There’s a library of sorts in town that hasn’t drawn near the attention of the refurbished digs at the Champaign and Urbana Public Libraries, despite its offering a few books that you won’t find in …
Posts by Doug Hoepker:
Monotonix Steal the Headlines During Pygmalion ’08
A pair of Smile Politely music critics were in attendance for the Dan Deacon, Dark Meat, Monotonix (pictured above) billing at the Canopy Club this past Thursday night. Here they share their thoughts on a …
Get Ready for Infectious Electronic Trickery, Compliments of Dan Deacon
Dan Deacon is to electronic music what Spencer Tunick is to nude portraits, which is to say a point of view that varies so drastically from the norm as to cause a stir. Thanks to …
Oh Facebook, You Good Old Sport
Lots to write about this week. I could touch upon the rise of Texas Rangers All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton, who has kicked his coke habit to the curb and nowadays smacks home runs over the …
Summer Reading for Sports Enthusiasts
I’ve long debated an angle for my next Cardinals-related column. While the acquisitions of C.C. Sabathia by the Brewers and Rich Harden by the Cubs could provide an opportunity to express a desire for the …
Vinyl Junkies Unite in Rantoul
One gallon of gas north of Champaign-Urbana is Backbeats, a used records and books store situated inconspicuously on the main strip in Rantoul. It is, in a literal sense, a mom-and-pop shop. Don Boskey runs …
Sleeping My Way Through the Draft
In celebration of the 2008 NBA Draft and the Chicago Bulls top overall selection of Derrick Rose, who will no doubt transform the team’s lackluster offense into a stealth scoring machine under the master guidance …
Vinny the Bull
Well, so much for Doug Collins. On Wednesday, the Bulls announced the hiring of their new head coach, a head coach with no head coaching experience, no assistant coaching experience, really, zero coaching experience of …
And This Is a Reminder of Why It Couldn’t Happen
Gather round friends and Cubs fans. Northsider groupies, including Smile Politely scribe Adam Fein, are getting their hopes up thanks to an MLB-best start. So now is as good a time as any to remind …
New Coach, No. 1 Pick Give Bulls Something to Talk About
As the NBA Finals draw near and the league wets its lips in anticipation of a Lakers–Celtics match up, Bulls fans can take solace in owning the first overall pick in June’s draft, and possibly …