the listener

CUTE!!! - August 6, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:06:00 +0000

On Monday I took some vacation time and made my way over to the Lincoln Park Zoo. I’d never been there before and was skeptical of how an entire zoo could be built in the middle of a place like Lincoln Park. I have mixed feelings about the zoo—on the one hand, zoos educate people, nurse sick animals back to health, and expose people to wonderful creatures they’d otherwise never see, on the other hand the animals all sort of look like they’re going crazy—pacing and chewing off their fur. But I saw the cutest thing when I was there. At the polar bear exhibit two bears straight out of a Coca-Cola commercial were swimming loops around their pool. The larger of the two liked to swim by, inches from the glass and eye the crowd. Then one little girl—Emily—freckled and pig-tailed stood in front of the aquarium and put her hand on the glass. The big polar bear swam right up to her, cocked his head, and on the other side of the glass he put his paw against hers.

I know that polar bears are vicious creatures, far more dangerous than their grizzly cousins. Maybe that bear thought Emily looked like a baby seal—easy pickings, but for that moment it was enough to imagine the bear looking out at the crowd and finding the one person willing to reach out to him. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen.

Also filed under cute would be Rec Room’s August 6^th fundraiser show, CUTE!!! Oh how we reveled in the cuteness—power points of dogs in boxer shorts, slideshows of a Korean toddler singing the Beatles. We played a match ‘em up game with baby pictures and listened to poetry, stories of childhood and short stories. in miniature sang about China, and somewhere, someone won some precious moment statues at our raffle.

Thank you to everyone who performed and to all you who came to see the show. It was a blast, and it was cute as hell!

Rec Room Moves to Monthly Format

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:04:00 +0000

Hey everyone-

I just wanted to remind you that we have moved to a monthly format, rather than bi-weekly. Rec Room shows will now be the first Wednesday of every month. Our next show is September 3 at 8:00 p.m. at Black Rock. See you there!

Erotics for Weirdos: The Aesthetics of the Everyday in the Erotic Imagination

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:58:00 +0000

(a letter to Olivia)

Olivia- I am so, so sorry, but we lost the pictures from this show. There was a slight tragedy involving a lost memory card from the camera. It's unfair, really, because so many of rec room's old friends were back; it was like a family reunion!

The show was a lot fun, too, and again I apologize not having pictures to document it all. But we heard work ranging from stories about hair monsters, to John Donne recitations, to crooning, to visits to the eye doctor. The stories, poems and performances of the evening were varied in the way they explored the theme, and that's what we like about rec room. Throw a theme out there and just watch what everyone does with it. You would have never predicted magnifying glasses and flowers in the hair, but it makes so much sense when it happens.

Thank you for the show, Olivia. It was wonderful to have you back. Please don't be a stranger!

Erotics for Weirdos at rr June 16

noreply@blogger.com (et) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:17:00 +0000

Dear rec roomer,

Imagine women standing with their hands on their hips. Imagine men dressed like the Fonz. Picture a women sneezing, or a man repeatedly pushing the gas pedal. Visualize a woman making dinner, then dumping it on the floor and walking through the mess.

Does any of that turn you on?

If so, you're not alone. Google "weird fetishes" and you'll come across some of these specialized "porn" sites right away. Even if they haven't made a site for your favorite stimulus yet, chances are you'll find something titillating at rec room this week.

Join us at black rock Wednesday July 16 as our curator, Olivia Cronk brings us Erotics for Weirdos: The Aesthetics of the Everyday in the Erotic Imagination, which she describes like this:

This show will feature several pieces that gesture at a theory of erotics rooted in the odd detail: the smeared eyeliner, the broken spectacles, the chunk of carrot stuck so sweetly in between two teeth. Pieces will include performance-art, poetry, stories, and other sexiness. With performances by: Meg Barboza, Olivia Cronk, Liz Cross, Allison Gruber, Megan Martin, Kathy Regina, Erin Teegarden, and Melissa Walker.

See you then!
Erin
((REC ROOM INFO))
What: the reconstruction room (a biweekly theme party -- with art, literature and performance)
Website: www.recroomers.com (contains a calendar of upcoming shows and an archive of past shows)
When: the first and third wednesdays of every month -- 8:00 p.m.
Where: Black Rock (a bar at the corner of damen and addison in roscoe village. two blocks west of the addison stop on the brown line.
Address: 3614 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL, 60618)
Cost: free
Contact: recroom@recroomers.com

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:04:00 +0000

Hey everyone, sorry for the delay in posts. Summer is full-on and that means holidays, road trips and general forgetfulness any time the weather is nice.

In case you missed it as I did, (I spent the evening sitting with a friend in Northwestern Hospital's ER--he turned out to be fine) the June 18, 2008 rec room show was a riot. How do I know this? Rumors. Anyway, I can't write too much on it because I wasn't there, but apparently the poetry-improv experiment was successfully poetic and funny. If you couldn't make it to the show--or even if you did--take a look at the pictures and have yourself a laugh.

We'll see you Wednesday!

Great American Songbirds -- June 4, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (et) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:40:00 +0000

Today at the Andersonville street fair as I was leaving, a cover band was singing that 80s hit, “500 miles”. And the cover was just so-so, but it didn’t matter. As my friend and I walked out, everyone in the crowd was DAh dada DAh – ing right along, mouthing the lyrics into their beers and at their friends. I even saw one woman singing into her cell (insert eye roll here) and, in spite of my best efforts, my whole bike ride home, I was dadadada ing in my head, too.

What is it about a quirky pop tune that ignites subconscious memory and inspires temporary glee, and makes even the worst singers among us totally dork out in public and burst into song?
Whatever that thing is, it inspired rec room alum Abby Cucci and her co-curator Ryan Brewster to bring rec room a night of music, dedicated to the American Songbook. As the show description illuminates: "The years between about 1920 and 1960 saw the emergence of new works of popular songwriting now known as the American Songbook. Catalyzed by the free-wheeling and nascent forms of Jazz music and fortified by the simple structures of Tin Pan Alley, the American Songbook has been rediscovered and reinterpreted by every generation since. Come take a stroll through the Songbook with some favorite Chicago songbirds. You'll hear classic melodies--Gershwin, Porter, Berlin--and remember why this music strikes a chord in all of us, year after year. "

As I sat in the back room of Black Rock Wednesday, June 4, the team of talented Chicago songbirds Cucci and Brewster assembled struck so many pleasant chords with me. I vacillated between broadly grinning, outright chuckling and downright laughing and bouncing up and down in my seat for: Brigette Ditmar’s pizzazz on “Accentuate the Positive”, Melissa Young’s refreshingly exuberant version of “On a Clear Day you Can See Forever”, Jonny Cunningham’s dangerously tongue-in-cheek take on “Let’s Do It”, as well as Cucci and Gerald Richardson’s charming rendition of “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”. And who wouldn’t be show-stopped by Bethany Thomas’s powerful, resonant version of “At Last”, or compelled by Vallea Woodbury’s sultry cover of “My Funny Valentine”, or moved by Richardson’s version of “Sophisticated Lady”, or delighted by Young and Stephanie Layton’s campy rendition of “Friendship”?
Seriously, people. There were so many things to be happy about with this show: the approachable cool of Rob Smith’s “One More for my Baby Tonight”, the unexpected poetry Jayson Brooks introduced to us in his cover of “Lush Life”. When the show closed with an ensemble version of “The Best is Yet To Come”, well, I believed them. I was standing on my feet – happy, clapping, hooting out my praise for the performers. These songbirds filled my head with tunes I won’t be able to stop singing for a good long time.

Thanks to our girl Abby for providing witty and insightful “liner note” introductions that helped us all become even more familiar with the Songbook, and to Ryan for his stellar accompaniment, which supplied the essential spirit necessary to showcase these hits. Thanks to the full house of listeners, who cheered for the singers and generously donated to rec room. And special thanks to all the talented Chicago songbirds who came to the back room of a bar on a Wednesday night, and gifted us all, with music.

Your Way With Words Makes Me Act A Fool -- June 18

noreply@blogger.com (et) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:18:00 +0000

Dear rec roomer,

Have you ever tried to paint an opera, dance a photograph, sing a statue?

This Wednesday at rec room, poets open themselves up to interpretation, and improvisers set themselves up for failure or glory, as we present a one-of-a-kind poetry/improv collaboration, "Your Way With Words Makes Me Act A Fool".

Join us at black rock June 18 at 8 p.m. for a night where lyric poetry spawns improvised sketch comedy.

Curated by: Pat Babbitt and Erin Teegarden, with readings by: Joshua Dumas, David Digangi, Nicolette Bond, Meg Barboza, Katie Hartsock, Erin Teegarden, with performances by: Lindsey Fisher, Heath Cordts, Chris Dingwall, Dave Rispoli, Pat Babbitt.

((REC ROOM INFO))
What: the reconstruction room (a biweekly theme party -- with art, literature and performance)
Website: www.recroomers.com (contains a calendar of upcoming shows and an archive of past shows)
When: the first and third wednesdays of every month -- 8:00 p.m.
Where: Black Rock (a bar at the corner of damen and addison in roscoe village. two blocks west of the addison stop on the brown line. Address: 3614 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL, 60618)
Cost: free
Contact: recroom@recroomers.com

Bestiarum Vocabulum - May 21, 2008

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:55:00 +0000

Did you ever play that game where you look at people and try to decide what kind of animal they look like? For example, I went to grad school with a lemur, an orange cat, a gander, and a bull, and I also knew someone who was an ewok (I’m not sure if that counts as animal or not, though). My best friend from high school always told me that I looked like a stuffed squirrel with shiny glass eyes, which always creeped me out. I thought of this game during Bestiarum Vocabulum, the May 21st show curated by Jacob S. Knabb, but I’ve only come up with a couple of examples. I could tell you that Nicolette Bond is a barn swallow, her preferred habitat being “open country with low vegetation, such as pasture, meadows and farmland, preferably with nearby water,” and I think Philip Jenks and Simone Muench are cats, all lean and sassy hanging out on an alley fence. But what about Jonathan Messinger, Greg Purcell, Erikka Mikalo, Nick Garcia and Aras and the Volodkas (we’ll just go ahead and assume that I’m a stuffed squirrel)? I would love to hear what you think.

Back to the show, though. This was a fun night for everyone involved. There were several performers new to the rec room stage, and it’s always delightful to hear new voices. I also learned new things about old friends—for example, Jacob does a pretty good Louis Armstrong impression, and Nicolette’s pet goat shares a name with my wonky-eyed cat. I just want to thank Jacob and all of the performers for the cool show. I mean, I guess I’m a dork, but sorry, animals are awesome!

"Bestiarum Vocabulum" at rec room May 21

noreply@blogger.com (et) — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:34:00 +0000

Dear rec roomer,

I once had a penny goldfish (Hermie) who lived 12 years. Other than that, I've never really had any pets, or formed any bonds with animals. Probably my favorite animal as a kid was this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8aGlOj2VFo&feature=related.

Nothing against animals, I'm really just more of a children and houseplants kinda girl. So this Wednesday, May 21 @ 8 p.m., as rec room presents a show devoted to animals, I'll leave the pontificating to the experts. Namely, this week's curator, Jacob S. Knabb, and these cool cats/farmers/zoologists/shepards/safari guides, etc. who will be performing along with him: Philip Jenks & Simone Muench, Matthew Guenette, Jonathan Messinger, Greg Purcell, Erikka Mikalo, Aras and the Volodkas, Nick Garcia, Miki Howald, and Nicolette Bond.

If instinct compels you, come to the neighborhood where cougars run free (till they are gunned down in alleys), this third Wednesday in May, one day after the full moon, for: "Bestiarum Vocabulum" a show Jacob describes like this: "Here begins an examination of the nature of beasts. Of lions and panthers and tigers, wolves and foxes, dogs and apes. Of poets and fictioneers and audio-visual mavens, lurkers and disreputable types, hyenas and scalawags, and all of the mean, lean, mangy, hidebound skinny, worthless cattle in every particular drove."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBBaw_HrCco&feature=related,

Erin

((REC ROOM INFO))

What: the reconstruction room (a biweekly theme party -- with art, literature and performance)

Website: www.recroomers.com (contains a calendar of upcoming shows and an archive of past shows)

When: the first and third wednesdays of every month -- 8:00 p.m.

Where: Black Rock (a bar at the corner of damen and addison in roscoe village. two blocks west of the addison stop on the brown line. Address: 3614 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL, 60618)

Cost: free

Organizers: erin teegarden, trinette mura, meg barboza, miki howald, nicolette bond

Contact: recroom@recroomers.com

wordsmaybe...

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Sun, 18 May 2008 21:47:00 +0000

wordsmaybebeverly, we don't know. What we do know is that rec room's May 7th show, curated by Beverly Nelson, made for a delightful evening filled with thoughtful and entertaining performances. We weren’t just celebrating words and music and sound and movement, we also celebrated Beverly’s 55^th birthday. Between honeybees and bats, Alex’s crooning, poems, quartets and Beverly’s raucously rewarding dance number, there was plenty to celebrate. Thank you to all of the new faces who performed—we certainly hope to see you back at Rec Room soon! And Happy Birthday again!

rec room -- Wed. May 7

noreply@blogger.com (et) — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:08:00 +0000

Dear rec roomer,

What is the sound of one word clapping? What is the word for one clap sounding? What the clap is one sound, wording?? To (maybe) find out, come to black rock Wednesday, May 7 at 8 p.m. for: wordsmaybemusic, curated by Beverly Nelson.

Description: wordsmaybemusic. we don't know. we are explorers. our intentions are to probe magnify scrutinize analyze or otherwise mess with any connection to be found while slapping spoons, plucking strings, clashing cymbals, and pecking the keys of very small pianos to the accompaniment of our tales concerning madness, faith, and love ---maybe. you are invited and expected to join in with your own instrument, whistles, singing, and clogging.

Featuring: A D Jameson, Alex Jovanovich, Allison Gruber, Ira S. Murfin, Karen Faith, Meredith Clark, Michelle Tupko, Devin King, Beverly Nelson, Gwenyth Anderson, Jeff Harms, Jeffrey Ediger, Jennifer Sporcich, Justin Cabrillos

See you then, Erin

Rec Room Info

What: the reconstruction room (a biweekly theme party -- with art, literature and performance)
Website: www.recroomers.com (contains a calendar of upcoming shows and an archive of past shows)
When: the first and third wednesdays of every month -- 8:00 p.m.
Where: Black Rock (A bar at the corner of damen and addison in roscoe village. Two blocks west of the Addison stop on the brown line. Address: 3614 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL, 60618)
Cost: free
Organizers: erin teegarden, trinette mura, miki howald
Contact: recroom@recroomers.com

Findings

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:59:00 +0000

April 16, 2008

On the nobility of otters: I had never noticed before just how noble this creature is, how patriotic, how symbolic it is. Had it not been for Dave Snyder and Chris Bower’s symposium on Dunholt, I would have never laid eyes on that solemn otter in the middle of the town’s flag. Nor would I have seen the pile of ash, the drops of blood and the twin crows.

From Jill’s study of the historic treatment of women in Dunholt to Scott’s history of the flag; from Tim’s faulty dissertation to Chris’s life on the river; from Dave and Matt’s fascination with the town’s music and even to Mark’s Bush-like facilitation, the aspects of the town presented by this panel of experts kept the audience enthralled for the evening.

What I learned from this academic evening is that a town is really far more than the sum of its parts—it’s more than songs about losing things and looking for them and finding them only to thoughtlessly lose them again, or about accidental cannibalism and severed hands. It’s more than the struggles of a flag maker or of a female novelist, or the thesis of an inept scholar. How much can one really know about a long ago place? How does one really ever know a city, fictional or not? You see, a town like Dunholt is continually molting and evolving as we learn and unlearn about it; it exists only in our minds; it lives for only as long as we conjure it. A town like Dunholt, well, I mean hell, it’s not real—make it what you want.

the four seasons: rec room's 4 year anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:06:00 +0000

april 02 2008

Writing about the seasons, while traditional for so many cultures, has never been my thing. When I was in grad school, a professor gave us an assignment where we had to write a poem to the prompt “autumn.” My poem began, “I have nothing to say about autumn,” and went on for about a page after that, unsuccessfully. So I suppose it’s kind of strange that I came up with the theme of Rec Room’s four year anniversary show, “the four seasons.” I was just brainstorming things that had to do with fours (four legs on a table, four chambers of the heart, the four seasons), and this is the one that we went with.

It turned out to be the right choice. The back room of Black Rock was decked out in all four seasonal decorations and balloons, along with collages of four years of Rec Room. The set list was huge. The audience was standing room only. Della sent us a raffle prize to give away. Old friends and new came out in support of our little reading series, all grown up.

I don’t think I can recap everyone who performed that night because there were so many. Our performers were diverse in their work and in the way they interpreted the theme of the night. They reminded me of what I think makes Rec Room unique: our ability to bring together so many different people who may not otherwise be in the same room, reading at the same venue, and then to give these people a stage to try out their newest, most outrageous or experimental, or even their most tried and true works in front of a welcoming and thoughtful audience.

So to everyone who performed--eric lab rat, Amber Drea (goodbye Amber, wish we could have met you earlier!), Abby Cucci and Sam Wagster, Jason Bredle, Sunny Byers, Miki Howald, Joshua Dumas, Eric Elshtain, Matthias Regan, Allison Gruber, Elizabeth Graettinger, Nina Corwin, Krista Franklin, Erin Teegarden, Meg Barboza, Nicolette Bond, David Digangi, and Sondra Morin, as well as Idris Goodwin and Mike Haef via digital recording—thank you for celebrating this anniversary with us. Thank you for making Rec Room everything that it is. We could never have done this without you. Aw shucks, "Seasons may change, winter to spring/ But I love you until the end of time..." Rec Roomers, I love you!

Dirty Minds/Filthy Mouths - mar 19 2008

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:05:00 +0000

What happens when you combine stressticles, Ken dolls, penis piñatas and eight dirty minds with rec room? You get Valerie Jean Johnson’s “Dirty Minds/Filthy Mouths” show, that’s what.

When it comes to what gets you up or gets you off, or the things that are just plain freaky deaky, leave it to performers at rec room to make a show of it. The evening’s performances ranged from Matthew’s novel with plushies and bondage to Erin’s online research. From Fred’s dirty joke and Sarah’s blog to the things that (don't) disgust Miki, and from Elizabeth’s Jesus poem to the sexy texts everyone sent to Nicolette.

We traded dirty jokes and personal stories till our faces hurt from laughing (or from groaning, depending on your comfort level). We beat that piñata all night till it ejaculated candy, and all the while Prince serenaded us in the background: “You sexy motherfucker…”

APOCALYPSE! - mar 05 2008

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:04:00 +0000

In the 1954 science fiction classic, THEM!, Dr. Harold Medford gazes upon the destruction wrought by giant ants the size of cars and remarks, “We haven't seen the end of them. We've only had a close view of the beginning of what may be the end of life as we know it.” I saw this movie at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh in 1995. The line stuck with me, at first because it was funny and melodramatic, but later because I wondered if I would be able to recognize “the beginning of the end of life as we know it.” That’s the thing about the apocalypse that gets me — the end of the world as we know it opens something completely new and unknown. For every time Michael Stipe proclaims that it’s “the end of the world as we know it,” Mike Mills’ harmonious counter-melody follows closely behind: “it’s time I had some time alone.”

Rec Room explored the unknown end on March 5th, with the theme APOCALYPSE! Genie introduced the show and explained her current friendocalypse, wherein Jeb Gleason-Allured moves to NYC. He responded by reading a story about a boy and his dad. Lauren Weinberg contemplated the “Left Behind” series, asking, most importantly, if an empire can be built out of those books, why can’t one be built out of good literature?

What happened next is difficult to explain. Fred Sasaki and Jacob S. Knabb, along with help from rec roomers Meg Barboza, Nicolette Bond, and Erin Teegarden, enacted the “End of Days…of Our Lives.” For anyone who ever spent many more hours than necessary watching the events of cardboard characters possessed by the devil, this dramatization was a must.

In the second half of the show we entered nuclear war territory. Julie Shapiro took everyone back to 1983 with audio recordings of different reactions to the made-for-tv movie, “The Day After.” Richard Fox ended the evening (but not the world) with a reading of poems.

The end of the world and its aftermath have inspired countless artists and writers. From the sci-fi classics of the 1950’s to “Jericho”, from “The Crazy Iris,” a collection of short stories and essays by Japanese survivors of the atomic bombs, to the stories, plays and poems by the performers at Rec Room, we’ve never ceased wondering not just how the world ends, but what happens then.

Out of the Hospital - feb 20 2008

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:03:00 +0000

In the absence of this week's Listener, please read some of the poems featured in this show

For Whom - feb 06 2008

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:02:00 +0000

The malls had closed. All flights out of O’Hare were cancelled. The local forecasters forecasted the end of the world (while national forecasters simply said there would be snow). Somewhere on the Kennedy, a car slid into the median. Somewhere on the streets city workers prepared for overtime. And Kyle Beachy said the show must go on.

It turns out that both the national weather forecasters and Kyle were right: there was some snow (but not the end of the world), and the show sure as hell must go on. Good thing, too, because the show kicked ass.

Liz Birch sent us a digital message to start things off. Then we had Anders Nilsen’s very touching graphic welcome to the world and the poetry of children and Margaret Chapman. Meg Barboza showed up in her pjs and showed off her lyric mastery, and Janie Porsche corresponded formally with John Donne. Lauren Pretnar shared a story filled with the fear and love of parenting. Erin Teegarden shined her red light on the age of Sagittarius, and Monica Long reminded us why we dislike Chuck Palahniuk. Kyle read a story for a woman he greatly admires. And the night ended with the mumblings from the strange and wonderful mind of Chris Bower.

Outside a fresh new layer of snow covered the soot-coated icy patches from before, and maybe the temperature dropped, and maybe the snow fell all night, but
the snow is snowin,
wind is blowin
but we can weather the storm...
what do we care how much it may storm?
we've got rec room to keep us warm

call & response - jan 15 & 16 2008

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:01:00 +0000

Since August we’d thought of nothing else. The MCA called, could we read there? This was it—finally we no longer were just kids doing skits in our parents’ basements; we had burst onto the Chicago literary scene; we were recognized and lauded and wanted. In our heads we imagined the cover of the Reader, no, of Chicago Magazine: Rec Room, the New Chicago Style. Or some other equally silly and self-aggrandizing headline. For months we went over set lists, read sample pieces over pizza in Lincoln Square, furiously g-chatted about the theme and format of our two-night show, something we’d never attempted before. After months of planning and anticipating, of arguing then agreeing over time limits, setting and extending and resetting deadlines, after months of revisions and fashion montages, the New Year arrived; we had a show.

January 15 @ MCA Literary Gangs
Della (all the way from San Fran!) and Erin started us off with a spoken collaborative chapbook, calling on each other for inspiration and confirmation. Fred Sasaki and Jacob S. Knabb followed with a radio skit about the new life we’ve all wanted to purchase at one point or another. Meg Barboza then reminded us why she’s the smartest woman we know when she read poems that kept growing long after having been read. Idris Goodwin, Rec Room’s oldest friend (from the very first show in 2004!) once again proved that he deserves the nickname Best of with his call to his generation. After Idris we were treated to best damn jug band I ever did hear. Ernest Legg and Brother Beaker led us through a square dance, calling out turns while Dave Snyder played the jug in the background. C.T. Ballentine then read a story about a junk man who just can’t win a junk lady with a series of ill-thought phone messages. And oh my did Sunny Byers make us laugh with her comic gold involving telecommunications, puking, construction, and of course, farts. Miki Howald sobered up long enough to read a sobering essay about the in-between, and Toni Asante Lightfoot wrapped the night up in that way only she can: with love, warmth, and a beautiful reading of poems.

January 16 @ Black Rock
OK, then we reconvened the following night at our normal location, and this is embarrassing, but few of us actually thought beyond the first night despite our months of planning. So anyway… Fred started us off—with the help of Dave Snyder (hey Dave, when are you going to come back on stage with your own stuff? We miss you!)—with a conversation about reciprocation. You know what we mean. Meg, again with the poetry and awesome word play and all those things she does so well. Then C.T. came up and gave us a different perspective on Sunny’s story from the night before—the serial killer’s perspective. Thanks Dexter @ Comcast. Sunny followed him with a kick-ass account (no, seriously, there was a lot of blood. Oooooh, blood. Shut up, Dexter) of a trip across the pond. Idris read some shit that he said was no good but of course was good, even though we came away from it with the only the word cock in our heads. Miki didn’t bother to think ahead, so she did a mad-lib with the audience. The same audience who came away from Idris’s performance with the word cock stuck in their heads. Della then read poems about New Zealand, a very serious and sincere subject which incited no big laughs, which was good, because the poems weren’t supposed to be funny. And lovely Nicolette ended the evening by asking us all to dance, or to couples’ skate, as the sweet strains of Precious Moments swelled in the background.

p.s. Chicago Magazine did call, but not putting Rec Room on the cover clearly was an editorial oversight.

metamorphasis - dec 05 2007

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 04:00:00 +0000

An Excerpt:

When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. He was lying on his back as hard as armor plate, and when he lifted his head a little, he saw his vaulted brown belly, sectioned by arch-shaped ribs, to whose dome the cover, about to slide off completely, could barely cling. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, were waving helplessly before his eyes.

"What's happened to me?" he thought. It was no dream. His room, a regular human room, only a little on the small side, lay quiet between the four familiar walls. Over the table, on which an unpacked line of fabric samples was all spread out--Samsa was a traveling salesman--hung the picture which he had recently cut out of a glossy magazine and lodged in a pretty gilt frame. It showed a lady done up in a fur hat and a fur boa, sitting upright and raising up against the viewer a heavy fur muff in which her whole forearm had disappeared.

rec room retro - nov 07 2007

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:59:00 +0000

Anyone who has spent at least ten minutes in a car with Erin Teegarden knows where & when her musical heart lies. Anyone who has spent at least ten minutes in a car with Erin Teegarden also knows she likes fortunes, signs from the radio gods signaling our futures. At Rec Room Retro on November 7th, everyone had the good fortune to experience the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Rec Room style, and surely the radio gods were pleased, because the night was perfect. Old friends and new gathered to celebrate three tumultuous and fantastic decades of history and three tumultuous and fantastic decades of Erin.

The evening’s performers included: Avery R. Young, whose soul and lungs grow even stronger every time he sings; Louie Holwerk, or Dr. Funkenstein as he’s known in some circles, paid some delicious homage to the vivacity and sexiness of Rec Room (we concur); Fred Sasaki, with the help of trusty Jacob S. Knabb and Erin Teegarden, entertained with his reading of Star Whores; the sublime Abby Cucci, accompanied by the angelic Sam Wagster and the ever-lovely Elizabeth Graettinger, serenaded us into the break with Linda Ronstadt songs.

Hopefully everyone paused to take in the INCREDIBLE slideshow of music and performance in from 1950-1979. How could we have forgotten how hot Jimi was?

After the break, we returned to performances by: Toni Asante Lightfoot read a poem imagining the future; Meg Barboza followed with electro-shock therapy; Miki Howald broke out some “kick-ass 1970’s feminism”; Nicolette Bond read 30 short poems written from lines of Beatles’ songs; old friend Sara Zubroff did a fortune poem for Erin, then read a lovely Brautigan poem about friendship (and catfish); Nina Corwin brought us all together in song; and Krista Franklin brought the night to an end with an incredible poem by Ai.

But, as always, a night at Rec Room is more than the summary of performances. It was a night of finding rock star parking without trying, endless hugs and smiles from friends, singing happy birthday with Marilyn Monroe, and basking in the awesome talent of the musicians, artists and writers of those decades who inspired many of us. Happy 30th birthday, Erin, and thanks for a wonderful party.

I fought the law - oct 17 2006

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:57:00 +0000

rec room needed money cause we had none
I fought the Law and the Law won…

Dear rec roomers:
I can't tell you how happy I am that you have paid your debts to rec room society. With your honest attempts at rehabilitation and reconciliation, I think you can be released back into society at large. Seriously though, you helped us reach over 100% of our fundraising goal for the evening. And this money isn't going to waste--our next big project will be a book about rec room featuring its many artists and performers. We couldn't do it without you. For those of you who were unable to make it, "I fought the Law" was a ridiculous--and by ridiculous I mean raucous partying fun--show featuring poems, slutty cops and robbers, stories, bondage, and the musical theft of Psychojail. It was like a seventh season episode of Law & Order, you know, the season with Jerry Orbach and Benjamin Bratt as detectives Briscoe and Curtis… Thomas Hodge read three pieces from his chapbook. At one point, I giggled while his narrator described the desire to kill someone. I apologize. Sometimes it's like I can't help it, all the violence just gets funny, like in the movie version of "American Psycho" when Christian Bale runs around naked, covered in blood and chasing his next victim with a chainsaw. Hilarious. After Hodge chilled us with the notes of both psychiatrist and narrator, Officer e.t. thrilled us with a poem about making out with the cop poet, and other interesting stories about growing up with them Indiana boys on an Indiana night. Louie Holwerk read us some work where he showed off his great "country" voice and had us all laughing at the idea of stoner ninjas. Tommy D'Angelo reminded us that yes, we want things until we get them, and that yes, it is quite unfortunate to be stoned and hungry with paper as the most edible thing around you. During the break Psychojail made one wrong move and found themselves under arrest. The audience quickly responded by posting bond, but we raised the bail to keep that menace off the streets. I mis-told a story about how I was on the Ricky Lake Show (I was, that's no lie, and yes, there was a contract saying we were responsible for the production costs--$15,000--if we were caught in a lie). Margaret Chapman listed the ways in which she totally fought the law, and Corrections Supervisor Meg Barboza shared a story about her school friends who've been in jail way too much. Sheriff Eli announced that Psychojail had made bond, just in time for them to bust out of prison for some jailhouse rock. (Oh god, did I just write that sentence?) I don't know, after BTS (he is a beautiful woman) crawled on the floor and flashed us some, the evening devolved--or evolved, actually--into a dance party. Just like every evening should.

Short Films - july 19 2006

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:56:00 +0000

You know the awesome thing about movies? For me, it's everything. I love the movie-going experience of the theater: popcorn, sticky floors, surround sound, and not being able to stand the last five minutes of any movie because I just drank 44 ozs of Diet Coke and it needs to go somewhere. I love that large screen and the way moving pictures (oooh, moving pictures) take up that space. I'll watch pretty much anything on the big screen, except maybe "You, Me and Dupree." Once, when I lived in Alaska, I dragged myself out of the apartment (it's very hard to do that in the winter. Or fall. Or spring. It's all kind of the same…) and to the Anchorage Film Festival, where I saw a bunch of shorts (including a really disturbing one about a sociopath and an old blind woman. Blech, that still gives me the creeps) and a great feature-length animated film called "Mutant Aliens"(totally recommended for anyone who has a sense of humor).
I also love movies at home. That's why I own a DVD player. et has thought about buying a DVD player before but hasn't gotten around to it because someone once promised her one and now it's some weird principled stand not to buy one. Anyway, this is only mildly important as I had to lug said DVD player to Black Rock for Short Films night, and it was totally worth it. I don't really want to summarize each of the films we saw, and I apologize to anyone who missed the show and therefore may want some kind of TWOP recap of the night, snark or no. Originally I had so many ideas as to what I would write about for this show, ncluding something about how in the course of 10 minutes I developed and lost a gigantic crush on Bob Rokos. I'm sorry, Bob, it's just not going to work out between us. It was just moving too quickly or something. Maybe other people don't do this, but I have strange attachments to movies that have nothing to do with the merit of movie, necessarily. For instance, "12 Monkeys" is one of my favorite movies because every time I watch it I'm reminded that I don't need to depend on linear narratives to tell my stories. Such a simple thing, but I've been dragged down by attempts to move from point A to point B when really they have no relation other than being immediately next to each other on a timeline. Given the way we think and process information, that just doesn't seem too a strong connection to me. Another movie that always stands out to me is "The Jerk," which I watched in 2002 in a time of intense emotional distress that had been carefully suppressed for months. But the moment I saw Steve Martin trying to dance with his poor, sharecroppin' family and not having any rhythm, I burst into tears and cried through the entire movie. I don't know if any work of art has been that cathartic to me. Then there's "The Big Lebowski," which, in addition to being really funny, sort of remains a cue for me to go to bed. et, back me up on this because I think it may have happened to you, but my old roommate in Pittsburgh had a habit of coming onto my friends when I brought them over. After we were all trashed or whatnot, and it was 2 or 3 in the morning, he'd suggest we watch "The Big Lebowski". Because I'd seen it 100 times, I would usually excuse myself and go to bed, leaving him alone with any one of my hot friends. The man was not shy. JD never failed to make a move (though he sometimes failed to get a positive reaction from it)! Other movies that have meant a lot: 'SLC Punk", or the story of why I left Pittsburgh; "The Little Mermaid" (I don't know, I was 12); "Thin Red Line", or, how lyricism in image works. I like movies because they are not, as my father contends, stupid. They do not dumb me down, instead they make me think harder about what I'm trying to write or create. They remind me of new ways-angles, images, voices-to approach things I already know. Short Films night at Rec Room was probably one of the best nights I've had there. It's really exciting to know that so many people are playing around in this medium, and more than just playing around, coming up with good films (I admit, it's totally magic to me). Anyway, I really hope we do another film night sometime. I think everyone enjoyed it, even if we are all having nightmares about the world's oldest boy…

Flight - june 07 2006

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:54:00 +0000

If you must know, I've been singing about building simple little paper airplanes since Wednesday night. That song, a lovely improv moment, has apparently taken flight (the theme of Rec Room on June 7). The reading was really impressive, and it stuck with me in a way that many recent readings haven't (this is not to say that I haven't enjoyed the other readings, it's more that flight is a concept that hits me close to home or something). Maybe it's because of the myriad possibility of meanings and connotations for the word. Among the synonyms I found: aerial navigation, aeronautics, arrival, aviation, avigation, departure, gliding, hop, journey, jump, mounting, navigation, soaring, take-off, transport, trip, volation, volitation, voyage, winging beat*, break*, breakout, escape, escapement, escaping, exfiltration, exit, exodus, fleeing, fugue, getaway, getaway car*, lam, out*, powder*, retreat, retreating, running away, slip*, spring*. Flight: possibility. Thank you so much to all the readers who simple-little-paper-airplaned their way through the show, and thank you especially to See More, not only for singing that lovely ditty, but for recording the evening for the upcoming Rec Room CD. (*informal or slang)

And to Della: happy birthday, my friend! I love that I've found you again after meeting you so many years ago in that crazy Pittsburgh place. I hope we continue to run into each other in this way. This week, when you were in the bathroom, Erin announced that the exquisite corpse poem should be about you, and although I didn't get a chance to write a line for the poem, here is what I was going to say: "Dear Della- I hope this time can be preserved, recorded to fit in your hand, replayed and remembered for when you're away." Cheesy, but what the hell.

rec poetica - may 31 2006

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:53:00 +0000

when i heard the theme of rec room going to be rec poetica, i immediately thought of an old friend of mine who once wrote a poem called ars poeticrap, the first line of which read something like, "what the fuck is this shit?" rec poetica, were it a poem, could start with the line, "what the fuck is the awesome shit?" this was a night of awesome shit: hits and new stuff--chris bower, della, erin, eli, megan, melissa and others read from their greatest hits while the rest of us tested out new stuff or read something in the spirit of rec room. the thing about this night is that we're going to hear it again--oh yeah, you know it--when the rec room cd comes out. see more perspective was there not just to break it down for us, but to record our voices for posterity. so if you ever check this website bobby paycheck, here's to your poem and all of ours: so you know, it's not all crap!

Battle of the Art Bands - may 17 2006

noreply@blogger.com (miki) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:52:00 +0000

word on the street is that will oldham attended battle of the bands. can anyone confirm?