Future of local music showcase in jeopardy

One of the gems of Chicago's local music scene is the weekly cable access program, Chic-A-Go-Go! Hosted by Miss Mia and a puppetronic jokester known as "Ratso," Chic-A-Go-Go is sort of a warped combination of American Bandstand and Soul Train. Local and national artists from the underground music scene come on the program and lip-sync their latest singles while young kids, fully-costumed hipsters and random old guys dance in front of a low-budget stage drop. In-between the artist "performances" and interviews, everyone dances to dusty R&B, Rock & Roll, Punk and Funk classics. Other highlights include Rato's weekly "knock-knock" jokes and the Soul Train-inspired "el train" dance during the closing credits. In other words...this show is genius!! However, the future of the program could be in jeopardy due to financial problems at CAN TV, Chicago's cable access television network where Chic-A-Go-Go is produced. Here's what Jake Aust...errr.., I mean Ratso..., sent out to fans of the show last week: VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION: HELP SAVE CAN-TV! For those of you who have been following the situation, CAN-TV, Chicago's cable access station, has been in some financial troubles because the cable companies that are contracted to fund us have not been paying. After over a year of wrangling it was decided that to insure that cable access, the home of Chic-A-Go-Go, has a future in Chicago, the city should fund us directly out of the fees that the cable companies pay to the city. This is how it is done in most major cities. Anyhow, this proposal was brought up several months ago in the City Council special committee and because so many people wrote in to the mayor and especially to their alderman it passed in committee, which was a victory because it meant the full City Council would vote on it. That vote is on Wednesday, September 1st. Please take two minutes and write to your alderman and the mayor and tell them you support access and what it to stick around! Email: MayorDaley@cityofchicago.org and your alderman - you can find out your alderman's e-mail here: http://www.ci.chi.il.us/CityCouncil/index.html For more information on the situation visit www.cantv.org Chicago Media Action has also been helping in the plight of CAN TV... for the latest info, go to their site, www.chicagomediaaction.org Chic-A-Go-Go airs Tuesday nights at 8:30 and Wednesday afternoons at 3:30 on Chicago cable access channel 19. For more information on the show, and how to attend a free taping, go to www.roctober.com Don't forget, the vote on CAN TV's funding is tomorrow (Sept. 1st).