Ocelopotamus

News, culture, and politics. Not necessarily in that order.

Ocelopotamus header image 4

Entries Tagged as 'Fringe'

The Unbearable Lightness of the Kilogram, Universes Next Door, and the Occupy Movement

November 29th, 2011 · 1 Comment · Books, Chicago, Culture, Essays, Fringe, Journalism, News, Performance, Politics, Science, The Economy, Stupid, TV, Writing

Context: This essay was written for, and performed in, the November 19, 2011 edition of The Paper Machete, a weekly showcase for Chicago journalists, comedians, and other writers, hosted by Christopher Piatt. I’m just getting around to posting it now because, well, my own universe is fairly chaotic and other deadlines prevailed. You are encouraged […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Not Zero: The Fukushima Litotes

April 1st, 2011 · 2 Comments · Blogs, Chicago, Climate Change, Culture, Energy, Environment, Essays, Fringe, Journalism, Language, Media, News, Nuclear Power, Performance, Politics, Science, Writing

A little context: The following piece was written to be performed in the March 26, 2011 edition of The Paper Machete, a weekly showcase for Chicago journalists, comedians, and other writers, hosted by Christopher Piatt. The Paper Machete has posted the audio of the performance as a podcast. You can listen to it here: The […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

The King’s Speech and The Writer’s Prayer

January 5th, 2011 · 4 Comments · Books, Culture, Film, Fringe, Journal, Neo-Futurists, Performance, Poetry, Theater, Writing

I saw The King’s Speech a few nights ago, and I think it’s the film most relevant to my own experience that I’ve seen in a very long time. The thing is, it’s not just a charming historical drama about royalty and speech therapy; it’s about people who allow their own anxieties and self-doubt to […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

The Partly Dave Show: Please Mister Postman (at the Rhino Fest, Friday Feb. 20)

February 13th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Chicago, Culture, Fringe, Journal, Music, Neo-Futurists, Performance, The Partly Dave Show, Theater

So, here’s some of that “other news” I mentioned in my previous post: Partly Dave is back! Oh, yes, you read that right, Mabel. The Partly Dave Show has been unpacked from its wooden chest, mothballs brushed away, and is ready to flatter your figure again just like the old days — and it’s happening […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Wordslingers Appearance Now Online, and Poem of the Week on Deep Dish

June 4th, 2008 · Comments Off on Wordslingers Appearance Now Online, and Poem of the Week on Deep Dish · Blogs, Books, Chicago, Culture, Fringe, Journal, Lit, Performance, Poetry, Politics

For those of you who didn’t hear it on the public airwaves a couple of weeks back, because you were busy painting your toenails or defending the earth or something, my appearance on the Wordslingers poetry radio show from Sunday 5/18 is now online in the Vox Cafe archive on the Wordslingers Web site — […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Sunday, May 18: Wordslingers Poetry Radio Show

May 15th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Chicago, Culture, Fringe, Journal, Lit, Performance, Poetry

This Sunday evening, May 18, I’ll be appearing on the radio program Wordslingers. Wordslingers, hosted by Michael C. Watson, airs on the first and third Sundays of each and every month, and features Chicago-area poets reading their work and being interviewed live on the radio. You’d think there’d be a law against that kind of […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Schadenfreudian Hillarity

April 8th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Blogs, Chicago, Comedy, Culture, Fringe, News, Performance, Politics, Video

In case you haven’t seen any of these yet, my pals at Schadenfreude (who I love despite the fact that they terrify me sometimes) are doing a good job of capturing the current logic of the Hillary campaign in video.   These are turning up all over Greater Blogistania and one of the other installments […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Chicago Notes: Spukt, Sweat Girls, Mr. Fluxus, Andy Bayiates, and More

November 10th, 2007 · Comments Off on Chicago Notes: Spukt, Sweat Girls, Mr. Fluxus, Andy Bayiates, and More · Astrology, Blogs, Books, Chicago, Comedy, Culture, Fantasy, Fiction, Foreign Policy, Fringe, History, Journal, Lit, Neo-Futurists, News, Performance, Politics, Theater

It’s been ages since I’ve done one of these little Chicago roundups, but there are so many head-splittingly good things going on this week that it seems like a dandy time to reinstate the tradition. • First up, this weekend is the opening of the brand-new Theater Oobleck show Spukt, written by the mercurial Dave […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Nodilogue (and Blogscratching)

September 22nd, 2007 · 2 Comments · Blogs, Chicago, Culture, Fringe, Internet, Journal, Performance

I’m a little behind the times with this, but I wanted to offer some belated shoutings-out and linkback lurve to my fellow participants from The Nod this past Wednesday evening. Don Hall and Joe Janes did a great job of hosting the evening, making everyone feel welcome and creating the opportunity for the gaggle to […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

The Nod: Wednesday, September 19 (with a Moving Addendum)

September 12th, 2007 · 3 Comments · Blogs, Chicago, Comedy, Culture, Fringe, Journal, Kiwi, Meta, Mr. Blue, Neo-Futurists, News, Performance, Theater

Next Wednesday, September 19, I’m going to be participating in a way-fun event called The Nod, in which some of Chicago’s best bloggers will be reading posts from their blogs live at the Uptown Writer’s Space. And for some reason they’ve asked me to be on the bill, as well. Possibly to make the rest […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Saturday 8/25: Grigsby Award Ceremony for David Kodeski and Edward Thomas-Herrera

August 24th, 2007 · 3 Comments · Chicago, Culture, Fringe, Neo-Futurists, News, Performance, The Partly Dave Show, Theater

If you’re here in Chicago and looking for something fun to do tomorrow evening, I’ll be participating in an award ceremony and “gentle roast” (in the words of Live Bait Theater) for those stalwarts of the Chicago solo performance scene — and my fellow Pansy Kings — David Kodeski and Edward Thomas-Herrera. The ceremony is […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

In Chicago: Rachel Claff Is Busting Out All Over

June 17th, 2007 · 2 Comments · Blogs, Books, Chicago, Culture, Film, Fringe, LGBT, Lit, Music, Neo-Futurists, New Wave, News, Nightclubs, Performance, Poetry, The Partly Dave Show, Theater

I haven’t done one of these Chicago Fringe scene reports in a while, so here’s what’s on my radar this week: The Neo-Futurists’ annual festival It Came From The Neo-Futurarium VI: Curse of The Neo-Futurarium, consisting of staged readings of various camp-ready old films, kicks off this Thursday, June 21 at 8pm. The first installment […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Stephen Colbert: Behind the Maniac

May 23rd, 2007 · 1 Comment · Chicago, Comedy, Culture, Fringe, Journal, Media, Neo-Futurists, Politics, Theater, TV, Video

For those who haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Stephen Colbert in person, this backstage video of him prepping John Kerry before Kerry’s recent Colbert Report appearance is a fun little peek behind the curtain of the character he plays on his show. I think knowing what a charming, mild-mannered, and self-effacing person Stephen is […]

[Read more →]

Tags:

Photo: “6 Faggots in Gravy”!

May 16th, 2007 · 2 Comments · Blogs, Culture, Food, Fringe, LGBT, Neo-Futurists, News, Photos, Theater, Travel

Andy Towle has been posting about controversy in the UK over signs advertising the traditional dish called “faggots” as a menu item (or an item not on the menu, as the case may be). Which made me remember this shot I took when I was staying in Edinburgh in 2000, while performing with The Neo-Futurists […]

[Read more →]

Tags: