Ed Condran

Honest, strong and responsible were just some of the adjectives that described my venerable father. My pillar of granite, so fitting since he worked in construction, was honorable and very hard-working. Life was practically drained from his handsome, yet weather-beaten face when he would stumble in with his dirt-covered work boots from a grueling day out in the elements erecting a building.

Artists and creators from Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Shanghai, South Africa and Spokane are featured in the new music video for Major Lazer’s latest single, “Lay Your Head on Me.”

The chats Steven Van Zandt has with icons such as Sir Paul McCartney, Iggy Pop and his longtime bandmate Bruce Springsteen during “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” radio show are more casual and less interview.

It is a challenging time for the arts due to the novel coronavirus. Who knows when shows will commence? Financial support of any kind is essential for local theater groups to stay afloat during an unprecedented time.

The Spokane Comedy Club is doing all it can during this challenging time of the coronavirus pandemic. The comedy club has set up a Go Fund Me page for its employees and is hosting a pair of virtual shows Saturday and the following Saturday.

At some point, concerts and other public gatherings will be scheduled. The bigger question is not when but how will promoters set up everything so that it is safe for performers and the audience?

The flavor of Pig Out in the Park figures to be local. Due to the novel coronavirus, the odds are national acts will not be playing the usual free concerts at the 41st annual event.

Electricity, the telephone and the internet are examples of inventions that are boast-worthy. And then there is the debate about who came up with “420.” It’s high time somebody cleared up who invented the meaningful number.

Most folks’ lives have been dramatically altered by the novel coronavirus. That’s not so for cartoonist Wiley Miller. The creator of the inventive comic strip “Non Sequitur” doesn’t leave his Maryland home often.

It’s difficult to see a potential silver lining from the devastating novel coronavirus pandemic that’s been wreaking havoc with the health of those around the world and ravaging the global economy. However, if we look ahead, there is potential good to come out of this unprecedented time.

Complicated only begins to describe the enigmatic but extraordinarily gifted and daring Fiona Apple. The angst-ridden singer-songwriter is fragile and tough. During interviews, Apple has been surprisingly revealing, yet she becomes Johnny Carson reclusive in between albums while retreating to her Venice Beach, California, home.

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig are iconic characters most children have become acquainted with courtesy of television. It was a little different for Craig Kausen. His unique introduction to the beloved Looney Tunes characters was via 16 mm films screened in his home.

It is not easy to stay sequestered for what seems akin to perpetuity. However, there is free fun and even edifying opportunities available, which will make staying home more pleasant until the coronavirus abates.

It’s a vicious cycle for many parents neck deep in youth sports. Pay an exorbitant amount of money for travel athletics, chauffeur children to myriad practices and far-flung games. Repeat ad nauseum.

For those wondering whether the police are pulling over civilians during the novel coronavirus, the answer is yes. While I chatted with Matt Leacock, a highway patrolman stopped the creator of the popular board game Pandemic for using his cellphone while driving. No ticket was issued.

It seems as if it’s been forever since the last tour rolled through town thanks to the novel coronavirus. However, that’s nothing compared to when the last time the Strokes or Fiona Apple released an album.

If you’re bored, perhaps it’s time to play board games. Turn the clock back to 1989, and indulge in a marathon of fun in which dice, cards and spinners ruled alongside hair metal, drum machines and acid-washed jeans.

A few days after the Twin Towers were toppled during 9/11, a stranger had a message for Bruce Springsteen as he pulled up to the Boss on a New Jersey street. “We need you now,” the fan uttered to Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

The novel coronavirus is no laughing matter. However, those who are leading the charge against the pandemic can use a break and some entertainment. Health care employees in hospitals are working nonstop placing their lives on the line.

Much has been written about what is permitted during the coronavirus, but the list of what shouldn’t be done is just as long. There are a number of must-avoids for children and adults, and here are 10 reminders.

Derrick Knowles, like many, had been losing sleep over recent weeks due to the novel coronavirus. The publisher of Out There Outdoors magazine was lonely during his nightly walk through his West Central neighborhood. The solution was simple: Visit a local animal shelter and adopt a dog. The Knowles family selected a husky/rat terrier last Friday. “It was the best thing we could do,” Shallan Knowles said. “Every day our anxiety level increased. Adopting Fernie was the answer for my husband, Derrick, and our child (4-year-old Remy). We heard that shelters were possibly going to shut down for a while, so we reached out (last) Wednesday, and we found our dog.”

A friend said she is losing her mind since she’s run out of ideas about how to safely entertain her sequestered children. Every parent can relate since the coronavirus has led to an unprecedented crisis, which requires a lack of social contact. Play dates are verboten, outdoor activity has restrictions, and time on devices should be limited, according to health care professionals.

Just like everyone else, Myles Kennedy is going a bit stir crazy. The Alter Bridge singer-songwriter and his family have been sequestered in their South Hill home but are coming up with plans for socialization.

A few months before George Carlin, the contemporary Mark Twain, passed away in June 2008, the legendary humorist made like Nostradamus and predicted that the American empire was nearing its end.