INSIDE: MEET SECOND SUPPER'S NEW COLUMNIST — AMY ALKON, THE ADVICE GODDESS | PAGE 8
EE FR
VOLUME 10, NO. 1 | JANUARY 14, 2010
Pump House events revisit
The Vietnam Era PLUS: POLITICAL STOCK REPORT • PAGE 4 | LOCAL NEWS DISPATCHES • PAGE 5 | THREE DAYS GRACE PREVIEW • PAGE 11
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Second Supper
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YOU ASk FOR? One of my friends to succeed in recovery CELEBRitY CRUSH: Jack White
Second Supper 614 Main St., La Crosse, WI 54601 Phone: (608) 782-7001 Online: secondsupper.com
FiRSt CONCERt YOU wENt tO: Skatin' with Satan Ozzfest/Warped tour '98 in Somerset
Publisher: Roger Bartel roger.bartel@secondsupper.com Editor in Chief: Adam Bissen adam.bissen @secondsupper.com Sales: Mike Keith mike.keith@secondsupper.com Sales: Jenaveve Bell jenaveve.bell @secondsupper.com Sales intern: Ansel Ericksen ansel.ericksen @secondsupper.com Contributors: Amy Alkon, Nick Cabreza, Ashly Conrad, Brett Emerson, Jake Groteuschen, Shuggypop Jackson, Jonathan Majak Second Supper is a weekly alternative newspaper published by Bartanese Enterprises LLC, 614 Main St., La Crosse, WI 54601
wHAt iS YOUR BEVERAGE OF CHOiCE? Jack and Coke NAME ANd AGE: John-Paul Petersen, 28 wHERE wERE YOU BORN? Black River Falls CURRENt JOB: Electronics lab gopher @ TC
wHAt BOOk ARE YOU CURRENtLY REAdiNG? Catch 22 tELL US YOUR GUiLtiESt PLEASURE: Toppers at bartime wHAt iS YOUR BiGGESt PEt PEEVE? People who think they can't.
dREAM JOB: Road warrior
tELL US A JOkE: What did Fifty-Cent say to his grandmom when he saw her making socks for him? G-Unit
LASt tHiNG YOU GOOGLEd: Magnetic field theory
wHAt'S tHE LASt tHiNG YOU BOUGHt? A Jack and Coke at The Join's open jam
iF YOU COULd LiVE ANYwHERE iN tHE wORLd, wHERE wOULd it BE? The island in Lost
wHAt'S iN YOUR POCkEt RiGHt NOw?: All the money I haven't spent on my bartender yet
wHAt iS SOMEtHiNG YOU wANt tO dO BEFORE YOU diE? Your mom iF A GENiE GRANtEd YOU ONE wiSH, wHAt wOULd
wHAt iS YOUR FAVORitE PARt OF SECONd SUPPER? It's an independent operation. HOw dO YOU kNOw HEAtHER (LASt wEEk'S iNtERViEw)? How don't I know Heather? (Insert sleazy wink and nod here.)
My Reality?
Dear Reader: Please pardon the intrusion, but Editor in Chief Adam Bissen was kind enough to let me take over his space this week to let you know about changes we're making in our content. Two new columns launch this week: The WisPolitics.com Stock Report, on Page 4, and an advice column by Amy Alkon, The Advice Goddess, on Page 8. Both columns fi ll longtime voids in our weekly report. While our stories focus primarily on the La Crosse area, for example, we know there are many state issues that directly affect local residents. We do not have the manpower to examine those issues - or the people behind them, so we turned to WisPolitics.com, a Web site focused exclusively on covering state political and government issues. The Stock Report each week will provide a mix of news and analysis designed to help you stay abreast with what is happening at the Capitol and across the state. Second Supper also has for several years been seeking an advice columnist who could connect with our unique audience. We found her in Amy Alkon, who delivers sage advice in a tone that we think resonates with our readers. Also, while it's not new, another column also returns this week: Dispatches from HQ. Each week we will highlight a few brief news items that refl ect what's going on in our community. Some items will include our take on things you might have heard or read about in other media, others will be interesting tidbits that the other media don't deem important enough to report, and some will simply be a good read. Or a good laugh. As always, we would like to hear your thoughts on the changes, as well as on the paper in general. You can reach me at (608) 782-7001 or via e-mail at roger.bartel@ secondsupper.com. Happy reading.
— Roger Bartel, Publisher
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Second Supper
Things To Do
Cornhole league opens play Tuesday
9-pin bowling tournament on tap Saturday
The Top
Mayor Matt Harter's New Year's resolutions
1. Grow a mustache 2. Try out for La Crosse Spartans 3. See what Twitter's all about 4. Finish bus depot 5. Question motives of radio show DJs 6. Look good in lederhosen 7. Install tiki bar at City Hall Green Bay Packers 1. Charles Woodson 2. Aaron Rogers 3. Clay Matthews 4. Donald Driver 5. Greg Jennings 6. Nick Barnett 7. Ryan Grant
January 14, 2010 // 3
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Bill Niles Racing will hold its ninth annual 9-pin tap bowling tournament in three shifts Saturday, Jan. 16, at All Star Lanes, 4735 Mormon Coulee Road. Shifts are at 4:30, 7 and 9:15 p.m. In this format, knocking down nine pins counts as a strike. Entry fee is $80 per four-person team (men, women or mixed). The winning team is guaranteed at least $300; payout will be determined based on the number of entries. In addition to the bowling and camaraderie, the event includes free beer and pop for participants ($5 for spectators), prizes and karaoke entertainment provided by Steve Huber of Marshfield. For reservations call Bill Niles at (608) 386-5993 or Shelley Ghelfi at (608) 317-9593.
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WTC event celebrates MLK holiday with music
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Bored? Too lazy to strap on the skis? Tired of the traditional bar games? Well, we have the solution for those winter blues. Neuie's Varsity Club, 1920 Ward Ave., is organizing a Tuesday Night Cornhole League, with a 14-week season starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19. Registration is $50 per two-person team. You can register at the Varsity Club or online at ClassicRock1001.com. All of the league money is paid back to the players via prizes throughout the season. Cornhole is known by many other names: tailgate toss, bean bag toss, baggo and bags, for example. It was initially played as a lawn game but now has made the switch indoors. Players take turns pitching cornhole bags at a raised platform. Points are scored by landing the bag in the hole, or at least on the platform. Games typically go to 21. For information, contact Michael Taggert at couleeregioncornhole@gmail.com, visit the Varsity Club or call (608) 788-1919.
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Local woman portrays Mrs. Lincoln
You think you have a tough life. Try being Mary Todd Lincoln. Pam Thiel does just that in her portrayal of one of our most intriguing first ladies in "An Evening with Mary Todd Lincoln" at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the La Crosse Public Library's auditorium, 800 Main St. This is an encore performance sponsored by the La Crosse County Historical Society as part of the Spotlight Series. Thiel explores the life, loves and tragedies of Lincoln's life in this free event. For information, contact Jane Beseler at lchsadministration@centurytel.net or (608) 782-1980.
While there seem to be few Martin Luther King Jr. Day events slated in La Crosse this year, Western Technical College salutes the holiday with a "Music Extravaganza" at noon Monday, Jan. 18, in the TC Cafe at the Kumm Center, 400 Sixth St. N. The performance will be a mix of rock, reggae, blues classical, Christian rap, gospel, Motown and jazz. The event is free and open to the public. For information, contact Bernard Black at (608) 785-9200.
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4// January 14, 2010
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Second Supper
COMMENTARY
The WisPolitics.com Stock Report
RiSiNG
MixEd
FALLiNG
STATE DEFICIT The state of Wisconsin considers its books offi cially balanced for the last fi scal year. But generally accepted accounting rules say the state has a defi cit of $2.71 billion. The methodology peels away many of the maneuvers lawmakers and the governor use to make things balance, and the GAAP defi cit is up 8 percent compared to the previous year.
MARK NEUMANN His GOP guv campaign shows signs of life. But insiders want to see dollar signs before they improve his odds of giving Scott Walker a good run for the Republican nomination. The former congressman, never part of the political mainstream, released a reform plan that calls for term limits and direct referendums, while pledging he’d only serve two terms if elected guv. As much as some Republicans have tried to marginalize Mark Neumann Neumann, some election-watchers still believe he could be a real threat – if he’s willing to put in enough money and taps into the "Tea Bag" movement. Some insiders continue to wonder whether the homebuilder will really stick it out through the primary knowing Walker has the inside track to the party’s nomination and dumping his own money into the race might not be a good investment. Others wonder if he may buck the system and try to run as an independent.
MPS GOVERNANCE CHANGE Insiders have seen little hope for legislation to grant the Milwaukee mayor the power to appoint the city’s schools superintendent and set the district’s tax levy. And a public hearing on the bill in Milwaukee did little to sway them. Even members of the Senate Education Committee seem resigned to an impasse on the issue, though Chair Sen. John Lehman says he wants to get something done to address the city’s failing schools. He’s just not sure what will pass or if there’s enough time to get something done, noting controversial proposals like this have a history of dying on the election-year vine in the Wisconsin Legislature. There are too many competing interests that are too far apart on the issue at this point, some say. Still, some Milwaukee lawmakers, the guv’s people and other education interests have been meeting privately in an effort to hammer out a compromise, sources say.
TOM BARRETT All eyes were on the Milwaukee mayor to see what kind of fundraising numbers he'd deliver, and insiders generally give him props for pulling in more than $750,000 in 47 days. That pushes his war chest to about $1.5 million, thanks in part to the money he already had in his mayoral account. Some critics have tried to dismiss Barrett as a reluctant candidate with a do-nothing campaign. But his backers tout the numbers as a sign of strength and the mayor’s commitment to the race. Barrett didn’t exactly set the world on fi re fundraising during his failed 2002 gubernatorial campaign. But this 47-day haul is more than what he raised during the fi nal six months of 2001. Dems say that’s a good sign that he’s learned Tom Barrett his lessons. Republicans give Barrett credit for what he pulled in, but say they’re waiting to see exactly how the mayor raised the money. A few big-dollar donors and a bunch of PAC money wouldn’t be nearly as impressive as a plethora of small donors, they say. They also believe Barrett has plenty of baggage on taxes and spending that are going to be hard-sells in the current climate. Barrett’s numbers are expected to trail those of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who sources indicate will likely report at least $2 million cash on hand when his numbers are released. Though Walker has a head start on Barrett, Dems point out Walker has a primary to deal with, while the mayor has a clear shot to his party’s nomination. JOHN SCOCOS The former Veterans Affairs secretary is fi ghting in court to overturn his fi ring, and some insiders believe his cause could get a boost from e-mails that show one of the agency board members was in contact with the guv’s offi ce leading up to the dismissal. The Dem guv has insisted the board, stacked with his appointees, acted on its own and that he wasn't involved in the decision to dump the lone Republican agency head. Doyle's critics aren't buying that and seized on the e-mails to suggest manipulation.
TAXES Property taxes are up. But a new report fi nds federal, state and local taxes in 2009 took the smallest percentage of state residents’ incomes in more than four decades. The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance chalks that up to the recession and its impact on employment. Overall tax collections in 2009 totaled $61.2 billion, down from $69.9 billion. Taxes claimed 28.8 percent of personal income. Still, property taxes were up 4.2 percent in 2009, going up faster than the rate of infl ation, and some believe the voters will be none too happy about that. STATE RETIREES The state’s two trust funds for the Wisconsin Retirement System post large gains in 2009 following a dismal 2008. But things were so bad in 2008 that some retirees are still going to see a cut in their annuity. The Core Fund had a preliminary market value of $67.8 billion at the end of last year, up $10 billion from the end of 2008, while the smaller Variable Fund ended the year with a market value of $5.1 billion after ending 2008 with a value of $4 billion. SWIB reported the Variable Fund's preliminary return of 33.7 percent was "its largest return since the WRS was formed in 1982." The Variable Fund annuity is expected to increase between 25 percent and 30 percent, but the Core Fund annuity is expected to drop 1 percent, thanks to a carryover effect from 2008. Chief investment offi cer David Villa said SWIB's outlook remains cautious for 2010.
WISCONSIN PROFESSIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION Two offi cials with the state group that provides lobbying and collective bargaining services for law enforcement around the state are charged with drunken driving not long after lawmakers approve the fi rst crackdown on OWI in years. James Palmer II, the union’s executive director, says he’s ashamed by his “deplorable exercise of poor judgment.” According to police, Palmer and union fi nance director Jane Steinhauer were drinking in downtown Madison late last month. Steinhauer was driving north of Sun Prairie when she missed a turn, went into a ditch and through a large snow bank before crossing another county highway and hitting a shed, authorities said, adding she then called Palmer for help after the accident, and both were nabbed by police.
TRAFFIC DEATHS Wisconsin roads were the safest they’ve been since World War II. New numbers show highway deaths dropped again in 2009 with 542 fatalities, down almost 8 percent from 2008 and just off the low of 526 tallied in 1944. Sixty-fi ve years ago, gas rationing and World War II helped severely limit motor vehicle travel. Experts believe the current recession had a similar impact in 2009, resulting in people driving less because they’re going on fewer vacations or out-of-town trips. Deaths have tended to drop during recessions and then rebound when the economy starts cruising again.
Second Supper
January 14, 2010 // 5
COMMUNITY
Dispatches from HQ Ringside closed for 'foreseeable future'
As the rest of La Crosse rang in the new year, Ringside Sportsbar and Grill quietly ceased operation Jan. 1, another victim of the economic slowdown. The restaurant, which was praised for its burgers and Friday night fish fry, operated at 223 Pearl St., a space still occupied by Legends Nightclub and adjacent to Coconut Joe’s. “To say that it’s permanent may be a little premature,” said Jay Peterson of H2P, LLC, the company that operated all three businesses, but for foreseeable future the restaurant will remain closed. “Especially in the hospitality industry, there’s people that are doing bad, and there’s people that are doing worse,” Peterson said. “This is probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make.” Ringside opened in August 2001, went through a brief remodel in 2004, and H2P LLC took over operation in April 2005. Legends will continue operating a bar and dance club in the same space and will still host standup comedy on Thursday evenings. Wednesday will still be wing night.
La Crosse district reluctant racer
President Barack Obama’s initiative for education reform has, as expected, attracted both praise and criticism. Proponents see the “Race to the Top” and its $4 billion in federal grants as an incentive for quick, radical reforms to public schools. Opponents see it as yet another poorly conceived government intrusion, a thinly disguised and ambiguous mandate that ultimately will have to be financed by local taxpayers. Gov. Jim Doyle has pushed hard for Wisconsin to join the race (about half the states are opting out), but some school districts are hesitant to join the rush to the public trough. Count the La Crosse School Board among the doubters. The board last week voted against signing a memo of understanding required to maintain eligibility for the program’s funds, but - upon further review - this week reversed that decision, after members were assured they could opt out of the program at a later date. The Reluctant Ones said they were concerned about accepting federal dollars with unknown strings attached. The known strings attached to the funding thus far include developing teacher evaluations that are tied to student performance, streamlining the process to allow professionals in other fields to gain teacher certification, increasing the number of charter or other alternative schools, and developing methods to deal with failing schools. Would a decision to opt out of this "race" deprive local students educational opportunities that the federal funds would provide, as well as help reduce the load on local taxpayers? Or would it keep decision making at the local level, where it belongs, and head off future tax increases for unfunded mandates? Only time will tell, but previous programs such as No Child Left
Behind should give us some clues. Stay tuned.
Tea Party organizer adds spice to spring election
What do you get when you mix guns and unions with a Tea Party? One hell of an election, we’re hoping. Although the spring elections don’t generally generate a lot of interest, the race for District 29 on the La Crosse County Board certainly looks like an intriguing match-up. Incumbent Monica Kruse, a retired teacher who led her local teachers union, faces gun rights advocate Hubert Hoffman and Tea Party organizer Jake Speed in the primary next month. A couple of La Crosse district races might create a bit of a stir. In District 3, Bill Feehan, co-chairman of the La Crosse County Republican Party, will challenge incumbent Joe Veenstra, an attorney. The District 5 race features two UW-L students: Brad Konkel, appointed to the board in 2008, and Jason Krug. It likely will be a relatively quiet spring election season for most of the city, however, with no contested races for either the La Crosse Common Council or the La Crosse School Board.
Simply Living soon dead
The global economic slowdown has claimed a local- and “green”-oriented gift shop in downtown La Crosse. Simply Living will close its doors at the end of the month, ending a five-year run at 410 Main St. It has been a “year-long grieving process,” said Joey Kay, who co-owns the store with his wife, Dawn. The couple had seen a decrease in sales since the recession hit in the end of 2008. Despite lowering its inventory, Simply Living simply couldn’t stay afloat. The store’s remaining merchandise as well as fixtures, displays and hangers will be sold at a clearance rate until the business closes, scheduled for Jan. 26. John Kay said he and his wife are still weighing future business opportunities, but they will continue living in La Crosse. “I’ve enjoyed it greatly,” he said, “getting to know people downtown, trying to create a better place, a better community.”
potential tax increases, however, “stevelovegolf” pointed out that federal education funds ultimately come from taxpayers, too. “Life is tough its (sic) even tougher when your (sic) stupid,” he concluded. The award for Least Convincing Argument, however, goes to “Burnout.” The name itself doesn’t resonate informed authority, but the coup de gras were the four grammatical/spelling errors that undermined his argument that private schools provided him a better education than his counterparts at public schools. A victim of Outcome Based Education, perhaps? Send Dispatch tips to editor@secondsupper.com.
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The 'Weak' in Review: Least Convincing Argument Award
We found three nominations for our inaugural award on a bastion of informed community discourse: no, not the rants and raves of Craigslist mavens but rather the comments provided by the insightful pundits that populate the La Crosse Tribune’s Web site. Opinions about the School Board vote to drop out of the Race to the Top funding battle royale were split, with several posters fearful that the board’s decision will raise local school taxes and others praising the board for not rushing blindly after money from the feds. “This school board is a bunch of nitwits for dropping the ball on this,” wrote “LAX.” Responding to the complaints about
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6// January 14, 2010
COMMUNITY
Second Supper
Portraits complement documentary about state war veterans The Pump House Regional Arts Center, 119 King St., will host a traveling exhibition of portraits of Vietnam War veterans from Wisconsin beginning Wednesday, Jan. 27. Back in the World: Portraits of Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans, by photographer James Gill, features veterans who participated in Wisconsin Public Television's new documentary, Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories, the latest segment of WPT's Wisconsin Stories project. Similar documentaries have shared Wisconsin veterans' experiences in World War II and Korea. The documentary is scheduled to air in May, but a premier screening of selected interviews with La Crosse area veterans from the WPT documentary will be part of an opening reception for the exhibit at
5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29, at the Pump House, which next month also will present an original play based on soldiers' Vietnam experiences. Gill, who will participate in a gallery talk during the reception, took the 30 color portraits, each measuring 30 by 40 inches, during production of the WPT documentary as a tribute to the veterans' service, he said. The portraits will be displayed in the Kader Room and Front Gallery. The exhibit, funded by a gift from Associated Bank, continues through March 13. It moves to Superior after its run in La Crosse.
Area veterans who participated in the WPT project include Dan Schaller, Don Weber and Miles Wilkens, La Crosse; Thomas Baertsch, Onalaska; Gene Hunter, DeSoto; Andy Thundercloud, Tomah; Mick Lyons and James Seaton III, Viroqua; Tom Sharratt and Howard Sherpe, Westby. Not all are included in the portraits and/or fi nal edit of the documentary. Producer Mik Derks told Second Supper the Weber segment is one of the most powerful in the three-hour documentary. WPT this spring also will publish Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories, a companion book to the documentary. It includes 40
Politics don't have role in original play set in 'Nam
ON THE COVER: Don Weber of La Crosse is among those featured in a photo exhibition by James Gill honoring Wisconsin's Vietnam veterans at the Pump House Regional Arts Center.
Members of the cast of 5,000 Lbs.: Seven Soldier's Stories rehearse at the Pump House in preparation for the play's opening in February. Playwright David Krump "fashioned the characters to these actors," director Anne Drecktrah says. The actors spent nine weeks learning about military life before rehearsals began.
Director says it is about relationships not war By Jonathan Majak
jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com Richard Nixon said in 1985, probably for not completely altruistic reasons, that the Vietnam War was the most misunderstood event in American history, saying that “it was misreported then and misremembered now.” As debate continues about the Vietnam War and its lingering legacy and as the lives of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and as well as those who have returned home continue to make headlines, the Pump House Regional Arts Center art exhibition of Wisconsin Vietnam War veteran portraits in conjunction with a new play about soldiers during that confl ict is a timely event. Monday night at the Pump House, actors dressed in military garb of dark green attire, black combat boots,and tuffs of facial hair rehearse a tense confrontation between two of the characters before breaking for an hour dinner. They debate certain staging, certain moments as the show — a work titled 5,000 Lbs.: Seven Soldiers’ Stories by playwright and Viterbo professor David Krump — continues to gel before its Feb. 4 opening. “Line?” calls out one actor, shifting his gun from one hand to the next as they stand in the middle of the intimate theatre on the second fl oor of the Pump House. “I just don‘t think that‘s something he would do,” says another while readjusting his helmet.
fi rst-hand accounts of Wisconsin veterans' experiences and expands on stories told in the fi lm. The 400-page book by Sarah A. Larsen and Jennifer Miller sells for $24.95. It includes 175 photographs. The chapters focus on topics such as U.S. involvement prior to the war, naval exploration of Vietnam's waterways, Army and Marine ground combat with the Vietcong, the Tet Offensive, medical units, fi refi ghts on besieged fi rebases, battles at Hamburger Hill and elsewhere, the POW experience and life after Vietnam.
PHOTO BY ASHLY CONRAD
“I can see what you’re saying,” says Viterbo theatre professor and play director Anne Drecktrah from her seat in the middle row of the theatre. Shortly thereafter, when the actors break for dinner, Drecktrah explained the collaborative process that has gone on between herself as a director, Krump as a playwright and the cast of seven actors that has allowed for these kind of discussions to help shape the show. “David fashioned the characters to these actors,” she explains, pointing out to actors Alex Brick, Brandon Harris, Tim McCarren, Colin Thelen, Harrison DeCreny, Adam Petchel, and Lance Newton as they exit to get dinner, “and these were the guys I wanted.” “The scope and the demands of this project required a close working relationship between everyone involved,” Krump said. “It has been an emotional and logistically fascinating experience. I can't speak for the others involved, but I can tell you that I certainly feel a strong and trusting bond between the cast, crew, writer and director.”
At A Glance
wHAt: 5,000 Pounds: Seven Soldiers' Stories wHEN: Feb. 4-6, 11-13, 19-20 wHERE: Pump House Regional Arts Center, 119 King St. FYi: For ticket information, call (608) 785-1434. The process has been long and winding to even get to these rehearsals. “5,000 Pounds began as a concept piece, a readers theatre presentation of letters written home by Wisconsin's Vietnam veterans,” Krump explained. “This was en-
visioned fi rst by the executive director of the Pump House, Toni Asher. When she brought me and the director on board, it evolved over time into this original play.” Sifting through the mounds of letters proved to be a time intensive as well as emotionally draining experience. “It is a deeply troubling experience to read 40 letters written home and then to fi nd in the fi le one last letter from the State Department offering condolences,” Krump said. According to the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, about 203,000 soldiers from Wisconsin served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era, with about 165,400 of them in Vietnam; 1,239 of those soldiers died. After his initial research with the letters, Krump decided, due to concerns about whether it’d be fair to the families of the soldiers to read those letters as a piece, to shift from reading the letters to using them as the basis of research for a fi ctional play following the lives and relationships
Continued on Page 7
Second Supper
COMMUNITY
PHOTO BY ASHLY CONRAD
Director Anne Drecktrah works with an actor during rehearsal of 5,000 Lbs.: Seven Soldiers Stories, which opens Feb. 4.
Vietnam Continued from Page 6
among seven soldiers as they, in the words of Drecktrah, “try to live an ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances.” With a show so focused on the interactions on a core group of characters and their military experiences, it was important for the production to both foster a sense of camaraderie among the actors while giving
them the necessary training. “The actors themselves were schooled in IMTs (Initial Military Training), handling of weapons, marching, cadences, etc.,” Krump explained. “Two folks from the Army came in and literally put them through a nine-week boot camp.” “They learned rifle etiquette, did physical training, all that military stuff,” Drecktrah said. For Drecktrah, it’s been a fun experience to get in on a play on the metaphorical ground floor. “I’ve done plays where it’s the first time produced, but this is the first time I’ve gotten to do a show where it’s in its conception,” she said. “It’s the reason why I chose to do it. And that’s a treat, too. So often you get told what play you’re doing, and here at the Pump House it’s a treat to be able to pick a play and I’ve never done a play I haven’t fallen in love with.” When asked about what she wanted people to come away with from the show, Drecktrah reiterated a sentiment shared by playwright Krump that this is not a political play. “It’s about the relationships,” she said. “This play isn't a protest piece, or a political pulpit,” Krump said. “After all, the time for protesting the Vietnam War is over. It's meant to be a human piece, a dramatic work. If this play could accomplish anything beyond being a good show, I'd like it to be a re-thinking of our Vietnam veterans and a re-working of the way we treat out veterans today and in the future.”
Winter Ball tickets on sale
people were turned away at the door. “Pretty much every year has been a little bit better than the year before,” brewmaster Joe Katchever said. The first Winter Ball was held in 1999 as a grand opening for the brewery, which at the time was located in the basement of the Bodega Brew Pub (on Pearl Street, hence the name.) The brewery has since relocated to the former La Crosse Footwear building, and the Winter Ball has continued to grow in popularity. “We’re celebrating being in biz this long. Each [Winter Ball] is another year that we’ve survived and succeeded,” Katchever said. “We all work hard here so we’re all happy to be a part of this. ... For most everybody else it’s just a party.”
©2010 Treasure Island Resort & Casino
Fans of bluegrass, beer and food made with beer are advised to purchase their tickets early to the Pearl Street Brewery Winter Ball or risk being left out in the cold. The 11th annual extravaganza will be held Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Pearl Street Brewery and will feature music from the Smokin’ Bandits as well as a brand new Scotch Ale and a smorgasbord of food with PSB beers as ingredients. Tickets are $20 and include a complimentary pint glass, three beer tickets and all the food you can eat (while it lasts). Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Root Note, Del’s Bar or the Pearl Street Brewery, 1401 Saint Andrew St. Leftover tickets may be bought the day of the ball, but it’s a popular event, and in previous years
January 14, 2010 // 7
8// January 14, 2010
Second Supper
ADVICE
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The Advice Goddess By Amy Alkon amy.alkon@secondsupper.com
Taking a shrine to him
I've been seeing a guy for six months. It's frustrating because I initiate our get-togethers, and he returns my calls but rarely calls me, and we've only been intimate a few times. He went away for five weeks, and because I missed him, I asked if he'd e-mail a photo, which he did. Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I printed the photo, framed it and placed it on my nightstand. Two weeks after he got back, he came over and noticed the photo, which I left out to see his reaction. He seemed really taken aback. The fact that he didn't leave, and we ended up having sex, gives me some comfort. But, I'm still worried about his response. Although we don't see each other regularly like most couples, I've got no reason to believe he's seeing someone else. But, we also haven't had "The Talk." Perhaps the photo was a good way to initiate it. - Restless If absence makes the heart grow fonder, what would you say a restraining order will do? Seeing the framed photo had to make this guy wonder ... no, not what the children will look like, but where's this whack job hiding the rest of her obsession kit: the butt of that cigarette he smoked, the fork that once touched his lips, the steel door handle he pushed entering the hardware store? This is a guy you know about three shades better than the guy who makes your latte at Starbucks. Turning your nightstand into Shrine Of The Guy You're Kinda Sorta Seeing isn't clever or flattering, it's creepsville. Don't kid yourself that
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it's a good sign he stuck around to knock boots. For a guy, sex is like a bag of chips. If it's in arm's reach, he'll help himself to some. There's an old line, "Chase a man until he catches you," meaning it's a woman's job to flirt, to let a guy know she's open to him asking her out. And while some guys will tell you they love when women chase them, men tend to devalue women they don't have to work to get. They might date you, and even get serious with you, but not necessarily because they're really into you, but because hey, you asked, and why not? To weed these guys out, never do the asking. The most forward sort of thing you should do is maybe tease a guy by leaning in and whispering that he's hot, then continuing on your way. That's his cue to chase you — if he's interested enough - as opposed to lying down to make it easier for you to drag him back to your lair. This advice shouldn't be news to you because you e-mailed me about this guy six months ago, and I told you he didn't show enough initiative, and you should drop him. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear.. That was "drop him," not "drop him off at the photo processing desk at CVS." You need to pull together a sense of self-worth. If you had it, you'd be looking for evidence a guy has feelings for you, not planting it in your bedroom. Consider this thing blown. Just as it's easy to creep somebody out but nearly impossible to uncreep them out, you probably can't make a guy want you after throwing yourself at him. In the future, if you love something, set it free. If it forgets about you until you call to ask it to dinner, have the self-respect to quickquick put on a foreign accent and blurt out, "Hello, Mahatma? Your goat has been repaired and is ready for pickup."
The hide of romance
A woman I was dating "couldn't handle a relationship," but we later became "friends with benefits," and ended up growing closer. I'm happy, but want our friendship to be like other friendships: have mutual friends, etc. However, she's "too embarrassed to explain our relationship to people." Last week, I told her it's important for me to feel included in the lives of people in my life. She acted offended and hasn't spoken to me since. - Distressed This girl made it clear how far she was willing to go with you - all the way, just not all the way outside. You agreed to that, then got a glint in your eye and tried to upsell her. She again made it clear that she just wants the basic sex-only plan. It doesn't matter that having more is important to you. Extending yourself for what's important to your partner is relationship territory. That's territory you can get into — that is, if you're up for the hard work required to find a woman who wants you to take her to fancy restaurants, meet all her friends and bond with her cat before she'll be ready to use you for sex. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, at AdviceAmy@aol.com or Second Supper, 614 Main St., La Crosse, WI 54601. (c) 2010, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.
Second Supper
January 14, 2010 // 9
MUSIC
10// January 14, 2010
Second Supper
music directory // January 15 to January 21 fridaY,
January 15
Madison population
Pearl Street Brewery // 1401 St. Andrew St. Terrapin Shells (acoustic Grateful Dead) • 5 p.m.
yo la tengo // Jan. 23 Barrymore Theatre •$21 owl city // Jan. 26 Majestic Theatre •$20
Onalaska American Legion // 731 Sand Lake Rd. Time and 1/2 Band (classic rock & country) • 7 p.m.
Freighthouse // 107 Vine St. Blue Jupiter (acoustic duo) • 8 p.m.
the new deal // Jan. 30 Majestic Theatre • $18
Have you ever fallen in love with a band simply by clicking around their Web page? I think that just happened. Dada Trash Collage is an experimental electronic duo based in Minneapolis/St. Paul who will make their La Crosse debut Saturday, January 16 at the Root Note. The songs on their MySpace page are hypnotic in the vein of Animal Collective, and they seem to perform a similarly freeform live show with tribal percussion and haunting bleeps. This style of fringe pop doesn't come to La Crosse too often, so make sure to catch this act while you get the chance. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. and admission is free. See you there!
Cavalier Lounge // 114 N. Fifth Ave. Bad Axe River Band (classic rock) • 10 p.m.
My Second Home // 2104 George St. Cheap Charlie Band (classic rock) • 8 p.m.
State Room // 128 N. Third St. Geared Under (rock) * 10 p.m.
Flipside // 400 Lang Drive CODY (variety) • 8 p.m
The Joint // 324 Jay St. Howard Luedtke and Cheech (acoustic) • 10 p.m.
Northside Oasis // 620 Gillette St. Geared Under (rock) • 9 p.m.
JBs Speakeasy // 717 Rose St. Moonboot Posse (psychedelic rock) • 10 p.m. Popcorn Tavern // 308 S. Fourth St. Terrapin Shells (acoustic Grateful Dead) • 10 p.m. The Warehouse // 328 Pearl St. Trill Life (hip-hop crew) • 6:30 p.m.
January 16
208,054
Tea Leaf Green // Jan. 22 High Noon Saloon • $15
Neuie's North Star // 1732 George St. Dan Berger, Brad Barney & Bruce Greenwood (unplugged) • 6 p.m.
Pump House // 119 King St. Johnsmith, Dan Sebranek and Radoslov Lorkovic (folk) • 7:30 p.m.
just a roadie away
Fox Hollow // W4151 Hwy. O Paxico (rock) • 9 p.m. The Root Note // 114 4th St. Dada Trash Collage (experimental electronic) • 8:30 p.m. Popcorn Tavern // 308 S. Fourth St. Fayme Rochelle and the Waxwings (traditional, bluegrass) • 10 p.m.
sundaY,
January 17
Concordia Ballroom // 1129 La Crosse St. Leather and Lace (dance) • 1 p.m. Popcorn Tavern // 308 S. Fourth St. Som’n Jazz (jazz) * 10 p.m.
mondaY,
January 18
Del’s Bar // 229 3rd St. Cheech & Chubba (open jam) • 10 p.m. Popcorn Tavern // 308 S. Fourth St. Shawn’s Open Jam (variety) • 10 p.m.
January 19
dr. dog // Feb. 5 The Rave • $15 dark star orchestra // Feb. 10 Barrymore Theatre •$23
January 20
wednesdaY,
Del’s Bar // 229 3rd St. Abbey Lane (singer/songwriter) • 10 p.m. Popcorn Tavern // 308 S. Fourth St. Mitch’s Open Jam (variety) • 10 p.m.
thursday,
January 21
Del’s Bar // 229 3rd St. Matthew Haeffel (groovy folk) • 10 p.m.
Popcorn Tavern // 308 S. Fourth St. TBA (mystery) • 10 p.m. the starlite lounge // 222 pearl St. Kies & Kompanie (jazz) • 5 p.m.
JBs Speakeasy // 717 Rose St. U.G.C. and All Hustle (hip-hop) •10 p.m.
tuesdaY,
Pump House // 119 King St. Johnsmith, Dan Sebranek and Radoslov Lorkovic (folk) • 7:30 p.m.
The Joint // 324 Jay St. Son of a Peach (Allman Brothers tribute) • 10 p.m
Popcorn Tavern // 308 S. Fourth St. Bluegrass jam (// Fayme Rochelle and the The Root Note // 114 4th St. Waxwings) • 10 p.m. Open Mic (variety • 8 p.m.
Freighthouse // 107 Vine St. Blue Jupiter (acoustic duo) • 8 p.m.
The Warehouse // 328 Pearl St. The Upwelling (alternative, ambient), Floral Terrace, Collide & Scope * 7 p.m.
The Joint // 324 Jay St. Open Jam (SOMA) • 9 p.m.
saturdaY,
Cavalier Lounge // 114 N. Fifth Ave. Cavalier Idol (singing contest) • 9 p.m.
MUSIC
Second Supper
Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin, & Flyleaf: a primer Hello, La Crosse! Are you ready to rock? To contemporary bands? That are played on the radio? And actually have a national fan base? Then have we got a show for you! Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Flyleaf are coming to the La Crosse Center next Thursday night for a mammoth triple bill that is among the biggest rock shows that venue has hosted in years. It’s sure to be the sweaty mosh pit event of the season, but for those readers who don’t spend their days listening to rock radio, Second Supper presents this handy primer. And since we don’t spend our days listening to rock radio either PHOTO BY KATRINA KINDRACHUK — and one of the bands on the bill blew off Adam Gontier and Three Days Grace take the La Crosse their scheduled interview — we found most Center stage with Breaking Benjamin and Flyleaf on Jan. of this stuff on the Internet. Rock!
21.
WHAT: Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Flyleaf concert WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m. WHERE: La Crosse Center TICKETS: $39.75
The bands
Name: Three Days Grace Formed: Norwood, Ontario, 1997 Members: Adam Gontier (vocals, guitar), Brad Walst (bass), Neil Sanderson (drums), Barry Stock (guitar) Label: Jive Records Sounds like: Polished, angsty radio-rock Looks like: Four expensive haircuts and one bushy goatee Biggest Hit: "(I Hate) Everything About You" (from 2003’s self-titled debut) Latest Album: Life Starts Now MySpace friends: 846,807 Excerpt from the Official Band Bio: Though [Life Starts Now] doesn’t skimp on Gontier’s trademark anguished vocals, Barry Stock’s urgent riffs, or Sanderson and Walst’s thunderous rhythm section, the band knew that they had evolved as musicians, thanks to hundreds of live shows, and wanted to capture it in their sound. Excerpt from the Official Band Message Board: “I listened "Life Starts Now" on Youtube because I don't have the album yet. I forget all my problems that I am having right now and feel so calm listening to this song. And yeah I cried, too” — Kazzy86 Interesting fact: In 2007, Three Days Grace had the most radio play of any rock artist in the U.S. and Canada and were named Billboard’s Number One Rock Artist of the Year.
MySpace fans: 643,263 Excerpt from the Official Band Bio: Indeed, behind insinuating layers of melodies and radio-ready rock riffs are intense and complex feelings explored and expressed by Burnley. Excerpt from the Official Band Message Board: “[Dear Agony] is by far the most dynamic and epic sounding album I've heard in awhile while not as hard as some people would like I love how the ballads no matter your mood get an emotional response. … The pain in Ben's voice is something I think everyone has experienced at some time.” — StanFan68 Interesting fact: The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan co-wrote and added guitar to three songs on Breaking Benjamin’s 2006 album We Are Not Alone.
Name: Flyleaf Formed: Temple, Texas in 2000 Members: Lacey Mosely (vocals), Sameer Bhattacharya (guitar), Jared Hartmann (guitar), Pat Seals (bass), James Culpepper (drums) Label: A&M/Octone Records Sounds Like: Cathartic rock with prog-y vocals. Looks Like: Four creepy guys and a babe Biggest Hit: “All Around Me” (from 2006’s self-titled debut) Latest Album: Memento Mori MySpace fans: 636,151 Excerpt from the Official Band Bio: The platinum-selling Texas quintet's latest offering is a collection of poignant, passionate and pensive hard rock songs. From the kinetic fi rst single, "Again," to the touching album closer, "Arise," guitarists Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartman trade orName: Breaking Benjamin chestral riffs that seesaw from soaring to Formed: Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 2000 Members: Benjamin Burnley (vocals, gui- searing. tar), Aaron Fink (guitar), Mark Klepaski Excerpt from the Official Band Message Board: “Ok so0o ima born again christain (bass), Chad Szeliga (drums) but before I was saved I still loved fl yleaf. Label: Hollywood Records supporeted them greatly. About 2 years afSounds like: Visceral, layered hard rock Looks like: Four guys you don’t want to piss ter that I got saved and there lyryics were so motovating” — gabriela sapeg off Biggest Hit: “I Will Not Bow” (from 2009’s Interesting fact: Flyleaf’s latest album, Momento Mori takes its name from a Latin Dear Agony) phrase meaning "Be mindful of death." Latest album: Dear Agony
Oh hi, right now I'm listening to the sounds of some poor slob bellyaching in his beer about the Packers playoff game at the table next to mine as I sit in a place that doesn't advertise in Second Supper (thus doesn't get a free plug) while I toil away on my fi rst screenplay, "Slore: The Life and Times of Tila Tequila." But that's not important right now. Instead I want to talk about something that's on the hush hush and is a big no no. That something is illegal downloading of music. Ever since that watershed moment in 2000 when Metallica's Lars temper tantrumed about Napster allowing college kids to share music with one another without paying for it, the iPod generation has been pirating music online with no remorse. Blah blah blah, I have nothing new to add to this conversation, but instead will simply acknowledge that if you are interested enough about music to read this column, odds are you're a downloader to some extent. On that note, here is a little slice of the pirating world that wets my whistle for all you 21st century rebels to do with what you will. So there's this infamous free-form radio station in Jersey City that broadcasts throughout NYC, home to a rag-tag gang of record collecting gurus. At any time, day or night, they are spinning under the radar gems of any genre you can think of from their personal collections (you can stream them at www.wfmu.org). Many of these DJs regularly post on the station's blog their in depth musical knowledge
January 14, 2010 // 11
(http://blog.wfmu.org), which has become a hot commodity of information for a certain type of music nerd. DJ Doug Schulkind hosts a program every Friday on WFMU that he describes as "the fi nest in Micronesian doo-wop, Appalachian mambo, Turkish mariachi, Pygmy yodeling of Baltimore, Portuguese juju, Cajun gamelan, tuba choirs from Mozambique, Inuit marching bands, Filipino free jazz, Egyptian kabuki theater, and throat singers of the Lower East Side." In short, eclectic like whoa. Once a week, Schulkind posts a column called "Mining the Audio Motherlode" on the WFMU blog, with links to his favorite fi nds of the week in cyberspace. All of his links are for obscure, out of print albums that are heavy on the ephemera, thus the ethical debate of taking money out of musician's pockets is somewhat moot since record labels disowned these albums long ago. The particular picks of the week he links you to are just the tip of the iceberg though, as each album is posted on nonWFMU music blogs maintained by people who are posting their jaw dropping record collections online. Do yourself a favor, faithful readers, and expand your horizons via Schulkind's cyber sleuthing. It's as though you've been given the key to the candy store. Just heed my warning: Pilfering these blogs can become consumingly addictive.
— Shuggypop Jackson
ARTS
12// January 14, 2010
Second Supper
'Big Fan' (2009) Director: Robert Siegel Stars: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz Writer: Robert Siegel
There's a wonderful Daniel Clowes comic titled On Sports, an unrestrained diatribe on the Oedipal overtones of sports and the inanity of super-fandom. Clowes' opinions clearly reside in the minority of American opinion, but on the other other end of the spectrum are people like Big Fan protagonist Paul Aufi ero (Patton Oswalt), who devotes almost every waking minute to the New York Giants. His bedroom (he still lives with his mother, to take the Oedipus motif further) is plastered with posters of Giants players; his wardrobe appears purchased entirely from the Giants Pro Shop; and while working nights in a Staten Island tollbooth, he listens to sports-talk radio and jots down and rehearses the monologues he'll call in to recite. A sort-of On Sports manifest in narrative form, Big Fan addresses super-fandom from within, taking a darkly comic approach to obsession-as-wayof-life. Paul's (or as he's known to the legion of Giants sports-talk radio listeners, "Paul from Staten Island") obsession reaches a head when he and best friend Sal (Kevin Corrigan), a fellow Giants diehard, are out one night and spy Giants superstar Quantrell Bishop (Johnathan Hamm), aka QB, fi lling up his SUV at a gas station. Natu-
rally, they follow him, fi rst to a shady neighborhood where QB and his entourage conduct a sketchy transaction, then to a strip club where Paul and Sal sit and stare at QB, oblivious to the venue's other, more prevalent attractions. They approach QB and tell him they're "big fans," and then unwisely admit that they'd followed him the whole time. The result: Paul from Staten Island gets beaten up by his hero, his idol, his god. A lesser story would have used Paul's altercation with QB as a climax, as Paul's fi nal wake-up call to join the real world. But Big Fan uses it as a starting point. Does Paul fi le charges against his hero, hurting his beloved team in the process, or should he, as a loyal super-fan, claim nothing happened, allowing QB to come off suspension and play again for the now-struggling Giants? The fi lm doesn't answer the questions of fandom as well as it asks them, but the intent is still there. If anything, it's a harsh reminder of something Clowes points out in On Sports, something Wisconsinites should be familiar with: athletes have no obligation to your town, to your team, and especially not to you. Big Fan is now on DVD. — Nick Cabreza
Bizarro Masterpiece Theatre Film: 'Left Behind: The Movie' (2000) Director: Vic Sarin Stars: Kirk Cameron, Brad Johnson Writer: Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins, et al
Reminds you to support the retailers, restaurants, taverns and bands that support us. We are funded solely by advertising so if you want to support us, support them!
conscientious commerce: THE ECONOMIC BATTLEGROUND
There’s a funny story about how I came by this epic bit of Rapture Porn. As it was told to me, a group of the usual religious door-to-door salesmen was trolling around downtown, handing out copies of this gem to anyone in sight. While a free movie is a clear step up from the fake million dollar bills and Jack Chick comics that are the normal fare of such theological telemarketers, Left Behind saved few, if any, souls that day. The typical response was much funnier; many who took a DVD then walked right into Deaf Ear and sold it. Thus, a stray copy made its way to me. And oh, it’s dumb. The story is like Home Alone, if Macauley Culkin played everyone in the world who hadn’t found Christ, and the Wet Bandits were portrayed by a blond Germanic Antichrist. The U.N., that dastardly force of globalization, is secretly run by a cabal of evil rich guys, who propped up appropriately named Nicolae Carpathia as its secretary-general. As the mass disappearance of the saved kicks off the chaos, Nicco the Carpathian cuts his puppet strings and saint act, and steps up as said Antichrist. Meanwhile, dirty sinners Rayford Steele (Johnson) and Buck Williams (Cameron) dust off their awesome names and try to fi gure out what the hell just happened. Steele is an airline pilot who lost half his
family in the vanishing, and Buck is a bigtime journalist who recently interviewed the man behind the desert-blooming Eden Formula. After the Rapture, both men get born-again with about as much thought and conviction as hangover victims praying to God that they’ll never, ever drink again. Take out the religious, gleefully fatalist aspects of the fi lm and you have an average disaster fi lm with underlying political conspiracies. Insert the Jesus factor, and everything becomes ridiculously melodramatic and hilarious. Characters that would otherwise be searching out the truth instead go blank faced and drop to their knees like back-alley hookers, delegating all responsibility to the Lord and keeping none for themselves. The DVD’s accompanying music video makes things even more absurdly triumphant, providing the Cliffnotes version of the movie while the singers wail out their Oh Lawdys. Once again, Kirk Cameron has provided evidence for what happens when genuine spirituality gets co-opted into the demoralized arrogance of culture and marketing. And once again, it’s a great joy to watch. Left Behind is worth every penny I spent. — Brett Emerson
Second Supper
Food & Drink Specials Editor's Note: Food and Drink Specials is a free listing for Second Supper’s regular advertisers and $25 per week for others. For information, call (608) 782-7001.
Sunday
BARREL INN $2.25 for mini pitcher CHUCK'S All day everyday: $1 Doctor, $2 Silos $3 pitchers, $1.75 rails EAGLE’S NEST Open to close: $2 U “Call” it HOWIE’S Happy hour 4 to 9 p.m.; 9 p.m. to close: Night Before Class - $3 pitchers of the beast IRISH HILLS Happy Hour 4 to 7 p.m. daily JB’S SPEAKEASY $1.75 domestic bottles PETTIBONE BOAT CLUB $1 off fried chicken PLAYERS Price by Dice SCHMIDTY’S $6.95 lunch buffet $9.95 breakfast buffet 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER $11 buckets of beers (pregame-close), taco specials during game THE JOINT $2 domestics and rails, 4 to 8 p.m., Shots of Doctor $1 all day, everyday THE HELM All day (everyday!) specials $1.25 Old Style Light, $1.50 LAX Lager/ Light, $1 shots of Dr. THE LIBRARY Sunday Fun Day - Wristband Night TOP SHOTS $5 Pitchers/$2 bottles of Miller products (11-4pm) $2 Corona Bottles, $2 Kilo Kai Mixers , $3 Bloodys (7-1AM) TRAIN STATION BBQ Ask for great eats WHO'S ON THIRD Happy Hour until 10 p.m. $1.50 domestic taps, $2 rails from 10 to close
Monday
BARREL INN Buck burgers BROTHERS $2.50 Blatz vs. Old Style pitchers BODEGA $2 BBQ Pork Sliders CHUCK’S Monday-Friday: Happy Hour 2 to 6 p.m., 50 cents off everything but the daily special Guys’ Nite Out: $1.50 silos EAGLE’S NEST 7 p.m. to close: $1.50 domestic pints, $1.50 rails FEATURES Free beer 5:30-6:30; Free wings 7:30-8:30, Free bowling after 9 HOWIE’S 9 p.m. to close: $3.50 domestic pitchers JB’S SPEAKEASY $1.75 domestic bottles PETTIBONE BOAT CLUB Kids eat free with adult PLAYERS Happy Hour all night long, two-for-one SCHMIDTY’S BBQ sandwich SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER $2 can beer (2-6 p.m.) $11 buckets of beers (6-close) SPORTS NUT Buck Burgers THE CAVALIER Martini Ladies’ Night, James Martini: vodka, triple sec, orange juice THE JOINT $2 domestics and rails, 4 to 8 p.m., Shots of Doctor $1 TOP SHOTS $1.75 Miller/Bud Light Taps, $2.25 MIcro/Craft Taps, $2.50 Cherry Bombs (7-1AM) WHO'S ON THIRD $1 taps of PBR, $1 rails
January 14, 2010 // 13
YOUR GUIDE TO CONSUMPTION Tuesday
BARREL INN Bucket Night, six beers for $9 BROTHERS Wristband night BODEGA 2-Fers, Buy any regularly priced food item and get one of equal or lesser value for free CHUCK’S 50-cent taps domestic, $3 pitchers COCONUT JOE’S $2 Tuesdays, including $2 bottles, import taps, beer pong, apps, single shot-mixers, featured shots, 50-cent taps EAGLE’S NEST 7 p.m. to close: $1.50 domestic pints, $1.50 rails FEATURES Taco buffet 11-2; $1 Pabst bottles and $1 bowling after 9 HOWIE’S 9 p.m. to close: $1 rails, $2.50 pitchers, beer pong IRISH HILLS $2 domestic cans JB’S SPEAKEASY $1.75 domestic bottles PETTIBONE BOAT CLUB 2 for 1 burger night PLAYERS Karaoke @ 10 p.m., 2-4-1 Happy Hour 5 to 10 p.m., all you can drink rail mixers @ 10 p.m. SCHMIDTY’S Tacos SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER $2 can beer (2-6 p.m.) 12" pizza: $8.99 up to 5 toppings (4-close) SPORTS NUT Tacos $1.25 THE JOINT $2 domestics and rails, 4 to 8 p.m., Shots of Doctor $1 THE LIBRARY $1 domestic taps and rails, one-half price Tequila TOP SHOTS $1.75 Rails, $1.50 Domestic Taps, $3.50 Jager Bombs (7-1AM) TRAIN STATION BBQ 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., extra side with sandwich; 4 to 9 p.m., $1 off rib dinner WHO'S ON THIRD Wristband night, includes rails and domestic taps, 8 p.m.-1 a.m. $3 call doubles, $2 Bud products
Wednesday
BARREL INN $6 all you can drink taps and rails, 8 to midnight BROTHERS 10-cent wings, $1 Miller High Life bottles, $1.50 rail mixers CHUCK’S $2 Pearl Street Brewery beers COCONUT JOE’S $1.25 for 1 pound of wings, $1 PBR/PBR Light bottles, $1.50 Rolling Rock, $2 jumbo rail mixers, $2.25 Bud Lights, $1 shot of the week EAGLE’S NEST 7 p.m. to close: $1.50 domestic pints, $2 craft pints, $1.50 rails HOWIE’S $5 all you can drink JB’S SPEAKEASY Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m. LEGEND’S $1 shot of the week, $4 domestic pitchers, $1.25 1 pound of wings PETTIBONE BOAT CLUB $6.99 AUCE pasta PLAYERS Karaoke @ 10 p.m., 2-4-1 Happy Hour 5 to 10 p.m., $1 Pabst cans, Dr. shots @ 10 p.m. SCHMIDTY’S Chili dogs SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER Wings, Wings, Wings... $2 off 14: pizza, $2 can beer (2-6 p.m.) SPORTS NUT 15-cent wings THE CAVALIER $1.50 taps 6 to 8 p.m.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
BEER
Review
Old English Porter New Glarus Brewing Company New Glarus, Wisconsin
At the dawn of 2010, prognosticators see hard times all around the world, but beer aficionados can revel in the fact there’s never been more beer. With constant innovation in brewing and hops, the flavors of tomorrow may not even be imagined today, but the best beer I tried all year takes its inspiration from the past. New Glarus’ Old English Porter — a limited release from brewmaster Dan Carey’s “Unplugged” series — mimics the taste of that Industrial Revolution favorite, the English porter. Not only is the beer brewed with the famed Marris Otter malts (responsible for the traditional British pale ale), the Old English Porter also apes the flavors of the day by aging half the batch in oak casks. The unsealed wood introduced brettanomyces, which sours the beers as it ferments. No problem — just like 19th Century tavern owners, Carey then blended the “old” beer with a young batch to produce a sweet n’ sour taste that is unlike anything you’ll find today. The Old English Porter pours a nice walnut brown that is a little thin when held to the light. The lacing is minimal and the head short-lasting, but in evoking an era before forced carbonation, that may be an accurate effect. Taking a first whiff, the sour aroma is initially shocking, but its mixture with
roasted malts smells oddly dignified — Appearance: 7 like a tobacco-stained Boer War veteran in a Aroma: 8 London saloon. While the initial taste is also Taste: 8 sour, it is much more mild than the nose. Mouthfeel: 7 The porter tastes refreshing upfront Drinkability: 8 and reveals sweetness from the oak aging as it moves along the Total: 38 tongue. Though a Sour Patch Kids-like taste sits in the middle of the mouth, the beer somehow evokes cherries with a finish of smoked espresso beans. The Old English Porter is medium bodied and nicely carbonated, pretty drinkable, and though it was released as a summer seasonal it’s still a great sipper in winter and would pair well with chicken or beef. You can still find this beer at choice stores around La Crosse, but with the Unplugged series always shifting to new styles, I’d recommend picking some up some Old English Porter while you still can. Because you know Dan Carey will go back to the future on his next release. — Adam Bissen
CONSUMPTION
14// January 14, 2010
Specials
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 THE JOINT $2 domestics and rails, 4 to 8 p.m., Shots of Doctor $1 THE LIBRARY Karaoke, $2 double rails & all bottles TOP SHOTS
$2 domestic bottles, $2.50 Skyy/Absolut mixers, $2 Dr. shots (7-1am)
TRAIN STATION BBQ Special varies WHO'S ON THIRD Ladies' Night: $2 top shelf, $1 Pink Tacos Everyone: $2.50 bombs, $2 taps, $3 Jack/Captain doubles
Thursday
BARREL INN 25-cent wings, $1 shots of Doctor BROTHERS Wristband night, $1 shots with wristband $2.50 SoCo and Jack CHUCK’S Ladies’ Nite Out: $1.50 rail mixers, $2.50 X bombs COCONUT JOE’S Happy Hour 7 to 9 p.m.: $2 for all single shot mixers and all beers. Wristband Night: $5 college I.D., $9 general public EAGLE’S NEST 7 p.m. to close: $1.50 domestic pints, $2 craft pints, $1.50 rails FEATURES All you care to eat pizza buffet, 11-2 HOWIE’S 9 p.m. to close: $1.25 rails, $1.75 bottles/cans IRISH HILLS $14.95 steak and golf JB’S SPEAKEASY Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m. THE CAVALIER All Mojitos $5 THE JOINT $2 domestics and rails, 4 to 8 p.m., Shots of Doctor $1 LEGEND’S After comedy: Pint Night - $1 pints of rail mixers and domestic taps, $2 pints of call mixers and import taps, $3 pints of top-shelf mixers PLAYERS 2-4-1 Happy Hour 5 to 10 p.m., $2 Captain mixers, $1.75 domestic beer, $1.50 rails, $1 Pabst cans @ 10 p.m. RALPH’S Southwest chicken pita $5 SCHMIDTY’S Tacos SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER Ladies night, 2 for 1 drinks (6-close), $2 can beer (2-6 p.m.) SPORTS NUT $8.99 12-ounce T-bone THE HELM $1 Vodka Drinks, $1.00 12 oz Dom. Taps, $1.25 12 oz prem. Taps, $3 Orange Bombs THE LIBRARY $1 kamikaze and red headed sluts TOP SHOTS 5 Domestic Bottles for $10, $5 Micro/Import Bottles $11.50, $7 Micro/Craft Pitchers (7-1AM) TRAIN STATION BBQ 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Barn burner $7.95; 4 to 9 p.m., Hobo dinner (serves two) $30.95 WHO'S ON THIRD
Impress your out-of-state friends. Show them our Web site. www.secondsupper.com (You can read it, too.)
Freestylin' Any words you want
$8.50 Fish Bowls, $2 Miller products
Friday
BARREL INN $4.50 domestic pitchers BROTHERS $2 domestic beer, taps, & rails (5-8 p.m.) BODEGA Fish Tacos: 1 / $2.50, 2 / $5.00, 3 / $6.50. CHUCK’S After-Class $3 Pitchers, $1.75 Rails COCONUT JOE’S Happy Hour 7 to 9 p.m.: $2 for all single-shot mixers and all beers, $2.50 jumbo Captain Morgan mixers, $2.50 jumbo Bacardi mixers (all flavors), $3 Jagerbombs EAGLE’S NEST 3 to 9 p.m.: two-for-one domestic bottles and rail drinks FEATURES All you care to eat fish fry 4-10; unlimited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99 HOWIE’S 9 p.m. to close: $2 Captain mixers, $2 bottles/cans, $3 Jager bombs JB’S SPEAKEASY Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m. LEGEND’S $3 jumbo Svedka mixers, $2.50 Corona bottles, $2.50 Cuervo shots PLAYERS 2-4-1 Happy Hour 3 to 9 p.m. SCHMIDTY’S Fish sandwich SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER Friday Fish, $2 can beer (2-6 p.m.) THE JOINT $2 domestics and rails, 4 to 8 p.m., Shots of Doctor $1 THE LIBRARY $2 taps and mixers (5-9 p.m.) TOP SHOTS $2.00 Captain Mixers, $2.00 Long Island Mixers, $3.00 Effen Vodka Mixers (7-1AM) TRAIN STATION BBQ 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Chicken on fire $7.95; 4 to 9 p.m., Bones and briskets $13.95 WHO'S ON THIRD $1 off Three Olives, $2 domestic taps
Saturday
BARREL INN $10 pitcher and pizza BROTHERS 2 for 1 bloody marys, screwdrivers, domestic taps CHUCK’S 12 to 3 p.m.: Buy one, get one domestic beer; Holmen Meat Locker jerky raffle COCONUT JOE’S Happy Hour 7 to 9 p.m.: $2 for all single-shot mixers and all beers, $2.50 jumbo Captain Morgan mixers, $2.50 jumbo Bacardi mixers (all flavors), $3 Jagerbombs EAGLE’S NEST Open to close: $2 U “Call” it FEATURES Prime rib dinner 4-10; unlimited Glow-N-Bowl $9.99 HOWIE’S 9 p.m. to close: $2 Bacardi mixers, $2 domestic pints, $1.50 shots blackberry brandy JB’S SPEAKEASY Happy Hour 5 to 7 p.m. THE JOINT $2 domestics and rails, 4 to 8 p.m., Shots of Doctor $1 LEGEND’S $3 jumbo Svedka mixers, $2 Jonestown shots PLAYERS 2-4-1 Happy Hour 3 to 8 p.m. SLOOPY'S ALMA MATER $11 buckets for college football, 2 for 1 pints/pitches w/ student ID over 21 SPORTS NUT 15-cent wings THE LIBRARY 2 for 1 bloody marys, screwdrivers, domestic taps TOP SHOTS $5 Miller/Bud Light Pitchers, $2.25 Leinies Bottles (7-1AM) TRAIN STATION BBQ One-half chicken three bones $12.95 To advertise your specials, contact Mike Keith at mike.keith@secondsupper.com
Second Supper
By Matt Jones
ACROSS 1 It gets sprinkled in some fairy tales 10 True partner? 15 Sometime soon 16 Jon who played Napoleon Dynamite 17 Boxing ref who became a daytime TV judge 18 Buffing material 19 Morgue ID 20 It holds about 70% of the world population 22 Of sounds of speech 24 Contacted digitally? 25 Celebrity called a "fire crotch" in 2006 27 Distant start? 29 George's "The Men Who Stare at Goats" costar 30 Academy Awardnominated song from 1991 36 Do some serious
soul-searching 38 Pen names 39 Hallucinates 41 Enlist again 42 Gospel singer Winans 43 They're money, baby 44 Overpowers the speakers 48 Aquafina competitor 51 Canadian beer orders 53 Mind heaps 55 Slack-jawed and amazed 56 Cult roster 59 Fencing sword 60 Reasons for red carpets 61 Miss America's headwear 62 Newsman Sam DOWN 1 "The Office" character 2 "I'm only ___ for the money" 3 Any wood-eating in-
Answers to Issue 193's
"Best of the Decade, Part 3"
sect 4 1999 Devon Sawa/ Seth Green horror/comedy 5 "For Your Eyes Only" singer Sheena 6 "I'm Not There" subject 7 Eel, on a Japanese menu 8 Griffin Dunne, to the late Dominick Dunne 9 Affectedly precious 10 Admission from someone who just realized they're rambling 11 Real estate company with a hot air balloon logo 12 "That is," to Caesar 13 Like some coincidences 14 Tree nymph in Greek myth 21 "Complete 360s", as mistakenly said by those who don't get math 23 Netflix's Reed Hastings, e.g 25 Portable light options, briefly 26 Boo-boo 28 Marshy area 30 Bidding 31 Of grand proportions 32 Like subscriptions to magazines you tire of 33 Edgy makeup items? 34 Dirty reading
35 Recipe amts. 37 "...you don't need to know the rest" 40 "South Park" character with an electronic voice box 43 Fuel distillation product 44 Not-as-famous celebrity status 45 Hawaiian porch 46 Addis ___, Ethiopia 47 More like rough winds 49 "King of the Hill" town 50 1965 civil rights marches beginning 52 Squad often seen on film in car chases on hilly streets: abbr. 54 Palm device 57 It glitters in Guatemala 58 ID theft data, perhaps ©2010 Jonesin' Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-6556548. Reference puzzle #0434.
Next week in Second Supper:
• Local winter sports guide
Second Supper
January 14, 2010 // 15
THE LAST WORD
Booked By Jonathan Majak jonathan.majak@secondsupper.com Books are a lot like lovers. We tend to only remember two kinds: the good ones we always want to go back to and the bad ones we wish we had never picked up. But why do we like the books that we do? I mean, there are countless books published every year. Short books, long books, romances, mysteries, thrillers, memoirs, coffee table books. What exactly makes a book a favorite book and what makes it one we regret ever fl ipping open to the dedication page? It stands to reason there as many reasons to love or hate a book as there are people willing to read them, so I did, in truly unscientifi c fashion, a brief survey of people I know and asked what their favorite book was. It sort of proved to be an impossible task in some regards. “You’re not going to get a straight answer,” said a stranger I met when I fi rst started this little research process, a self-described “recovering English major.” “It’s like asking about somebody’s sex life. They usu-
ally give you either the answer they think’s most socially responsible or they give you an answer to shock you. Saying Twilight: New Moon is your all-time favorite book is like the literary equal of saying you like gangbangs.” Nevertheless people did seem to be forthcoming about what books really had been their favorites, even if it was like pulling teeth. “I always hate when people ask you what have you been reading lately,” one of my friends said, a 20-something slave to retail. “My mind goes totally blank and then if I do answer it’s something lame like US Weekly. But I think my favorite book would have to be Wayside School Is Falling Down. I read it in like the third or fourth grade but it’s good. Still relevant” “The issues like evil substitute teachers and bad lunchroom food still resonate,” I responded. “Absolutely.” “I really liked Catcher in the Rye,” said a UW-L college student going through a stack of DVDs at the La Crosse Public Library. “It was my favorite book in high school until I met all the other people who like it and realized that I too must be a d-bag.” “Without a doubt it’d be Pride and Prejudice,” another person told me while we stood together in line at Quillin‘s. “I read that in middle school,” I said while placing my healthy dinner of Tater Tot hot dish on the conveyor belt. “A teacher asked me if it was about the Civil War.” “Choose Your Own Adventure books were the shit,” said a glazed over stoner I met while standing in front of the Popcorn Tav-
ern. “I mean, you CHOSE your OWN adventure. Pretty sweet.” “Yes, it’s practically an existentialist manifesto.” “I can’t stand The Great Gatsby,” another person said upon hearing that somebody had listed it as a favorite. “Every time I hear the title I just think of all the English classes I took that devoted hours to just talking about that fricking green light at the end of the dock. What did it represent? Why was it recurring? Who footed the light bill for it? Who cares? Hemingway kicks Fitzgerald’s ass.” “God, not Hemingway,” another friend commented. “The author only bartenders and gun dealers could love.” “Oh author wars,” laughed another person, a confessed message board junkie. “It’s hilarious, the different fandoms. The Stephenie Meyers vs. J.K. Rowling, Hemingway vs. Fitzgerald. Like some day in a dark alley two gangs of bookworms are going to meet each other and paper cut each other to death.” Sometimes books can be a litmus test of sort. “I was on like my third date with a guy and he went to the bathroom and he had that book about how to pick up girls by basically like insulting them on his coffee table,” a friend of mine confessed. “The Game?” “That’s the one. I mean really? He was smart enough to at least attempt to hide all of his anime porn but not that?” “The mind, she reels.” While books can tear people apart, books also have a way bringing people together.
“Yeah just look at the Nazis and Mein Kampf,” one of my friends said. “That’s not really the coming together of people I was thinking of,” I sighed. “Or two people getting it on because of something they read in the Joy of Sex.” “Also, not the coming together I was thinking of.” “I love that book. That and Sex for Dummies.” “You’re practically a Rhodes scholar.” That’s just a small sampling of favorites of the people I’ve met along the way. I’m sure I’ll keep fi nding out, keep perusing through the shelves and keep saying that ultimate icebreaker, “Read any good books lately?”
HELP WANTED UW-L Student Editor • Help plan weekly editions • Write stories • Distribute papers on campus Contact Roger Bartel at roger.bartel@secondsupper.com
Downtown La Crosse, above fayzes - 782-6622
top shots joke of the week
What do you call a fish with no eyes? Check out our new Beers on Tap!
A fsh
Good People, Good Drinks, Good Times
SUNDAY
$2.00 - 1 Player, $3.00 - 2 Players 50 Cents Off Drinks, $1 Off Pitchers
MONDAY TUESDAY $1.75 Rails
$1.75 - Miller/Bud Taps $5 Pitchers $2 Bottles of Miller Products (11-4 pm) $2.25 Micro/Craft Taps $2.50 Cherry Bombs $2 Corona Bottles (7-1am) $2 Kilo Kai Mixers $3 Bloody’s (7-1am)
$1.50 Domestic Taps $3.50 Jager Bombs (7-1am)
Saturday
WEDNESDAY $2 Domestic Bottles $2.50 Skyy/Absolute Mixers $2 Dr. Shots (7-1am)
THURSDAY FRIDAY 5 Domestic Bottles 4 $10 $5 Micro/Import Bottles $11.50, $7 Micro/Craft Pitchers (7-1am)
$5 Miller Lite/Bud Light Pitchers $2.25 Leinies Bottles (7-1am)
$2 Captain Mixers $2 Long Islands $3 Effen Vodka Mixers (7-1am)
16// January 14, 2010
Second Supper
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