Backtalk: Ben & Jerry's, Muddy Waters, Steve Rosenfeld, North Union

UNJUST DESSERTS: Nothing worse than being forced to drive to South Burlington for a magazine that should be available downtown. But even Barnes & Noble ran out of The New Republic last week on account of its cover story: an expose on the “crunchy capitalism” of ice cream entrepreneurs Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield. Titled “The Evil Empire,” the story promised some pretty deep dishing. But the scoops were skimpy: Will readers be outraged to learn the new chief Bob Holland was recruited by head hunters, not poets? That in its effort to help “Amazonian forest peoples,” the company accidentally assisted a band of Portuguese rubber tappers? Worse still that Ben and Jerry screwed some guy out of a couple thousand pumpkin pies. Ironies, maybe, but nothing “evil.” Even the untimely death of Jerry Garcia came off like a crunchy plot to sell more ice cream. Harsh toke.

WINE NOT? The next best thing to a double latte at Muddy Waters? A full-bodied Australian Merlot. By the end of September — or whenever it gets a new walk-in — the coolest coffeehouse in town will be adding alcohol to its blackboard list of beverages. “Eurocafe is the term we keep hearing,” says Carrie MacKillopp. “Instead of going into a smoky bar for a Budweiser, you can come in and chill with a cheese plate and a glass of wine.” Promise, no chicken wings.

IN BRIEF: Old journalists never die. They pop up in People magazine. Former Vermont reporter Steve Rosenfeld landed on the contents page of People last week — one of a mass of mourning Deadheads at the Jerry Garcia Memorial in San Francisco. Holding a microphone amongst a mass of fawning followers, he looked pretty damn objective… Former Freeps freelancer Scott Sutherland is the new arts editor of the Casco Bay Weekly. Sutherland has been living in Maine since his wife, Amy Killinger, got a job with the daily Portland Press Herald. It will be tougher now for Sutherland to pull off those big New York Times articles. The last one was a treatise on Phish, which recently moved its management to Burlington. The office location is top secret — we’re not telling — but enterprising Phish fans will find it soon enough.

HARMONIC DIVERGENCE: Tom Philion does not rush home to Mahler after a long day at the orchestra. The pony-tailed director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra packs it up and jams. Since winter, he has been “germinating” a vocal project with Andy Green and Patti Casey — “trio harmonies and stuff” is as sound-specific as he’ll get. City Market will host the coming-out gig at the end of the month. The band name? North Union. Wonder if the city will sue?

ACT TWO: Steinbeck or Corn Flakes? Rusty Dewees has studied both. But given the choice this summer, the” red-headed actor wisely chose “Lennie” over breakfast cereal. Best known for his portrayal of a colorful French-Canadian logger in the David Budbill play Judevine, Dewees has also appeared in the Vermont-made films Ethan Frome and Where the Rivers Flow North. Of Mice and Men may not be typical summer fare, but it’s a downer worth doing thanks to the collective talents of director Bob Ringer and actors Clyde Holt, Gil Rood and George Woodard. Even the dog is well directed. Drift on over to Champlain College Saturday night…Speaking of rare appearances, Gal is back — with a whole new show about sex, death and taxes. As usual, the outrageous comedienne has fashioned herself a wild new outfit — this one looks like a cross between a corset and a climbing harness. Otherwise, she is looking very, well, Dietrich. See for yourself next weekend at Burlington City Hall.