The Virtual Corkscrew Museum's Daily Newspaper


Wednesday, July 2, 2003

News Index


Double Lever Woman

Cleveland, Ohio - Back in 1997 Scott Radke looked at a chrome plated double lever from his local liquor store and his mind immediately turned it into a woman. It is prominently displayed in his drawing entitled Bottle Opener. After receiving the poster, we pressed Scott for some details. He responded

It was one of those times we all have in our early 20s when relationships are a bit overwhelming. I guess I was trying to say that women mess up your head but I really don't think literally when I am working it just sort of comes out and I have nothing against women or anything like that. I just had some crazy girlfriends back then.

Scott adds:

I feel most comfortable working from the inside out rather than the outside in. This results in work that often reflects the release of imagery stored in my head as a result of living and working in the city of Cleveland. It's like scraping and cleaning out the characters and scenes that have been visually collected over time, coalescing with each other, until they are released in some hybrid form into my artwork, much like how dreams reflect unusual outputs created by bizarre combinations of real and "unreal" experiences.

Scott has produced an interesting variety paintings, drawings, murals, sand sculptures, and puppets. The original of his 30" x 36" Bottle Opener drawing is available for $450. Posters (13" x 19") are available for $20. Request further details on this Radke work and more by emailing The Daily Screw.


Letters to the Editor

Can you open a bottle of wine without a corkscrew? The discussion of the past few days continues:

Enough!

ENOUGH of this crazy tree-bruising banter! Time for the engineer/analyst to step in and resolve this issue once and for all. You are trying to solve the wrong problem. There are two problems contained within this concern of how to remove a cork without a corkscrew.

Problem 1) How to get a cork out of a bottle without a corkscrew. Solution - I don't care if you ever do - that isn't the real concern - see Problem 2. If you only want to get the cork out, you either have more problems than that or you are a member of an elite corkscrew collector's club and have already lost your sense of direction due to removing too many corks.

Problem 2) The real problem is how to get the wine out of the bottle - who drinks corks? Solution - Push the cork into the bottle and tip the bottle and pour the wine out and drink it. Who cares if the cork ever comes out. After a few bottles you won't either.

Bob Roger, Virginia

Not Enough!

I saw Alf Erickson's tree bottle opening experiment. I haven't thought about that since my early 20s. It is a fun article. I know that you can open a bottle of wine by banging it on a tree. I saw it done many years ago in the mid to late 60s at a home in, (of ALL places), South Bend, Indiana. I believe the tree was a great big Horsechestnut tree. I can't recall if it was a Bordeaux or a Burgundy style bottle. I'll have to ask my brother, Dick, who was there at the time. Even though Alf Erickson was not able to accomplish this, I found his article was very amusing none the less. Do you think he might be warn out buy his new young bride? I am intrigued. I will do some experimenting and promise to get back to you with the details.

Bill Gould, Chicago

Editor: I saw banging the bottom of the bottle work several years ago in Portugal. ICCA member Adolfo Roque did it at a luncheon at his home. He wrapped a nice bottle of red wine in a towel and rapped it against the wall. The cork came out. . I think the problem with the Alf's Cavit Pinot Grigio is that they have very tight corks. We used to buy that wine regularly and it was the only wine I could not open with air powered cork ejectors. The next time I see Alf, I will hand him a bottle of red wine from my cellar, give him a towel, and take him to the nearest tree. It will work!



News Index



©2003 Don Bull, Editor

Email

The Virtual Corkscrew Museum