🕺 Do the hustle!

One of the greatest songs—ever. [READER]( The Daily Reader November 14, 2023 While putting together a profile of Flint Taylor for the Reader’s upcoming People Issue, I stumbled upon an old newspaper article that took me way back in time. Actually, I didn’t stumble upon it. Flint Taylor emailed it to me to help with my research. Before I go further with my tale of time travel . . . Flint Taylor is a radical attorney who has been fighting The Man since the 1970s. And Flint is still fighting The Man. Only, unlike the rest of us Man-fighters, Flint occasionally wins a round or two. You will read this in the sensational profile on Flint in our December People Issue (once I get around to writing it). Anyway, the article Flint emailed came from the Reader’s issue from September 26, 1975. Yes, 1975, a glorious year that gave us, among other things, “[The Hustle]( by Van McCoy. Which I think we’ll all agree is one of the greatest songs—ever. Well, I don’t actually think we’ll all agree with that statement. In fact, I think I may be one of the only people who agrees with it. In my estimation, “The Hustle” is one of those songs that just gets better with each passing year. C’mon, join in . . . “Do the hustle . . . Do the hustle . . . do, do, do, do the hustle . . .” OK, so the lyrics are sort of minimal. The title of the article Flint emailed was “Heavy 75”. It consisted of a list of 75 Chicagoans who were considered “heavy,” including Flint. If you’re baffled by that last sentence, perhaps it’s because you don’t know that “heavy” was 70s lingo for hip or cool. In 1975, the Reader was all of four years old and filled with youthful swagger to the point of arrogance. They just figured that everyone who read the Reader would know what heavy means. And if not? Well, maybe they’re too “unheavy” to be reading the Reader. You dig? Upon reflection, 1975 was a really long time ago. Think about it . . . If you were born back then, you’re now a Gen Xer heading into what I call the Baby Boomer phase of life. Not Baby Boomer as an era in time, like the one I belong to. But as in a phase of life. In this case, the phase where you realize you’re not as young as you used to be and you’re sort of irritated by those who are. I looked through the “Heavy 75” list to see if there was anyone who’s still hip and cool (you know, heavy) in 2023. Other than the aforementioned Mr. Taylor, not really. Like I said, it was a long time ago. Many of the heavy people on that list have died or retired. For the record, I was alive in 1975. But I’m not on the “Heavy 75.” Far from it. In 1975, I was a kid, picking up the Reader at the Baskin and Robbins on Dempster and Chicago in Evanston and listening to songs like “The Hustle” over and over and over again. Let’s be honest—anyone who loved “The Hustle” would probably be automatically disqualified from the Reader’s “Heavy 75.” That’s OK. I think we’ll all agree that when it comes to “The Hustle,” history proved me right. Well, some of us would agree with that. 🎙Listen to [The Ben Joravsky Show]( 🎙 [What Ben's Reading] Having seen the movie, I re-read [Killers of the Flower Moon]( by David Grann. It’s even better after seeing the movie. The words come alive. Great book, Mr. Grann. [Catey Sullivan]( on the musical Assassins [Ben Joravsky]( on the early days of north side gentrification. [Best of the Ben J. Show]( Political consultant [Delmarie Cobb]( on City Council State Senator [Lakesia Collins]( says listen to Alderperson Emma Mitts Parallax Policy founder and executive director [Pushkar Sharma]( on Gaza [RICJ Racial Justice Writers’ Room Fall Cohort Concludes]( The six members of this season’s cohort celebrated, pitched story ideas to media professionals. by [Chicago Reader]( | [R]( → [Witch casts half a spell at Artistic Home]( Jen Silverman’s update of a Jacobean dark comedy feels a little on the safe side. by [Emily McClanathan]( | [R]( → [This Bitter Earth dives into the roots of political and personal commitment]( The love story of a Black playwright and white activist gets an emotionally evocative production with Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre. by [Matt Simonette]( | [R]( → [Stupid F#@*ing Bird makes Chekhov both timeless and contemporary]( Aaron Posner’s Seagull update plumbs despair like a vaudeville skit with Bluebird Arts. by [Kimzyn Campbell]( | [R]( → [Femdot’s Free Samples has all the suave and speedy raps you need]( by [Leor Galil]( | [R]( The best snacktime in the city. [SIGN UP FOR FOOD & DRINK]( [Issue of Nov. 2 – Nov. 15, 2023 Vol. 53, No. 2]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE [PDF]]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2023 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616