Disconnecting to Connect

For those of you who’ve been reading these newsletters this past year it’ll be old hat to hear me talk about quitting Twitter, getting rid of my smartphone, etc. but last Tuesday the Chicago Reader published a whole essay I wrote on the subject. It seems to’ve struck a chord with a few people and I thankContinue reading “Disconnecting to Connect”

Bill MacKay

I met Bill MacKay a long time ago. The first time I heard him play guitar was on the patio of Letizia’s Bakery, kitty-corner to the ugliest hospital in Chicago. I don’t remember the tunes he played that afternoon but do remember thinking he was way too good to just be a soundtrack to folksContinue reading “Bill MacKay”

Theatrical Release

Last Sunday a mustachioed man in a trench-coat, scarf, and hat came into the bar. He went up and ordered a drink, then made a show of hanging his hat and coat on the coat rack by the magazine stand. He sidled up to several groups of drinkers, chatting with them as if they wereContinue reading “Theatrical Release”