DeGeneres’ mom becomes
spokeswoman for gay causes
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -
Strangers would stop her on the street
to tell their story, but Betty
DeGeneres didn’t mind.
After her daughter Ellen
DeGeneres went public about her
homosexuality along with her TV
alter ego on “Ellen,” people learned
that Betty DeGeneres was fine with
that. She became a hot commodity,
appearing on television.
She was recognized so frequently
by people who poured their hearts out
to her that she decided to quit her job
as a speech therapist and become a
national spokeswoman for gay causes.
“It feels like my mission in life. I
just jumped in at die deep end,” she
said.
Turning 70 involves parties,
fund-raisers for Angelou
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.(AP)
For Maya Angelou, turning 70 didn’t
just bring a birthday.
It brought months of birthday par
ties.
The poet turned 70 on April 4, but
the celebrations keep going.
First Oprah Winfrey threw a bash
with a weeklong cruise, then there
was the London birthday fund-raiser,
and next month there’s another fund
raiser.
“Yes, the celebration has been
going on all year - and I’m still stand
ing, thank you,” Angelou said from
her home in Winston-Salem.
“I believe I’ve had enough birth
day parties this year to carry me into
my 90s.”
The Chemical Brothers
“Brother’s Gonna Work It
Out”
Astralwerks
Grade: B
As the front-runners of break
beat electronica, the Chemical
Brothers simultaneously have
become exclusive figures of b-boy
hipsterism and over-hyped objects
of ridicule.
For the record, they belong in the
former category more than the lat
ter. And their latest album,
“Brother’s Gonna Work It Out,” is
proof.
Less a full-fledged album than
an extended mix tape, “Brother’s”
lays out a barrage of old songs from
the Chemicals, their cohorts and
their past influences.
Unlike the Chemicals’ previous
releases, “Brother’s” contains mini
mal modification and reorganiza
tion of tracks. Most of the songs are
left to play out on their own, and
Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons are
responsible mostly for blending the
tracks into one another. This isn’t
the style of DJ mixing that made
them famous, but it’s how they got
their start. And it shows why they
became such underground club leg
ends before they had even released a
single.
The album starts off with the
title track, Willie Hutch’s classic
number from “The Mack” sound
track, and then jumps forward to
mostly ’90s tabletop rockers, most
notably artists such as Meat Beat
Manifesto (“Mars Needs Women”)
and Spiritualized (a fantastic remix
of “Think I’m in Love”).
Fans who are expecting another
collection of tunes akin to “Setting
Sun” and “Elektrobank” might want
to steer clear of this one. But true
fans of the hip-hop culture that
spawned the Chemical Brothers and
the plethora of artists who travel the
same road as them should give it a
shot.
— Jeff Randall
Punk mall offers alternatives I
PUNK from page 7
Two months ago, the three started
looking for a space to house their two
stores. They chose the building on
14th Street after Bird expressed an
interest in moving in a new coffee
shop. For the Stevenses and Chasek, a
third partner meant cheaper rent and
another draw for customers.
The four owners have been in
their new space for three weeks now.
They say the response has been posi
tive, and they are are counting on
word-of-mouth to spread the word of
the punk pinnacle.
“The stores lead towards each
other,” Chasek said. “People who are
shopping for clothes are interested in
music. And, the people who come to
look at my records are definitely
interested in the clothes.”
In addition to the mingling of
clientele, Chasek said, the physical
space enhances the presentation of
the merchandise.
Zero Street’s section in the build
ing’s basement is double the size of
the old space, allowing Chasek to
place more of his inventory out on the
shelves.
“The space is more like a record
shop should be,” he said.
As for the upstairs, the owners
have already finished some renova
tions.
When they moved in, they tore
down the building’s drywall, took
out the drop ceiling and painted the
walls.
Future plans include the con
struction of a loft in the Ozone’s
section.
“You’re seeing the same clothes,
Chasek said, “but in a much better
venue.”
While Zero Street and the Ozone
may be improving on an old formula,
The Location is a new experiment.
The grab-and-go shop offers a
range of gourmet coffees, Italian
sodas, teas and fruit drinks as well as
baked goods.
“It’s for people who don’t have
time to stand in line for 20 minutes to
get a cup of coffee ... people who
have somewhere to be,” Lewis said.
Bird said The Location also
appeals to health-conscious cus
tomers. In addition to a full line of
caffeinated beverages, The Location
carries the Nature’s Sunshine Herbs
line: a series of herbal products for
better health and nutrition.
Eventually, Bird and Lewis would
like to present art shows at The
Location. The two believe art exhibi
tions are a natural outgrowth of the
triad.
Despite all the future goals for the
three businesses, plans do not include
name changes for the Ozone or Zero
Street, although many connect the
names with the stores’ locations on O
Street.
“There’s more history to the
names than just the location on O,”
Chasek said.
That history includes a reputation
of providing customers with some
thing other than the norm, Lewis
said.
Now, with three, three, three
stores in one, the triumvirate’s pinna
cle to all that is punk promises to
offers a variety you’ll not find at any
suburban shopping mall.
Caulfield Records makes business move I
CAULFIELD from page 7
when I was working on it,” McGinn
said.
“I think it will be a pretty cool
arrangement, actually, because I’m
able to help Kevin with some of his
stuff that he has on stock at the
record store through my mail order.”
Chasek said making his invento
ry accessible through McGinn’s mail
order was one of the best things
about the cooperation between the
two operations.
“That way, I can be involved in
his mail order and move product that
doesn’t sell locally. And it helps him
out by making his mail order more
diverse,” Chasek said.
Dy juiy, mcvjmn naa sei up
Caulfield’s office under Zero Street,
and had everything ready to go. But
only two weeks after settling into his
new hideout, McGinn had to relocate
again because Zero Street itself was
moving - to its present location of
120 N. 14th St.
Chasek remembered the first
time he met McGinn four years ago
at a Caulfield showcase, which
included performances by McGinn’s
former band Sideshow, local heroes
Mercy Rule and other Caulfield
groups Christie Front Drive and
Giants Chair. Chasek said he talked
to McGinn at that show, a conversa
tion Chasek thinks McGinn probably
does not remember, and said the two
did not become close until Chasek
started having shows at his house in
the summer of 1997.
“We were just talking about what
bands should play, and he asked me if
I’d ever want to play together some
time. Then we started the band Luck
of Aleia, and we’ve been good
friends ever since,” Chasek said.
Luck of Aleia includes McGinn
on guitar and vocals, the bass and
vocals of Chasek, drummer Ryan
Krummel and guitarist Jeremy
Podliska.
After the band formed in
November 1997, Luck of Aleia
played its first gig in March, and
McGinn and Chasek’s relationship
grew.
And when McGinn became fed
up with the brutal heat he encoun
tered in the summer while running
Caulfield out of his attic, Chasek
offered McGinn the opportunity to
bring the label into cooperation with
his own independently run business.
Well, sort of.
ran oi tne way mat nappenea
was I found out that he designs Web
pages, and I asked him if he could
help me out as far as a Web page,”
Chasek said “We haven’t got around
to (the Web page) yet, but as soon as
Bemie gets down here and sets up
Caulfield, Zero Street’s Web page
will hopefully be up and running.”
Besides wanting to work in a dif
ferent environment, McGinn had dif
ferent motives that influenced his
decision to move Caulfield away
from his home.
“Another reason why I moved the
label was to be able to bring other
people into it, because it’s really only
been me,” McGinn said. “So now
that it’s in a more businesslike atmos
phere, it will help a lot to be able to
bring other people in to help be more
efficient.”
Don’t let this confuse you.
Caulfield is still a one-man show, but
that could change in the future,
McGinn said. Chasek has offered
help with the label’s mail orders, but
«
(Caulfield) was
definitely started just
to put out Sideshow
records because no
one else was
interested in doing it.”
Bernie McGinn
owner of Caulfield Records
he and McGinn have yet to figure out
what his part will be.
“I would love to help him out as
much as I could with Caulfield,”
Chasek said. “But as far as a business
partner is concerned, I don’t see that
happening just because Bemie is so
effective at it by himself that I really
don’t see him asking for a partner.”
For now, Chasek and McGinn are
focused on finishing the record they
recorded with Luck of Aleia in time'
for the band’s tour of the Midwest
during the winter break. j
McGinn said he’s excited about
releasing the first Luck of Aleia
album because he hasn't released a
record he’s played on since
Sideshow’s last Caulfield release in
1994. .
“It’s been fun because I’d spent
more than 10 years playing with die
guys from Sideshow,” McGinn said.
“I’d been playing with those guys for
so long that it was really cool to start
playing music with three other peo
ple that I’ve never played with
before.”
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