Features
Billy: A Rock Opera
by Robert Kurson
Local boy Billy Corgan made Smashing Pumpkins into the biggest band ever to have come out of Chicago – but the group’s troubles with drugs, personnel, and sales threaten the dream.
Dream Jobs
by Jeff Ruby
What’s it like to get paid to play games all day? Or to pick which women will appear in Playboy? Or to work all day in a wildlife menagerie? We found eight Chicagoans with these and other enviable jobs.
At Home: Starting Over
by Christine Newman
To live in a country cottage in the center of the city, an architect and a lawyer rebuilt a late 19th-century house from the ground up.
Cottage Industry
by Dennis Rodkin
A second-home building boom threatens to overwhelm the sleepy summertime ambiance of Harbor Country.
The Best of Harbor Country
by Dennis Rodkin
Here’s where to eat, sleep, swim, and play on your next visit to southwestern Michigan.
Summer Foods
Our critics select summer’s best wines, picnic baskets, and alfresco dining – and name their favorite spots for some of the season’s traditional fare.
Departments
Letters
Contributors
Frontlines
The blues, as Ray Charles sees ‘em; guerilla journalist Ron May on the city’s high tech scene; a procrastinator’s guide to kids’ summer camps; more
Style Sheet
by Stacy Wallace-Albert
Mediums cool: the material world of rubber, plastic, and resin.
Real Lives
by Marcia Froelke Coburn
As the chairman of Sotheby’s Midwest, Helyn Goldenberg leads a numbers game devoted to pricey objects of desire.
Stage & Screen
by Penelope Mesic
The youth movement: Chicago’s theatres offer a range of outreach programs that are not just kid stuff.
Sullivan’s Travels
by Terry Sullivan
In boot camp fitness class, the drill instructor won’t insult your mother. Not that it makes push-ups any easier.
Reporter
by Charles F. Adamson
Frank Pape’s relentless 40-year fight against crime earned him the unofficial title of Chicago’s toughest cop.
The City
by Steve Rhodes
Mayor Daley says he must guard against complacency. We offer help: a mayoral to-do list to improve Chicago.
Politics
by Richard E. Cohen
When Congressman Phil Crane announced he was battling alcoholism, was it an act of courage or political opportunism?
Dining Out
by Dennis Ray Wheaton
Worth an odyssey out of Greektown, these twonew spots are just the ticket to traditional food in a modern mood.
Expert Witness
by Tara Croft
Trouble with your vintage British motorcycle? Better call Christopher Lindner.
Chicago Guides
Prime Time
In June
The Terra Museum exhibits paintings and sculptures of the American West, ca. 1825-1925; the Chicago Blues Festival offers three tributes to the late Howlin’ Wolf.
Restaurants
Opening
The whole roasted rosemary chicken at Jacky’s Bistro marks chef Jacky Pluton’s return to the North Shore. Ratings: Thai knockout Arun’s recoups a star.