Episode 11--Summer-Hons, Film Stars & Artists Attack!!!

Summer's rolled around, and again I've gotten really behind in blogging (2 months behind, I'm ashamed to say).

Aaargh....Sorry. Wish I were better at keeping up. Like everyone else here in Bmore, I'm constantly juggling. ...Not half as successfully as many of the local artists, musicians, leaders & activists I admire, unfortunately.

I've had some cool experiences in 'indie, artsy Bmore,' though I don't know I'd call them 'sitcom-inspired adventures' per se.

Met John Waters briefly at the MD Film Fest in early May, and "snapped" him with one of my Blogstars, Alex (Episode 6). Hung out at Honfest with a couple of friends recently, though Waters himself was boycotting.

And I dropped in on a couple of local poetry and music events, and met some new poets and musicians along the way. ...All in all, I'd describe this time as pretty peaceful. A little break from all the weird drama I've faced earlier this year which, no doubt, will do me a world of good.

Still, this is Bmore--the place where mischief and strange occurrences reign supreme--so I will not get too used to the lull.

They just started filming the big Zellwegger movie, "My One and Only," here in Btown two weeks ago. While I haven't yet run into the film's cast [Sex & the City's heart-throb "Mr. Big" (Chris Noth) among them, and I heard Kevin Bacon just signed up too] or crew, filming runs through July so there's still plenty of time for that.

Plus, there's bound to be tons of locals and out-of-towners, far more intriguing and strangely seductive than any Hollywood filmstars or crew, showing up at our world-renowned summer arts events, of that I'm sure.

Artscape, "America's largest free public arts festival," fast approaching on July 18-20th, is sure to draw plenty; and the "Baltimore Erotic Arts Festival" (July 1-31st) at The Load of Fun Gallerie is sure to attract more such folk, too.

I'll keep my eyes and ears open, and report back more frequently, now that summer's on. If you're a veteran of Bawlmorean artsy-inspired summer strangeness, you'll stay wary & alert, too!

Copyright 2008 by Lois

The lovely "Hons" in this episode's pic (exhibiting their won'erful sense of kitchy "Hon-style" on the Avenue June 15th during Honfest, of course) are Jeannie, Kathy, and Cheryl (clockwise from left).

To view more cool pics incl the one I snapped of John Waters and my friend and Blogstar Alex (Episode 6) at the May 2nd airing of his FilmFest pick at The Charles, visit my LoisLife photosets on Flickr.

Alex, a wonderful local actress, performs next in Nonstop Realism. The play, part of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival & billed as "an evening on nonsense no-nonsense humor," shows at the Strand Theatre, 1823 N. Charles Street, from July 17th-Aug 3rd. The BPF runs now through Aug 31 at various local theatres. It showcases plays by Maryland and Washington, DC playwrights (NR is by Bmore playwright Tim Paggi).

This wkend Bmore hosts the African American Heritage Festival, and about a zillion other things. To keep up with it all this summer, follow the LL Fun Tips on the right side of my blog. Check the "Favorite Bmore Social, Networking, & Event-Planning Groups/ websites" links a bit farther down, too.

Tomorrow night (Fri, June 27th) at 9 PM, I'll be at El Rancho Grande, a coffeehouse in Hampden (3608 Falls Road, Baltimore), for a live music event with wonderfully gifted Bmore musician (and LL friend/ Blogstar) Ellen Cherry. Ellen will be performing with two terrific out-of-town musicians she discovered at a songwriting event in Wisconsin, Chris Simmons (UK) and Danielle Gasparro (NYC). To learn more, go to the Baltimore Live Music Meetup site.

On Sunday, June 29th, from 4-6 pm, I'll be at Joe Squared Pizza and Bar, 133 W. North Avenue (across from The Load of Fun) for a musical tribute to Jonathan Gorrie. He was the Bobwhites' guitarist, and only 38 when he died recently and quite unexpectedly of what appears to have been a heart attack.

Jonathan was much loved, and will be deeply missed. To learn more about Jon, view the Friends of Jonathan Gorrie Blog set up in his memory; his bio; and the obit in the Baltimore Sun.

Sadly, John Waters (Jr.)'s father passed away recently, too. John Waters, Sr. was 91 when he died.

"He made us always feel safe," John Waters, Jr., said of his Dad, who founded a commercial fire-extinguisher business, and won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors, a group he helped found. "Is that not the most important thing a parent could do for his children?" To view the full obit, click here.

Episode 9- Springtime in Bmore, Springtime at Last! ;)

If you're one of my five fervid "LoisLife" fans, you may have noticed I've gotten a bit off-track in my Blogging of late.

Won't go into it much. ...Let's just say that a few weeks ago one of my earliest considered LL Blog characters told me something that surprised me, and for a while I was reeling a bit.

Actually the circumstances of my peculiar little melodramatic, romantic detour struck me as being (yup, you guessed it!) of a particularly "Seinfeldian-Meets-John Watersian" sort. Since I value the curiosity of my 5 loyal LL fans above anything, I did try to capture all this in a Blog.

But I'm afraid there are times when even my (seemingly) cleverly crafted LL stories do not quite meet with a potential Blog-character's approval, and this was simply one of those times. So for now we will simply have to call this one of my lost LL episodes--to be released, perhaps, at a later date.

Quite honestly, for the last few weeks, it has been a bit of "touch-and-go" situation for me, a bit "heavy" to tell the truth. Thankfully, though, 2 things have conspired to lighten the load.

The first is my discovery of the wonderful songs of Parkville's (a Bmore suburb) Ellen Cherry. She has this wonderful song called "Superhero" especially which I have quickly grown to love.

Another is the realization that it is Springtime in Baltimore--Springtime, at last!

Always during this time, many "green" and new things spring up which make my eyes water, my nose run, and my throat itch.

Still it is a pleasure to see all of these wonderful things growing and sprouting, even in formerly barren and dark places in Baltimore, & in the too-long abandoned recesses of the heart.

Now I could be cynical and self-mocking, in the grand old Bawlmorean tradition, a tradition I understand.

After too many years of waiting, hard to "buy into" all the city-sponsored promises and sloganeering: at words ("Believe") and phrases suspended in cyberspace, on billboards, on buildings, even the sometimes rickety or collapsing city bench.

Yet for all that we Bawlmoreans (the old residents and the new) may be tempted to view each new promise of improvement with the old accustomed cynicism, I will say this: Baltimore is not merely "green" in experience. She is also, relatively speaking, a very young city yet.

Truly she has had many stumbles and halts. In her recent past--and still today--she has borne, and continues to bear, more than her share of scars and indignities, suffering and wounds.

But always she is brilliantly creative, and above all surprisingly resillient, no matter what.

And just now I see her, as I see myself, emerging as if after a long sleep prepared for a new beginning, and indeed, in the full strength and creative flowering of her youth.

There are two videos I seem unable to stop playing, both because they make me laugh and because they lighten my heart.

...And also because they whisper that so many of us regular Baltimoreans are only just now charting for ourselves--and for our city too--a strange and magical and wonderful new course.

The first video is from John Waters' Hairspray, it kicks off to the tune "Good Morning Baltimore." The one I've linked is from the Hairspray production currently running on Broadway.

You'll find it right now also on my LL MySpace. Come "friend" me if you haven't already! If you visit now, you'll also hear my friend Woody's "Save the World" song there too. ...This is a cool tune which Woody's also started performing recently at his concerts at various locations about town.

The second video is of Sonny and Cher singing their big break-out hit "I Got You Babe" at the start of their career. This pair was, from the start, as unlikely & eccentric as any characters Waters cast in any of his movies. And where their careers went later [Sonny's to big-time national politics shortly before his tragic skiing accident, Cher's to super-stardom on a global scale] neither they, nor Waters himself, could possibly have predicted, much less dreamed up.

And actually, Sonny was cast in Waters' first Hairspray movie. So he can properly be called a 'Watersian' LL Baltimore Blogstar too.

But mostly this second video leads me to think of one or another peculiar Bmore pairing of talented eccentric visionaries, the kinds of strange, fortuitous and friendly partnerships upon which the joy and redemption and hope of a city like ours is built.

Copyright 2008 by Lois

Soon it will be Ecofest, in Druid Hill Park (April 26th) & Baltimore Green Week (April 25th-May 2nd)! To learn about exciting upcoming Ecofest & BGW events go to www.greencitybaltimore.org & www.baltimoregreenweek.org. I will be looking for volunteers for our GreenCityBaltimore table. Email me at Lois@Loislife.com if you'd like to help out!

The photo was taken not in Bmore, but in nearby Washington, DC. The truck-borne quote is by Itzah C. Kret, otherwise known as "The Phantom Planter," a Washington, DC artist, children's poet, environmental activist & dreamer, who has lived a life as varied & fascinating as any of the fantastical visionary artists showcased now or ever at the American Visionary Art Museum ("AVAM").

AVAM is simply my all-time favorite museum in the world. Its next big event is the Kinetic Sculpture Race to be held Sat, 5/3. Volunteers needed now. Contact jamie@avam.org or call 410.244.1900 to sign up.

Plenty of events in Bmore to celebrate April as National Poetry Month. Check out esp the 3rd yr Anniversary Party at Load of Fun on Fri 4/18; Minas Gallery's Poetry Month Celebration Sun, 4/20 at 4 PM; & Zelda's Inferno's next Open Mic night Tues, 4/29 at 2640 St. Paul. For more poetry info, visit the Poetry in Baltimore site, MD Open Mic site, Baltimore Fun Guide, and Baltimore-Localist.

On Sat, April 12th, from approx 8 PM & thereafter I will be at the Women Rock! concert at Load of Fun (this is a LadyFest Baltimore event; see the CityPaper article about LadyFest Baltimore here). Ellen Cherry is one of the wonderful "lady" musicians featured. Same night, same location is the Doll Project Fundraiser for the MD House of Ruth. Stop by on the 1st floor btwn 6-10 pm to catch it.

On Sun, April 13th, I will be at the Women's K.I.S.S. Event at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson (also as a Bmore Live Music Meetup) at 3 PM. Sahffi, whom I've blogged about before, will be among the musicians performing.

If you are a woman looking to fulfill your wildest business dreams in our wonderfully woman-dominated city, join me at the "Today's Business Woman III Conference" on Fri, April 25th at The Radisson Cross Keys. More conference details at the "Bmore4Her Online Resource" site.

Exciting news for Baltimore & for LoisLife: On April 14th, a new Bmore focused publication of the Baltimore Sun Media Group called 'b' and its online counterpart 'bthesite' kicks off! Among other things, the new publications will work with WTMD--and us--to further promote local music. Look to find 'LoisLife' content, photos & links on http://www.bthesite.com/ in the future.

Final plug: WHAM CITY, a Bmore artist, music & production "collective" phenom which started as a bunch of dreamy eyed kids from SUNY-Purchase, recently moved to a new location. Check out their MySpace for upcoming event info. Also see the Baltimore City Paper article & the Wikipedia piece to learn more about what these dreamers have created.