Wiggin’ Out With the Bombshelters
At the studio minutes before their show “”Wiggin’ Out With the Bombshelters,”” husband and wife team Diane Shilkitus and Don Holbrook bicker over how to stream a music video from YouTube. Don, noticeably agitated, counts down the time while self-consciously adjusting his hair and smiling into the camera.
“”Ten seconds,”” he said while Diane continued to fiddle with the computer screen. The show begins while they’re still talking to each other, and shortly afterwards Don winds up a rainbow vulture toy and watches it hop across the desk in silence. Today is their “”toy night,”” but that doesn’t mean they have nothing else to talk about. “”Wiggin’ Out With the Bombshelters,”” one of Access Tucson’s most popular shows, is just as much about casual dialogue and the couple’s quirky chemistry as it is about the local music scene.
Diane puts on a video of local rock group The Deludes that lasts for less than twenty seconds and then cuts off-prematurely. She apologizes through giggles and chokes on her words, pausing in mid-sentence. Don begins to discuss a show at Plush and Diane’s cell phone rings. The two continue to talk through it; a goofy jingle piercing the mood.
A lot seems to go on, but much of the half hour is actually taken up by music videos from The Legendary Shack Shakers, Roky Erickson (who Diane pronounces as Roeky), and a group called Midnight Movies.
“”I have my own preferences for bars, for drinking, but for live shows (Plush) and Congress are the most consistent. But Plush is really dedicated to having live music every night,”” Don said later in an interview.
Holbrook also hosts a show by himself called “”Roller Derby Rocks,”” in which he talks about Roller Derby, and also seems to have a strong interest in politics, brought out by his statement at the beginning and end of the show.
“”No more white men in the white house,”” he said flippantly, referring to his wife’s painting of Hillary Clinton superimposed on a dollar sign that they use as their background. But the “”Bombshelters,”” as they’re commonly known, for the most part stick to remarks about the music scene. Fortunately for them though, that’s not always the most interesting part.
“”Wiggin’ Out With the Bombshelters”” airs Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
A New City Government for Tucson
Robert Reus may be most well known for his unsuccessful bid at City Council Ward 2, but many others know him as the star of “”A New City Government for Tucson.”” The title comes from Reus’s firm belief in a strong-mayor system of government that would override much of the City Council’s authority. A self-proclaimed Jeffersonian, Reus uses most of his show to espouse local politics and criticize the council.
“”I’m the only access cable program that is actively critical of (the) city manager,”” he said. “”The matter of growth isn’t being addressed correctly. We’re acting as agents for the land developers. Whoever’s got the most money is the one that’s doing the planning.””
The art seller by trade succeeded in changing his hometown of Fayetteville, Ark.’s city government system over two decades ago by calling on the voters to get rid of the “”inefficiency, miscommunication, fraud and theft”” that he said had been all too prominent in the council structure.
In Reus’s system, the mayor would have the administrative authority while the council would have legislative authority, and would be able to oust him from office with a vote of 3-to-4. As of now, the mayor is just a figurehead with no real power and leadership abilities, he said.
On the rest of his show, Reus also does biographies of revolutionary heroes and talks to local guests. On his next show, he will talk to author Raman Srinivasan who drove from Tucson to Tierra Del Fuego on the tip of Argentina.
“”A New City Government for Tucson”” airs Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Thursdays at 11 a.m.
666 is Money
If you believe the oil crisis will trigger a worldwide apocalypse in the next few years, that taking LSD, ecstasy, mushrooms, coke and pot in moderation is ok, or that money is the mistranslation of the mark of the beast, “”666 is Money”” might be the show for you.
It also might be for you if you find these theories morally repugnant, persuasive or just plain comical. Expect a mixture of emotions, because producer Raquel Baranow is all over the place.
The strong-willed and extremely articulate Baranow has a theory on practically any subject, and has even been arrested on occasion for acting on them.
“”The Jews didn’t like me talking about the Holocaust. They don’t believe in free speech,”” Baranow said on the phone about an arrest for passing out pamphlets that questioned the Holocaust’s historical credibility. Baranow has also spent time in jail for indecent exposure on the UA Mall and a recent DUI after a night at Club Congress. Baranow has made it a point on the show to warn students about DUI checkpoints and talk about why the police were being unfair in their assessment.
But most of Baranow’s show is about eliminating all the bankers, bookkeepers and accountants, and creating a world without money.
“”The whole problem with the world today is money,”” Baranow said. “”No one buys or sells without the mark of the beast, and the word mark is a Greek word that means money.””
Baranow also believes that Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano should establish a committee to make sure Tucson has enough food and water when the economy collapses. Leaders like U.S. President George W. Bush, who has a completely subsistent farm in Texas will be able to escape, but most will be left behind.
“”I think they’re gonna abandon ship pretty soon and leave us to fend for ourselves. I keep a year’s supply of Vitamin C.””
“”666 is Money”” airs on Fridays at 9 p.m. and Mondays at 1 p.m.
