Category Archives: Philadelphia

Don’t go near the wood-er, quack quack

Posted on October 23, 2011 by oddmanout215

One of those bizarre amphibious “duck boats,” jammed with tourists, cruised past me on South Street today. The tour guide, using a mic and amp system, was shouting, “Pay attention, I’ll tell you how to speak Philadelphian. One, two, three… … Continue reading →

Posted in Philadelphia | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Toomey puppet paraded at Occupy Philly

Posted on October 15, 2011 by oddmanout215

“Follow the puppet!” The oversize papier-mache likeness of right-wing Sen. Pat Toomey stood tall among hundreds of Occupy Philly sympathizers marching from City Hall to Toomey’s Philly office with a petition for job creation. Coordinators shouted again when some marchers … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Congress, economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics, taxes, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Nicos Gun, laughing at tornadoes

Posted on October 12, 2011 by oddmanout215

From Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test: Coming up over the Blue Ridge Mountains, everybody was stoned on acid, Cassady included, and it was at that moment that he decided to make it down the steepest, awfulest windingest mountain … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, Philadelphia, pop music | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

These protesters are ‘angry at the right people’

Posted on October 8, 2011 by oddmanout215

Who would have thought a few weeks ago that hundreds of protestors from something called Occupy Philly would set up camp in Center City? The idea is almost as far-fetched as a tent city next to Wall Street. But there … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, economic collapse, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Cheez Whiz is legal, so why not pot?

Posted on October 7, 2011 by oddmanout215

The Philadelphia Daily News recently had fun reporting a story about a drug bust involving a manager at Jim’s Steaks. You know, the usual jokes about South Philly accents and dining preferences: HOW YA LIKE yer cheesesteak…? Whiz Wit’? Maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Recession, humor, livable cities, mainstream media, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Weird NJ’s phantom tollbooth attendant

Posted on October 6, 2011 by oddmanout215

It was a wonderful night until I tried to leave New Jersey. I’d read my short story “Chokepoint” at the Walt Whitman Arts Center in Camden, and I’d heard sharp, witty poems by West Coast transplant Seve Torres and a … Continue reading →

Posted in NJ, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fiction reading Wed. at Rutgers-Camden

Posted on October 3, 2011 by oddmanout215

7 pm Wednesday, Oct. 5 Walt Whitman Arts Center, 2nd Floor 101 Cooper St. Camden, NJ David McKenna, a.k.a. Odd Man Out, will read “Chokepoint,” from Idiot Lights, his collection of thematically related short stories set in Atlantic City and … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, Camden, fiction, NJ, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Adios, summer girl. Or is it ‘sun-eyed’ girl?

Posted on September 22, 2011 by oddmanout215

Summer’s gone and good riddance, I’d rather any weather than a heat wave in Philly. But I still like the idea of summer, which I associate with old memories of hitchhiking, seashore towns, and chasing girls who enjoyed being caught. … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, humor, Philadelphia, pop music | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s the end of the world…! Well, not quite

Posted on August 28, 2011 by oddmanout215

Disaster stories are crowd pleasers, partly because oblivion can seem an appealing alternative to everyday problems that have no solution. At the very least, such stories disrupt the monotony of our insulated, digitized environments and force us to imagine other … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, humor, livable cities, movies, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We’ll all be rain dogs soon

Posted on August 27, 2011 by oddmanout215

For those in the path of Irene: “Rain Dogs” from Tom Waits’ Rain Dogs (1985) According to reports, Philadelphia will get more rain this weekend than any other major city in the region. Bad news for those of us in … Continue reading →

Posted in food, livable cities, Philadelphia, pop music | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments