Thax Douglas has a Kickstarter project to turn his band introductions into a chapbook. If we don't support it, poetry is at risk. more ›

A towering, bespectacled misfit who reads his poetry in front of bewildered rock audiences is a great subject for a song. (Or a fake death scare, for that matter). So no music fan can blame modern folkie Damien Jurado, performing in the WBEZ studios, for taking some poetic license on Thax Douglas, a local legend famous for reading brief, surreal poetry before live shows. There's just one problem: Jurado's romantic take on Douglas leaving Chicago for Texas is, well, not true. Here are the facts on Thax: He could be kind of a jerk. more ›

Thax -- rock poet, gadabout town, music lover -- moved to Austin last year and apparently the Chicago AV Club just figured out he was absent from the scene. (Funny how you don't appreciate the idiosyncratic ones that actually contribute to a city's scene until they're gone, huh?) That prestigious publication caught up with Thax this week to compare Chicago to Austin and, guess what, Thax likes Austin better. more ›

We just received word that Thax Douglas, rock and roll poet and friend of ours, passed away this morning. We, ah screw this third person thing. I just saw Thax a few days ago and can't quite believe what I'm typing. He will truly be missed and his passing will certainly throw a shadow over the city's music scene. He could be a divisive figure among audiences, but he should know, and I think he did, that he was truly appreciated by the bands he read for and those of us that thought he had a gift for turning ambiguous themes into solid imagery. We just lost one of Chicago's true treasures. more ›

Poet Thax Douglas has long been described as a polarizing figure in the local music scene, but after viewing the recent documentary on Douglas, Thax: The Movie, we've decided that viewpoint is skewed and incorrect. While there are a number of incredibly vocal critics who deride Douglas' presence at shows, the overriding majority of musicians and concert attendees appreciate his contributions to the community. Luminaries from Ted Leo, to Josh Caterer, to Jeff Tweedy sing the praises of Douglas' wordsmithing, and we even admit to gaining a new appreciation of his work now that we have a broader view of the poet's background. more ›

- The Illinois Appellate Court ruled the city is not liable for negligence in the 2003 Lincoln Park porch collapse. - Hollinger Inc., the majority shareholder in Sun-Times Media Group, has taken control of the board, leading to speculation that it's stepping up efforts to sell the Bright One. - "Someone filmed a documentary about Thax Douglas?" Yup. View the trailer here. - William Heirens, the state's longest-serving prison inmate at over sixty years,... more ›

If there is any justice, Polyvinyl Records will soon remake the musical heritage of Champaign, IL, in its own image, making the town known less for ridin’ the storm out and more for smooth, pop confections that are heavy on harmony and keyboards (Parasol Records is already fighting the good fight in Urbana, with guitars firmly in hand.) more ›

While it hasn’t exactly been occupying our every thought, we have occasionally wondered what Thax Douglas is up to out in New York. Last week, before Riviera took the stage at Martyr’s, we even caught ourselves mumbling things like “the earth wraps itself in a sheet of pale indigo cockle shells and absorbs its balmy reputation over the rice paddies of insolence.” more ›

While it hasn’t exactly been occupying our every thought, we have occasionally wondered what Thax Douglas is up to out in New York. Last week, before Riviera took the stage at Martyr’s, we even caught ourselves mumbling things like “the earth wraps itself in a sheet of pale indigo cockle shells and absorbs its balmy reputation over the rice paddies of insolence.” more ›

In case you feel like we haven't thrown enough weekend options your way, the Fall Art Season gets underway in earnest tonight. More than 50 galleries are opening exhibits, and that's not counting the dozens of Around the Coyote sites showing off local artists tonight through Sunday. (Remember that the ATC Fest is, once again, your last chance to see Thax Douglas.) Among the highlights: more ›

Tonight at the Hideout is the final show in the “Farewell To Thax Douglas” mini-tour of Chicago. Thax will perform his signature brand of poetry before sets by Chicagoist fave Sybris, Tight Phantomz, Dick Prall, and Daniel Knox. According to a recent interview at Transmission, some friends of Thax will also throw down some musical stylings and spoken word. We’ve been following the ups and downs of Thax for the last several months, from the... more ›

This weekend, Chicagoist headed over to the Bottle for the Manishevitz/Detholz!/Volcano! show. As we copped a lean on stage right, we noticed Chicago rock club mainstay Thax Douglas in the audience. We’ve always thought of Thax as a barometer of how good a show we’re in for, and we weren’t wrong.* more ›

The Bears’ lazy Sunday started off a slow week on Chicagoist before things heated up with spirited discussions about the unique charms of Antonio Davis’s wife, the Central time zone and Thax Douglas. more ›

Today’s Daily Northwestern delves a bit into the man, the myth and the poetry of Chicago’s own Thax Douglas. Known to almost everyone who’s ever set foot in a Chicago rock club, Thax can be found reading his poetry before the start of shows throughout the city. The piece explores how Thax’s poetry readings took off at the dearly departed Lounge Ax, though Thax himself said in an interview at Glorious Noise that the first... more ›

There aren’t too many big names in town this weekend. Mike (nee M.) Doughty will be at Park West after a free in-store at Borders on Michigan and Son Volt will prevent several people from accidentally seeing the atrocity known as The Fantastic Four by performing at The Vic on Saturday night. (Chicagoist thanks them for this gift to humanity). Anyway, we’re giving full vent to our indie leanings this weekend. Thanks, in part, to... more ›