Sunday, June 14, 2009

Travel: Fort Freemont

I love to travel. I think one of the most important things someone can do in their life is travel. There are a million places I want to go; here's one:

Fort Freemont. Beaufort, South Carolina



Fort Freemont is an abandoned Fort. It was built in 1899 to defend Port Royal Sound and the Naval Station on Parris Island (that's where we send our Marines for training, if the name rings a bell).



The Fort was named after General Charles C. Freemont of Savannah, Georgia who was one of four major generals appointed by Lincoln.



In 1875 the site was merely a wharf into the Port Royale Sound and a wooden hospital. When the Spanish-American war began, they replaced the wooden structure with a concrete one. In the hospital area is a colonial revival style building, square, with two stories which was later incorporated into a private residence.



The first battery appeared in 1898 followed by Battery Jessup and Battery Fornance in 1899.



At its peak, the Fort was in use by over 100 men of the 116th Coast Artillery and included a hospital, barracks, stables, guardhouses, and commissary.


Also, according to my research there's a spooky tree on the road to Fort Freemont.



Apparently, its popular with people interested in the paranormal. Rumor has it, if you park on the right side of the road at night (facing the tree), you might be able to see the Lands End Light. You sit there and wait in the darkness, until what looks like the headlights of a car are coming at you. First it goes quickly, then it slows down at floats in front of you. But if you turn your car on to leave, so will the light...

[it's on Lands End Rd]

Have suggestions on places to go? Leave a comment or email me at jinxlovesrhps@gmail.com

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Addicted to Bad Ideas; Review

Alright, I'm going to have to be upfront and honest. I loved this show. While there were flaws, I will stand by this show as something I thoroughly enjoyed and found worthwhile. So I'll try to be as harsh as possible.



Addicted to Bad Ideas is a stage show by World/Inferno Friendship Society which people refer to as "cabaret punk." It's definitely punk, and I understand where they are pulling cabaret from, but I don't agree, at least not from this show really. Well anyway, there were two saxes, a guitar, a bassist, a keyboardist, and a drummer (a famous drummer), and the lead singer, Jack Terricloth. It is a show revolving entirely around the actor, Peter Lorre.



Peter Lorre played in a number of films, like Casablanca, and the first time James Bond was ever seen on screen in Casino Royale. He also acted in a number of Hitchcock's works, but he is most famous for his first film M, which branded him for the rest of his life.

The great thing about going to the show is that it was part of Spoleto. So of course there were some rich elders there, who I'm sure needed the ear plugs they handed out. Although, to be fair, some of them clearly enjoyed it. The audience was filled with all different types of people, and a few standing in front of the stage. The stage had a giant white sheet as a curtain, and a screen at the top running film clips backwards. We waited anxiously, when suddenly the commotion began.



People began spraypainting from behind the curtain, different words and pictures. You could see the shadow of people, and of a girl bouncing a ball. It was great, and then the curtain got ripped down. Cue, the show.

For the record, Terricloth's impersonation was spot on. He sounded just like Peter Lorre. I was so convinced that if they took an artistic license in this performance, I will probably confuse it with fact.



I think this show really appealed to me in many ways. First of all I am an aspiring film buff. I hardly have time to watch films, but I love to know obscure facts about old actors. And as a person who is obsessed with 007, I already knew Lorre as Le Chiffre.

In another way, it harkens back (I'm seriously not that old...) to the days when I listened to punk all the time. I longed to go back in time to the late seventies, acid wash everything, shove safety pins under my skin, wear a leather vest with nothing underneath, and cut people with broken bottles in the pit. (I've grown out of that... sort of).

And then in the end, the beauty of the show. It was just a very pretty production. There are cameras on stage pointed at the musicians' faces in order to display them on the screens above. Terricloth changes in and out of a black tux and a white suit. Everything is black and white and red. The set is just a white floor and wall, with a mirror in the back, until they pop red confetti. There is a table for a scene later. And when Terricloth does his talks a red curtain drops and he talks into an old school microphone with a spot light on him. It's something I find beautiful.



Now for the harshness. I found it a little hard to follow at some points, particularly since I wasn't too familiar with Lorre's life. The second time I got to see it made a lot more sense. It seemed as if the letter from his daughter was randomly inserted. However, I didn't find any of this to be to the point where it would break apart the show. She was compelling enough to keep you listening and interested.

The second time I went was their last night in town and they did a few extra songs for the fans which was wonderful.



All in all I thought the show was great. I would pay to see it again, and I would recommend it to anyone.

When I saw it the following people played:
Maura Corrigan (sax)
Peter Hess (sax AND clarinet)
Sandra Malak (bass) she was so wonderful to watch! She has these great dreads, piled on top of her head and this cute dress and heels.
Lucky Strano (guitar)
Jack Terricloth (vocals) he was awesome!
and
Brian Viglione (drums) this is the REASON I came back a second time. Brian Viglione is the drummer for the Dresden Dolls who are on hiatus. I had to get a picture with him. And it is so true, he is great at what he does.