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Cozmic
Pizza What goes together like pizza and beer? Well, pizza and politics. Eugene's organic pizza house, Cozmic Pizza, is nestled in the Strand building at 199 W. 8th Ave. along with Theo's Coffee House, Indra's Internet Café, Windows Booksellers (proprietors of philosophic and theological texts) and WIPF Stock Publishers, a publishing house. Event Coordinator Jules Vaughn filled me in on the history and hopes of this pizza joint turned community meeting place. Cozmic Pizza quickly outgrew its original spot on Willamette Street, thanks to delicious organic veggie fare and a delightful outdoor courtyard filled with the sounds of acoustic music on summer eves. "People just loved the venue, because it was outside during the summertime under the stars, fairly casual," explains Vaughn. As the owners looked for a new location to expand their pizza business, Vaughn held in her mind the vision of a space that could be "a community events kind of venue," she says. When the Strand building became available, she says, "I took one look at that big curved ceiling and went, 'This is it!' " Cozmic's mission is to support the community in inventive ways. One example is giving musical performers 100 percent of the door take, rather than trying to profit from a struggling musician's audience attendance. "Offering a space for people to do their music," says Vaughn, "is a really big part of [our mission], but ... in a sense it's more like facilitating events. We try to facilitate a lot of different events … and the priority for us is to get people to try organic food, because that's what we've been doing for six years. And then we hope that people will come back." With the elections coming up, Cozmic Pizza has naturally been hosting political events, which are a huge draw. Vaughn says more than 200 people showed up to view presidential-hopeful John Kerry's nomination speech at the Democratic National Convention. "When we announce that we're going to do a big-screen showing of something it becomes kind of a social event and it really is exciting to sit there with 200 people and clap and cheer!" laughs Vaughn.
Patriot Act, performing political satire and musical comedy, will come down from Seattle on Oct. 8. Vaughn promises, "They're really funny and we're looking forward to having them!" This free event will be preceded by either a showing of the anti-Bush comedy film, There's Something About W, or a big-screen airing of the presidential debates, which are scheduled for television that night. Salsa music with Azuquita will follow. The Middle Eastern Dance Festival takes place on Saturday starting at noon. Dancers and musicians from around the state will congregate at the venue for performances and lessons of all types, celebrating the vibrancy of Middle Eastern Dance. On Sunday, Oct. 10 Cozmic hosts an afternoon benefit for Autism Rocks. After that, beginning at 8 pm, a local resident will show their videos from the Republican National Convention protests in New York City. On Oct. 12, Café Mam, local coffee roasters, will give a talk on Fair Trade. Gustavo from Chiapas, Mexico will present information and will be followed by a free big-screen showing of the film, The Future of Food, an informative look at the history and present situation of genetically-modified foods and pesticide use. Vaughn shared that MoveOn PAC has converged fifty paid employees in Eugene and will be using the Cozmic Pizza space to hold training meetings over the next few weeks. Pizza, beer, politics and music are united at The Strand. "It's been really exciting for me to see the space take shape based on all the different events," says Vaughn. "For me, this is really about getting people involved."
What
is Hip Hop? I was 5 years old when the movie Colors came out. I didn't really understand the plot of the film, but I remember digging on the soundtrack — particularly the title song by Ice-T. My big brother also liked it, so it had to be cool. Listening to that song made me want to become a rapper myself, so I decided to write my first rhyme, called "Crayons." It had the same rhyme scheme as "Colors," but instead of rapping about gang warfare and cops, I just talked about the many colors of crayons. Little did I know that this would be the genesis of my hip hop obsession. Many things have changed in hip hop culture since then. Ice-T started a heavy-metal rock group, Ice Cube is making hit movies, and a guy named Robert Van Winkle became Vanilla Ice. These Ices have one thing in common: They've all had their albums publicly run over by politicians driving bulldozers. (Well, not Vanilla's, but let's hope that happens real soon!) The destruction of this material was to prove the point that rap music is dangerous, tasteless, and just all-around bad. A lot of folks throughout the country agreed with the gesture, as it reinforced their preconceived notions about the culture itself. This ignorance still runs rampant with the help of the constant bombardment of media-induced misinterpretations of hip hop's ideals and values, grouping it all together instead of recognizing its diversity and expressive potential. That's unfair. It's like saying, "I hate the saxophone!" when the only artist you've been exposed to is Kenny G. I mean, hip hop doesn't just talk about Bentleys and Hennessey. Innovation is infinite in this particular culture's tendencies. Its influence in society is great. People are realizing that hip hop is more than planes, chains, and asses that shake. Hip hop is digging in record crates, using old beats and breaks to become the soundscape for an entire generation. Hip hop is holding a big-ass boom box to your face and blasting the new hotness. Hip hop is walking through high school friendless, with broken earphones bigger than your head and a few old mix tapes as your only accomplices. Hip hop is honesty and promises to stay on the ruff path, no matter how long it is. True Americana, hip hop is standing in a circle with a bunch of friends making fun of each others' mamas. Good hip hop is original, and for a lot of people it makes this harsh planet a little more digable. Hip hop is free-styling off the top with no rehearsal. It's "Chapelle's Show," "In Living Color," and that new McDonald's commercial. Hip hop is becoming a Leader of the New School, with new language that isn't just cool — it's def, dope, fresh, and bangin'! Hip hop is political frustration; anyone can see that if they have enough patience. It's late nights in the basement writing a declaration of your own independence, making a prolific statement with one sentence. Hip hop is finally in the hall o' fame of rock and roll, soul, funk, and jazz. Hip hop is blues because it has to be. Sometimes, hip hop is the best way to truly express how you feel after a tragedy. Hip hop is loyalty; samples making obscure oldies artists rich off of royalties. Hip hop is a New York subway car in the 1980s. Hip hop does not believe the hype. Hip hop is black, though some of the most popular artists lately are white. Hip hop is Colors, Breakin, Beat Street, and Wild Style. I'm a hip hopper for life because it inspires my inner child.
BLACK FOREST CAFE PARADISO CLUB TSUNAMI COFFEE GROVE CORNUCOPIA COZMIC PIZZA@THE STRAND All
Ages DUCK INN EMBERS SUPPER CLUB FOOL'S PARADISE GOOD TIMES JAKE'S PLACE JO FEDERIGO'S
JOHN HENRY'S JUANITA'S HIDEAWAY THE KEG LATITUDE 10 CAFE LAVELLE'S WINE BAR & BISTRO LUCKEY'S CLUB CIGAR LUNA MAC'S AT THE VET'S
MCDONALD THEATRE THE O BAR OREGON ELECTRIC STATION OUR PLACE PEABODY'S PERUGINO PRIME TIME SPORTS BAR QUACKER'S SAM BOND'S GARAGE SAM'S PLACE SPIRITS STACY'S COVERED BRIDGE SWEETWATER'S
WOW HALL All Ages
CORVALLIS FOX 'N' FIRKIN MAJESTIC THEATRE THE PEACOCK All Ages
PLATINUM NIGHT CLUB
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