Q101 The Alternative
Q101 (formerly on Chicago radio @ 101.1 FM) The Alternative - Chicago's New Rock Alternative - Everything Alternative - Chicago's Alternative - Gen X - Generation X
Oh no he didn’t! He sleeps with a teddybear and it talks? Whoa. Email me at Jenn@q101.com and tell me what Mark Wahlberg has three of and no it’s not that! Dirty birds. Screening on June 26th at 7:00pm at the Kerasotes Showplace Icon.
NSFW Trailer Right Here!
Check out the movie here! To win, email me at Jenn@q101.com and tell me what your last meal would be! Win tickets to the advanced screening of “Seeking a friend for the end of the world” starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightly.
The Advanced Screening is on:
Thursday, June 21
7:00 PM
AMC River East
SYNOPSIS:
Taking audiences on a humorous, moving, and intimate journey against an epic backdrop of Earth’s final days, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World explores what people will do and how they will feel when humanity’s end is near.
A 70-mile-wide asteroid is en route to Earth, and the last best attempt to counter it has failed. Also failing is the marriage of soft-spoken insurance salesman Dodge (Steve Carell); the breaking news that the world will end in an estimated 21 days cues his wife to leave him on the spot.
Dodge is a man who has always played by the rules of life, while his neighbor Penny (Keira Knightley) is an extroverted woman who hasn’t. From these opposite perspectives, both initially choose to navigate the impending end of the world with blinders on. Dodge declines joining his friends in increasingly reckless behavior, while Penny fixates on her relationship issues with a self-absorbed musician.
The two misfits meet first when Penny has a rough night and then again when she belatedly delivers Dodge a lost letter. That letter could alter Dodge’s future; it’s from his high-school sweetheart Olivia, the love of his life. When a riot breaks out around their apartment building, Dodge realizes that he must seek Olivia out before it’s too late while Penny makes the decision to spend her last days with family in England. Seizing the moment, Dodge promises to help Penny reach her family if she will provide transport for the two of them in her car immediately. She agrees, and they escape.
On the road together, the unlikely traveling companions’ respective personal journeys accelerate, and their outlooks – if not the world’s – brighten.
Email me at Jenn@q101.com if you want a pair of tickets to the Advanced Screening of High School!
Tell me your most favorite subject from high school. Lunch, PE, none of the above? See the trailer HERE
Check out the deets here:
The day after soon-to-be valedictorian Henry Burke (Matt Bush) takes a hit of the chronic for the first time, his school principal (Michael Chiklis) institutes a zero tolerance drug policy and administers a mandatory drug test for all students. Henry has two options: fail and lose his college scholarship, or team up with his stoner friend Breaux (Sean Marquette) to beat the system. They steal a high powered ganja from law student-turned-drug-dealer Psycho Ed (Adrien Brody) and spike the school’s bake sale brownies, getting the whole school—faculty included—completely stoned out of their minds. But with the student body getting higher and higher with every brownie, and a pissed-off Psycho Ed on their tails for stealing his stash, they must find a way to keep their half-baked plan from going up in smoke.
Email me at Jenn@q101.com and tell me your favorite Wes Anderson movie. I think the weirder the title the better the movie. And Moonrise Kingdom is the next movie to rock your world.
Win a pair of tickets to a special screening on:
Thursday, May 31, 7:30 PM at AMC River East
Click here for more info on the next Wes Anderson Master Work!
Synopsis: Moonrise Kingdom is the new movie directed by two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Rushmore). Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff, Captain Sharp. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader, Scout Master Ward. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Bob Balaban; and introduces Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as Sam and Suzy, the boy and girl.
Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and Nirvana will be directing and producing an upcoming documentary on Van Nuys, California recording studio Sound City. Sound City will give audiences a feature-length history of Sound City Studios, the Van Nuys, California, studio where great albums including Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush, Rage Against the Machine’s self-titled, and of course, Nirvana’s Nevermind were recorded.
A release date has not yet been set. A teaser clip for the film can be seen at its website.
Source: http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/dave_grohl_foo_fighters_to_direct_and_produce_new_documentary
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A weekend of human density, popular culture, digital, print, and toy entertainment came to a close on Sunday April 15th with the McCormick Place north building lights dimming at 5pm to signal it’s time to get out, but the love and excitement of what was in this massive building continues every day in the fans, and companies that buy and create the entertainment that has become mainstream like a blur.
Q101′s presence & table shocked, and excited a lot of people at the convention. The fans and support poured in non-stop through the entire weekend, with supporters normal, and super-hero alike. We traversed the show floor and beyond, reaching every man, woman, child, and cape we saw to remind them that Q101 is as strong as ever.
The Incredible Hulk, as you can see here, couldn’t contain his excitement when he saw the Q101 table.
The Q101 puppet kept showing up in the darndest places! Like here
And here
And here.
The response, support, and feeling of camaraderie during the convention was amazing, and we thank all the fans that came out to see us, and also enjoyed the convention!
Q101 also got into the John Barrowman (Doctor Who, Torchwood) Q & A, and he delighted the crowd, leaving everyone in stitches with his frank and honest answers, stories, and singing.
And no Q101 appearance would be complete without our mascot, the endearing Mr. Bananas who came to say hi to the kids!
Q101 was the perfect description of divide & conquer, we had the convention covered on all fronts, with more than enough to go around! Q101 is popular culture, Q101 is Chicago’s Alternative, WE ARE Q101!!
All photos care of Nina Andorf
ninaa37@gmail.com
Certainly one of Q101′s most arduous adventures into the wild, is the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2). It’s quite a task to work one of these conventions, but Q101 balanced it all with a steady hand!
Q101 found itself in Artist Alley, but look! We had a corner, which means more space. We did what we’re good at, and that’s make a crowd. We talked about Q101, talked with our fans about Jamboree, sold merch, and had an overall great time! Just like this kid, one of our excited interns:
Once we sent up out table, the traffic just kept coming! It was non-stop until around 3pm:
Today was the first of three days, and the fans came out in droves! Here’s to a great day one, and 2 more to come! And tomorrow, be sure to wear your Q101 shirt with pride, and if we see it, you may get some “treats”!!
Yes, you’re reading this right. Q101 will be at C2E2, this weekend April 13th – 15th at the McCormick Place North building in downtown Chicago! We will have our own corner of the world, in Artist’s Alley, booth #O11. We will be wandering the convention floor, selling shirts, handing out goodies, spreading the goodwill and cheer of Chicago’s Alternative! Q101 will be there the ENTIRE duration of the convention. There will be magic! Excitement! Tomfoolery! And maybe this guy:
Did you miss out on our text contest this week to win weekend passes? Never fear friends, be sure to wear your Q101 shirt when you’re in line Friday morning. You may be able to save your money *wink, wink*.
We will have raffles, smiling people, a photographer, and a presence like no other, by the one and only Q101!
Choosing only 10 stand-up comedians as the ‘smartest-of-all-time’ is like asking a parent to choose a favorite child – someone WILL get hurt. There’s obviously some very honorable mentions not here, but including everyone worthy of recognition would make this a top-500 list. Instead, I chose to choose a blend of ten classic & modern comics that drastically changed the medium, not by just making you laugh – but by really making you think.
(NOTE – most videos are NSFW.)
- Kyle
Not since Cheech & Chong has an ambassador of stoner-dom gained such a cult following. However, whereas C&C were heavy on actual drug material, Mitch Hedberg simply seemed lit up. Known for his one or two lined non-sequiters, he was easily dismissed by critics as a “pun-jockey surrealist” – but his massive cult following heard a depth to his jokes.
Hedberg had a way of noticing the little things of life – ironies, word-play, inconveniences – by conveying them in such a likable way you felt like his drinking buddy by the end of the show. Outshining his “duuuude” image, he formulated his stage presence into a remarkably unique delivery, one that almost appears forced when seen for the first time. In reality, he severely struggled with both crippling stage fright (you can regularly see his microphone-hand trembling) & drug addictions, leading to his early death by overdose in 2005 at the age of 37.
www.mitchhedberg.net
THAT’S FACTED UP: Hedberg made an appearance on “That 70′s Show” as Frank, chef of the restaurant the characters frequent.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “I’m sick of following my dreams, man. I’m just going to ask where they’re going and hook up with them later.”
Comedian (also actor / writer) Steven Wright made his unique breakout in 1985 - striking extreme contrast half-way through the decade of excess. What defined the 80′s is exactly what his act defied. Almost an existentialist, his thought-provoking material delivers itself SO casually, you’re laughing too hard to realize that what he just said was a complete mindfuck.
Wright is the Mitch Hedberg for connoisseurs. Underneath a thick level of deadpan, Wright’s routine bordered on the philosophical – usually in increments of one-lined jokes. A master of the double-entendre, his routines were so languid HE almost seemed bored – which allows the incredibly insightful statements he peppers throughout the act to absorb slowly. His type of humor wouldn’t work well with an energetic, charismatic-type figure – these are dull, ironic & listless jokes – that are brilliant.
Steven Wright @ IMDB
THAT’S FACTED UP: Wright lends his voice to Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 “Reservoir Dogs” as the voice of the DJ on ‘K-Billy Radio’.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: ”I was born by Cesarean section, but not so you’d notice. It’s just that when I leave a house, I go out through the window.”
Arguably the loudest & most vitriolic comic on Earth, Kinison made it known he was in the room. As a former Pentecostal Preacher, his transformation into comedy was distinctive – evangelical, literally-screamed punchlines became the cornerstone of his act. He moved to stand-up shortly after his first divorce (and subsequently leaving the Church), using his massive lifestyle change as fuel to the angry fire & brimstone of his set.
Having an open appetite for drugs, sex & alcohol brought an edge to his personality: here was once a man of the cloth, holy in behavior – now pissed off, hedonistic and loudly sacrilegious. This sort of duplicity helped make his image infamous – besides, it’s pretty hard to ignore the guy shouting in your face. Aside from the bad-boy infamy, Kinison brought angered reason to everyday-topics like marriage, life & religion in a way no one previously had. Kinison died due to a drunk driving accident in 1992 at the age of 38.
www.samkinison.org
THAT’S FACTED UP: Kinison played Al Bundy’s guardian angel in an episode of “Married… with Children”. Ironically, Kinison was also the network’s original choice for the role of Al Bundy (which he turned down).
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “I called a detox center – just to see how much it would cost: $13,000 for 3 weeks! My friends, if you can come up with thirteen grand, you don’t have a problem yet.”
If you’ve watched television between the mid-nineties and now, you’ve seen David Cross somewhere. Best known for his roles on “Mr. Show” & “Arrested Development”, Cross has transformed character acting into a crossover art – writing, directing, voicing or starring in over 35 shows and 40 movies as of 2012. Aside from Hollywood work, Cross’ biting stand-up routines have been an indie-favorite for almost 30 years.
His scathing reflections on religion, politics, sexuality and culture have solidified him not just as a left-leaning ‘hero’, but as a legitimate advocate of basic human & animal rights. Performing stage comedy since the age of 17, Cross’ notoriety includes a famous public dispute with fellow stand-up Larry the Cable Guy, multiple lawsuits and even a scandal involving him snorting cocaine at a White House Correspondence dinner near President Obama (just to say “he did it”). Despite his apparent political angle, Cross continues to be a cross-party, crowd-pleasing figurehead for an entire nation of American life.
David Cross – Sub Pop artist page
THAT’S FACTED UP: Cross lost the role of Dr. Gregory House on “House M.D.” to Hugh Laurie.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “I don’t think Osama bin Laden sent those planes to attack us because he hated our freedom. I think he did it because of our support for Israel, our ties with the Saudi family and our military bases in Saudi Arabia. You know why I think that? Because that’s what he fucking said!”
English actor / comedian Izzard has confused almost every critic with his short-listed bio: he’s a sexually-straight (but) cross-dressing, dyslexic, atheistic, trilingual, award-winning, accomplished theater / film / television actor; with one hand in British politics & the other in professional athletics. Boosh.
Best known in America for his roles in “Ocean’s Twelve”, “Ocean’s Thirteen” & ”The Riches”, Izzard has been called “the Lost Python” by John Cleese himself (even appearing on-stage with Monty Python in 1998). His multi-faceted biography mirrors his act - rambling / erratic observations colorfully paint his interesting portrayals of world history, religion and culture in a way that makes even anti-intellectuals listen. If the education system was more like this, graduation rates would skyrocket – his routines are study guides with a sense of savvy sarcasm.
www.eddieizzard.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: Izzard ran almost 30 miles a day, 6 days a week – for 2 months straight – to help raise money for charity in 2009.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “I grew up in Europe, where the history comes from. ”
Widely heralded as the “comic’s comic” – Louis C.K. brings unashamed, unfiltered honesty to the stage that America hasn’t seen in decades. Taking a no-gimmick approach, C.K. has perfected an “everyman” persona – publicly evaluating his life, love, children, work & society in a way that makes almost every demographic relate. Treating his audience like a personal therapist, his act routinely outs his shame, guilt, struggles & hardships, all without asking for sympathy.
C.K. uses a technique that seems blatantly obvious – truth. The difference between himself & current peers, however, is his quelling of ego. This is a self-realized man in his mid-40′s, dealing with the same problems John Doe down the street has. Despite the centralized personal theme to his material, his reflections of society are fundamentally how it really is. Starting his professional career as a writer for A-listers like Letterman, Conan, Ben Stiller & Chris Rock – he’s successfully transitioned into television & film (screenwriting and directing for others & even independently creating 2 auto-biographical primetime shows). Insightful yet modest – tragic yet empathetic – Louis C.K. is one of our greatest modern voices.
www.louisck.net
THAT’S FACTED UP: Despite popular belief that he is fully Irish, C.K. has partial Mexican ancestry – even living in Mexico City until he was 7 years old. English is actually his second language.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “There’s a reason it’s called Girls Gone Wild and not Women Gone Wild. When girls go wild, they show their tits. When women go wild, they kill men and drown their kids in a tub.”
Lenny Bruce (born Leonard Schneider) was the Elvis Presley of comedy. He came at a time, like Presley, when this type of public-spectacle just didn’t happen. These were the 50′s: clean-cut, wholesome, willingly-sterilzed times. Bruce was approximately the exact opposite. Earning himself an infamous obscenity conviction during his trial in 1964 blew the doors open for an entirely new brand of humor: black comedy in a bright, white world.
Bruce’s social satire & unflinching, free-associated honesty portrayed a darker American image than it’s public was used to. His routines were philosophic – light years ahead of their time. Appearing on national television only 6 times, Bruce encountered constant court battles and was blacklisted by almost every American club by the end of his life. Later in his career, drug addiction & close-to-public-breakdowns affected his fame and fortune, leading to a morphine overdose in 1966 at the age of 40. The legacy he left behind has continued to influence the genre, with most comics citing him as the “original visionary”.
www.lennybruceofficial.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: Apart from his comedic influence, Bruce’s likeness appears on the cover of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, has been mentioned in-song by R.E.M. and Simon & Garfunkel, and is the first case in New York state history to be granted a posthumous pardon in 2003.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “All my humor is based upon destruction and despair. If the whole world were tranquil, without disease and violence, I’d be standing on the breadline right in back of J. Edgar Hoover.”
Richard Pryor did for African-Americans in comedy what Rosa Parks did for political & civil rights. His racially-driven, controversial material helped usher in public (read: White) awareness of social & civil rights. Throughout the course of his (officially, but not in total) 19 live albums, Pryor touched not just the subject of race; but amusingly & profanely tackled culture, politics, sexuality & drug use in a way that completely captured an all-too-unheard-from demographic. You can say he found a way to expand and improve upon Bill Cosby’s live act – with many, many more F and N words.
Pryor’s fame as a stand-up was parallel to his success in cinema – he appeared in over 40 films between the years of 1967-1997. Starring in, supporting or writing classics like “Silver Streak”, “Blue Collar”, “The Toy”, “Superman III” (and an often on-screen pairing with Gene Wilder) helped attain mainstream attention, earning himself a diversely massive fan base. Both during & after his life, Pryor (and the Pryor estate) was awarded an Emmy, 5 Grammys, 2 American Academy of Humor Awards, a Writer’s Guild Award & several Life-Time Achievements. Suffering from lifelong heart problems & multiple sclerosis, Pryor passed away in 2005 at the age of 65.
www.richardpryor.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: Sheridan Road in Peoria, IL (Pryor’s hometown) was renamed to Richard Pryor Place in 2002.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “When I was in Africa, this voice came to me and said, ‘Richard, what do you see?’ I said, ‘I see all types of people.’ The voice said, ‘But do you see any niggers?’ I said, ‘No.’ It said, ‘Do you know why? ‘Cause there aren’t any.’”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FipkwtYLTk
Counter-culture’s most pertinent voice, Bill Hicks took the microphone like a sword and the stage like his horse. Hot-tempered, politically incorrect & irreverent to the bone – Hicks barked prophetic genius to unsuspecting audiences everywhere. Leaving nothing taboo; Hicks tore into religion, politics, consumerism, drug opponents and basically anything stigmatized – with fury. Contempt for culture and superficiality have never been criticized so lucidly by anyone since.
Starting his live career in the early 80′s, Hicks’ controversial social commentary was the subject of extreme censorship battles – but by 1990, his audience had significantly grown. Striking a friendship with alternative band Tool, he joined the 1992 Lollapalooza tour, opening their shows. His comedic impact can be seen on most modern comics, but more notably, musicians – with names like Radiohead, SPA, Super Furry Animals and Tool immortalizing him either in song or on album artwork. Hicks was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 1993, tragically passing away at home in 1994 at the age of 32. His iconic and prolific performances are regarded as some of comedy’s finest moments.
www.billhicks.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: In 1993, comedian Denis Leary (then close friend of Bill) took a significant amount of Hicks’ previously recorded material – line for line – and recorded it as his own on his 1993 special “No Cure For Cancer”. The incident caused an abrupt ending to their friendship. When asked about the matter in an interview, Hicks said, “I have a scoop for you. I stole his act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and, to really throw people off, I did it before he did.”
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “It’s all about money, not freedom, okay? Nothing to do with fucking freedom. If you think you’re free, try going somewhere without fucking money, okay?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xObHeRrFhwI
The one and only George Carlin – master of human condition & singular comedy icon of the 21st Century. A Carlin show was not just a comedy set – it was a lecture. A lecture from a professor dead-set on teaching you everything parents & authority didn’t cover. Astronomically intelligent and devoid of any sugar-coating, Carlin’s act was a lightning-fast account of every aspect of life. His wildly controversial, yet instantly accessible finesse found a place in society that most comics can only covet: wholly independent thought on a mainstream level of success.
Carlin first reached the public eye in the 1960′s on both The Ed Sullivan Show & The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Shedding his clean-cut, inoffensive image on-stage by the 70′s, he began to develop his unique styling – dividing his material into 3 categories (as described by Carlin himself): ”the little world” (observational humor), “the big world” (social commentary), and the “peculiarities of the English language”. Carlin was able to articulate hyper-detailed evaluation like an over-clocked computer – frequently using fast-paced, alliterated lists to punctuate his point. In 1978, his “Seven Dirty Words” routine was responsible for one of the biggest cases in censorship & broadcast history – a 5-4 win allowed the government to regulate “indecent material on the public airwaves”. Appearing in 14 films and 20 television shows, Carlin continued his show business career off the stage as well – ironically including the ‘Mr. Conductor’ character on children’s show “Shining Time Station” (!). Carlin has been awarded 5 Grammy Awards (among several others) for his 14 HBO specials, 19 albums and 5 books. Infinitely unique & completely unprecedented, George Carlin enjoyed over 50 successful years in show business before passing away in 2008 at the age of 71.
www.georgecarlin.com
THAT’S FACTED UP: Carlin was the first-ever host of “Saturday Night Live”.
NOTABLE QUOTABLE: “The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7pQrx1QvE
I am a magnet for the Redbox douchebag. The one jackass that knows that you are behind him yet feels the need to peruse every selection at least twice and then must read each description of every movie. I want to scream, “It’s Scooby Doo, Douche, and it has four teenagers, a dog, some drug references, and a big green van. Move out of my way!”
It doesn’t matter which Redbox I go to, I feel like I have won the lottery if I can get to the screen before anybody else does. It warms the cockles of my heart and keeps me from throwing elbows. I stood at a Redbox for about 8 minutes before I gave up and went home today. I didn’t need to get a new movie for tonight, but it sounded good. Instead, I will be snuggling up to my Netflix. The irony of this story is the man and woman who were occupying the Redbox were ragging on how Netflix has nothing to watch. With that said, it reminded me of all of the movies I had in my queue and I went home.
I think the potential for Redbox is awesome, but I hardly ever have been able to walk up to one without an idiot somehow hovering in front or behind me. If they are in front of me, I know that I should pull up a lawn chair, a beer and a good book. If they are behind me, I know that the clock is ticking and soon enough I am going to hear them pacing behind me, heavily breathing, and mumbling under their breath.
The question is, “How do I get to have a pleasant Redbox experience?” I have two solutions. One is to go to Redbox at midnight and hope I don’t get mugged or have an idiot installed on the box. Maybe a person would have to walk up and answer a question that people with common sense could answer. Similar to Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking”, where Jay goes up to people, asks them questions that seem to be common sense questions and then the people just blow the answer so badly they end up on TV looking like complete morons.
Maybe I can start a timer behind the Squatter loud enough for them to hear that they just took up my precious time debating whether to rent “The Thing” and “Eurotrip”. At this point I have lost a handful of brain cells and everyone knows that “Eurotrip” is the way to go.
Maybe Redbox has thought of this already and that’s why they launched the pre-ordering of your Redbox movie(s). That’s a fantastic idea, yet I don’t think the morons will ever catch on to it, so I am still screwed waiting for them to get out of my way.
Maybe I am the jerk. Maybe I do have “Redbox Rage,” but walking up to a Redbox is like walking up to the rudeness meter. People stand too close, lean on people’s cars that are parked on a curb and say rude things under their breath. I have yet to become confrontational about this behavior, but I think I may just be one DVD away from losing it completely. Next time, I am just going to go in wearing full goalie hockey gear and push my way through. I will show them the difference between being rude and being dumb.
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