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contents CONVERSATION 16 Legendary Jazz Guitarist
The intersection of art, entertainment, culture, nightlife and mad genius.
John Scofield
Since 1992
ART EXHIBITIONS
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Focus VI–Sam Gilliam Prints from the Collection Williams Center Gallery at Lafayette College
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A THOUSAND WORDS Fish Market
8 | THE ART OF POETRY
Fall Fell Like a Shadow
New Arts Program 50th Season: The Middle Years, 1982-1999 New Arts Gallery
10 | PORTFOLIO
Works in Wood New Hope Arts
12 | THE LIST
Servant by Choice
Valley City
ON THE COVER:
14 | FILM ROUNDUP
Napoleon Ferrari The Iron Claw The Boy and the Heron
20 | FILM CLASSICS Blood Simple The Beguiled Husbands Lost in America
30 | HARPER’S Findings Index
31 | PUZZLE
Washington Post Crossword
John Scofield. Page 16.
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ICON 215-862-9558 icondv.com PUBLISHER & EDITOR Trina McKenna trina@icondv.com ADVERTISING Raina Filipiak filipiakr@comcast.net PRODUCTION
Joanne Smythe
Margaret M. O’Connor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
A.D. Amorosi Ricardo Barros Robert Beck Pete Croatto Geoff Gehman Fredricka Maister David Stoller Keith Uhlich
PO Box 120 New Hope 18938 215-862-9558
IReproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. ICON welcomes letters to the editor, editorial ideas and submissions, but assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. ICON is not responsible for claims made by advertisers. ©2022 Primetime Publishing Co., Inc.
n
a thousand words
STORY & PAINTING BY ROBERT BECK
FISH MARKET PORTLAND, MAINE, IS THE second-largest port city in New England. It is also a food town. Bon Appetite once named it Food City of the Year. There are a lot of great restaurants in that area, and many of them get their seafood at Harbor Fish Market. Harbor Fish Market sits on Custom House Wharf in a two-story 1800s building known for its relaxed posture. Wood structures of this vintage were constructed to conform to the movement of the land they sat on, and this one has adapted to the changes quite well. That is most apparent on the second floor, where the floor slopes, the walls C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 9
Robert Beck is a painter, writer, lecturer and ex-radio host. His paintings have been featured in more than seventy juried and thirty solo gallery shows, and three solo museum exhibitions. His column has appeared monthly in ICON Magazine since 2005. www.robertbeck.net ICON |
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exhibitions
Sam, 2004, mixed media with machine stitching, 22 3/8 x 15 1/4. From the Lafayette College Art Galleries Collection.
Focus VI–Sam Gilliam Prints from the Collection Williams Center Gallery at Lafayette College 317 Hamilton Street, Easton, PA galleries.lafayette.edu Through Jan. 14 – Wed. – Sun. 12-5 Sam Gilliam, one of the most innovative American abstract painters, spent time at Lafayette College as an artist-in-residence in 2002. His residency resulted in new works with the Experimental Printmaking Institute and gifting a spectacular hanging painting for the lobby of the Williams Center for the Arts. As the Williams Center for the Arts marks its 40th Anniversary, we celebrate the list of stellar artists who have contributed to Lafayette College. This exhibition celebrates both Sam Gilliam’s life and his contributions to Lafayette College.
Sam Gilliam Installation, 2002 Lafayette College Campus 6
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Fred Chase, Colored turned vessel Keith Haring, Drawing for NAP Benefit Concert poster, 1990
New Arts Program 50th Season: The Middle Years, 1982-1999 New Arts Gallery, 173 West Main St., Kutztown 610-683-6440 napconn@gmail.coom January 12 – March 24 Fri.-Sun. 10-1:00 PM, or by appointment Opening Reception Jan. 12, 6-9 pm Join us at the 2nd of 3 major exhibitions celebrating New Arts Program’s 50th anniversary season.
Ralph Lemon, Untitled, Monotype, 1994
Works in Wood New Hope Arts, 2 Stockton Ave., New Hope 215-862-9606 newhopearts.org Hours: Fri.-Sun., 12-5:00, and by appt. Through Jan. 14, 2024 Artists / Members Preview: 12/ 9, 4–7 Works in Wood honors the rich cultural heritage of Bucks County woodworking, while celebrating contemporary artists. The juried exhibition features functional and non-functional works: furniture, turned objects, constructions, free-standing, wall mounted sculpture, and vessels using wood. Master artist Miriam Carpenter selects the exhibition with an emphasis on craftsmanship and aesthetic vision showcasing regional and national talent.
Zobel, Angeled cherry end table
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the art of poetry
DAVID STOLLER
Fall Fell Like A Shadow Fall fell like a shadow, suddenly — A gloom, as if by some decree, How could colors change so fast That we were sure would longer last. Autumn is not enough for me. . Just yesterday was summer-free; Is impermanence our destiny, Calling to question all that has passed? Fall fell like a shadow. Lessons learned, so naturally, What goes around will come to be, Brown and grey, the cold shall pass, Leaves will flutter over fresh grass, And we’ll forget how suddenly — Fall fell like a shadow.
Adolf Konrad (1915-2003) was a highly original and influential New Jersey-based artist, widely known as the “Painter Laureate” of Newark. He was born in Bremen, Germany, and moved with his family to Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1925. Between 1931 and 1935, he studied with Bernard Gussow at the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts. For the first several decades of his nearly 70year career, Konrad made Newark the focus of his artistic achievement. Many of his paintings document buildings and structures long gone—they are at once realistic, and at the same time incorporate elements from his memory, often with ghost-like figures and symbolic overtones suggesting hidden meanings—very
much the case in the Konrad painting presented here. It has been suggested that the well-dressed faceless figure shown (and/or the figure whose arms extend from the tree holding a steam engine) might be Seth Borden, a prominent inventor and citizen of Newark that Konrad much admired. Among Bordens inventions was a working steam engine modified to better climb steep grades. My poem, Fall Fell Like a Shadow, written as a rondeau, pairs with the painting. The age of steam and iron has long ended, and yesterday’s heroes are obscured in the shadows of time passed, making way for the new. n
David Stoller has had a career spanning law, private equity, and entrepreneurial leadership. He was a partner at Milbank Tweed and led various companies in law, insurance, live entertainment, and the visual arts. David is an active art collector and founder of River Arts Press, which published a collection of his poetry, Finding My Feet.
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portfolio
String, Released from Tension
PHOTOGRAPH AND ESSAY BY RICARDO BARROS
SERVANT BY CHOICE Who runs what? Even an imperfect thought experiment can be a catalyst for growth. Thinking about things from a different perspective can help identify new paradigms, and through them, we discover fresh insights. Take, for example, this tidbit from the equine world. Equestrians ask: Is the person taking the horse out for a ride, or is the horse taking the person out for a ride? If the person is in charge, he or she determines the pace, route, and destination. If the horse is in charge, the person is a powerless passenger. With some loss in translation, we might ask the same of an artist – and, in particular, the photographer. Is this image a progeny of the artist or of the process? We call it “vision” when the artist chooses the pace, route, and destination. If the work is exclusively the result of a process or algorithm, we may question the artist’s contribution. My point is not to denigrate the role of chance or technique in a finished work. Henri Cartier-Bresson was remarkably “lucky” in this respect. I am advocating for artists to be clear-eyed, to know what they are doing, and to do it by choice. n Ricardo Barros’ works are in the permanent collections of eleven museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He is the author of Facing Sculpture: A Portfolio of Portraits, Sculpture and Related Ideas. 10
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the list VALLEY
CITY GEOFF GEHMAN
John Gorka and Godfrey Daniels go together as well as, well, W.C. Fields and “Godfrey Daniels!,” the comic actor’s trademark exclamation of exasperation. In the early 1980s, when he was a Moravian College student, Gorka practiced performing, writing and tuning his songs
A.D. AMOROSI
Christmas. Kwanzaa. Hanukkah. New Year’s Eve. Christmas. Kwanzaa. Hanukkah. New Year’s Eve. Christmas. Kwanzaa. Hanukkah. New Year’s Eve. That’s your December. Thank you, and good night. Then again, that’s only true if you let it be true. And with a year so filled with tumult, very real, and often very imagined, why not allow the entire month be one of celebration beyond December’s more official holidays, and New Year’s Eve’s tired routine of cheap champagne toast packages at every restaurant in town. Oh, and beyond the fact that damned-near every theater company in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas will mount one form of Dickens’ Christmas Carol or another, and surely if there are ballet slippers about a fucking Nutcracker will be performed—count on that. From December 14, through the 16th, The Met Philadelphia will mount four separate shows on their Restless Leg Tour with friends, shared Emmy hosts and one-time fellow Saturday Night Live alums
at Godfrey’s open mikes and gigs starring Stan Rogers and other sensitive, savvy veterans. This lab helped spur a remarkably resonant career buoyed by a remarkably resonant voice and a cast of remarkably resonant characters: Judy Garland and the musician’s leatherneck father; farmers forced to sell fields to housing developers and a circus clown ready to trade in his second-hand face. On Dec. 7-8 Gorka will offer his annual live homage to Godfrey’s, home of his anthem “That’s How Legends Are Made.” Expect him to make fun of his awkwardness, wryly dissect romance (“By the way how is my heart?/I haven’t seen it since you left”) and slyly defend his native underdog state (“I’m from New Jersey/It’s like Ohio/Only more so/Imagine that”). (7 E. 4th St., Bethlehem; 610-867-2390; godfreydaniels.org) Mozart wrote for them. So did Joseph Haydn after he was expelled from them for scissoring a comrade’s pony tail. Decreed into existence by an Austrian king, they’ve serenaded royals around the globe. And, oh yes, the Vienna Choir Boys are touring America in celebration of their 525th anniversary, On Dec. 15 Lehigh University’s Packer Memorial Chapel will radiate with 22 sopranos and altos singing Austrian folk tunes, Christmas hymns and holiday carols harmoniously, lustrously and in sailor suits. On other stops they’ve sampled the musical “Into CONTINUED
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Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. From their past performances, you know that whatever the duo chooses will be snarky comic gold. But like having to root for Jason Kelce over Travis Kelce during the Eagles/Chiefs match-ups, we have to give the loudest cheers and save the hometown advantage for Upper Darby’s ex, Fey. And by the way, speaking of CONTINUED
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KEITH UHLICH
Napoleon
film roundup
Napoleon (Dir. Ridley Scott). Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Ludivine Sagnier. Cinema’s most prolific octogenarian, Ridley Scott, is in his element with this sprawling, quite entertaining epic about the short French general done in by his delusions of grandeur. Joaquin Phoenix stars as eventual Emperor Bonaparte, and he leans hard into his method stylings so that every scene is an adventure. Which Joaquin, and which Napoleon, will we get? The brilliant tactician? The contemptuous introvert? The guy who can cast a truly disturbing, multifaceted glance or the ham who entertains himself by waxing philosophic about the thick cut of meat on his plate? The performer’s unevenness befits the character he’s playing, in other words, and even when he’s at his worst we’ll be assured of some lavishly spectacular setpiece to distract us. (A battle scene on the ice begets some especially memorable visuals.) Napoleon’s beleaguered love Josephine, played by a steely Vanessa Kirby, is something of an afterthought in this version, though Scott has promised a longer, streaming-only four-hour cut to come will right the balance between the two characters. [R] HHH1/2 Ferrari (Dir. Michael Mann). Starring: Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley. A long-gestating passion project for director Keith Uhlich is a NY-based writer published at Slant Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Time Out New York, and ICON. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle. His personal website is (All (Parentheses)), accessible at keithuhlich.substack.com. 14
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Michael Mann, this biopic about Italian car maker Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) focuses on three eventful months in the auto entrepreneur’s life, circa 1957. His marriage to his wife and business partner Laura (Penélope Cruz) is on the rocks, and he is also maintaining a second relationship with his mistress Lina (Shailene Woodley), with whom he has a child. If that wasn’t enough, his company is on the verge of bankruptcy and only the upcoming, very treacherous race known as the Mille Miglia has the potential to provide him with the leverage to come out on top. As in many a Mann film, the dialogue is terse and the action is fierce. (The vehicular climax, in which tragedy ultimately negates triumph is, no surprise, spectacularly orchestrated.) The performers feel a bit mismatched unfortunately, with Cruz faring best among the three leads, playing an emotional whirlwind of a woman who yokes everyone around her, and the very movie she’s in, to her distinct advantage. [R] HHH1/2 The Iron Claw (Dir. Sean Durkin). Starring: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson. Somewhere between a generic male weepie and a masochistic gauntlet in the vein of Darren Aronofsky, Sean Durkin’s drama tells the true-life story of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers afflicted by never-ending tragedy. Patriarch Fritz (Holt McCallany), long denied the pro sport’s highest title, trains his four sons Kevin (Zac Efron), David (Harris Dickinson), Mike (Stanley Simons) and Kerry (Jeremy Allen White) with the dual aims of glory C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 6
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John Scofield (front), Bill Stewart, Steve Swallow (back. Photo: Roberto Cifarelli / ECM Records
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conversation
A.D. AMOROSI
JOHN SCOFIELD Goes Beyond Jazz (Again) for Uncle John’s Band
IF THERE WASN’T A John Scofield to begin with—an epically emotive jazz guitarist with the frazzled edge of a rocker and the raw, rhythmic manner of a blues/R&B purist—inventing one would’ve been a necessity. Funky and chic from the time of initial leader albums (1977’s East Meets West, 1978’s Rough House, 1979’s Ivory For-
“I have worked with so many richly dynamic musicians I couldn’t even tell you. I can say that with the trio setting, there is no hiding. Everybody’s part, everybody’s contribution, is important. Every sound counts. You listen intently to the other guy, and we all follow one path. This trio has taught me, even more so than in the past, to rely on instinct to work within the moment.”
est), magnetically fluid and mesmerizingly steely but with a searing, ragged sense of distortion, the always-colorful Scofield plays all sides against the middle, groovily and gorgeously. The same can be said of the newest album with his longtime collaborators, double bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Bill Stewart, Uncle John’s Band. Only this time out for ECM, its mixed bag of two discs and 14 tracks finds the trio not only in tribute to several of America’s finest songwriters (Jerry Garcia together with Robert Hunter, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Scofield himself on half of its tracks) but playing with a breezy free-ness that approximates what Scofield & Co. do in a live setting. Calling from a trio’s tour stop coffee run in Baltimore before heading to a New York City residency at the Blue Note, Scofield spoke about maintaining the groove, rocking out, and the true meaning of naming an album after a Grateful Dead classic.
A.D. Amorosi: When we set this interview up, I thought back to when I first tuned into you. And though I didn’t hear you play with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker at Carnegie Hall or the Billy CobhamGeorge Duke band, I did catch you recording with Charles Mingus and working with the Gary Burton quartet before you were a leader. Which means I turned onto you in 1977, the year punk rock broke and disco peaked and faltered. Beyond the records you made, do you remember what and how you felt about the environment in which you were making music? John Scofield: Very much. First, before I made any records, I performed in other people’s bands as a sideman. The seventies: I knew what was going on in disco and pop, but especially how things were changing in the jazz scene—how fusion was beginning to remake the wheel. A.D. Amorosi: Uncle John’s Band holds many deep grooving rhythms at its bottom. Your first three leader albums were durably danceable and funk-driven, as are albums such as A Go Go with Medeski, Martin & Wood in 1997, and Bump in 2000 with players from Sex Mob and Soul Coughing. How do you connect with rhythm? John Scofield: As a jazz musician born in the 50s and coming up through the rock and roll era, I’ve looked to the guitar players. Even if it was dance bands or funk bands I was playing in. I made myself known during the beginnings of fusion, so I’ve always been aware of the groove element. To tell you the truth, bebop works over funk. The more I played jazz, the more I found they were related. It’s just this metronomic thing. Jazz may not have that backbeat, the two and four to make people dance like we do now—but it’s there. A.D. Amorosi: You mentioned coming up with rock and roll. Who did you like or listen to, your first rock guitar love who spoke to you? John Scofield: Everybody was aware of guitar in the 1950s. It was just there, but I really loved the power of the blues progression. All the rock and roll songs from “Hound Dog” and before had that 12-bar-blues thing. As a child, I remember playing that progression and making up words. And they were blues-related, too. There was a blues explosion among white kids in the suburbs, and the first guitar love I had, probably around 12, was B.B. King. There was The Beatles later on, then Clapton, Hendrix, and Jeff Beck, but B.B. King was the start. The blues guys really spoke to me. C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 2
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Christmas City, USA Bethlehem, the Christmas City, has a rich holiday heritage that dates back to the 18th century, when the Moravians who settled the city christened it “Bethlehem” on Christmas Eve, 1741. Since 1937, the city has officially been known as Christmas City, USA. From guided walking tours of the city’s Historic Moravian District, one of the finest collections of 18th Century Germanic-Style architecture in the nation, to the Christkindlmarkt market place and Christmas Carriage rides through the city. For all ages. Faculty-led Student Ensembles Through Dec. 10. The Williams Center for the Arts, Lafayette College, Easton, PA. Enjoy percussion, chamber singers and orchestra performed by talented students. More information, williamscenter.lafayette.edu or 610-330-5009. Edgeboro Moravian Church Christmas Putz and Christmas Shop Through Dec. 22. Edgeboro Moravian Church, 645 Hamilton Ave. edgeboromoravian.org. 610866-8793 Christmas Putz and Star & Candle Shoppe Through Dec. 23. The Christmas Putz is a retelling of the story of Christ’s birth through narration and music. centralmoravianchurch.org. 610-866-5661
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Christmas Huts on Main Through Dec. 24. Wooden huts filled with unique gift ideas in new locations this year. Main and Broad Streets, Downtown Bethlehem. LehighValleyChamber.org The Ice Rink at SteelStacks Through Jan. 15, 2024, daily and including holidays. ArtsQuest, 645 East First St., Bethlehem. Celebrate the magic of the season on the outdoor ice skating rink at the base of the blast furnaces. Fun for every age. ChristimasCity.org Christkindlmarkt at SteelStacks Dec. 7-10, Dec. 14-17. Thurs. & Sun. 10an6pm, Fri. & Sat. 10am-8pm. One of the best holiday markets in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure. PNC Plaza at SteelStacks, 645 East First St. Bethlehem. christmascity.org. 877212-2463 State Theatre Presents: Dec. 9, “Straight No Chaser, Sleighin’ It Tour,” 3:00pm and 7:00pm Dec. 16, Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol,” 7:30pm Jan. 3-4, “Come From Away” 453 Northampton St., Easton. 1-800-999STATE or 610-252-3132, StateTheatre.org SteelStacks, ArtsQuest. Films Dec. 6, “Elf” (20th Anniversary) Dec. 7, “The Bishop’s Wife”
Dec. 13, “Gremlins” Dec. 14-Dec. 16, “Meet Me in St. Louis” Dec. 20, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” Dec. 21, “It’s a Wonderful Life” 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem. Steelstacks.org, (610) 332-1300 Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University Dec. 8, Cherish the Ladies, a Celtic Christmas, 7:30pm Dec. 15, Vienna Boys Choir, in Packer Memorial Church, 7:30pm Dec. 16-17, The Nutcracker, 1:00 and 4:30pm 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. (610) 758-2787, ZoellnerArtsCenter.org
Annual Live Bethlehem Christmas Pageant Dec. 9 & 10. Bethlehem Rose Garden Band Shell, 8th Ave. Goodwill offerings appreciated. For more information, facebook.com/BethlehemNativityPageant. 610-865-0274 Bach Choir of Bethlehem Christmas Concert The ultimate Christmas-time celebration. J.S. Bach’s Magnificat & Christen ätzet deisen Tag, BWV 63 Dec. 10, 4:00pm First Presbyterian Church, 2344 Center St., Bethlehem. Tickets and info: (610) 866-4382, ext. 115/110, Bach.org
Bach Choir of Bethlehem Christmas Concert J.S. Bach’s Magnificat & Christen ätzet deisen Tag, BWV 63 Dec. 9, 4:00pm, First Presbyterian Church, 3231 Tilghman St., Allentown. The ultimate Christmas-time celebration. Tickets and info: (610) 866-4382, x 115/110, Bach.org
PEEPSONALITY® Family Fun Run & Walk Dec. 30, 1:30 p.m. (Registration/Packet pick up at 11 a.m.) Run, jog, or walk your way into the New Year. Just Born Quality Confections. ArtsQuest Center, SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way. peepsfest5k.itsyourrace.com. 610-332-3378
Luminaria Night Purchase kits through Dec. 9 (rain date Dec. 16), sundown, city-wide. A symbol of unity and caring for those less fortunate. All proceeds of Luminaria kits go to New Bethany Ministries, benefiting individuals and families in need. www.newbethanyministries.org. 610-691-5602
PEEPS® Chick Drop New Year’s Festival Dec. 30 & 31, 3-6:00 p.m. A 4 ft. 9 inch tall, 400 lb. lit PEEPS® Chick that drops to mark the beginning of a new year. Family fun includes fireworks display and activities. Just Born Quality Confections. Levitt Pavilion, SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way. steelstacks.org.
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KEITH UHLICH
Blood Simple
film classics
Blood Simple (1984, Joel and Ethan Coen, United States) The brothers Coen made a spectacular debut with this twisty and clever neo-noir in which a bartender (John Getz) runs afoul of his boss (Dan Hedaya) after sleeping with the latter’s wife (Frances McDormand). This ignites a combustible chain of events involving murderfor-hire and other sordid happenings, much of them overseen by a sleazy private eye named Loren Visser (M. Emmet Walsh). The Coen siblings’ darkly humorous aesthetic touchstones are already in evidence; one eye-catching, hilarious tracking shot along a bar rises above one of the drunken patrons collapsed upon it. And their mischievous morality is also apparent in spades, as all the characters are unable (or unwilling) to extricate themselves from a universe in which animal instinct triumphs more often than not over humanity. It’s a point of view they both would hone further over the years in arguably more complex films like No Country for Old Men and A Serious Man. Yet there’s still something bracing about how fully formed the brothers’ ideas and ideology were from the start. (Streaming on Max.) The Beguiled (1971, Don Siegel, United States) The same year he portrayed the relentless Dirty Harry Callahan, Clint Eastwood and director Don Siegel also teamed up on this gothic period piece set during the American Civil War. Eastwood plays a 20
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Union soldier whose grievous wounds land him in a Mississippi seminary school inhabited entirely by women. Geraldine Page plays the repressed headmistress, and you better believe the introduction of some XY chromosomes into this little cloister wreaks hormonal havoc. (The school’s hothouse ambience proves as sticky as the southern heat.) In contrast with Eastwood’s usual roles, he’s somewhat submissive here, a beta-male manipulator who brings out the devil in himself and others. His innately seductive tendencies eventually lead to some shocking moments in which the women get the better of him, none more memorable than the sequence in which one of his gangrenous limbs is graphically amputated. (Streaming on Criterion.) Husbands (1970, John Cassavetes, United States) The YouTube faithful may be familiar with the episode of Dick Cavett’s talk show where friends and collaborators John Cassavetes, Peter Falk, and Ben Gazzara drunkenly cut loose for their entire appearance. The line between bad behavior and endearing fellowship is shifted, crossed, exploded, obliterated. It’s an infamous episode that was part of the promotional tour for Cassavetes’ 1970 feature about a trio of friends, Harry (Gazzara), Archie (Falk) and Gus (Cassavetes) C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E
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A.D. Amorosi: You’ve had signatures since the start: an ever-soslight feel for distortion, an always-present fluidity, that steely tone. It’s intuitive, but how do you chart the evolution of your playing and your sound? How has all that changed in the present? John Scofield: I’ve got it all more under control, the guitar and my fingers. At first, for me, trying to get a good sound was more just about dealing with the technical elements of the guitars, their strings, and amps, experimenting with volume settings, pedals, and the sound of tube overdrive. I didn’t want a certain hard sound, like, say, the surf guitar with that twang. I wanted to sound more jazz-like but different. That led to trying to use distortion because I heard the blues guys using a bit of distortion and how that could also apply to my jazz. I have some sort of finesse with it—I’ve tamed the wild beast.
I get older, I value that spontaneity more, now. I believe in the off-thecuff moment more than ever. A.D. Amorosi: You had been playing many original songs you composed for several years, long before Uncle John’s Band was a thing? John Scofield. Yeah. I played a track such as “The Girlfriend Chord” 25 years ago with Steve Swallow. Newer ones, such as “How Deep,” have been in my playbook for many years, yet I never recorded it.
John Scofield and Miles Davis in Barcelona, 1984.
Photo courtesy of NYU
A.D. Amorosi: How does your longtime trio speak to you differently than many of the other great musicians with whom you’ve worked? John Scofield: Well, that’s it. I have worked with so many richly dynamic musicians I couldn’t even tell you. I can say that with the trio setting, there is no hiding. Everybody’s part, everybody’s contribution, is important. Every sound counts. You listen intently to the other guy, and we all follow one path. This trio has taught me, even more so than in the past, to rely on instinct to work within the moment. A.D. Amorosi: So, Uncle John’s Band sounds closer to how this trio jams in a live setting than what they usually sound like on other albums—it’s looser, freer. How did that come to be? Was it an organic, improvisational thing? John Scofield: I don’t believe it was so thought out. The thing was that this band has always been so freaking good and quick. We went into the studio to record the day after one of our longest tours, so we were limber and ready. And we had played so many of these songs for a while, so we were automatically looser. And I think you are right that Uncle John’s Band is much looser than my other studio recordings. No one was reading any charts. We just knew the material in our sleep. As 22
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A.D. Amorosi: How did those longtime originals of yours finally make it onto a record? Was there a feel for them amidst the other Uncle John’s Band tracks? John Scofield: We didn’t have any idea of what the record would be. And the new record is my most diverse. It’s not all new stuff—it’s not standards or rock and roll oldies—we just recorded everything. Different tempos, different feels. In fact, I didn’t even know it would go on one record until I sent it to ECM, and Manfred Eicher decided to make Uncle John’s Band two albums. The diverse feel of these songs is not so different from coming to one of my gigs. A.D. Amorosi: Legendarily, you worked with Miles Davis. Of all of his songs, what made you choose “Budu” for the new album? John Scofield: I love that song. Like all of the tracks on this album, they feel good when I play them on guitar. They feel right. Also, “Budu” is a Miles song that few people ever bothered to record—it’s not like “So What,” where everybody jumps on and plays it. A.D. Amorosi: I put a lot of weight on the album concept. So, what about the Grateful Dead and Uncle John’s Band being meant to act as an umbrella to the rest of the songs? John Scofield: I just wanted the Dead Heads to buy it. [laughs] No, really, I will never have another opportunity to make a song that touches on so many aspects of who I am. I’m certainly not going to record “When Johnny Comes Marching Home, Again.” I’m John. I have a band. It’s perfect. n
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the Woods,” the opera “Turandot” and “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,” Mozart’s 525th catalogued work. Back in Vienna they attend boarding school with three other choral groups, including one with girls. (18 University Drive, by East Packer Avenue; 610-758-2787; zoellnerartscenter.org) The story is as evergreen as a Scotch pine or Douglas fir. A rolypoly, jolly, burly-bearded gent declares himself the real, actual, honestto-goodness Santa Claus. He’s verified as St. Nick during a media-maniacal trial. He wins the heart of an equally hopeful child, who helps him heal wounded spirits with faith, a 365-day gift. A popular movie in the ’40s and ’90s, the delightful, insightful “Miracle on 34th Street” will be presented this month as a radio play in Easton and a play in Bethlehem. As an extra added bonus, Kris Kringle will make several appearances in Allentown in “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!),” a witty gathering of evergreen icons. (“Miracle,” Dec. 2-3, Buck Hall, Lafayette College, 219 N. 3rd St., by Snyder Street, Easton; 610-330-5009; williamscenter.lafayette.edu. “Miracle,” Dec. 1-3, 8-11, 15-17, Pennsylvania Playhouse, 390 Illick’s Mill Rd., Bethlehem; 610865-6665; paplayhouse.org. “Every Christmas Story,” Dec. 8-10, 1317, Civic Theatre of Allentown, 514 N. 19th St.; 610-433-8903; civictheatre.com) Drive-thrus hypnotize already lazy motorists into forgetting that indoor service is almost always faster. “Lights in the Parkway” is a properly hypnotic drive-thru, a mesmerizing night-time holiday pageant, a sparkling car wash for the senses. Vehicles snake around an eclectic assortment of electrified trees, props, characters and arches along a mile and change of Allentown’s bucolic greenbelt. Now in its 27th year, the display turns a park into an amusement park, and life into a snow globe. (Lehigh Parkway, 1700 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive; 5:30-10 p.m. daily through Dec. 31; closed Christmas Day; reservations required; allentownpa.gov) Once upon a time, for quite a long time, you could get married in a cave with a limestone wall sculpted by water into a melted-wax mural. No longer a matrimonial haven, the Crystal Chapel remains a magnetic attraction of Lost River Caverns, a natural wonder and human curiosity. Tour guides lead you through twisting, sloping, 52-degree passages, pointing out a rock avalanche, a crow’s-nest musical grotto, stone icicles and molars, and a mysterious glistening stream seemingly lit by fairies. The adventure begins in the visitor center, which is stuffed with mineral samples, rifles and animal heads. A tiered tropical garden looms over a sunken gift shop with everything from jewelry to plastic cave helmets to 24
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dinosaur fossil putty. Owned by one family since the Great Depression, Lost River rewards explorers of all ages. (726 Durham Rd., Hellertown; reservations required; 610-838-8767; lostcave.com The 9/11 terrorist attacks produced countless counter attacks of heroism. Some 7,000 redirected, stranded airline passengers received heroic kindness from the citizens of Gander, Newfoundland, who treated “the plane people” to housing, feeding, entertaining and consoling. This marvelous example of charity inspired the marvelous musical
Broadway production of Come from Away..
“Come from Away,” which ran on Broadway for five years. Interviewbased songs spotlight two mothers bonded by firefighter sons, one of whom died in Manhattan; an initiation of honorary citizenship in a bar, and the magical transformation of the middle of nowhere into the center of everything. (Jan. 3-4, State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton; 610-252-3132; statetheatre.org) n Geoff Gehman is a former arts writer for The Morning Call in Allentown and the author of five books, including Planet Mom: Keeping an Aging Parent from Aging, The Kingdom of the Kid: Growing Up in the Long-Lost Hamptons, and Fast Women and Slow Horses: The (mis)Adventures of a Bar, Betting and Barbecue Man (with William Mayberry). He lives in Bethlehem. geoffgehman@verizon.net
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The Boy and the Heron
F I L M R O U N D U P / C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 4
Answer to TWO’S COMPANY, THREE’S A CROWD
and wealth. His methods are abusive in ways anyone who’s seen The Great Santini will recognize, and the constant demands for victory and perfection lay the groundwork for repeated catastrophe. The film is best in its early sections as it captures some of the lizard-brain thrill of wrestling while also allowing the ensemble to etch a quite convincing family unit. But as the mishaps pile up (ill-health, depression, leg amputation, suicide) the movie turns monotonous, priming us for the next horrible thing to befall the Von Erichs to the point that their humanity is squelched. They become like action figures playing out a voyeuristic passion play, something Durkin’s at once funereal and sentimental aesthetic only aggravates. [N/R] HH
The rebus squares with two letters spell out FRIEND (“company”). The rebus squares with three letters spell out LEGION (“a coward”). 26
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The Boy and the Heron (Dir. Hayao Miyazaki). Starring: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Aimyon. The great Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki bids farewell (again) to the cinema with this thematically dense and visually spectacular feature. It’s the middle of World
War II, and twelve-year-old Mahito (Soma Santoki), whose mother was killed in a firebombing, moves with his munitions-factoryowning father to the relatively more peaceful countryside. While adjusting to this tenuously idyllic life (some of which is inspired by Miyazaki’s own upbringing), Mahito meets an anthropomorphic heron (Masaki Suda) who acts as his oft-abrasive guide to an alternate universe where souls wait to be born into human form, fascist parakeets rule, and a bearded old man who might very well be God ponders whether the world he’s created (our world) is worth preserving. That summary may make the film sound more peculiar than it plays since the fanciful elements here are always of a piece with Mahito’s adolescent psychology, his way of grappling with tragedies both familial and national. And like many a Miyazaki film with a young protagonist, it feels as if the story is taking place in the liminal space between childhood and adulthood, every fragile moment freighted with fear and possibility. [PG-13] HHHHH n
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C I T Y / C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 1 2
hometown girls, vocal legend and cobbler magnate Patti LaBelle will make a rare local appearance at The Met on December 9. No joke, for all of her Philly shoutouts, LaBelle winds up usually playing gigs in Atlantic City. This show, then, is a must. Actually, I want to stick with comedy for a sec, as if any moment in history required distraction and laughter, it is this second half of 2023. And while stand-up comedian Mike Barbiglia’s three-night run at Helium Philadelphia on Sansom Street in the Rittenhouse area is sold-out,
just opened Pizza Salavy in the Comcast Center serving veal-pork-beef orbs from the cookbook of his Uncle Sal, the swanky SIN Philadelphia in Northern Liberties just opened with homemade pasta service tableside and some huge, lovely meat circles. And along with sampling old school traditional meatballs at tried-and-true Philly spaces such as Figo! in NoLibs and Positano Coast in Old City, Mia Ragazza—new in Manayunk—is promising dynamic balls of meat to enjoy. Abondanza. December really is the month of conductor and musical director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Not only is he the center of attention (yes, beyond the prosthetic nose) for Philly-born actor and director Bradley Cooper’s Maestro biopic of Leonard Bernstein in theaters and Netflix in December courtesy of having taught Cooper how to conduct (isn’t it really just waving your arms about a lot) and leading the London Symphony Orchestra through Bernstein’s greatest hits for the Decca label soundtrack. Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra will reunite with pianist Hélène Grimaud Reunite at Verizon Hall December 7–- December 10 and for December 3’s Brahms Symphonies No. 3 and No. 4 with the Staatskapelle Berlin at the Kimmel Center. On December 9, Yannick, his baton and the newly-paid Philly Orchestra will
D.L. Hughley.
philabuster-er, podcaster and wise comic commentator D.L. Hughley’s stand—December 15 through 17—is not. So, please let’s sell this bitch out. Hughley is genuinely one of America’s finest, funny thinkers. Turkey. Ham. Blah blah blah. I get that these are the meats of the Christmas holiday season. But, may I push Philadelphia, Jersey and
Bradley Cooper with Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
join in on the serious fun of Deutsche Grammophon’s 125th Anniversary Celebration at Verizon Hall with Grimaud, violinist María Dueñas and Moby—THAT Moby—doing Ravel, Stravinsky and surely something electro-punkish. Nice. And yay, Yannick. Merry and jolly, that. n
Delaware diners to the humbler cause of the meatball—a round, wonderful, red gravy (no, not sauce, dick!) Italian origin snack that, when done heartily and plentifully, can be a meal within itself. Marc Vetri 28
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A.D. Amorosi is a Los Angeles Press Club National Art and Entertainment Journalism award-winning journalist and national public radio host and producer (WPPM.org’s Theater in the Round) married to a garden-to-table cooking instructor + award-winning gardener, Reese, and father to dogdaughter Tia.
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wreaking similar havoc across two countries (America and England) after a friend’s shock death from a heart attack. An early scene sets the template, as Harry, Archie and Gus torment a female patron at a bar, encouraging her to sing with ever-increasing “passion” and always finding her lacking. This is soused Samuel Beckett, humorous,
lean, and nothing is square. Going upstairs was like feeling my way through a funhouse, walking with my hand against the wall just to be sure. You can’t put that in your painting unless you are very careful to reference something plumb so it’s clear to viewers that it was done that way on purpose. I was painting downstairs in the retail store, courtesy of ownerbrother Mike Alfiero and his awesome crew. It’s pretty level concrete there, with small round drains to catch the rivulets of melt from the ice cases. The wet floor meant I had to set up without putting anything down. I kept my bag on my back and rested the French easel on my boots while I extended its legs. The wood swells in a damp environment, so I stopped during painting to relieve and retighten the wingnuts and knobs every hour or so. If I don’t do that, they become difficult to release after the wood absorbs and expands for three or four hours, pressing against the fasteners. It gets even more complicated when it’s time to pack, and I have to undo the seized knobs while holding the easel up in the air with one hand. Once I selected brushes from the back of the open kit, I rested my backpack there. The roll of paper towels hung by a bungee in front of my legs.
off-putting, heartbreaking, irritating. And in toto, over its always gripping and gawk-inducing two-and-a-half hours, Husbands proves a monumental treatise on machismo, one whose copious rewards come via its patience-testing methodology. (Streaming on MUBI.) Lost in America (1985, Albert Brooks, United States) One of the great satires of 1980s yuppie culture, Albert Brooks’ dropout comedy hilariously ponders what would happen if a bourgeois married couple decided to leave the rat race behind and roll around the country in an RV, living off their substantial-enough “nest egg.” But no sooner are David and Linda Howard (Brooks and Julie Hagerty) on the road than all their money vanishes after an impromptu
Las Vegas stopover. (In a film with numerous classic scenes, the one between Brooks and a won’t-give-an-inch casino manager played by Garry Marshall stands out for its funny-bone-tickling sense of mortification.) All roads eventually lead back to capitalism, the husband and wife’s tenuous rebellious instincts tempered by the very American lure of a steady paycheck with medical benefits. The trickledown false promises of the Reagan era were never so thoroughly skewered as here. (Streaming on Max.) n
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hen painting from life, you must be aware of how your subject will change over time. Retail spaces are generally consistent, but in a popular place like this, people can block my view. I arrived early to scout a position that described the tenor of the Market and kept me out of the way. Mike took me to the back room, where they prepare most of the fish. That area is predominantly white walls, stainless steel benches and machinery, and people in white aprons with sharp knives. I didn’t see any room to set up, so I chose to paint out front, but I’m thinking of coming back another day to depict that scene. Mike said they would make a space for me. The retail section is a fun setting to paint. It’s an attractive, wellkept, and well-lit store. The food looks delicious, the staff is engaged, and an overall positive spirit runs through the place. It’s busy. Local chefs and customers arrive as soon as the doors open. Workers with tubs of fish and carts filled with ice squeezed past me all morning. Waves of tourists spilled in the door from cruise ships, leaving nothing unphotographed. I had the luxury of a relatively stable subject, so time wasn’t a worry. That allowed me to take pictures of my progress with my phone and post them on Facebook and Instagram as I built the painting. The combination of my taking longer than usual to complete the image and standing still for three-plus hours in the chilled temperature caught up with me toward the end. My hands began to slow down, and I had trouble holding my brushes. Bending over to retrieve them came with a long grunt. Everyone else was used to working in that environment—the family has been in the seafood business since 1890, and in the present configuration since 1966—and work went on as usual around me despite the noises I was making. Dave Haight set up a fish display on one of the large mounds of ice, with multi-colored schools in artistic swirling patterns. He creates something remarkable every day, and it has become a harbor legend. To my left, Dave Blackett was cutting up a large headless and tailless bluefin tuna with some serious knives of his own. He honed and steeled the blades, then sliced into the 150 lb. body with wellpracticed movements, folding it open in a flash. Every time I looked in his direction, he was taking apart another big fish. n ICON |
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harper’s FINDINGS As the U.S. population ages, old people are committing more crimes. Positive affect declines almost continuously in humans between the ages of nine and ninety-four, and the gut microbiome may live for years after the body dies. People feel romantic and sexual love throughout their bodies but experience love of wisdom and of God mostly in their heads. A reduction in paincatastrophizing can help fibromyalgia patients. Functional MRI scans revealed that lonely Game of Thrones fans do not fully distinguish between real people and characters from the show. Researchers determined that the anticipation of inflation caused inflation in revolutionary France. Prehistoric bones discovered in the Cueva de los Mármoles may have been defleshed for use as tools rather than in the course of cannibalism. Sadists are harder to startle. Intrasexual competition causes women to encourage women they consider as attractive as themselves to cut their hair short. Black American adults have the lowest rate of financial independence from their parents, whereas Hispanic Americans have the highest rate of parent-child financial interdependence. Fifteen percent of American children report using logical reasoning to disprove the existence of Santa.
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In the Netherlands, researchers captured pied flycatchers who were migrating back from Africa and drove them by night to Sweden, farther north than they would usually fly, to offset the effects of an earlier spring. The harassment of porpoises by Southern Resident orcas over the past six decades may be the result of social bonding, hunting practice, and mismothering behavior. Jellyfish are capable of associative learning. Mussels can adjust their heart rates to deal with warmer temperatures. As noise pollution grows more intense, pied tamarins rely more heavily on scent marking to communicate. Thirty seconds of mouse pup cries causes their mothers to release milk. Male clouded Apollo butterflies base the size of the plugs they use to seal the genitals of their mates on the thoracic width (and presumptive fitness) of the female. Paper cups are as harmful as plastic cups to aquatic midge larvae. Scientists found that almost all non-steel “eco-friendly” drinking straws they tested contained toxic chemicals, and crime-scene investigators were advised to update their techniques to account for the gunshot residue of eco-friendly ammunition.
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Scientists argued that the cosmic airburst of a comet from the Centaur System 12,800 years ago over the Euphrates caused drying and cooling that forced hunter-gatherers at Abu Hureyra to take up agriculture. Kilonovae may reveal whether deriving the value of the Hubble constant from supernovae or from background radiation is more accurate. The previously unexplained brightness of the universe’s early galaxies was due to bursts of star formation. Jupiter Mass Binary Objects, which are neither planets nor stars, were observed in the Orion Nebula. Dimethyl sulfide may be present on the exoplanet K2-18b. The great mounds of Arrokoth are similar enough to suggest a common origin. Scientists warned against anthropomorphizing trees. 30
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INDEX Portion of Americans who are considering opting out of family gatherings in order to save money this holiday season : 1/3 Who are considering going into credit card debt to purchase holiday gifts : 1/3 Percentage of Republicans who say that their families are worse off than they were a year ago : 60) Of Democrats who say so : 24 Factor by which Republicans report hearing more negative than positive economic news : 10 Percentage of Americans who believe that the country is in a recession : 44 Percentage change in the use of cash since 2017 : –43 In the use of digital mobile payments : +200 Portion of Americans who wish they had paid more attention to math in school : 2/5 Who wish they had paid less attention to math in school : 1/5 Percentage decrease since 2019 in the number of U.S. accountants : 16 Portion of Americans who view their jobs as a spiritual calling : 1/5 Percentage by which black Americans are more likely than white ones to do so : 72 Portion of Americans who identify as “spiritual” but not “religious” : 1/3 Chances an American between 26 and 54 has not been to the doctor in the past five years : 2 in 5 Percentage increase this year in the number of Americans concerned about affording medical treatment : 47 Year in which the youngest baby boomer will become eligible for Medicare : 2030 Percentage of Republicans who believe that one ethnic group can only become wealthier at the expense of others : 22 Of Democrats who believe this : 40 Percentage by which Democrats are more likely than Republicans to consider New York City safe : 191 By which Democrats are more likely than Republicans to consider large U.S. cities safe in general : 29 By which this was the case in 2006 : 2 Percentage change in the divorce rate between 2008 and 2020 : –31 In the divorce rate between 2020 and 2022 : +2 Percentage of millennials who are not planning to get married : 21 Of adult Gen Z-ers who are not : 7 Percentage of Gen Z-ers who use their phones to share their location with friends : 38 With their romantic partners : 41 Portion of U.S. college students whose parents track their location : 1/3 Percentage of U.S. college students who support “speech codes” on campus : 51 Percentage by which this support has increased over the past year : 22 Percentage of U.S. college students who believe that violence can be a justified response to hate speech : 45 Percentage of U.S. adults who say the political system is working “very” or “extremely” well : 4 Who express little confidence in the future of the political system : 63 Who say there is too little attention paid to the important issues facing the country : 78 Percentage decrease over the past two years in social-media referrals to the top one hundred news sites : 40 Percentage decrease over the past decade in the number of Americans who trust the tech industry : 31 Percentage of Gen Z-ers who say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of trust in science : 36 In the criminal justice system : 5 In the news : 3 SOURCES 1. Trustpilot (NYC); 2 Trustpilot (NYC); 3 YouGov (Washington); 4 YouGov (Washington); 5 YouGov (Washington); 6 YouGov (Washington); 7 Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; 8 Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; 9 YouGov (Washington); 10 YouGov (Washington); 11 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Washington); 12 Denise Daniels, Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.); 13 Denise Daniels, Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.); 14 Denise Daniels, Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.); 15 Gallup (Washington); 16 OnePoll (NYC); 17 OnePoll (NYC); 18 U.S. Census Bureau (Suitland, Md.); 19 National Bureau of Economic Research (Cambridge, Mass.); 20 National Bureau of Economic Research (Cambridge, Mass.); 21 Gallup (Washington); 22 Gallup (Washington); 23 Gallup (Washington); 24 Krista Westrick-Payne, Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio); 25 Krista Westrick-Payne, Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio); 26 Thriving Center of Psychology (NYC); 27 Thriving Center of Psychology (NYC); 28 Life360 (San Mateo, Calif.); 29 Life360 (San Mateo, Calif.); 30 Life360 (San Mateo, Calif.); 31 Gregory E. Chase, University of North Carolina (Greensboro); 32 Buckley Institute (New Haven, Conn.); 33 Buckley Institute (New Haven, Conn.); 34 Buckley Institute (New Haven, Conn.); 35 Pew Research Center (Washington); 36 Pew Research Center (Washington); 37 Pew Research Center (Washington); 38 Similarweb (Tel Aviv, Israel); 39 Edelman Trust Institute (NYC); 40 Edelman Trust Institute (NYC); 41 Gallup (Washington).
TWO’S COMPANY, THREE’S A CROWD
BY EVAN BIRNHOLZ
When this puzzle is complete, a pair of six-letter words will be revealed. ACROSS 1 Idiosyncrasy 4 Intimissimi product 7 Reaction to a meme, maybe 12 Car ___ (coupe cleaner) 16 Genre discussed on AbsolutePunk forums, once 17 Tedious routine 18 English major’s composition 19 Sopranos’ peers 21 Williams College rival 23 Noise in a nest 24 Sucking sounds 26 Floating device 27 Turner in music or Fey in comedy 29 Decision to take a risk based on one’s belief 32 First name on a copy of “The Camera” (1980) 34 Cattle enclosure 37 Needing ventilation 38 “No kidding!” 39 Understands the situation 41 Craves 43 Vowel-rich New York college 44 Sport for the C’s and the Dubs 46 One giving lessons on a white blanket 50 Language in libros 53 Senses visually 54 “Knock on wood” 55 Blades in Winter Olympics races 57 Appears 58 Pop singer Max 61 Cover, as a road 62 Banks also known as BanX 63 “Uh-uh” 65 Laser emission 66 Compulsory contribution 67 Bill sporting a lab coat on TV 68 Actor Arnaz 69 Spice mixed into some rolls 71 Spirit of philosophical debates 72 Ryder rental 73 Acquires 75 Ping-pong item 76 Not as moist 79 In-flight movement 80 Religious recess 81 Directories, e.g. 82 Adequately illuminated 83 Cold-blooded ones 85 Villainous 86 Villainous 87 Birds feeding on buzzing insects 88 Antique wheel material 90 English equivalent of the French pronoun “elle” 93 Brief romance? 94 Archer’s asset 95 Rock collection? 96 Palindromic Indian bread
97 Endor inhabitant 98 Oscar winner Ang 99 “___ de lune” 101 Event featuring dragon tiles 103 Ale container 104 Applaud 106 Canceled, at NASA 107 Member of a former Honolulu minor-league baseball team 111 Morgenstern of a classic sitcom 112 Not very many 113 Tennis star René and an eponym of a clothing brand 115 Tranquilize 119 “___ do I” (“Me neither”) 120 Series of metallic links 123 Chase away 125 Blasted noise 126 Betty White’s character on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” 129 Cinephile’s interest 131 ACC’s org. 132 Golfer Ochoa 133 Statement of concession 136 Joy of listening to great music 138 Semiaquatic salamanders 139 Counting-out rhyme word 140 Star pitcher 141 Matrix man 142 No. 2: Abbr. 143 ___ enemies 144 Erotica staple 145 Misspeak, say
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 20 22 25 28 30 31 33 35 36 40
DOWN Oolong pouch Totally resistant (to) TV partner “It’s freezing!” 88 Across woe Storage story “A Perfect Spy” author John Bit of volcanic dust Mileage 43 Across athlete Guys supporting hip-hop groups Drones, e.g. Parcel out Needing ventilation Circle dance at some weddings Tap in a bar Card shark’s visor Apt anagram of “notes” Indicates an “OK” Sydney somebody Perceive, as sounds Pride creatures Parents of mules Get a kick out of Rested for a bit
42 43 45 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 56 57 58 59 60 63 64 68 69 70 71 72 74 75 76 77 78 79 84 85 87 89
Muckraker Jacob Cold pack contents Shows up on stage? 1979 Bette Midler movie that featured a flower on its posters Of an ancient empire “___-daisy!” Court TV channel? Fix, as a pet Pet ___ (irritation) Expanse with schools Baseball class for the Pacific Coast League Apt surname for a knife maker In conflict (with) Valuables chamber Biker bars? Actor Cage, to fans Flowers lasting only one growing season Pointy pub item Airlift vehicle, briefly Religious liberator Mentioned Wedding day cover Dino called a “clever girl” in “Jurassic Park” ___ of attack Reside Production with skits “It isn’t gonna hurt me much” Communication service provided at no charge to users Apoplectic feeling Congo Basin apes Gold medal-winning gymnast Simone Royal family member ICON |
90 Whack, as a housefly 91 ___ sweet ___ 92 Squeaked (out), and a rhyme of a word in this clue 94 Finale of “Our Town” 96 Power ___ 97 Process of evaluating certain poultry products 100 How dishonest people are caught 101 Swampy region 102 Intersecting points 103 Tool with metal teeth 104 Public health org. 105 Those symbolized by 33 Down 107 “Frozen” prince 108 Run ___ of the law 109 “Let’s rock and roll” 110 Tot watchers 111 Alteration to a mortgage, briefly 114 Far more frequently than you’d prefer 116 Incomprehensible to many 117 “Next time ...” ad 118 Inspire passion in 120 Headlines and info from an MSNBC rival 121 Tips such as “some squares have more than one letter” 122 “Stop, ye mateys!” 124 Pests on poodles, perhaps 127 General vicinity 128 Killed, as a dragon 130 Blunt weapon 134 Creative Yoko 135 Bedivere’s title 137 “Oedipus ___” Solution on page 26 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 | I C O N D V. C O M
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