On the eve of a major release (Noble Beast, out January 20th on Fat Possum), musician-on-the-verge Andrew Bird, 35, opens up about pseudo fame, bipolar lifestyles, and what it takes to write the perfect pop song Read more
In the 100 years since the Cubs won a World Series, the underachieving team has managed a single unmitigated triumph: inspiring the play Bleacher Bums. On this centennial, we look back at the creation of that memorable drama. Read more
For years, Laurence Booth, one of the city's most widely acclaimed architects, championed low-scale buildings and decried "antihuman" high-rises. Now he has designed three towers and has a fourth under construction. Why? "We have to make some huge changes in this country," he says. Read more
PJ Paparelli, the former head of Perseverance Theatre, Alaska's only professional troupe, makes the cross-continental move to claim his new role as artistic director of American Theater Company. Read more
In his new book, Peter Sagal, the smart and impish host of NPR's “Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!”, turns his attention to porn, gluttony, swingers' clubs, and other forms of behavior that he'd never, ever have the nerve to do on his own. Read more
B.B. King wasn't thinking about Chicago blues clubs when he wailed, "The thrill is gone." But it certainly could apply. Six ways to revive a fading cultural art form Read more
Every time ABC runs an episode of its hit TV series Lost, Evanston's Jeffrey Lieber gets an onscreen credit and his bank account gets a nice pop. But the twisting tale of his Hollywood triumph has left Lieber feeling a bit ... well, lost. Read more
