1. Best Album:  Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around. Beautiful album from a man whose voice only becomes more powerful and honest as it fades into old age.

2. Best Concert – This one’s a toss-up. I was going to say The Epoxies at the Rex (11/21), for the sheer level of energy.  Their Retro New Wave Punk was the most fun I’ve had at a live show in years. 

Then I remembered the Patti Smith show at the Byham (9/21). Her presence and charm and the power of her music was nearly a religious experience. The term Punk Priestess never meant as much before.

3. Best New Comics Series/Graphic Novel: Y The Last Man. One afternoon every male on Earth dies, except for struggling magician Yorick. This new series from DC Comics' Vertigo line explores the socio-political issues of a world suddenly run completely by women, and Yorick’s search for his role. Some women want him to repopulate the world, others want to find out how he survived, and others simply want him dead. Well written Sci-Fi adventure.

4. Best Rediscovered Old Band: The Sweet. It was a summer of nostalgia and discovery. Back in the '70s I owned one of this Glam band's albums and loved it, even though none of my friends liked it at all. The Sweet released a few Bubblegum Pop hits like "Little Willy" and "Ballroom Blitz," but at heart they were a rock band. All of their CDs are available.

5. Best Novel: Compression Scars  by Kellie Wells. Okay, so in the interest of shameless self-promotion I wanted to list my own newly-published novel, but the truth is, this collection of short stories by Flannery O’Connor Award-winning author Wells, a former Pittsburgh resident, is a better book. Her stories create a lyrical reality, showing her love of language and her amazing facility with it. Poignant, heartbreaking, surreal, and in some places just plain weird, Kellie manages to make you think about what you feel.

—Wayne Wise

© 2003 Wayne Wise