The Wake

A couple months ago I had the chance to talk to Paul Allender, guitar player for possibly the world’s biggest extreme metal band, Cradle of Filth. Paul was with the band in their formative days (1992-1994) and recently returned in 1999. In 2004 the band somehow managed to top all of their previous output (which is a great feat!) and released Nymphetamine on RoadRunner Records.The Wake: Well, Paul, I’d like to congratulate you on Nymphetamine, it’s really a killer record. But for those who haven’t been compelled to pick it up, tell them why they should bother.Paul: Nobody sounds like …

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Heiruspecs is all about mixin’ it up – defying rap conventions.The St. Paul hip-hop group backs its rhymes with live drums, bass and keyboard, so on stage they look like a pair of MCs rolling out rhymes in front of a rock-band backdrop. But the sound is totally integrated, with Twinkie Jiggles’ strong basslines shining through in some songs and dVRG’s piano melodies in others. The fabric holding all of it together is the dense, smooth vocals of Felix and Maud’Dib. The speed at which the two fly through their lyrics creates a texture more than a discernible verbal statement, …

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The Perceptionists may be one of the best hip-hop supergroups ever. They’re a collective of uniquely and supremely gifted hip-hop heads and intellects. The group – DJ Fakts 1, Akrobatik, and Mr. Lif – are among the best Def Jux has to offer. On their own, they’ve all had more than successful indie careers. As a group, they’ve elevated their respective styles into one conscious stream of pure heavenly hip-hop. They’re a Boston-born beat-breaking lyric-shaking machine that cannot be stopped. They’re currently touring around the country in a van, picking up new devotees as they go. Recently, Ak and Fakts …

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Least ResistantNever mind the cold
Never mind it, persevere!
Wild ice will break stonesMy Lover Leaves for Work as I Wake UpNine bamboos and me.
I kiss your yellow pillow.
Dish of sun, tout seule.
Sartre and SarcasmAll of this is real
Tell me what would not be real:
All of this is fake
:: Haiku-ist’s Bio ::I write the Haiku
Looking out in the Urban
My deep heart blowing

The rumbling against the pavement approaches the door
He enters unannounced with his board
With a sigh, he overtakes the nearest armchair
His body slouched and sprawled devoid of care
Tossing his hat and kicking off his tattered shoes
He displays shaggy hair and an ankle with a fresh bruise
A typical reciting of daily events begins
He reports his troublemaking and mischievously grins
Revealing teeth like a tattered fence
Proud of who he is and his lack of common sense
Soon the conversation tapers to a quiet break
He’s entranced by the buzz the television makes
The clock …

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New Yorksteams wheels,
inhales burnt out joints,
harvests moonlit-limbs,laces imagination with brandy,
Bukowski as
legs drip out of bathtubs. It was here I first knew
broken saxophones,
love-scented cabs,cowboy’s crushed trigger finger,
naked subway graffiti of I hate my life and yours,
slumped bottles, the wild prairie. I could steal Central Park,
big-boned blade of voluptuous earth,
tax-deductible on Wall Street.New York all-nighters hit morning and run,
ride high with blank stomachs blank guns,
pockets of plugged nickels. Fear New York, a casket without a headstone.
It slays traffic with scarred …

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Online dating services reek of the information age. It seems almost impossible that they existed before people were too busy to leave the office for lunch let alone find a lover. Dating services have been around in one form or another (women didn’t always have it so good) for centuries.During the Roman Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival that celebrated the gods of marriage and religion, the Romans held a date lottery. The women would place love notes into a large vessel and then the men would pick one out. Whomever’s love note the man chose would become the object …

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When I first decided to attend the University of Minnesota, I remember a friend of mine chuckling at the thought of me becoming a Gopher. A Gopher is, perhaps a slightly unusual mascot, not fierce like a Tiger, not outright ridiculous like a Hokie, (whatever that is), but it is the perfect personification of Minnesota nice. For 74 years, Goldy the Gopher has been the face of the University of Minnesota, and he couldn’t be happier. A die-hard Gopher fan and an athlete himself, Goldy leads an interesting life. From performing at sporting events, to making personal appearances, to practicing …

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Le Cirque Rouge de Gus is a wildly entertaining burlesque and cabaret show that puts on a risque, refined performance. “The show celebrates women, because any woman can do this,” says manager Amy Buchanan. “You don’t have to look like Barbie. Sexy is sexy.” Le Cirque Rouge performs at The Loring Pasta Bar every Saturday night at 10 p.m. The troupe will put on special Valentine’s performances at the new Varsity Theater in Dinkytown on February 11, 12 and 14 at 9 p.m.

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The perfect excuse to cry your lonely self to sleep, wishing you had the courage to ask that cute red-headed girl to be your valentine. After all, if Charlie Brown could never get her, what chance did you have?But before you broken-heartedly dismiss the holiday as a corporate sham designed to boost the teddy bear and chocolate industries, let us take a moment to play athletics matchmaker and pair the sports figures that deserve to spend Valentine’s Day together. After all, sports are people too… or something like that.Marion Barber III & Kris Humphries. Since Barber decided …

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When high school football ends for seniors, only a select few are lucky enough to play at the college level. Like all schools, the University of Minnesota actively recruits prospects and hands out scholarships to deserving players. This process takes place over many months and ends with a group of excited players fighting for a spot on the roster.Players hoping to make the team are preferred walk-on players –- those who do not receive a scholarship but are asked to join the team –- and regular walk-on players, who try to make the team without being recruited. Dan DeJaeger was …

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