BURLESQUE
continued from page 8
"As long as it doesn't involve fire,"
Martin said.
The acts are as diverse as the imagi
nations of the performers can make
them. Keeping with the burlesque sen
sibility that governs the show's content,
more than half of the performers are
strippers. Other acts include stand-up
comedy, a cappella singing, knife danc
ing and synchronized roller skating, all
of it hosted by the show's rotating
group of emcees.
"It's always a weird show," head of
"We're not trying to be a strip
club," Martin said. "We don't want
to be that kind of high-testosterone
environment."
John Henry's is looking to ex
pand the show during the coming
months, according to Martin.
Among other things, it Wants to am
plify the 1930s-style decor and make
everything "a little more classy."
As it is, the show is quickly be
coming one of the biggest draws in
John Henry's roster of performanc
es. Since moving to its current loca
tion from its former West 11th Av
enue address last year, the bar has
security and part
time emcee Jason
Cronk said.
"Sometimes we
have a girl who
just hauls a
bunch of TVs and
radios on stage
and then just
smashes them."
Many employ
ees of John Hen
ry's get in on the
"(Burlesque is) entertain
ing. It's cheaper than a strip
club and not as seedy.
It's also the only thing to do
on a Sunday night."
Randy Mendez
Stand-up comedian
nuaicu a wiuc
range of musical
performances,
including local
bands such as
The Courtesy
Clerks and out
of-town acts in
cluding the Eric
McFadden Trio.
But the Broad
way Revue is the
show that John
act. Security guards crack jokes and
bartenders do dance routines. The
house band, the Broadway Quartet,
plays old-school jazz for many of
the performances, giving the strip
pers a beat to strip to.
"It's really cool to be involved
with," security officer and part-time
emcee Chet Reeves said. "There's a
lot of originality involved and it's
very open."
One of the most popular events is
the strip-off, which is held near the
end of each show. Audience mem
bers are invited to come up and try
their skills against the previous
week's winner. There is no prerequi
site for gender or experience, and
anyone who feels they are good
enough can give it a shot.
"I love the strip-off," customer
Kendra Carnes said. "Especially when
the guys perform. They're hilarious."
The management sees the stripping
as an important aspect of the show.
neniy s cans us own. ror an me snow s
risque subject matter, the management
thinks it's worth whatever problems it
might cause.
"For every one complaint we get
about something that happened on
stage, we get 20 compliments, "said
Martin.
Audience members and performers
are of the same mind, and many
hope the show continues for some time
"It's entertaining," stand-up co
median Randy Mendez said. "It's
cheaper than a strip club and not as
seedy. It's also the only thing to do
on a Sunday night."
Or as a member of the audience
shouted at the stage after one per
formance: "I love this place!"
John Henry's is located at 77 West
Broadway. Tickets for the Broadway
Revue are $5 at the door. Admittance
is restricted to those 21 and over.
Contact the senior Pulse reporter
at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com.
CHIUNGERIAN
continued from page 11
waitresses arrive at your table sporting
everything from pink hair to leather
pants to a heart painted around one
eye for Valentine's Day, and they enjoy
being part of the coffeehouse's person
ality. They are upbeat (even until clos
ing time at 2 a.m.), treat you like a
guest and have no problem listening
to your laments about life.
Every medium- to large-sized town
should have a coffeehouse like Pied
Cow. One that can be the last stop of
the night because it won't close before
you feel like going home. One where
you will never be bored of the menu,
the atmosphere or the people
So to all you business majors out
there (and anyone with a streak of en
trepreneurship), someone needs to do
me and the city of Eugene a favor. Buy
the next old house you see for sale,
hire an interior decorator with a
bohemian style, get a few creative
culinary experts and recruit a set of
fun, funky waiters. Then watch the
students flock.
Contact the Pulse reporter at
natashachilingerian@dailyemerald.com.
Her opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
SHAKRA
continued from page 9
not be some juggernaut of change.
It's really quite simple.
At this point it is important to em
phasize that while poetry is com
monly considered a genre, or form of
writing, Lorde wants to move be
yond that interpretation. In her essay
"Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as
Power," Lorde reclaims the term
from its common, plasticized defini
tion and says that the erotic is true
knowledge, a true understanding
"which can only wait upon, or clari
fy, that knowledge, deeply bom. The
erotic is the nurturer or nursemaid of
all our deepest knowledge."
While this could easily be taken
out of context, Lorde says that once
we have experienced a fullness and
depth of feeling, we go "beyond the
encouraged mediocrity of our
society." The strength of the erotic,
then, equates with true empower
ment. Tme empowerment equates
with poetry. There is no distinction
between the terms; they are one.
Now, I've gone this far using the
s(pirutality)-word without really
defining it. Well, this may either fur
ther complicate things, or perhaps
simplify them, but the spiritual is in
herently empty. Not empty of mean
ing but empty of form.
In another poem, Rumi writes:
"every craftsman / searches for what's
not there / to practice his craft...
Workers rush toward some hint / of
emptiness, which they then / start to
fill. Their hope, though, / is for empti
ness, so don't think you must avoid
it. It / contains what you need."
Written poems illustrate this
sense of emptiness. What's left out,
in the form of line break and nega
tive space — takes on the same im
portance as what's there, if not
more. We need only consider short
poems, or forms like haiku, which
have endured for years because of
their resonance of meaning.
If Lorde believes that the erotic is
poetry not only written, but poetry
lived, then spirituality does not
have one definition. It is anything
that empowers and brings us to
gether. In peace and recognition of
life. In listening and in understand
ing. It is not judgment. It is ours to
find within and claim, and it is not
to be experienced second-hand.
In conclusion: There is no
conclusion. Which is somewhat
appropriate for such a topic. I will
say I'm retiring this column for
now. The next logical step is to stop
writing about this stuff and take it
to the streets.
Contact the Pulse editor
at aaronshakra@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
JAZZ
continued from page 8
and honest appreciation. These tracks
don't leave you feeling cheated, like
you had just heard them in the back
ground of a supermarket. What you
realize is that music should be inter
preted. Just as a music review tries to
interpret sound with words,
Mehldau's interpretations are an at
tempt at description and maybe even
homage to musicians he respects.
In fact, the standout track on the
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album is Mehldau's interpretation of
"Everything In Its Right Place," by Ra
diohead. The song opens with
Grenadier's solo bassline that creates
the outline for the song. It is modal in
nature, solid and straightforward, but
creates a tension that is released once
the piano and drums come in about a
minute into the bass solo. The melody
is played chillingly on the upper keys
of Mehldau's piano, while Grenadiers
bass notes bridge the various gaps that
give the song a heavy, dark feel to it. It
is fascinating to hear a song you know
the words to played in such a medita
tive fashion. After hearing this song, it
seems as if it was supposed to be
played by a piano trio, not a five piece
rock band.
All that said, the Brad Mehldau
Trio's "Anything Goes" is a great
piece of art that proves that jazz is
not repeating itself, but redefining
and branching out, moving ahead
into the future.
The Brad Mehldau Trio will play in
Eugene April 13 at The Shedd Concert
Hall, located at 868 High St. Ticket
prices range between $6.25 and
$28.50 depending on seating and the
number of tickets purchased.
Contact the Pulse columnist
at caiisundberg@dailyemerald.com.
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