R. Kelly's Old Lady
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R. Kelly’s Old Lady CHICAGO’S FREE WEEKLY | THIS ISSUE IN FOUR SECTIONS How FRIDAY, FEB 17, 2006 | VOLUME 35, NUMBER 21 local Chris Ware radio p 16 legend La Donna Tittle got The Works “Trapped The rest of the Red Line? in the p 8 Closet” Restaurants Vegetarian, vegan, and raw Section 2 A movie about Iraq, a play about Guantanamo, our favorite PLUS moral relativist Jack Bauer, best belt buckle ever, and more Section One Letters 3 Our Town 19 Now that’s a rock ’n’ roll high school Columns Hot Type 4 Reviews Jack Bauer’s real appeal Movies 27 The Straight Dope 5 Eugene Jarecki’s Why We Fight Superhuman strength, continued Art 29 Yutaka Sone at the Renaissance Society The Works 8 Can federal funding get the Theater 30 Red Line past 95th? TimeLine Theatre Company’s Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom Chicago Antisocial 10 New York Fashion Week Plus What Are You Wearing? 20 Victoriana, taxidermy, and high-rise jeans February 17, 2006 Comic Chris Ware 16 Ink Well 31 This week’s crossword: Discounts ON THE COVER: NORMAN L. HUNTER FOR JET, 1979 R. Kelly’s Old Lady She’s best known as the DJ who ruled black radio in the 70s and 80s, but La Donna Tittle has always thought of herself as an actress. Now thanks to a cameo in R.Kelly’s epic “Trapped in the Closet” video, she’s ready for her close-up. OM RIGHT) TT PEREZ (LEFT AND BO TY MAR Tittle on the air at WKKC, on the set with R. Kelly as Rosie the nosy neighbor, cosmetics on the console By Jake Austen or much of the 70s and 80s La Donna Tittle was the her the acting career she’s always dreamed of. queen of local black radio. She was number one in her In one of the videos for “Trapped in the Closet,” R. Kelly’s F time slot, showered with awards, and tens of thou- multipart R & B song cycle, Tittle plays Rosie, the elderly, sands of fans roared when she took the stage at funk and R spatula-wielding “nosy neighbor.” Her brief appearance, & B concerts. A longtime midday fixture on local radio, she mugging like a silent-film actor, is a highlight of the was, as her nickname put it, your Tittle in the Middle. Grammy-nominated series of videos. But even at the height of her radio career she considered herself an actress, doing side work in commercials, industri- ittle grew up in Bronzeville, in the shadow of the Regal al films, and local plays. Those jobs included a turn as a T Theater. As a girl she helped run the cash register at the teacher in a 1997 horror film, The Relic, and a guest role pool hall on 47th Street owned by her father, James O. on an episode of a cop show, Turks, in ’99. Nowadays Tittle Tittle, who’d also worked as a bartender, musician, and appears mostly on humble media outlets like WKKC, longshoreman. He demanded excellence from his five chil- Kennedy-King College’s 185-watt radio station, and dren, doling out “whuppings” for any failings, be they in CAN TV, where she hosts a soul-food cooking show. schoolwork or in his favorite game, chess. “My father didn’t But a nonspeaking cameo may be the role that brings continued on page 21 20 CHICAGO READER | FEBRUARY 17, 2006 | SECTION ONE What Are You Wearing? Our Town continued from page 19 letter jacket. There were fur coats happy to be out of the house with and Zeppelin T-shirts and sunglasses something to do.” worn indoors. Gia Muzzalupo and Oswego East’s auditorium, which her friends had spent all week plan- features an elaborate professional ning their outfits over the phone. lighting rig and an unbelievably loud “We have to dress attractive,” she sound system, is frequently rented for said. “What if we want to marry public events, according to the someone in the band?” school’s theater manager, Todd Once the house music—live Mielcarz. “We mostly just get recitals Warren Zevon—was cut and the in here,” he said. “This kind of show, a lights went down, the VIP rope was punk band, that’s a pretty big deal for moot. Black Wire entered to high- us in a presenting season. Our main pitched screaming, the kids rushed concern is safety. We’re keeping the the stage, and the screaming contin- VIP roped off so people don’t rush the ued throughout a well-honed, Clash- stage. I don’t think they will.” But inspired half-hour set. The kids physical safety wasn’t the only con- screamed when the band danced. cern. Though Forsell had submitted They screamed for guitar solos. A copies of Black Wire’s album, along group of girls from Waubonsie Valley with T-shirts and posters, to the High School screamed “I love you!” UGLIA school’s administrators for approval every time Wilson neared the lip of several months earlier, it wasn’t until the stage. They screamed when he VERIO TR SA the day before the concert that objec- kicked a water bottle and when he Martha Mulholland tions were raised. Several parents took chewed the banana-flavored gum issue with the title “Hard to Love, that had been thrown onstage. They Easy to Lay” and also with the explic- screamed when he announced before Something Old, itness of Forsell’s label name. In order the band’s second song, “This one’s for the concert to go off as planned, about London.” They imitated his “Giant Pecker” had to be blacked out moves: pogoing, rock-steady ska from all posters and promotional dancing, throwing arms to the beat. Something Eew materials, no merchandise could be Wilson, clearly amused, had to catch sold, and the band had not only to himself in the middle of his standard artha Mulholland, 22, grew Just for yourself? and hound belt buckles and stuff. This agree not to play “Hard to Love,” but in-between-song banter, stopping M up in Lexington, Kentucky, Yeah. It’s interesting to see yourself is a greyhound. I remember it was sit- to not say the word lay at all. after he began to thank the kids for and works as a cataloguer for taken out of context, to suddenly look at ting in my mother’s dresser for years The audience, a total of 420 people “coming out tonight.” M. Klein Auctions. yourself and you’re somebody else. It’s and I was always petrified of it. why I collect mirrors too. I like to think including guests and chaperones, ran As their their set progressed the You seem drawn to things What is that around your shoulders? about who used to wear this, how many that are creepy. the gamut from JV basketball cheer- band never once said the word lay, A Victorian silk collar. faces have looked in this throughout I don’t know where that comes from. I leaders (still in uniform) who had although fuck was uttered twice: once Where’d you get it? history and who’s been reflected back. never heard the band to serious fans accidentally by Wilson, and once quite like juxtaposing pretty with macabre, There used to be an old store in How do tight jeans fit into this picture? but I don’t think I like “creepy.” like 15-year-old Charise Walters, who intentionally by an eager young man Kentucky called Just Fabu run by two I thrifted these in Los Angeles. They What about the taxidermy? normally does sound for the theater who grabbed the mike and cussed a gay guys. Every time I went home have the 14-inch rise that makes it vir- I grew up in the country around ani- but tonight was working as a runner female teacher. Then for their final they would let me root through the tually impossible to move. I feel like all mals and now in the city I’m not real- for the band’s soundman. “I got into song, in spite of their promise, they back room. I also have little jackets my organs are being rearranged. and hoop skirts from this little shop. ly around wildlife. So I’m bringing it the band about a year ago,” she said. launched into “Hard to Love.” Wilson That’s very Victorian, actually. What’s into my home. People ask how I can “I heard about them from family in began pulling audience members up What’s with the Victoriana? your belt buckle? have stuffed animals in my house England, actually. It’s really cool that onto the stage, who in turn pulled up I’m a hoarder and I collect things. I This is from when my dad went out of around living animals, my cats. I say they are actually playing my high their friends, and by the song’s second collect antique clothing and antique the horse business. He bred horses, it’s OK because they would’ve been furniture and taxidermy animals—I and business in general was bad for a well dead anyway. I named them all— school.” Other kids took fashion cues chorus, almost the entire audience want to keep them for posterity. while, but he was so attached to this the pheasant is Ferdinand, the squir- from pictures they’d seen of people at was bouncing around up there, I’ll get really dressed up in period equestrian ideal that he opened a rel is Fievel.