September 27, 2006

Dito Montiel, Author and Filmmaker

Sofitel, Wed., Sept. 13, 1pm.

On Philadelphia: “I played here at a club called JC Dobbs with a band called Gutterboy. I just remember hanging out there and doing all the corny things everybody does here, like eating cheesesteaks till I was gonna die. JC Dobbs was cool. Oh, it’s gone? It was like CBGB in a way. I loved that place. I was here in 1993 or something like that. Nirvana had just been here because someone was telling me about it. That’s the last time. Before it was just for a school trip to the Liberty Bell and Hershey, to eat the chocolate. We took a bus trip from Queens. I was so excited. I wanted to hit the Liberty Bell, but you know, they don’t let you.”

Dito Montiel, the author of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, also directed the film adaptation opening Sept. 29. The film won the Dramatic Directing Award and a Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Performance at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

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September 21, 2006

Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera, Jackass stars

Four Seasons Hotel, Wed., Sept. 13, 3:45pm.

On Philadelphia: JK: “I usually spend time in West Chester, where Bam's from, and come to Philly every now and then. I like it. I love the bar Silk City, but they closed that down. What was the one we were at last night? Tattooed Mom. If I had a memory of it, it'd probably be pretty good. They had a pool table. For most of our stunts we just go where the best bars are. And Philly has some good bars, so yeah, we could do a stunt in Philly.” BM: “And Dr. J's from here, Darryl Dawkins, Rocky—we saw those steps today. Declaration of Independence. Cheesesteaks. Wawa, I think. I have a Wawa tattoo. It's right above a tattoo of Leon Spinks. People generally like it.”

Jackass Number Two opens this Friday.

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September 13, 2006

KT Tunstall, Musician

Electric Factory, Fri., Sept. 8, 4:45pm.

On Philadelphia: “Philly’s always sounded quite hip to me, as a British person. It’s good when the nickname for a town reaches you in a different country. So it’s always been ‘Philly’ to me, and that gives it a good youthful energy. We arrived here last night and got pulled over by the police, which was quite amusing because there was absolutely nothing wrong with the bus and he just wanted to know who was on it. We’re just sitting there going, ‘Oh God, is he gonna, like, tear the whole thing apart?’ We live on the bus. The only thing I really remember about here is walking up South Street on a sunny day absolutely starving, and we ended up in a Whole Foods. We just sat in the cafe and bought food by the pound, and we just ate so much. It was one of those … you’re about to fall down dead and you’re presented with a full buffet in a box, and you just end up going for it.”

KT Tunstall’s latest release is Eye to the Telescope.

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September 09, 2006

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Actor

UA Riverview Stadium, Wed., Aug. 23, 6pm.

On Philadelphia: “I've been here many times, yep. I came here to an Eagles game in high school, got plenty drunk, ate a lot of cheesesteaks—you know, the typical things you do when you're from a small town like Bethlehem. It's like, ‘Let's go to the big city! Let's go to Philadelphia.' I also came here to play Temple when I was playing for the University of Miami. Temple was still playing at the Vet. What an awful field. At that time I still had three ruptures in my back. I had to get shot up before the game and after the game. The Vet's turf was awful, so that memory I leave behind me. I also got to speak at the Republican convention here in 2000. I had a chance to sit with President Bush and Barbara Bush. There's a place here I always go: Morton's. They stay up for me, and the chefs don't mind cooking late.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is currently starring in Gridiron Gang.

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September 02, 2006

Candi Staton, Soul Singer

On Philadelphia: “I’ve been coming here for I guess 25 to 30 years. I performed here when ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ was a big song. That’s the last time I remember working here. It’s a beautiful city. I went to the Reading Terminal today and ended up having chicken soup. There’s so much good music from here. The O’Jays came here to record, and then there’s Teddy Pendergrass, and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. I did tours with Teddy. I saw Kenny Gamble in London, and he’s always telling me, ‘I’m gonna get your crying voice behind a microphone before I die.’”

Candi Staton’s gospel/soul album His Hands was released in April.

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