SWEET NECTAR:
honeybee hovers over his breakfast,
a flower growing at Fairview Gardens
in Goleta. Photo by Larry Mills.
Year: 2006
Not OutKast Anymore
Idlewild. Andre Benjamin, Antwan A. Patton, Terrence Howard, and Macy Gray star in a film written and directed by Bryan Barber.
If there were ever any doubt that Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000) and Antwan A. Patton (Big Boi) of OutKast are major players in a long line of great entertainers, Idlewild will clear it up.
On and Off the Skids
Factotum. Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Fisher Stevens, and Marisa Tomei star in a film written by Bent Hamer and Jim Stark, based upon the novel by Charles Bukowski, and directed by Hamer.
For those of us who buy into Charles Bukowski’s aesthetic, the late L.A. writer created pearls of wisdom hidden in squalor on the outskirts.
Immortal for the Time Being
Dave Brubeck Quartet. At the Lobero Theatre, Wednesday, August 23.
The world has many more wonders than seven, and jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck certainly must be counted among them. In everything but his playing, Brubeck, 85, has pared his energy usage down to the bare minimum. His dry, laconic, and startlingly amusing remarks to the audience may be delivered in a monotone, but they reveal a wry, alert intelligence.
Back to the Future
We’ve come a long way since 1987. The Iran-Contra affair, the Jim Bakker debacle, and the WWF were all over the news back then. It was also the year that little-known pop singer Tiffany released her first album, Tiffany. I, for one, was a fan, or as much of a fan as one could be at the age of 5. Dressed in coordinating spandex pants and clip-on dangly earnings, my cousin and I would blast the album, jumping wildly on her parents’ bed.
The 411 On 311
Together since 1988, 311’s career is best described as a tour de force. In 18 years, the band has seen 17 songs reach Billboard’s Top 30 in the modern-rock genre (two of those hit number one), stats that go nicely with their platinum and triple platinum albums. The band’s lengthy career has been driven by consistent success, occasional controversy, and ferociously dedicated fans. The Omaha, Nebraska, natives headline the Bowl next Saturday, September 9. Singer Doug “SA” Martinez gave me the scoop on all things 311, including an always-evolving life on the road.
Volunteer Lit?
Santa Barbara’s Jane Heller Releases Her 13th Novel, Some Nerve
In the new novel Some Nerve, celebrity journalist Ann Roth is not a killer-much to her boss’s chagrin. When she fails to land an interview with notoriously media-shy “it-man” Malcolm Goddard, she promptly gets canned.
On the Beat
Hotel Andaluc-a Changing Hands: Word on the street is that the Hotel Andaluc-a, sporting Santa Barbara’s only hotel roof garden at Chapala and Carrillo streets, has been sold or is in the process. Buyer, according to my information, is Edward Thomas Hospitality Corp.-its current management firm-which owns sister hotels Shutters at the Beach and Casa del Mar in Santa Monica. The Andaluc-a opened in December 2005, but has reportedly been a disappointment.
Welcoming Jane Hirshfield
Chryss Yost has arranged a rich poetry program for the Santa Barbara Book and Author Festival coming up on Saturday, September 30. Poets will perform throughout the day in the Children’s Gallery at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, with an 11 a.m. reading by Bay Area poet Jane Hirshfield in the museum’s Mary Craig Auditorium. All events are free.
The Heartbeat of a Dream
It’s easy to drive by the tiny Auction House in Ojai a dozen times or more without realizing it’s there. Even with eyes peeled and map in hand, it is difficult to identify the unimposing square building. Beyond the ticket table, rows of porcelain dolls and mounted antelope heads await the building’s return to its ordinary function as a working auction house.