360 Degree Self

Today was the last day of the Tony Fitzpatrick exhibition at the Chicago Cultural Center. Earlier last week I stopped by to see Tony’s work in person for the first time. To be honest, I was probably more familiar with Tony from his brief stint as radio talk show host here in Chicago than his work as an artist. I remember winning a double live CD of the Police on his show as he invited listeners to give him the best reason why we should win the CD. I described the time I purchased a bootleg version of this concert and that someone must have sneezed on the vinyl because I heard a “pop” on a couple different songs every time I played it. My tale of woe gave Tony a brief laugh and I won the CD. I digress. I knew Tony’s art had won him critical acclaim and that his artwork has graced the last few Steve Earle album covers. For some reason, though, his work never connected with me. Until last week. The exhibition is a tribute to Chicago, the city he grew up in. As a lifelong Chicagoan, mysel...

The largest free blues festival in America (the 25th Chicago Blues Fest) took place in Chicago last weekend and as usual, it offered visitors a mighty good time. It has been a tradition for me to take a day off of work and head down to watch some of the greats perform. Deep down, I am a huge rock and roll fan, and I realize that without the blues, it might just be “Roll.” As a music fan, I have been around the block a few times, but I always discover “new” musicians that catch my attention at the Chicago Blues Festival. This year was no exception. Walking toward the Front Porch Stage, I heard a soulful voice beckoning me. As I got closer, I discovered one of the most expressive and gifted singers that I have heard in a while in Jo Jo Murray. He had the ability to sing an emotional, soulful ballad and follow that up with a down and dirty rockin’ blues tune. Why had I not heard of him? He was simply amazing. The evening, though, belonged to Eddie “The Chief” Clearwater, one of Chicago’s ...

It was one of the happiest, most satisfying moments I have had in my life – it was my college graduation day. I’ll never forget the feeling of accomplishment, growth, and hope as I looked forward to my future. I had arrived. Recently, I attended my cousin’s 8 th grade graduation, and while listening to the commencement address, I was once again transformed back to this time of hope in my life. Truth be told, I have always enjoyed listening to commencement addresses. Good ones can motivate, entertain, inspire and teach. I’ ve sat through commencement addresses of several friends and even though I was not graduating that day, I felt motivated by their messages. The addresses I sat through reminded me of my own big day. They remind me that I still need to dream big. Scouring YouTube , I ran across an excellent commencement speech by Steve Jobs. Regardless of whether we are graduating from school or graduating to a better place in life, I think all of us could learn from listening to so...