Issue Date: June 5, 2005

In this article:
"School of Rock" -- for real!
Finding love

News & Views

Rocking the classroom

You saw "School of Rock?" Here's the real deal.

Paul Green is a guru of rock education. His unorthodox but loving method of teaching teen musicians is a real-life version of the Jack Black film School of Rock. Since he opened his School of Rock Music in 1998, Green has expanded the after-school program from Philadelphia to eight additional cities (with more planned). We spoke with the University of Pennsylvania philosophy grad before the release of Rock School, the just-out documentary about him and his unconventional system:

How has your life changed since "School of Rock" came out?
Before, we were the last refuge of the alienated. We might get more the classic suburban kid now; the movie may have popularized learning rock music.

Students' instrument of choice?
Guitar.

What do you do with kids who lack talent?
I've never seen a kid really practice and not get good. If you really practice, you will get so good so fast, you won't believe it.

What else determines success?
The ability to create or perfect an art. And you gotta look good. You don't have to be good-looking. You have to look good.

What about the excesses of the rock lifestyle?
I tell kids that two years after I stopped smoking pot I started attending [Penn] and began my business. It was heroin that brought Led Zeppelin down, not raised them up. It was drugs that killed Jimi Hendrix, not made him great. And I hope they see these lessons.

What's your favorite guitar?
The Stratocaster. It's very emotive; you can really scream with it.

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A guide to finding love ... anywhere

Can you find love on the road? For help, a new series of romance-focused guidebooks pinpoints the best places for singles to meet in dozens of U.S. cities. It's Just Lunch (itsjustlunch.com), the dating service known for penciling social lives into busy professionals' calendars, so far has compiled nearly 50 local guides ($9.95 each) that give the top dating locations in 36 categories. While bigger cities (Milwaukee, Phoenix) get their own guides, some books cover whole regions. Culled from local It's Just Lunch offices, the guides go way beyond the bar scene. Among the meeting places listed: health clubs, bookstores, places to take a class. Plus, there's a ton of dating advice (be open; don't play games). If you make a love match, think of the frequent flier miles you'll earn!

Contributing: Lewis Beale, Vyvyan Lynn