X-Content
Dec. 1, 1999
The feature is Michael Anft and Molly Rath assessing the three terms of outgoing Baltimore mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, known as “a thinker in a doer’s job.”
In the Mail, editor Andy Markowitz bemoans the lack of letters from readers, and, with hopes of getting some reaction, says that City Paper backs animal testing and freeing violent prisoners, but opposes Star Wars, its sequels, “your favorite band,” and “your mama.”
In Mobtown Beat, Terrie Snyder reports that a Baltimore police major who shot a robbery suspect got special treatment in the ensuing investigation.
The Nose looks at Baltimore Police efforts to improve homicide-clearance rates by making arrests even on flimsy evidence.
Charmed Life’s Tom Chalkley remembers Mother Lange, the Creole founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence.
The columns are: Germ Bag, with Suz Redfearn going off about roommates; Underwhelmed, with Sandy Asirvatham taking on society’s expectations of parenting; Urban Rhythms, with Wiley Hall III getting angry at people who want cops to be outlaws in their pursuit of law and order; Cyberpunk, with Joab Jackson explaining why Baltimore—and everywhere else—is Smalltimore; and 8 Upper, with Tom Scocca exploring the problem of the Baltimore Ravens’ “low-end mediocrity.”
In Books, Miranda Walker talks with Camika Spencer, the self-publishing novelist whose When All Hell Breaks Loose launched a big-time career.
In Stage, Michael Anft’s high expectations are dashed by Eric Bogosian’s Griller at Center Stage.
In Feedback , Joe MacLeod has a wonderful Thanksgiving night catching Moby and the Lo Fidelity Allstars at the Recher Theater. Here’s a taste: “The great, sweaty Moby pushed a button and then carefully raised himself up on top of his gear, stretching out his arms while the accompanying blue and white strobes from alternating poles percussively illuminated his form, rendering an eerie piece of performance art as the beats approached their disturbing terminal velocity.”
Also in Feedback, Geoffrey Himes enjoyed the Bob Dorough Trio at the Evergreen Carriage House, pointing out that Dorough’s cultural significance spans the Beats, jazz greats, and ABC-TV’s Schoolhouse Rock.
In Music, Lee Gardner wonders: What’s so important about the Clash and Rage Against the Machine?
No Cover features Eileen Murphy praising the Sandtown Children of Praise.
In Film, Ian Grey likes Man of the Century but not End of Days; Heather Joslyn likes Best Friends and Les Bonnes Femmes; Luisa F. Ribiero likes Red Dust and Baby Face; and Lee Gardner likes American Heart.
In Belly Up, Susan Fradkin enjoys the food, but not the ambiance or service, at Legal Sea Foods.
