Phlog

Meet the Mayor: Somerville Theatre

Boston Phoenix — Sat, 26 May 2012 12:24:00 GMT

Welcome to "Meet the Mayor," a segment in which we interview local Foursquare Mayors in their natural habitats.

Best and worst films and/or events you've seen here?
The best would be the Mulberry Tree, part of the IFFBoston 2011. I don't see bad movies. Just kidding. I totally saw Sucker Punch, but it wasn't here.

Sucker Punch was the best movie ever. I am lying.
It was horrible, and about prostituting young girls and lobotomizing them so you could prostitute them. It was just bad. I'm not even sure it had a plot. I still can't figure out why Jon Hamm was in it. He was, like, hammering ice picks in girls' heads. I'm like, "Jon Hamm, what are you doing?! You're a mad man! Don't lobotomize people in shitty movies!"

Explain why I should visit Somerville more often.
Because Somerville is full of awesome. We have the cheapest movie theater you'll find, it serves beer, and I think Davis is it's pretty much the only square that actually has a square. I mean, it's a triangle. But it has a plaza, and people hang out and listen to music and eat ice cream and chill.

Why are so few places called "squares" literal squares?
Despite being a hub of universities, apparently they don't study geometry in Boston.

Want to be interviewed about your mayorship? Give us a shout: tweet @bostonphoenix or email listings@phx.com. And for tips, friend us: foursquare.com/bostonphoenix.

WATCH: Vermin Supreme, the Vice documentary

Boston Phoenix — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:45:00 GMT

How do you know when you're truly internet-famous? When you glitter-bomb a famous homophobe on C-SPAN? When the C-SPAN clip gets autotuned into a song? When your call for free ponies is embraced by the Bronies? Or when your music video, "I Am A Meme," goes viral on YouTube?

Not sure. But for perennial long-shot Presidential candidate, Occupy ally, and longtime friend of the Phoenix VERMIN SUPREME, we'll say this: a Vice Magazine mini-documentary won't hurt.

In this four-minute clip, Vermin (his real name, having changed it legally in order to get on NH primary ballots) traces his meme-birth to his C-SPAN appearance. Although we'd beg to differ, and instead suggest that it began when the Phoenix's David S. Bernstein -- in full-on Don King mode -- incited, promoted, moderated, and live-streamed a presidential primary debate between Vermin Supreme and the dead English devil-worshipper Aleister Crowley on Halloween weekend.

Still: we are incapable of getting enough Vermin Supreme in our lives. Neither can you. So check this out:

Click to play. Opens in new window. Sorry. Blame Vice's shitty media player.

Behind The Stiches: The Face Of Chicago Police Violence At NATO Protests (Richard Harding Wood, 21, of Malden, MA)

Boston Phoenix — Tue, 22 May 2012 16:49:00 GMT

Richard Harding Wood was riled up before Occupy. Along with other friends from Malden, the then-20-year-old started coming into Boston on weekends early last year wielding placards to protest the Federal Reserve Bank. So when Occupy Boston settled across Atlantic Ave from the Fed in late-September, it was a no-brainer for Wood to get involved.

In December, Wood and his girlfriend, Everett native Brittany Cook, traveled to Washington, DC, where they were arrested and charged with parading on Supreme Court Grounds. They'd been demonstrating against that body's Citizens United decision, and its poisoning the American political process with toxic corporate influence.

The arrests in DC hardly deterred Wood and Cook, and when they heard that the National Nurses United union was sponsoring NATO-bound buses, they enthusiastically signed up. Even when their ride broke down a half-hour out of Boston, they stayed among a group that boarded a last-minute Greyhound, and arrived in Chicago at 3pm on Friday.

After an exciting but relatively tame Friday and Saturday, Wood and Cook woke early for the major Veterans for Peace march planned for Sunday. They skipped breakfast, instead pounding a few bottles of water before leaving their crash spot – a small church space they'd rented with a dozen other Occupiers who were left back in Mass – and hitting the red line to arrive in Grant Park at 10:30am.

Wood and Cook marched close to the front, the former with his Guy Fawkes mask pulled over his face. He says that the Anonymous disguise was getting him severely dirty looks from cops, though, so he removed it at the end of the march and stowed it in his backpack. With his face exposed, Wood then moved to the front of the barricades where police and protesters were shoving one another.

Wood says that he remembers pulling at least two young women out of the scrum before winding up about three bodies behind the escalating conflict. Even back there he wasn't safe though; within seconds – at around 5:15pm – a close-by cop indiscriminately swung his baton into the crowd, cracking Wood directly above the left side of his temple. Bloody and shaken, he says everything went blurry.

Now it was Wood who was being pulled out of the crowd. Cook grabbed a medic who they'd stayed with in DC months earlier, and, once Wood was steady on his feet, they walked to a bus stop away from the action. After about 10 minutes, they were scooped up by a street medic transport vehicle, and brought to a makeshift wellness center in a church for standard care and a therapeutic massage.

From there Wood was eventually brought to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where, along with a number of other Occupiers who were beaten badly, he was given prompt treatment and subsequently released. He has 10 stitches in his head, and a genuine concern for those who were brutalized even harder. Asked whether he plans to attend the next major action wherever it may be, he answers in the affirmative.

FINAL NATO PROTEST DISPATCH: From Hope To Despair (This Is Not The Chicago That I Saw On Election Night)

Boston Phoenix — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:17:00 GMT

Last night in Chicago was surreal . . . There was zero violence, unconditional love, and peaceful pandemonium. I accidentally stepped on some dude’s Jordans and he shook my hand . . . Cell phone lines were so jammed that people couldn’t reach one another, but I was far from alone. I must have wrapped my arms around 100 people . . . I know – awesome.

I wrote those words nearly four years ago, on the day after Barack Obama was elected to the White House. I hadn't voted for the Illinois senator – my rule is to always support Ralph Nader if he's running – but that night in Grant Park pumped me full of American pride. Despite my critical coverage of Obama leading up to that evening, it was nice to feel enthusiastic about my big box store-of-a-country.

All of that's changed in the past four years. Not just for me, but for countless others who were relieved to avoid an inevitably hawkish John McCain presidency. I realized this on Sunday in Grant Park, where the Veterans for Peace organized the biggest anti-NATO march of the week. In 2008, I was moved to tears of joy in that big open field. Yesterday I nearly cried out of despair.

Despite the vagueness that Occupy is often pegged with, nearly everyone involved in the movement has specific concerns. Some, like healthcare or homelessness, are personal, yet reflect larger issues that transcend communities and cross state lines. Others have more direct political gripes; an Occupier from Montana, for example, told me about the struggle to protect his city's water supply from privatization.

Certainly Obama's not solely responsible for monsters whose attempts to control common resources are increasingly compromising basic freedoms. Nor was he in command when our military invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. Still he represented a shift away from spending trillions on murder, and from economic policies that perpetuate poverty. That's no longer the case.

Nations fall a lot harder when they're pumped full of hope. Which is why I found myself in Chicago following around thousands of damaged Americans. Despite ideal weather and humorous costumes, the mood was dark, as rally-goers unloaded aggravation over everything from immigration policy and military misconduct to the neglect of mentally ill patients and the persecution of political prisoners.

And then there was the violence. While Obama was tossing a football around with fellow world leaders at Soldier Field, soldiers in the streets were facing a Chicago Police Department bent on using extraordinary force. Decked in protective gear, cops set arbitrary boundaries for protesters, and pummeled them with inhumane pride when those lines were crossed.

On election night in 2008, I never would have thought that I'd return here under such circumstances. Or that, despite its brutal history, the city which I found so inviting would threaten its own residents and visitors with weapons built for international combat. Back then, Obama even walked the picket line with workers from the Congress Plaza Hotel, who have been striking for nearly a decade.

At a rally outside of the president's campaign headquarters today, demonstrators voiced their concerns with the administration, and with its embrace of NATO-sponsored warmongering. Arguing that Obama's even worse than his predecessor on the “3-Ds” – drones, drugs, and deportation – one woman charged: “20 years ago you would have been out here with us, but now you're part of the problem.”

Protesters challenged the former community organizer to return to his progressive roots. That's not likely though. Back at my crash pad, I caught the president's NATO press conference, in which a local reporter asked about the protests outside, and about how police handled things. Obama said they did a “great job,” and even thanked those who were inconvenienced for their patience.

Meanwhile, hundreds were still rallying outside of his nearby campaign office, which is located just steps away from where I watched Obama give his victory speech in 2008. At the time, I scribbled in my notebook that I have faith in this guy. No doubt he’ll prove me stupid as soon as he arrives in office, but it’s a tremendous feeling for the time being. I've never felt sadder to have been so right.

99 Twitter Accounts To Follow For Today's #NoNATO Actions In The Streets

Boston Phoenix — Sun, 20 May 2012 15:31:00 GMT

As is becoming increasingly evident, the actions surrounding NATO add up to a perpetual protest. There's no beginning or end, with shit popping from activist crash pads to streets across the city, where clashes with police are getting more frequent and more intense around every corner. In the past few days I've had countless conversations with journalists, Occupiers, and every type of reporter and aggregator in-between about how most of us won't be able to file extensive accounts until things slow down a bit, since every second spent writing inside is a second that we could and should be documenting from the front lines.

With that in mind, here are 99 Twitter feeds of writers, livestreamers, activists, and photographers who together account for a vivid and detailed look at the non-stop state-sponsored mayhem in Chicago (along with some pics from yesterday to spice things up). If I left you out and you're knee-deep in the scrum, please add your handle in the comment section. And if you're a conservative troll who's sitting behind your laptop and talking trash while the rest of us pound the concrete, go fuck yourself. To everyone else – good luck out there. I'm @FARA1. See you all downtown.

@OCDirectAction

The official twitter feed of the @OccupyChicago Direct Action Collective.

@ElleryMitten

Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music -Nietzsche #anotherworldispossible

@NATOINDYMEDIA

‪@OCArtsandRec

The Arts and Recreation Committee for Occupy Chicago.

@Federal_flashes

I like art, music, hot sauce, and summer days spent in the presence of people I admire & enjoy.Sometimes I take pictures.Call me Big Mama James. #OWS #OCHI

@Occupied_Air

We are the 99%! We are here to stay! We occupy the AIR! Watch live for updates from occupations around the world ustream.tv/channel/occupiedair #OWS #OO #OCHI

@jujueyeball

Law student, activist, dog person, human person || #ochi; tweets=mine

@57UN

Well small bio : I love app engineering and #Telecomix | #PirateParty | #FileSharing |

@Timcast

Independent Journalist covering political action and activism. http://wepay.com/donate/timcastTV

@sabzbrach

Journalist and researcher. #Iran Correspondent, @safeworld4women. Opinions mine. #womensrights, #refugees, #occupy. I had the itch to fly and I flew.

@occupysarcasm

OccupySarcasm is a devil's advocate-playing asshole who lives by the words of the Great Kim Song Ill Fuck em if they can't take a joke

@cbschicago

CBS Chicago has the latest news, weather, and sports for Chicagoland

@dontbeaputz

₣reelance writer. Day 1 #occupier + #OWS affinity group of one. 'Essential' says @RDevro. RT ≠ E. Chicago trip fundraiser: http://bit.ly/JgWNAI

@mollyknefel

Stand-up comic, writer, co-host of Radio Dispatch and John and Molly Get Along. Actor in Naked in a Fishbowl. After-school teacher in the Bronx.

@truthout

Free News for Free Thinkers. Official Truthout Tweets

@ZepolRXela

Progressive in Chicago. All opinions expressed are my own. RT does not = endorsement.

@Hicksfilosopher

Agnostic. Think for yourself. Question Political, Educational, and Religious Authorities of all kind. #LuLzTeAmSix #s00n We are all #Anonymous

@RDevro

Guardian journalist based in New York City.

@OC_Outreach

relaying Outreach communication from, to and between all Occupy Chicago neighborhoods.

@banditelli

Breathing class war like a dragon breathes fire. Occupying the airwaves and the streets every day. Hit up @RickSmithShow for the full experience. Opinions mine.

@OCongress

Official account of #OccupyCongress. In unity with @OccupyWallSt. Join the people-powered movement against corporations running the show. Real democracy now!

@CSMuncyPhoto

Photojournalist, lover of bacon.

@Jiraffa

Tinkerer. G33k. Telecomix Agent. Technology, science, and journalism- privacy, security, and hackerspaces. freedom and datalove =)

@OccupyChicago

Official Twitter for Occupy Chicago! We are the 99% | Voting GA's are Wed & Sat at the Horse! Congress & Michigan #ChicagoSpring #OChi

@bombecerise

It's NOT camping, it's #sleepfulprotest #sleepidarity We #occupyeverything 24/7

@markaprovost

Economic journalist focused on US income and wealth inequality, Occupier.

@djsarahspin

I'm a writer in the midst of a love affair with journalistic ideals and social media. Music is my heartbeat. #OccupyOakland #OccupySF #OWS #occupyeverywhere

@occupy_now

. : : DISCLAMER : : . The views i express are my own. if you want news on occupy sydney, goto occupysydney.org.au

@Feminist_Nurse

Nursing Student, Natural Chica, Liberal Feminist, Sexual Assault Counselor & Future Midwife --- Wild Child turned Wild Woman... Come! Share My Journey!

@AnonymousIRC

Headless rider on an Ascii horse with a Nyan Cat as halo, sword made of Lulz and scabbard made of tolerance. Bitcoins: 18NHixaoQekQJ3y52aBGJJwgBWX9X3myYR

@jess_schiff

guitarist/bassist/photographer/assistant director/space cadet

@DustinSlaughter

I write at The Indypendent, The Public Record, others. Photojournalist. Agitator. @DavGolProject founder. Tweets A LOT. #Occupy #CraftBeer

@InsightOutNews

Investigative journalism and in the field reporting covering political news related to the people.

@micahuetricht

Following labor and immigration. Occasionally writing about them. Often doing something about them. micah[dot]uetricht[at]gmail

@JAMyerson

Freelancer, unless you want to hire me.

@JohnFord1619

All indians, no chiefs.

@BostonOccupier

The Boston Occupier is a one-stop shop for news and in-depth journalism related to Occupy Boston and the Occupy movement.

@CarrieM213

Vegan and LGBT rights activist. Street journalist for Occupy Wall Street.

@OccupyWallStNYC

Occupying #WallStreet since #Sep17. Standing with the global #Occupy movement. We are the 99%. Contribute: http://bit.ly/HelpOWS #ows

@punkboyinsf

37yo #uNonymous autonomous gay male in SF. #citizenjournalist #gonzoreporter @Ustreamer and caller of bullshit. punkboyinsf.org #pUNkCr3w

@Ghostpickles

a ghost in a hundred halls, a shadow in a thousand rooms. hippity hoppity horror 4R7 CR1M35 #invaderz

@ZepolRXela

Progressive in Chicago. All opinions expressed are my own. RT does not = endorsement.

@OccupiedChiTrib

Occupied Chicago Tribune - Media for the 99 percent

@PWeiskel08

Tweeting politics, dissent, photos & commentary. Student @ UMass Boston, emerging photojournalist, live tweeter, & music lover.

@lexicon1

editor in chief @nextgreatgen. blogger/web producer @globalpost. tweets are mine, do not reflect opinions of others.

@inthesetimesmag

Monthly news magazine committed to informing and analyzing movements for social, environmental and economic justice. Founded in 1976.

@heartofj

co-founder CODEPINK

@ZDRoberts

I'm really worried about the cpd horses; they're frothing mouth, tripping,officers are taking swings at the horses following them.

@bigpzone

amidoinitrite?

@PhilipDeVon1

Full-time worker; citizen journalist. Radically autonomous occupier. I occupy chi but all my tweets are mine. Follow me for #OChi updates! chicagospring.org

@Occupy_DC

Taking the 'If you see something, say something'-approach to the corruption of democracy. General Assemblies @ 6pm Tu/Th/Sa/Su.

@heartsandbrains

we are stronger than everything they taught us that we should fear.

@jcstearns

Journalist and organizer working for press freedom and the future of news through media and tech policy. Journalism & Public Media

@MayaSchenwar

Executive Director at @truthout. Opinions are mine.

@codepink

CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement. www.codepink.org

@ryanlwilliams

Columbia College J-school alum. Freelance journalist, blogger and photographer in Chicago. Anti-monetizer. Protest chaser. Grant writer (over $1 million served)

@margoelena

respect existence, or expect resistance ☮ ❀ ॐ ♫ ♥

chicago ·

@Yanazure

Reporter @Truthout @ChicagoReporter on immigration, corporate corruption, Occupy, race and poverty.

@budden_jamie

I'm a freelance animator by day, and an occupier by night.

@Suntimes

What you need to know: now. News, entertainment, sports and business news from the Chicago Sun-Times and more. And yes, it is real people here.

@arieloshin

rable rouser

@JeffRae

rabble rouser, agitator, organizer, labor activist

@Chicago_Police

Official Site of the Chicago Police Department.Tweets do not necessarily reflect the views of the CPD. We link to CPD and media sites about a variety of issues.

@OccupyPics

I have a job. I bathe obsessively. I own my home. I work hard. Wall St & corporations captured government, corrupted democracy, and destroyed the economy.

@Ghostpickles

a ghost in a hundred halls, a shadow in a thousand rooms. hippity hoppity horror 4R7 CR1M35 #invaderz

@OccupyPix

ALL DAY ALL WEEK OCCUPY WALL ST! We're posting as many pictures of the occupation. Follow our Posts!

@Lukewearechange

http://ustream.tv/user/wearechange http://youtube.com/wearechange http://facebook.com/lukewearechange

@aaroncynic

Aspiring coot, mithrandir, politcal afficianado, chronic mispeller

@CitizenRadio

Like CNN, but with more swearing. Citizen Radio is hosted by Allison Kilkenny (The Nation) and Jamie Kilstein (Conan O'Brien, Showtime)

@OccupyChicagoRT

RT's { #OccupyChicago, #OccupyChi } -- see also: http://n0.gd/occBots

@vasili_s

Reporter for Voice of Russia Radio News

@Steve_Horn1022

Research Fellow at @DeSmogBlog. @UWMadison/@BuckyBadger Alum. Freelance muckraker & political/social analytical work on side. Views expressed/tweets my own.

@OCPress

the official twitter account of @OccupyChicago Press Relations Committee.

@JonnyTurnover

Don't tell me I can't change the world because I am already doing it.One Love.

@OccupyRene

Occupy Boston Logistics. The guy in the yellow hat. rene (at) occupyboston dot org

@OS_Mic_Check

@OccupyFreedomLA

I've been with the #OccupyLA movement since Oct.1. Visionary Activist, #NewMediaJournalist, mother, environmentalist & yogini . ustream.tv.occupyfreedomla

@kgosztola

Civil liberties blogger who covers #WikiLeaks, drones, torture, secrecy, #OWS, etc. Co-author of the book Truth & Consequences: The US vs. Bradley Manning

@PennyRed

Author, journalist, feminist, reprobate, tea-drinker, gentlewoman of fortune. Writes for The Independent and many others. Views my own.

@allisonkilkenny

Citizen Radio co-host, contributing reporter for The Nation. Blog at allisonkilkenny.com.

@exileinflyville

Development & Communications Associate at @Truthout. Editor & contributor at @OccupiedChiTrib. Anarcho-curious; frequently

@johnknefel

Writer, comedian, independent journalist & co-host of Radio Dispatch, a thrice weekly political Internet radio show.

@Occupy_Mass

Just 1 person, Mr. Murphy(Murph). My ustream channel: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/occupymass

@BarackObama

This account is run by #Obama2012 campaign staff. Tweets from the President are signed -bo.

NATO-Chicago Dispatch: Pictoral Play-By-Play Of Friday March, Rally, Arrests & Preliminary Insanity

Boston Phoenix — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:47:00 GMT

I wasn't even at Daley Plaza for two minutes when I ran into Vermin Supreme. From Austin to Boston to here, I've seen him more than I've seen my family over the last six months . . .

Like Vermin, there were a few thousand other heads out there assembling peacefully at the National Nurses United rally . . .

Among those congregating on the Plaza were environmentalists, who had their own march planned . . .

But first everyone got down to Tom Morello, because that's what you do at major Occupy events . . .

Before Morello finished "This Land Is Your Land," though, this cop walked over to this group of Black Bloc activists and stuck his thumb in the air. When his fellow officers didn't get the cue, he started screaming for them to come over . . .

Seconds earlier, they were just standing there minding their own business, and playing with their dog . . .

Nevertheless, police came over and began to cause a ridiculous and completely avoidable scene . . .

And like that there was intense commotion, and the "Fuck The Police" chants began . . .

These officers laughed in my face when I asked why they were arresting this dude . . .

Everybody knew that there would be a rogue march, but in the end it was the police who set it off. Turns out that arresting someone for no apparent reason whatsoever is a better rallying call than any mic-check could ever be . . .

That's how everyone wound up in the streets when they did, swinging their fascist-slaying mallets with a vengeance . . .

They marched under the elevated train . . .

And past horses dressed in riot gear . . .

And under giant silver things off the beaten path. . .

Until they got back onto the street, where police started setting up arbitrary road blocks . . .

And pulling riot gear out of the back of vans while giving photogs dirty looks. . .

This cop went and threw a sidekick at a protester, showing off his little dick in more than just one way . . .

And then someone ripped the NATO sign up like a parking ticket, and rang the bell beneath it . . .

Police weren't having it, though I heard this guy was ultimately not arrested . . .

After that, authorities managed to force the horde into a number of splinter groups, kind of like NYPD did so effectively on May Day . . .

To be continued . . .

NATO-Chicago Dispatch: I Am Not An Objective Journalist - I Rode The Occupy Boston Bus To NATO

Boston Phoenix — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:38:00 GMT

I'm not following Tom Morello around the country. It might seem that way; in the past few months I've caught him at South by Southwest in Texas, and a few weeks ago for May Day in New York City, where the Rage legacy and Occupy icon organized a GUITARMY to stomp some blacktop swinging axes. But while Morello will indeed be in Chicago today, kicking for tens of thousands in Daley Plaza, his street-side spectacular is hardly the main selling point for my trek to the Windy.

I'm here because the NATO protests are . . . hold on a minute – did I tell you how I fucking got here? I took a nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine hour bus trip from Boston with a fleet of Occupiers. Some of my travel mates I've been covering for months. Others I've just met in the past few weeks. But until yesterday, I'd never smelled any of their feet, or shared with them a microscopic toilet facility with echo-friendly walls that play farts like trampolines do basketballs.

My plan was to skip NATO. I expected more than a massive showing, but funds have been low, and there's no Fung Wah to Chicago. Or so I thought before seeing that NATO-bound Occupy buses were departing from the Hub. With that my sentiment shifted, and so I filled out the online form and hoped that organizers would approve of a reporter tagging along. At best, I envisioned a literal boys-on-the-bus experience. At worst, I'd get to Chicago for the small cost of however many cigarettes Occupiers bummed off me at rest stops.

The result was somewhere in between those poles, with at least one cool Juggalo who smoked me out on some totally legal K2 synthetics, which it turns out I'm a huge fan of. Things started off rocky; the buses were two hours late, and one of them shit the futon less than 30 miles out of Boston. But after that it was an absolute dream complete with harmonicas, guitars, and Chris, the endlessly fascinating and perpetually shirtless pacifist MMA fighter who sat next to me when he wasn't parading through the aisle dropping knowledge.

It really was a whirl. I'm not sure how the Complaining About Free Shit working group felt about the bus, which came courtesy of National Nurses United, but I full engaged the road show. When I felt like resting, I rested. When I felt like reading, I read. Otherwise, when I felt like being entertained, I just listened, and got two ears filled with everything from credible conspiracy theories to at least one comparison of the situation to Christ's expedition in the wilderness.

In short I had a great time reading, writing, and interviewing Occupiers whose personal stories add up to the reason that more than 50,000 people are heading to Chicago this week. I was hardly even fazed when some movement members who were not on the bus started flaming me on Twitter for mooching off of Occupy resources, which I'd actually feel badly about if there weren't empty seats. They also accused me of sacrificing whatever little bit of objectivity I had left in covering Occupy by riding along.

That's completely understandable, or at least it was until I touched down in Chicago and got the briefing for independent journos who are covering NATO. Reliable word is that police aren't distinguishing between reporters and protesters, writers and anarchists – we're all subject to the military-grade aggression that's already being thrust upon folks who are courageous enough to stand up to war profiteers and murderers. At least in that regard, I'd argue that we're all on the same bus after all.

Meet the Mayor: Toppers

Boston Phoenix — Fri, 18 May 2012 15:32:00 GMT

Welcome to "Meet the Mayor," a segment in which we interview local Foursquare Mayors in their natural habitats.

Toppers
Charlene Chow

Tell us about your favorite hats...
Um, my favorite style of hat would probably be berets. There're a lot of different kinds of berets. They can be slouchy, or structured, so I guess I like their versatility. As for my favorite hat, I have this fuchsia colored fedora I really can't wear all the time, but I love it and I think it's the most beautiful hat I've ever had. It's not very versatile, but it's my favorite.

Isn't there something horrendously wrong with the world when you can't wear your fuchsia fedora all the time?
I would appreciate if we could go back to the fedora wearing days. I think they're becoming more popular. People are starting to come around.

What's the worst case scenario for a hat?
You think it looks good on you and it doesn't, I guess. Or if you get a used hat and there's some kind of lice in it.

Bummer that this place closed?
Very sad. I was here the week before they closed. The guy told me he was moving onto other endeavors, so I was happy for him, at least. And I got good deals out of it.

Want to be interviewed about your Foursquare mayorship? Give us a shout: tweet @bostonphoenix or email listings@phx.com. And for tips, friend us: foursquare.com/bostonphoenix.

Free Fun Shit: May 17-24: Porchfest, "Algorythyms" @ Fourth Wall, scavenger photo hunt, 'Zine party, "Freak Flag" benefit show, Third Eye Blind at EarthFest + more

Boston Phoenix — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Porchfest

Buzz Bissinger | The Friday Night Lights author discusses his new book Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son at the Brookline Booksmith on Thursday, May 17 @ 7 pm | brooklinebooksmith.com

MWM and JURNE: Algorhythms | New exhibit featuring a series of canvas paintings juxtaposing abstract compositions with calligraphy, representative of conversations between Bay Area graffiti artist Jurne and Portland designer/illustrator Matt W. Moore. Reception at the Fourth Wall Project on Friday, May 18 from 8-10 pm | fourthwallproject.com/flog

Neighboring Sounds screening | Screening of Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho's crime drama about a well-to-do neighborhood in Recife that experiences a crime surge, thus causing the residents hire a private security company, revealing the city's social divisions at the Paramount Center on Friday, May 18 @ 8:15 pm | artsemerson.org

Pretty Ugly: Deviant Materialism | Exhibit using painting, sculpture, photography, and video to create art both beautiful and hideous, to elicit visceral reactions of attraction and repulsion. The reception tonight is followed by a live art performance from Charmaine Wheatley, who'll serve chocolate casts of her ass to visitors at Mills Gallery on Friday, May 18 @ 6 pm | bcaonline.org

Porchfest | More than 95 acts in countless genres performing on porches around Somerville on Saturday, May 19 from noon-6 pm | somervilleartscouncil.org

"Banditos Misteriofotos" | Scavenger hunt in which teams (or individuals) race across the city to snap pics of events, stunts, or objects from a Banditos Misteriosos approved list. Players post the day's shots online, to be judged the next day by the Banditos, who will deem one team a winner. Judging based upon most artistic, funniest, and largest amount of photos collected. Meet to get your scavenger list on the Boston Common on Saturday, May 19 @ 11 am | misteriosos.org

Papercut Zine Library 7 Year Anniversary Party | With live music from The Low Tide, snacks, and brand new 'zines! Guests can expect to check out new editions of High 5!, Bay State Badass, Today Belongs to You, and Nothing Mattress, plus more TBA at Lorem Ipsum Books on Saturday, May 19 @ 8 pm | papercutzinelibrary.org/wordpress

Earthfest 2012 | This year's performers include Third Eye Blind, the Spin Doctors, Eve 6, and Switchfoot at the DCR Hatch Memorial Shell along the Charles River on Saturday, May 19 @ 11:30 am | earthfest.com

The DMC Swag Poetry Slam | Student poetry slam, presented by Citizen Schools and Dever McCormack Middle School at the Middle East upstairs on Saturday, May 19 @ 1 pm | mideastclub.com

Freak Flag Benefit Show | Party to fund (donations gladly accepted) the new up-start alt paper with music by Fat History Month and Hyena (and DJ sets by Freak Flag staff) at Zuzu on Monday, May 21 @ 10 pm | freakflagboston.tumblr.com

Rory O'Connor | The Huffington Post contributor discusses his new book Friends, Followers, And The Future: How Social Media Are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, And Killing Traditional Media about the effect of social media in our world at the Brookline Booksmith on Tuesday, May 22 @ 7 pm | brooklinebooksmith.com

Jasper JohnS/In Press: The Crosshatch Works and the Logic of Print | Opening of exhibit exploring Johns's lesser known experiments in printmaking and use of newsprint collage, with lecture from exhibition curator Jennifer L. Roberts at the Harvard Art Museums, 485 Broadway, Cambridge on Wednesday, May 23 from 5-8 pm | harvardartmuseums.org

"Shakespeare and Leadership" | Reading of Shakespeare's Coriolanus followed by a discussion on corporate leadership skills in the 21st century with local business leaders at the Cutler Majestic Theater on Thursday, May 24 @ 6 pm | commshakes.org

WFNX fans in silent protest of Clear Channel sale, outside of the Phoenix offices

Boston Phoenix — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:26:00 GMT

"Death Before Clear Channel," May 16 @ 3 pm

Listeners respond to news that WFNX is being sold to ClearChannel

Boston Phoenix — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:30:00 GMT

Earlier today, the Phoenix Media/Communications Group announced the sale of its radio station, WFNX, to Clear Channel Communications -- the largest radio station owner in the country.

All day, long-time listeners have expressed their thoughts, feelings, concerns, and memories of WFNX over the years.

Below, read what some WFNX fans have been saying on Twitter and Facebook.

Have something to say about FNX today? Leave it here in the comments.

[View the story "Listeners respond to news that WFNX is being sold to ClearChannel" on Storify]

Statement from Clear Channel regarding its purchase of 101.7 WFNX

Boston Phoenix — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:03:00 GMT

[UPDATE 12:21 pm]: Boston Business Journal is reporting the layoffs of longtime personalities Julie Kramer and Henry Santoro, and a possible switch to either a country or Spanish speaking format.

Earlier this morning we reported that WFNX 101.7 FM will be sold to Clear Channel. A few moments ago, the national media and entertainment giant released this statement regarding its latest acquisition. We'll post more information as it comes in.

Clear Channel Media and Entertainment to Buy Boston’s 101.7 FM (WFNX)
Boston, MA – May 16, 2012 - Clear Channel Media and Entertainment and the Phoenix Media/Communications Group announced today that Clear Channel is purchasing radio station 101.7 (WFNX) from MCC Broadcasting Company, Inc., pending FCC approval. MCC Broadcasting is part of the Phoenix Media/Communications Group and is located in Lynn, MA. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
"This was a great opportunity to expand our footprint and our listenership in Boston, a key market with millions of fans who love radio as much as we do," said John Hogan, Chairman and CEO of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. "We look forward to adding 101.7 to our Boston broadcasting family."
Clear Channel Media and Entertainment currently owns four stations in the Greater Boston area, including WXKS-FM (KISS 108), WJMN-FM, WXKS-AM and WKOX-AM.　
"Over the years WFNX has done spectacular things as a radio station," said Stephen Mindich, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Phoenix Media/Communications Group. "FNX has a celebrated history, including its nearly 30 years of cutting edge programming, its tradition of breaking new music and its ardent fans among both listeners and advertisers."　
Since 1983 the station has played an historic role in bringing new music to audiences in and around Boston. "We introduced Nirvana and Pearl Jam to wider audiences in 1991," said Mindich. "Together with the Boston Phoenix we staged the famous Green Day concert at the Hatch Shell in 1994, and most recently the work of Foster the People, Fun, and Gotye -- to name just a few of the many new groups whose music we introduced to our audience." 　
WFNX will remain on the air during time it takes to complete the FCC approval process, and events and concerts -- such as the Best Music Poll (June 13th) and the Seaport Six (June 14th) -- will take place as scheduled.　 Additional details can be found by staying tuned to 101.7 WFNX FM, or by visiting www.wfnx.com and www.thephoenix.com online. "
Closing of the transaction is subject to FCC consent and other customary closing conditions.

BREAKING: 101.7 WFNX is being sold to ClearChannel pending FCC approval

Boston Phoenix — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:09:00 GMT

UPDATE [12:13 pm]: Clear Channel has released a statement regarding its purchase of WFNX.

UPDATE [11:19 am]: I'm told that WFNX's intellectual property -- including the call letters, the archives, interviews, videos, etc. -- are being retained by Phoenix Media/Communications Group in the deal that sends 101.7 FM to Clear Channel, leaving open the possibility that WFNX could live on as a non-terrestrial radio station of some sort. It's also far too soon to speculate whether that's likely to happen.

The following memo was just sent to staff here at the Boston Phoenix. We'll have further updates as we get them.

Dear Members of the PM/CG Family:

Because this is an emotional announcement to make, let me cut right to the chase.

This morning I met with the staff of WFNX to announce the pending sale of the station to Clear Channel Communications.

Over the years, WFNX has done spectacular things. Since 1983 the station has played an historic role in bringing new music to audiences in and around Boston. We introduced Nirvana and Pearl Jam to wider audiences in 1991. Together with the Boston Phoenix we staged the notorious Green Day concert at the Hatch Shell in 1994. Three years later, FNX and the Phoenix organized a group reading and broadcast of Allen Ginsberg’s controversial poem Howl, featuring talents as varied as rocker Peter Wolf and Poet Lauriat Robert Pinsky, along with civil liberties attorney Harvey Silverglate and me. We’ve formed creative partnerships with local museums and many other important not-for-profit organizations such as the AIDS Action Committee. In addition, for years we broadcast One In Ten, the only program on a commercial radio station in the nation dedicated to the issues and lifestyles of the GLBT community. And throughout it all, FNX has continued to break new music, most recently the work of Foster the People, Fun, and Gotye -- to name just three.

Here comes the catch....

Despite its celebrated history, its cutting edge programming , its tradition of breaking new music, its ardent fans among listeners and advertisers, for some time it has been difficult to sustain the station -- especially since the start of the Great Recession.

And that is why the station is being sold.

The mechanics of the situation are this:

WFNX will the file the paperwork necessary to trigger the license transfer with the Federal Communication Commission later today.

WFNX will remain on the air during the time it takes to complete the FCC process.

Events and concerts -- such as the Best Music Poll (June 13th) and the Seaport Six (June 14th) -- will take place as scheduled.

The best place to get news about the last round of FNX happenings will be to stay tuned to the station itself.

In closing, let me salute the scores of immensely talented and dedicated staff who sold the ads, promoted the events, programmed and played the music, and did so many other things that made WFNX a national force in modern rock and -- most important of all -- a force, an outlet, and a sponsor for the music that defined Boston for nearly 30 years. It was a great run and I will miss the station.

Thank you all,

Stephen M. Mindich

Meet the Mayor: Public Storage – Self Storage

Boston Phoenix — Sat, 12 May 2012 12:26:00 GMT

Welcome to "Meet the Mayor," a segment in which we interview local Foursquare Mayors in their natural habitats.

Public Storage - Self Storage
Christian Campagna

So why are you mayor at this here storage locker?

I just moved into a new place a couple of months ago, and it's been slow moving my stuff in there. I don't have any shelves there yet, and I don't know if my girlfriend wants 4,000 jazz CDs in our apartment.

Do you think, if worse came to worse, a person could live here?

Yeah, I could, probably. I could probably lay down right there and get comfortable. I've got a towel and a couple of jackets. There's a footstool that was my grandmother's. I could use that.

Favorite and least favorite things you're storing?

My least favorite might be this printer/scanner. It's one of those items where there's nothing aesthetically pleasing about it at all. My favorite things are...I have some rare punk albums in here. I'm aging myself, but this is probably my favorite thing in here - Henry Rollins, Dischord #2. [gestures to a copy of S.O.A.'s No Policy EP]

Whoa. Where'd you get that?

I got it at a record show for like $50 years ago. There're only 500 of them, I think.

Want to be interviewed about your Foursquare mayorship? Give us a shout: tweet @bostonphoenix or email listings@phx.com. And for tips, friend us: foursquare.com/bostonphoenix.

Chinatown Hypnosis Case Bull, Says Renowned Mentalist

Boston Phoenix — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:27:00 GMT

Last week, the Herald reported that a woman was bilked out of $160,000 by a band of rogue hypnotists. (I like hypnotists.) A couple days later, I spoke with the Amazing Kreskin (who, with all due respect to Miss Cleo, is the greatest television mentalist the world has ever known). He doesn't buy it.

"I absolutely, absolutely positively can say she was never hypnotized. She never, never, never was hypnotized," Kreskin told me from his office. (A word to the wise: if you find yourself on the phone with Kreskin, don't bother with formalities. "I'll be Mr. Kreskin when I kick the bucket," he told me, rebuking me for being too polite.)

"There is no way on earth to show someone's in a trance. Was [the victim] hypnotized? No. There's a number of things that could have happened. She could have been embarrassed. She could have been humiliated. She could have been conned. She could have been coerced. There's more to this story.

"In the 1900s from the 1830's to the 1920's, thousands and thousands of cases in the United States in England went to trial in which the common defense was hypnosis. In fiction books, up until 1910, one of the most common themes of mysteries was the person was hypnotized. Years ago, when people did things that were embarrassing or humiliating, that put them in a compromising position, the common excuse was 'I was hypnotized'. . . but I demonstrate in my performances, especially in universities,how everything in hypnosis can be produced through the power of suggestion."

But it goes much farther than that. For the past 30 years, Kreskin has been locked in a one-man battle against the hypnotic defense. "I've appeared in courts regarding hypnosis, and because of my findings, evidence gained under hypnosis is not admissible in most courts in the United States," he said. "There's no evidence of a hypnotic trance in any way, shape or form. In 1986, I was tried by a jury. It's the only case in modern history -- psychologists and law professors have told me they've never heard of such a case. I offered $50,000 to anyone who could do one of two things: one, show a person was in a hypnotic trance and two, show what you could do with that person that you couldn't do purely through the power of suggestion. I won the case. The person wanted to sue me for $50,000, and after two days, the judge said, 'You have wasted the time of this court and made a mockery of our trial.'"

Kreskin no longers offers that reward and now offers $100,000, plus any expenses resulting from a potential lawsuit. "Even though I won the case, it cost me $112,000," he said. "I've had enough of American justice."