2022-03-06 05:54
Final Score: St. Louis 69, VCU 65 Location: St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena) Records: VCU 21-8, 14-4 in A-10; St. Louis 21-10, 12-6 in A-10 VCU ended the regular season with a loss to S… Read More
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Slantblog Blog
slantblog.blogspot.com
Since 1985, in various formats, SLANT -- an independent voice based in Richmond's Fan District -- has offered its readers original commentary on politics and popular culture, including cartoons and selected sundries. Warning: Sometimes that means satirical content. All rights are reserved.
2022-03-05 03:08
With the threat of nuclear war now on the table, there's a lot more at stake than Ukraine's sovereignty. More than the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian and Russian lives that are now at ri… Read More
2022-03-04 04:07
For a few years (2017-21), it seemed Trump was the world's most dangerous man. No doubt, he was quite pleased with the notion that millions of people were seeing him in that eerie light… Read More
2022-03-02 15:08
Final Score: VCU 74, St. Bonaventure 51Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)Current Records: VCU 21-7, 14-3 in A-10; St. Bonaventure 19-8, 11-5 in A-10. VCU's Rams led… Read More
2022-03-02 01:04
The Virginia Commonwealth University men's basketball team's head coach, Mike Rhoades, frequently refers to his team as an "Army." With that label he seems interested in selling to his team… Read More
2022-02-27 03:00
Final Score: VCU 77, UMass 62 Location: Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center) Current Records: VCU 20-7, 13-3 in A-10; UMass 12-15, 5-10 i A-10. Senior guard KeShawn Curry continued his hot… Read More
2022-02-24 22:30
The Lee Monument pedestal June 5, 2020 In June of 2020, Richmond's Fan District residents found themselves living at the epicenter of a cultural earthquake. Quite unexpectedly, the demonstr… Read More
2022-02-24 04:34
Final Score: VCU 72, George Mason 66.Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)Current Records: VCU 19-7, 12-3 in A-10; Mason 13-13, 6-7 in A-10 Although the Rams threatened twic… Read More
2022-02-21 22:04
Lee Monument pedestal June 5, 2020 (my photo)In June of 2020, Richmond's Fan District residents found themselves living at the epicenter of a cultural earthquake. The demonstrations i… Read More
2022-02-21 15:49
As February winds down, we know the chatter about the NCAA men's basketball tournament will get steadily louder. Which Division I conferences are up this season? Which are down? Based on the… Read More
2022-02-21 02:51
The jobs picture continues to improve and the latest COVID news is also an improvement. Let's hope those trends will continue and maybe the body politic will notice. From my desk, just as wi… Read More
2022-02-19 04:50
Final Score: VCU 77, Richmond 57Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)Current Records: VCU 18-7 (11-3 Atlantic 10), Richmond 17-10 (8-6)After playing Richmond even in the first ha… Read More
2022-02-18 23:28
What does Putin Want? How much land will it take to satisfy Putin’s hunger to put the old Soviet Empire back together? And, besides land, there must be more to it. Some benef… Read More
2022-02-16 16:45
Note: These obituaries I penned for what were three popular Fan District restaurants were originally published by Richmond.com in the years indicated.* Texas-Wisconsin Border Caf&eacut&hell…Read More
2022-02-16 14:19
Final Score: VCU 66, Fordham 61 Location: Bronx, N.Y. (Rose Hill Gymnasium) Current Records: VCU 17-7, 10-3 in A-10; Fordham 11-13, 4-8 in A-10 VCU's seniors, KeShawn Curry and Vince W… Read More
2022-02-13 03:25
Final Score: VCU 85, George Mason 70 Location: Fairfax, Va. (EagleBank Arena) Current Records: VCU 16-7 (9-3 Atlantic 10), George Mason 12-11 (5-5) VCU's crafty sophomore point g… Read More
2022-02-11 01:44
Rebus reminiscing about what mattered in 1973. By F.T. Rea Fan Free Funnies Note: This is a piece I penned about the time in which underground comics mattered, culturally. It was published… Read More
2022-02-10 00:13
By F.T. Rea Midnight Shows In the 1970s, during what some film aficionados call "the golden age of repertory cinema," double features ruled. Perhaps the hodgepodge of double features that… Read More
2022-02-09 22:37
By F.T. Rea At the end of the first year (1972) of the Biograph Theatre's operation in Richmond, we -- the management -- could easily see that our midnight shows' grosses were carrying us… Read More
2022-02-09 22:11
by F.T. Rea Over 200 Titles in Year No. 1Note: About six weeks before its opening gala (on Feb. 11, 1972) this wide-angle view of The Biograph Theatre was captured by a Richmond… Read More
2022-02-09 17:04
Since receiving MTV’s first Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984 Richard Lester (pictured to the right), has been seen by some pop culture aficionados as the inventor of music videos… Read More
2022-02-09 04:42
Final Score: VCU 73, Rhode Island 64 Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)Current Records: VCU 15-7, 8-3 in A-10; Rhode Island 12-10, 3-7 in A-10 Senior guard KeSh… Read More
2022-02-08 23:21
Looking back on it at the end of the first year (1972) of the Biograph Theatre's operation in Richmond, we -- management -- could easily see that our midnight show’s grosses were c… Read More
2022-02-06 15:33
It should come as no surprise to most film buffs that sometimes there was a dark side to the business of doing business after dark. While some saw the Biograph Theatre as a beacon in the n… Read More
2022-02-06 04:34
Final Score: VCU 71, Duquesne 62 Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)Current Records: VCU 14-7, 7-3 in A-10; Duquesne 6-14, 1-7 in A-10. With four players scoring in… Read More
2022-02-03 15:01
Final Score: Dayton 82, VCU 52 Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) Current Records: VCU 13-7, 6-3 in A-10; Dayton 15-7, 7-2 in A-10 Playing against the Dayton Flyers without Vin… Read More
2022-02-02 16:20
RT-D Editor’s note: For 32 years, syndicated Times-Dispatch columnist Charles McDowell (1926-2010) deplored the dreary, endless month of February. The following column is reprinted… Read More
2022-02-01 23:48
On Feb. 4, 2014, Heather Moon wrote in the Richmond Times-Dispatch: Charley McDowell wrote a series of columns about the month of February that became quite well-known. This was the first… Read More
2022-02-01 17:20
For Black History Month, this piece ran as a Back Page in Style Weekly in February of 2002; 20 years ago it drew more comment, pro and con, than most of the other OpEds I did for Style. How… Read More
2022-01-31 20:12
The photo of Vince Williams and the information below were supplied by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D. Senior forward Vince Williams Jr. has been named Atlantic 10 Conference Player of t… Read More
2022-01-30 02:23
Final Score: VCU 64, Richmond 62 Location: Richmond, Va. (Robins Center) Current Records: VCU 13-6, 6-2 in A-10; Richmond 13-8, 4-4 in A-10 When longtime rivals clash, it's no surprise… Read More
2022-01-27 14:42
Final Score: VCU 70, Davidson 68 Location: Davidson, N.C. (Belk Arena) Current Records: VCU 12-6, 5-2 in A-10; Davidson 16-3, 6-1 in A-10.Late in the second half, the surging Wildcats h… Read More
2022-01-26 15:16
Major League Baseball just announced its Hall of Fame inductee for 2022. According to the rules that govern the voting of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, this year, only David… Read More
2022-01-23 01:43
Final Score: VCU 70, Saint Joseph’s 54Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)Current Records: VCU 11-6, 4-2 A-10. Saint Joseph’s 8-9, 2-4 in A-10. Vince Willi… Read More
2022-01-21 00:09
From my desk it doesn't look like Donald Trump is modeling himself after a European fascist dictator, like Adolph Hitler of the 1930s. It appears more like Trump wants to run the USA from th… Read More
2022-01-19 19:30
Final Score: Davidson 63, VCU 61 Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) Current Records: VCU 10-6, 3-2 A-10; Davidson 15-2, 5-0 in A-10) VCU had no answer for Davidson's big man, Luka Braj… Read More
2022-01-16 01:15
Final Score: St. Bonaventure 73, VCU 53 Location: St. Bonaventure, N.Y. (Reilly Center) Current Records: VCU 10-5, 3-1 in A-10. St. Bonaventure 10-3, 2-0 in A-10. In a rematch of last s… Read More
2022-01-12 04:02
Final score: VCU 84, GW 57.Location: Siegel CenterCurrent records: VCU 10-4, 3-0 in A-10. GW 4-10, 0-2 in A-10. Four Rams scored in double figures, as VCU consistently overwhelmed Geo… Read More
2022-01-11 00:23
Rebus and his creator, F.T. Rea, are veterans of provocative humor and art in Richmond.Note: This piece, which comments on the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, was published by the Richmond… Read More
2022-01-09 01:08
Final Score: VCU 85, La Salle 66 Location: Philadelphia, Pa. (TruMark Financial Center) Current Records: VCU 9-4 (2-0, A-10), La Salle 5-7, (0-2 A-10) VCU finally snapped out of it… Read More
2022-01-07 01:49
Ted WilliamsFiction by F.T. Rea June 3, 1959: A lean boy with sandy hair and blue-gray eyes, 11-year-old Roscoe Swift lived in a nine-room stucco house with his mother's parents. The 40-ye… Read More
2022-01-06 14:20
Final Score: VCU 53, Dayton 52 Location: Dayton, Ohio (UD Arena) Current Records: VCU 8-4 (1-0 Atlantic 10), Dayton 8-6 (0-1) Wednesday night VCU's sophomore point guard, Ace Baldwin Jr… Read More
2022-01-04 23:32
Snow brings back memories. When we see the way snow makes the world around us resemble a high contrast black and white photograph, we can't help but connect to when we saw that distinctiv… Read More
2022-01-03 22:28
Note: Soon Treveon Graham’s No. 21 will be hanging from the rafters of the Siegel Center, along with five others already there. During halftime of the VCU Rams’ game vs. the St… Read More
2021-12-29 22:09
1978, my front porch.The last live music show I produced and promoted was staged at the Bijou's space in Downtown Richmond (304 E. Broad St.) on Feb. 11, 2017. It was a show to celebrate the… Read More
2021-12-24 20:16
Fiction By F.T. Rea Jan. 24, 1991: Bright sunlight danced through the thin coating of freezing rain that had painted the city the evening before. In the crisp air a slender middle-age… Read More
2021-12-24 15:41
Twenty years ago Carlos Runcie Tanaka, a Peruvian sculptor, was in Richmond’s Fan District for a few days. In case you don't know it, Tanaka was/is a star in the international art wo… Read More
2021-12-23 18:49
This article that appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch nearly 28 years ago. It's a funny piece in many ways. The talented writer was so charming that she got me telling a few stories… Read More
2021-12-19 18:47
From Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.: VCU Men’s Basketball’s game with New Hampshire, scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 21 at the Stuart C. Siegel Center, has been canceled due to… Read More
2021-12-16 22:00
Note: This piece about Biograph Theatre anniversaries was first published nearly 21 years ago by Richmond.com (Feb. 16, 2000). Time flies. The 50th anniversary of the Biograph Theatre's open… Read More
2021-12-16 15:17
Doug Wilder celebrating his 2004 victory. My illustration. The following piece, attempting to sum up the passing of a decade, was published by Richmond.com on Dec. 16, 2009. *The Aughts… Read More
2021-12-16 04:08
Final Score: VCU 66, FAU 46 Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) Current Records: VCU 7-4, FAU 6-5 The short story: VCU forced 25 turnovers on the night and shot 71 percent (15-of-2… Read More
2021-12-12 14:34
Final Score: VCU 75, Old Dominion 66 Location: Norfolk, Va. (Chartway Arena) Current Records: VCU 6-4, Old Dominion 5-6 The short story: The Rams scored 44 points in the second stanza. Seni… Read More
2021-12-11 00:42
2021-12-09 21:14
In December of 2010, I wrote "Tacky Lights at 25" for Richmond.com. Click on the link to read it there, if you like. Or you can just keep reading here. I snapped the photo of Chuck Wrenn and… Read More
2021-12-09 14:28
Final Score: VCU 66, Jacksonville State 52 Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) Current Records: VCU 5-4, Jacksonville State 3-5 The short story: Freshman guard Jayden Nunn poure… Read More
2021-12-08 17:47
Here's my piece about a true story set in Nashville in 1987. It was published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Jan. 7, 2017, under the title, “Shredding magazines, dying comets, and J… Read More
2021-12-06 21:13
The removal process for the Robert E. Lee memorial's towering pedestal on Monument Avenue has begun. Obviously, Gov. Ralph Northam prefers not to leave this particular task to the incoming g… Read More
2021-12-05 13:43
Final Score: VCU 65, Campbell 61Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)Current Records: VCU 4-4, Campbell 6-2 The short story: Four Rams scored in double figures, as VCU… Read More
2021-12-01 00:57
The piece below was published on Jan, 27, 2000, by Richmond.com. When the news broke that Eddie Weaver had died, I was asked to do the necessary research and write a remembrance of a sort. T… Read More
2021-11-27 01:09
Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 AtlantisFinal Score: #22 UConn 70, VCU 63 (OT)Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas (Atlantis Resort)Current Records: VCU 3-4, UConn 6-1 The short st… Read More
2021-11-26 14:00
Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis Final Score: #6 Baylor 69, VCU 61 Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas (Atlantis Resort) Current Records: Baylor 6-0, VCU 3-3 The short story: Seniors V… Read More
2021-11-25 16:10
The fourth Thursday of November is the day for Americans (and those in a few other countries) to celebrate Thanksgiving. For hundreds of years it's been a day for special feasts. And… Read More
2021-11-25 03:44
Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis Final Score: VCU 67, Syracuse 55 Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas (Atlantis Resort) Current Records: VCU 3-2, Syracuse 2-2 The short story: Graduate… Read More
2021-11-24 20:30
As I watched the clever "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" on TV and polished off my lunch, I thought of Carole Kass, a friend who was the longtime movie critic at the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She… Read More
2021-11-21 18:55
Final Score: Chattanooga 56, VCU 54 Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) Current Records: VCU 2-2, Chattanooga 4-0 The short story: Chattanooga’s Malachi Smith hit a sho… Read More
2021-11-18 13:53
Final Score: VCU 48, Vanderbilt 37 Location: Nashville, Tenn. (Memorial Gymnasium) Current Records: VCU 2-1, Vanderbilt 2-1 The short story: Senior forward Vince Williams scored… Read More
2021-11-16 19:54
After the Biograph’s second anniversary’s "Devil" prank in 1974, it became a ritual on each February 11th for the staff and friends to observe the occasion with a reunion get-t… Read More
2021-11-14 16:27
Final Score: Wagner 58, VCU 44Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)Current Records: VCU 1-1, Wagner 2-0The short story: Senior guard KeShawn Curry's 12 points and junior forward Hason Ward… Read More
2021-11-10 18:47
From VCU's athletic department: Christian Fermin (Pocono Summit, Pa./Pocono Mountain West) and Alphonzo “Fats” Billups (Richmond, Va./Varina) signed National Letters of Inte… Read More
2021-11-10 16:07
Score: VCU 57, Saint Peter’s 54 Location:Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) Records: VCU 1-0, Saint Peter’s 0-1 The short story: Junior forward Hason Ward tipped in a go… Read More
2021-11-03 23:20
Combine three ingredients: 1. The anti-intellectualism we've been seeing in recent years from Trumpists. 2. Youngkin's deft crafting of a Toni Morrison book into an effective campaign iss… Read More
2021-11-03 17:59
The weaknesses Democrats showed in elections in Virginia are current problems, but they really aren't new. Furthermore, saying Glenn Youngkin's victory in Virginia was just because Terry McA… Read More
2021-10-28 20:23
Yes, I wish the Terry McAuliffe we see on television could relax, catch his breath, and be a little easier to like. Don't know how different he might seem, in person. Haven't met him. But si… Read More
2021-10-23 22:52
Say what you will about his many flaws, Trump knows how to get what he wants: Right now, it looks to me like the 2022 elections will be entirely about him and his Trumpists. In election… Read More
2021-10-18 19:03
This clipping is from Throttle's July 1982 issue. In 1982 the City of Richmond tweaked its City Code to crack down on the posting of unauthorized notices on fixtures in the public way. With… Read More
2021-10-18 18:44
Note from Rebus: The Fan City Trivia Card Collection (1984), a set of 12 cards, followed The Brileys later the same year. Like all five of Rea's card sets this one came packaged in a… Read More
2021-10-05 21:07
"Napalm" 2004 by Banksy Note: This post was prompted by a discussion on Facebook in which a commenter seemed to object to Banksy's use of a detail from the famous photo known widely as… Read More
2021-09-27 21:41
The fruitless search for the time capsule dragged on.The story of the search for a time capsule that might exist stood out from a news-making episode that was supposed to be all about the… Read More
2021-09-23 02:46
Terry GarlandThe plainest way to describe the Terry Garland sound is to say he was an “authentic bluesman.” If you were ever lucky enough to catch his solo act in a club –… Read More
2021-09-09 17:35
My iPad photo of the rehearsal for the Robbin Thompson event on 2/29/16With the announcement that this week's issue of Style Weekly will be the last, I decided to preserve a few of the many… Read More
2021-09-09 02:19
Note: I wrote the piece below in 2001. It's set in my neighborhood near the Lee Monument and it was published that same year by C-Ville Weekly.My photo (2016)Of course, in Richmond the prope… Read More
2021-09-06 22:03
Gen. Robert E. Lee (1807- 1870)The piece above, "Mercie's Lee," is an ink and pastels study of the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in my neighborhood. That statue it… Read More
2021-09-03 03:30
Truth is, those of us who cherish democracy and like to avoid giving bullies their way need to do a better job of understanding the bullies who are our opponents. Thus, as we hear reports of… Read More
2021-09-02 00:45
Fiction by F.T. Rea “Com’ere Bustah,” the old coot barked gruffly.Slouched on a bench made of stone and wood, the man wore an oversized pea coat and a dark blue k… Read More
2021-08-14 19:43
Lee Monument pedestal June 5, 2020 (my photo)In June of 2020, Richmond's Fan District residents found themselves living at the epicenter of a cultural earthquake. The demonstrations here th… Read More
2021-08-12 14:31
Fiction by F.T. ReaSeptember 21, 1977: The Luis Buñuel double feature playing at the Fan City Cinema drew a sparse but appreciative crowd. In the lobby, just before the 9:30 show g… Read More
2021-08-05 22:41
Like many baby boomers I grew up watching WWII newsreels and movies about Nazis. So as a kid I wondered a lot about how Germans could have allowed crazy Nazi gangsters to take over their w… Read More
2021-08-03 21:53
In 2021 disinformation is poison. Until now, we've made the mistake of shrugging its damage off, as if it has been sort of inevitable. Or maybe we've been pretending that in the new millen… Read More
2021-07-16 22:30
If there were no election liars on TV for 90 days, injecting their poison into the body politic, it wouldn't solve all of our most vexing problems. But I feel certain it would make things… Read More
2021-07-14 17:34
Happy Bastille Day (July 14, 1789) Read More
2021-07-08 17:04
When people complain about "erasing history," to do with taking down Richmond's Confederate memorials, what do they mean? When they talk about wanting Virginia history to be taught today as… Read More
2021-07-06 21:43
The big problem with passionately denouncing the Big Lie is this: it calls for the denouncer to explain that vague term by reciting a list of dishonest deeds that have to do with the electio… Read More
2021-07-01 22:36
“La Jetée” (1962): B&W. 28 minutes. Directed by Chris Marker. Cast: Davos Hanich, Hélène Chatelain, Jen Négroni. Note: A stunning example… Read More
2021-07-01 02:23
Lee Monument pedestal June 5, 2020 (my photo)In June of 2020, Richmond's Fan District residents found themselves living at the epicenter of a cultural earthquake. The demonstrations… Read More
2021-06-28 22:43
The USS PuebloFor as long as it has existed, dealing with North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) has never been easy for the U.S.A. So, since the end of the Korean War (19… Read More
2021-06-08 20:12
Lee Monument pedestal June 5, 2020 (my photo)In June of 2020, Richmond's citizens were living at the epicenter of a cultural earthquake. In the wake of demonstrations that erupted coast-to… Read More
2021-06-07 22:29
In June of 2020, Richmond's citizens were living at the epicenter of a cultural earthquake. In the wake of the national demonstrations that erupted following the murder of George Floyd, in… Read More
2021-06-04 21:50
May 30, 1989: As a symbol of their call for democratic reforms in China, the original Goddess of Democracy was built by art students who erected it in Tiananmen Square. The gathering protes… Read More
2021-06-01 03:18
Can it happen here? Can Democracy fail and a Sinclair Lewis style dystopia fall into place here in the USA? Can 2021's variant of fascism overwhelm this country's ability to fend it off? W… Read More
