Robin Garr, Jeff Polk, Tracy Heightchew, Elliott Homm, Emerson Homm, Isabella Madden, Isabella Shory, Leticia Ferreira, Trinity Mahaffey, Grace Fridy, Naomi Fields, Lawson Codey, Braylen Mason, T.E. Lyons, Rob Brezny, Dan Savage
Chief Executive
Chris Keating
Vice President of Digital Services
Stacy Volhein
Digital Operations Coordinator
Elizabeth Knapp
Chief Financial Officer
Guillermo Rodriguez
KIDS PLACE IN SPACE: THE UNDER 21 ISSUE
BY ERICA RUCKER (WAYYYY OVER 21)
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.
When I started working full time at LEO, I had a few ideas for pieces I’d like to see in the issues and themes that I wanted to explore. One of those ideas was the Under 21 issue.
The Under 21 issue offers a platform to Louisville’s young people to highlight issues and ideas that they care about.
The rules are simple: tell LEO what’s on your mind. Whether it is food, friends, fun or anything else, share it. If it’s art, we want to see it. If it’s a restaurant review, we welcome it. The space in this issue is yours.
Still in its infancy, the Under 21 issue grew a bit over last year but my hopes are that we cast a wider net, and are able to include more and more kids each year. Maybe to the point we can publish more than one Under 21 issue.
Why Under 21?
We’re living in times where the future is uncertain. Too many of us have lived in a period of upheaval and uncertainty most of our lives, from Gen X to the up-and-coming Gen Alphas. We’ve seen the beginnings and end of wars, climate change threaten and destroy species, and far too many school shootings and major events in our lifetimes. These generations have a unique connection through so much, and it is to all of our benefit to listen to the concerns of the youngest.
I’ve written about the threats that face young people, and implored the adults in their lives to do more and to be more present without being too present. We need to make space for these young people to grow. When we crowd them out, we lose. It reminds me of how the Boomers can’t let go of power in government, despite many of them being sorely out of touch with how the world has changed, and what it might take to live in it for the future.
Kids need spaces.
Gen X had our community centers, teen clubs, shopping malls, school dances, etc. We had outlets. The kids who have come after us have seen those spaces erode to
almost nothing. Luckily, the community centers continue to hang on. If there are no places for kids to meet, to commiserate, how will they develop the networks they need to build for their future successes?
Sure, parents can facilitate kids’ involvement in clubs, sports, etc., but kids also need places that are not under the parental eye — places where they can meet each other without expectations to perform. They need spaces to be silly, to do dumb kid shit, and to learn how to navigate authentic and organic interpersonal experiences.
I hope that as you read the voices of the young people who submitted to this issue or as you see their images, you know that the world is still in good hands, and that it is okay that they are young, and that they don’t know everything we think we know. It’s refreshing to see that they care and that they are striving to stand out in this wild world we’ve built for them.
If you’re a parent reading this, talk to your kid about what’s on their mind. Do a daily check-in. I’m a busy parent, and sometimes the daily check-in is the only time my son and I can really find time to look into each other’s eyes and connect. It’s a dedicated, non-negotiable time for us every day. Make that time for your kid.
You don’t need to know everything your kid is doing. Let them learn to survive. They need these skills. If you’re teaching them not to take candy from strangers, at some point, they need to employ those skills and say no to strangers.
Give them that space.
Our job is to raise them not to need us. Young people need to be independent, skilled, and ready to survive in this world. Helicoptering them, and overscheduling them is not the way to go. They need to develop the response skills needed for their world — without too much of our help.
LEO will one day belong to these Under 21 kids, and I hope by dedicating space to them, they learn to appreciate the power they have in using their creativity and their voices.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TUBA
BY BRAYLEN MASON
My name is Braylen Mason. I am a 13 year old tuba player from Louisville, KY. One day in 5th grade, my band teacher at Lincoln Performing Arts School asked me if I wanted to play the tuba, and the rest is history. The tuba is one of the best things that has happened to me and let me tell you why. When I graduated the 5th grade, I took off with the tuba in 6th grade at Western Middle School for the Arts, where I am now an 8th grade student. Playing the tuba gives me something positive to do, allows me to be creative, make friends with bandmates, have fun and challenge myself. In order to be a good tuba player, you must be hardworking, dedicated, committed and disciplined. You see, the tuba is a large instrument and requires you to work on your posture, control your breath, be confident and practice A LOT! I would say that practice and
believing in yourself is key to being a good tuba player.
I feel that I am a distinguished tuba player because I see music education as a part of my overall academic education. I work really hard to prioritize practice and listen to my band instructors. Plus, I have receipts to prove it. I placed distinguished two years in a row as a solo performer for the Kentucky Music Educators Association.
Being a tuba player has created amazing opportunities for me. Not only do I play for my school, I have lessons with one of the best tuba educators in the area. I have participated in the University of Louisville Winds Band Institute twice, two programs with Indiana University Southeast School of Music, and I am in my second season with Louisville Youth Orchestra. Because the tuba helps me be my best self, I
want to inspire other kids to give it a try. The tuba really doesn’t get the credit it deserves as it is not a popular instrument with kids my age. Reminder…. it is huge, and requires lots of air to make a sound. But, I hope to inspire others to give the tuba a chance. Kids my age can learn all about the tuba by joining the band at their school. I also want to encourage kids who look like me to continue to diversify music education by joining music programs. The adults who run music programs should create opportunities and possibilities for all of us. I plan to continue to put my best self forward with my tuba right beside me. I want to continue band in high school next school year and I hope one day I can buy my very own tuba. Tuba is life, and for me… it’s all about the tuba!
Courtesy photo
UNDERMINED TRUST
BY ISABELLA SHORY (SOPHOMORE AT DUPONT
MANUAL HIGH SCHOOL IN THE JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATION MAGNET PROGRAM)
For most students, riding the school bus each day isn’t seen as a privilege. Stepping into that bright yellow vehicle packed with dozens of peers each morning and afternoon, you assume it will take you where you need to be, as it has for years before. However, in a district faced with debilitating bus driver shortages, this typically mundane routine in a student’s life has become the center of a debate about privilege, diversity and student voice.
On August 9, 2023, the first day of school in JCPS, new bus routes and start times culminated in disaster. Students were stuck on buses for hours, and some didn’t arrive home until 10 p.m.
This transportation fiasco revealed cracks in the foundation of JCPS ’ s school board, resulting in heated arguments, tense votes and students feeling sidelined.
On April 10, the board voted 4-3 at a hastily called meeting to eliminate transportation to most magnet and traditional schools. While students and community members could provide input at previous meetings, this one,
where the decision was made, did not include public comment. Some community members claimed that the meeting’s short notice was intended to discourage protests that took place at prior meetings.
Most high school students can ’ t vote in school board elections, though the board makes some of the most important decisions about their education. Among 17 high school students surveyed, 47% said their school board does not value their opinion. Only 8% responded that their board does appreciate their opinion.
Greyson Lindblom is a student at DuPont Manual, a magnet school that would not receive transportation under the district’s new plan. While Lindblom will remain at Manual, he’s concerned about losing students who will transfer to another school.
“A lot of those people are lower income, or their parents work full-time jobs, and they don’t have the resources, and just as a school community, we are losing out on their perspective and what they have to offer,” he said.
Lindblom believed that the board disrespected student perspectives by prohibiting public comment at the vote.
“If you are making all of these decisions for so many different students and teachers and families and communities, and you’re not going to let them tell you what they think about what you’re doing to them and how you’re affecting their lives and stuff that’s stupid,” he said.
Duong Trieu, a fellow DuPont Manual student, believes that the board does not value her opinion. Trieu’s mother works long hours and won’t be able to transport her, so she must find carpooling to get to school this year.
“The people the school board is serving are the students,” she said. “When you take a child’s only way of higher quality of learning, you are taking away a child’s future and the children coming after them.”
A school board is entrusted to provide the best possible education it can for the students it represents. Yet the board’s decision to revoke transportation for magnet school students left a lasting impact and undermined students ’ trust in the body meant to support them.
Courtesy photo
LOUISVILLE’S SHORTCOMINGS IN WELCOMING ADOLESCENTS INTO PUBLIC SPACES
BY GRACE FRIDY AND NAOMI FIELDS (JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATIONS STUDENTS
AT DUPONT MANUAL HIGH SCHOOL)
Teens across Louisville do not know where they are welcome. From football games to movie nights with friends, constant barriers make it difficult for high schoolers to engage in social activities. High school students are often social, seeking different ways to connect with peers during their free time. These barriers prevent the development of necessary social and emotional awareness.
Football games are one of the few recreational activities students can rely on every Friday night. Attendance restrictions throughout the district this year have created a less than dependable social scene for many high schoolers. Until recently, high schools including Ballard and Male have not required parental figures to be present at games. After a year in JCPS, marked by 19,000 referrals for fighting, schools are tightening up rules.
According to a Male High School PTSA Facebook post, students from other schools must now have an accompanying parent to
get into home football games. These adult accompanied restrictions are a common theme across the city, as Mall St. Matthews and Oxmoor Mall adopted a similar policy in 2015. At St. Matthews, and its attached movie theater, those 17 and under must have an adult with them after 4 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Local malls and high schools have good reasons for limiting adolescent opportunities, as fights and other intrusions have caused general mayhem. In 2015, around 1-2,000 teens shut down Mall St. Matthews, after police responded to reports of fights, harassment, and other disturbances. Despite these issues, it is still important that teenagers are able to form strong bonds with their peers. Without locations like the mall, football games, movie theaters, and skate parks that are facing increased restrictions, young people will miss out on building connections associated with higher levels of emotional support. In fact, research
by The National Academy of Sciences shows teenagers with more active social networks lead healthier lives.
“Football games are pretty relevant to my social life... I usually attend most to all of the home games and some of the bigger, more important away games such as Saint X, Ballard and Male,” Marcell Malone, a Manual student said. Malone’s appreciation of football games reflects the importance of football attendance to Louisvillians, as some high school rivalries in the city date back to 1893. This includes the annual Manual vs Male football game, which usually attracts over 10,000 people from all over town to watch the rivalry game. With new restrictions, teenagers whose parents work late or are not always able to have an adult with them could miss out on attending.
Continuing access to local events for teenagers is an easy way to promote necessary social engagement, and it is likely that it wouldn’t lead to a drastic increase in
violence or adolescent caused disturbances.
For example, the Campbell Collaboration, a non-profit policy research center, has found that adolescent curfews are “ineffective at reducing crime” and other disturbances. Considering that policies limiting teenager’s engagement in their communities are growing, it is important that local schools and businesses decide if these rules are truly making positive change.
It is imperative that teens feel welcome and socially prepared for their future through community engagement in our city. Restricting teenagers from accessing local spaces will not help interpersonal interaction but hinder it. In order to create a positive youth culture in Louisville, schools, businesses and other community spaces must open their arms to the next generation.
JEFFERSON COUNTY OPENS ONLINE MAIL-IN ABSENTEE PORTAL FOR VOTERS
Absentee ballots can be requested now
BY CALEB STULTZ (BARELY OVER 21)
Beginning Saturday, September 21, Jefferson County voters who qualify for mail-in absentee voting can request their ballots through an online portal. This system will remain open until October 22, allowing eligible voters to apply and ensure their participation in the upcoming General Election.
Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw said she encourages all qualified voters to use this opportunity to submit their request, stating in a press release that the Clerk’s office will maintain the election’s integrity.
“As always, the Jefferson County Clerk Election Center will ensure the General 2024 Election is free, fair, and secure,” Holsclaw said in a release given to LEO Weekly.
Once voters receive their mail-in ballots, they can return them either by mail or
drop them off at a secure drop box. Drop boxes are located at the Jefferson County Clerk Election Center, located at 1000 E Liberty St., as well as other polling sites during in-person absentee voting hours. All ballots must be received by 6 p.m. on Election Day, November 5, 2024.
To qualify for mail-in absentee voting, voters must meet specific criteria. These include military service, student status outside the county, or certain personal circumstances, such as illness, disability, or absence from the county during all in-person voting days. A full list of eligibility requirements is available at the Jefferson County Clerk’s election portal.
Eligible voters can access the online portal for mail-in absentee requests at govote.ky.gov.
Courtesy photo
From top left (clockwise):
Sunset at Outer Banks, July 2024 Elliott Homm Age 13
With food, drinks, and the thrill of betting under the stars, it’s a unique way to experience horse racing. Plus, the lights and energy make it a fun, unforgettable night out.
—Caleb Stultz
MONDAY, SEPT. 30
A Case for Reparations
Simmons College | Steward Hall (1029 S 7th St.)| simmonscollegeky.edu | Free | 6:30 p.m.
“Reparations,” says Joel Edward Goza, “is the work of a generation, not an election cycle.” This faculty member of HBCU Simmons College is introducing his second book, “Rebirth of a Nation,” with a public presentation at the college. [Carmichael’s will be on hand selling copies.] Goza’s history brings understanding—it is not mere prelude— and it leads into the book’s final section, entitled “Remaking America.” This includes proposed means for effecting “repentance, repayment, and repair” on behalf of a lasting healing of divisions and opportunity for all Americans to thrive.
—T.E. Lyons
SATURDAY, SEPT. 28
NuLu Fest
East Market Street | 616-618 E. Market St. | nulu.org | Free | 11 a.m.
The 14th annual street festival celebrates the vibrant growth and renewal of Louisville’s East Market District. There will be live music, local craft beers and a variety of food and retail booths featuring neighborhood vendors. Be sure to leave your pets at home since they are not allowed at this festival.
—Caleb Stultz
TUESDAY, OCT. 1 - NOV. 2
Louisville Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular Iroquois Park | jackolanternlouisville.org | Varying times | $15
Stroll through 5,000 artistically carved pumpkins lit up every night along a 1/3-mile path at Iroquois Park. This year’s theme, Trivia Night: Pumpkin Edition, adds a fun twist to one of Louisville’s favorite fall traditions. Perfect for families and Halloween lovers alike!
The second annual Paristown Art Fest promises a good time of painters, photographers, designers, jewelry makers, and more. This free event will also be a great time to check out the Village Market Food Hall.
—Erica Rucker
SATURDAY, OCT. 5
Louisville Cardinals Football v.s. SMU Mustangs
L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium | 2550 S Floyd St. | gocards.com | $16+ | Time TBA
With the Cardinals back at home, the October 5th game between the Louisville Cardinals and SMU Mustangs will be an exciting clash, with Louisville’s high-motor defense going against SMU’s dynamic playmakers.
Celebrate fall with live music, seasonal treats, educational booths, and activities for all ages. Set in the scenic and historic Cave Hill Cemetery, this free event offers wagon rides, nature crafts, and live animal presentations for a perfect autumn day out.
—Sydney Catinna
THURSDAY, OCT. 10
ENO At The Speed Cinema Speed Museum | 2035 S. 3rd St. | Search Facebook | $12/$8 for Speed Members | 7 –8:30 p.m.
Brian Eno is one of your favs even if you somehow don’t know his name. He’s a founding member of Roxy Music, worked with David Bowie, Talking Heads, Deco, U2 and more. He’s also produced several albums of ambient sounds. This is a great chance to explore one of the 20th centuries greatest creative minds
Once inside Brian Asman’s first full-length novel, you might slash through many chapters being dragged into a visceral undertow of emotions. This on-therise horror writer has centered “Good Dogs” around a bonded pack of werewolves who’ll remind you of bohemian bums alternately bickering and trading in-jokes while trying to make sense of their wild-flung fate. Asman could do that whenever he wants; when you see him at Butcher Cabin Books, maybe put in a request for next year.
The brutal irony of this show is that when Japanese psych rockers Acid Mothers Temple with Spirit Mother are playing in my hometown, I’ll be in Japan. WHY?! A cruel fate but guess what? You still get to go. For fans of heavy guitar drones and psyched-out loops and Japanese hippie rocker types, you don’t want to miss this show. Seriously, it is a real treat to have them here. The last time we got close was when we hosted guitarist Makoto Kawabata for Terrrastock VII in 2018. Get thee to Portal for this monster show.
—Erica Rucker
SUNDAY, OCT. 6
Burgundy, Burgers & Bivalves Nouvelle | 214 S. Clay St. | nouvellewine. com | 1-7 p.m. | 21+ Only (No infants)
Get ready for a fall feast with French Burgundy wines, Blackhawk Farms burgers, and fresh bivalves from Paines Creek Oysters. Chef Matty Boudreau is hosting his farewell throwdown in Louisville, pulling out all the stops for this epic patio party. No tickets are needed— just bring your best sweater and enjoy one last fall bash before winter hits.
—Sydney Catinna
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, OCT.18-19
Our Own Bookfest
Kentucky Intl. Convention Center | 221 S. 4th St. | www.louisvillebookfestival.com | Free | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Downtown will again have a huge convening of authors, readers, and the similarly literacy-minded at the Louisville Book Festival. The autumn-weekend timing is perfect to contemplate books and related wares as gifts. Dr. Megan Pillow has “graduated” from attendee to presenter. She’ll discuss her new book (co-authored with Roxane Gay) “Do The Work,” a navigational guide to collective and individual empowerment. Ebony Reed, journalist and one-woman media powerhouse, will come to town revisiting a Louisville family legacy that includes contributors to the Defender.
—T.E. Lyons
YOUTH TEAM UP WITH LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA ARTISTS TO COMPOSE ORIGINAL MUSIC
BY ADAM WEST | ARTS ANGLE VANTAGE REPORTER
Teens trickle into the classroom. Everything is pretty casual. Everyone seems to know one another and there’s energy in the air. Soon, the voices morph into a tuning cacophony of instruments. Everyone knows what they are doing and that they belong here.
This is not a typical classroom filled with books, shelves and posters. Music stands populate the room.
“How do you feel? Any immediate thoughts? Feedback? I’m also curious how you felt about the tremolo at 36,” asks Tanner Porter.
She speaks from the conductor’s place among chairs arranged around a stand in a semi-circle.
That conductor, Porter, a part of the Louisville Orchestra’s Creator Corps, has open and direct communication with the Waggener High School orchestra students and the Louisville Orchestra musicians working with them on their piece called “Forest Dawn.”
During this March rehearsal, they analyze their three rehearsals. Then they play. Together. The music is melodious and dynamic. It is a shared contract of people with similar and different interests bonding over art, over music.
This is a glimpse into a special aspect of the Louisville Orchestra’s Creator Corps program. The program that began in 2022
chooses three people from nationwide calls. The three chosen composers live in Louisville’s Shelby Park neighborhood and work full-time for the orchestra for a season. Every Creator Corps composer also creates and implements their own project.
Porter is now part of a tradition of Corps composers working with youth. The first
was Tyler Taylor, an inaugural Creator Corps group member. He launched a program for young composers.
Porter, a composer, performer and songwriter, describes her music as theatrical, and emotional and as having lush chords and big, hefty melodies.
“I love melody. I think it’s a great way to
tell a story,” she said.
Porter stresses artistic collaboration. She believes having “an artistic vision that you can express in multiple ways” can become incredible with “kind collaborators who are willing to help you execute that vision.” She also likes how music can be a backdrop for many different mediums, such as film, animation and theater.
At Waggener, the new composition sounded vibrant and infectious. It was clearly made with talent, passion and collaboration.
“Forest Dawn” is a composition composed by Porter and these orchestra students, who earned a top award at the Kentucky Music Educators Association’s annual conference in February for their performance there. The performance was part of a annual competition the association holds where middle and high school bands and orchestras from across Kentucky participate in a musical extravaganza.
Students Sophie Popham, Jeremy Doe and Ronald Washington were part of that and last February they got to perform with the Louisville Orchestra in Porter’s piece called “Canyons.” The orchestra will perform the piece on its Harmony Tour this month in Murray, Hopkinsville and Henderson. Sophie, a Waggener senior who plays viola, briefly explored composition in middle school. But she hadn’t had many opportunities to learn more.
“Composition really isn’t taught much in orchestra. It’s not really an accessible subject to learn, and there aren’t many music educators available to teach it,” she said. “But I feel like I’ve learned a lot with actual production and what goes into composing.”
Sophie said she appreciated working with Porter and with contemporary composition.
“It’s really interesting to see how music has evolved, like ‘Canyons,’” she said. “This piece that she’s composing for us, compared to what we’re used to with Beethoven, it’s inspiring to see the creative liberties she takes and how we have a say in it.”
Ronald, a sophomore at Waggener, also got to work with Porter on “Canyons” and composing “Forest Dawn.”
“Right now I feel like I have a strong connection to Miss Tanner,” Ronald said. “I’m really excited that I get to do this piece, another piece with her, which is just for our school.”
On May 9, Waggener High School’s orchestra performed “Forest Dawn” for the school. By then, Porter had been unexpectedly cast in the Tony Award-nominated
Broadway play “Illinoise,” with plans to release her own album, “One Was Gleaming,” slated for July. But she made the trip back to Louisville to be a part of the event.
Meanwhile, a member of the Creator Corps group, composer Taylor, continues the project he started. This Louisville native and duPont Manual High School alumni worked with JCPS schools during the 2022-23 season helping students compose pieces for the Kentucky Music Educators Association conference.
During that time, Taylor noticed how eager the JCPS students were to learn.
“I was really, really surprised by the creativity, especially by the younger students, the elementary schoolers and the middle schoolers,” he said. “It’s always a really inspiring moment when you see the creativity and the talent that these students have, as long as there’s someone there to validate and foster that.”
As part of the Creator Corps, Taylor created the Louisville Orchestra Young
Composer Program, which he continues to run. The program works with students to help them compose pieces for a spring concert. During its first year,19 students from 11 schools participated in the program.
Last year, 28 youths from 13 schools took part.
“There wasn’t anything in the school systems when I was a student that addressed the teaching of composition,” Taylor remembered.
Today, a few American orchestras have similar programs. Among them are the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony. These programs, he said, don’t just benefit youth, but also the composers who work with them.
“I just felt very lucky that I was welcomed into these classrooms to work with the students and work on a piece together,” Porter said, reflecting on working with students while in the Creator Corps. “Everyone was so gracious and so kind, and the teachers were so wonderful. I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful experience.”
”It’s our biggest flex. It’s really cool,” Waggener senior Sophie said of her experience. “It’s been a really good learning experience for everyone.”
This coming season, three new composers, including Brittany J. Green, make up the orchestra’s Creator Corps program. Green wants to work with the Louisville Orchestra Rap School (Hip Hop Into Learning) to create an original piece and the Louisville Folk School to create an original children’s story set to music.
She said one of her favorite parts of being a composer is telling stories with music that draws from many musical inspirations, including impressionism, minimalism, experimentalism, gospel and R&B.
“I like to think of the piece as one, cohesive project and each element — the sound, the visuals, the text — as different but equal voices in the piece,” she said.
Green’s plans signal the orchestra’s dedication to welcoming newcomers to the world of composition and validating and fostering creativity among young people.
Adam West, a Centre College freshman and recent Atherton High School graduate, is a journalist with Arts Angle Vantage and an actor who has been a part of Kentucky Shakespeare’s Globe Players program for two years. He acted and assistant directed several productions with his high school theater department.
Composer Tanner Porter talking to the the Waggener High School orchestra in March rehearsal. Arts Angle Vantage
Composer Tyler Taylor (standing) working with students in session of the Young Composers Program held at Frayser Elementary School during the last school year.
Courtesy Louisville Orchestra
Composer Brittany J. Green. Shanita Dixon. Courtesy Louisville Orchestra
Adam West (above), a Centre College freshman and recent Atherton High School graduate, is a journalist with Arts Angle Vantage and an actor who has been a part of Kentucky Shakespeare’s Globe Players program. Arts Angle Vantage
DANNY WIMMER PRESENTS IS USING THE POWER OF MUSIC TO DRIVE SOCIAL CHANGE
Through its nonprofit organization, The DWP Foundation, Danny Wimmer Presents has provided over $1M in charitable donations across Kentucky since 2014.
BY JEFF POLK (STILL NOT UNDER 21)
For the thousands and thousands of people that attend Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life each year, it’s all about the music, bourbon, food and fun. However, for festival organizers Danny Wimmer Presents (DWP), it’s about more than just that. “Our commitment to Louisville is deep,” said Danny Hayes, CEO of Danny Wimmer Presents, and they have the numbers to back that claim up.
“DWP is committed to giving back to the communities in which its festivals are hosted and firmly believes in the transformative power of music to bring people together to foster positive social impact and cultural growth to entire communities,” said Doris Sims, SVP of Business Development for Danny Wimmer Presents.
It is in this spirit of giving that Danny Wimmer Presents created The DWP Foundation, which is “a nonprofit public benefit corporation whose purpose is to enrich communities in which various live events are hosted, to enable underprivileged people to attend live events and to facilitate education in the arts in such communities and among such people. Funds are raised to further the festival’s educational and charitable mission in the local communities,” per their mission statement.
Beneficiaries include local visual and performing arts programs, non-profit community-based music education programs, local parks and food banks.
And it is through The DWP Foundation that over $1,000,000 in charitable donations have already been made across Kentucky in the past ten years, according to Sims.
In 2023 alone, The DWP Foundation was able to contribute $110,000 to local charities by partnering with Louisville Tourism’s “Leave the Legacy” program. Recipients included Dare To Care, AMPED, Louisville Visual Art, Sweet Evening Breeze, and the Preston Area Business
Alliance. “This positive impact goes way beyond the 8 festival days” said Cleo Battle, president and CEO of Louisville Tourism. In addition, “DWP also contributed over $500,000 in passes to bolster fundraisers for local organizations in 2023. Notably, $170,000 of this support was provided for youth programs,” said Sims.
The DWP Foundation’s 2024’s confirmed charity partners are Dare to Care, Fund for the Arts, Muhammad Ali Center, Louisville Academy of Music, Preston Area Business Alliance, and more to be determined, according to Sims.
The contributions are raised through a $.25 charity fee on all festival passes sold, sales of Lawn Chair Passes, and direct donations from DWP.
And past the charitable donations, the amount of money brought into the Louisville economy by these two festivals is staggering. According to Louisville Tourism, Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life are two of the three top income-generating events for Louisville as a whole, following only the Kentucky Derby. More than 270,000 fans turned out in 2023, creating over $30 million in local economic impact.
And with a projected 350,000 people attending both festivals this year, an estimated $40M in local revenue is expected for 2024!
For more information, visit dannywimmerpresents.com and dwp-foundation.com
Helicopter Aerial Nathan Zucker
Team photo
Jolea Brown
LEGENDARY GUITARIST AND PUNK ROCK ICON RICHARD LLOYD TO PLAY LOUISVILLE OCTOBER 16TH
The former Television guitarist brings his solo band to Zanzabar
BY JEFF POLK (NOT UNDER 21)
Picture it: mid-70’s, and a scuzzy club in New York City called CBGB is packed wall-to-wall with people mesmerized by a skinny, scraggly haired twenty-something year old kid playing a pinstriped Stratocaster guitar in a style they’ve never heard anything quite like before; a sound that mixes the newlyminted punk rock with jazz. That kid is Richard Lloyd, and his band is Television; who would release their debut album Marquee Moon in 1977 - which is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rock albums of all time - and their follow-up album Adventure in 1978 before splitting up. Although the band later reunited in 1992, released a self-titled third album, and toured sporadically until frontman Tom Verlaine’s death in early 2023.
Lloyd, who vicariously learned to play guitar from Jimi Hendrix via Hendrix protégé Velvert Turner, began his solo career with the release of his 1979 critically-acclaimed debut album Alchemy, and has since released eight more solo albums, a memoir titled Everything Is Combustible: Television, CBGB’s and Five Decades of Rock and Roll, and has worked as a producer and studio musician with such notable names as Rocket From The Tombs, Matthew Sweet, John Doe (of the band X), Stephan Eicher, and Jim Neversink, among many others.
And on October 16th, a scant 9 days before his 73rd birthday, you have the chance to catch the living legend in person in a small club setting when Richard Lloyd brings his solo band to Zanzabar for a set that will mix several of his amazing solo tunes with a few Television classics as well.
Opening the show is Letters of Acceptance - the LouisvilleLexington hybrid band that has been called “One of the best indie power pop bands out there - KY or otherwise,” and who’s “knack for writing catchy, hook-filled song after song is uncanny” has been praised in these very pages of LEO Weekly, (by this very writer, nonetheless). Their track “Statues of You” from Shadow Problems 1 was one of my top picks for best local songs in 2023, and their track “Weight in Pretending” from Shadow Problems 3 is already in line to be one of my top picks for 2024. So needless to say, this is a band you really need to catch!
The Richard Lloyd Group and Letters of Acceptance play Zanzabar on Wednesday, October 16 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $22 in advance/$25 day of show and can be purchased through Zanzabar’s website: zanzabarlouisville.com. For more on Richard Lloyd, visit richardlloyd.com. For more on Letters of Acceptance, visit lettersofacceptance.org
Richard Lloyd
Ed Rode
Looking for the owner of a 2010 Red Mercedes C300 Sport VIN# WDBLJ65G9XF060559 Ky license 863XFW. Call/text 502-500-9138.
FIRST LOUISVILLE AFGHAN RESTAURANT BRINGS THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER WITH GOOD FOOD AND GREAT PEOPLE.
BY AURORA GILBERTSON (SOPHOMORE IN THE JOURNALISM AND COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM AT DUPONT
As we drove up I noticed the bare, concrete building, stained with age. A meager sign read “Bellissimo” and “Authentic Italian Food.” The name means beautiful, but the outside was in a strip mall, and did not convey luxury. However, as I walked inside I was pleasantly greeted with the warm scent of Afghan food.
We were the only ones in the restaurant, around 5 p.m. on a Sunday. We were invited to sit anywhere we liked, and chose a seat by the wall, towards the front of the restaurant. The lighting was warm, and the sunlight pouring in from the windows gave it a bright and cheery feel. The restaurant was very clean and tidy, with tile floors and plush white chairs at every table. I felt the stress leave when I ate there.
We ordered three dishes, Mantu, Banjan Borani and Cream Mustard Chicken. Mantu is dumplings stuffed with beef, onions and a plethora of wonderful spices, topped with a lovely tomato sauce and split peas. The Cream Mustard Chicken, the only Italian dish we got was a tender, juicy chicken breast, sauteed in mushrooms and small grape tomatoes, smothered in a wonderful creamy mustard sauce that brings just a little bit of sunshine to your heart. The small, but mighty side of mashed potatoes was just as mouth watering, the creamy, whipped potatoes, had such a buttery flavor, they just melted on my tongue. Finally, the Banjan Borani, was my personal favorite; sauteed eggplant, surrounded by a warm tomato sauce, with a variety of herbs and spices. Banjan Boran is like eating a big, warm hug.
As I happily tucked into the meal, I noticed the Afghan music quietly playing in the background, adding just enough to the whole atmosphere, not blasting in your ears, yet not sitting with only the sound of your own voice.
This little gem in the heart of Buchel deserves to have its story told. Although the restaurant is a humble little place, the food is like luxury dining. Here, they take such care in their food, perfecting every teaspoon, spice and garnish to make your dinner an experience and a time to enjoy the presence of your loved ones. So, would I go back?
Definitely. The cheery atmosphere, and good food, makes it an amazing place to go with your family, friends or significant other.
MANUAL HIGH SCHOOL)
Bellissimo’s delicious entrees include Cream Mustard Chicken and Banjan Boran.
Aurora Gilbertson
FROM YEMEN TO YOU
BY LETICIA FERREIRA (SENIOR AT DUPONT MANUAL HIGH SCHOOL IN YPAS BAND)
Lounging in the cushy, deep blue booth seats, I peered over to my left and saw my friend studying diligently.” She was actually cracking a joke with my other friends sitting across the table from us. II looked down and saw my gigantic ACT book spread in front of me, I sighed. “Yay, I’m soooo excited for this test.” But when I looked over I saw my half eaten apple danish and my hot cup of Adani Chai right next to it, I immediately smiled. Nothing is better than food that can put a smile on your face, and Bayt Al Mocha is just the place that offers these special treats.
Bayt Al Mocha is a cafe specializing in Yemeni coffee — a high quality coffee with a unique flavor profile with farming techniques dating back 500 years ago. They also serve American and European coffee and always have special drinks like frappuccinos for those who want a sweet treat
as their caffeinated beverage. The Detroit based coffee chain has four locations, two in Michigan and two in Louisville, Kentucky.
Unlike many coffee shops today, Bayt Al Mocha always has fresh coffee beans and baked goods. They source their baked goods from local bakeries. Some of my favorite items in their bakery are their Danishes with multiple different fillings such as apple, cherry, cream cheese, and blueberry. They have the cutest little cakes you will ever see and the flakiest baklava you’ve ever had. To pair with some of these sweet treats I recommend the adani chai full of rich spices, or their amazing mocha drinks with a perfect balance of coffee and chocolatey delight.
“I remember the first few times I went there, I was always greeted with a smile by the manager, Mohammed Abouzid.” Their employees are very kind and if I ever had a
problem with my drink they would get me a new one, no charge. The employees work hard each and every day and have lots of preparation such as training in different coffee blends, the spices, how to handle customer needs, and keeping the environment clean. The staff will make you feel welcome in the cafe putting a smile on your face by the time you leave.
“My favorite part of managing this restaurant is meeting new people and putting a smile on their faces with our drinks and beverages.” Abouzid told me while sitting in a comfy booth across from me. Whether you’re a highschool/college student looking for your new study spot, a busy parent on their way to work finding their next pick up beverage, or a little kid craving a sweet treat, Bayt Al Mocha has it all and is ready to welcome you to their fine cafe.
HAVE IT YOUR WAY AT QUEEN OF SHEBA
BY ROBIN GARR (PROBABLY OVER 21)
There’s a lot to love about the spicy, aromatic wonders of Ethiopian food, and I’ll tell you right now that I love it. But Ethiopian cuisine makes some folks nervous.
Why is that? Here’s why: Walk in to an excellent Ethiopian restaurant like Louisville’s Queen of Sheba without a prior introduction to this ancient East African cuisine, and you’ll see surprising things.
First, everything has an unfamiliar name: What is kik wot? What is atakilt? Who ever heard of fossolia? A covert peek at another diner’s plate won’t reassure you: The entire dish is covered with an odd, thin, brownish substance full of tiny holes, topped with mysterious mounds of colorful stuff that looks as softas a spoonful of mashed potatoes or grits.
And then you realize that people are tearing off bits of that spongy brown stuff and using it to pick up and eat bites with their fingers! I get the concern, but I’m here to invite you to relax, close your eyes, take a long, deep, relaxing breath, and inhale the delicious aromas of this lovable cuisine.
And here’s the best news for the wary: At Queen of Sheba, you are welcome to have it your way.
The menu explains: “All entrées are served with injera, a traditional Ethiopian flat sour bread. Traditionally, Ethiopian food is eaten with your fingers by tearing off a piece of Injera and using it to scoop your food.”
But just because you can doesn’t mean you must. Forks are available upon request. You
may substitute rice for injera. You can even ask to have your items plated separately.
Not us! We were ready to wield our freshly washed hands and dive in. Injera is an interesting alternative. It’s made with teff, an ancient Ethiopian cereal grain, blended with both wheat and corn flours; and its bubbles and pleasant sourdough tang are the result of healthy fermentation.
Plus, I don’t know about you, but my inner five-year-old loves an opportunity to dig in with my fingers every now and then.
Pricing is reasonable, with a half-dozen appetizers and salads on the lunch menu listed under $5, and about two dozen lunch entrees all priced at $10.95 to $15.50, including four combination plates. Dinner prices are only a dollar or two more.
We took advantage of two combo plates and, even with a couple of duplicated items, were able to sample eight different items. They all come in smallish portions, which is what happens which six goodies on a plate make up one meal.
A tips and vegetable combination ($15.50) features a dish more commonly known as tibs, a gently spicy East African stew of meat, fish or poultry. Queen of Sheba offers a choice of beef, chicken, or lamb, and we chose the lamb option. It was a simple dish, an aromatic mix of mild lamb chunks stewed with chopped onions and green peppers and a subtle whiff of traditional berbere, a complex reddish seasoning that brings citrusy lemon and deep red-pepper
flavors to the table.
Its other meat component was alicha sega wot, a combination of beef cubes simmered with finely chopped onion, chunks of tender potato, and, again, a lemon-scented, not-sospicy hint of berbere and earthy, muaky turmeric.
This dish also included samples of three veggie dishes: Atakilt was a mild mix of cabbage with bits of carrot and onion in a scant tomato sauce. Fossolia featured long-simmered green beans with carrots, onions, tomatoes and Ethiopian spices. Kik wot, which comes with all combination plates, was one of my favorites: Tender red lentils in a garlicky, gingery mix, with onion and just enough berbere to make this the spiciest dish on the plate.
Combo platters also come with extra injera in neat rolls and a small, simple Americanstyle side salad that treated our taste buds with a lovely, lemony citrus-and-oil dressing over crisp and fresh iceberg lettuce and a few tomato dice.
A vegetable combination plate ($11.95) duplicated the atakilt plus the kik wot and salad, and added two more tasty plant-based items: Misir wot, a pretty bright-yellow item, consists of yellow lentils seasoned with onion, garlic and ginger with turmeric and mild spice, making it a hot or not-hot counterpoint with the kik wot Dark-green gomen wot wrapped up the combination with fresh collards cooked just to tenderness with potato chunks, onions, ginger, and garlic with mild citrus-scented seasoning.
Queen of Sheba 2804 Taylorsville Road 459-6301
queenofshebalouisville.com
Social media pages have not been recently updated:
bit.ly/QueenOSheba instagram.com/queenofsheba_ky
A satisfying Ethiopian meal came to $35.35, plus an $8.34 tip. I didn’t notice until the next day that we had been charged $5.90 for two orders of Ethiopian hot tea that we had not requested and did not receive. Life lesson: Read the tab before paying. I’m not going to go back later to complain about a single-digit error, though.
Noise Level: The dining room was almost empty during a lunch hour early during the week, but quiet instrumental music and distant talk at other tables kept the mood pleasant and easy for conversation.
Accessibility: The restaurant appears accessible to wheelchair users, although two entrance doors are fairly heavy.
This filling combination plate features two beef dishes, three veggie items, and a tasty American-style salad, all served on a plate-size injera base.
Robin Garr
EVEN WITH A NEW CAST, “ALIEN: ROMULUS” THRIVES ON STUNNING CGI AND PUPPETRY
BY TRINITY MAHAFFEY | ARTS ANGLE VANTAGE REPORTER
In 2024, Artificial Intelligence is advancing. It’s definitely a bigger part of our lives than in 1979, when the groundbreaking film “Alien” came out. In “Alien,” the crew wasn’t even aware of an android on the ship late in the story.
In the recently released seventh film of the franchise, “Alien: Romulus,” the crew members are all aware of an android named Andy. Most enjoy his sweet and childlike personality. But Andy performs an evil directive that goes against the crew.
Watching the film only days after its Aug. 16 release with little to no knowledge of the series and universe, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Still, the trailer promised this was going to be thrilling.
“Alien: Romulus” is set in 2142 — 20 years after the first “Alien” and 37 years before its sequel, “Aliens.” The new film features nearly an all-new cast with lead Cailee Spaney as Rain, and David Jonsson as Andy, who’s like an adoptive brother. From their home in a sunless mining colony, they escape with four other indentured slaves in hopes of making it to Yvaga. Andy, the aforementioned android, has a main directive to protect Rain but that
directive is constantly challenged.
Throughout “Alien: Romulus,” the crew starts to realize Andy is acting differently when his module is switched. He becomes more relentless with his decisions and choices. This affects the whole crew, But Andy still has slips of sympathy that shine through.
It’s this tension in “Alien: Romulus” that is reminiscent of ideas and a character from the original film without sacrificing this film’s identity.
Some of the movie’s most thrilling moments come from director Fede Ȧlvarez’s use of puppetry. That puppetry creates Romulus as the extraterrestrial species called an xenomorph. This echoes the designs from the original “Alien.” Other additions to the franchise used more CGI. But Ȧlvarez’s extended incorporation of puppetry combined with animatronics and practical effects reel you into the horror of it all.
Settling into the movie was difficult mainly because of the boring and flat dialogue. Andy made a few funny jokes, but it didn’t elevate the writing enough for you to fall into the Romulus universe. That came with the special
effects. As the film progressed and conflicts arose between the crew, actors were able to better carry the writing.
At the heart of the film are Spaney’s and Jonssons’s performances. They effectively express small and significant changes within their characters. Multiple times Jonsson would slightly twitch, or glitch his expressions to show the changes within Andy. Spaney met the challenge of performing a wide range of palpable emotions. She constantly moved between states of grief, anger, fear, bravery, and more.
Trinity Mahaffey, a Jeffersontown High School senior, is a journalist with Arts Angle Vantage and sings in her school’s choir, Bella Voce. Trinity is in her school’s Academies of Louisville program studying under its health pathway and is a Health Occupations Students of America member and past president. She has experience in dance and theater and sometimes holds a one-person show in her room. Trinity wants to keep being involved with the performing arts and sharing the magic of theater.
Xenomorph and Cailee Spaeny as Rain Carradine in “Alien: Romulus.”
Courtesy of 20th Century Studios.
THE FILMS OF VICTOR ERICE
Film as a Moving Painting
BY TRACY HEIGHTCHEW (NOPE, NOT UNDER 21)
Some directors come to the medium with a painter’s eye. In 1973, debut director Victor Erice brought the sun and earth tones of a post-civil war Spain to life in “Spirit of the Beehive,” creating a moving painting that is one of the most beautiful and haunting films ever made.
Period pieces aren’t always about Regency era dukes and mournful looks across the moors. Sometimes period pieces are populated by long, lingering shots of two little girls traipsing across a fallow field in rural, war-scarred Spain. It’s 1940 in a small Castilian Village, and six-year old Ana and her sister Isabel, between attending their one-room schoolhouse and having quiet dinners with
their aloof parents, watch a traveling movie show of “Frankenstein.” The impressionable Ana is forever changed by the film, and struggles to understand death and danger in a world of grieving, secretive people, newly under the control of the dictator Franco.
“Beehive”’s influence is wide, most evident in other-wordly, coming-of-age movies like “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Tideland,” and “Reflecting Skin.” But where those movies make the magic in magic realism front and center, “Spirit of the Beehive” creates magic out of the mysteries of a child’s mind with straight forward film work. An exemplary film about childhood, Erice brings a deep respect to filming children. The film is set in utter reality, and it is Ana’s face, her eyes filling the screen, and her strange rituals and barely expressed understanding that creates the wonder of this film, letting her tiny body carry the weight of the mysteries she is navigating. It is a masterpiece that the viewer will not soon forget.
It has been fifty years since “Spirit of the Beehive” premiered as an instant classic. Between 1973-1992, Erice only made 2 other feature films, spending a lot of his career on projects that fell through. These features came out roughly 10 years apart, first with “El Sur” (1983), followed up by the documentary about painter Antonio Lopez, “Dream of Light” in 1992. Now in his eighties, Erice is back with “Close Your Eyes,” a film in which he circles back to his first film. Like
other filmmakers of his generation, namely Martin Scorsese with “The Irishman,” Francis Ford Coppola with “Megalopolis,” and Pedro Almodovar with “Pain & Glory” he is using this late stage fiction to reflect on his life and career, and to address the mysteries of growing old.
“Close Your Eyes” centers on Miguel, an aging film director whose career was frustrated and ended by the mysterious disappearance of his main actor and closest friend, Julio. Now, twenty years later, an “Unsolved Mysteries” type show is revisiting the mystery of Julio’s disappearance, bringing this pain to the surface for Miguel and Julio’s daughter, both of who were resigned to never knowing what happened.
At nearly three hours, “Close Your Eyes” is too long, with most of the intriguing action not appearing until the the final third of the film. This section of the film contains its own momentum, but first, to get there, the viewer must go on a tour of Miguel’s regrets. While this section could use some tightening up, “Close Your Eyes” is still a masterclass in building mystery by watching faces and is full of an infectious love for Spain. Erice turns his painterly eye towards the mundane objects of our present, to car interiors, and storage units full of film and papers and decades old memento boxes, and saves his otherworldly light for the sea and the buildings that litter its coast.
An obvious stand-in for Erice, the fictional Miguel is also an artist intrigued by father/ daughter relationships, and Julio’s daughter is played by Ana Torrent, the child star from “Spirit of the Beehive.” Now a middle-aged woman, she is again a daughter named Ana who is asking for communion from a mysterious spirit/man. It is an aching callback to the earlier film, echoing the language and relationship that the 30 year old Erice explored in 1973. Any student of great film who has an infinity for “Beehive” must watch “Close Your Eyes,” and any person interested in the questions that come with aging will find much to ponder in this film. A movie about the magic of filmmaking and watching, it is a gorgeous closing of a circle, of a lifetime.
If you liked these films, follow them up with:
Night of the Hunter (1955)
Fanny & Alexander (1982)
Reflecting Skin (1990)
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Childhood of a Leader (2015)
Pain & Glory (2019)
Ana in “Close Your Eyes”
Ana & Isabel in “Spirit of the Beehive”
Courtesy photos
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY
Week of September 11
ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Here comes the Hating and Mating Season. I want to help you minimize the “hating” part and maximize the “mating” part, so I will offer useful suggestions. 1. To the degree that you can, dissolve grudges and declare amnesty for intimate allies who have bugged you. 2. Ask your partners to help you manage your fears; do the same for them. 3. Propose to your collaborators that you come up with partial solutions to complicated dilemmas. 4. Do a ritual in which you and a beloved cohort praise each other for five minutes. 5. Let go of wishes that your companions would be more like how you want them to be.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Many fairy tales tell of protagonists who are assigned seemingly impossible missions. Perhaps they must carry water in a sieve or find “fire wrapped in paper” or sort a heap of wheat, barley, poppyseed, chickpeas, and lentils into five separate piles. Invariably, the star of the story succeeds, usually because they exploit some loophole, get unexpected help, or find a solution simply because they didn’t realize the task was supposedly impossible. I bring this up, Taurus, because I suspect you will soon be like one of those fairy-tale champions. Here’s a tip: They often get unexpected help because they have previously displayed kindness toward strangers or low-status characters. Their unselfishness attracts acts of grace into their lives.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are in a phase with great potential for complex, unforeseen fun. To celebrate, I’m offering descriptions of your possible superpowers. 1. The best haggler ever. 2. Smoother of wrinkles and closer of gaps. 3. Laugher in overly solemn moments. 4. Unpredictability expert. 5. Resourceful summoner of allies. 6. Crafty truth-teller who sometimes bends the truth to enrich sterile facts. 7. Riddle wrestler and conundrum connoisseur. 8. Lubricant for those who are stuck. 9. Creative destroyer of useless nonsense. 10. Master of good trickery. 11. Healer of unrecognized and unacknowledged illnesses.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Tanzanite is a rare blue and violet gemstone that is available in just one place on earth: a five-square-mile region of Tanzania. It was discovered in 1967 and mined intensively for a few years. Geologists believed it was all tapped out. But in 2020, a self-employed digger named Saniniu Lazier located two huge new pieces of tanzanite worth $3.4 million. Later, he uncovered another chunk valued at $2 million. I see you as having resemblances to Saniniu Lazier in the coming weeks. In my visions of your destiny, you will tap into
resources that others have not been able to unearth. Or you will find treasure that has been invisible to everyone else.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Marathon foot races are regularly held worldwide. Their official length is 26.2 miles. Even fast runners with great stamina can’t finish in less than two hours. There’s a downside to engaging in this herculean effort: Runners lose up to six percent of their brain volume during a race, and their valuable gray matter isn’t fully reconstituted for eight months. Now here’s my radical prophecy for you, Leo. Unless you run in a marathon sometime soon, your brain may gain in volume during the coming weeks. At the very least, your intelligence will be operating at peak levels. It will be a good time to make key decisions.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Is there a greater waste of land than golf courses? They are typically over 150 acres in size and require huge amounts of water to maintain. Their construction may destroy precious wetlands, and their vast tracts of grass are doused with chemical pesticides. Yet there are only 67 million golfers in the world. Less than one percent of the population plays the sport. Let’s use the metaphor of the golf course as we analyze your life. Are there equivalents of this questionable use of resources and space? Now is a favorable time to downsize irrelevant, misused, and unproductive elements. Re-evaluate how you use your space and resources.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): On the morning of January 27, 1970, Libran songwriter John Lennon woke up with an idea for a new song. He spent an hour perfecting the lyrics and composing the music on a piano. Then he phoned his producer and several musicians, including George Harrison, and arranged for them to meet him at a recording studio later that day. By February 6, the song “Instant Karma” was playing on the radio. It soon sold over a million copies. Was it the fastest time ever for a song to go from a seed idea to a successful release? Probably. I envision a similar process in your life, Libra. You are in a prime position to manifest your good ideas quickly, efficiently, and effectively.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You have passed the test of the First Threshold. Congratulations, Scorpio! Give yourself a kiss. Fling yourself a compliment. Then begin your preparations for the riddles you will encounter at the Second Threshold. To succeed, you must be extra tender and ingenious. You can do it! There will be one more challenge, as well: the
Third Threshold. I’m confident you will glide through that trial not just unscathed but also healed. Here’s a tip from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “Those who do not expect the unexpected will not find it.”
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): What development are you so ready for that you’re almost too ready? What transformation have you been preparing for so earnestly that you’re on the verge of being overprepared? What lesson are you so ripe and eager to learn that you may be anxiously interfering with its full arrival? If any of the situations I just described are applicable to you, Sagittarius, I have good news. There will be no further postponements. The time has finally arrived to embrace what you have been anticipating.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn screenwriter and TV producer Shonda Rhimes has had a spectacular career. Her company Shondaland has produced 11 prime-time TV shows, including Grey’s Anatomy and Bridgerton. She’s in the Television Hall of Fame, is one of the wealthiest women in America, and has won a Golden Globe award. As you enter into a phase when your ambitions are likely to shine extra brightly, I offer you two of her quotes. 1. “I realized a simple truth: that success, fame, and having all my dreams come true would not fix or improve me. It wasn’t an instant potion for personal growth.” 2. “Happiness comes from living as your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.”
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I have performed in many poetry readings. Some have been in libraries, auditoriums, cafes, and bookstores, but others have been in unexpected places: a laundromat, a bus station, a Walmart, a grocery store, and an alley behind a thrift store. Both types of locations have been enjoyable. But the latter kind often brings the most raucous and engaging audiences, which I love. According to my analysis, you might generate luck and fun for yourself in the coming weeks by experimenting with non-typical scenarios—akin to me declaiming an epic poem on a street corner or parking lot. Brainstorm about doing what you do best in novel situations.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I have two related oracles for you. 1. During the unfoldment of your mysterious destiny, you have had several homecomings that have moved you and galvanized you beyond what you imagined possible. Are you ready for another homecoming that’s as moving and galvanizing as those that have come before? 2. During your long life, you have gathered amazing wisdom by dealing with your pain. Are you now prepared to gather a fresh batch of wisdom by dealing with pleasure and joy?
Homework: Maybe it’s time to fix a seemingly unfixable discomfort. Do it!
VICE GRIPS
BY DAN SAVAGE
Hey Dan: I’m a gay man in his early 30s who’s into sex stripped down to its most basic elements: tops come in, fuck me, come and go. I’ve moved to a new city. One guy in his mid-twenties came over and we had awkward-but-passionate sex like that. We chatted a little afterwards. I went to his apartment to see him a week later, and we did it again. It was hot; we have chemistry. Turns out, he’s also new in town. He’s from a conservative part of the country and says I’m the second man he’s ever had sex with. He’s got a lot of things I look for in romantic partners: smart, cute, soft-spoken, driven, and into his job. The bad part is that he’s in management training for a problematic fastfood company, and while he’s fairly apolitical, he says he will “probably” vote for Trump.
While there are certainly plenty of gay conservatives, I feel like he’s someone who hasn’t seriously given a lot of thought to politics outside of his strong belief in free enterprise. This isn’t someone who thinks a lot about intersectionality, or who has interrogated the way capitalism exploits. He wants to be a good boss. You said once not to fuck Republicans, because they should go fuck themselves. But I feel like there might be something here I can draw out of him. At the very least, his desire for kinky gay sex might make him willing to hear me out about my sharply divergent politics. But I don’t want to entertain someone who just wants his cake (my ass) and the license to eat it (his abhorrent politics), too. But the sex is good, and I like the idea of fixing him. What to do?
–Aroused Slut Sees Ultimate Potential
For decades, ASSUP, I have urged sane gay men not to fuck gay Republicans — gay Republicans can go fuck themselves — but in 2015 I singled out one gay Republican in particular that I didn’t want other gay men fucking: Tim Miller, former campaign staffer for John McCain, former spokesman for the Republican National Committee, and at the time of my tweet, communications director for Jeb Bush. Seeing as Tim is no longer a Republican (but still a gay man), and seeing as my position on fucking gay Republicans hasn’t changed (just say no), I thought Tim might be able to offer you an unbiased answer. Despite my having urged other gay men not to suck Tim’s dick (without effect, it seems), Tim graciously agreed to weigh in. His response follows…
Yo ASSUP.
As a former Republican who Dan once tried to cockblock on account of his political views — unsuccessfully, I might add (very unsuccessfully) — I appreciate where your head is. Your instinct is downright humanitarian. It’s in line with the message Barack Obama delivered at the DNC convention.
No, not the dick joke, the part where he said, “Everyone deserves a chance, and even when we don’t agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other.” And here you are giving this hate chicken middle manager a chance to live in you! It›s a beautiful instinct really. Who knows, with your vice grip on his dick, maybe this young gay conservative might blossom into a coconut-pilled podcast host who eviscerates any MAGA moron that dares cross his path like yours truly.
On the other hand...
It’s 2024, not 2014. Donald Trump attempted an insurrection. He’s currently advancing a racist conspiracy about black immigrants abducting and eating house pets. He is a worthless shart stain with no redeeming qualities or virtues and that’s been abundantly clear to anyone with a brain for at least nine years now. Being for Trump at this point... it’s not exactly the same as just mindlessly supporting Tom Tillis. It’s an act of active malice or supreme stupidity.
So, like you, ASSUP, I’m torn. Not a great quality in an advice columnist but unfortunately for you Dan passed your question off to a substitute.
I guess my ruling comes down to a practical calculation. If he lives in a swing state, hold your hole hostage until he pledges to support Kamala. We can’t fuck around with so much on the line. If he doesn’t live in a swing state, well, give it a few more whirls, at least until he reveals himself to be intentionally awful. Who knows what could happen, right? After all, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for, maybe your hole has the change he seeks.
— Tim Miller
I wanna thank Tim — both for responding to your question and for eviscerating MAGA morons five days a week on The Bulwark’s flagship daily podcast — and I wanna officially lift my fagwa against his dick: gay men everywhere can suck Tim’s dick without incurring my wrath.
I also wanna expand a bit on something Tim said: can your hole — can anyone’s hole — change a person? While I think some people are too far gone for hole (or pole) to save (you can’t fuck the Nazi out of someone), some people don’t ever think critically about political beliefs instilled in them by rightwing families or churches until challenged by someone they’ve just fucked and wanna fuck again. The combination of sexual attraction, limerence, and oxytocin — the “love hormone” that floods our systems during really good sex — can open a person up in surprising ways. While it took the nomination of Donald Trump for Tim Miller to see the GOP for what it was (and Tim has gone on to do amazing and important work in the fight against Trump and Trumpism), for other former gay Republicans it was something a guy said during their refractory period — that magical moment when both minds and asses gape
open — that made the difference. So, you have my blessing, ASSUP, to keep fucking this guy. But to assuage your guilt (and avoid my wrath), you should gently draw this man out about his politics (and his fast-food preferences) after he unloads in you. (There’s no better time to get someone to, um, interrogate the way capitalism exploits.) If thinking a little more deeply about his vote is the price he has to pay to keep unloading in you — if he knows he’s going to have to defend the indefensible when he sees you again — he may wind up voting for Kamala Harris along with you and me and Tim and all the other gay men out there with their heads screwed on straight.
You’ve got a little less than six weeks to fix this guy, ASSUP, so we’re gonna need you to douche daily and spend as much time in this man’s apartment — and on this man’s dick — as you can between now and November 5th. Your country is counting on you.
Tim Miller is the author of Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell. Follow him on Twitter @timodc and Threads @ timmillergram.
Hey Dan: I’m a woman in my early forties, in what has always been an ethically non-monogamous marriage, with two middle-school kids. It’s my ex-friend’s/lover’s birthday today. My husband met her on Tinder, and we connected over the fact that we both survived a relationship with the same manipulative, controlling, abusive asshole. Our relationships with him — without our knowledge — were overlapping. He’s a “Dom” only in that he was willing to use BDSM to mindfuck us both, constantly bending the concept of consent. He lied to both of us and deceived every step of the way. Top-level Dark Triad dude. My relationship with him almost broke my family apart. My ex-friend said she has also hit the lowest point in her life because of him. Over the last three years, we helped each other heal while developing a small fun supporting tribe. Our kids become friends, we spent all our weekends together, went on camping trips, helped each other with house repairs. It was idyllic. Sex became a part of our relationship on her initiative. I made it clear that I didn’t want sex to be the main focus of our relationship. She agreed, but it soon became clear that she needed more from us — me and my husband both — than we could deliver. My focus was on the kids, hers and ours, and I always opted for activities that involved our families, while she preferred adult fun.
Then one day she told me she got back with the asshole. I was in shock. I felt betrayed. I could only tell her I couldn’t be in her life if he was her life too, and to get back to me when he was out of the picture. I haven’t heard from her in two months. Our kids miss their friends. I also feel bad for her, and I feel a need to help, but I need to maintain my boundaries. My husband cares too, but he’s extremely busy with his startup, so doesn’t really have the bandwidth. How should I navigate this? Should I reach out for the sake of all kids? I’m incredibly lonely and I miss her. –Mothers Experiencing Sensitive Situation
I think you should reach out to your friend — let’s not slap the ex-friend label on her quite yet — for your kids’ sake, MESS, but also for your own.
You were extremely close until about two months ago, MESS, when your friend made a choice that dredged up painful memories and struck at the foundation of your initial connection: you bonded over being jerked around by the same terrible man at the same terrible time and now she’s seeing him again But you miss your friend, MESS, and your kids miss their friends. So, again, for your sake and theirs, I think you should reach out to her.
Maintaining our boundaries is important, MESS, but sometimes we need to revisit and revise our boundaries. You don’t have to pretend to approve of what your friend is doing — you can and should express your disapproval when you first meet up to talk — and you don’t have to let Mr. Dark Triad back into your life. But hearing from your friend about why she let him back into her life might give you clarity about what to do next. If she’s back in Mr. Dark Triad thrall and makes excuses for him, you won’t want your friend back in your life the way she was before. But if you completely cut her off — if you refuse to even let your kids get together — you’ll be doing Mr. Dark Triad a favor, MESS, as you would be isolating your friend and there’s nothing an abuser wants more than to isolate his victim.
But it’s possible she isn’t in this thrall. A friend of mine once dated a guy who was a pathological liar. (He was in the CIA, he wrote for the Washington Post, his father owned the Dallas Cowboys.) My friend was in love with this guy and they were about to move in with each other when my friend came to his senses and dumped him. I was mystified six months later when they got back together. I felt better after talking to my friend: he wasn’t serious about this guy anymore — he was no longer in his thrall — and he was now able to take from him what he wanted (the sex was amazing) without taking him or anything he said seriously, as he no longer regarded him as a potential life partner. He didn’t have to pretend to believe his lies anymore and, more importantly, he didn’t have to defend his lies to his friends.
Now that your friend knows she can’t believe anything this man tells her — now that she knows he’s a manipulative asshole — he may not have the vice-grip hold on her that he once did. If she’s able to enjoy the dick (and the D/s) without being made crazy by his lies, getting together with this guy may not be putting her sanity at risk the same way it once did, even if it is — at the moment — putting your friendship at risk.
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
LIFE MILESTONES
BY MEGHAN MORRIS
PUZZLES EDITED BY JOEL FAGLIANO
Meghan Morris is an appellate public defender living in Denver (found in the 110-Across). A mother of twin second graders, she often has this puzzle’s theme on her mind. One recent parenting challenge has been the ‘‘turf war’’ over who gets to do Wordle on her phone. ‘‘I try to take deep breaths and let go of my need to use my regular starting word when I see them typing in something else,’’ she says.
Across 1 Smacks
6 ‘‘Obey your thirst’’ or ‘‘Got milk?’’
14 Tiki-bar fruit
20 Painter Rousseau
21 Admit guilt, perhaps
22 Porcelain coating
23 Extra
24 Age 1
26 Tugboat greetings
27 Drive in Beverly Hills
28 Modern-day alternative to a cash till
29 Memo heading
30 Awful, in slang
33 Quarry
37 Age 5
41 al-Fitr (end of Ramadan)
42 Actor Paul
43 One of 13 in a standard game of ‘‘Jeopardy!’’
44 Animal whose name is pronounced with a ‘‘y’’ sound by many Spanish speakers
46 Rabbit
47 Many an airport shuttle
48 Age 16
51 Rare bill 53 Unvarnished
56 Govt. lawyers 57 Battery options
58 Chris of ‘‘Jurassic World’’
60 Succulent source of syrup
62 Subj. of some training
63 Alternative to the pill, in brief
66 Age 18
72 Political analyst Walter
73 ‘‘It’s whatever’’
74 Award-winning Janelle
75 Laughing gas or quicklime
76 ‘‘The Kite Runner’’ protagonist
78 Goal
81 Feature of the Pizza Hut logo
82 Prefix from the Latin for ‘‘needle’’
83 Age 21
87 Built-____ (some shelving)
89 Dwelling with a circular frame
90 Vacation isle in the Ionian Sea
91 Parts of vintage movie collections
96 ‘‘However .?.?. ,’’ in texts
97 Hide-out spot
53 Way to go
54 ‘‘Good grief!’’
55 John who explored the Northwest Passage
58 Tour grp.
59 Mouselike
61 Tree along Central Park’s Literary Walk
62 Head of staff?
64 Close relative of Hindi
65 Give some shade?
67 Years of service
68 Something on an ear .?.?. or, in a different sense, a foot
69 About whom Lennon wrote ‘‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’’
70 Thai’s neighbor
view
Social media request
Worrywart’s words
Pertaining to the pursuit of pleasure 3 Country that counts the French president as a co-prince 4 Write-in, often 5 Church recitation, at times 6 Letters aptly found in ‘‘Obamacare’’
Pérignon
8 Glittering
9 Singer Jackson who wasn’t a part of the Jackson 5 10 Pundit’s writing 11 Stick 12 Travel lead-in to ‘‘méxico’’
‘‘Hip Hop Is Dead’’ rapper
Edible shell
Diplomat Kofi
Way to bulk up one’s chest
Opposite of un adversaire
Desire
Neighbor of Niger: Abbr.
‘‘Assumption of the Virgin’’ painter 30 Join a petition
Game whose name must be said to win 32 ‘‘Proud Mary’’ band, for short 33 They follow quarters
Leechlike 35 Name rhymed with ‘‘says’’ in Taylor Swift’s ‘‘Betty’’
Major or May, politically
It may come loose
Nice Nikon, for short
Went downhill
Janine’s
with
71 Out of patience
77 Competitors who know their limits?
78 Together
79 Neighbor of Lebanon: Abbr.
80 Tick off
83 Picnic-invitation abbr.
84 Thermostat setting
85 Val Kilmer’s ‘‘Top Gun’’ role
86 Homophone of ‘‘wee’’
87 Wee
88 Casual refusal
91 Flowing movement between yoga poses
92 QVC alternative
93 Channel owned by Paramount, for short
94 Like red-card recipients
95 Deceptive argument
97 Delicately pretty
99 Gab
100 French kisser?
102 Secluded valleys
106 School with the mascot Big Al, for short
107 Oscar-nominated Lena
108 World capital with the most appearances in the New York Times crossword
109 Non-Egyptian people who used hieroglyphics
110 ‘‘____: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World’’ (1997 nonfiction best seller)
