This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on September 29, 2011. See Underground for longer transcript of my interview with Sally Timms. Which rock band would open a concert with short slideshow lectures, talking about obscure topics like “various breeds of pigs, real and imagined”? Which rock band begins the recording process… Continue reading Mekons: 2011 feature
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Richard Thompson Q&A
This article by Robert Loerzel was originally published in Pioneer Press and the Chicago Sun-Times on September 1, 2011. In case you doubted Richard Thompson’s impressive credentials as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, he now has an official stamp of approval — from England’s Queen Elizabeth. The British musician … received the Order of the… Continue reading Richard Thompson Q&A
Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz discuss ‘The Interrupters’
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on August 11, 2011. Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz live just a few blocks from each other in Oak Park. Both have been acclaimed for their heartfelt, thoughtful portrayals of people coping with problems such as poverty and crime. James portrays his subjects in documentary… Continue reading Steve James and Alex Kotlowitz discuss ‘The Interrupters’
Getting lost in ‘Sleep No More’
The Huffington Post, June 6, 2011 — I was lost in a dream for three hours one night last week in New York — wandering through the rooms of a haunted hotel, running up and down stairs as I chased after the characters from a Shakespeare tragedy, witnessing blood spilled and washed off their bodies, watching… Continue reading Getting lost in ‘Sleep No More’
Classical mania
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Listen magazine’s summer 2011 issue. The concert hall was packed with thousands of young women. As they heard the music rising from the stage, they seemed to sigh in unison. Some of their faces turned pale. Some blushed, as if overcome with emotion. Their mouths twitched and… Continue reading Classical mania
Play review: ‘There Is a Happiness That Morning Is’
The Huffington Post, April 15, 2011 — Each time I see a play by Mickle Maher, it reminds me of how much I love words. And it’s pretty obvious that Maher — an Evanston playwright, actor and member of Chicago’s Theater Oobleck — is in love with words, too. Read my review at the Huffington Post. Photo… Continue reading Play review: ‘There Is a Happiness That Morning Is’
Early African-American theater in Chicago
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Playbill magazine in January 2011. Walking through downtown Chicago one day in 1882, lawyer Jarvis Blume spotted a shoeshine boy performing Shakespeare scenes for a small crowd of bootblacks and newsboys. Blume was amazed — especially because this 12-year-old thespian was black. He could hardly believe that this… Continue reading Early African-American theater in Chicago
Play review: ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’
Record review: Espers, ‘III’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s winter 2010 issue. Espers III A few years ago, just about any small-label act playing acoustic instruments was suddenly called “freak folk,” whether or not there was anything freaky about the music. Espers really lived up to the description, though, and the band… Continue reading Record review: Espers, ‘III’
The father and daughter lawyers behind Pac-Man and Beanie Babies
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Leading Lawyers magazine’s July 2010 issue. When Pac-Man fever swept America in 1981, that little yellow guy with the round head and the big mouth did more than gobble up a bunch of dots on a screen. Pac-Man also helped to establish a new legal principle: the… Continue reading The father and daughter lawyers behind Pac-Man and Beanie Babies