Robin Garr, Jeff Polk, Tracy Heightchew, Charlie Cy, Dana McMahan, Dan Savage, Rob Brezny
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Stacy Volhein
Digital Operations Coordinator
Elizabeth Knapp
Chief Financial Officer
Guillermo Rodriguez
MARC MURPHY
Erica Rucker is LEO Weekly’s editor-in-chief. In addition to her work at LEO, she is a haphazard writer, photographer, tarot card reader, and fair-to-middling purveyor of motherhood. Her earliest memories are of telling stories to her family and promising that the next would be shorter than the first. They never were.
WITH TRUMP, AMERICANS WILL BE ‘FIXED’ SO GOOD
BY ERICA RUCKER
When people tell you who they are, believe them.
Video of Trump from Turning Point Action shows him imploring Christians to vote for him. He says he loves Christians then points to himself and says, “I’m not Christian.” He tells Christians to vote, “just this time.” Later in the video he says, and this is him saying the quiet part out loud, “In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.”
Trump has made overture after overture that he wants to ignore the laws and rules of this country, and play dictator. When he says, “In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote,” he’s serious.
After his behavior losing to Joe Biden in 2020, taking a loss isn’t really his style, even though he loses a lot. We all have to hear about it, listening to his incessant and insane ranting about it.
The man is unhinged, and maybe Republicans should also consider that age is certainly a factor for their presidential prize cow.
America is supposed to be a country governed by laws and rules, and those include the right to vote in both national and local elections. For someone to say that we shouldn’t be concerned because we won’t have to vote again in four years is a HUGE red flag.
Earth to Trump voters, are you listening? Does that sound like Freedom to you?
He didn’t misspeak, and no amount of excuse peddling is going to take away the words we’ve all heard from him. You can hear it too if you just search Twitter (X) for it.
If I were a Republican voter, in particular, I’d have a real problem with someone telling me that my vote is only needed now, and that in four years he will have it “fixed so good” that I won’t have to vote again. Voting is a deeply moving experience for some of us. All women and all Black people cannot accept losing our ability to cast a vote because this bloated bog turtle says that he will have it “fixed so good.”
… “so good”
Trump has never done anything “so good” but sow chaos and confusion leaving Americans out to dry in the process of greasing the palms of his rich buddies on American dollars.
With news that Kentucky’s Gov. Andy Beshear is being considered as a possibility to run with Kamala Harris, I felt a brief moment that maybe just maybe this thing might be alright. The excitement surrounding Kamala is refreshing, and with a governor that I know, and that Kentuckians know well, that right to vote is even more important.
I absolutely want to let it be known that I reject anyone who thinks they can fix voting “so good” that we don’t have to do it.
We love to do it.
We’d love to do it online, from home, from our phones, from anywhere that’s convenient, but what we don’t want is some orange baboon and his cronies fixing it so that we can’t vote again.
That’s wholly unacceptable to any American that cherishes their rights.
Trump has shown us time and time again that he flagrantly ignores the rules and laws of this country in his professional and personal life. He has shown his narcissism, his despicable way of putting down others because of his own very real shortcomings. Believe what you see from him. It’s really him. He’s really mean. He’s inept, and though it isn’t nice to say it, he’s an imbecile. It is what it is.
I know that I lean way left, but hearing him say that he’d fix voting “so good” Americans won’t have to do it, upset me for ALL of us. Our vote is nothing to be fixed and if he likes vote fixing, maybe he can hang with his buddy Vladmir and get elected in Russia… that is if Vlad would let him. Putin has voting fixed “so good” in Russia. Oh and before I forget…
I know I said we didn’t have time for Biden to drop out, but Joe knew best, and I think it was the right decision after all.
SHOTS AND STUMP SPEECHES
BY CHARLIE CY
Two Saturday afternoons ago, after mowing the lawn at my girlfriend’s condo in Old Louisville — but several sunsets and rises before the Republican National Convention . . . JD Vance becoming Trump’s running mate . . . Biden dropping out . . . and rumors of Beshear being tapped as Harris’ VP, made even by the founder of this very paper — I was rifling through various documents on my computer, when I ran across an essay I’d written years back on the attempted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt—the ending of which was wrapped up in a neat little bow of tedious cliches about Teddy’s fortitude and courage under fire.
I initially wrote the screed for a scholarship competition, as a broke non-traditional undergraduate student at Columbia University, while living in the Bronx and studying African American studies and political science.
I wouldn’t win. But the organization I applied to, did reach out to let me know I was a close contender and that their judges had enjoyed the pacing and descriptions and suggested if I polished the piece and resubmitted, I’d likely take the cash prize home the following year. Somehow, the essay got filed away, and I never looked back at it.
Out of pure coincidence, hours after rereading it, and thinking it wasn’t half bad, and even serviceable for future use, at least after I struck through all the hackneyed and high-minded platitudes I’d slipped in, as you do to sell yourself as an egalitarian befitting a prize, 1 20-year-old Thomas Mathew Crooks shimmied up a warehouse roof in Butler, Pennsylvania, with an AR-15 assault rifle and shot Donald Trump in the ear at a campaign rally, coming within an inch of blowing the former president’s brains out all over his fanbase, seated in the bleachers behind him, and altering the trajectory of our Republic.
At the time of the shooting, I was about as far away psychically as one could get from a DJT rally.
My girlfriend and I were in a nesting mood, about to play Jeopardy (we record the episodes and compete against one another like vicious hyenas fighting for scraps of carrion in a battle royale of wits to decompress in the evenings), when one of us ran across the breaking news on social media and immediately turned to CNN to catch up on the coverage.
even impressed me.
Setting aside, the legitimate arguments about Trump putting his own Secret Service’s lives at risk, while he selfishly dilly-dallied to fire up his base, not knowing if there might be more than one shooter, from a pure, unadulterated optics standpoint, which is Trump’s entire program, the marketing, especially with his base, appeared pitch perfect.
“He’s a lock.” I cynically commented to Lisa. “This is the best thing that could have ever happened to him.”
She rolled her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh, disturbed by the prospect of living in the all-encompassing Trump vacuum another four years — we’d witnessed firsthand the chaos and political violence Trump stoked, and FELT THE FEAR after attending the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017 to counter-protest.
In kind, not long after the images went viral, mostly conservative thinkers began making comparisons on and offline between Theodore Roosevelt and Trump.
Elon Musk wrote on X hours after the shooting, “Last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt.”
Later in week, on Wednesday night, Don Jr. sold the same sentiment in his Republican National Convention speech, a precursor to J.D. Vance’s featured primetime sermon, historicizing, “At a political rally less than one mile from where we stand tonight, Teddy Roosevelt was struck by a would-be assassin’s bullet. But he didn’t quit either. He finished his speech and kept fighting.”
Even Steve Schmidt, a former Republican operative, political commentator and vocal Trump critic, wrote “The political consequences of this assassination attempt will be immense, and they will benefit Donald Trump, who just responded to being shot in the exact same way that Teddy Roosevelt did.”
It is in the wake of these comments and reading several other takes on the T&T comparisons in national newspapers, I decided to dust the essay off and join the conversation. I thought it might be a fun thought experiment for the readers to decide how much Roosevelt-like Trump really is . . .
***
ON OCTOBER 14, 1912, unemployed saloonkeeper John Flammang Schrank shot Theodore Roosevelt, with a .38 caliber Colt revolver at close range outside the Gilpatrick Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Plagued by delusions and angered by what he saw as an autocratic attempt to usurp
power, Schrank stalked the former president — who was out on the campaign trail and vying for an unprecedented third term — through more than a half-dozen states over a period of weeks.
Roosevelt, who’d vacated the White House four years earlier after serving two consecutive terms from 1901 to 1909, sought to recoup his former office by challenging his successor and estranged friend, incumbent Republican president William Howard Taft, after becoming disenchanted with his protégé’s rightward tilt.
Teddy would lose to Taft at the contentious Republican convention that June. But he would stay in the race, running instead as an independent on the Progressive Party ticket, dubbed the “Bull Moose Party”— a reference to a remark Roosevelt made about his own stamina, stating “I’m as fit as a bull moose.”
After having dinner, at approximately 8 p.m., Roosevelt and his entourage were exiting the hotel and getting into an open-air car , en route to deliver a stump speech four blocks away at the Milwaukee Auditorium, when Schrank appeared from an expectant crowd and fired his gun.
According to O.K. Davis, the acting publicity chief of the Progressive Party and eyewitness to the shooting, as reported by the New York Times two days after the shooting, the Lieutenant Colonel got into his car and stood to doff his hat to the cheering crowd, when Schrank pushed his way through the throngs of people and shot the former president point blank in the right side of the chest.
Roosevelt fell back into his seat, as his stenographer, Elbert E. Martin, a 6-foot-tall former football player, pounced on Schrank,
grabbing him by the neck and wrestling him to the ground.
A mob quickly “swarmed” the assassin, but Teddy, allegedly unphased after being shot, called out, “Don’t hurt him, bring him to me.”
Upon freeing the gun “from the assassin’s grip,” Davis described how Martin “dragged the fellow to his feet and handed the revolver to the Colonel and then twisted the man’s face around so that the Colonel could see him.”
As Roosevelt studied his assassin, angry cries from the bloodthirsty mob yelled, “lynch him!”
Roosevelt managed to quell the mob until the authorities arrived, after which the former president directed his subordinates to drive him on to his speaking engagement as planned.
Bleeding, his aides beseeched him to seek medical treatment. But Roosevelt refused. Sensing his wounds were not mortal, against the protestations of even his personal physician, Roosevelt was adamant about continuing to his previously scheduled rally — an x-ray would later reveal the bullet lodged in his chest muscle, where it would remain for the rest of his life.
Remarkably, the impact of the bullet was slowed after travelling through both a 50-page folded copy of his speech he was set to deliver, and a steel eyeglass case stowed in his breast pocket, where he kept his iconic Pince-Nez spectacles.
Upon arriving at the Milwaukee Auditorium before a large crowd, with blood clotting on his shirt and a bullet lodged in his chest, Theodore began his address entitled, “The Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual,” by joking:
Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot; but it takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose. He would preemptively apologize to the audience for his need to deliver an abridged speech; accounts vary on its length, but even its brevity, it ranged from 50 to 90 minutes. Only afterwards, would he agree to go the hospital.
Shrank would spend the rest of his life, 31 years, until he died in 1943, in a mental institution after being found legally insane.
The sympathy and folk hero status Roosevelt engendered, who was already lionized for his alpha-male masculinity, would not be enough to win another presidential term. He would finish ahead of Taft, making it one of the most storied third-party runs in American history, but the fracture in the Republican party would split the vote, and lead to the Democratic candidate, Woodrow Wilson winning the general.
Trump’s now iconic response — his face streaked with blood, his fist pumping in defiance, flanked by Secret Service agents while shouting “Fight! Fight! Fight!” — surprisingly, 1 Platitudes Corporate America will eat up and use as propaganda, to showcase how we sponsored this do-gooder, and brand their benevolence, while continuing to gouge customers, underpay workers and give execs exorbitant bonuses).
Theodore Roosevelt Pach Bros
WHERE WE KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING
We like it when you talk to us, even if you’re upset. This space is for you. Sometimes, we talk back.
BY LEO STAFF
Project 2025 Not Trump?
I wish you people would do more research instead of just jumping on the Trump bashing machine. Listen carefully PROJECT 2025 IS NOT TRUMP, how many times does he have to say it???? —Annie Shumate
He may not “be” Project 2025 but he supports it and is the mechanism by which it could happen.
Gonna Run Democracy
I just read your article about the presidential debate saying that they’re gonna run democracy if you vote for Trump do you realize the gas prices were under two dollars with Trump and her for something now do you realize that the unemployment rate is higher now that we are no longer energy self independent we are literally on the brink of World War III and you think that having selling other behind-the-scenes which is not an American democracy can run the country like it’s been going. It’s an absolute freaking wreck right now. I can’t believe your article. I can’t believe it’s posted like that God love you for your opinion, but your facts are wrong. You’re way off and for the love of God recheck what you’re talking about because God love Biden, but he is absolutely clueless—James W. Snider
We’ll have to take your word for it.
Glad We Were Wrong
Hi. I really appreciated the editor’s note.
Erica Rucker made mention of how there’s no time for us to change a candidate this late in the process.My additional thoughts on this are,and if we’re really paying attention to the media pundits, every single network and every single speaker in dissension mode to the degree that it’s a full-on effort for chaos to happen during our election season and they’re all hoping that Trump becomes the president because they can continue to do all of the corruption that they once able to practice during his presidency.So I believe there’s a bigger picture to look at with the fact that all the pundits are pitching towards President Trump. They’re literally pitching President Trump.—Kristen
Well, we’ve seen what happened since Biden stepped down, and to be fair, it’s turned out pretty good. It’s nice to see Trump and the Republican messaging fall completely apart.
Pot Meet Kettle
What is really scary is that your vote and the vote of every other lie spewing, uninformed idiot like yourself counts as much as mine. I cannot wait to enjoy the misery and depression that you and your liberal friends will feel after Trump’s landslide victory over our current pudding brain, adult diaper wearing president and his coke head son. It’s going to be GREAT!!!!!!!—
Aaron Schulz
It’s funny because Trump also fits this description but you’d need to add his 34 convictions. Wild, huh?
A Friend From The West Coast
I have gone from royal blue Louisville, my hometown, to upside down American flags in Central Washington where I continue 19 years as a public defender.
I stay connected to the Derby city
thankfully with the LEO. I’m most grateful for your recent editorial. You sounded the call to the starting gates with four months remaining. Now, how do [we] finish and keep the White House?
We frame it as a race to mold and change the Supreme Court. A vote for Biden is a chance to maintain rights and protections that the current Court make-up is undermining! How?
You and I start by emailing 10 allies and frame the argument in terms of party or the future Court. We ask those 10 to email 10 more. We have to pull everyone passionately together under a banner of unity. I hope my email encourages you just as you encouraged me!—Charles Rogalinski
Thank you for reading LEO all the way in Washington. We’re on the other side now of Biden leaving the race but so far, it feels like a clearer path opened.
‘THIS WILL KILL CAMPUS CULTURE,’ UNIVERSITY PROPOSES BAN OF CHALKING, YARD SIGNS ON CAMPUS
The university has proposed a ban on two forms of speech that school groups say would keep information from reaching students
BY CALEB STULTZ
A new proposal from The University of Louisville would put even more restrictions on already tight speech rules on campus, according to students at the university.
The proposal, put forward by UofL earlier in July, would outright ban chalk and yard signs from being used on campus.
“This will kill campus culture, which is really depressing because I think, especially since COVID (19), a lot of student RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) never really recovered from it. RSOs that use chalking and yard signs for
advertising for events won’t be able to do that anymore.”
That comes from George, a 21-year-old who will be heading to graduate school at UofL after graduating with a Biology degree and head of an activist RSO.
LEO Weekly has given permission to three students quoted in this story to go by pseudonyms due to potential repercussions from the university as they are all three on scholarship at UofL, and say they worry about their standing at the school for speaking out against the proposed policy.
What happens to students who break these rules?
The university put out its lengthy policy proposal, indicating what will and what will not be banned. From it, there are also disciplinary actions that can be taken against those who break the rules, including putting yard signs down and chalking on any surface at UofL.
“Failure to comply with this policy may result in the university removing Temporary Signage from the university campuses and/or loss of future privileges. Individuals, groups, or organizations will
UofL Campus
Courtesy Photo
be responsible for costs associated with the installation or removal of Signage and/or any damages to university property caused by Signage.”
First time offenders will see a loss of major privileges on campus that could help organizations spread awareness or information about their group or cause, including protestors who want others to see what they are rallying for.
“Gross or repeat violations of this policy are subject to appropriate sanctions and/ or disciplinary action as defined in accordance with applicable university policies. UPDC is responsible for enforcement of this policy.”
Those disciplinary actions could be as severe as expulsion from the school, according to George.
“Because of how the policy is, breaking these kinds of rules can lead to punitive actions leveled against these RSOs,” he said. “It is very much up to the university, but it could go up to as much as removing your organization’s status or kicking you off campus.”
Why is the University of Louisville going to such lengths to remove these forms of speech on campus?
Thomas, 21, a computer science major said that these extreme measures could come from an “activist” student body in support of major issues like the Israeli-Palestinian war, LGBTQ+ rights in Kentucky and across the nation and support for socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
“We are basically in the largest escalation in pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses across the country. We see so many different campuses use tactics for protests,” said Thomas. “We see people holding encampments for multiple days at a time. Only a few miles away we see it at IU Bloomington and at OSU (Ohio State) we see the same thing. We see snipers pointed at (protestors). The usage of so many methods to spread a message of Palestine, especially chalk at UofL within the past year of our escalation of Palestine.” Thomas said he supports the
ongoing national protests that have rang out at college campuses across the country, including at the University of Louisville. He said he believes the move from UofL is purely for optics, making sure the university is seen in a positive light from pro-Israel groups, as to accrue more funding and support from them.
“We must look at it through this context because it is very obvious there is a sort of political line behind this policy. That line is maintaining Zionist funding and saving face for these universities,” he said.
George said that not only is agitation around Palestine going to be affected by this proposal, but other issues related to LGBTQ+ groups could rise as well with the lack of cheap resources like chalk or yard signs on campus for activism at UofL.
“A lot of RSOs use this policy not just with regards to Palestine, but other organizations like LGBTQ+ organizations use this to agitate around SB 150, which is a very homophobic and transphobic bill in the Kentucky Senate,” he said. “Last year, groups used chalking advertise and agitate around this. I think that is pushing home the message that it’s not just ‘Oh UofL is trying to clean up the environment or clean up the space.’ It is definitely more of a way to control an activist student body.”
Going forward, how will the ban of chalking and yard signs impact student life at UofL?
“I think you are going to see a campus culture already in decline continue to decline in activity,” George said. “It really just shows that UofL doesn’t care as much as they say they do about RSOs.”
There are many other parts in which the ban on chalking and yard signs will effect, as students put it, adding that there will be unintended consequences to the ban. For example, the Cardinal Cupboard, which provides free food for students who cannot afford it due to high costs of schooling and staying at the university’s dorms, will not have the ability to give information about restocking since they formerly used chalk as an avenue to get information out about
its cause.
“I think that one thing that was an oversight from the university was that chalking and yard signs are used by the faculty and staff,” said Emily, an 18-year-old Political Science major at the university. “They are used by campus resources like the cultural center and the Cardinal Cupboard, two places that do so much for students on campus.”
She said that many people, including staff on campus, come to the Cardinal Cupboard to get supplies and food, and now there is one less way to get important information about things like restocks to those people.
“That is one of the only ways that some of these people get food for the week,” Emily said. “I think it’s a disgrace that the university doesn’t think about things like that.”
Emily added more to the unforeseen consequences of such a rule, saying that student elections would also be heavily affected by the ban of yard signs, which are used to spread awareness of who is running for office, and gaining student interest in student government.
“With our student government association, yard signs are used during the election season,” she said. “That’s one of the main forms of campaigning on campus. Whoever is elected as the president for the academic year has a spot on the board of trustees. They are supposed to be our student representative. The university knows that yard signs are a main means of communication for election season and the fact that they are trying to remove it, makes students less aware of who their candidates are. It says a lot about what they’re trying to keep from us.”
What happens now?
As the national conversation on the Palestine-Israel war grows from younger, college age groups across the nation, the shift to allow cities to outlaw sleeping and camping in public spaces from a 6-3 Supreme Court decision was a major blow to organizers who use encampments as a way of protesting overnight, and staying
on campuses longer to continue to agitate for what they are fighting for.
“I think they are not trying to change the means in which we protest, but shut down protests altogether,” Thomas said. “We see this with bills being passed in Frankfort, almost as if they are directly targeting Palestine, organizing with their banning of overnight camps on public property. It’s almost a direct attack with these encampments across the country.”
Thomas said the main issue comes down to money, and that optics leads the way over significant change with regard to how the university reacts to the US’ intervention in the Israel-Palestine war.
“You ask yourself: ‘Why wouldn’t they (the university) ban organizations’ ability to rent rooms on campus?’ Because those can be hidden away in rooms. You can walk past those buildings. You can walk past those doors,” Thomas said. “The thing about chalking is that it is so visible, everyone sees it. That’s directly going against the university’s interests…”
In a statement obtained by LEO Weekly, the university stated that its goals are not to keep voices unheard, but to keep the campus “welcoming and vibrant.”
“The University of Louisville is committed to fostering a welcoming and vibrant campus environment. We have developed and are reviewing feedback from various stakeholders on a proposed policy to streamline on-campus signage. This policy aims to create a more aesthetically pleasing environment and improve campus wayfinding.
UofL is a diverse academic community with well-established values regarding freedom of speech.”
Amanda Carroll, the media relations specialist part of the Office of Communications and Marketing at UofL, said that comments have been closed since Friday, July 12, and reiterated that the university is currently reviewing all feedback given from various stakeholders in regards to the proposal.
Classes begin on Monday, Aug. 19, with no set date for a vote on the proposal from the board.
JCPS BOARD MEMBER CHRIS KOLB ANNOUNCES
RESIGNATION ‘EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY’
The board member served seven years on the board of education
BY CALEB STULTZ
In a three-page letter addressed to the Jefferson County Public School Board of Education, Chris Kolb, who oversaw district two, has resigned “effective immediately.”
Kolb began his letter stating that he would be leaving, and seeking to become a teacher within the JCPS system.
However, as the letter went on, Kolb detailed how “tumultuous” the history of JCPS had been, but that he aided in the recovery of the school district through many different acts, including the hiring of Dr. Marty Polio, fighting off an “all-out
assault on JCPS by former Gov. Matt Bevin and the Republican-led state legislature,” increasing property taxes to gain more revenue for JCPS and many others.
Kolb said he would have run for reelection for a third term on the board. However, after not getting an endorsement from the JCPS teachers’ union, he ultimately decided to drop out of the race.
On the last leg of his letter, he called out both Dr. Corrie Shull and Vice Chair James Craig for putting their “own political aspirations above the needs of JCPS students.”
“Even if I was not seeking to become a JCPS teacher I simply cannot be on the board any longer under the current board leadership and so, as I stated at the outset, I am resigning effective immediately,” Kolb stated in his letter. According to Kolb, since he could not convince the board to focus on “student outcomes” or raise enough revenue to address the “staffing crisis” at JCPS, he said he would do what he could by shifting his focus to teaching.
Both Shull and Craig have not responded to the allegations put forward by Kolb.
Chris Kolb
12 REASONS GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR SHOULD BE OUR NEXT VICE PRESIDENT
BY LEO WEEKLY STAFF
Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear had vetting materials requested from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. This means that he is officially under consideration for the role of Vice President in her presidential campaign.
Beshear has experienced a successful public career. With a term as Kentucky’s Attorney General, and now in his second term as Kentucky’s governor, Beshear has shown that he can win in deep red country. This doesn’t mean that Kentucky would flip blue but Beshear’s popularity would certainly be an asset to the Harris team as he proves that it is possible to find some common ground through profound and big disagreements.
Here are 12 reasons Gov. Andy Beshear would be an absolutely amazing pick for Vice President of the United States.
1. He’s Already Beaten 2 Trump-Backed Candidates
Beshear’s got a great track record already, having beaten out Daniel Cameron and Matt Bevins in a primarily Red state. In the last gubernatorial election, Beshear defeated Daniel Cameron with support from 53% of voters, racking up 693,370 votes to Cameron’s 626,196 total.
2. He Can Bridge The Party Divide
From the time Beshear was voted to be governor in 2019 up until last year, his numbers have only trended upward. That’s not normal nowadays. For example, President Joe Biden has seen his numbers steadily decrease as time has passed during his presidency. Normally, people sour on their candidates
after they’ve seen them in office, and in a red state, that rings true even louder. Even at the height of his popularity, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona only had a 51% polling differential against his Republican counterpart Bake Masters. For Beshear, he consistently stayed nearly 10 percentage points ahead of his Republican counterpart Cameron, and in the latest polling, he is still one of the most popular Democrats in the country at a 65% approval rating which is the second-highest in the nation just behind Phil Scott from Vermont, a deeply blue state.
3. He Can Hold His Own Against Any Opponent
During the 2023 governor’s race, Beshear came out swinging fast against his Trumpbacked opponent while never losing what made him Kentucky’s favorite Democrat. In a deeply red state with a legislature breathing down his neck, the incumbent still went toe-to-toe with Daniel Cameron, formerly the attorney general of the Commonwealth, a position Beshear himself held for years before starting his first term as governor in 2019. In debate after debate, Cameron
Beshear on his stances on abortion. However, when push came to shove, it was Cameron on the backfoot as Beshear asked the Republican to tell Kentuckians that abortion ought to be legalized in the case of rape or incest, something that a vast majority of Republican voters sympathize with in polling from PORES
4. He’s Not Mitch McConnell And that’s that on that.
5. He Gets Results
Andy keeps his receipts. He’s working in a very red state. If he didn’t bring results to the people of Kentucky, he’d be gone like Matt Bevin and Daniel Cameron. He is part of the team bringing the West Louisville hospital to a majority African American area, the first in over 150 years.
6. He Has A Track Record of Economic Growth
Thanks to Beshear, Kentucky’s been among the top 3 states in per capita economic development for the last 2 years in a row. In 2023, we ranked #3 and in 2022 we ranked #2.
7. He Can Deliver A Verbal TKO With Ease
Gov. Andy Beshear is great with a verbal takedown. We’ve all seen what he did to JD Vance, but remember what he did to Daniel Cameron? You don’t, well we do and this video by Meidas Touch Network shows you how he ended Cameron’s political career in Kentucky. Beshear makes it clear he can handle anyone in a debate.
8. He’s Not Full Of Empty Rhetoric His rhetoric isn’t empty. He says what he means and means what he says. He never compromises his principles to appeal to the other side. He just has an honest appeal. He speaks to people in an obvious and conscientious way. Just look at the praise from wildly right-wing Republican state house representative Savannah Maddox. She told the Lexington Herald-Leader, “Andy Beshear has succeeded at projecting the likable, relatable image of a family man. And he’s a Democratic governor in a state with an overwhelming majority of Republicans at every level of government. That speaks to his ability to garner crossover votes
attacked
without turning off his base.”
9. He Plays By The Rules
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, it’s widely known in Kentucky that Andy Beshear plays by the rules, even when they are stacked against him. In nearly every case where Beshear did not agree with a law that was passed by a supermajority Kentucky House and Senate (Senate Bill 150, Senate Bill 6, House Bill 9), he vetoed it, and they were passed anyway. It’s the matter of the fact that in all these cases and more, Beshear did not try to cheat the system. The same can’t be said for far-right conservatives, who are currently attempting to overthrow the Republic in place of a new monarchy.
10. He Was The Best Pandemic Dad
Gov. Beshear was the best pandemic dad in America. His updates were well-watched and he made tough choices during the pandemic but helped keep Kentuckians from having worse outcomes than could have been possible without his leadership. Listening to Beshear’s updates and memorials during the pandemic made very clear that his decisions were made because of the risks to others.
11. He Has A Good Track Record Overseas
Beshear took only a few days to get deals done with foreign leaders, which is something anyone with half a brain would know is vital to a VP’s success in office. If Harris wants any chance of contending on the world stage, she’ll need strong backup from someone like Beshear. He doesn’t bully, but he doesn’t waver either. Like Roosevelt said, “speak softly, and carry a big stick.” With
just the weight of one southern, Midwest state behind him, Beshear has made deals with the likes of Japan and South Korea, two economic world heavyweights, without breaking a sweat. Now imagine if Beshear had the totality of the United States behind him as he brokered deals with even greater powers in the E.U. and in China. That’s the kind of VP I’m looking for if I’m Harris.
12. He Supports Trans Rights
Andy Beshear is one of the only white Christian men in politics who follows what his book preaches when it comes to taking care of marginalized groups, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. Beshear has championed trans rights in Kentucky for years, even when it wasn’t the popular thing to do in a deeply conservative state, like when he punched back at a state senator for mocking him for taking a photo with the Derby City Sisters, a drag queen group dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ youth. He’s also vetoed many laws pertaining to transgender people in Kentucky, even if he’s been overruled by the supermajority in the Kentucky House and Senate.
Bonus: He Has A Cute Dog
He has a really cute dog named Winnie who makes frequent appearances on his Instagram and from the looks of it, this adorable pup both loves and trusts Papa Andy which says a lot. After all, whether Republican or Democrat, can’t we all agree that dogs are the best judges of character?
Britainy and Gov. Andy Beshear Winnie Beshear
LOUISVILLE’S SUNNY CHOI BREAKS RECORD ON FIRST OLYMPIC BREAKING TEAM
BY ERICA RUCKER
B-Girl Grace “Sunny” Choi was born in Tennessee but her youth was spent in Louisville Kentucky, and where her parents live currently. Choi is a member of the first USA Breaking team in the Olympics.
As a child, Choi began her athletic career as a gymnast but in college found her way into the world of breaking.
“I started breaking in college,” Choi said in a release. “What hooked me was the energy of the dance. There is a rawness that you feel from the movement that you don’t see in a sport like gymnastics (which is the world that I came from). The freedom of expression and creativity was what really drew me in and made me want to give it a try. Plus breaking is physically challenging and gave me an excuse to be upside down and defying gravity again which was something I had missed since quitting gymnastics.”
Choi attended college at the University of Pennsylvania earning a Bachelor of Science and Engineering from the prestigious Wharton School of Business and spent time working as the Director of Global Creative Operations in Skincare at Estee Lauder. Choi left Estee Lauder in January of 2023.
At nearly 36 years old, breaking is a challenging sport to participate in, which makes Choi’s participation more exciting to watch.
“The biggest challenge on this journey is learning to be kind and patient with myself,” she said. “For me, I’ve found it’s easier to work at a breakneck pace because that makes me feel most productive, but I’ve learned that that isn’t the healthiest approach to this journey, mentally or physically. So I’m learning that being kind and patient, taking some time for myself along the way, and really learning to enjoy all the moments on the journey itself is really what it’s about.”
Taking care of herself is a priority and Choi participates in strength training, yoga, massage and, of course, breaking to keep herself in shape. Choi is proud to represent a diverse group of communities in her Olympic journey.
“I’m so proud to represent my family, friends, and the different communities that I belong to. I’m proud to be a Choi, proud to be AsianAmerican, and Korean-American, proud to be a woman, and proud to be representing for New York City, the birthplace of hip hop and breaking.”
“There are a million WHYs as to why I’m doing what I do but I think most importantly, I’m doing this for me. This is for the young
girl that dreamed of being in the Olympics but didn’t pursue the dream because she was scared to fail. For the girl that always chose to do the thing she was “supposed to do” rather than the thing she wanted to do. For the girl who believed she could do anything but
grew up and thought that she didn’t deserve it and that she was never good enough.”
The breaking competition airs in August. The schedule can be found here: olympics.com/ en/paris-2024/schedule/breaking
Sunny!
EAT, DRINK AND SEE IN THIS WEEK’S STAFF PICKS
THURSDAY, AUG. 1
Margaritas In The Ville
Captain’s Quarters | margaritasintheville.com
| $65+ | 5:30 – 9 p.m.
LEO Weekly and El Jimador are teaming up for a day filled with the best margaritas you’ll find in Louisville. With live music, great food and good competition, this fun event is promising to be one of the biggest yet. Tickets to the event gets you samples of all margaritas and appetizers. You can cast your ballot to crown this year’s People’s Choice Best Margarita champion.
—Sydney Catinna
SATURDAY, AUG. 3
Made Market
Mellwood Art Center | 1960 Mellwood Ave | mademkt.com | $5 | 10 a.m.
The Made Market is a premier event space in Louisville that curates a selection of awesome items, food and drinks to make for a great day out. Made Market is a curated handmade market, so you know you’ll be able to buy local goods no matter where you go in the shopping area. Parking is free, with just a $5 entry fee when you snag your tickets.
—Caleb Stultz
FRIDAY, AUG. 2-8
Cat Video Film Festival
Speed Art Cinema | speedmuseum.org |$12 | Times Vary
August marks the beginning of Cat Video Fest, the silliest but most adorable festival you’ll ever find. Speed Art Museum is hosting the Cat Video Fest from Friday, Aug. 2 to Thursday, Aug. 8 including a compilation of the latest and best cat videos that have been pulled in from hours of submissions and animations, music videos plus classic internet memes from years gone by. Local theaters across the country including Speed will partner with cat-focused charities, animal welfare organizations and shelters to give portions of ticket prices to these partners.
—Sydney Catinna
SATURDAY, AUG. 3
Pour Painting Workshop
Austin Office Building | 7202 Chestnut Tree Ln. 2nd Fl. Suite 216 | lp.constantcontactpages. com | $40 | 1 p.m.
Try your hand at pour painting! A new style that comes to Louisville with lots of fun and without ever having to pick up a brush. This hands-on session will give you the chance to make two canvases into two amazing masterpieces with a fun and relaxing mood.
—Caleb Stultz
SATURDAY, AUG. 3
FUR, FEATHERS, FINS, AND SCALES - A Solo Art Show by Sarah Tidwell
Grady Goods is hosting painter and digital artist Sarah Tidwell in a show meant to encourage empathy for the plight of animal rescue. Tidwell is known for a whimsical style of painting and her use of bold color. Those who come to the show and bring a bag of dog or cat food, will receive an exclusive free art print. All donations will be given to Woodstock Animal Foundation and Shamrock Foundation.
—Erica Rucker
SATURDAY, AUG. 3
Hops on the Hill 2024
Mile Wide Beer Co.| 636 Barret Ave. | milewidebeer.com | $25 VIP, free for general public | 4 p.m. to midnight | 21+
The region’s best IPA-only beer festival returns to Mile Wide for its seventh year! This year features seven different guest breweries - Mirror Twin (Lexington, KY), Southern Grist (Nashville, TN), Charles Towne Fermentory (Charleston, SC), Guggman Haus (Indianapolis, IN), The Modern Brewery (St. Louis MO), Xul Beer Company (Knoxville, TN), and Hop Butcher for the World (Chicago, IL), as well as four IPA collaborations, silent disco (at 9 p.m.), and an entire day full of hops, music, and happiness. Free to the public, but $25 VIP wristbands can be purchased at Mile Wide that get you early access to the event (at 3 p.m.), a separate list of guest taps from every participating brewery, private restrooms, free-play pinball, and a live DJ.
—Jeff Polk
SATURDAY, AUG. 3
Stonecutters, The MoundBuilders, Cavalcade
Planet of the Tapes | 640 Barret Ave. | planetofthetapes.biz | $10 | 9 p.m. | 21+
Mere feet away from where Hops on the Hill is happening — at the same time as their silent disco — something a little less silent and much less disco will be taking place when Louisville sludge/ thrash/metal/punk legends Stonecutters take the stage for what is sure to be a crushing live show! Their latest album, Eye of the Skull, is available now and is definitely one you need to add to your collection. Opening are Lafayette, IN, metal/hardcore/stoner rock/punk band The Mound Builders, and Lansing, MI, quirky metal/punk/sludge band Cavalcade, (formerly of Housecore Records, the label headed up by Pantera’s Phil Anselmo). I’d highly suggest getting there at 8 p.m. when doors open as this is likely to sell out.
—Jeff Polk
FRIDAY, AUG. 9
CATS. The Good, The Bad. The Ugly Bad Cat Boutique | 248 Spring St., Jeffersonville| Search Facebook | Free | 6 p.m.
The Bat Cat Boutique has a lil’ something for everyone — local art, jewelry, crystals, plants and more. Now they are having a cat-themed art show. There might also be special guests up for adoption. If you’re a fan of our furry feline friends, this is the event for you. Meow.
The Heritage Fire Tour unites live-fire cooking, family farms, and local chefs in diverse destinations. The all-inclusive walk-around feast features thoughtful bites prepared by some of the most critically acclaimed kitchens, with products from locally sourced farms and sponsors. After indulging in each dish, guests can vote for their favorite bite of the day. The event will take place at Louisville’s Waterfront Park from 4:15-7pm for a friendly competition resulting in a feelgood, delicious time for all.
—Sydney Catinna
SATURDAY, AUG. 10
Karma Vultures, Dead Runes, Bad Wires, SHI Planet of the Tapes | 640 Barret Ave. | planetofthetapes.biz | $10 | 8 p.m. | 21+
Planet of the Tapes is killing it on shows lately! Saturday the 10th proves to be yet another great one for the books as two Nashville-based bands: desert rockers Karma Vulture and stoner rockers Dead Runes, team up with Louisville’s “Unhinged sonic disaster laughing in the face of the decline of Western civilization” — Bad Wires, (a review of their latest single “Kaleidoscope Eyes” can be found right here in the pages of this very issue of LEO), and the stoner doom sounds of “The most punctual band in Louisville” — Shi. This is definitely one you don’t want to miss!
—Jeff Polk
FRIDAY, AUG. 9
Howl at the Moon Louisville Emo Night
Howl at the Moon Louisville | 434 4th St. | howlatthemoon.com | Free | 6 p.m.
Get ready to dance under the reflection of the disco ball while listening to the best of alt boy/sad girl favorites during Emo Night. Lots of drink specials will be out during the night of darkness, including $6 Blue Balls Shots and 32 oz. Adios Mofo Minibuckets for $15. If you enter on Howl at the Moon’s website before you go, you may win a Happy Hour party as well.
—Caleb Stultz
SUNDAY, AUG. 11
The HIRS Collective, DEADY, Pissed On Portal | 1535 Lytle Street | portal-louisville.com | $15 adv/$20 door | 6 p.m. | All Ages
“The HIRS Collective exists to fight for, defend, and celebrate the survival of trans, queer, POC, Black, women and any and all other folks who have to constantly face violence, marginalization, and oppression. We are a collective of freaks and faggots that will never stop existing. Infinite and never ending. No one is going to kill us, we are going to live forever” reads the mission statement of The HIRS Collective (pronounced “heers”), a Philadelphia-based queer hardcore punk musical collective with over 50 releases featuring appearances from a slew of various musicians. Join them as they bring their passion and rage to the stage along with Louisville punk/post-hardcore “Party mammals” DEADY, and the crushing sounds of Louisville punk/hardcore/grind/death band Pissed On.
—Jeff Polk
LISTEN LOCAL: NEW LOUISVILLE MUSIC
LEO now has playlists for Listen Local! Search Spotify for LEO Weekly and have a listen!
BY JEFF POLK
Bad Wires
“Kaleidoscope Eyes”/”Head Over Heels” - single
The thing about Bad Wires is that everyone seems to hear them differently. When describing them, you hear bands like Motorhead, Melvins, Helmet, Unsane, Jesus Lizard, and Whores get thrown around a lot, (although bassist/vocalist Corey Cottrell recently posted that someone compared them to a cross between NoMeansNo and Fugazi, which he was “on cloud 9 about”). However, their sound is uniquely their own. Are they punk? Thrash? Metal? Noise Rock? Hardcore? Post-Hardcore? The answer is simply…yes! It’s a mix of all of the aforementioned styles, (and probably others I’m missing), but jumbled and arranged in such a way that the listener is never truly comfortable guessing where the band will go next. After several months of inactivity in 2023 due to trying out new drummers and Cottrell shattering his left wrist, Bad Wires have returned better than ever with their first new tracks since 2022’s Failed Fables EP. “Kaleidoscope Eyes,” a song about unrequited love from someone experiencing a psychotic break, is an absolute powerhouse of a track that hits like a runaway freight train and is, in my opinion, their best song yet. On “Head Over Heels”, (a very unexpected cover of the Tears For Fears hit), the band is able to recraft the song into something of their own creation, but with the utmost respect given to the original. The melodies are still intact, just a lot heavier now. So call it a rebirth, a reintroduction, a comeback, or what have you, just be glad they’re back!
badwires.bandcamp.com
Drift City Sky Unconscious - EP
Following up their near-perfect 2022 sophomore full length album Deep Reverse was certainly no easy task, but Drift City demonstrates that they were more than up for the challenge on their latest, the six-song Sky Unconscious. If you ever needed proof of the level of talent coming out of Louisville these days, there is no need to look any further than this EP. One glance at the lineup on this recording and this is far from shocking. Led by the Bryan Ferry/David Bowie-esque elegant, seductive croon of core member, chief songwriter and producer J. Rivers (vocals, guitar, synth), and backed by the likes of Dave Givan (Jim James, Ray LaMontagne), Billy Lease (Cabin, The Glasspack), Woody Woodmansee (Hawks, Runaway Souls, The Low Glow), Benny Clark (Elliott, Falling Forward, Parlour), Brian Shreck (music therapist at Norton Cancer Institute and a pioneer in the field of music therapy), and the list of incredible guest musicians just goes on from there. Each musician on this recording filling their roles phenomenally, weaving together a tapestry of dreampop, shoegaze, psychedelic pop, alt-rock, Americana and smooth jazz to create an absolutely stunning, ever-expanding soundscape that is beautiful, peaceful, romantic and sexy. Comparisons to David Bowie, Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry, Radiohead, The Cure, Sparklehorse, as well as bands/artists on the local front such as My Morning Jacket, Jaye Jayle and Fotocrime are not unfounded. Without a doubt, Sky Unconscious will be making a lot of 2024 top-10 lists both locally and nationally, and is certain to propel Drift City to much greater attention.
driftcityband.com
Feral Vices
“Sunday’s Best” - single
Few two-piece bands can pull off what Louisville’s own Feral Vices seems to do so effortlessly; create a sound as big as, or arguably bigger, than that of a full band. Yet time and time again, the duo of vocalist/guitarist Alexander Hoagland and drummer Justin Cottner have done just that, proving the old adage “Less is more” to be true, at least in Feral Vices’ case. With their latest track, “Sunday’s Best,” what you get are two-and-ahalf minutes of groove-oriented, fist pumping, anthemic alt-rock/post-hardcore music that’s been stripped down to its barest essentials in order to make the biggest impact. There are no frills or gimmicks here because none are needed. If members of Queens of the Stone Age, Refused, and Highly Suspect got together to create music, the result would sound a lot like Feral Vices. Hoagland and Cottner are certainly no strangers to writing catchy songs with big hooks, and “Sunday’s Best” is no exception. As with previous singles they’ve released, it’s easy to get caught up in the music and lose sight of just how wellcrafted the song actually is. And the lyrics are quite timely given what we’ve seen this election year so far. Of the lyrics, Hoagland says it’s “about propaganda and how it gets us to go against our own interests because it’s so nice and flashy and convinces us that we’re the oppressed and not the oppressor.” He goes on to say “The goal is to try to get people to be more self-reflective about their actions, the consequences of those actions, and if our enemy is really our enemy at all.”
feralvices.com
Why DOMS with hersontheperson “Slow Summers” - single
Before they sent me their latest single for review, Why DOMS was already on my short list of artists to check out. I’ve seen their name pop up in quite a few places lately, including some pretty high-profile gigs at Louievolve 2024, Mag Bar Music Fest, and the upcoming 502 Fest on August 10th. They’ve obviously been getting a lot of attention, and it turns out its well-deserved! For their latest track, “Slow Summers”, the duo team up with local producer hersontheperson for what they describe as “a quintessential track to understanding our sound.” Musically, the track revolves around a sample loop of horns and bass from Italian composer/ conductor Carlo Savina’s 1963 smooth jazz composition “Summer Slow” — an interesting choice to rap over, but it works. The first half sees J DOMS flowing about the local scene and recapping previous summer experiences in a manner that, at least to me, brings to mind rapper MF Doom. The 808 drums kick in for the second half and Why Mark takes over with a quicker paced delivery and rhymes revolving around his life and childhood in his distinctive vocal style that I can only describe as a hyperactive version of B-Real from Cypress Hill. The contrasting styles of rapping - from J DOMS’ slower paced flows to Why Mark’s rapid-fire delivery - is an interesting juxtaposition, but one that suits the duo well. The pair has put out a slew of material since 2021, both as a duo and as solo artists, and are definitely coming up in the local rap scene. Keep your eyes and ears on these two!
unitedmasters.com/m/slow-summers
OOHS AND AAHS OVER ENSO
BY ROBIN GARR
When a rising young chef at a popular new restaurant earns a James Beard Award nomination as an “emerging chef,” then steps up to serve as executive chef at another exciting new eatery, what would you expect?
When we’re talking about Chef Lawrence Weeks, who garnered the Beard nomination at North of Bourbon in Germantown, and spread his wings to hold down the same role at Enso in Clifton, I would expect great things.
Indeed, after oohing and aahing through a memorable meal at Enso, I’d basically just gasp in awestruck delight. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that both restaurants share the same ownership team as well as Weeks’s leadership in the kitchen.
Skewered and charcoal-grilled, six hefty cubes of quality local beef touched with mushroom and butter flavors were remarkably good.
Enso’s creative cocktails add a distinct Japanese flavor to your drink. Here, a watermelon-scented porch spritz (left) with leafy shiso garnish; and an Enso Old Fashioned made with Toki Japanese whisky,.
Page: Who knew that something as simple as this memorable quick-pickled cucumber salad could be so good?
We didn’t need dessert after all those goodies, but everything was so good that we wanted dessert, and Enso’s egg custard with maple syrup and blueberries did not disappoint.
Robin Garr
“Enso is a Southern restaurant using Japanese technique and style to connect the parallels in culture between Japan and the American South,” Enso declares in its social media.
Enso’s decor is simple and spare, with a Zen-like Japanese vibe in its white and glass, mostly unadorned simplicity, blonde wooden tables and comfortable padded chairs, attractive dishes and glassware, quality cotton napkins, and hot white oshibori hand towels offered as you begin your meal. Only wooden chopsticks are provided, although I don’t doubt that forks are available on request.
Enso’s menu expresses Zenlike enlightenment in its sweet and gentle reassurances: “All house-made noodles use Anson Mills flour (Columbia, SC), all proteins are local, all beef is dry-aged in house, all
vegetables are sourced regionally and local when applicable, all seafood is sourced responsibly as possible, and everything is brought to you with love.”
The dinner-only bill of fare is concise but offers plenty of variety, with a dozen small plates subdivided into “cold” and “hot,” priced from $8 (for Japanese potato salad or sesame turnip greens) to $28 (for Japanese Country Captain, a Carolina
Low Country-Japanese treatment of chicken thighs). Seven charcoal-grilled skewers range in price from $9 (for okra) to $16 (for Hokkaido scallops); a sampler with one of each item is $44. Three main-course noodle dishes are $26 (for mushroom yakisoba) to $32 (for citrus niboshi ramen).
A couple of desserts and a fancy tea service complete the menu, plus an option to “show the kitchen some love” with a $10 contribution to the folks in the back of the house. The full bar offers well chosen selections of sake, whiskey, beer and wine and craft cocktails.
We started with cocktails that brought Japanese flavors to the table: An Enso old fashioned ($14) made with salted sweet-potato infused toki (a blended Japanese whisky from Beam Suntory) and a porch spritz ($14) fashioned from the bitter Italaian aperetif Aperol, rice-based saki-adjacent awamori from Okinawa, watermelon and bubbles, garnished with a big sprig of the minty Japanese leafy herb shiso.
We also were offered a lagniappe, a small cup of quaffable cold blackberry ginger and corn tea with candied ginger.
Miso cucumber salad (($10) from the cold small plates menu was a delightful surprise. Unpeeled, crisp thick cucumber slices were coated with a soft miso sauce that added a salty, savory flavor to the mix. Tiny strips cut from black nori seaweed and a sprinkle of benne sesame seeds all came together in a lovely chorus.
Our server recommended a dry-aged beef
Left Page: Mushroom yakisoba, a popular Japanese friednoodle dish, featured tender house-made noodles. Tossed with tofu and a bounty of spring vegetables, it made a tempting main dish.
Right
skewer ($17) made from local beef, and we’re glad she did. Six tender, heavily marbled biggerthan-bite-size beef cubes were lined up on two bamboo skewers and char-grilled to perfection, then drizzled with a mushroom-butter glaze almost as thick as pudding that added a earthy flavor to every bite. A bowl of bourbon salt and a wedge of lime came alongside to offer extra flavor pops.
A simple okra skewer ($9) alongside might have seemed simple in comparison, but it can be a gift to be simple, and these were very good. Five long, think okra pods had been grilled just to al dente crispness, striped with a thick garlic-ginger glaze, and sprinkled with toasted
Yakisoba is a traditional and beloved Japanese street-food noodle dish, and Enso’s mushroom yakisoba ($26) represents. House-made white yakisoba wheat noodles, roughly the shape of linguine, are tender and soft, similar in texture to ramen noodles. They’re dressed with a mix of seasonal veggies – julienned zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, and chewy shiitake mushrooms and squares of cabbage during the season of summer bounty, small cubes of firm tofu, and I could swear I saw a couple of avocado slices in there. It all comes together with a thin, savory, umami-loaded brown sauce that makes the dish almost too good to resist.
A simple yet complex egg custard dessert ($10) kept up the same high pace. A tiny jar bore layers of blueberries, rich custard, and crunchy benne seed granola brought together with the brown-sugar flavor of local maple syrup.
A truly exceptional dinner totaled $106. plus a $25 tip for flawless attention from our server, Gabriella.
Noise Level: The room filled up fast on a Friday night, making for an undeniably noisy scene. But conversation remained possible with average decibel levels at a buzzy but bearable 75.8dB with only occasional peaks into the 80dB range.
Accessibility: The entrance and restrooms and tables in the main floor, bar area, and patio appear accessible to wheelchair users.
SHIFTIES
BY DANA MCMAHAN
Let’s admit it. We, the dining public, are low-key fascinated by industry life. What do they eat, what’s in their fridges at home, how do they come up with their ideas; we want to know all the things about these people making dining and drinks magic. Lately, I’ve been wondering about a restaurant industry
tradition, the after-shift drink.
During a short-lived stint running a pop-up crepe stand years ago, my husband Brian and I picked up the habit of an afterwork drink the fellow slinging breakfast burritos next to us called a shifty. To this day we call our after-work drink that. The
key to the shifty for us is that it’s quick and easy. This time of year it’s a dead simple Suze (a bittersweet French liqueur) and tonic, or a spritz -- just inexpensive bubbly, Campari or Aperol, and ice. No fussing with so much as an orange before we head, ice clinking in our glasses, to the deck to chill.
To find out more about this tradition I called up Larry Rice, former owner of the Silver Dollar, and the mind behind a lot of cool bars and restaurants in this town. First
off, is the shifty a real thing, or a romanticized notion?
It’s definitely real, he said, although he calls it a shift drink. And when he was working in Chicago, actually, the secret code name for it was a safety meeting!
The idea, he explained, is that it’s a bonding time for bar and restaurant workers. “Sometimes it’s making up for arguing with each other during the shift,” he said. Or it’s about just making it through a hard shift.
After shift is a time to “just take a deep breath and relax,” he said. “It’s like you’re doing something for yourself, you know, you get to take that moment to yourself and … you’re always kind of wound up at the end of your shift, so it’s a nice time to, like, decompress.”
Is it always booze? Usually, he said, although it’s as much about the downtime as it is the beverage, so it may be a cigarette or just a hang out. But when it’s a drink, this is not the time for a convoluted cocktail. Think a whiskey and a beer most of the time, he said.
So, what does a shift drink look like around Louisville? I asked a few pros, and here’s what they shared.
Andy Myers, Culinary director and co-owner of Decade Restaurant in Butchertown
My post service “shifty” would have to be a Campari & Soda. When I get home after a busy service my wife is usually asleep, so I like to sit on my back porch and listen to music and sip a few drinks. A Campari & Soda is simple, delicious, and easy to make. I also like that it’s not super strong, so I can have a few without overdoing it. I’ve never really liked to go out after work. Restaurants are very busy and stimulating environments — which is something I love about restaurants, but I also need some quiet time in between shifts to balance back out.
Sarah Height, co-owner Canary Club and Bar Nada Nada
As with most wine professionals, after a long day of working hard, knocking back espressos, and stretching our palates during wine tastings, there is nothing quite like an ice cold super refreshing light beer. Whether that’s on the back patio or at a local dive bar, as long as my friends are around, I’m happy. Now, if I get out in time and I can enjoy a mojito at Havana Rumba, that’s the goal. Mojitos are the best thing you can ask for after a long hot summer day.
John Grisanti, owner and sommelier, Nouvelle
Over the years I have made a real effort to not go out after shifts … I simply do not need to drink that much. Health has really been coming into the conversation for a few years now in our industry, as it was overlooked for so long. I set a lot of boundaries on days I do not drink - pretty much 5 days a week and prioritize working out daily as part of staying up in shape (cycling and yoga are huge for me). You see this mindset being echoed by a lot of industry leaders — Bobby Stuckey, Aldo Sohm, etc. In a world that is constantly revolving around alcohol and indulgent eating it is far too easy to get swept up in the fun :)
Liz Huot, co-owner with husband Jesse of Grind Burger Kitchen, Oskars, and Smor Bakeri
The real answer is shots and a beer. No one is ordering fancy shit. Old Fo and a Ganset … Underbergs and something fancy on draft … maybe tequila and a water.
I’m a TSL: Titos, soda, lime. If we get the chance to go out, which is infrequently, it’s at odd hours and you want something easy because you don’t want to burden the folks who are also hospitality. We’re all just trying to chill out and see friends and commiserate.
Executive Chef Jeremy Frederiksen, Paseo
For me, there are two options for a go-to beverage after a shift. If the bar is set up and we are celebrating good service, I love a Sazerac. It’s ice cold, and as you raise the glass, you are enveloped in a bright fennel and citrus aroma; from the expressed lemon and absinthe, it is sweet but not overly so. As you set the glass down, the warmth of cognac and rye whiskey starts in your chest, with the fragrance expanding to the warm and spicy with bitters. It’s wonderful. A sazerac can engage your senses after spending all day balancing flavors and tastes, tasting the same things repeatedly.
The second option is to go to the Barret Bar for an ice-cold Coors Banquet and a pour of Old Grand Dad Bonded. When you are exhausted but mentally still running at the pace of service, it’s a great way to wind down. I come from kitchens that are steeped in tradition, where alcohol is always the reward. You can see how folks can develop an unhealthy relationship. The evolution of the shifty is coming to understand this and being vocal about it. I always encourage my team to practice moderation and to make safe choices.
Suze and tonic
Dana McMahan
LOUISVILLE HUSBAND AND WIFE TEAM LAUNCH NEW PREMIUM GIN BRAND
BY ERICA RUCKER
NIMBUS marketing agency owners Dr. Dawn and Stacey Wade have launched a new premium gin. West End Gin, a citrus-forward sip, takes its name from the area of Louisville steeped in Black heritage and culture.
The gin is highly aromatic with a clean, crisp and smooth taste that sits between a London dry gin and more contemporary gins. West End Gin boasts a blend of sweet and bitter orange peel, along with 12 other ingredients: juniper, coriander, cardamom, lemon peel, sweet orange peel, bitter orange peel, grapefruit peel, lemongrass, lemon verbena, jasmine, angelica root, orris root, grains of paradise, and cassia.
“West End Gin is a top shelf choice that will elevate traditional gin cocktails, but it’s more than just a premium spirit; it reflects the vibrant Black culture of West Louisville, and demonstrates our commitment to community empowerment.” said
brand owners, Dr. Dawn and Stacey Wade in a release. “With every bottle sold, we aim to uplift communities and generate wealth within the areas we cherish, beginning with Louisville’s West End.”
Adding to their West End Gin release, they will offer a new expression coming soon, called The Rose Ann Edition that adds rosebud petals and fenugreek to the flavor profile.
One dollar from each bottle sold goes to support communities and Louisville throughout the country. Bottles retail for a suggested $39.99 for a 750ml bottle.
Co-founders of West End Gin, Dr. Dawn and Stacey Wade
Mel B. Elder, Jr
West End Gin
Michael Devaney
FOOD SHORT: COOK OUT COMING TO LOUISVILLE
BY CALEB STULTZ
Cook Out, the famous fast food chain based out of North Carolina, is headed to Louisville after years of waiting.
One of many chain restaurants that Louisvillians wish were closer is finally making its way to the city, and is set to open on 2412 Preston Highway, according to new
records obtained from the Louisville Metro planning website
Cook Out will move into Rally’s former location south of Eastern Parkway. The chain currently has over 300 locations, with 11 of those based in Kentucky. This is the first in Louisville, however.
Cook Out is a classic burger spot known for its milkshakes, chicken and barbecue. The fast food chain opened in Greensboro, NC in 1989. Construction is set to begin soon, but with no official date yet.
HORROR FILMS IN 2024: DISPATCHES FROM A HORROR FAN
BY TRACY HEIGHTCHEW
While I love arthouse and classic film, wellmade documentaries and tight action flicks, my real cinema love is horror. The expression “may you live in interesting times” is often labeled a curse, attributed to the ancient Chinese, though that origin story is false. Interesting times also breed good horror films. We are more than halfway through 2024, and everyday our slow boil society seems to be getting a little hotter, the steps taken by officials and civilians a bit more, well, insane. With most of the summer releases out, it’s a good time to pause and take stock of where horror fits into the film landscape, and get braced for the spooky season right around the corner. Maybe the stories being told in these films also reflect a little of society back at us as well.
While the year started with a few strong and highly anticipated titles like the low-budget throwback film “Late Night With the Devil” (Shudder) and the nun-centric films “Immaculate” (VOD) and “The First Omen” (Hulu), those titles were more serviceable than groundbreaking, and there were plenty of disappointments too. Small films like “Night Swim,” (Peacock) “Watchers,” (VOD) and “Stop-Motion” (Shudder) had promise with original ideas from first time feature directors, but fell short in general and at the box office.
But tides turned when “Abigail” (VOD) dropped and took the mantle as most fun of all this year’s horror films (so far). From the directors of the equally delightful “Ready or Not,” it is only missing a Nicolas Cage cameo to put it on par with horror comedy delights like “One Cut of the Dead” or “Slither.” Riding a nostalgia wave, “Lisa Frankenstein,” (VOD) and “I Saw the TV Glow” (VOD) are both films that call back to earlier times, with Diablo Cody’s LF pulling up a dayglo 80s that never existed, and Jane Schoenbrun’s TV mining a Buffy 90s sensibility to explore themes of gender and transitioning.
But enough with the streaming choices, let’s make sure to highlight the films that should get you out to watch a film with other people! Playing now are three of the most highly anticipated horror films of the year, Ti West’s blood-soaked Giallo sendup “Maxxxine,” the film with the most misleading promotional campaign “Cuckoo,” and my personal favorite, “Longlegs.” None of these films are perfect, but the cast and crew understood the assignment, each of them. “Maxxxine” concludes a trilogy of films who
were made within the constraints of their respective horror homage. While its ending is the weakest part of the entire film run, the first 2/3 of the film is a pitch perfect vehicle for Mia Goth, and another nostalgic look back at the 80s, complete with a kickass video store. The trailer for “Cuckoo” promises a tense and terrifying time, but it is important to remember that any horror movie featuring Dan Stevens will be funny and weird. Period.
But it is “Longlegs” that captured this reviewer’s heart. Shot on less than 10 million, its box office has already hit 50 million at time of writing, making it a bona fide hit. Set in the 90s, it is a film that loves “Silence of the Lambs” but it is more kin to “Twin Peaks” and wears its Lynchian label proudly. It is 100 minutes of bad vibes and a too short Nicolas Cage appearance that takes some viewers out of the experience, but for my money, seals the deal (with the devil).
Still to come this year is “Alien: Romulus” (August 15) which promises to do something that other “Alien” sequels do not do – return to the flavor of the first two films and try to be actually scary. Leigh Whannell returns to Universal Horror cannon, following up “The Invisible Man” with “The Wolf Man,” starring Christopher Abbott, an actor who picks the most interesting projects. Brandy is also back, starring in “The Front Room,” (September 6) based on the Susan Hill story about a young woman who must deal with an estranged, racist stepmom who is horror movie evil too. Films like “Heretic” (November 15) and “Nightbitch” (December 6) are showcasing actors we love like Amy Adams and Hugh Grant.
There is a “Speak No Evil” (Sept. 13) on the horizon that will introduce subtitle avoidant viewers to a story that is sure to be better told in the original Dutch film, now streaming on Shudder. But remakes are not always the worst, and this year in horror will not be over until we fans get out Christmas present. Robert Egger’s “Nosferatu,” is hitting screens on Christmas Day. I will be there, gladly. If there is a common thread running through this wide gamut of film, it is looking back. Whether its arthouse horror like “The Substance” (September 20), extreme horror like “In a Violent Nature” (VOD), or better than the original prequels like “A Quiet Place: Day One,” (in theaters), these films come to us carrying the past with them. It seems like we still have a lot to process.
Are you a horror fan too? Meet your fellow
fans at The Louisville Gore Club, a weekly meetup at Planet of the Tapes. Every Sunday at 8pm, gorehounds meet up to see the best — and the worst — that horror has to offer!
And keep an eye open for local filmmaker Remington Smith’s “Landlord,” shot here in Louisville, and set to release in the next year.
More info at landlordfilm.com
Brandy in The Front Room
A24 Films
‘Insert actor’s name’ in Cuckoo NEON Films
Hugh Grant in Heretic A24 Films
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week of July 31
ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): One meaning of the word “palette” is a flat board on which painters place a variety of pigments to apply to their canvas. What would be a metaphorical equivalent to a palette in your life? Maybe it’s a diary or journal where you lay out the feelings and ideas you use to craft your fate. Perhaps it’s an inner sanctuary where you retreat to organize your thoughts and meditate on upcoming decisions. Or it could be a group of allies with whom you commune and collaborate to enhance each other’s destinies. However you define your palette, Aries, I believe the time is right to enlarge its size and increase the range of pigments you can choose from.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The star that Westerners call Arcturus has a different name for Indigenous Australians: Marpeankurrk. In their part of the world, it begins to rise before dawn in August. For the Boorong people of northwest Victoria, this was once a sign to hunt for the larvae of wood ants, which comprised a staple food for months. I bring this up, Taurus, because heavenly omens are telling me you should be on the lookout for new sources of sustenance and fuel. What’s your metaphorical equivalent of wood ant larvae?
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Seventy percent of the world’s macadamia nuts have a single ancestor: a particular tree in Queensland, Australia. In 1896, two Hawaiian brothers took seeds from this tree and brought them back to their homestead in Oahu. From that small beginning, Hawaiian macadamia nuts have come to dominate the world’s production. I foresee you soon having resemblances to that original tree, Gemini. What you launch in the coming weeks and months could have tremendous staying power and reach far beyond its original inspiration.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Ketchup flows at about 0.03 miles per hour. In 35 hours, it could travel about a mile. I think you should move at a similar speed in the coming days. The slower you go, the better you will feel. The more deeply focused you are on each event, and the more you allow the rich details to unfold in their own sweet time, the more successful you will be at the art of living. Your words of power will be incremental, gradual, and cumulative.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Astrologer Chris Zydel says every sign has superpowers. In honor of your birthday season, I’ll tell you about those she attributes to you Leos. When you are at your best, you are a beacon of “joyful magnetism” who naturally exudes “irrepressible charisma.” You “shine like a thousand suns”
and “strut your stuff with unabashed audacity.” All who are lucky enough to be in your sphere benefit from your “radiant spontaneity, bold, dramatic play, and whoo-hoo celebration of your creative genius.” I will add that of course you can’t always be a perfect embodiment of all these superpowers. But I suspect you are cruising through a phase when you are the next best thing to perfect.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo-born Friedrich August Kekule (1829–1896) transformed organic chemistry with his crucial discovery of the structure of carbon-based compounds. He had studied the problem for years. But his breakthrough realization didn’t arrive until he had a key dream while dozing. There’s not enough room here to describe it at length, but the image that solved the riddle was a snake biting its own tail. I bring this story to your attention, Virgo, because I suspect you could have practical and revelatory dreams yourself in the coming weeks. Daydream visions, too. Pay attention! What might be your equivalent to a snake biting its own tail?
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Please don’t succumb to numbness or apathy in the coming weeks. It’s crucial that you don’t. You should also take extreme measures to avoid boredom and cynicism. At the particular juncture in your amazing life, you need to feel deeply and care profoundly. You must find ways to be excited about as many things as possible, and you must vividly remember why your magnificent goals are so magnificent. Have you ruminated recently about which influences provide you with the spiritual and emotional riches that sustain you? I encourage you to become even more intimately interwoven with them. It’s time for you to be epic, mythic, even heroic.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Historically, August has brought many outbreaks of empowerment. In August 1920, American women gained the right to vote. In August 1947, India and Pakistan wrested their independence from the British Empire’s long oppression. In August 1789, French revolutionaries issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man, a document that dramatically influenced the development of democracy and liberty in the Western world. In 1994, the United Nations established August 9 as the time to celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. In 2024, I am officially naming August to be Scorpio Power Spot Month. It will be an excellent time to claim and/or boost your command of the niche that will nurture your authority and confidence for years to come.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): August is Save Our Stereotypes Month for you Sagittarians. I hope you will celebrate by rising up strong and bold to defend our precious natural treasures. Remember that without cliches, platitudes, pigeonholes, conventional wisdom, and hackneyed ideas, life would be nearly impossible. JUST KIDDING! Everything I just said was a dirty lie. Here’s the truth. August is Scour Away Stereotypes Month for you Sagittarians. Please be an agent of original thinking and fertile freshness. Wage a brazen crusade against cliches, platitudes, pigeonholes, conventional wisdom, and hackneyed ideas.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You’re never too old or wise or jaded to jump up in the air with glee when offered a free gift. Right? So I hope you won’t be so bent on maintaining your dignity and composure that you remain poker-faced when given the chance to grab the equivalent of a free gift. I confess I am worried you might be unreceptive to the sweet, rich things coming your way. I’m concerned you might be closed to unexpected possibilities. I will ask you, therefore, to pry open your attitude so you will be alert to the looming blessings, even when they are in disguise.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A friend of a friend told me this story: One summer day, a guy he knew woke up at 5 am, meditated for a while, and made breakfast. As he gazed out his kitchen window, enjoying his coffee, he became alarmed. In the distance, at the top of a hill, a brush fire was burning. He called emergency services to alert firefighters. A few minutes later, though, he realized he had made an error. The brush fire was in fact the rising sun lighting up the horizon with its fiery rays. Use this as a teaching story in the coming days, Aquarius. Double-check your initial impressions to make sure they are true. Most importantly, be aware that you may initially respond with worry to events that are actually wonderful or interesting.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): At least a million ships lie at the bottom of the world’s oceans, lakes, and rivers. Some crashed because of storms, and others due to battles, collisions, or human error. A shipwreck hunter named Sean Fisher estimates that those remains hold over $60 billion worth of treasure. Among the most valuable are the old Spanish vessels that sank while carrying gold, silver, and other loot plundered from the Americas. If you have the slightest inkling to launch adventures in search of those riches, I predict the coming months will be an excellent tine. Alternately, you are likely to generate good fortune for yourself through any version of diving into the depths in quest of wealth in all of its many forms.
Homework: What message would you like to send your 12-year-old self? Newsletter. FreeWillAstrology.com
QUICKIES
BY DAN SAVAGE
Hey Dan: I’m a neg boy who loves getting bred by mature poz men. I want their loads in me, no questions asked. I’m not on PrEP. Too deviant?
Too stupid, too reckless — and old and tired too. the gay world was roiled by “bug chasers” (HIV-negative gay men who were trying to get themselves infected) and “gift givers” (HIV-positive men/sociopaths who were willing to infect other people) a couple of decades ago. The stakes were higher then — literally life and death — but you’re flying with a net: since you have access to HIV medications, you’ll be fine. But I wouldn’t take that net for granted. Religious conservatives don’t just want to make abortion illegal and ban birth control — they wanna ban the death control pills gay men have come to rely on, e.g., PrEP (protects neg guys from infection) and antiretroviral treatments (keeps poz guys alive). Taking loads from poz guys — immature men, regardless of age — may wind up having consequences you didn’t see coming.
Hey Dan: Best resources for newly self-discovered ace? I’m sex neutral.
I’m guessing you’ve already found you’re way to some online resources, seeing as you’re using ace-y jargon like “sex neutral.” But just in case: The Asexuality Visibility and Education Network (www.asexuality.org) remains an invaluable resource — but if you prefer something more informal, Cody Daigle-Orians, aka “Ace Dad Advice,” has built a supportive community on Instagram (@AceDadAdvice) and his Substack (acedadadvice.substack.com).
Hey Dan: How much masturbation is too much masturbation?
If you’re beating holes in your dick and/or overtaxing the grid with your vibrators, you might need to dial it back a bit.
Hey Dan: Do I qualify as gay if I’m not into oral or anal at all but I love absolutely everything else about men?
If you’re a man, yes. If not, no.
Hey Dan: What are your thoughts on Wicked being two movies?
I’m a triple threat — I enjoy oral and anal and movie musicals — and the more movie musicals, the better. So, I’m fine with Wicked being not one movie, but two. But the Stephen Schwartz musical I’ve always wanted to see adapted for film is Pippin. Get on it, Hollywood!
Hey Dan: As a female Dom, do I need verbal consent to slap/squeeze the balls of a new male sub?
You should bring up ball play/torture when you’re negotiating a scene with a new sub — if CBT is something you’re into — but it is possible to incorporate ball play into a scene that’s already underway by giving your sub’s balls a gentle squeeze. And if that gentle squeeze elicits a positive response, use your words: “Do you like it when I hurt your balls?” If he asks for more, squeeze a little harder. But more extreme forms of ball play — slapping, punching, kicking — can’t be ventured without prior discussion and consent.
Hey Dan: Why are hetero men embarrassed to be uncut while gay men are proud of it?
Because uncut gay men tend to get a positive response from other gay men (“Yay! More cock to suck!”) while uncut straight men tend to get a negative response from straight women (“Shit. More cuck to suck.”)
Hey Dan: How common is it for someone to actually fuck a hot delivery driver?
Hot delivery drivers, hot stepmoms, hot coaches — it’s easy to dismiss all three scenarios as porn tropes. But just because something happens in porn doesn’t it never happens in real life. So, I’m sure there are people out there who’ve fucked a hot delivery driver and/or their dad’s hot new wife and/or their college wrestling coach. And since only the delivery driver is the only scenario that — if realized in real life — doesn’t involve an unforgiveable betrayal and/or an abuse of power, here’s hoping it’s the one that happens most often.
Hey Dan: Can I ask my husband to wear a condom for anal? I don’t like it when he comes in my bum.
You get to decide where, when, how and how long someone gets to fuck your ass — it’s your ass — and if you don’t enjoy the aftermath of taking your husband’s load in your ass, you can tell (not ask) your husband to wear a condom for anal and/or pull out.
Hey Dan: I’ve read lots of letters in your column from cuckolds and their wives but none from a Bull. I am a Bull. I love fucking other men’s wives in front of them and I love humiliating a cuck in front of his wife. My best friend insists that makes me a little bit gay.
I don’t know if you’re a little bit gay — are you one of those Bulls who lets the cuck “clean up” (read: suck) your cock? — but it sounds like your best friend is a little bit jealous. (For the record: Bulls who let cucks suck their cocks are a little bit bi.)
Hey Dan: What if I don’t like how someone smells or tastes? Can that change?
If the issue is poor personal hygiene — they don’t bathe regularly, use deodorant on demand, floss and brush their teeth on a daily basis — adopting good personal hygiene practices could make a difference. If someone is already doing all those
things and you don’t like how they smell or taste, it’s a chemical clash that no amount of mouthwash or cologne can mask.
Hey Dan: Why as I’ve gotten older has my cum gotten thicker?
The quality of sperm cells and the volume of ejaculate are both “negatively correlated with age,” according to this very depressing study from The Journal of Assisted Reproductive Genetics
Hey Dan: Is the rimjob/blowjob combo the closest a man ever comes to heaven?
Some men, sure. But not all men like having their asses eaten — hell, not all men like having their dicks sucked.
Hey Dan: Couples that share a douche bulbs are gross, right?
Sharing a douche with a partner is little like sharing a toothbrush with one, in as much as it grosses us out more than it probably should. If you’re already going down on each other and/or eating each other’s asses, why so precious about a toothbrush or a douche bulb? (I say that as someone who is — for the record — extremely precious about toothbrushes and douche bulbs.)
Hey Dan: How do I stop going back to an ex that I know isn’t a good long-term fit when the sex is so good?
If you can’t fuck that not-a-good-fit ex without fantasizing about getting back together again — or, worse still, actually getting back together again — you need stop fucking your ex. But if you pivot to FWBs, you might wanna revisit your assumptions. Great sexual chemistry isn’t everything, but it isn’t nothing either. Sometimes the sex is so good you find a way to make the rest of it fit.
Hey Dan: What’s the likelihood of infection when going between cunnilingus and anilingus?
You don’t want to accidentally introduce fecal bacteria into the vaginal canal — so never go from anilingus to cunnilingus. If you want to finish with cunnilingus, you need to start with it and stick with it.
Hey Dan: Is it possible to swallow too much of your own partner’s cum over time? Asking for a friend.
Dr. Josh Trebach, an emergency medicine physician and a toxicology expert, weighed in on this question in a column published in February of 2002
Hey Dan: If you had “word art” in your house — think signs that say “Eat/Pray/Love” or “It’s Always 5 O’clock Somewhere!” — what would your sign say?
Eat/Gay/Ass.
Hey Dan: Why is my hole so tight yet I yearn for the fist?
Your hole is signaling that it’s ready to exit its tight era and enter its gape era.
Hey Dan: How do you tell an emotionally immature and very stubborn man that he is emotionally immature and very stubborn and make him listen?
On your way out.
Hey Dan: Is pegging just straight sex? My baby gay best friend thought it could refer to lesbian sex too and I was like, “Oh, honey…”
Not according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The OED (“the unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and usage of 500,000 words and phrases past and present, from across the Englishspeaking world”) defines “pegging” as “a sexual activity in which a person (typically a woman) penetrates the anus of a sexual partner (typically a man) using a strap-on dildo.” So, lesbians — so long as those lesbians are having anal sex with a strap-on dildo — can peg too.
Hey Dan: I know you don’t always like going to the clubs and bars and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been to one. There is a high chance I’m going to one soon. Is there anything you recommend trying to feel more comfortable in that environment?
Half a pot lozenge and permission to leave at any time. Whether you need to give yourself permission to leave or you need to get permission from your partner and/or posse, knowing you’re free to go — without having to make the rounds to say goodbye — helps you stick around.
Hey Dan: Are there any AI programs out there that are almost as good as cam girls on commercial websites, who can both talk in a friendly way to you and have enough video bandwidth to move in a sexy way?
No clue.
Hey Dan: Settle a vocabulary debate: is it “splooge” or “spooge”? We defer to your expertise!
Both work, both mean the same thing — but sploshing means something else entirely. Asking for splosh when you wanted splooge/spooge or vice-versa is messy mistake.
Hey Dan: Is there a positive, constructive way to raise the topic of toys — dildos — to a loving partner of many, many years who is in denial about his erectile dysfunction? I am seeking a way to talk about this in a way that empowers, not diminishes him. Thank you for your attention to this request.
You could try incorporating hand-held toys into your play, e.g., dildos, plugs, vibrators. If he likes them you could suggest getting a harness — one he can wear on his thigh or his forehead or his crotch — in order to leave his hands free for other things (including his own).
Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love!
Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love
Crown Castle is proposing to install a 46-foot pole telecommunications structure at the following site: 8111 Cooper Chapel Road, Louisville, Jefferson County, KY 40228 and 38-6-32.43, -85-36-50.22. Crown Castle invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed action on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or specific reason the proposed action may have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Specific information regarding the project is available by contacting Edward Reynolds, e.reynolds@trileaf.com, and 314-997-6111 during normal business hours. Comments must be received at 1515 Des Peres Road, Suite 200, St. Louis, MO 63131 within 30 days from the date of publication.
Crown Castle is proposing to install a 46-foot wood pole and collocate wireless antennas at a centerline height of 45 feet at the following site: 10400 Pavillion Way Louisville, KY 40299 [Lat: 38-11-22.31, Long: -85-3346.62]. Crown Castle invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed action on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or specific reason the proposed action may have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Specific information regarding the project is available by contacting Sara Basurto, s.basurto@trileaf.com, and 512-519-9388 during normal business hours. Comments must be received within 30 days from publication at 2550 S IH-35, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78704.
IT GOES BOTH WAYS
BY JEFF CHEN
Puzzles Edited by Joel Fagliano
Jeff Chen is a professional crossword constructor from Seattle. He is also the creator of Squeezy, a daily online word game. This is his 42nd Sunday crossword for The Times.
27 Picked up on
28 Cartoonist Chast
29 Like one preferring platonic relationships, informally
30 ‘‘Veni, vidi, ____’’
32 Kind of sauce at a sushi bar
33 ‘‘So cute!’’
36 Humble postgame summary from an Indiana basketball player?
42 Celebration whose name literally means ‘‘taro leaf’’
43 Salve targets
44 You might go for a spin in one
45 Doohickey
48 ‘‘Secret Celebrity Renovation’’ airer
50 Word with high or secret
54 Top score in a dunk contest
55 Director Burton
56 Doohickey
22 Rock group clashes over album art?
25 Common allergen
26 Possessive in the Lord’s Prayer
59 Its sound is mimicked with coconut shells in ‘‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’’
61 Buffalo hockey player
63 Slangy request to a German to play it cool?
70 Big brand in the frozen aisle
72 Greta of ‘‘Grand Hotel’’
73 Brisket cooker
74 What happened when the bust went sideways?
79 Comment that breaks the fourth wall
80 ‘‘You’re luck, my friend’’
81 Place with swinging doors, stereotypically
83 ‘‘The Great Gatsby’’ antagonist
84 ‘‘That’s gotta hurt!’’
87 Fashionable N.Y.C. fund-raiser
91 Origami, e.g.
92 Early invader of Britain
93 Event inspiring many TikTok proposals
95 Creator of the 1980 video game Adventure
97 Calf-length dress
99 Headline regarding a children’s author controversy?
106 Player in a baseball stadium
107 Sucker
108 Post-workout feeling
110 Femur-to-tibia connector, for short
56 Monotony
Mad (about)
Chinese dollar
Pairs
62 Having mucho dinero 64 Indian honorific
Basics
66 ____ Felton, title detective of ‘‘The Puzzle Lady Mysteries’’
Japanese dog breed 68 Unfairly enticed 69 Krispy ____
71 Money paid for a hand
75 A.B.A. member: Abbr.
76 Early polytheists
77 In the style of
Conventions
82 First name in soul
Covert ____ 85 Nabisco treat with ice cream and cookies 86 Unlike a shamrock 88 Fighting
Muscle worked by a pull-down machine, for short
Shapiro of NPR
Forms from a mold
In the buff
Activist Hampton of the Black Panthers
includes
Flavor enhancer, for short
Guts 98 Singer ____ Lipa
Garment worn with a choli
Harden (to) 102 Groundbreaking vet legislation of 1944
Airport area 104 Devices that often get swiped 105 Certain Muslim 109 ‘‘Great’’ or ‘‘snowy’’ bird
Just barely open
‘‘The way things are going .’’
Cry ‘‘Uncle!’’
Skinny pieces of clothing
Son of Isaac and Rebecca
Bird with four W.N.B.A.
Inventor who wrote ‘‘Cubed: The Puzzle of Us All’’
