Strange Days, Strange Brew and U2
By Ted Holteen

L ast week was strange, aside from the whole Thanksgiving thing. I didn't want to bring attention to it at the time, but did anyone else notice that there was nary a note of live music to be heard on Saturday night? This is unprecedented in the annals of The Society Page, dating all the way back to June. Records before then are sketchy at best, but suffice to say it's been a while since we've had such a quiet weekend. It must have been one of those financial decisions - that, or no one wanted to work. Can't say I blame them.

But that is, as they say, last week's news. We now look to the future, beginning with today. Tonight, the always-entertaining Motet returns to Durango, this time at the Abbey Theatre. They've played at the Abbey before, but it really is a good venue for them because they've evolved from the bar band scene and now put out some quality sounds, well played, and the Abbey's sound system should do them justice. Their latest CD is "Music For Life," which has more of an Afro-beat jazz feel, as opposed to the Cuban influences for which they are known. They're touring Colorado in a bus powered by biodiesel and spreading the word of environmental responsibility while they're at it. Good folks, The Motet.

Also tonight (Thursday), the fine people at the Fort Lewis College Environmental Center are putting on their third annual fund-raiser, "A Reel Environmental Experience," at the Durango Arts Center. That's a film festival. It will include two shorts and then a feature film. One of the shorts is called "The Magic of Dumpsters," by FLC student S. Graham Pierce, which would appear to glorify the fine art of dumpster diving practiced by so many locals. The feature, "Rivers & Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working With Time," is one of those films I should not discuss lest I reveal myself to be a fraud. I've seen some of Goldsworthy's work, and the most intelligent thing I can say is that it's cool. I'll quit while I'm ahead. Ebert & Roper, however, give it two thumbs up. It's a "green tie" event, which means put on your Sunday "Go to Meetin'" clothes and look nice. There will be food from the Mahogany Grille and beer from Carvers served in Styrofoam cups, as well as live music and a silent auction. The pre-party begins at 6 p.m., and the movies start at 7 p.m.

Speaking of movies, it's back to The Abbey on Friday night for the cinematic event of 1983 and The Society Page pick of the week. The Durango Mug Club is finally entering the world of haute couture by presenting "Strange Brew" on the big screen at 8:30 p.m. The Mug Club, a shady Masonic organization of power brokers created by the ruling elite of Steamworks, Carvers, Ska and Three Rivers Brewing, often puts on these "public" events to divert attention from their more sinister plots and mask it all behind beer discounts and cheap glassware. In this case, your Mug Club ID will gain you free admission to the classic Canadian film. If you're still waiting for a Mug Club member to die so you can join, it's gonna cost five bucks, which isn't much more than it originally cost back in the old days. Author's note: Watch or read "Hamlet" before or after seeing "Strange Brew." You'll see what I'm getting at.

When something is wrong in any society, it is the sacred duty of the free press to do something about it. I don't claim to have lived a life of hardship, but like anyone, I've witnessed the bad with the good. The death of my best friend, a plane crash, losses of family members and a terrible car accident are about the worst that I can cite. But apparently, I've been lucky up until now. That goddamn U2/Ipod commercial is the worst thing that has ever happened to anyone, anywhere, in any civilization. Hitler, Pol Pot and Dubya are as threatening as Teletubbies in contrast. It is, I fear, our Waterloo, validating the claims of our enemies that we are infidels in need of purification through bloodshed. It bolsters the rhetoric of Pat Robertson and his ilk; Hell surely must lie just around the next bend, and Bono is driving the bus. Makes you long for the days of apartheid when we knew he was half a globe away whining and screaming at someone else. And the FCC is worried about jungle fever on Monday Night Football.

I'll be in Vegas this weekend doubling or tripling my wealth via savvy investments, so expect to see me as a major player on the local real estate scene real soon. I've been trying for years to meet that handsome Russ Smith. Oh, and by the way, the beer and food at the Environmental Center's fund-raiser will not, in fact, be served in Styrofoam containers. I just wanted to see if Mike Rendon would finish reading the column before calling me with a profanity-laced tirade. Stay tuned next week to see how that turns out.

What's your four-star lock of the week? ted@ksut.org. Get thee to a nunnery, hoser.