Through the Bathroom Mirror

[READER]( Late last week, a four-part TikTok story in which a 26-year-old New Yorker named Samantha Hartsoe discovered her bathroom mirror was a flimsy entrance to an adjacent unfinished apartment [went viral](. When I first saw the clips on Twitter, I noticed quite a few people reference Candyman, the 1992 horror film largely in which a graduate student played by Virginia Madsen discovers that abutting apartments in the Cabrini-Green towers are connected by easily removable medicine cabinets. I'll avoid further spoiling a 29-year-old movie, but if you have seen it and if you've read this paper for years, chances are you noticed some Candyman elements loosely borrow details from Steve Bogira's deeply researched September 1987 Reader story about the murder of 52-year-old Grace Abbott Homes resident Ruthie Mae McCoy, ["They Came in Through the Bathroom Mirror."]( In a 2014 blog post, Bogira reflected on how these details may have become part of [Candyman]( the first place](. "They Came in Through the Bathroom Mirror" is a classic Reader story; it's a thoughtful and painstakingly researched piece that elevates every molecular detail and shows how this one story is intimately connected to how our city functions (or doesn't) at large. Bogira brought the same care to all of his stories, which felt like events upon publication. And these stories still bring people in. As Hartsoe's TikTok went viral, new readers flooded our site to read "They Came in Through the Bathroom Mirror." It's curious to learn what drives people to our stories. We still publish deeply researched, immersive features you're unlikely to find anywhere else. One of the many benefits of writing for the Reader is having the flexibility to capture every seemingly miniscule detail about our subjects that might go missing in traditional hard-news reporting—if other outlets even decide to cover the same subject in the first place. I prefer to write about local musicians you're unlikely to read about elsewhere, or focus on national trends in terms of how such phenomena interact with this city. That work doesn't guarantee the kind of traffic that comes with covering the most popular musicians in the world, and it often takes a great deal of time to complete. These stories fulfill our commitment to this city's communities, and whenever they arrive, they further expand our understanding of the place we all call home. We still deliver irreplaceable stories that capture what makes this city distinctive. And it's always a treat to see people learn from our work, regardless of when they discover it. Sincerely, ["Are NFTs the Future of Digital Music Or Just Crypto Snobbery,"]( by Arielle Gordon (Stereogum) ["Playing Chicago: 15 Songs to Usher in Spring,"]( by Jessi Roti (Audiofemme) ["Jane Nye, barber who befriended and styled punk, Goth, and glam clients, dead at 65,"]( by Maureen O'Donnell (Sun-Times) ["California Clipper Will Reopen With New Operator Prepared To Revive Beloved Bar, Landlord Says,"]( by Mina Bloom (Block Club) Home is Where, [I Became Birds]( James Bangura, [Interpretation of Sound]( Julien Baker, [Little Oblivions]( David Ellis, [Trials & Tribulations]( [Locrian’s Terence Hannum crafts cinematic beauty on Dissolving the Bonds]( By [Luca Cimarusti]( [@LucaCimarusti]( [GOSSIP WOLF: Elastic Arts ramps up its bookings and launches a transatlantic collaboration]( Plus: CIVL opens grant applications for its SAVE Emergency Relief Fund, and UMAW-Chicago demonstrates at Spotify’s local HQ. By [J.R. Nelson]( [@JR1Nelson]( and [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Altin Gün adds synthpop to their eclectic arsenal on Yol]( By [Jamie Ludwig]( [@unlistenmusic]( [THE LISTENER:]( Ringer keeps Les Rita Mitsouko’s music alive]( Her famous duo are no more, but a recent box set captures her own performances of the band’s punky, jazzy synth-pop songs. By [Salem Collo-Julin]( [@hollo]( [Lil Zay Osama makes his case to be Chicago’s next rap star on Trench Baby]( By [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Issue of March 4 - March 17, 2021 Vol. 50, No. 12]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) 1971 Chicagoans have relied on the Reader for trusted alternative coverage of our city. The Chicago Reader is now a 501c3 nonprofit organization which means our survival is in your hands. In order to continue to be your trusted alternative voice of Chicago, we need your help. If you can donate just $5 today, we can show the world that community funded, independent journalism is the future. 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