Author Archives: admin
Glazer: My Life of Crime & Cool Cats I Met in the Joint
I was surprised at some of the email I got over my prison Christmas story last week…
Including from guys I was in the joint with! Where was my name? they asked. Okay, I did leave out some interesting names and stories about the holidays, so…
On weekend nights, we dressed up like we were free and walked the yard at night. And holiday weekends were even bigger. Why? Because we were morons, but hope was always in the air.
So we’d put on our best pressed uniforms, do our hair up like we were going to the prom and shine our shoes (If you wore tennis shoes you cleaned them with a toothbrush, and no, not the one you brushed with).
Clean, tough, muscled up and ready to rock.
Starbeams: Iowa Republicans & The Top 5 Phrases You Won’t Hear in KC in 2012
Keith Olbermann did a great job of covering the Iowa caucus last night. When results came in, he promised to call my cell phone with updates.
Ron Paul received an official endorsement from Kelly Clarkson. Naturally, I don’t throw my support behind anyone until I hear from David Cook.
THE TOP 5 PHRASES YOU WON’T HEAR IN KANSAS CITY IN 2012:
#5. I would go gambling but there’s never a casino nearby.
#4. Let’s park here. I don’t mind paying for the meter.
Glazer: Rest in Peace New Year’s Eve, We’ll Miss Ya
Well, this was to be the turn around New Years Eve in Kansas City…
It fell on a Saturday and it was a balmy 65 degrees outside. Hope was in the air. Unfortunately, things were pretty quiet. I cased the city out and can now tell you that New Years Eve has officially become a secondary holiday.
That’s so damn sad.
And not just here, but across the nation. First the good news.
Today: Guido Toledo on New CD, Jardine’s & What Your Favorite Classic Rock Band Says About You
This just in from KC expat Joe “Guido Toledo” Welsh in Nashville…
The former 4 Sknns front man sends his wishes for a Happy New Year to all and wants to let devotees know that his band has a new jazz/rock fusion album out that’s also available on iTunes under Joe Guido Welsh.
"Think 1974," Guido says. "It features some heavy hitters – three original members (Roger Powell, Kevin Ellman & John Siegler) of Todd Rundgren‘s Utopia on it, along with Reeves Gabrels from David Bowie‘s band Tin Machine and some of Nashville’s finest. It hits radio this month and we’re hoping to tour Europe by the Fall of 2012."
Here’s the lineup:
"The live band is HOT with: Yours truly on guitar, Jim Riley on drums (Rascal Flatts), John Siegler on bass (Utopia/Hall & Oates), Steve King on keys (Keith Urban), Chris Rodriguez on guitar (Keith Urban/Faith Hill),
and Randy Leago on sax, keys & percussion (Shelby Lynne). We’ll have a DVD out by Feb. 1 on Amazon.com and we hope to get to KC this year. Maybe another 4 Sknns reunion – we’ll see."
Which brings us to Guido’s dark side…
Hearne: The Uncertain Beat Goes on at Jazz Club Jardine’s, Former Co-Owner says
Just when you thought it was safe to go back outside…
Reports of new ownership and management at Jardine’s may be a bit premature, say former Jardine’s co-owner Pat Hanrahan and businessman Paul Wilson, who is still in what he has been told are negotiations to buy the local jazz club.
In other words, a report that local businessmen Robert McCain and Joseph Fulgenzi have purchased Jardine’s and Hanrahan will now run the show are questionable at best, Hanrahan says.
"I don’t know what the hell is going on over there," he says. "There’s all kinds of things going on, but I don’t think anything’s been finalized yet."
Case in point, Jardine’s calendar of events for 2012 is a complete blank.
Glazer: Ladies & Gentlemen, Meet the Next Quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs
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Matt Flynn threw for almost 500 yards, 6 touchdowns and beat favored Detroit 45-41 to send the Packers into the playoffs on a high note…
Flynn is a free agent and WANTS TO GO TO THE AFC. In the meantime Kyle (Mr. Average) Orton, threw for 180 yards, no touchdowns and couldn’t move his team anywhere in three quarters of football against Denver. Shockingly, the Broncos and God Squad’s Tim Tebow were even worse.
An average Chiefs team beat an average Broncos team and Tebow in a wild one, 7 to 3.
Both teams looked pretty pathetic.
Denver at 8-8 still wins the AFC West even though they have lost three in a row. And Tebow has been exposed as not being a top notch NFL quarterback. The guy can’t throw and it’s likely he’s seen his last starting season in the NFL. It was also his first.
God loves both sides Tim.
Glazer: Scribe Shares Pal’s Along Tongue-in-Cheek Tim Tebow ‘Grip’ Story
I had Christmas brunch with my childhood pals, Joel Weinberg, Jeff Spero and Mike Epstein. Mike later forwarded this piece and photos today.
I’d written about my arguments with Joel about the Chiefs. This was Epstein’s answer to the Tim Tebow question. Hey Tim, is she on God’s Squad? If so, ME TOO….
Check it out:
"Denver Bronocos quarterback Tim Tebow has NEVER fumbled!
In 2007 at Florida Tebow was awarded the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, the first time ever the award has gone to a second year player. In addition to his amazing passing, running and TD stats he had NEVER fumbled the ball. How is Tebow able to hold on to the football so well?
What grip does he use?
Turns out Tebow’s grip training technique was inspired by his girlfriend of 2 years, Amber."
Hearne: Unintended Mediocrity & Hedonism Collide on KU Campus at The Oread
I have been to the mountain and I’m back…
And I can now tell you that aside from its many sports, pizza and coffee bar offerings, the two-year-old Oread hotel high atop the University of Kansas campus is a bust.
At least as an upscale hotel.
It kicks ass as a sports bar hang for thirsty KU students and out-of-town parents. But its stately stone facade makes promises that the eleven-story ediface doesn’t come close to delivering on.
Despite its critics, the Oread fits in just fine with the other classic stone structures that dot the nearby KU campus.
But here’s the deal…
Today: The Jardine’s Saga is Over… For Now
When it comes to tangled webs, it doesn’t get much more convoluted than Jardine’s…
At least for now, the confusion and uncertain future of Kansas City’s top jazz club has been stemmed. things came to a head yesterday when Chartwell Realty main man Joseph Fulgenzi and his partner Robert McCain walked into the offices of the Pitch to buy advertising, identifying themselves as the new owners of Jardine’s.
Think perfect storm.
Perfect in the sense that Chartwell is Jardine’s nextdoor neighbor and a respected tenant of the American Century-owned building that houses Jardine’s. And perfect also because former Jardine’s co-owner Pat Hanrahan has agreed to return to the club and oversee its operations and the booking of local jazz bands.
Glazer: Scribe Watches NFL Season Grind to and End & This Week’s Picks
The NFL season just goes too fast…
Seems only yesterday teams and fans across America just knew that this was THEIR YEAR! In the end reality sets in and most of the same teams are back in the playoffs. And only four or five of them have a real shot to win the Super Bowl. Very few surprises.
This year the big surprise is the Cincinnati Bengals. The San Francisco 49ers are also a surprise – not for winning the division – but for having one of the NFL’S best records. The Detroit Lions are a bit of a shocker, but not as much. People like me saw this one coming.
Leftridge: The Dirty Dozen Top Malt Liquors for New Year’s Eve
Money’s tight. You just spent a shitload to fix your son’s cleft palette, your wife had her hours at TJ Maxx cutback so far she’s barely working at all and the student loans from your worthless animal husbandry degree are piling up faster than elephant shit at a circus.
Life sucks.
But New Year’s Eve waits for no man, and you need to get lubricated and loose. Champagne’s a little rich for your blood and wine makes you blackout and do unspeakable things to your life-sized poster of Bo Jackson. So what’s that leave?
Malt liquor.
But in this battered economy, malt liquors are a dime a dozen. How does one get the most bang for their buck? Simple. I’ve designed a complex formula that utilizes alcohol content by volume, divisible by cost per cubic cent, multiplied by incident of “punching a police-horse” in the snout. Here are the winners.
Glazer: Scribe’s Holiday Flashback to His Daze in the Joint
Nobody wants to go to prison…
However you do meet some great characters at those joints. But it’s kinda like getting stuck too long at the neighborhood bar with only the one chick waitress and tons of guys that won’t shut up. This time of year I think about some of those inmates, either free, dead or back in the ‘crap house.’
Christmas was always a joy in the joint…
One year they came around with a box of gifts, NFL coffee cups. Yeah, I took the Chiefs cup. Must have been in 1986 or 1987. We saw lots of Chiefs games because the Raiders, Chargers and Broncos were in the Western Division with KC. I spent all my time in West Coast prisons so lucky me. Winter Sundays with the Chiefs. I kept that cup for a few years before a Raider fan stole it from me and used it for rock throwing practice. Damn, I wanted that cup for a memento – oh well.
Oddly I made some great friends in the joint.
Today: Jardine’s Saddles Up for New Year’s Eve Comeback
Amidst rumors of a deal to retool Jardine’s, the beleaguered Plaza jazz club has announced plans to be open for New Year’s Eve...
"Jardines has a new team that will start on New Year’s Eve," says owner Beena Raja. "Its a party with the Pete Cole Quartet featuring the one and only Chris Clark on piano. And we will jazz it out from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. with a $5 cover."
Attendees can opt for the four course NYE menue at $35 per person or you can order a la carte.
New Jack City: What to See This Weekend? Jack to the Rescue!
It’s been a fantastic holiday week at the boxoffice thus far…
It kicked in midday on Christmas and is primed to continue strong through New Year’s weekend. If you’ve even driven past Kansas City’s theater parking lots the past few days you know what I’m talking about.
Still haven’t decided on what to see? Let me be of help. Here are MY BEST BETS AT BOXOFFICE—by catagory:
First for ALL-AGES (family friendly) FILMS:
Leftridge: This Year in Sports
So it’s that time of year when we sit back and take stock of the “calendar that was” with a grueling list meant to encompass a million things that happened over the past 12 months. Every publication that’s worth its weight in readers compiles some sort of regurgitated inventory of “Top Sports Things That Happened,” and “2011 Highlights in the World of Athletics.” (or trout-fishing, independent movie-making, shit you ate at your in-laws for Sunday dinner, etc. You get the point)
Frankly, I find it a tedious task and I for one will not participate. People like lists because they’re easy to skim and skip around, but I ask you: do you really like lists? Or do you read them because you’re supposed to like lists?
Therefore, I will painstakingly go month-by-month through 2011 to briefly recap the highlights and the lowlights in an effort to encapsulate things that happened. In sports. Let’s start with January, since, well, since it’s the first month, I suppose.
January:
Roberto Alomar, who may or may not have AIDS (this site’s too crappy for links– just google it), and Bert Blyleven are elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jeff Fisher (Tennessee Titans) and Eric Mangini (Cleveland Browns) get fired, and the 49ers hire Jim Harbaugh, who I thought was really cool when I was younger because I had a football card where he had spiked hair (this is the same reason Kevin Seitzer was my favorite Kansas City Royal).
The Seahawks become the first team with a losing record to win a playoff game. Jesus weeps.
The Chiefs, who somehow won the division and weaseled their way into the playoffs, get beat like a drum by a much better Baltimore Ravens team.
Mermaid: The Dirty Dozen Top Champagnes for New Year’s Eve
The Top 10 (OK 12) Champagnes for New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve is coming and you don’t feel like paying 100 bucks to go to a bar for the night but still wanna get your drink on and celebrate the new year or say goodbye to a really bad one.
Here’s my list of the top 12 (just couldn’t narrow it to 10) champagnes I love.
1. Moet & Chandon Imperial (same as discontinued White Star) Approx. $45
2. Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Approx. $45
3.Barefoot Bubbly California Premium Extra Dry (Good if you are on a budget) Approx. $9
4 . Veuve Clicquot Non-Vintage Brut Yellow Label Approx. $45
Sounds Good: Split Lip@Bottleneck, Minden@RecordBar
Some call it amateur night…
You know it as New Year’s Eve.
To the hardcore drinkers and scenesters it’s a night to make fun of those slobbering fools who can’t handle their shizz, getting totally, stupidly wrecked.
"Too many amateurs on the road tonight, I’m staying in," they say. "Those rookies really need to leave the drunk driving to us professionals."
They look disgusted and feel invaded, like they have somehow earned more of a right to party by paying their drunken dues all year in all the dark, dirty bars seven nights a week. Then their liver jumps out of their chest and strangles them to death…
Today: The Sad Demise of David R. Spivey Books, Maps & Fine Arts in Westport
Chalk one up for Father Time and the Internet…
In a matter of days, a 33 year-old Westport institution – David R. Spivey Books, Maps & Fine Art – will take it’s place in the history books.
"I’m alright, I’m just retiring," says Spivey. "I’m in the process of selling everything."
Spivey sold the building at 825 Westport Road to neighbor Joe Zwillenberg of the Westport Flea Market.
Spivey’s Web site says, "David R. Spivey has been buying, selling and appraising old maps, rare books and fine art since 1978. Over the years, Spivey’s has grown to be the largest old map, print and book dealer in the Midwest…We have five floors of maps, prints, fine art and books. Our building dates to 1910 and sits on the old Santa Fe trail in historic Westport."
Hearne: The KC Confidential Comments Section Cleanup
To the majority of KC Confidential readers and commenters, I salute you…
Instead of one or two word, anonymous putdown comments (like a certain local blog) or allowing no comments at all (like another), KCC gets mostly some pretty entertaining and thoughtful comments. The "stage names" may shield their identities, but most KCC commenters think things through and bring something to the table in the way of suggestions and/or criticism.
They may get carried away with the ALL-CAPS button or unleash an ungentlemanly word here or there, but for the most part they’re an important ingredient to the overall mix of ideas and viewpoints on this site.
Then there are the odd haters…
Glazer: Two Backup Pro Bowlers for Chiefs Says it All
Yep, Derrick Johnson will finally go to Honolulu on January 29th…
He sure did earn that trip. And Tamba Hali will return to the Pro Bowl. Both as back-ups. Hali did not play last year so this time he will likely see some action.
Nobody on the Chiefs offense even got a sniff.
Oh, the guy we fired, Brian Waters, he’s going to the Pro Bowl but from New England. You know, the guys who have home field advantage in the playoffs. Brian was sure sad to leave, right. He was past it – uh-huh – pro bowl guy.
