To celebrate Halloween, I’m dropping multiple columns for your laughs and enjoyment. Hope you all have a happy and safe holiday! Do ghosts fart? Ever walk into your house after you’ve been away, or walk into a room and notice a strange smell? Of course, once you do, you have to try to find it, to try to get rid of it, because who wants a strange smell in their house? I’ll usually look for some dropped food or something behind or under furniture, and sometimes that’s the case. Some bit of stray potable that tried to escape and sadly discovered its motion was limited to whatever got it... Read More

To celebrate Halloween, I’m dropping multiple columns for your laughs and enjoyment. Hope you all have a happy and safe holiday! Are there Vampire businesses that are open all night? There are a lot of other businesses that amaze me with their tenacity to stay around. I never see anyone there. There are never any cars outside. They don’t advertise. They don’t seem to be particularly viable. Yet there they are, steadfast, inexplicable. Can these places be potential tax write offs or money laundering enterprises? Or do they have a set of clienteles that I’m not privy to, since... Read More

To celebrate Halloween, I’m dropping multiple columns for your laughs and enjoyment. Hope you all have a happy and safe holiday! It’s Halloween weekend, and along with the tricks and treats, and little goblins and ghouls, there are other things that haunt me. Questions. Queries. Imaginings. Like bumps in the night, especially if they’re really freaking loud, these things keep me awake. And so, in the spirit of Halloween, I’m dropping a handful of columns this weekend like bite-sized candies. And our first very important question to be answered is… Can zombies swim? Whenever... Read More

There are awards, and there are VERY SPECIAL awards. Honors, even. And this weekend, Quad-Cities actor/musician/bon vivant Doug Kutzli was verily bestowed with one of the greatest honors that could be graced upon a local performer. Upon a search for “donuts near you,” Mr. Kutzli’s performer page came up, thus putting him in rarified company as the ONLY Quad-Cities entertainer thus dubbed as AN OFFICIAL DONUT NEAR YOU. This is the first time any local entertainer has come close to gaining such a status since actor, singer, and cocksman Russell Lee was handed the Aunt Connie’s... Read More

There’s been a long history of people claiming to be time travelers. And there’s been an even longer history of people just being full of crap. Oddly enough, the Venn diagram between the two is almost an identical shadow of two circles. Certainly, there are maybe one or two instances that have made me, and others, go “hmmmm.” But most of them have made me, and others, go, “Oh geez, this is friggin’ baloney.” One of the most infamous of these among the bologna category was John Titor. Now, back in the ‘90s and up to the mid-2000s, one of the most famous radio shows in the country... Read More

If you want to run, run so far away, from the dreariness of Mondays, then The Video You Deserve is for you. Every Monday, we give you a fun, cheesy video to begin your week, and this week’s video and song is one of the most iconic of the ’80s and features one of the most iconic haircuts and lead singers of the decade. Although A Flock of Seagulls’ reign on the charts was relatively short — they had their biggest hits in just a two year span between 1982 and 1984 — the band’s futuristic image and spacey, trippy videos, made a huge impact on the visuals of early... Read More

“Scrooge was dead.” That’s how Donald C. Hepner started off a production of A Christmas Carol one night. And that one moment perfectly captures than man we all knew as “Hep.” You were never certain whether you were in on the joke or part of it. A standup comedian, gifted actor, personal friend  and mentor to many on the local theater and comedy scene, Hepner died of a massive heart attack Sunday night in his Moline residence. He was 79. He was an original dude, a great writer (his book “Reggie! Ringling’s First Black Clown” is FANTASTIC), and a fine performer... Read More

Throughout this week, we’ve been featuring stories on Quad-Cities band Einstein’s Sister, which is releasing its first record in almost two decades this weekend, during Record Store Day at CoOp Records in Moline. The band – Kerry Tucker, Bill Douglas, Marty Reyhons, Steven Volk, and Andy Brock – is releasing a double-A side single, “Standing Still” and “Begin Again,” on transparent blue vinyl. But that’s one of the only ways in which the band has been completely transparent. Throughout this week, I’ve been scanning the archives and corners of the internet for information on... Read More

Come enjoy a night of laughter with your friends! Experience Stand Up Comedy Night at The University Club (1518 5th Avenue Moline) this Saturday Sep 5 from 7 – 10:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. and laughing begins at 8 p.m. ▪️Round table seating ▪️Snacks are welcome ▪️Drinks available for purchase This is a standup comedy for adults so leave the little ones at home and come enjoy a few cocktails. The University Club provides a beautiful atmosphere for a great time! Line-Up : Jeff Adamson Scott White   Limited seating available!   Tickets – $10 Per Ticket $70 Table of... Read More

There’s a scene in Nick Hornby’s “High Fidelity” where the lead character, played by John Cusack, asks whether or not it’s fair to judge people largely on their music tastes. So, is it? What kind of music do you like? Who are your favorite singers? What’s your favorite song? When I was younger, particularly in high school and early college, I was inclined to judge potential friends and girlfriends in large part on their musical and pop-culture tastes. Yes, I was an entertainment snob. Hard to believe, I know. In comparing preferences in music, TV shows, movies, and books, I felt... Read More