Hey, if radio can play Christmas music before Thanksgiving, I can make a pitch for a Milwaukee-related holiday gift.
Last month "Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt" opened at Milwaukee Public Museum and it's a winner for anyone with an interest in ancient Egpyt and/or one of history's most interesting and alluring characters.
I've seen it twice and there's so much to take in that I could easily go back two more times.
The show has also perfectly paralleled the success of Pulitzer-prize winning author Stacy Schiff's "Cleopatra: A Life," which topped the bestseller lists and has earned numerous awards, including the PEN/ Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography and a 2011 Indies Choice Award Honor.
The savvy folks over at MPM have created a doozy of a Cleopatra stocking stuffer, with a copy of the book (they have a 100 copies autographed by Schiff for folks who act fast) – which was published in paperback in September – and two VIP tickets to the exhibition.
The VIP tickets free the holders from the restrictions of timed entry. VIP tickets get you in at any time without waiting in line.
The gift pack is $80 and is available at the MPM ticket windows or by calling (414) 278-2728.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
