Category: Legends
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Suicide Commandos – The Band – An Appreciation
Featured image copyright Michael Markos. To be perfectly frank, The Critic does not remember the Suicide Commandos from back in the day even though they are storied progenitors of the Minnesota punk rock scene. Steve Almaas recently passed and through a confluence of circumstance, The Critic was suddenly made aware of this inspirational band. Who…
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DragKing – The Band – An Appreciation
Featured image copyright James Warden. DragKing were pioneers in jazz/noise/punk/nowave/chicago/wicker park/90s music. There were many other, less remembered, bands active from 1990-2001. The Critic always found the band name “DragKing” mysterious. Is it the semi-opposite of “Drag Queen” with a gender reverse? The band line up does not obviously fit this interpretation. Is it social…
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DKDTDJ – Thomas
The South Loop in late 90’s Chicago was not entirely gentrified. Many high-rise buildings were still under construction. The mayor lived around the corner in a modest home and heavy police presence so that was fun. DKDTDJ was determined to make modern music using electronics and a subtractive approach to composition aided by random computations.…
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Legend of a Nobel Prize Winner’s Computer Caught Smoking in the Office
As a wee lad fresh out of university in America, my first job in IT included supporting vintage (then cutting edge) early 1990’s computers for Very Important Professors (VIPs) at a graduate school for my esteemed alma mater. Some, but not all, of these VIPs would go on to win Nobel Prizes. However, to be…
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The Legend of Seven Pound Fury
Seven Pound Fury was dirty in Chicago. There were pretenders to the throne of dirty but no others had the same dirtiness. The band name came from the drummer who owned a dog grooming business to pay bills. Apparently, there was a little white dog that would take on any dog and was Seven Pounds…
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Sidewalk Treasures and Urban Romantics
There was an etiquette book not surprisingly relegated to the free box outside a book store that was magic. Authored by the Fenwick that was Millicent. The block of discovery was in the wilds of Chicago’s South Side known for much magic. Cool guys in ponchos and cute girls on bicycles. Above the bookstore was…
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The Legend of Tonka
Tonka didn’t try to be ignored. It just sort of happened. In the mid 90’s, in the Wicker Park neighborhood, in Chicago, Illinois, the streets smelled of damp concrete, unbridled ambition. and a hint of urine. North Avenue was a border, Ashland Avenue was the challenge and the neighborhood signage warned “No Prostitution”. Tonka rehearsed in…
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The Legend of signs. – Nihilator Rising
Once upon a time, there was a post-post-post-modern play produced on the south side of Chicago in 1989. Exactly how it got produced remains unclear to this day. All credit goes to the legend that was Nihilator. There was much talent for acting, technical excellence, and then there were the authors who tried their best.…
