With all due respect to Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, we're not claiming to have discovered Led Zeppelin this week. We do, however, recommend a great book about the iconic band. We also talk about a tasty and healthy snack, a delicious (and probably unhealthy) fast-food treat, a great firewood delivery service, a versatile vehicle and an exciting event slated for Saturday on the Milwaukee River.
These are a few of our favorite things this week:
"Led Zeppelin: Good Times, Bad Times," by Jerry Prochnicky and Ralph Hulett (Abrams Books) -- Called "A Visual Biography of the Ultimate Band," this hardcover book -- which smells great, if you're into that sensory aspect of books -- is a walk through the history of a band that defined rock and roll in the 1970s. Opening with a foreword by rock critic Anthony DeCurtis, the book is then filled to the brim with electric photos of this most electric of bands. You can feel the energy emanating, for example, from James Fortune's 1973 photo of Page, Plant, Bonham and Jones onstage in San Francisco. But there are also lots of offstage photos of Zep at home, waiting for recording sessions to start and one photo of a bare-bottomed Robert Plant that would have had most of the girls I knew as a kid buzzing. The result is a look at Led Zeppelin that captures the band's fire but also reminds us that in addition to being cultural icons, these guys were also just folks. --Bobby Tanzilo
The Milwaukee River Challenge -- This event is Saturday and I highly, highly recommended it. Collegiate and club rowers from across the nation, as well as members of the U.S. National Rowing Team, take on the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers for the ninth annual Milwaukee River Challenge. Racing four-oared and eight-oared Olympic rowing shells, teams begin at 25th and Canal Streets on the Menomonee River, head east to the Milwaukee River junction and row north to Schlitz Park. Plop down on the Riverwalk, hang at Pere Marquette Park, or just walk up and down the River. It's a great day Downtown. And, from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday you can get autographs and meet and greet with the U.S. National Rowing Team at Motor at the Harley-Davidson Museum. --Jeff Sherman
The Honda Ridgeline pickup truck -- One of these years, I'm going to buy a cheap, beat-up pickup truck so I have it for hauling brush to the dump, lumber from the home improvement store and oversized items wherever I need to take them on the weekend. Or, I'll just get a Ridgeline and use it every day. My in-laws just got one, I used it last weekend and it's a sweet vehicle. The four-door rides like a sedan, with all-wheel drive and a 250-horsepower V6 engine. The cabin is quiet, the seats are comfy and there are lot of cool storage cubbies (including a hidden trunk in the cargo bed that serves as an ice chest). It might not be built for serious off-road duty, but it'll haul a trailer of yard waste and get you to and from the hardware story pretty easily. --Drew Olson
Wisconsin Firewood -- I like to say I'm into urban camping, but what that really means is that I like to build big fires in my backyard fire pit, crack open a beer and yammer at anyone who will listen until my pants melt and fuse to my knees. Because I like to do this with great regularity from May until October, my neighbors and I usually go in on a pile of wood from Wisconsin Firewood. The local, family-owned company delivers and their prices are very fair. Plus, you get to pick which kind of wood you want to burn, from fragrant cherry to hardy oak. A quarter cord costs about $140 and will last you for the entire season, unless, of course, you're going to build a "Backdraft" rager night after night. If that's how you (stop, drop and) roll, you might want to invest in a half cord. --Molly Snyder Edler
Snapea Crisps -- These are some very tasty snacks. Distributed by Calbee America in California, they are baked snap peas that have a light and, like their name says, crispy taste. Available in original and Caesar. but I gotta say that the Caesar are much better. I got mine at Good Harvest Market in the Historic Third Ward. --J.S.
Wild Beasts' "Two Dancers" (Domino) -- While this latest disc from Hayden Thorpe's Wild Beasts hasn't yet kicked my butt like its predecessor, "Limbo Panto," did last year, its mix of quirky Orange Juice-influenced pop and spaciness is drawing me in more and more every day. Sometimes simmering, sometimes chugging along melodically, this music -- sort of a "magical realism" of artsy pop rock -- is thoroughly indescribable. "We can't agree on any influences," bassist Tom Fleming has said, appropriately. "There's something accidental about our music." And the beauty here is in the accident. --B.T.
Next American City -- Next American City magazine is a great read. It's "dedicated to promoting socially and environmentally sustainable economic growth in America's cities and examining how and why our built environment, economy, society and culture are changing." Check it out here. --J.S.
Burger King's cheesy tots -- If you're going to indulge a fast-food craving, think about checking out BK's cheesy tots. I've always thought the King's French fries were waxy and kind of gross. These tots, though, are outstanding. Basically, Burger King took bite-size hash browns, combined them with cheese and fried them. The outer layer is crisp and crunchy, the inner layer is gooey and delicious. It's a great combination for breakfast or later. --D.O.
