Multiple Thumbs Down for Chicago's Giant Marilyn Monroe Sculpture

As the legendary actresses gams rise up above Pioneer Court in downtown Chicago, the 26-foot-tall sculpture is greeted with yawns and criticism. But if J. Seward Johnson isn't a good artist, per se, he's an interesting one.

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Where to Go This Weekend: Clear Lake, Iowa

If the heat has you hankering for a lakefront escape that doesn’t involve an urban skyline, consider the waterfront charms of Clear Lake, Iowa. This weekend, the small town celebrates its titular body of water with LakeFest, which is actually a triumvirate of fests...

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Weekend Photos: Official Pitchfork Afterparty @ Beauty Bar

For those for whom eight hours of nonstop music in the grueling heat wasn’t enough, Beauty Bar hosted an official Pitchfork afterparty on Saturday, featuring DJ sets by festival acts Deerhunter, Twin Shadow (pictured below), and Ariel Pink...

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Blonde Redhead and My Gold Mask: Free Millennium Park Show

Two bands with two very different takes on dream pop promise a good free show for a hot night in downtown Chicago.

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Pitchfork 2011: Best and Worst of the Festival

Heat stroke be damned: This past weekend, we sent a brave coterie of correspondents to cover Pitchfork 2011, which drew 45,000 or so to a dry and oh-so-dusty Union Park (the attendance figure is slightly down from past years). Here, our picks for best and worst of the fest.

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Odd Future On "Best Behavior" at Pitchfork

Decoding the LA shock-rap collective's real influence after a less-than-engaging set at this weekend's Pitchfork Music Festival.

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Sale of the Week

Sears Exec Pays Most in 5 Years in St. Charles

List Price: $3.2 million
Sale Price: $3.1 million
The Property: A custom-built, 11,000-square-foot house on a little more than two acres in the far western suburb of St. Charles commanded the town’s highest home price in five years when it sold July 1...

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Writings on Music for Pitchfork Holiday Weekend

Four writers from around these parts on how music changed their lives, with Nirvana as the common thread.

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President Obama's View On the Deficit: Not That Different From 2006

The President offers "his case to the left," "the most extensive reply to that criticism yet." Interestingly, it's identical to the views he held as a freshman Senator. Less interestingly, he's not really addressing the left.

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Pitchfork Deals, Specials, and Afterparties: Music Isn’t the Only Thing That Wristband Gets You. Shots, Anyone?

I swear I saw rock stars at Cirque du Soleil last night. There they were, slouching around under the big top in their faded black skinny jeans, cool bed-head haircuts, and rumpled vests over V-neck tees. As we sipped $8.50 Bud Lights during intermission, I jabbed The Creative Director in the shoulder and pointed: “Look! I bet they’re here for Pitchfork...

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Fred Karger—Gay, Jewish, Republican, and Running for President

Fred Karger, 61, has lived in and around Los Angeles since 1972—mostly now in Laguna Beach—but he grew up in Glencoe and graduated from New Trier. He’s about as likely to become president as I am—his campaign slogan is “Fred Who?”—but the pundits are beginning to notice the first openly gay candidate to run on a major party ticket, especially as the issue of gay marriage heats up...

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RIP Q101

As Chicago's Alternative leaves the airwaves, fans mourn it and their own passing youth, and discuss the future of how we relate to music and the people who bring it to us.

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Penderecki Vs. Pitchfork

Legendary Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki leads the Grant Park Orchestra this weekend in his divisive Concerto grosso and Beethoven's Eroica symphony.

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Remember When Barack Obama Voted Against Raising the Debt Limit?

One futile political gesture deserves another, apparently. Meanwhile, the bond market is not amused, and no one outside the smoke-filled rooms has any idea what the principles want to or will do. But cooler heads will likely prevail on something relatively uninteresting.

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Picks of the Pitchfork Afterparties

Wild Nothing, White Mystery, Austra, Syd tha Kid, and others are all worthy options after you go to the festival, or if you don't go at all.

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Low-Cal Cocktails and Big Ideas at Hoyt’s, in Hotel 71—the Real Star of ‘Transformers’

Cutting calories and carbs has been my mission in June and July, but that’s no easy feat when you write about bars for a living—and also when every summer weekend devolves into a giddy, three-day festival of beer and encased meats...

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