Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Scandinavia is known for its high standard of living and its equally high prices. But by using Frommer’s Scandinavia on $50 a Day and doing a little bargaining, we were able to find decent accommodations at reasonable prices.
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld wants you to listen to the Nike gym-shoe ad and just do it. “It” is whatever you have putting off because of fear or laziness, said the comedian. “I think when people say they’re suffering from creative or writer’s block, it’s just an excuse,” Seinfeld added. “There’s no such thing. A doctor can’t say, `Oh, I don’t feel up to performing surgery today.’ He does it.
When singer-songwriter Matthew Sweet was preparing for his tour earlier this year, he went to Zion to rehearse at Jeff Murphy’s studio. While there, a friend picked up a copy of the Illinois Entertainer and noticed a review of Sweet’s LP “Earth.” Instead of running over to read the review and gloat, he panicked. “I’m one of those rare people who admits to reading everything written about me,” Sweet says, laughing. “And I get really embarrassed if someone reads something about me and it’s not favorable. Luckily, the review was really nice. It was a nice introduction for me to the Illinois Entertainer as well.”
There are a lot of disc jockeys that listeners automatically will tune away from. And then there’s Jonathon Brandmeier, the multitalented WLUP radio personality who has fans willing to pay to watch him perform. Saturday night, in the first of two concerts at Poplar Creek, Brandmeier had Chicagoans eating out of his hands.
Hard rock singer Gary Cherone has a dream, but it’s not about winning Grammy awards or platinum albums. The lead vocalist for Extreme wants to play rock ‘n’ roll until he makes enough money to have an operation to stretch his 5-foot-11 frame by another 12 inches and then join the Boston Celtics.
If things had worked out differently for Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, he would be in Chicago running a karate school today. But he couldn’t get enough money to finance the operation, so Van Damme headed for Hollywood to pursue his childhood dream of becoming an actor.
It’s not difficult to understand why the BoDeans have such a devout fan base. They’re not only good, but they’ve been consistently good since they released their debut album 10 years ago.
From his punk days in the Nuns to his work in the pseudo-country band Rank & File, Alejandro Escovedo made a name for himself as an expressive guitarist who was content to stay out of the limelight. During his tumultuous career, the singer-songwriter’s been a band member, the band leader and, now, a solo artist. He returns to the Chicago area for a performance tonight at FitzGerald’s.
“I was your typical bossy older brother,” Charlie Sexton said, laughing. “But Will really loved music. Soon after learning bass, he switched over to play lead guitar, too. I tell him a little bit of what I learned, but he’s my younger brother and I don’t want to give him a hard time. So I usually wait until he asks for my advice before I go butting into his life.”
One of Matthew Sweet’s most appealing aspects is that while he is making a niche for himself as one of today’s hippest singers, his songwriting has maintained a sweet innocence that betrays his ultra-cool musician image.