The constant strain of city life seems to breed an infestation of mental disorders and strange habits. We’re riddled with anxiety, obsessed with cleanliness, or so depressed we can’t even scrape ourselves out of bed. And if there is a disorder that’s the opposite of agoraphobia, the folks who frequent…
Like Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Kevin J. Anderson was first published in his teens, and his prolific success is enviable. Now Anderson will sign and discuss what Superman fans have been clamoring for: The Last Days of Krypton, a book that subtly retraces the courtship of Jor-El…
No Nigerian ringers allowed at this year’s Javelina Jundred marathon, okay? All others should don their comfiest shoes and get ready for the annual 30-hour, 100-mile race, which starts at the Pemberton Trailhead. The event promoters have wisely added an “I Wimped Out” 100K option this year. That would be…
Looking for a way to hide the fact that you’re secretly shopping for a new wardrobe? Sunset Clothing Xchange has figured out a stealthy way to disguise our Ed Hardy habit with its Four Seasons Graffiti Art Show. Paintings that match your couch? So ´98. Up your street cred with…
Halloween carnival at the Y, Wicked Night at the Wrigley. Hmm, what to do? Discerning boys and ghouls choose the Mansion, which consistently throws the Valley’s best bashes, including this highfalutin costume ball. It’ll set you back a little more than the Y — tix cost $50 — but at…
With every passing Halloween, we find it more and more challenging to come up with original and fresh costume ideas. Instead of beautiful flowing fabric interpretations, the pseudo-holiday turns into an offend-a-thon, where folks sport Elliott Smith stabbed-in-the-chest motifs or silk-and-cotton metaphors for genitalia. For a more sophisticated and arresting…
Fun fact No. 1: Iceland was recently named the fourth-happiest nation on Earth. Fun fact No. 2: Some Icelanders, descended from Vikings and Norsemen, still believe in elves or are unwilling to rule out their existence. It makes perfect sense, then, that Icelanders are making some of the most adventurous…
Way back in the ’80s, when real men didn’t eat quiche, wine was relegated to fancy restaurants and snooty folks who watched PBS. But thanks to the pioneering efforts of “Two Buck Chuck,” wine with dinner can now be had for the cost of an extra-large Slurpee, and Charles Shaw…
Despite the rosy glow of hindsight, there’ve always been sickos and psychos. Caligula. Vlad the Impaler. Jack the Ripper. Winnie Ruth Judd. But — as you can see from the abbreviated checklist — they used to come along at relatively hospitable intervals. The 1960s and ´70s saw a sicko/psycho boom,…
War isn’t only hell, it’s also layered with ironies. Take the tiny hunk of Japanese rock invaded by the U.S. during the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima, where an iconic image of WWII in the Pacific emerged: Joe Rosenthal’s photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. One of the clinchers…
No one’s yet been caught doing 350 mph on that unofficial race track known as the Loop 101 in north Scottsdale, but it won’t be long once the world’s fastest motorcycle — currently a prototype — hits the market. See other protos, along with dirts, cruisers, and customs, at the…
Once you get past all the faux arachnids plastered on the outside walls and wade through the infinite spider webs that have snared several inflatable sex dolls, you’re ready to check out the salacious and sinister works at the “Monsters Menagerie” show. Check out fantastical works in a variety of…
We’ve always tried to like — and spell — fancy-ass French food like fishyswass and keesh, but our palate hails from Texas, and our culinary hero is Homer Simpson. Thus, we’ll be at the front of the line when the SPAMMOBILE pulls into the Arizona State Fairgrounds to hand out…
As if the beautiful people who haunt Axis/Radius and next-door neighbor Suede don’t already wear enough makeup, the 85251 clubs are offering their clientele the chance to really pour on the pancake at the “Ghost Ball” Block Party. More than 10,000 lost souls are expected to attend. Sat., Oct. 27,…
Eighty-two regular-season contests and an indeterminate number of playoff games from now, we’ll see if the Phoenix Suns can finally corral those damnable San Antonio Spurs and become the first Suns team to win an NBA championship — or one of the best ones that didn’t. First they have to…
Those show-biz types — writers, performers, carnies — they just plain make up a lot of stuff. Shameful! So when Citrus Valley Playhouse creator Brian Nissen mentions LOCUBTZPIVVL (Lack of Connection und Belonging to Ze Place in Vich Ve Live) Syndrome — a sociological phenomenon first observed by Dr. Dieter…
If your Netflix queue is woefully lacking in Russian constructivist takes on American expressionist high-technophobic allegories, here’s ASU Theatre to the rescue with Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal. The play is based on the true story of Ruth Snyder, the calculating killer who conspired to murder her husband in 1927 — providing…
This one had the look of a mini-classic. The Arizona State Sun Devils at 7-0. The Cal Golden Bears potentially ranked No. 1. Not to be, as Cal’s golden aura turned to pyrite with back-to-back losses. These are going to be some vewwy, vewwy gwumpy Bears, so hang on, Team…
Every once in a while, no matter how good life is, you just want to get the hell out. Sadly, many of us resort to booze and drugs for our mental vacations. But if you’re wanting to put the bottle on the shelf, good art can provide an excellent means…
Paintings by Xiao Shunzhi at Calvin Charles Gallery: After a few hours of viewing art, I sometimes feel as if I’ve rubbed my eyeballs with sandpaper. The visual wear makes everything blurry, and the only thing that brings focus back is seeing something truly excellent. Such was the case when…
AC/DC: Plug Me In (Sony) Bob the Builder: Ultimate Adventure Collection (Hit Entertainment) Bully 911: Stop Being a Victim (Bayview) Believers (Warner Bros.) Best Picture Collection (MGM) The Hoax (Miramax) Hollow Man: Director’s Cut (Sony) The Invisible (Disney) Ironside: Season 2 (Shout) The Jazz Singer: Three-Disc Deluxe Edition (Warner Bros.)…
“Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid,” Raymond Chandler wrote in 1950’s The Simple Art of Murder, smacking the ascot off the drawing-room mystery and all its crime-solving dilettante dandies. “He must be . . . a man…
