Culture Features
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Book Review: Chronic City By Jonathan Lethem

With Chronic City, Jonathan Lethem creates his own fairytale version of Manhattan.
Mike Bookey

West Coasters might not be drawn to a novel that takes place exclusively on Manhattan, well actually a specific part of the island, but what if this Manhattan isn't the real Manhattan? That's essentially what Jonathan Lethem has done with Chronic City.
The book is strangely fantastical, taking place in Lethem's custom-crafted Manhattan – a city where an escaped tiger demolishes city blocks, the New York Times publishes a “War-Free” edition, snow falls in August and Marlon Brandon just might be alive. Chase Insteadman, a child actor turned B-list celebrity, serves as our narrator, leading us through his chance friendship with Perkus Tooth, a lazy-eyed former gonzo artist and rock critic who now spends his time battling cluster headaches, pontificating about old films and smoking marijuana… incredible amounts of marijuana.

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X-miss : Or what I miss about solstice

Source Weekly

In the US recycling is a cool thing & communities brag about 40-50 % involvement. Here nothing makes it to the dump (if there is one) exceptstuff that can be composted. Forget things like metal, glass or wood, even plastic is picked up before the city trash collectors get to it. The city trash collectors don't even realize that they have a shitty job (in American minds),
– Eddie H. writing from Viet Nam

X-miss in America is bi-polar. On one hand, there are tens of thousands of articles on the perfect gifts, the perfect decorations, the perfect tree, the perfect turkey and punch and cookies and antacid. On the other hand, there are pious calls to give to others, to cut back, make gifts, give green, buy a live tree, teach the kids not to be greedy, to not grow into adults who wander the streets of “charming” towns with that vapid and irritated look of “Done it, seen it all, how tedious” on their faces.

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Our Picks for 12/9 – 12/17: Aaron Meyer, Cross Nats Blow-Out Bash and more

Source Weekly

Aaron Meyer Holiday Concert
friday 11
How often do you get to see holiday concerts by a “rock violinist?” This is actually the first time the esteemed Aaron Meyer, one of the Northwest's most well-known players, has performed his holiday show in Bend. Turn to page 23 for more. $25. Tickets at www.bendticket.com. 7pm. Old Stone Church, 157 NW Greenwood Ave.

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Our Picks for 12/2 – 12/10: Oregon’s Civil War, First Friday Art Walk, Rise, Willy Vlautin

What to do in Central Oregon the week of 12/2 – 12/10/2009.
Source Weekly

Civil War
thursday 3
This is a first: The Civil War, the annual football battle between the Ducks and Beavers is being played on a Thursday night. Also, this 113th installation of the game is bigger than ever, with the winner receiving a spot in the Rose Bowl. Several spots in Bend are showing the game on a big screen, including McMenamins Old St. Francis School and the Tower Theatre, but there's even more places to go, so check out our Events Calendar for complete listings. Also, keep an eye on twitter.com/sourceweekly for Anne Pick's live updates from trip to the game. Game kicks off at 6pm on ESPN.

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I Heard It In The Desert: A new book compiles the best of the late Jim Witty's literary wanderings

A new book compiles the best of the late Jim Witty's literary wanderings.
Eric Flowers

The well-loved local journalist Jim Witty wasn't the kind of guy to go through life with a lot of regrets, but when Jim died at age 50 of a heart attack in his home, he left behind one piece of unfinished business – a yet-to-be-completed compilation of his fine work cataloging his decade of trekking around Central and Eastern Oregon's wide open spaces. As his many local readers recall, he chronicled his deliberate wanderings in his weekly Outings columns for The Bulletin where Jim had worked as a journalist and feature writer up until his unexpected death. The pieces were delivered in Jim's signature laid-back, lyrical style but also filled with his keen observations about the natural world around him and sprinkled with colorful histories.

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A Giant Rabbit, a Final Curtain: 2nd Street Theater closes down with a spirited take on Harvey

2nd Street Theater closes down with a spirited take on Harvey.
Suzanne Burns

Brian Johnson, director of 2nd Street Theater's last official production, Harvey, rallied his cast at the beginning of a recent dress rehearsal. He joked, “You should all feel honored and dismissed,” at being the final play before the theater closes.
In true “the show must go on” form, owner and artistic director Maralyn Thoma remains optimistic. She spoke of her love of the theater, the cast, the community, while lamenting the inability to finance the business during times when shows aren't playing. Others have shown interest in the space and Thoma sounds confident the theater will continue in new incarnations.

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Our Picks for 11/25 – 12/3: Toys for Tots, Hillstomp, Chicks with Picks and more

What to do in Central Oregon the week of 11/25-12/3.
Source Weekly

Toys for Tots featuring Ruckus
friday – saturday 27 & 28
Local rock band Ruckus is playing this two-night engagement at the Riverhouse to benefit the Toys for Tots program. They're asking you to bring new and unwrapped toys or canned food to the shows that you can deposit before rocking out to one of Central Oregon's longtime local bar bands. 9pm. Crossings Lounge at the Riverhouse. 3075 N. Highway 97. 389-3111
Hillstomp, Larry and His Flask
friday 27
For the second year running, Portland's Hillstomp is coming to town to help you shake off the Thanksgiving gravy hangover with what we guarantee to be a raucous show. Hillstomp, as many locals know, combines north Mississippi style blues with a punk rock ethos that they deliver care of wicked slide guitar, junkyard drums and CB-radio-style vocals, and Bendites tend to freak out for these guys. Opening the show is Central Oregon's own Larry and His Flask, home for the holiday before venturing out on yet another West Coast Tour. 9pm doors, 9:30pm show. $8. All ages, bar w/ID. Domino Room, 51 NW Greenwood Ave.

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Our Picks for 11/18 – 11/26: Moon Mountain Ramblers, Too Slim and the Taildraggers, The Ascetic Junkies, GWAR, Renegade Rollergirls

What to do in Central Oregon 11/18 – 11/26.
Source Weekly

Moon Mountain Ramblers
friday 20
It seems that most recent Moon Mountain Ramlers shows are connected with some sort of holiday extravaganza… their Labor Day weekend festival, the recent Halloween Hoedown, and of course their New Year's Eve show next month. But sometimes it's nice to just see a normal Ramblers show in a normal packed bar. Not too much to ask, right? $7. 9pm. Silver Moon Brewing Co., 24 NW Greenwood Ave.
Too Slim and the Taildraggers
friday 20
This Seattle-based rock quartet is fronted by Tim “Too Slim” Langford and offers a tear-down-the-house mix of blues, rock, country and much more. Check out the band's new record, Free Your Mind. $13/adv, $15/door. 8pm. The Annex, 51 NW Greenwood Ave.

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Vandal Art: Learning the non-criminal version of graffiti

Learning the art of graffiti, without breaking the law.
Sara Roth

The first time I encountered the anonymous graffiti artist named Banksy was last summer in my then neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He had graffitied a two-story-high piece on the side of a brick building, depicting a man using a remote control to force a giraffe to paint the word “VANDAL.” This piece, like so many of Banksys' and other famous graffiti artists' pieces, became a source of neighborhood pride. The image still remains today.
Here in Central Oregon, graffiti often evokes a much different reaction from the community. Graffiti artists are seen as nuisances as well as, well, vandals. Indeed, graffiti causes thousands of dollars of damage to public property every year in Bend. The most popular targets are rail cars, bridges and public buildings.

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Our Picks for 11/11 – 11/19: The Bayliens, Re:Session, Eek-A-Mouse

Our picks for this week’s events in Central Oregon.
Source Weekly

The Bayliens & Cloaked Characters
thursday 12
Locals Cloaked Characters share a bill with indie Bay Area hip-hop heroes The Bayliens for this intimate show. It's like rap music in your living room! 9:30pm. Bendistillery Martini Bar, 850 NW Brooks St.
Re:Session
friday 13
Teton Gravity Research, is not, as the name suggests, a physics exploration organization, but rather a ski film production company that is bringing this big-mountain, big-air ski doc to town. The film (which has nothing to do with economic policy) features HD footage from all over the world, stopping in Poland, Italy, as well as making its way stateside, showing its host of skilled riders in the Cascades and Rockies. Showings at 6pm and 9pm. Tickets available at bendticket.com. 6pm. Old Stone Church, 157 NW Franklin Ave. $10.

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