.

Like staring at constellations, the stars can be deceiving. Of course, recruits are rated on a five-star basis—the more stars, the higher-rated the prospect is. But, these ratings are only slightly more reliable than your horoscope (remember kids, constellations are optical illusions). For every Reggie Bush there are equal, if not greater, numbers of Robert Lanes and Brent Schaeffers. So, evaluating our number of four-star and five-star recruits is only one way of measuring the recruiting success of the football team.

Nevertheless, these stars are pretty good indicators that “scholar-athlete” is a confusing and ill-fitting term for college football. Star rankings for college athletic prospects—and the paid-for cottage industry behind the evaluation and rating of these prospects—are clear signals that if education was ever a part of this world, it is not any more. Can you imagine any other facet of the educational atmosphere basing its annual semiannual state of the program evaluations almost entirely on the independent evaluations of its recruits?

Oh, right, that’s what the U.S. News and World Report does to law schools every year.

Nevertheless, you do not see undergraduate programs rated solely on how many National Merit Finalists have been wooed or people paying for exclusive video of that Truman Scholar committed to Vanderbilt Law defending his undergraduate thesis. We are very obsessed with these people, enough so that there must be an almost omnipotent agency, which polices against illicit gifts to these prospects valued sometimes in the six figures.

Or, worse than a “loan” to his uncle, recruits go to the local strip joint. That’s just … wow. You know State has stooped to a whole new level when we can conceptualize a reason to be thankful for your good ol’ Oxford blue laws.

So, Signing Day is going to come and go. People with expendable income are going to attempt to compensate high school kids under the table for their freakish athletic gifts. Little or none of this process will emphasize the academic mission of the university. And to some degree of certainty many of these blue-chip prospects—especially if they are five-stars committed to the Rebels—will fail either athletically or academically and be tossed aside with nothing more than a hoodie, a few hours of academic credit unrelated to any “major,” and, if they’re lucky, a cash bonus that will get the football team put on probation in a few years.

Can’t you see why we love this sport so much?

Tonight at Proud Larrys is going to be a big one musically with a full slate of contemporary singer songwriters who are putting their voice on the American music scene.
Local musician Charlie Mars is the man at the center here, and also on the stage that night is going to be Ben Kweller, Dierks Bentley, Bob Schneider and Griffin House, with Sonia Leigh and Levi Lowery opening the show. This is going to be a major night of music, as these artists will have many fans in town that do not get to see them in such a small setting, and Proud Larrys will be selling a limited number of tickets. So, if you're looking for that sublime early Valentine's gift for your Main Squeeze, you're much advised to get tickets early at proudlarrys.com.
Oh, and all proceeds go to the Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund.
Charlie Mars
http://www.myspace.com/charliemars
Dierks Bentley:
http://www.myspace.com/dierksbentley
Ben Kweller:
http://www.myspace.com/benkweller
Bob Schneider:
http://www.myspace.com/bobschneider
Griffin House:
http://www.myspace.com/griffinhouse
and opening the show is Sonia Leigh and Levi Lowery:
http://www.myspace.com/sonialeigh
http://www.myspace.com/levilowrey



At the Lyric tonight is G Love and Special Sauce
http://www.myspace.com/glovespecialsauce
http://www.philadelphonic.com/


Up With The Joneses is playing at Two Stick:
http://www.myspace.com/upwiththejoneses


Goodpaper is at Snackbar
http://www.myspace.com/goodpaperband


Roosters has karaoke.


From the Square Books Web-site:
Danielle Sellers will be visiting Off Square Books to read from her book, Bone Key Elegies. The reading will be followed by a signing/reception.
Danielle Sellers is originally from Key West, now living in Oxford. She has an MA from The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University and an MFA from the University of Mississippi where she held the John Grisham Poetry Fellowship. Her poems have appeared in River Styx, Subtropics, Smartish Pace, The Cimarron Review, Poet Lore, Cold Mountain Review, and elsewhere. She's founder and editor of The Country Dog Review and teaches at the University of Mississippi.
5-6:30
http://www.squarebooks.com/


Ole Miss has a rifle match against Memphis State this morning on campus at 9.
http://www.olemisssports.com/SportS...755&SPSID=13219




After the Packers, I wanted Brett Favre to win the Super Bowl, but with him out, I moved to Archie. The Saints are my fourth favorite team, and I like seeing Saints fans have a good time, but Archie Manning is much more important and he has been such a great Mississippian and is such a genuinely nice and good person that, when he announced he would be pulling for the Colts (or, more specifically, his son Peyton), that was enough for me: if football things are good for Archie, that's cool with me.


But, after reading this New York Times article today about Saints linebacker Scott Fujita and his political views, I really, really like the Saints a lot more.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/s....html?th&emc=th


Here is really good: Theresa Anderson, Aaron Neville, Carlo Nuccio and others have outdid themselves on this new ode to the Saints. This is good stuff and you should take the time for it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywyw2YeOOPk


From Gambit Magazine, a video man-on-the-street question segment with New Orleanians asked about their Super Bowl plans:
http://questionland.bestofneworlean...-the-super-bowl
Evidently, no black people could be found in New Orleans to be asked.


Here is the New Orleans vs. Indianapolis literary Super Bowl:
http://flcenterlitarts.wordpress.co...rary-superbowl/


The New York Times published this New Orleans Journal about New Orleans, the Saints and the Super Bowl:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/us/29orleans.html?th&emc=th


This National Public Radio story details Aaron Neville creating the "Who Dat?" slogan:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123229110


Also from Gambit Magazine, photographs of the Saints march to the Super Bowl:
http://bestofneworleans.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A68605

City of Oxford Board of Alderman meeting agenda
February 2, 2010 6:00 p.m.

1. Call to order.

2. Adopt the agenda for the meeting.

3. Mayor’s Report.

4. Authorize approval of minutes of the regular meeting on January 19, 2010.

5. Authorize approval of accounts for all city departments.

6. Announce Tree board vacancy.

7. Appoint member to the Planning Commission.

8. Appoint member to Mayor’s Disability Committee.

9. Adopt retirement resolution honoring Steve McCoy for years of service with the Electric Department.

10. Accept donation from the Oxford Lafayette Humane Society for the animal shelter.

11. Request from Chan Patel for property tax abatement for a proposed hotel. (Brad Walsh)

12. Discuss retention of attorney for work on Safety Task Force. (Mayor Patterson)

13. Second reading of ordinance rezoning property located at 1802 West Jackson Avenue from Multi-Unit Residential District (RC) to Neighborhood Business District (NB). (Tim Akers)

14. Request permission to advertise for aerators for the Waste Water Treatment Plant lagoon. (Bart Robinson)

15. Accept bids for FNC Park Office/Maintenance Facility. (Bart Robinson)

16. Accept bids for Bramlett Water Treatment Plant Aerator replacement. (Bart Robinson).

17. Request permission to send an employee to Lousiville, MS on February 18-19, 2010 for the MS/AL Keep America Beautiful Annual Conference with a cost of $182.00. (Randy Russell)

18. Discuss possible TVA Loan refinancing. (Lynn Robbins)

19. Request permission for an Engineering Technician to attend training in Nashville TN on March 24-25, 2010 and May 12-13, 2010 with a total cost of $2,278.00. (Lynn Robbins)

20. Request permission for two employees to attend training at CSA in Tupelo, MS on February 16-17, 2010 with a cost of $300.00. (Lynn Robbins)

21. Presentation of Oxford Park Commission quarterly report. (Rob Boyd)

22. Authorize surplus of vehicle and advertisement on govdeals.com. (Bo Ragon)

23. Presentation of Oxford Convention and Visitor’s Bureau audit. (Hollis Green and Mary Kathryn Millner)

24. Request permission to purchase greenhouse for a cost of $1,000.00. (Billy Lamb)

25. Authorize Mayor Patterson to sign lease agreement with University for ARFF Truck. (Mike Hill)

26. Request approval for Matthew K. Long, Brian K. Flanner and James W. Houston to serve as reserves with the Oxford Police Department. (Mike Martin)

27. Consider approval of William C. McCammon as a taxi driver for Rock Star Taxi. (Mike Martin)

28. Authorize Karlie Smith, Bryan Tuttle, and Matthew Smith as interns with Oxford Police Department. (Mike Martin)

29. Authorize employment of part time Police Dispatcher. (Al Hope)

30. Authorize promotion in Public Works. (Al Hope)

31. Authorize internal advertisement for promotional process in the Water Department. (Al Hope)

32. Authorize two promotions in the Fire Department. (Al Hope)

33. Consider executive session.

Winter Storm Warning for Lafayette County, Mississippi
until 6 am CST, Sat., Jan. 30, 2010

Issued by The National Weather Service Memphis, Tennessee
8:58 am CST, Fri., Jan. 29, 2010

... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST SATURDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MEMPHIS HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS... WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST SATURDAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS BETWEEN ONE HALF TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH. IN ADDITION TO THE FREEZING RAIN... MINOR ACCUMULATIONS OF SLEET MAY ACCOMPANY THIS WINTER PRECIPITATION.

* WINTRY PRECIPITATION IS ANTICIPATED INCREASE THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING. LIGHT SNOW AND LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE MAY OCCUR TONIGHT.

* ICE ACCUMULATIONS WILL CREATE DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. COMBINED WITH GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS... THESE ICE ACCUMULATIONS MAY CREATE STRESS ON TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WINTER STORM WARNING MEANS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW... SLEET... AND ICE ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. STRONG WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE. THIS WILL MAKE TRAVEL VERY HAZARDOUS OR IMPOSSIBLE.

... MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE IMPACT THE ENTIRE MID SOUTH THROUGH TONIGHT...

.ARCTIC AIR WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH INTO THE MIDSOUTH FROM THE NORTH TODAY. MEANWHILE... LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK TO THE SOUTH OF THE AREA SPREADING PRECIPITATION INTO THE MIDSOUTH. A PROGRESSIVELY SOUTHWARD CHANGEOVER FROM RAIN TO FREEZING RAIN... SLEET AND SNOW WILL OCCUR FROM THROUGH TONIGHT.

NORTHEAST WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 30 MPH WILL LIKELY ACCOMPANY THE WINTRY PRECIPITATION. THESE WINDS COULD STRESS ICY TREE BRANCHES AND POWER LINES CAUSING POWER OUTAGES. WIND CHILLS WILL DROP INTO THE TEENS ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA TODAY AND INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS TONIGHT.

TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW FREEZING OVER MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE WEEKEND. AS A RESULT... A PROLONGED PERIOD OF SNOW AND ICE COVERED ROADS MAY OCCUR. TEMPERATURES MAY DROP INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE MIDSOUTH SUNDAY MORNING.