February 2020

There’s a church revival going on in Lincoln Park, but it’s inspired by art, not God. My partner of nearly 25 years is one of the instigators of a self-proclaimed “cult.”

I guess you could say I drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago because I can’t say I was shocked when he announced his plans.

Life with Troy Rogers, aka Robot Rickshaw, is never dull. He builds musical robots so that he can cart them around Canal Park and the Lakewalk for pop-up performances while wearing a hazmat suit and gas mask with a teddy bear strapped to his chest.

“What have you been up to lately?” Troy’s aunt asked recently, trying to make conversation at a family event. “I’m starting a cult,” he deadpanned.

There were no follow up questions or small talk. Just a perplexed expression from the pious Catholic and an uncharacteristically quick end to the conversation as she escaped to the next room. …

For this PDD Video Lab mashup we’ve taken a silent film from 1973 that was recently uploaded to Dominic Chione’s Vimeo account and added Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground,” a track from his 1973 album Innervisions. The first minute of the video is kids frolicking in a yard; recognizable Duluth scenery kicks in after that.

But wait … there’s bonus footage. …

A video by Grandview Aerial Photography showing images of the Incline Railway during its operation (1891-1939), then modern-day drone footage following the path it took up the hill. Produced for the Duluth Preservation Alliance.

Host Tone Lanzillo interviews Nicolette Slagle of Honor The Earth. This is show #8 in the Climate>Duluth series recorded at Duluth Public Access Community Television’s studio in City Hall.

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