October 25 - KONK Network

KONK

Life

ON THE SCENE

UPFRONT

Vol.2 No.43

C O N T E N T S

04 FUN TIMES

18 FLORIDA KEYS

IN THE KEYS “South Station, Boston” painting by artist Karen Beauprie, above. Beauprie teaches watercolor fundamentals, a four-week course on Tuesday evenings in November at The Studios of Key West.

n THE STUDIOS OF KEY WEST Space 2 exhibition, Window Wonderlands & Fantasy Floats by Ann Lorraine, 23 years of iconic window displays of Fast Buck Freddie’s. Walk on White visitors invited to artist studios at the Armory, 610 White St., meet the artists in residence and tour Ashe Street residency cottages. INFO (305) 296-0458

DON’T MISSES! Pretenders in Paradise, October 25

antasy Fest's most elaborate costume competition is Pretenders in Paradise set for ursday, October 25, on the beach at the Pier House Resort, 1 Duval St. emed Zombie Nation Vacation, the gala typically features rapturous revelers wearing huge, lavish costumes adorned with feathers, sequins, unexpected elements and even moving parts. e entrants entertain the audience

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INSIDE!

with performances, complete with lights and music, lively enough to wake the undead. Cash prizes totaling $10,000 await the winning amateur, professional and group entries. Preshow begins at 8 p.m. followed by the competition. General admission and VIP dinner packages are options. Visit pierhouse.com Parrot Heads rock, November 1-4

everal thousand of singer/songwriter/author Jimmy Buffett’s Parrot Head fans are flock to Key West, ursday through Sunday, November 1-4, for their annual convention. “Another Trip Around the Sun” named after Buffett’s 2004 duet

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29 COLUMNS 06 EVENT 07 COMMUNITY 24 TROPIC SPROCKETS

25 WINING THE KEYS 31 SOCIAL COMMENTARY with Martina McBride, the gathering celebrates his music and laidback lifestyle on the island credited with inspiring much of both. In the mid-1980s, he founded the original Margaritaville store here. Parrot Heads’ 2012 convention include waterfront performances, charity auctions and raffles, street festival and concert, TropRock Music Awards and Beach Bash at the Casa Marina Resort. Most events are only for registered Parrot Heads, but everyone is welcome at the Margaritaville Street Fest, 1-5:30 p.m. Friday, November 2, at Duval and Fleming streets. Entertainment by Jim Morris and the Big Bamboo Band and Michael Armstrong and e Key West Band. e

UP

Vol. 2 No. 43

FRONT

october 25-31

ANNUAL C ELEBRATIONS

Published Weekly

KONK Life Guy deBoer EDITOR|DESIGN Dawn deBoer MANAGING EDITOR Jenna Stauffer NEWS DIRECTOR

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Sheel Sheelman Ralph dePalma Larry E. Blackburn EDITORIAL CONSULTANT

Connie Gilbert

CONTRIBUTORS

Guy deBoer Key News Louis Petrone Key West Lou Steve Calderwood Wining the Keys Paul Menta Whats Cooking David Lybrand KONK Reactor Scott McCarthy The Gadabout Kimberley Denney Bitchin Paradise Christina Oxenberg Local Observation JT Thompson Hot Dish Michele Meck Party Mecca Jenessa Burger Well & Fit ON-AIR PERSONALITIES BEV ALLEN, PETER ANDERSON, GUY deBOER, BO FODOR, STEPHANIE KAPLE, SHAUNA LEE LANGE, VICTORIA LEIGH, LOUIS PETRONE, M. L. PRICE, MICHAEL SHIELDS, JIM SMITH, SOPHIA SKOGLUND, ALICE TALLMADGE, RICHARD TALLMADEGE, MATT GARDI, RICK BOETTGER, JIM FERRIS, STEP WISCHERTH, MICHELE MECK

ADVERTISING 305.296.1630

Marc Hollander|305.619.4414 [email protected] Advertising Deadline Every Friday

PRINT-READY advertising materials due by Friday every week for next issue of KONK Life Ad Dimensions

Horizontal and Vertical: Full, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/8 page, bizcard Ad Submissions

JPG, TIFF, PDF — digital formats only Send to [email protected]

KONK Life is published weekly by KONK Broadcasting Network in Key West, Florida. Editorial materials may not be reproduced without written permission from the network.

KONK Broadcasting Network RADIO y TELEVISION y INTERNET Key West, Florida (305) 768-0282 Fax| (305) 296-1630 Office

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‘A-Conch-Alypse’ Apocalypse is on

October 26

evelers party during Fantasy Fest, but the grand parade is this Saturday night, October 27. e lavish procession is the highlight of Key West’s Fantasy Fest celebration, this year’s “A-Conch-Alypse,” in a Keys-style salute to an ancient apocalypse prophecy. e flamboyant parade includes more than 50 decorated and motorized floats and feature music, light shows and oversized moving parts. Accompanying them are Caribbean bands, marching groups and street dancers garbed in costumes. In keeping with the so-called Mayan doomsday prophecy predicting the world’s end in December 2012, the procession’s grand marshals are two internationally renowned experts on the Maya. Drs. Arlen and Diane Chase have spent more than 25 years exploring, mapping and excavating ancient Caracol, one of Central America’s largest Maya cities. For the 2012 procession, participants draw inspiration from the A-Conch-Alypse theme, portraying everything from manic Mayans and prophets of doom to zombies roaming a post-apocalyptic world. Pre-parade activities begin noon Saturday with the open-air Duval Street Promenade. At 7 p.m. parade begins at Southard and Whitehead streets, travels down Whitehead to the Gulf of Mexico, turns on Front Street, then the mile down Duval to the Atlantic Ocean.

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INFO www.fantasyfest.com

Halloween haunts the Keys haracteristically quirky throughout the year, the Florida Keys serve up fiendish frivolity for Halloween celebrants from Mile Marker 0 in Key West to Key Largo.

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October 25-26, 38, 30-31

Days and nights of ghoulishness are planned at the annual Haunting of Fort Zachary Taylor, a Civil War era fort in Key West. Live “shows” set for October 25-26, 28, 30-31, offering a nightmarish celebration not suitable for mere mortals. INFO www.hauntedkeywestfort.com

For some Middle Keys madness, step into Crane Point’s Haunted Hammock featuring ghosts, ghouls, pirates and haunted hayrides scheduled 6-8 p.m. Friday, October 26. e 63-acre Crane Point Hammock at MM 50.5 bayside in Marathon takes a turn for the terrifying with spooky trails and lots of fun. Geared toward youngsters age 12 and under, the event is open to the public. Entry fee is $5 per person, with kids under age 6 admitted free. INFO www.cranepoint.net October 28

Tens of thousands of revelers are expected in Key West during the island city’s annual Fantasy Fest masking and costuming celebration. For kids, the festival provides an eerie event Sunday, October 28. e traditional Children’s Day features food, games, arts and crafts as well as a costume contest. e family fun takes place from noon to 5 p.m. in the island’s Bayview Park at Truman Avenue and Eisenhower Drive. INFO (305) 292-8912 October 29

Howl and squeal with delight during the free, on- and off-the-water excitement of Haunted Robbie’s (MM 77.5) set for Monday, October 29. Islamorada’s family-friendly marina is to host a 6-8 p.m. spook-tacular for youthful costumed ghouls age 12 and under. Attractions include a kids’ corner, candy, fun, food and refreshments. Starting at 8 p.m. the excitement amps up for older souls, with harrowing canal rides, a scary maze haunted by ghostly pirates and Indians from neighboring Indian Key, food, wine tastings and more. In case of inclement weather, the event will take place Tuesday, October 30. INFO www.robbies.com October 31

Costumed goblins and ghouls trick or treat Wednesday, October 31, at Marathon’s outdoor Gulfside Village shopping plaza, 5800 Overseas Hwy. Annual community Halloween party is open to the public 5:30-7:30 p.m. with refreshments and treats for children, parents and grandparents.

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HAPPYBIRTHDAY, TIM GREEN

FROM the girls!

streetscene Wyland at the waterfront | RALPH dePALMA www.konklife.com 5

& riller Party n MORE PHOTOS page 26

ON THe scene with LARRY BLACKBURN 6 www.konklife.com

COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

November 10

Key West’s ¡Esperando Nacer! celebrates Latin culture n international Latin arts festival, ¡Esperando Nacer! — I am Waiting to be Born! — is now set for noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, November 10, on this island 90 miles from Cuba. With events from workshops to a theaterical concert, the Key West festival celebrates Latin culture through traditional music and dance from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay. e daylong fest begins with folkloric dance and

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percussion workshops taught by Oscar Caballero of Miami’s Tango Times Dance Company. Also are exhibits by Latin-American artists, a preview matinee and tours of Key West’s historic San Carlos Institute, 516 Duval St., founded in 1871 to promote and preserve Cuban heritage and culture. e festival’s main event, the ¡Esperando Nacer! theatrical concert, is slated for 8 p.m. in the institute’s auditorium starring InnerNacionalSound singer and songwriter Christian Monzón and vocalist/actress Valerie Carr. Guest musicians include Rolando Rojas, Andrés Cisneros, Roberto Barton, Dave Parker, Melody Cooper and Ray West. e evening’s schedule also includes dance performances by Oscar Caballero and Roxana Garber of Tango Times, an interactive event with local dancers and demonstration of Brazilian capoeira that combines elements of martial arts,

dance and music. Tickets for the evening performance are $35 and $45 per person available at www.keystix.com or by (305) 295-7676. VIP packages also available. e INFO Event, workshop and VIP information: www.valnchzproductions.com or (305) 394-0808

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KEY BUSINESS

IN KEYWEST

FLORIDA

HISTORY

Keys Over Sea Rail 1912 Henry Flagler’s Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad train on Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon. Year 2012 marks the centennial anniversary of the first train’s arrival into Key West and completion of the Over-Sea Railroad project.

Henry Flagler and wife Mary after the Key West arrival of the first train that marked the completion of the Florida Keys OverSea Railroad. Jan. 22, 1912, photo courtesy of Monroe County Public Library

Passengers ride the club car of Henry Flagler’s Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad. | MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

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KEY WEST

LOU

ROACHES, WORMS, CRICKETS AND PYTHONS nLEGALITIES WITH Louis Petrone he title sounds sick, scary and repulsive. e various critters named are. All recently have found their way to a dinner table. All to Key West, also. Ben Spiegel owns a reptile store in Deerfield Beach. He appropriately calls it the Ben Spiegel Reptile Store. Ben recently had a contest. A roach and worm eating contest. e grand prize was a python. Many entered. Edward Archbold won. He consumed dozens of the roaches and worms. Soon afterwards, he became ill. He collapsed in front of Ben Spiegel’s store and died. An autopsy was performed. e results of the autopsy are not yet known. None of the other contestants reported medical problems. We move north to Philadelphia: e Academy of Natural Sciences is located in Philadelphia. It is a natural history museum. A fundraiser was scheduled for October 27, 2012. Adults only. Tickets $100 a person. e fund raiser was labeled Cuisine from the Collections. Exotic food were served. Featured were crickets, worms, and python. e python is farm raised. We move back to Southern Florida, the Keys, and Key West: Pythons are a problem in Southern Florida. Especially in the Everglades. It was reported several months ago that the python population was in the tens of thousands. ey are sexually active, and their numbers grow daily. Per the report, pythons have been discovered as far south as Key Largo. Key Largo is 120 miles north of Key West. It was anticipated Key West would not be faced with a python problem for several years. e projection was wrong. Last week a 10-foot python was discovered at the Key West Airport. It was

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lying in the grass near the commercial ramp. e report earlier referred to concluded that the python problem could not be eradicated. e hope was that it could be controlled. Obviously, it cannot. Where did the pythons come from? Hurricane Andrew back in 1992 was the primary culprit. It leveled Homestead. Many of the homes housed pythons as pets. As the homes were blown away, so too were the pythons. Most ended up in the Everglades. Alive and healthy. Secondary and minor sources were those persons who dumped their pet pythons along a roadway when they become too big to handle. e purpose of today’s article is merely to update everyone. Critters are on our tables and in our backyards. I would suggest those so inclined stop eating them. e roaches, worms, crickets, and farm-raised pythons. And . . . beware of those Floridabred pythons that have reached the southernmost point of the United States — Key West. e pythons can go no further. Unless they are capable of swimming the 90 miles to Cuba. Two fishermen told me this past week that they were fishing out by the reef and that what they perceived to be a python swam along side their boat. e

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LOU PETRONE TALK SHOW HOST

KONK

REACTOR

2016: ROMNEY’S AMERICA he closes the National Park Camping Reservations app on her cell after finding her favorite campground has been shut down to make way for exploratory oil drilling. She’d been looking forward to sharing with her kids the experience of the glorious parkland that she and her parents and her grandparents had held so dear. e kids have been heartbroken over their father’s recent tragic passing, and a visit to the pristine woodland would have done them good. Oh well . . . She thinks about how their father passed away not long after his union job with health benefits had been off-shored and he’d had to accept one of Romney’s promised new jobs — barely above minimum wage with too few hours to qualify for any kind of benefits. At least she, too, was able to land one of those jobs to fill in the family budget gaps. But with the repeal of Obamacare her husband’s treatment for his pre-existing liver problem had to be dropped along with the old medical plan. It’s amazing how important the liver is to your well-being . . . . Perhaps it’s just as well that they have to cancel the trip — the $16 a gallon gas would have put another big bump onto the rising credit balance. She isn’t sure whether the rising minimum payments or higher interest or the resurgent patchwork of hidden fees are going to push her into insolvency first. e disbanded consumer advocacy offices are no longer able to help keep the sharks at bay. And what about that gas price, huh? It had skyrocketed after Romney ordered the attacks on Iran because they were “three years closer to a nuclear weapon” than when he took office — and he couldn’t have that albatross around his neck for the upcoming election. His gambit had turned into a major disaster when the rest of the world — after years of incessant disrespect — had turned their backs on the alliances that just might have been able to keep Iran from effectively shutting down the Persian Gulf ’s oil flow many years before America would be able to come close to drilling their way into “energy independence.” And the lack of new solar or wind initiatives didn’t help either. She thinks back to how much

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changed after Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed and Romney got himself a solid fifth hardcore conservative onto the Supreme Court. eir quick ruling on the new “Corporations United” case had rapidly further freed the corporate oligarchs — with full complicity of POTUS — to openly sponsor legislation to reverse most of the workers’ rights that had created the great middle class. e gap between the haves and the havenots has already widened considerably and there seems to be no turning back. Historians and analysts are showing how 50 percent of Americans are being pushed into jobs more similar to those of 1900 than of 2000. “Maybe I can put the kids to work . . . ,” she thinks with a nervous giggle. Later in the day, she returns home after a short disappointing trip to the community school. e class that could have helped her land a desk job and get her off her feet all day has been cancelled due to yet another of the rampant cuts to education budgets. She’s also been noticing how much trouble her kids have had with their homework — the underpaid teachers with too many students, and her own overtime just can’t give them the attention they need. She thinks about how Romney’s tax cuts haven’t helped any more than Bush’s did back in the day — especially when the cost of the war is added in. e national debt is growing more than ever, and poverty is on the rise. She knows the Occupy movement is growing rapidly now in response, and even the blue-collar conservatives are waking up and realizing they’ve been sold a bill of goods. But she does worry about the impacts of the inevitable riots to come . . . e

DAVID LYBRAND

about.me/DavidLybrand

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CHARLIE MAC’S vips

IT’S A PARTY! with LARRY BLACKBURN | photographer www.konklife.com 11

I S L A N D N I G H T S | L A R R Y B L A C K B U R N photographer www.konklife.com 13

SANDY’S IS BACK!

THE OLD GETS A NEW LOOK

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with LARRY BLACKBURN | photographer

GOOMBAY 2012

FANTASY FEST with LARRY BLACKBURN and RALPH dePALMA | photographers www.konklife.com 15

the coronation ball

FANTASY FEST 2012 with LARRY BLACKBURN | photographer 16 www.konklife.com

CROWNS KING mark & QUEEN LIZ

FANTASY FEST 2012 with LARRY BLACKBURN | photographer www.konklife.com 17

october 25-31

Green Parrot Sol Driven Train Above

Smokin’ Tuna Lewis Brice Left

Hog’s Breath Saloon Dennis McCaughey Right

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FUNTIMES

The Green Parrot 601 White St., (305) 294-6133 n Thursday The Red Elvises 5:30pm, 10pm Three Russians and a Texan in famed Siberian surf-rockers band. A blend of Russian and world ethnic music, reckless surf and rockabilly licks, and good old Rock ‘n Roll leads to high-energy music. VH1 produced a documentary about band and they’ve appeared in four feature movies. Friday-Sunday Sol Driven Train 5:30pm and 10pm Friday and Saturday; 5:30pm Sunday Saturday FANTASY FEST! Epidermal Art and Body Painting Contest 2pm Sunday

The Smokin’ Tuna John Frinzi

Sunday Jazz 1pm Monday Bingo 7pm Wednesday Annual Halloween Costume Party with New Riders of the Purple Sage 10pm

The Smokin’ Tuna 4 Charles St., off the 200 block Duval Street, (305) 517-6350 n Thursday-Sunday All Star Band featuring Nick Norman, Rusty Lemmon and Lewis Brice 10p late-night gig Monday-Wednesday 1029-31 MOTM John Frinzi 5pm Trop rock singer-songwriter and a special late morning show 11 a.m. Wednesday, October 31, with Beach Front Radio. | Continued on page 20

The Smokin’ Tuna Nick Norman

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FUNTIMES

LOCAL

OBSERVATION | Continued from page 19

Not about Alec Baldwin was scheduled to get on a plane yesterday, for New York City. I was expected for dinner with a Greek tycoon, a movie producer and the actor Alec Baldwin. All day I kept looking at the time, keeping pace with what needed doing. I should pack now, I thought, and I took some t-shirts off hangers and placed them on a chair. I should buy that ticket now, I thought next. But it was not yet noon and my flight was at four o’clock, so I went for a bike ride, along the esplanade with the ravishing view of the ocean. On my ride I passed a man holding a slim chain, and a few paces behind him, at the other end of the chain, rumbling along, a monkey wearing a bowler hat. A howler monkey maybe, with a long tail snapping around like a flag in the breeze. I was hot and the ocean looked so inviting so I locked my bike, and rushed into the waves. I was diving into the warm water, swimming off claustrophobic visions of airports, and the barefoot herding alongside conveyor belts of possessions rattling in tubs. In a burst I swam fast and then I dove down to the ocean floor, spinning myself like a hedonistic torpedo. With some nervous energy sluiced, I floated in the surf, bobbing like driftwood. I watched a man sprinting from the palm tree line, zig zagging across the sand like he was avoiding enemy fire, his long hair flying, and as he neared the water he thrust upward into the air, twisting his body so that his back hit the waves, all of him sinking under the bubbling navy froth. Another man, dripping with seagrass, emerged from the deep, his mask pushed up. All of him slamming through the

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resistant water, dragging his legs until he was stepping onto the sand, picking up his oversized black rubber fins in clumsy steps. In one hand he clutched a rod almost as long as the man was tall. At one end of the pole a large pink shape flapped. Some kind of fish. Before he could drop it into a chest of ice a gaggle of children appeared from nowhere, leaning on one another in their curiosity to see the enormous catch. When I got back home I saw the time, it was four o’clock, and presumably the plane was locked up tight, and racing down the runway, and taking off, without me. I felt a bit bad. Later, when a full moon took center stage in an onyx sky, my phone began to sound. It was my dinner companions, no doubt curious as to my whereabouts. Incapable of explaining my behavior, I turned the ringer off and ventured downtown. Ending up in a bar where I became transfixed by a band rocking Hendrix. I danced all night, and only occasionally wondered what Alec would be talking about at that dinner party in New York City. e

The Pier House The Wine Gallery Piano Bar, One Duval, (305) 296-4600 n Friday-Monday 7pm Larry Smith performs jazz, popular standards, originals, with guest singers, instrumentalists. Sunday Showcase 9pm Donna Meade n Wine Gallery Piano Bar Monday Pier House Jazz Jams Larry Smith 9pm Drummer Richard Cooks and bassist Tim McAlpine n Beach Bar 2-5pm Friday, Bongo Saturday, Michelle Dravis

Schooner Wharf Bar 202 Williams St., 292-3302 www.schoonerwharf.com n Thursday-Saturday Entrain Band 7-Midnight Thursday, 8pm-1am Friday, 9:30pm-2:30am Saturday Friday Raven & Friends 5-8pm

Schooner Wharf Toko Irie Band Saturday

Toko Irie Band 5-9pm Blend of upbeat Island Reggae and Calypso. His boundless charisma transports audience to Caribbean balmy breezes. FANTASY FEST! Annual Walk on Costume Competition after parade Sunday The Doerfels 6:30-11pm Monday The Real Malloys 7-11pm Tuesday Southern Drawl Band 7-11pm Wednesday Homemade Wine 7pm-Midnight | Continued on page 21

Schooner Wharf goes ‘Wharfstock’ CHRISTINA

n The Hippie Band! Entrain! Schooner Wharf is feelin’ groovy. e

OXENBERG LEIGH VOGEL photo

www.wooldomination.com Facebook/christinaoxenberg

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open-air bar is back to the days of Peace, Love . . . and A-Conch-Alypse Woodstock-style for the week long Fantasy Fest® celebration. Schooner Wharf Bar is being transformed into Wharfstock, reliving the Summer of Love and recreating the concert that changed the world. Get groovy with tie-dye, flower power, far-out psychedelic colors and black lights. You’ll be inspired by the psychedelic patterns and cosmic images projected around the bar. Silhouettes of Woodstock greats will line the bar while their music hits the stage. l Gary Hempsey and the Hippie Band ensure the tunes never stop with favorites from the Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills and Nash and other Woodstock legends. l Saturday night is the annual Schooner Wharf Walk-on Costume Contest after the parade. Prizes given to the Most Conch-Alyptic Dude and Cosmic Hippie Chick and other costume categories. All costumes eligible. l Late-night entertainment on ursday, Friday and Saturday brings Entrain from Martha’s Vineyard. e six-piece band centers around infectious drums but works its magic with sax, keyboard, trombone, bass and guitar. No cover or entry fee. INFO (305) 292-3302, SchoonerWharf.com

FUN TIMES | Continued from page 20

Hog’s Breath Saloon 400 Front St., (305) 296-4222 n Through 1028 Agent 86 Band 5:30-9:30pm Eclectic rock and keeps local fans and visitors singing along and dancing in the aisles. What can you expect from musicians that have played with the likes of Lucinda Williams, John Prine and Herman’s Hermits. Through 1028 The JoBu Band 10pm-2am Full-fledged touring band hooking people with catchy lyrics and filling dance floors with hard beats. After the release of their first studio album “Stop Time,” the band has been seeing an increase in fan volume across the Midwest. 1029-1104 Hugo Duarte 10pm–2am Singer-songwriter Hugo Duarte and the Full Sail Band on the out-

Hog’s Breath Saloon Hugo Duarte door stage. Duarte’s CDs including “Live in Key West” and his “Don’t Be Fooled by the Hat” will be available as the band plays new songs and songs from its repertoire of eclectic past hits that includes rock, country and Duarte’s own bled of Key-WestCaribbean reggae storytelling. | Continued on page 22

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FUN TIMES | Continued from page 21

Hog’s Breath Saloon 400 Front St., (305) 296-4222 n 1029-1104 Tropical Soul 5:30-9:30pm Dennis McCaughey and Randy Zimmerman, Topical Soul, in Key West during Jimmy Buffett ParrotHeads 2012 Meeting of the Minds, the Buffett fan club convention.

Sunset Pier Zero Duval St., (305) 296-7701 n Thursday 1025 Big Bawdy Burlesque on Sunset Pier

Bust out your favorite bustier, grab your garter belts and put on your prettiest pasties. It’s time for the Big Bawdy Burlesque Show at Ocean Key’s Sunset Pier. Key West Burlesque troupe and theatrical company hosts an evening of classic burlesque ursday, October 25 Join the stars and starlets of Key West’s hottest show as they bump and grind the night away on the grand stage of the Sunset Pier. Tassel twirling temptresses Tatah DuJour, Moana Amor and Lola Lafleur dazzle and delight while the bodacious boys of burlesque, including Marquee VonFister and Velvet Garcia, entertain in their very spectacu-

lar way. e line up is accompanied by the sounds of Key West Burlesque’s “DuJorchestra” and guest DJs. e evening includes many other guest performers and one of Key West’s favorite hosts. Audience members and aspiring burlesque performers will have chance to win prizes from Sunset Pier bar in the Best Dressed Burlesque Boy and Babe contest. Doors open at 7pm and the main stage show begins at 9pm. VIP tickets are only $25 and include stage side show seating, backstage VIP tent and lounge, private cash bars, meet-and-greet with performers and exclusive backstage performances. Tickets available at keystix.com or Sunset Pier bar. INFO www.keywestburlesque.com

The Gardens Hotel 526 Angela St., (305) 294-2661 n Friday The Cabaret 5-7pm Michael Robinson on the piano Saturday The Cabaret 5-7pm Bobby Green on the piano Sunday Jazz in the Gardens 5:30-8pm | Continued on page 23

Conch Republic Seafood Co. 631 Greene St., (305) 294-4403 n Don Middlebrook, October 31-November 4

Key West and the late Captain Tony Tarracino are inspiration for Michigan-based songwriter Don Middlebrook. A musical toast to Captain Tony, a former Key West mayor, charterboat fisherman and saloonkeeper encouraging musicians, will be held 6 p.m. ursday, Nov. 1. Middlebrook’s song, “Goodbye to Captain Tony,” is on his “Beach Bar Serenade” CD, known to fans of Jimmy Buffett Parrotheads, himself is a member of the Key West Parrothead Club. (Captain Tony Days 2013 scheduled August 1-3, 2913.) Middlebrook’s Capt. Tony song can be heard online, www.CaptainTony.com His song, “Advice from an Old Sailor,” slated to be picked up by the Discovery Channel for a 2013 documentary. A new song just released is “Big under,” a tribute to the racers of the powerboat, lost at the 2011 races off Key West. A third, “Beach Life,” available for free downloads for a “limited time offer” thank-you. INFO (517) 388-3347 22 www.konklife.com

FUNTIMES Key West for 13 years. He was the drummer for The Durtbags and now performs with musicians all over Key West. Tuesday 1030 Jon Taglier 8pm Wednesday 1031

Island Dogs Gypsy Wisdom | Continued from page 22

Island Dogs 505 Front St., (305) 509-7136 n Thursday

Annual Sexy in Psychedelic, Blackout Party 8pm Original Key West glo event. LoFi's LivE. (Unofficial Fantasy Fest event.) Friday LoFi’s 10pm LoFi's are a three-piece rock band — Tony “Baltimore” Durante on lead vocals and guitar, Anthony Picone

on lead vocals and guitar/bass, and Dave Baron on drums/percussion. Keeps things loose and spontaneous on stage. Most shows are acoustic with Anthony and Tony splitting the lead vocals and guitar solos. Tony is from Baltimore, Maryland, and has been in Key West for about a year and a half. He is a singer/songwriter and performs as a solo artist. Anthony is from New York and recently relocated to Key West. He is a singer/ songwriter, filmmaker and solo artist. Dave is from New Jersey and has lived in

GUNZ Show Halloween Bash 8pm Traveling party band from Philadelphia, Gypsy Wisdom — Courtney Jansen on lead vocals; Joey DeNobles on lead vocals, guitar and drums; Danny Gunz, drums, guitar and vocals; Joey Horak, lead guitar and vocals; John Mangan, bass and vocals.

The Rum Barrel

Quarterback Deck, 528 Front St., (305) 509-7136 www.rumbarrel.com n Friday Pirate Bash/DJ Chaka 9pm-1am 6th Annual Pirate Bash — $1,000 in cash prizes to the top three pirate costumes. Judging for the best pirate costume is at midnight. $5 cover at the door. (Official Fantasy Fest event.)

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Monday

Loren Davidson 7pm Having learned that life looks better when viewed through a glass of something tall and cold on a warm beach, Loren creates musical art that inspires others to play a bit more. Music with a tropical attitude . Tuesday Gypsy Wisdom 7pm Wednesday John Friday 7pm Singer and songwriter from Maryland, now living in Florida. After an Army career, he settled in the Sunshine State to pursue his musical dreams every night in local pubs and bars. Rum Barrel John Friday

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tropic

sprocketS

n IN REVIEW WITH Ian Brockway

Frankenweenie ow here’s an animated film that puts the “Boo” in boo-tiful, that is more paranormal than “ParaNorman” and more Evilicious than Elvira. I’m speaking, of course, of the much anticipated “Frankenweenie” playing now at e Tropic. is rollicking grue-fest will satisfy the junior Goth in all of us. It is unapologetically joyful, cute in its creature features, and masterfully affectionate. Director Tim Burton seldom disappoints, and here he has crafted a winner. e jokes and jests, although aimed at the tiny tots and the Halloween Tweens among us, never panders or talks down to its audience and actually has some genuine suspenseful moments, harkening back to the black and white bedrock of the old Universal horror classics from the 1930s and ‘40s. “Frankenweenie” is a picaresque valentine to the ritual of Halloween. In theme and attitude, it is a nostalgic twin to Burton’s first short film, the lyrically clever “Vincent” (1982) which can be viewed online. In that film, young Vincent (modeled after Burton himself) is obsessed with Poe and actor Vincent Price. “Vincent” pays homage to the German Expressionist films, “e Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” by Robert Wiene and F.W. Marnau’s “Nosferatu” with all its stark shadows and jagged cubist lines. In “Frankenweenie,” Burton lampoons the 1950s sensibility (his personal trademark) and his own films, specifically “Edward Scissorhands.” We are, as usual, deep in a bright gray suburbia. is is Burton’s favorite landscape where everything Gorey goes pop. In his latest outing we have a little Victor (as in Frankenstein)

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voiced by Charlie Tahan, who is obsessed by movies and electricity. Victor’s mom and dad, voiced by Catherine O’ Hara and Martin Short, respectively, are conveniently out of touch with their gray-eyed and galvanic son. During a game, Victor’s dog, Sparky, an adorably anemic dachshund, gets hit by a black-finned chrome car. Alas, weakness and woe, very rightly so, ensues. Inspired by his science teacher, a Mr. Rzykruski (voiced by Martin Landau, and having a long chin reminiscent of both Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price), Victor begins reanimation. Rzykruski is later called to the carpet for causing trouble. He brings the message of science as a springboard to the imagination and, by extension, monsters and magic. is idea of imagination and open-mindedness is central to almost every Burton film. e visual dance of “Frankenweenie” is a delight. It is a tour de farce of early horror and everything sent up from “Gremlins” to “Poltergeist.” ere is an Igor, the annoying Edgar who resembles Peter Lorre. ere is an ambitious Asian student who inadvertently makes the first Godzilla film from a mutant turtle. And there is also a kid who involuntarily mimics Boris Karloff. Every Gary Larsonesque (“e Far Side”) moment is intentional, filled with a personal significance and not a bit of film is superfluous. Many of us are familiar with Burton’s filmic cues: pale, big-eyed children in split level houses who moonlight with movie monsters or whitewashed Hollywood directors who live to bring a sinister schmaltz to a Transvestite Tinseltown, and | Continued on page 30 Write Ian at [email protected] www.TropicCinema.com Tropic Cinema, the only nonprofit art multiplex in South Florida. Rated “Best Cinema in Florida 2009-2012”

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wining thE KEYS

“W I N E A B I T, Y O U “ L L F E E L B E T T E R

Judgment of Paris oday we’re going to revisit the event that became the basis for the movie “Bottle Shock.” If you’ve seen the movie, it is a cute little love story that had little to do with the real event. e only difference between the movie and this article is that this is what actually happened. On May 24, 1976, an event was held in Paris, France, that truly shook the wine world to its core. Today, if you look at what’s happened in California and Australia and at what’s happening in New Zealand, Argentina, and Chile with fine wine development, they all owe huge debts to this one tasting that was just supposed to be a publicity stunt. Living in Paris was a Brit by the name of Steven Spurrier. He owned a fine wine shop and had a wine education school and his life revolved around selling French wine to Parisians. But, hey, it was the bicentennial of the American Revolution and why not create a great publicity event and have a blind tasting of French and California wines? He decided to invite nine of France’s most vaulted oenophiles (that’s a wine geek to you and I), including the secretary general of the Association des Grands Crus Classés (the group that oversees the quality and classification of French wines); Christian Vanneque, the sommelier at the Tour D’Argent and Aubert DeVillaine, the owner of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the most expensive wine in the world. All it was was a publicity stunt because, of course, there was no chance that any New World wine could have a rat’s ass chance in hell of beating any French wine, n’est-ce pas? Bien sur! And besides that, Spurrier decided he was going to load it up with France’s best wines from some of the best vintages. e Californians didn’t stand a chance.

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Spurrier put together his little event in such a hurry that he didn’t even have time to get the Californian wines into France through customs, so he had a bunch of his American buddies coming over on a tour smuggle the wines into France in their luggage (not exactly the best way to transport wine!) So, then came the 24th and his nine judges and one journalist; George Taber, Time magazine’s Parisian reporter; met at the Hotel Intercontinental for their little event. Spurrier’s hoped for result was that the Californians would have a decent showing so that it would highlight his shop and school. As W. Somerset Maugham said, “Be careful about what you wish for as you may very well get it.” ey first tasted the whites; there were four Californians against six top white Burgundies. As I said, it was a blind tasting, and at this style of event, each of the bottles are covered so no one knows which wine is which and rate each one on a 20-point scale. All of a sudden, Spurrier realized he had a bit of a problem. e California white wines took three of the top four spots in the blind tasting, with a 1973 Chateau Montelena beating out a 1973 MeursaultCharmes Burgundy for the top rating. A 1974 Roulot Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay from California took third, followed by a 1973 Spring Mountains Vineyard Chardonnay, also from California. | Continued on page 30

STEVE CALDERWOOD

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ON THe scene with LARRY BLACKBURN

& riller Party

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THE

GADABOUT SOCIAL COMMENTARY

PISS OFF ou know what; it’s not my responsibility that you need a bathroom whilst walking around town. How old are you? I know that sometimes, when away from home, we all just need one. e difference is that a little planning goes a long way. Don’t come into the little place that I work, walk past me and ignore me when I ask if can help you. Perhaps you could have used the facilities of some place that you, maybe . . . patronized? Why would you even expect that it’s O.K. to leave your waste at a place that you’ve never been in or spent a dime? Why not just knock on doors and ask a stranger if you may soil a room in their house? Let’s face it, when there’s a bathroom emergency, it’s never a good thing. Let me throw this in here: I hate when people act like they don’t speak English and just blow by me. Before you send hate mail, I love foreigners but just not this sub group. Because you don’t speak English doesn’t mean that you are fucking invisible! I can see you! I’ve done a bit of traveling and struggled with the language , but never, ever have I acted as if I was deaf, blind and mute because I didn’t understand. Much less try to use their bathroom without consent. Many other resort communities actually have public restrooms. Key West could learn from this hospitality and be friendlier. Only a few public washrooms come to mind on the entire island. But meanwhile, that doesn’t make it my responsibility. I know that this may be a problem for the very old, very young and the in-firmed. I realize your bodies are in flux, and you have physical limitations. So may I give you two words of advice . . . stay home!

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I just don’t want to be involved in your BS or should I say IBS. at’s not selfish. If you were on fire, I would help. I’d put you out somehow. I clean waste daily from two dogs and an iguana that uses my yard and pool as a bathroom. I don’t need your shit, too. You should have seen the throw down when “Bitch in Paradise” almost came to blows when some random guy used her bathroom at work. She tried to block the door unsuccessfully, and then proceeded to berate him as he eliminated. Talk about pissed. While she yelled MoFo, he told her that he used to be captain of his high school football team. Well, he showed her! WTF? Remember, please, that this discourse is going on through the restroom wall. I know that my days of incontinence are inevitable. Remember my column about a reverse mortgage and a houseboy? At least I have a plan. e

SCOTT McCARTHY [email protected]

Let me know what you think, and Ill follow up here. Email me, please. [email protected]

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HIGHLIGHTS OF FANTASY FEST past

with LARRY BLACKBURN | photographer 28 www.konklife.com

THE FLORIDA KEYS

BUBBAFEST BIKE TOUR CYCLISTS PEDAL, NOVEMBER 3-10 icyclists are to explore the Florida Keys and pedal one of America’s most scenic highways during the seven-night, 200-mile BubbaFest Bike Tour set for Saturday to Saturday, November 3-10. Led by retired police sergeant and biking enthusiast Bubba Barron, the fully supported adventure takes cycling fans from Key Largo to Key West and back along the Overseas Highway (U.S. Highway 1) that connects the Keys with each other and Florida mainland. Incorporating 42 bridges and long vistas of breathtaking open water, the highway was designated an All-American Road in 2009, the highest recognition possible under the National Scenic Byways program. Riders proceed at their own pace each day, enjoying their favorite sport while discovering the Keys’ environment and attractions. Among the noncycling activities on tap are swimming with dolphins, visiting eco-attractions, sailing, snorkeling, sunning and exploring galleries and boutiques. e schedule features a layover day at Marathon in the Middle Keys and two layover days in Key West. Attractions include manageable mileage averaging 45 miles per day, a mostly flat route suited to riders of all abilities, warm subtropical temperatures and accommodations at waterfront campgrounds.

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Support vehicles available to transport anyone who wants a break from cycling, and a bike mechanic and licensed massage therapist travel with the group. BubbaFest begins in Key Largo Saturday, November 3, with registration at the Hampton Inn at Manatee Bay, 102400 Overseas Highway, followed by a welcome reception and beachside dinner. e fee is $675 per rider, which includes six nights at beachside campgrounds, seven breakfasts and five dinners, a private open-air trolley tour of Key West, farewell dinner dance and services of a baggage truck and support vehicle. Motel lodging and pampering service available for additional fee.

KONKLife’s BIG SAVINGS are here!

e INFO bubbafestbiketours.com

521 Fleming St.

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1219 Duval St. (305) 295-9777 Free soda, water or chips with sandwich purchase * does not include breakfast

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WINING the keys STEVE CALDERWOOD | Continued from page 25

A 1973 Bâtard-Montrachet, which had been classed by the famous wine expert, Alexis Lichine, as one of the “greatest of all white burgundies,” came in a distant seventh. is was not what Spurrier had expected or even wanted. Remember, he was a Brit, making his living selling French wines to Frenchmen, and this wasn’t going to sit well with his clientele. So, and Spurrier even admits this, he told the judges of the result of the white tasting, which was supposed to be secret until the end, so that they could tune their tasting of the reds, which were considered much more important than the whites. is time four Grand Cru Bordeaux squared off against six California Cabernets, and the tasting panel was desperate to insure that the Bordeaux’s would come out on top. Oh, well, too bad. Try again later. A 1973 Cabernet from California’s Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars took the top spot. French wines took the next three, a 1970 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild ranked No. 2, followed by a 1970 Chateau Montrose and a 1970 Chateau Haut-Brion. A 1971 Ridge Montebello Vineyard Cabernet from California came in fifth. is was absolutely horrific and had to be kept quiet. However, remember that one of the invitees was Time magazine’s Parisian reporter, and he couldn’t keep it quiet. He wrote

a small column under the title, “e Judgment of Paris,” in Time’s international edition, but it got picked up by American newspapers that then splashed it all over the headlines. France’s stranglehold over fine wines was gone, and Spurrier today lives in London and writes for Decanter magazine. Oh well, at least he can say he organized one of the most important wine events to ever have taken place. As a postscript, they replicated the tasting in San Fran two years later and, on the 10year anniversary of the original tasting, they did it again in Paris. And in both events, the Californians did even better! Finally, as always, remember that if you want to get the most important email newsletter of all time, Smokin’ Vines, a listing of all the food and booze events in the Keys, send your name and email to [email protected] and I’ll add you to the list. at’s it for this week, so until the next time ‚ wine a bit, you’ll feel better. e

STEVE CALDERWOOD

n TROPIC SPROCKETS Ian Brockway | Continued from page 24

every hemoglobin-challenged hero looks like (or actually is) Johnny Depp. is territory has been spooked many times over, that’s true. But Burton is so exuberant and meticulous here that all his self reverent shocks of black hair and silliness is like seeing an old friend. And in an age where much of today’s 3D animation looks bubbly and innocuous, with many of the self-same punch lines about Reality TV and smartphones, Tim Burton’s Fall of the Split-Level House of Usher with all of its repetitive references to a Suburban Dreary and a bygone Hollywood, is forever refreshing and even against the cinematic status quo.

Keep the Lights On eep the Lights On” has the rare distinction of being so authentic it is almost beyond reproach. Like life, it builds slowly in subtle motions and the rise and fall of its characters revolve around each other as satellites, both soft and desperate. e film concerns a shiftless documentary filmmaker, Erik (ure Lindhardt) and his co-dependent relationship with the anal and self-absorbed Paul (Zachary Booth). When we first meet Erik in the late 1990s, he is at an artists’ retreat, using the phone for anonymous sex. His face is sleepy but wired. He wears loose and baggy clothes. Erik is part Van Gogh and part predator which makes him all bohemian wolf, without direction except for the nocturnal. One night Erik’s telephone leads him to the dark apartment of the boyish and delicate-faced Paul, who reminds one of a young Anthony Perkins. He is halting and tentative, but on the other hand he can be curt, severe

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and just a bit deadly. Erik soon falls hard for the rigid Paul, who takes the heaps of Erik’s affection with a stoic passivity. Paul is in the closet and hetero appearances mean everything to him. Paul reminds one of an unbending business pen that never strays from its linear path. Paul is addicted to crack and cannot let go intimately without being high. A push me-pull you love soon develops. e story is clearly told from Erik’s perspective who outwardly strives to keep his passion and worry at bay, but his nonchalant detachment gives way to a volatile cacophony within his spirit. When nervous, Erik makes retching noises and practices hitting himself with metal kitchenware. Loving Paul is toxic, but giving him up is unthinkable. Erik goes into a scarlet land of limbo, walking the streets and clubs in search of sensual pacification. He meets characters along the way including the formidable narcissistic body-worshipper Russ (Sebastian La Cause) and a dedicated painter Igor (Miguel del Toro). We feel for Erik as his heart is tortured and tugged, and he is as familiar as a friend. In style and content, given its claustrophobic wanderings on urban streets, the film echoes the equally excellent “Weekend.” In its bright palette, “Keep the Lights On” registers upon our emotional chakras: when a room is bathed in warm yellows, we know Erik is safe, but a dark gray tone signals the return of Paul’s crack addiction. e film smartly recognizes the world of the flesh is a painterly one. During the opening credits, a bestiary of male nudes by the artist Boris Torres spins. Like the documentary on the Mapplethorpian photographer Avery Willard that Erik works on, flesh is a vision and a vexation Erik hopes to reach. Lost in an abstract millennium, gay life in the 1990s is a nostalgic concept filled with bygone leather and quaint exuberant raves, becoming a long ago Holiday. But when Erik crosses the street, he is fully part of the present. “Keep the Lights On” is organic and moving. It is a lively portrait that chronicles want and aversion, flesh and frisson and ultimately poses a caution regarding our muscle-driven, visually based culture. e