As most of you know by now, “The Goon and the Prune” didn’t shoot a single frame of film in Bootleg City. Amnesty International caught wind of the filmmakers’ plans…
Robert Cass
197 Articles
Robert Cass lives in Chicago. For Popdose he's written under the Sugar Water, Bootleg City, and Box Office Flashback banners and collaborated on the series 'Face Time with Jeff Giles and Mike Heyliger.
Robert Cass
3 Min Read
Last week I delivered the thrilling news that a movie is going to be shot right here in Bootleg City, and now I’m happy to announce that shooting begins next…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
To fully enjoy the following piece of news from the mayor of Bootleg City, you must put on your 3-D glasses. And in order to be fully exploited by the…
Robert Cass
3 Min Read
Two weeks ago Jeff Giles asked me to review Talk About, the new album from Mishka, the first — and so far only — artist signed to j.k. livin Records,…
Robert Cass
4 Min Read
Folks, I have some exciting news to share with you — the Terrorist Dunking Booth is back! After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, none of us here in…
Robert Cass
15 Min Read
Alex Chilton was the king of rock ‘n’ roll. The king of rock ‘n’ roll is dead. Long live the king.
Robert Cass
4 Min Read
“What will be my legacy?” It’s a question every politician has to answer. Will we be remembered for fighting the good fight, or, like former New York congressman Eric Massa,…
Robert Cass
4 Min Read
On Monday I was told that my poll numbers have been slipping among young girls. This may seem like no big deal when you consider that no one under 18…
Robert Cass
3 Min Read
A recently published report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 26 percent of “millennials,” or young people born after 1980, claim they have no religious…
Robert Cass
5 Min Read
There’s been a lot of negativity here in Bootleg City the past few months. From last fall’s mayoral election to the criticism of my extended vacation and the controversy over…
Robert Cass
4 Min Read
Fellow citizens of Bootleg City, I have something to confess — I am not a fellow citizen. I’m the mayor. I’m up here, and you’re down there. That’s why certain…
Robert Cass
4 Min Read
A few weeks ago, concerned (i.e. nosy, spiteful, possibly dating archnemesis Matt Wardlaw) citizen-journalist Annie Zaleski leaked a letter I wrote, one that would let all of my constituents know…
Robert Cass
6 Min Read
The mayor of Bootleg City is back! And in case you have no idea who that is, the mayor is me! Thank you, thank you, you’re too kind. But if…
Robert Cass
14 Min Read
On the morning of January 11, numerous media outlets reported that former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich had proclaimed to Esquire magazine that he’s “blacker than Barack Obama” in its February…
Robert Cass
1 Min Read
How would you like to win a free copy of Legacy Recordings’ recent four-disc box set Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall &…
Robert Cass
6 Min Read
So, are you done with all your Thanksgiving leftovers? Already looking forward to that Christmas ham? Then listen up, all you attendees of Jesus’s annual baby shower, and take a…
Robert Cass
3 Min Read
The first sound you hear on Angie Stone’s fifth album, Unexpected (Stax/Concord), is a sample of Sly & the Family Stone’s “Family Affair,” the hit single from that band’s fifth…
Robert Cass
6 Min Read
A nation mourned Wednesday night, as CNN’s Lou Dobbs, an outspoken critic of illegal immigration, announced his retirement from the network. Though it’s still unclear which nation is in mourning,…
Robert Cass
3 Min Read
We did it! More specifically and much less modestly, I did it — I won Tuesday’s election! My victory even got some coverage from Associated Press national political writer Liz…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
Wow! People are really fired up about this Tuesday’s election in Bootleg City! As mayor, it warms my heart to see such civic pride and faith in democracy. Don’t forget…
Robert Cass
3 Min Read
The mayoral election is only 11 days away, and if the endless online chatter here in Bootleg City is any indication, voter turnout is sure to break all kinds of…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
I believe the children are our future. I also believe my future in politics would’ve been cut tragically short on November 3 if Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson hadn’t returned…
Robert Cass
5 Min Read
President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, a decision that instantly created controversy. For one thing, Tina Fey wasn’t even nominated. For another, Obama’s been president less…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
As election day approaches, it’s important for a political candidate like myself to line up celebrity endorsements. One of my opponents, David Byrne, has the support of famous people-slash-political activists…
Robert Cass
2 Min Read
It’s hard not to get paranoid when you’re an elected official. First there was the August catnapping that turned out not to be a catnapping. (Cats who take naps don’t…
Robert Cass
7 Min Read
The career-spanning, four-disc box set Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall & John Oates comes out October 13, and in anticipation of its…