Art & Culture – Page 6 – Kevin Smokler

‘Genuine’ Great Show:

Smokler on March 6, 2005

“Not a Genuine Black Man”, Brian Copeland’s one man show is one terrific piece of theatre. It’s been playing at The Marsh in San Francisco for nearly a year now and I finally got to see it on Friday night. Wow and double Wow.

Copeland, a comedian and radio host on KGO 810 AM here in the Bay, grew up in San Leandro, California in the 1970s, when it was considered one of the most racist towns in America. Though it bordered Oakland (which at the time was 50% black), San Leandro was 99% white and practised police harrasment and housing descrimination to keep it that way. Through a series of federal investigations, media inquiries and court cases (including one filed by Copeland’s mother), the city’s system of institutionalized racism was dismantled. But Brian Copeland, who was 8 when his family movd there, grew up right in the middle of it.

Copeland plays every character in his story, including his grandmother, the racist building manager, and the anonymous letter writer who complained that the radio host was “not a geniune black man.” Copeland’s retort is both hilarious and devastating.

“I’m sorry if having children in wedlock makes me not a geniune black man. I’m sorry that I have a job that I go to on time every day. I’m sorry that living in a neighborhood where my family is safe instead of one filled with shootings and screams. I’m sorry!”

I’d like to say that monologue (my favorite) held the room. But Brian Copeland grabs the room in the first 3 minutes and never lets go. Two hours later, you you’ve laughed like hell but also been moved. Way moved. You’re glad you came. You want to tell friends to do the same.

So I’m telling you. Please see Brian Copeland’s “Not a Geniune Black Man.” It runs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday until March 26th. Tickets are $15-$22 sliding scale.

Taking the Radio Reins:

Smokler on March 5, 2005

Under the advice of my friend Eric Rice, I quit Radio wallowing and downloaded iPodderX for Mac, an application for gathering podcasts of radio shows great and small. Only a few public radio shows are podcast (generously listed at Public Radio Feeds.com which Eric also pointed me too) but I have a feeling this will change now that KCRW in Santa Monica, one of the country’s premeire public radio stations, has begun offering podcasts of nearly all of their non-music programs.

It isn’t the answer to my prayers that Radio Time promised, but it’s a fine start.

Radio Dramas:

Smokler on March 4, 2005

I seem to have spoken too soon. On Tuesday, I programmed Radio Time to record 12 different shows. As of this morning, after seven failures, it successfully recorded one. Among the many excuses it gave me were…

1. "Radio Time Does Not Recognize this File Format" (A Windows Media file).

2. "User Stopped Recording" (User stopped the strem from KTUI in Missouri after it had played for 2:45 minutes to record Marketplace, a 30 minute show).

3. "Incomplete Recording" (?)

Also Radio Time does not recognize my login name and password when I use a Safari or Firefox broswer. Further, even though I’ve checked "quiet record" as a setting, it still turned itself on this morning at 9 to record "This American Life," waking both Suzan and I as well as the cat.

I put all these grievances in an email to Radio Time and set it off. I heard back from them this morning asking for my login name and password which just seemed weird. Should they begin with some more elemental questions like "What operating system are you using?" or "Is the computer parked next to a space heater? And because I get obsessive about nonsense like this, I called their support line. It rang and rang until the operator told me that if I’d like to make a call, I should hang up and try again. After I did that, she had a beach in Idaho to sell me.

Did I mention that the first line of text on the support page is "Support for Radio Time is easy"? Perhaps I should have.

The Radio I’ve Been Waiting For:

Smokler on March 2, 2005

I love radio. Crazy wack funky love it. I probably listen to 4-5 hours of radio a day just by having it on while I work or when I’m driving. When I’m traveling, few things make me happier than flipping the dial and seeing what color the locals have painted the ether.

Yet most of the time I’m simply too busy to schedule planting myself in front of a radio for 2 hours. Many shows like “This American Life” archive all their shows online but that’s not much of an improvement. It’s an hour spent in front of the computer instead of the radio when I remember to check their website for new episodes. Which I don’t.

The phrase “TiVo for Radio” has been getting a lot of play lately thanks to the coming of Podcasting. But podcasting doesn’t quite solve my problem because I’m not looking to carry Adam Curry’s musings around on my iPod. I’m looking for the radio I already listen to, packaged and portable for when I want to listen to it.

Enter Radio Time. I read about it in Wired whose cover story this month is titled “The End of Radio.” Radio Time is a subscription service which, for $50 a year, will let you browse pretty much every radio station in the country, pick the programs you like and record them in MP3 format. It uses the station’s own live stream for recording and iTunes for pickup so you have to have a DSL line and a computer you leave on.

I’ve loaded up my grocery list of favorite programs. Also nothing has recorded yet and hence, I’m waiting to make a fanfare-cornonation-“Today is a New Day” announcement, Radio Time looks mighty promising. It could be exactly the radio I’ve been hoping for.

The ‘River’ Runs On:

Smokler on March 1, 2005

Like I’ve mentioned before, The Bright River is a theatrical experience you absolutely cannot afford to miss. And now, you may not have to. I just got a got from Bright River HQ that the show had been extended for another few weeks. You can catch the unforgetable hip-hip-meets-Dante’s Inferno-meets-a-string-quartet every Wednesday night until March 16th at the Oakland Metro (right near Jack London Square).

Tickets (12-35$) are available at In House Tickets while they last. These video clips will give you an idea of what you’ll be in for.

Again, if you can, please see this show. You will not be sorry. In fact, you’ll be nothing short of amazed.

Dump Him Beeyatch!

Smokler on February 12, 2005

Just in time for valentine’s day, a love advice column from 50 Cent (via Hiphop Blogs).

Space Time Slip:

Smokler on January 10, 2005

Wierd. I’m watching the Critic’s Choice Awards on the west coast three hours after Dave has blogged them on the east coast. I’ve also got them delayed on TiVo which I think has seized the space time continuum all together and landed me in this neverworld where the present has already happened and I’m delaying the past by pressing pause.

Huh?

Anyway, here are a few of my observations:

1) Eric McCormack can wear the hell out of a silk tie but can’t host a show to save his life. Bring on Chris Rock! He’ll be the only thing that saves the Oscars.

2) Since AFI decided to give 46 year old Tom Hanks a “lifetime” achievement award, I have ignored anything going by this name. Therefore Tom Cruise getting one is off my radar too. He’ll be 43 in July. That’s “a lifetime?”

3) Regina King got to present an award! Someone give this woman a ton of money, a few awards and my phone number. I can’t believe I left her off the “When All Else Fails” list of actors who made a movie better simply their presence in it. I point you to Jerry Maguire, How Stella Got Her Grove Back and Enemy of the State to name only a few. Man, I love me some Regina King.

4) Andy Garcia presented Best Picture? Gravitas sure but how about a little pizazz?

5) I’d be fine with Sideways winning the Best Picture Oscar if this awards ceremy is any indication of future events. Although I’d really like Martin Scorcese to win a Best Director nod like he did this time. Ain’t he due?

R.I.P Susan Sontag:

Smokler on December 28, 2004

Susan Sontag, one of giants of public intellectualism, has died at 71. The cause is not yet known. Sontag was the author of thirteen books including what many consider the definitive essays on illness, photography, and “camp” culture. She’s been awarded the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award and a MacArthur “genius” fellowship.

I became acquainted with Sontag’s work in graduate school when my thesis advisor recommended I read her book On Photography for my study of depression-era tabloid photographer Weegee. On Photography may be the single best book ever written on the subject of taking pictures and is so compulsively readable that I have gone back to it several times since just for fun. I haven’t read any of her other books, but always meant to.

Sontag had a reputation for being headstrong, uncompromising and a bit of an old world literary snob. Though I didn’t car for that side of her, her intellect, diligence and commitment to a life of the mind were second to none. I will miss her.

The Bright River:

Smokler on November 19, 2004

So last night, The Hub (which I am on the advisory board of), hosted an exclusive preview salon for “The Bright River”, a play by storyteller/beatbox flautist Tim Barsky which will begin a 6-week run at Traveling Jewish Theater beginning Dec. 1. “The Bright River” is a hiphop/klezmer urban retelling of Dante’s Inferno with Tim on flute, a killer chello player named Jess Ivry and Kid Beyond (who, after Fray Day, is probably sick of seeing me) on beatbox. Tim and company mingled amongst the guests, then converged at the front of my living room for a short interview (done by me) and then performed a few sections of the play.

Friends, it rocked the house, a hypnotic, swirling memorizing dream of a dystopic America. Imagine if Neil Gaiman rewrote Dante’s Inferno for the stage and had Dr. Dre and Yo Yo Ma collaborate on the soundtrack.

It runs 6 weeks in December and January and I’m headed there the first week. I highly encourage you to as well. You will be nothing short of amazed.

’20’ Stories:

Smokler on November 5, 2004

Let’s say you’re in Austin, TX this weekend. Let’s say you’d really like to spend your evening doing something other than eating queso and avoiding lacivious Dell salesman. Let’s say you’d rather be both entertained and stimulated.

Go to 20×2 this Saturday. And stop listening to me now.