Better than banners Who knew that the Minneapolis Institute of Arts owns three really cool tepees? Joe Horsecapture, the museum's curator of Native American art, had them put up on the museum's front lawn as teasers for a fabulous show of historic American Indian art that opens Oct. 24. Made of painted canvas, they're contemporary tepees that haven't been seen locally since the museum's "Visions of the People" show in 1991. George Kicking Woman made the red-and-cream tepee decorated with crows -- a traditional Blackfoot design -- while Al Chandler, an A'Aninin or Gros Ventre, did the buffalo tepee with the red and blue bands of polka dots, and Kiowa artist Dixon Palmer did the yellow and black striped tent with a soldier-Indian battle scene. The battle tent is a very old design that comes from the Black Legging Society, a 19th-century military group. "You have to be a veteran to be in the Black Legging Society," Horsecapture said. "Every few generations they renew the design, so there are now updated versions of the battle scenes that show World War II, Vietnam and Iraq." The tepees will be up at the corner of 24th St. and 3rd Av. S. until the show closes Jan. 9.

MARY ABBE

Exorcising Dr. Drake's demons Rocker-turned-"General Hospital" heartthrob Rick Springfield 'fesses up in his new memoir "Late Late at Night" (Touchstone, $26). Depressed as a teen, he tried to commit suicide but the rope unraveled. At age 23, he had an eye job but has since sworn off cosmetic surgery. During her "Exorcist" days, he lived with Linda Blair and, when he later married someone else and went on tour, he cheated on his wife of 26 years. Enough juicy stuff. I.W. wants to hear about "Jessie's Girl." So we may show up at Springfield's book signing at 2 p.m. Saturday at Mall of America.

JON BREAM

In a village named Bumboyle, no doubt David Sedaris, alighting at the State Theatre next week, told us that he and his partner, painter Hugh Hamrick, have decided to exchange Paris and summers in Normandy for London and summers in southern England, after visiting a friend there and falling in love with the area, "where all the houses have names, not street numbers." We can picture Sedaris swanning around Swan Cottage, a 400-year-old West Sussex farmhouse. But 'tis a pity they didn't manage to land his first choice of abodes: "It was called Faggotstacks. It was on Titty Hill. How much did I want to live there?" Before anyone blows a rod, "faggot-stacks" is a non-pejorative, if antiquated, Brit term meaning "pile of firewood."

KRISTIN TILLOTSON

SPCO doings The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has a new director of artistic planning. Patrick Castillo comes to the organization Nov. 1 from Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival and institute in the Silicon Valley. Castillo is also a composer whose work has been performed at the Spoleto Festival USA, the Santa Fe New Music Festival, Interlochen Center and Berklee College of Music. He holds degrees in music composition and sociology from Vassar College. At the SPCO, Castillo will help plan programming, education and initiatives.

GRAYDON ROYCE

Walk the walk I.W. is still scratching its collective head over the recipients of the inaugural stars in Minnesota's Walk of Fame in 2008 -- Tippi Hedren, Marion Ross and Loni Anderson -- but Round Two is less of a surprise. We have no quarrel with the late, great Judy Garland, James Arness, Jessica Lange and Bob Dylan, who will be feted tonight at the Dakota by Maria Muldaur, Spider John Koerner, Scarlet Rivera and others with Dylan connections. (Don't expect him to show up, even though he's got an off-day between gigs in North Carolina.) But the other honoree is Vince Vaughn, who will show up for induction Nov. 20. Sure, he was born in Minneapolis, but he grew up in suburban Chicago. I.W. doesn't even have him on our list of 50 most famous Minnesotans.

JON BREAM