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The CHIRP Blog
Kevin Fullam writesThe Fourth Wall: The Last Seduction
Welcome to The Fourth Wall, CHIRP's weekly e-conversation on cinema. This week's subject is the film The Last Seduction.
This edition is written by CHIRP Radio volunteers Kevin Fullam and Shawna Kaiser.
Kevin:
Hang on to your heart, your wallet, and your life -- if Bridget Gregory of The Last Seduction is in town, all three are at risk. Was it a victory for feminism to see a female cinema protagonist that was as ruthless as any male to grace the screen? Let's discuss...
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In the annals of Neo-noir, The Last Seduction may have traveled one of the oddest paths to glory. First aired by HBO in 1994 before the channel garnered its current status as a purveyor of high-brow television, Seduction was originally pitched as a throwaway "skin-e-max" (in the words of screenwriter Steve Barancik) flick. Lo and behold, a quality piece of cinema emerged, powered by a stunning performance from lead Linda Fiorentino as the aforementioned Ms. Gregory. The film was then ushered into the box office for a brief run (grossing over $5 million) and garnered a four-star review from Roger Ebert, who listed the movie on his Top 10 list for the year. However, despite generating serious Oscar buzz, Fiorentino was ruled ineligible by the Academy because the film had aired on cable before arriving in theaters.
The plot in a nutshell: Bridget is married to Clay (Bill Pullman), a shady would-be doctor who's dealing drugs in order to pay back a loan shark. After a big score, the couple quarrel; Clay hits Bridget, and she decides to hightail out of NYC -- with their $700,000. Bridget bunkers down in a suburb of Buffalo until her divorce goes through, while Clay (now in serious physical danger from Mr. Loan Shark) hires private eye Harlan (Bill Nunn) to find his wife and recover the loot.
Mike Nikolich writes15 Minutes With Teleporter
Elliot Gitter of Teleporter will perform solo at CHIRP Night at the Whistler on April 25. (Photo by Harley Friedman)
Elliot Gitter is the lead guitarist, vocalist and principal songwriter for Teleporter, who opens for ADT at CHIRP Night at the Whistler this Wednesday, April 25 at 8 pm.
Gitter will perform solo at the Whistler, focusing mostly on new material. We caught up with him to find out what he has in store for the Whistler audience.
Q : How long has Teleporter been together?
A: Nick and I started playing together with Jeremy in 2012 and recorded The Martian Chronicles in 2013 with engineer Barrett Guzaldo. At the time, I was living in a house in Chicago with several of my friends. I recorded the demos at my home studio, using an eight-track analog console. We would sample a bunch of sounds and create music. After we completed the sessions, Barrett went on to create Treehouse Records with Matt Gieser.
SKaiser writes@CHIRPRadio (Week of April 23)
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Wednesday, April 25 | 8:30 PM | 21+ | CHIRP Night at the Whistler welcomes Chicago's own ADT with Teleporter!
- Sunday, April 29 | 4:00 PM | All Ages | Join CHIRP at the Chicago Humanities Festival - Questlove: Creative Quest
- Sunday, April 29 | 5:30 PM | All Ages | This Classic Album Sundays at the Saturday Audio Exchange features The Wailers Burnin'
- Sunday, April 29 | 6:00 PM | Join CHIRP at the Chicago Humanities Festival - Hanif Abdurraqib: They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us
- Sunday, April 29 | 8:00 PM | 21+ | CHIRP Welcomes The Cactus Blossoms to Lincoln Hall (2424 N Lincoln Ave)
- Sunday, April 29 | 8:00 PM | All Ages | CHIRP is happy to welcome Sam Amidon to the Old Town School of Folk Music (4544 N Lincoln Ave) with special guest James Elkington
NEW MEDIA
- Local rap artist known as Fury sat down with Features Director Amelia Hruby
- First Time: First Dream with Adam Lawson
- Miranda Phelps sat down with Dessa, a member of hip-hop group Doomtree
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writes@CHIRPRadio (Week of April 9)
Upcoming Events
- Wednesday April 11: CHIRP Radio presents First Time: First Try at Martyr's
- Friday April 13: CHIRP Radio welcomes Bette LaVette to the Old Town School of Folk Music
- Saturday April 14: The 16th Annual CHIRP Record Fair and Other Dlights happens at Plumbers Hall!
New Media
- First Time: First Strike - Lawrence Peters
- First Time: First Strike - Clarence Browley
- Jessi D. takes a look at Frontwoman Fest
Top of the CHIRP Charts
1. Wye Oak – The Louder I Call the Faster I Run (Merge)
2. Alice Bag – Blueprint (Don Giovanni)
3. FACS – Negative Houses (Trouble in Mind)
Click here to see the complete list of 50 albums that made this week’s charts as well as new music recently added to CHIRP’s library.
SKaiser writes@CHIRPRadio (Week of April 2)
NEW MEDIA
- Bex of Nashville based Ruby Boots joined Features interviewer Max Carter in the CHIRP studios
- Kurt Conley writes Music as Memory: Getting Witchy with Tori Amos
- YFEE Plans Deeply Personal Performance at CHIRP Night at the Whistler by Mike Nikolich
- The Fourth Wall: Revolutionary Road with Kevin Fullam and Clarence Ewing