Ripped at Lost in the ’50s in 2004
[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. Twenty years ago the Sultan of Sot paid a visit to Lost in the ’50s, 1809 N. Third St. in Superior, and composed this article for the December 2004 edition of the Ripsaw, which was the last issue of the publication in its monthly magazine format.]
Of the five bars located at the receptacle end of Tower Avenue, Lost in the ’50s is the shyest and most understated. Other bars in the neighborhood are known for their horseshoes or their burgers or for being a place to quietly drink yourself to death. Lost in the ’50s offers cheap drinks, a decent juke, bad karaoke and, as the name would suggest, a smattering of velvet Elvis art. For some reason, few people bother to take them up on the offer.
Location has as much to do with it as anything else. The layout of the Tower Avenue/North Third Street intersection tends to lead the drunken eye to the east, away from Lost in the ’50s and toward more dubious places, like Jo D’s Corner Oasis, JT’s or the deathly Tom’s Cedar Lounge. Besides, most people, once they get as far as the Anchor or maybe Molly’s, don’t even think of venturing any farther, because they assume they have all they need. They’re wrong, and I’m going to tell you why. (more…)
Video Archive: Monnie Goldfine on Spirit Mountain
The Spirit Mountain Recreation Area opened for skiing 50 years ago today — Dec. 20, 1974. To mark the occasion, Perfect Duluth Day dusts off a relic from the video archive featuring Duluth businessman Manley “Monnie” Goldfine presenting the concept for developing Spirit Mountain to the Twin Ports Press Club. The date of the presentation is not known, but the year is most likely 1972. (more…)
A Complete Unknown: Director James Mangold on Bob Dylan
JP Olsen of WDSE 103.3 FM “The North” interviews James Mangold, director of A Complete Unknown, a biographical drama exploring the early life of Bob Dylan. Mangold delves into the creative process, revealing how Timothée Chalamet embodied the spirit of Dylan, and discusses the enduring power of Dylan’s music and its affect on a new generation.
Postcard from the Merchandise Docks and Passenger Terminals
This undated postcard, published by Kreiman’s Lyceum News & Bookstore, shows a portion of Duluth’s waterfront warehouse district at some point in the first half of the 20th century. The large building with “Fireproof Storage” on the side in large letters is the Northern Cold Storage & Warehouse Company. (more…)
Selective Focus: Dunedinville
A few families in the Hunters Park neighborhood created Dunedinville during the pandemic when the only way to roam Bentleyville was by car. This past weekend, they gathered for the fifth year in a row, celebrating the holiday season in multiple yards. The gathering has grown since its first iteration and now includes its own website, podcast, origin story, board game, theme songs, live music and a comic book. The celebration is “famous for its killer sled tracks, fueled by in-house ice and snow-making capabilities.” Check out some of their slick slopes, light fixtures and moments from this year. (more…)
PDD Quiz: Merry Kiss Cam Filming Locations
‘Tis the season for cheesy holiday movies! This week’s quiz tests your knowledge of filming locations for Merry Kiss Cam, which was shot in Duluth during the summer of 2022.
A year-in-review PDD quiz comes your way on Dec. 29. Please email question suggestions to Alison Moffat at alisonlinnaemoffat@gmail.com by Dec. 26. (more…)
Illustrating Hunger and Homelessness: Anne Krisnik
Art by Nelle Rhicard at reframeideas.com.
A group of University of Minnesota Duluth faculty, students, and community artists came together to explore strategies to communicate the stories of frontline workers in housing and food insecurity. (more…)
Selective Focus: Boubville 2024
Boubville — not at all to be confused with Bentlyville; that would never happen — is a winter celebration that takes place on a property in Duluth’s Central Hillside neighborhood. In addition to the musicians performing, some of the artistic experiences this year include an interactive phonebooth called “Bent-to-Boub InterOpterative Phones” by Swertyman, “Ghosts of Dinners Past” by Annmarie Genuisz, “Silent Crude” projections by Allen Killian-Moore, a gift shop to peruse, a blacklight forest, an interactive electronic instrument made by Digetic and Ginger Juel, and more. Collected here are some snapshots captured by Jess Morgan at the first two nights of the 2025 spectacle. (more…)
Notorious Last Place on Earth owner Jim Carlson granted clemency; drug trafficking sentence ended early
Jim Carlson talks to a television reporter in front of his head shop, The Last Place on Earth, on Sept. 16, 2011. (Photo by Paul Lundgren)
A Duluth head shop owner convicted of federal drug trafficking charges more than a decade ago will have his sentence commuted in a sweeping clemency order issued by President Joe Biden Dec. 12. (more…)
Duluth on Chalamet’s lips
Duluth keeps getting mentioned in the publicity tour for the Bob Dylan movie A Complete Unknown. At the 6:53 mark in the clip above Timothée Chalamet says, regarding singing live-to-camera in the film, “The worst thing we could have done with a Bob Dylan biopic is sanitize it, to make it sound clean … This is a man from iron ore country, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Hibbing, Duluth.” Not that Minneapolis is so dirty, but OK.
Alan Sparhawk, et. al. – “Vaster Than Empires”
“Vaster Than Empires,” the new Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross track featuring Duluth’s Alan Sparhawk, appears in the recently released film Queer. The version embedded here is an alternate cut.
How should I feel about “A Solid Brass Christmas”?
I snagged a ton of cassettes at Gabriel’s Used Bookstore. I wanted them because they were uniform in their design. They were, in other words, a “collection,” and I love being able to look over a collection. (more…)
More Duluth Show Case Company ads from the 1920s
The advertisement above is from a 1920 issue of Hardware World magazine. Apparently hardware stores were tucking a lot of merchandise into boxes and drawers back then instead of displaying as much of it as possible, so the Duluth Show Case Company emerged as an innovator in retail-store cabinet manufacturing. (more…)
EmbalmingEva – “Unclean”
West Duluth is ground zero for the latest EmbalmingEva music video, shot at the Jade Fountain and under the bright lights of the Korner Store.
The Slice: Utility Box Art in Duluth
The Utility Cabinet Artwork Program is a Duluth Public Arts Commission project that seeks to beautify the city’s utility boxes.
In its series The Slice, PBS North presents short “slices of life” that capture the events and experiences that bring people together and speak to what it means to live up north.
Indecent Proposal – “Glow”
The latest video from Duluth band Indecent Proposal was shot an Enger Tower and other nearby locations. It stars Rylee Kuberra and features the video work of Capture Chaos Productions. (more…)
Video History of the Duluth Armory
From local architecture enthusiast channel Arches and Columns, pulling from local sources including Duluth Urbex.
North magazine expanding in 2025
Duluth real estate agent Tracy Ramsay published the premiere issue of North at the start of 2024. The lifestyle magazine will increase its territory beyond the Duluth area in 2025 to include northwest Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and parts of North Dakota.
Duluth realtor-turned-publisher Tracy Ramsay and her team are preparing to release the second issue of North magazine. The new lifestyle publication premiered in January, featuring articles about homes in the north country, local culture and more. (more…)
Steve Solkela & Party Marty – “Carol of the Bells”
Accordionist Steve Solkela performs the popular Christmas song “Carol of the Bells” with Party Marty working the guitar and wine glasses.
Torment – “Die Alone”
Duluth band Torment is releasing a new EP, The Pain, on New Year’s Eve at Pizza Lucé. The “Die Alone” video was recorded and edited by Adam Tucker at Signaturetone Recording in Minneapolis.
Selective Focus: Swerty’s Visual Art
Behind the scenes putting together the layout of Duluth-based zines and poetry collections is a visual artist creating works in several mediums. Sabrina Wertman, or Swerty, has paintings and other artwork available at Alt Creative, The Loch Cafe and Games, and recently had a display up at Wussow’s Concert Cafe. They created the poster for the 2024 Boubville event, where attendees can interact with a new art installation they’re curating. Their visual art can continuously be found in issues of On the Record, a local arts zine that they contribute comics and complete the layout process for. Photos of their artwork and an interview with Swerty can be found below. (more…)
Duluth deserves better than a mismanaged tourism marketing contract
The city of Duluth is at a crossroads with its tourism marketing. After years of underwhelming performance from an out-of-town marketing firm, city leaders promised a better process and outcome this time.
City mismanagement, however, undermined that commitment. A poorly-planned and hastily-executed request-for-proposal process, confusing guidance and unnecessary delays have left Duluth with a troubling outcome: A recommendation to hire another out-of-town agency with no knowledge of the city’s tourism industry and significant client conflicts to lead Duluth tourism marketing for the next two years. (more…)
Postcard from Duluth’s Carnegie Library in 1914
This postcard was mailed Dec. 2, 1914 — 110 years ago today. It shows Duluth’s Carnegie Library at 101 W. Second St. Constructed in 1902, it was Duluth’s main library until 1980. The building has since served as an office building. (more…)