Hello Mao Tse Tung!

Wonder what you would find if you frisked the White House Christmas tree in the Blue Room?

Answer: A dictator/mass murderer – of course.

That’s right folks! Somehow Mao Tse Tung made it into the White House… Again:

Why let a holiday season come between the White House and making some political statements? The White House pegged controversial designer Simon Doonan to oversee the Christmas decorations for the White House. Mr. Doonan, who is creative director of Barney’s New York has often caused a stir with his design choices. Like his naughty yuletide window display of Margaret Thatcher as a dowdy dominatrix and Dan Quayle as a ventriloquist’s dummy. For this year’s White House, he didn’t disappoint.

[...]

Of course, Mao has his place in the White House.

Gosh… You would think the White House learned its lesson when videos of White House Communications Director Anita Dunn surfaced that showed her praising the Chinese dictator.  Unfortunately for her, she apparently didn’t receive the memo that he’s responsible for over 75 million deaths.

Side-Note: Hmm… Not only is the White House filled with a radical administration, but apparently they hire radical decorators too! I swear, it’s the idiotic things like this coming out of the White House that makes it SO easy to blog. Thanks liberals.

Last night we went on a jolly at The Wharf. Swilling Bellinis at the swanky pool bar, I briefly imagined I was at the Venice Biennale* but the feeling didn’t last long because really, it was completely different.

We were there for the food. But it’s the people we met that I will remember.

1. James Martin. Very lovely chef from Yorkshire, who explained to me why Yorkshire pudding is called “pudding”. Incidentally, his father was the catering manager at Castle Howard, where Brideshead Revisited – the second-best television series ever** – was filmed.

2. A person from a rival company who offered me a job. “I’m leaving Dubai,” I said. “We’re looking for someone at the moment,” they said. “I’m leaving Dubai,” I said. “Name your price,” they said. “I’m leaving Dubai,” I said.

3. A fellow Rhodent (and journalist), who used to be a waitress at the Red Cafe (still the Blue Room to old school Grahamstonians), and recognised me from hanging out there.  She seems supercool, and I wish I’d met her earlier, so we could’ve been friends. What is it with leaving a place? She’s the third Rhodent I’ve met since I resigned.

4. A 16-year-old “business development consultant”. I kid you not. He had a business card and everything. He looked about twelve, and I thought he was full of shit. Then his mummy came and chatted to us as well and, bizarrely enough, backed up his story. I still thought he was full of shit.

It was a weird and wonderful evening. I’m not sad to be leaving though.

* Inspired by Geoff Dyer’s excellent Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi, in which the  characters drank Bellinis – copiously and constantly – at least in the first half of the novel.

** If you don’t know what the best best television series ever is, well, you should. Or you could ask me really nicely.

With Chris Coco.

8th March 2003 Side A

8th March 2003 Side B

My name is Danni and I am a senior at Brown University. I am concentrating in Neuroscience with a focus in Behavioral Neuroscience.  Although I was born in Germany and have lived all over the country (military brat), I claim Atlanta, GA as home.

At some point in time I’ll go to medical school but I have some things I want to do before that happens. Like most seniors I’m focused on graduating, and what I will do after graduating. Currently, I’m in the process of completing my medical forms for the Peace Corps. Really excited about being able to spend two years in another country helping and learning about health there! Not sure where I am going yet but that’s part of the excitement. I love traveling and I love global health so finding something to connect those two interests is great!

This semester is crazy and I think the best way to show what I am involved in and how my experience at Brown is to recount the events of my day:

8:15 am     Woke up and got ready for my first class. Hard to grab breakfast so I usually grab a granola bar (which is what I did today) or stop by the Blue Room and grab a muffin.

9:00 am Strolled into COGS1460: Computational Cognitive Neuroscience. We talked about the brain’s ability to learn through Hebbian learning in which neurons learn to collectively fire due to certain environmental stimuli.  There’s a saying that “neurons that fire together wire together” and it’s true. It’s how memories are consolidated in the brain (through neurons that automatically fire every time a particular feature, memory, stimuli is activated). Though I was tired, I did manage to comprehend a lot of what the professor was saying.

10:25 am Went to the “Sci Li” (Sciences Library)  to knock out a chapter for my “Intro to Cognitive Science” course.  Ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in a while and made plans to hang later on this weekend.

12:00 pm Went to my job at the Admission Office. I am one of three interns who are liaisons between prospective students of color and the Brown community. Talked about cool new ways to interact with prospective students.

1:00 pm At “The Rock” (Rockefeller  Library) deciphering equations to use for my Physics report due tomorrow.

2:00 pm Went to talk to Dean Kisa Takesue. No official business, just to catch up on life. Haven’t talked with her since sophomore year! I love the faculty student relationships that are formed here. They are extremely genuine and allow you to feel like you have someone to turn to and talk with. Really helped set things in prospective.

3:00 pm Went to Physics Lab professor’s office hours to get clarification on the lab report due tomorrow. He was very helpful and made sure that I understood how to do the equations.

4:00pm Grabbed a sandwich at “The Gate“, an eatery that serves pizza and sandwiches, along with drinks, cookies, soup, chips, etc.

8:00pm Typing up lab report and getting ready for play rehearsal tonight @ 9pm. I’m in a musical and we have 5 weeks until it goes up. First play I have ever been in, so I want to do well. Last night  we had choreography practice and I attempted to learn an Irish Jig (we’ll see how that turns out). Tonight we will just continue to perfect the songs (I have a small solo….very scared!). Then around 11pm I’ll start on my lab simulations for Computational Cog  followed by starting on my writing exercise for Intro Cog. Looks like a long night. See ya!

With Rob da Bank.

15th October 2005 Side A

15th October 2005 Side B

Coldplay, circa 1998. Back when they played alternative music and weren’t tabloid fodder.

- Gyro

Reservoir Dolls: The Review

By Conor Rowell

Photos by Dain Sandoval

As I read some of the bylines published by the Blue Room’s Facebook page, a recurring phrase catches my eye: “Blood, bullets and bustlines!” You know what that means? Yes, it’s Reservoir Dolls time in Chico! A rewritten version of the Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece puts the guns in the hands of some sick and sadistic women and what ensues can only be described as Tarantino-esque.

The plot is nearly line-for-line of the film version, with a few exceptions; more “cunts” replacing the “pricks” and “dicks”. And the play follows the present-plotline and cuts out the rest of the flashbacks and dramatic walking scenes. Speaking of the walking scenes, the soundtrack was an integral part in the show and some songs people did not want to end. And quite frankly, only a show like this could get a good drunken sing-a-long version of “Hooked on a Feeling.” Ooga Chaka! Ooga ooga chaka!

Thankfully, only the puppies were injured during this photo-shoot.

The set was familiar for the playhouse locals as it was also used in the two previous late night shows. Not the high quality we’ve seen from previous shows such as Last of the Red Hot Lovers and Bat Out of Hell, but it was furnished well enough with the classic lore from the 1992 classic.

Synthesis' Preview of Reservoir Dolls (By This Charming Man)

But what about the women you may ask. Well, first: stop talking to a magazine; you look silly. And second, the women were as colorful as their character’s codenames but some were brighter than others. For the most part, the Dolls were right on and really captured that badassery conveyed by their film counterparts. But the real show-stealers were the virtuoso performances by Ms. Pink (Samantha Perry) and Ms. Orange (Hilary Tellesen). It was very obvious that Samantha had simply channeled her inner-Steve Buscemi, which is no easy feat. And Hilary did a fantastic job bleeding to death during a good 2/3 of the show as well as remaining silent and still during the intermission. In fact, her bleeding carcass became a classic photo backdrop for our buzzed Chicoans. I won’t mention the non-show stealers or even show borrowers, but it felt like they either couldn’t capture that killer essence or take it seriously.

But I will lastly mention that the last scene left the sold-out crowd breathless. With feminist themes in their pocket, the Blue Room really put on a great show while surely making some cash as well.

*Congrats to everyone on the show; I know it wasn’t easy, but it was one that people aren’t gonna forget! If there was one show that could compete with Rocky Horror, it was the Dolls.

A tiny part of an unlabelled Rob da Bank show, I think it’s 2003.

About 20 minutes worth.

With Chris Coco.

13th March 2004 Side A

13th March 2004 Side B

Second part of the show from a couple of posts back. With Chris Coco.

24th January 2004 Part 3

24th January 2004 Part 4

By Conor Rowell

Photos by Dain Sandoval

The year was 1992; the USSR was beginning to collapse, Jay Leno took over Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show,” and first-time director Quentin Tarantino released the film Empire Magazine dubbed, “The Greatest Independent Film of All Time”: Reservoir Dogs. The film has gone down in history as a true cult classic and its quotes can be heard many a nights in the backroom of Duffy’s. And it was about 12 years ago when Erika Soerensen had the original idea to adapt the film for the stage. Erika explains how many nights she watched Reservoir Dogs and loved every minute of it. She soon had a strange idea: what if the gender-roles were reversed and the women were the ruthless robbers and murderers? And so, Reservoir Dolls was born.

Upon entering the Blue Room, women yelling can be heard from the dressing room while a lowly stagehand brings 2 rolls of duct tape, matches and a gasoline tank on to the stage. Soon, as if the George Baker Selection’s “Little Green Bag” was playing, the Dolls bound out of the back room. The first Doll I talk to was Samantha Perry who plays the eccentric Ms. Pink. Sitting in her iconic black suit and tie, she laughs that this must be one of the only times someone requests to play a Steve Buscemi character. Perry is proud that the women in the play aren’t catty or anything like those Desperate Housewives, but actually a refreshing view on tough women. During the interview, she takes off her high heels, which causes me to mentally laugh at the fact that the only feminine part of the outfit is simultaneously the most painful.

The least intimidating person in the show, as well as the only male, was Jeremy Votava; who is also directing the show. This is one of my favorite movies, he says, and I’m very happy to say that we have stayed very true to the film. After hearing about the idea proposed by Erika, Jeremy was quick to point out that a guy’s perspective would be pertinent; especially concerning some of the male humor. As for some of the iconic scenes from the film, he promises the diner scene is nearly perfect; though there was a debate on the Madonna song dialogue. “No of course they’re going to talk about penises,” Jeremy explains, “It’s not like women just sit around and talk about vaginas as much as we talk about penises.”

The stage has been set up in preparation for Reservoir Dolls for a while now. The stage was shared for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along-Blog, which just wrapped up September 26, and Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. Upon seeing a ramp when I saw the latter over the weekend, my mind automatically thought, “Oh that’s where Ms. Orange must be dying.” I wish I could speak more of the set but many of the set pieces were not in place during the interviews but the crew has promised a full-furnished performance.

Another thing about the performance is that “it’s not for the faint of heart,” Erika warns with a wicked smile. C-bombs, f-bombs, fighting, blood and guns are what audience members get to expect from the upcoming show.

Die-hard fans, like much of the cast and crew as well as myself, will be pleased to know that the original Reservoir Dogs’ soundtrack will be used during each performance. “The music is such a huge part of the film and we wanted to keep that in our show.” Even the Steven Wright song introductions are key in an adaptation like this.

But from every person I talked to, one point kept coming up: this is a very empowering play for women. “Theses women are badass.” Jeremy concludes. But from what I saw it wasn’t the women playing badasses, they were badasses. The Dolls don’t playfully act as Tarantino characters, they are almost sicker than their on-screen counterparts. One scene in particular has been modified to bring a sense of sexual torture instead of just the fear; adding new darker elements to the script. If you don’t believe women can be killers, come meet the Reservoir Dolls and find out for yourself.

A brilliant script written by and performed by a Tarantino-approved cast leaves this critic with high hopes and an urging need to watch that film again. And Ms. Orange summed up the reason why you should see it: “It’s the perfect date show: your girlfriend can feel empowered and your boyfriend can see some ass-kicking!” Reservoir Dolls runs October 1^st – 17^th at 10:30 with a benefit show on the 18^th.

With Chris Coco.

24th January 2004 Side A

24th January 2004 Side B

Matisse placed paintings of his paintings inside paintings of his studio. It is interesting to note that he simplified and stylized the paintings of his paintings and that his later artwork moved towards that look. Bob Kessel has also placed pictures of his previous pictures in his artwork. These pictures can be purchased as signed and numbered limited edition original fine art prints. Contact Bob Kessel for prices and availability.

RED STUDIO by Henri Matisse

RED ROOM by Bob Kessel

RED ROOM, BLUE ROOM by Bob Kessel

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PARLIMENT by Bob Kessel

PARLIMENT OVER TOILET by Bob Kessel

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MONET LILIES by Bob Kessel

MONET LILIES WITH NUDE by Bob Kessel

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DEGAS GIRL COMBING HAIR by Bob Kessel

ARTIST WITH DEGAS GIRL COMBING HAIR by Bob Kessel

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SUN by Bob Kessel

SUN IN GALLERY by Bob Kessel

SUN IN GALLERY OVER SOFA by Bob Kessel

Powder blue paint is not going to work with my house in its current state. We have too much Fender Strat aqua elsewhere. I do love powder blue because it is soft, light and it’s a bit conservative but still fun. It works with any style. These are 2 dining rooms that I like. I haven’t worked on our dining room in a very long time. It still has wallpaper patches. I’m trying to get motivated here.

Domino (RIP) dining room

This first one is from Domino. It’s formal but a bit fun. The powder blue looks so sophisticated and fresh. It works so nicely with that pure, true white trim. Of course that trim would work with anything; it’s wonderful. I like this dining room because it has a bit of that “French” style with attainable accessories. That crystal ship light fixture is available at Z Gallerie. It goes for under $800 and really adds so much to the room. You can find a table very similar to this at a junk store and paint it white and distress it. You could do the same with the chairs and you could use a metallic finish paint to fake a galvanized look. Portraits like that are available on Jayson Home & Garden website for under $1000. I’m sure you could go antiquing and find something you like for cheaper. I love the hobnail glasswear.All of these things can be found but it does take time. I don’t have enough of that. Since we are in this new house, we have no furniture that works. I know exactly what I want and since I refuse to purcahse anything not well made, it will take some time. Until then, we are living out of boxes and sitting on painfully uncomfortable chairs that I have refinished.

This other dining room is courtesy of Martha Stewart. I am in love with most of the colors that she uses.

Martha Stewart dining room

You can take any color and mix it with some rustic, rugged wood and I’m pleased. Oh, and brass doesn’t hurt. I want that light fixture badly. This is another powder blue room with amazing millwork and large, light plank wood floors. This color appears so light and airy with the pairing of bleached out wood, crisp white, and taupes. But, I feel it could also look amazing paired with darker woods and fabrics.

I do love this color. I used to be scared of it because I thought it was too childish. Obviously this is not so. It is very regal, formal, and classy.

-Victoria

_____Engaging Array Of Works In Progress (04/08/2009)

_____Madcap Pair Imagine Childlike Take On Life (12/09/2008)

My first article as The West’s dance writer was, oddly, a theatre piece by comedy duo Cubbyhouse.

Since I am not being paid to review, I will simply sum up the Blue Room’s latest delve into the mysterious and odd by paraphrasing my friend:

“It just felt wrong. I need to take a shower now… I don’t believe I can ever enjoy my Sunday comics again. It was great, but dark and twisted. Wow… I just feel… wow.”

There you have it. Blue Room, keep up the good disturbing work! Reservoir Dolls coming up fairly soon eh?

The Blue Room inside of Billiards of Springfield closed recently after a long run as a music venue in the city, taking with it the home of many a hardcore, punk, hip hop and comedy show. Billiards as a whole is now back in the care of a previous manager who wants to return the Blue Room to its previous incarnation as a sports bar. The reaction to the closing in the local music community has ranged from “oh well” to “good riddance,” but regardless of one’s personal feelings about the venue there is an undeniable, and much darker, truth behind The Blue Room’s disappearance. Local music–more specifically its fans–led to the room’s closure. In other words, this is one place where we’ve worn out our welcome.

In the months leading up to its closing, The Blue Room was host to a handful of incidents involving fans at hardcore rock shows inside. One we were witnesses to ourselves: Two men, who appeared to be in their late teens, began dancing in the style typical of hardcore shows–flailing, kicking, windups, et cetera–as the rest of the crowd made a circle for them to do so. When the kids intentionally collided with the walls of the circle of people, one man, clearly not interested in participating, pushed the kids back into the middle of the circle. The kids, apparently upset by his reaction, targeted the man the rest of the night, running at him and “dancing” at him… by which I mean punching, kicking, flipping off and shouting at the man about how they were going to f*** him up. After four or five such collisions, the man was left with a choice: Fight the kids, which was clearly what they wanted, or leave. He chose to leave.

Maybe a month later, another incident at a hardcore show involving fans and one of the Billiards bar staff was apparently the final straw. The Blue Room fulfilled its obligations to the shows already booked in the room, it added nothing to its schedule and, well, the rest is history. Let me say this again, to be clear: The Blue Room did not close as a financial decision. It closed as a “we don’t need this kind of hassle anymore” decision. It’s understandable that management doesn’t need the hassle; what isn’t understandable is why they were faced with such a hassle in the first place.

The bottom line is that these incidents should never have happened, and there are a couple of parties responsible who need to be aware of and learn from that fact. First is the collection of hardcore fans who choose to be aggressors at shows… I’m not in the mood to mince words, so I won’t: You disgust me, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. The Bar Ban was put in place because parents wanted to protect their underage kids from what they perceive to be going on in local bars and nightclubs in a worst-case scenario. Now with your actions you have become, in a way, the worst-case scenario yourselves, the protected turning into the ones others need protection from. Local music has been gradually clawing its way back from the hit it took as a result of The Bar Ban, and your reckless actions show a complete lack of respect for that. No one faults you the desire to express yourself in the music. In fact, that’s why the crowd clears out around you. You need room? You’ve got it. Most get this and stay in the cleared-off area, happily mixing kickboxing moves and haymakers to let out their aggression to match the music. It’s the other group, small but obnoxious, who insist on antagonizing the rest of the showgoers, and it’s this group that threatens to derail the ability to see hardcore shows going forward. Think this is the last venue that will stop dealing with you if this keeps up? Think again. Hardcore shows are already on thin ice with the Outland Ballroom/Remmingtons Downtown staff after they recently found a roll of toilet paper on fire and stuffed in a hole in the wall of the men’s bathroom at Remmingtons during the Emmure show. Adding attempted arson to a list of attempted assaults = one hell of a bad reputation for your music genre and its fans.

At least the Ballroom/Remmingtons shows are required to have paid security on hand, which brings me to Party #2. To the show promoters who didn’t bring on security for their hardcore shows at The Blue Room: It’s time to wake up. One such group, Vance Productions, has chosen to stop booking shows; it doesn’t have to be that way. The shows you put on are a boon for the community, and their attendance would seem to show the audience’s gratitude, but it’s irresponsible to think that crowds at shows such as these will be self-policing. As long as there remains a subgroup of showgoers such as the one I mentioned in the last paragraph, there will have to be people there to forcibly stop them from potentially ruining someone else’s show experience. It’s in your hands to have those people there, and without them the repercussions can be dire. There’s nothing worse for a promoter than to have a reputation for problems at shows. Rectify this now before it sticks with you. The slope only gets more slippery from here, and there’s no dancing one’s way out of it.

“When I come back like Jordan, wearin’ the four-five, it ain’t to play games with you…” –Jay-Z

Really, DeRosh? A Jay-Z quote? You trying to be Hova now?! Nope. It’s just finally back to business as usual around here. Earlier we caught you up on the slew of big-ticket concerts put together in the time we spent planning FourFourFest; now it’s time to get you up to speed on the non-concert-related music news. This is a news website, after all. No more playing games; it’s time to get to it. We’ll dunk on your music news after the break.

 * Josh Heinrichs has been one busy man lately. Not only did he complete his EP Things Change, but Heinrichs recorded an album of reggae favorites with longtime friend and America’s Got Talent runner-up Cas Haley, titled–surprise!–Favorites. He has also put together a backing band to help perform his solo work, known as The Soul Riddim Band. With performances at the Oklahoma Reggae Fest and Schwagstock behind him, Heinrichs will be on the road through Texas this weekend with Haley before a series of dates in Hawaii on October 15-17.

* Jared Baehr, long the primary creative force behind local rock group Holstein (and still is), has joined another band–as its drummer. The Nautical West, as the group is known, also features Ryan Cupp on guitar and Eric Briano on bass. The band has a MySpace page set up, though there’s no music on it just yet. Watch for that soon and a debut show in late November, if the MySpace calendar is to be believed.

* While we’re on the subject of new bands, remember the group we were tentatively calling “Andy Marshall’s new band?” Such is what happens when we’re only aware of one person who is involved. Good news: We have the full lineup now. The group is called Bomb the Bay, and the full collection of members is Jake Turner (formerly of A Day Away) on vocals, Marshall and Jake Richardson (both formerly of Playing With Matches) on bass and drums, and Austin Corder and Joe Williams (both formerly of Glass Bottom Boat Ride) doubling up on guitar. Piqued your interest yet? The band is also sans music on its MySpace, but its debut show is already set for November 14 at The Outland Ballroom with The Bootheel, Benefit Of a Doubt and Uno.

* Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is currently in the process of recording its next album. The man behind the boards: Chris Walla, guitarist of Death Cab For Cutie. Look for the finished results next year.

* Iseah guitarist Jonathan Brake is leaving the group to pursue other interests. According to the band’s MySpace blog, Brake will be replaced going forward by Greg Reed. No word yet on when Brake’s farewell show with Iseah will be scheduled; we’ll let you know when we find out.

* The Blue Room at Billiards of Springfield is no longer a live music venue. Rant forthcoming about this. Stay tuned.

* Adara, poised to play its CD release party at The Outland Ballroom last Friday night, cancelled the show. The word going around among the Ballroom staff was that the group suddenly broke up. Apparently, it’s not 100% correct; the band is, however, in search of a new drummer. Know any good ones?

* Gas Pump Talent has finally added songs to its MySpace page. Go and take a listen.

I am absolutely enamoured with this home designed by Janie Hirsch:

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Light blue and white living room with sisal rug. Look at all the classic furniture pieces and beautiful artwork. Janie definitely use contrasts to add depth to a room.

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Janie is a real talent when it comes to lighting, notice how all the artworks are illuminated in a way that they stand out as individual pieces, and at the same time binds the room together. This is very well illustrated in the top pic too.

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It is so impressing to me when a home is designed in one simple color theme, like here with light blue and white, and yet all the rooms are so different. Behind the living room you can see the kitchen and dining area. See how the different curtains separates the room into two “zones”.

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Just gorgeous! That ceiling lamp is so pretty with the beads on the cable.

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Divine dining room with sheer brown curtains. Notice how Janie always hangs the curtains immediately under the ceiling, emphasizing the height of the room. Also, she often opt for two chandeliers over a dining table instead of one, that way you can decorate the wall behind with a large mirror or painting, and use one tall centerpiece on the dining table. The beams on the ceiling adds a third dimention to this room, read this great article about it on Things That Inspire!!

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Going for black cabinets in the kitchen is such a bold and creative choise!

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The focal point of this bedroom is definitely the super tall padded headboard.

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Stunning bathroom with more than enough lighting. I love how she mounted the sconces on the mirror! Not everyone has artwork overt the tub either.

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If you want to see the rest of the pics from this home, visit Janie Hirsch’s website here, and you can read a great interview with Janie on Simply Seleta!

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UPDATE: View Paint Color Suggestion for these Rooms here!

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With Rob da Bank.

14th February 2004 Side A

14th February 2004 Side B

With Rob da Bank.

28th September 2002 Side A

28th September 2002 Side B

Extended Rob da Bank Blue Room mix for New Year’s Day 2003.

1st January 2003 Side A

Then Chris Coco turns up too.

1st January 2003 Side B

If you have ever thought that that blowhard Shakespeare has a monopoly on outdoor theatre, think again! Chico’s legendary Butcher Shop Theatre came back for one weekend only to introduce a new generation to true ingenious playwriting. Since its 16-year hiatus, Butcher Shop has not changed much; albeit the people in it have. District attorneys, Daily Show with Jon Stewart writers and all your favorite locals banded together to resurrect the classic Estes Road theatre.

The play itself consisted of 6 mini-plays, with little oddities and musical numbers thrown in-between. What it really seemed like was people putting a play on for their semi-inebriated friends; especially when the audience throws pot shots at the actors during the show, creating amazingly awkward and hilarious moments. And continuing with that line of thinking, if you didn’t know anything about the show beforehand, you may not like it. The plays vary from the hilarious to the sensible to the “Am I on acid?” You’ll be quoting all night some of the professionally written dialogue, including “Future Rickshaw Man” and “The banana of ideology”.

While in some situations a train going by in the distance may be romantic, it simply presented a challenge to some of the actors that had to deal with it; pausing in the middle of a scene for more than a minute while the train stumbled by. The area on Estes Road presented audience members with a beautiful landscape that felt like almost an entirely different planet.

The band was a huge part of the show along with the light and sound effects crew. Every play was nuanced with different sounds or even full songs, which complimented very well. The full band, complete with high school band members, belted out hit after hit; including a surprising Led Zeppelin flute piece.

Going back to the plays, every character had a certain amount of depth. From Future Rickshaw Man to Existential Superman to Adver-tis-ment to the elegant Lady V., every character had a certain charm that helped to draw us in further.

While the essence of Butcher Shop has remained alive and well in the Blue Room, it is always a pleasure to see the original perform so well. And to have all the classic players from the old come together again is a classic tale that is always great; like the Fellowship of the Butcher Shop and the Return of the Theatre.

A very old tape for the Blue Room, second one I ever recorded. If I recall, I was on my way to London that day and got stuck at Bicester…

I digress.

13th July 2002 Side A

13th July 2002 Side B