Editor in
Erica Rucker
Digital Media
Sydney Catinna
News Writer - Caleb Stultz
Social Media Intern - Malia Bowman
Music Intern - Bryce Russell
Creative Director - Haimanti Germain
Graphic Designer - Aspen Smit
DIRECTOR OF
Marsha Blacker
Robin Garr, Jeff Polk, Tracy Heightchew, Melissa Gaddie, T.E. Lyons, Rob Brezny
Marc Murphy
Vice
Chris Keating
Stacy Volhein
Knapp
BY ERICA RUCKER
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 fairto-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.
First, take a deep breath. We’re all tired. If you are reading this, the election has passed and someone is the new president. One side or the other is upset, and mourning a loss but all of us are sharing one common emotion, fatigue.
American politics has become such a toxic environment that any time spent tending our civic duty makes us feel exhausted, and sometimes a bit hopeless. We’re made to act from our fight or flight panic buttons at each pivotal election, and even in the in-between elections, we see our politicians spinning their wheels on important issues that could improve the lives of our citizens.
They haven’t been up to the job, and we need to turn our attention to setting new rules for elected officials.
The fatigue prevents us from having the same energy to fight to get our politicians moving in the right direction. We elect them to do a certain number of jobs, they fail to do them, and when the next election rolls around, the finger-pointing begins.
Perhaps instead of letting politicians lead us, we need to take the lead, and keep a scorecard of issues that matter to us, ignoring whatever noise they are making on our televisions and internet feeds. If their scorecard or grades don’t match up to the job we assigned them, then we should vote them out.
That’s a simple solution, and there are political scorecards we can use.
Basically, it seems time to simplify the process of picking our leaders to those that are really doing the jobs we task them with, and removing those who don’t, especially those who stonewall the progress that helps real people.
It also feels like a great time to remind ourselves of the reasons that the separation of church and state came to be. We shouldn’t be voting on a small set of values shaped by a small set of people. Values can differ, and we should be voting with common sense instead of dogma.
If it medically, scientifically, economically, and equitably makes sense, then that should be our measure. It’s not difficult, but religious-based “values” voting has corrupted the potential for a system of solutions backed by evidence.
We’ve overcomplicated ourselves into madness.
We can blame Nixon’s Southern Strategy. We can blame Reagan for his attachment to the evangelical voter, but more than either of them, we can blame ourselves for letting this mess go as far off into the weeds as it has to produce the destruction of a decent discourse — to produce the nonsense that is a Donald Trump.
Our politics is stressful to us, as the voters, but the only people who should be feeling the tension should be those who fail to perform the roles for which they were elected.
Perhaps finding a way to simplify this process, including the elimination of the electoral college, could bring a bit of peace to voters knowing that each vote would matter, and that we are actually keeping score of the things politicians do instead of what they claim during an election cycle.
It’s time for new rules, and the American people need to be the ones to set those rules. We’re too tired to keep living through elections like this, and we’re too vulnerable not to make real solutions for bad politicians.
BY CHARLIE CY
Read the other two segments at leoweekly.com
Author’s Note: Undoubtedly, this final installment – that touches on the sincerity of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign proposals . . . DJT as “the boogeyman” . . . the complicated logic of interminably voting for the lesser of two evils in a two-party system . . . the war in Gaza (which JP unapologetically refers to as a “genocide”) . . . and the curtailment of speech on college campuses – will be the most provocative segment in our series. But it’s also the most telling. Whatever you may think about JP’s positions below, one thing is clear: he’s not infected with the disease of equivocation that plagues so many of our politicians. With that in mind, we started this conversation with his quote on transparency, which I want to return to, to open this final chapter:
“My answer doesn’t change depending on who I’m talking to. It doesn’t matter what room I’m in or what size room. You can’t try to make change by trying to obfuscate what you think or hide your beliefs. And so, I’ve always tried to be extremely upfront about: these are the problems that we have; these are the things that I want to try to do to fix them.”
– JP Lyninger
Kamala Harris’ Economic Agenda – Big Tech and Wall Street Grin – Dems Ignore Calls for Primary at DNC – Who is Harris? – You Don’t Control Voters, You Campaign for Their Vote JP Lyninger: First of all, I think there are always shell games in politics about what you’re actually doing—like hiding the ball.
But let’s take it at face value and say that we’re going to fight for these things. That’s not the coalition she’s building. Right? Her appeals are to the Right. She wants to bring in “Never Trump” Republicans and that’s the messaging of her campaign.
It’s just like what I talked about with my campaign. You can’t run one way and then swing for the fences once you’re in office. It won’t work. So, if her appeals are all to Republicans who don’t want these policies, then I don’t believe that she can make it happen, because they’re going to call that bluff. Again, the money is very, very powerful in politics, and they don’t want rent control. They don’t want to stop price gouging.
And so, there’s going to be [excuses made to cover for their inaction, like,] “Oh, but Kristen Sinema!” “Oh, but Republicans control the Senate!” “Oh, but the parliamentarian!” And we’re right back here.
It seemed like Wall Street was almost excited when they heard that she was going to be next in line—they weren’t too concerned by her nomination . .
Tech is excited. She’s from California. She has a good relationship with gig economy and tech and crypto [industries]. I’ve seen lots of people talking about, “This is a chance to get someone who really understands what we need to deregulate crypto.”
And people are talking about us having a strategic financial reserve of Bitcoins and stuff like that. That’s insane.
Also, Big Business doesn’t want disruption in the fabric of society. They don’t want Donald Trump. They want the nice steady hand. And people that could read polling all knew that Joe Biden was in big, big trouble. That the majority of people had come to the conclusion that he was too old well before people were willing to acknowledge it. And, that he was going to lose to Donald Trump. And people felt so bad about it that it was hurting the electoral prospects up and down the ballot. It’s demotivating. It’s demobilizing.
And people felt very frustrated, like the car is on fire and no one is at the wheel. And so, I’m not surprised that Wall Street is much happier with Kamala Harris, the candidate. Most people are.
Are you happier?
Yes. I publicly said before other people were willing to say it. Joe Biden should step down. He should not be the nominee. I think it would have been a lot better, because here’s the thing: People knew. People on the inside knew. And we could have had a primary. We could have had real democratic decision making.
That was another interesting thing. Party elders, at first, weren’t ready to hand Harris the nomination after Biden stepped down. Barack Obama, for example, he in so-many-words said, “I’m not going to wade in on this.” But then the party quickly congealed around her. They could’ve gone to the convention. With that said, I don’t know how you could have skipped over her. But still, there was no Democratic process. What did you think about that? I think no matter what process you had she was always the likely outcome. But to not even have that fig leaf of a primary at the convention. I do think that’s a problem.
I think that for a long time her campaign didn’t realize some of those problems that were manifesting. There was polling that came out that said people wanted to know more about her and were frustrated that she wasn’t putting out policy.
And again, the response was to scold voters, rather than to sit back and say, “Well, actually, this was a person who dropped out before Iowa in 2020, who no one has ever voted for, and people do want to know this person better before we make her president.”
I think that’s a legitimate impulse. And even if you think that voters should just get in line and accept Donald Trump is worse, and this is the nominee we’ve got—we’ve just got to vote for her. Well, even if you feel that way, guess what? You don’t control the voters.
And if the voters say, “This is what I need in order to feel comfortable voting for her.” That’s what campaigning is. You have to go talk to the voters. And if voters say, “I’ll vote for you if you tell me more about your policy.” You better go tell them about policy. That’s on you as the candidate. Those are the people’s vote you’re trying to earn. That’s the relationship. And to treat voters like they owe you, not the other way around, you do that at your own peril.
Tactical Voting – The Boogeyman Is No Spring Chicken – Republican Realignment – Dick Cheney – Dead Iraqis – Defeat the One Unreasonable Person – Rockefeller Republicans
Earlier you said, you “kept voting” [even after you’d thrown in the towel, and given up on the idea of getting into politics during the early Obama years, which led you to feeling some level of political disillusionment]. I’m going to go on a tangent and then come back to where
we were. I want to discuss the idea of always voting for the lesser of two evils. Is that something that you ascribe to?
Tactical voting is real. There are a lot of things to weigh. But I do think that the idea that we should always be committed to the lesser of two evils . . . look at where it’s gotten us. I don’t think things are on a very good track. And, also, from the inside perspective, if that’s always your strategy of how you’re going to motivate your voting base, eventually this boogeyman goes away.
Eventually, Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee. He’s no spring chicken. He’ll be dead one day. Maybe it takes two electoral losses, but eventually he’s not the Republican nominee, and the Republican party will realign itself back towards a more business-Republican Mitch McConnell-wing of the Republican party.
And then what do you do when the next nominee for president from the Republican party is a John Kasich type?
Because right now, you’ve got the Democratic nominee saying, “Hey, Dick Cheney’s endorsed me.” That to me is playing with fire in an electoral sense, beyond the moral sense, because Dick Cheney is a war criminal and there’s a million dead people in Iraq, and it will take a century for our economy to recover from the war crimes of the Bush administration.
But even setting that aside, when your appeal is, “Hey, listen, we’re all reasonable people here, there’s just this one unreasonable person, and let’s defeat the unreasonable person.” Well, now you have said these people are reasonable. And four years . . . eight years . . . whenever from now, when it’s a different kind of election, I think that the Democratic party is currently sowing some seeds for a rude awakening one November when all of the sudden people start voting like there are Rockefeller Republicans on the ticket.
And the problem with that is, they won’t even be [Rockefeller Republicans because that’s not who they are or will be in the future].
It’s frustrating to me. And I think that there is a problem from the voter’s perspective, when you say that voting for the lesser of two evils is just what we have to do every time. We just have to accept the parameters of the system, accept the horizon of what’s possible. Well, for one, you’re constantly limiting that horizon. You’re pulling back. You’re in a prevent defense. And then all of the electoral pressure on the candidates is from the Right. And so, they, [the Left], are going to say, “Well, I’m going to defend my Right flank.” And they’re going to move Right. And we’ve seen that consistently. It’s very frustrating to me.
And it’s such a big deal about how we have let, especially on economic policy, the Right make these decisions for us in this country because of those blinders.
Going back to talking about the Bush administration and the economic consequences—the majority of my adult life the United States was at war. I told my kid the other day, “You have no idea the amount of wealth the United States had when I was growing up.” We have austerity budgets at every level in this government now. And the mindset is that’s going to continue forever.
And part of that is an economic consequence of how we set more money on fire in Iraq and Afghanistan than you can possibly imagine. And with the militarization of the federal government and then our local governments through selling military weapons to police departments, this is where we put all our money. And now that bill is going to be due for the rest of our lives. And if we don’t make changes about that, it’s going to happen again, because nobody learned their lesson.
Gaza Genocide – Ceasefire Resolution – The Conservative Estimate: 40,000 Dead – Reagan Flexes U.S. Muscle to Stop Israeli Bombing: “I didn’t know I had that kind of power!”
Do you want to talk about Gaza?
Absolutely. I’m not afraid to talk about it. Anytime that someone asks me to speak at an antiwar rally, a Palestinian solidarity rally, I will attend. It’s genocide. It’s ethnic cleansing. And again, you can’t hide what you think about things. I was very involved with the effort to get the ceasefire resolution before the local Metro Council. Again, these weren’t secrets.
How did that go?
We passed it out of committee but ended up withdrawing it at the council level because the Palestinian organizers asked us to pull it because it wasn’t going to pass. Because what was going to pass . . . they were going strip it, in an amendment, and turn it into something painfully toothless. And people said, “No! We’re going to take the win of it coming out of committee and continue organizing and fighting.”
But it’s a genocide, and it’s paid for with our tax dollars. We send the bombs that are killing women and children. The conservative estimate is 40,000 dead [now a month later 42,600]. The real number is much higher. Especially when you start looking at not just people killed by munitions, but death by disease, death by famine. It’s terrible, and we’re paying for it.
We could stop it. There’s that famous story of the bombing campaign that Israel was doing in Lebanon in the eighties and Reagan picks up the phone and says, “This is a genocide. This is a holocaust.” And the response was, I think I know something about that word. But, within the hour, the bombing stopped. And Reagan,
says, “I didn’t know I had that kind of power.” We have that kind of power. If the United States removed our financial support, if we conditioned aid even, and said no more military aid, no more aid for Israel until the offensive in Gaza stops, it would stop. There is no way for it to continue without our support. And so, to me, that’s a moral obligation to make it stop.
Single Issue Voter: Gaza – Swing State Hypothetical – Canvassing Michigan – How does a genocide matter less? – “I’ve met Americans” – We Have a Term for Illegal Deaths – Zombie Solution – Israeli Settlements – What is a State?
What do you say to the voter, where this [Gaza] is their singular issue? I know Kentucky is not a great test case scenario. But let’s pretend Kentucky is a swing state, for example, and this issue was prioritized as the top concern for a voter. No matter their identity—someone said to you, “You know, I don’t want to vote for Trump. But I also don’t think Harris is going to do any better in Gaza. And I don’t want to do that.” How do you speak to that voter?
I did speak to voters like that. I went up to Michigan a couple of times in the past year canvassing in the area outside of Detroit. This is a real issue.
I mean first-order, if you’re talking to someone who literally sees their family, friends and people who they know personally, who are currently experiencing a genocide, how do you tell that person that this is just one issue among many? You can’t tell that person that. And again, you don’t control voters.
There is a refusal, by the Democratic party, by the Harris campaign, by the Biden administration, to meet the concerns of these people. It’s all, “the threat of Donald Trump.”
But it’s a hell of a gun held to your head though, isn’t it?
Yes. Right. To me, it goes back to that idea about the current world order requiring racism. How do you say that what happens here matters more? How do you say that whatever barometer swing on policy in the United States that would happen under a Donald Trump administration versus a Kamala Harris administration, how does a genocide matter less? How do those people’s lives not matter?
And it’s frustrating because there’s been huge generational shifts on perception of Israel and Palestine, primarily driven by people now who can get the news firsthand and have a much better understanding of what conditions are like for the Palestinian people. What the oppression and the ethnic cleansing and apartheid looks like. It didn’t start on October 7. And even decrying civilian deaths, civilian casualties, war crimes, even decrying those things, the answer is not indiscriminate death and destruction among the civilian population.
And you can’t say, “Oh, I would care about this issue if only the Palestinians had been more peaceful.”
Because, first, you can’t tell me that Americans, if they were experiencing what the Palestinians would experience, would have a pacifist response. I’ve met Americans.
But second, there were attempts in Gaza, there were the protests at the border a few years ago, where there were massive civilian casualties at peaceful protests. Snipers from the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] admitted to deliberately targeting people’s knees to maim them for life. People were killed. The UN reviewed and found all but one death. I can’t remember what the total number was—a significant number of civilian deaths at these protests and determined all but one were non-security concerns and therefore illegal.
We have a term for illegal deaths. Those are murders. They murdered people that tried to protest peacefully at the border in Gaza.
And then we have, again, these performative solutions offered by people in power in the United States. People talk about a “two-state solution.” Well, if that was ever possible, that’s a zombie. We have had decades of Netanyahu in power deliberately making sure that a two-state solution will never happen. Because a two-state solution requires Palestinian control of the West Bank. And now you’ve got Israeli settlements, illegal Israeli settlements that again, we allow, and we financially support these illegal settlements in the West Bank.
And you can’t have a two-state solution with Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Golan Heights. And again, what do people mean by a two-state solution? Do you mean a Palestinian state with its own military, its own sovereign power? Anytime someone says “two-state solution,” that should be the immediate follow-up from our media. Is that what you mean?
And if that’s not what you mean, what is a state? What’s a two-state solution?
“A liberal secular Israel that is not ethno-nationalist is not on the table” – Zionist Project is making “Jews less safe in America” – Wife’s Hanukkah Dress Anecdote – Identity Politics and the Politics of Authenticity
A vassal state?
Right. Where Israel has military control and occupation. What you mean is Israel has control of what is acceptable internal politics of that “Palestinian state,” quote-unquote. That’s not going to work. And it gets at the real heart of the problem, which is you have to talk about a two-state solution because a liberal secular Israel that is not ethno-nationalist is not on the table.
It’s wild to me the difference of what you’re allowed to talk about in Israel versus what you’re allowed to talk about in America about this problem. [Due to] the demographics in Israel. If you said, “Refugees should be allowed to resettle into their homes or anywhere.” And you said, “the Palestinian population should have full legal rights.” Well, people in Israel would say, “That’s insane. That’s suicidal because then we’re not going to be a Jewish state anymore.”
And then you have this response from the United States of, “We need a Jewish state. Jews aren’t safe, anywhere except for Israel.” I think that says something pretty terrible about your beliefs about America—that only a Zionist project gives a safe place for Jews. That’s saying Jews can’t be safe in America.
And in fact, I believe what’s happening now makes Jews less safe in America. My wife is Jewish. This past Hanukkah, she got this Hanukkah dress online that had a dreidel and Chinese takeout and the Star of David on it. And she got it, and she was very excited about it, and then she wore it out and she said, “Oh, I’m actually really nervous wearing something like this for the first time in my life.” And she feels very strongly that it’s the fault of this ethno-nationalist project.
If you say that “Zionism is necessary for Jewish safety,” and if you say that “Anti-Zionist Jews are actually antisemitic, that they’re not really Jews,” which is something people say, then you are tying Jewish identity to what’s happening in Gaza. People have a negative opinion about what’s happening in Gaza. You’re inflaming antisemitism.
It’s antisemitic to say all Jews believe one thing. And on any other topic, there would be zero fight about how this is an antisemitic thing to say. But to say on this one topic, “All Jews must believe this one thing, and that Jewish identity is a Venn diagram that’s a perfect circle with Zionism”—that is antisemitic, and it’s dangerous.
Pediatrics and “The Children” – “Hamas! Hamas! Hamas!” – The Only Solution Is Political – Sinn Féin and Northern Ireland Analogy
Have there been any complications with your views versus your wife’s views on this issue, or are you two simpatico?
No. My wife is in med school at UofL. She went back to school. And no matter what she does, it’s going to be in pediatrics. One time someone tried to ask her this line of questioning and she started crying and she said, “How can you not look at the children? And not say it has to stop.”
It’s hard, knowing what’s happening. And we’re back on that topic: What do you say to a person who says, “I can’t continue like this”? They say, “I can’t vote for someone who’s allowing this to happen.” Knowing what’s happening to these people, and seeing it expand. Right? It’s gearing up in the West Bank now.
It’s: “Hamas! Hamas! Hamas!” Hamas isn’t in control of the West Bank. But there are military raids. There are people taking these prisoners. We use the word “hostages.” Which again, we talk a lot about the hostages. We’re killing the hostages. The bombing is killing hostages. When there are deals offered for hostages, it keeps not happening because it’s not really about the hostages.
And the only solution is political. The only solution is a permanent end to the offensive in Gaza. The word “ceasefire” got coopted, and it turned into any temporary cessation that people could say, “Well, I’m for a ceasefire.”
What people mean is: We want the United States to use its financial leverage to demand that Israel stop the military offensive. Because the only other answer is the only acceptable solution: The final endpoint of the military offensive in Gaza is [to end] the leveling of Gaza, the displacement of all the people, and permanent Israeli occupation. And then we go back to: What two-state would that be? The only solution is
political. The killing has to stop. Are you optimistic this could, can, will happen? I mean, one day. I read a really compelling piece, back in the winter—I want to say it was in The Nation. I’ll look it up. Where they talked about from a long view, the political question has already been won in a lot of ways. That even a military victory for Israel at this point is a political loss.
If you look at other violent liberation movements in the world, Sinn Féin, the IRA, they’re a political party now. Now, you go to Ireland for a state visit, you go shake hands in Northern Ireland with people who were carrying out bombings and violence in the streets.
If there are going to be a Palestinian people, Hamas is a political organization, Hamas is a political party . . .
What do you say—I know that people on the other side of this issue are going to immediately jump on a statement like that. They’re going to say: “They, [Hamas], are a straight up terrorist organization.” How do you respond to that? Again, so is the IRA. You have to contend with political demands. Even if you assassinate every leader of Hamas. Let’s say that you can wave a magic wand and every single person who had anything to do with October 7 is removed from the equation. Well, what Israel has done has created a bunch of new militants in Palestine. Okay. And so those people you could either say, “Now we have to kill all the Palestinians,” or you can say “We have to contend with the political needs.” At some point, there’s a political solution or everybody dies.
That’s what I’m trying to say. And I’m not trying to say that what Hamas did was good. And I’m not trying to say that people should feel good about sitting down at a table with people who did those things.
People have grown up – when people tried to talk on October 7 about a collective guilt of the Palestinians in Gaza because they voted Hamas in with a minority [of the population] – there are adults now who were not born when that happened.
What kind of collective guilt is that? And again, Israel had policies where they wanted Hamas in control of Gaza for various reasons. They felt that that was better for Israel to have a Gaza controlled by Hamas. And at the end of the day, unless all of those people are gone, you eventually have to talk to someone who identifies themselves as Hamas about political solutions. And a political solution is the only way.
Free Speech and Student Movement – Need for University Transparency – National Impulse: Arrest Students – “The Russians aren’t coming to Ann Arbor”
Speech around this issue feels very complicated. There are real threats to livelihoods and other types of threats in various arenas if you weigh in on this topic [specifically when defending Palestinians’ humanity]. Look at college campuses for example. It feels like a very fraught issue, just to communicate about it. Any thoughts on that?
I think that one of the most important fights
that the student movement had in the sixties and seventies was centered on free speech. And it’s extremely upsetting to me to see us roll back those protections for our students.
I’m proud to be a UofL alum, and I’m very disappointed to see that the university is targeting student speech. Limiting the way that students write messages in chalk. And stuff like that.
That’s now banned. Is that correct? Yes. How can you be afraid of your own students’ speech? I would love to see the university meet with these kids and talk to them about what their concerns are.
About how the university’s endowment is vested. About whether their tuition, whether the fees they pay to the administration, are going to things that they find morally abhorrent. I think students are right to ask those questions and they’re right to have those concerns. And that the moral thing for the university is to say, “yes” or “no.”
You can say: “Yes, we have money in Israel.” “Yes, we have money in Israeli companies.” “Yes, we have money in Israeli bonds.” A lot of money in the United States is in Israeli bonds. And you can say, “Yes. We’ve done that and we frankly think it’s right,” or “We think it’s okay,” or even, “We are just too afraid to make it a political issue and pull that money out.”
Whatever. But be honest. Tell these students the truth. They have a right to know if their money is invested that way—we do a lot to tie identity to universities, especially here. Like I said, my little sister’s first words were, “Go Cards!” UofL has mattered to my family my entire life, well before I was ever the first person in my family to attend a four-year university and go to UofL. Well before that, we were UofL people.
So, if you want to engender that kind of identification with the university, if you want your students to be like, “We are Cardinals. UofL really matters to us.” That’s a pretty kitchen table topic. Is our money tied to Israel? Is our money tied to this genocide? People have the right to ask that question. And the impulse to shut the question down . . .
Look at what’s happening nationally: arrest students. The University of Michigan just asked to double the amount of weaponry on campus. Ballistic rounds. These aren’t for outside agitators. They are not worried that the University of Michigan is about to be invaded. The Russians aren’t coming to Ann Arbor. When you talk about increasing physical security. When you talk about having these, quote-unquote, “less lethal rounds,” increasing your munitions stockpiles at a university, that’s about the students. That’s messed up.
This concludes our three-part conversation with JP Lyninger, the Democratic Socialist running unopposed in November’s general election for Louisville’s District Six Metro Council seat.
JP
REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa overlay, GETTY
IMAGES/Chip Somodevilla/Money Sharma, FACEBOOK/JP Lyninger Campaign
BY MARC MURPHY
Just over a month ago, on September 18, in front of the Capitol building members of Congress hammered the first ceremonial nails into what will eventually become the scaffolding for the outdoor stage upon which the next President will be inaugurated. The ceremony is meant to emphasize the peaceful transition of power that was, until the election Donald Trump lost in 2020, a hallmark of our nation.
If you’re keeping score, the last peaceful transition of Presidential power in the United States occurred in 2017, almost 8 years ago. An American second grader has never lived through a peaceful transition of power here. There’s a chance she could be in Middle School before she gets her next opportunity. Because on January 5, 2021, another scaffold was built, within easy walking distance down the National Mall from the Capitol. From the perspective of history this scaffold more
oligarchs, authoritarians, and fascists on the one hand, and a former US Senator, federal prosecutor, and scandal-free current Vice President on the other. The Democratic Party never fails to disappoint, and even betray many in its base and its electoral weaknesses are its own fault (including its blood-spattered record on Gaza). But no responsible voter with a passable understanding of history, politics, and economics combined with an ounce of empathy should, in this election, in these times, between these two candidates, believe the nation would be better served in the short or longer terms by an incoherent clown with dangerous plans.
They should know better. Many of them do, but will vote for him out of fear, greed, or their own racism. Some of them don’t know better and, their ignorance is compounded by, abetted by, the hedge funds and corporations who own legacy media that have fired or handcuffed the journalists who would be among those helping lead voters from the darkness into the light. There’s a reason the press is the only profession the original Founders sought to protect in the Constitution. Not lawyers. Not planters. Not doctors. Journalists.
authentically represents the America of both the past and the very real present: It was a gallows, with a noose intended for the Vice President of the United States in the event (a) he certified the election results and (b) he could be captured by Trump’s insurrectionists. History reflects that (a) he did certify the results as the law required him to do, and (b) he was very nearly captured.
I suppose there have been times before when a person reflecting upon recent events in the political and civil life of their country has written words that, upon review, they couldn’t have imagined writing even a few years earlier. This is one of those times for me. As I write this, within margins of error and with the understanding that political polling in the internet and AI era seems, frankly, quaint, America is apparently roughly equally divided between a convicted felon, racist, rapist lackey for
The LA Times and its owners would beg to differ with the Founders, apparently, or worse, probably don’t care. The Times won’t endorse a candidate in this most important race in our history, and it’s not alone. With some exceptions the only reliable coverage of these - and any candidates from President to school board - is provided by small, non- or unprofitable organizations often staffed by those fired by the once-great and now pathetic so-called major newspapers, who shame themselves by serving mainly as newsletters for the Chamber of Commerce and as banks for shareholders. Some will argue that the scaffolding and gallows on the National Mall on January 5 were just a symbol - a metaphor. First, the people who were killed on January 5 would like a word. Second, symbols and metaphors matter, often more than words. The choice of a wooden platform and a noose wasn’t accidental. White Supremacy is the life’s blood of the MAGA movement. The noose has a very special, very intentional meaning and, when it’s used as a warning it means all bets are off; The law has no place here and won’t protect you now. The red MAGA hats would be more on point, and more honest, if a noose was stitched on them as well.
A feckless Department of Justice hamstrung by a corrupt Supreme Court has failed to hold Trump responsible for the scaffold his followers built on January 5. Now, for all of the threats, promises, and unabashed boasts of Trump supporters - including elected state officials and election officers - to impede or challenge a certification of a Democratic victory in November — there may as well already be two scaffolds under construction in DC: The official one at the Capitol, and the potentially more important one down on the Mall, the one that’s a gallows. One is held together with nails. The other, with hate.
Marc Murphy
Home of the Innocents, one of the largest youth services in Louisville, says donations are dependent on the time of year
BY CALEB STULTZ
Youth services from nonprofit organizations are paramount to keep children off the streets and from being homeless, a problem that plagues millions of underprivileged kids across the country.
In a new study from Indiana University, the number of donations has decreased dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, findings from the study show that the amount in fiscal donations has remained steady. That is, the amount of money given to any charitable foundation.
Closer to home, the Home of the Innocents, a nonprofit organization based in Louisville that focuses on youth services, says that its donations have not seen a similar hit.
“What I will say about that is that giving can be really cyclical,” said Rennay Marshall, the vice president of public relations at Home of the Innocents. “So around the holidays, as we get into November, people are just more apt to give. So a lot of our fundraising comes in at that point.”
However, a dropoff is normal, according to Marshall. When certain awareness months, like Child Abuse Awareness Month in April roll around, more donations come into Home of the Innocents.
Compared to the money and physical donations mentioned in the new study, Marshall said in an interview with LEO Weekly that the ship stays “pretty steady” thanks to leadership decisions from the organization.
“So we have a lot of community members who work really hard to find new connections for us,” she said. “I think it kind of helps us balance out the donations that we’re getting, is that we’re constantly bringing in new people.”
More so than anything, Marshall said, is building trust with the community and showing them the needs of Home of the Innocents, which is primarily done through touring the facility and showing donors where their money and their physical donations are going.
“So I think a big piece of it is just building trust in the community and trust in the people who are donating to you, and that’s a big piece of what we do. I think we do pretty well, and that’s probably why we haven’t really had some of the same struggles as other organizations.”
Though Home of the Innocents hasn’t struggled as much, Marshall says there are still plenty of items that they need as the months get colder and more people come to them for help. In an email to LEO Weekly, Marshall listed off items that will be featured during the 13 Days of Hope, which begins later this year on Dec. 12:
• Tissues
• Comforter Sets (Queen & Full)
• Diapers Size 4&5
• African American Hair Care Items
• Adult Clothing
• Yoga Mats
• Body Pillows
• MP3 Players
“Because we have such a wide reach of children and their families that we’re reaching typically, we have to go through program by program to see what their top needs are, versus what we have…” she said. “Personal care products are always going to be a top need for us when a resident comes to us through our residential treatment and emergency shelter, a lot of times they don’t have anything with them. They may just have the clothes on their back, so making sure that they have shampoo, soap, hair care products, underwear, all of those things are always a top need for us.”
You can find the list of Home of the Innocent’s top needs and wish lists on their website.
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PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that on October 31, 2024 at 2:40
PM Holcomb’s Services, Inc. at 6005 Fern Valley Road Louisville KY 40228 will sale for unpaid mechanics fees a 2006 BMW 530xi identified by VIN: WBANN73556CN01400. The owner of the vehicle is Anthony J. Gentile. For more information contact Holcomb’s Services at 502-618-4800.
BY ERICA RUCKER
I am confident that our country could be healed if we learned to serve just a little bit more. One of the greatest human abilities is that of being useful to another, particularly in a time of need. It’s different than expecting to be served. This is about giving because it is the right thing to do, and because your little bit of service might make the life of another just a little easier or more pleasant. It is human to struggle, and sometimes, the smallest of gestures can change the nature of that struggle.
As we enter the holiday season, we thought it would be a good idea to offer some ways that we can serve in our community.
Election season splits us into very different camps, and it is hard to see past
our differences, but for many of our fellow Louisvillians, there is no luxury to be in either camp when survival — the search for a home or food — is on the table.
Helping others can heal ourselves, and we should all endeavor to serve more often.
Here are some opportunities for LEO Readers to give back. Be mindful that many opportunities require a criminal records check to prevent harm. In addition, the city of Louisville has listings for places to contact for volunteer work: louisvilleky.gov/government/homeless-services-division/volunteer-opportunities. If you’re reading this, and able to share some of your time, please do for the sake of adding some goodness to the place where we live.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters
2820 W. Broadway bbbsky.org
This organization pairs safe adults with at-risk youth to provide mentorship. Bonds formed in this organization can last a lifetime.
To begin the process, there is an online form to fill out. The main way to volunteer is as a mentor to a young person.
Kosair for Kids 982 Eastern Pkwy. Kosair.org
The organization supports kids and their families in multiple ways. Their mission is to “enhance the health and well-being of children by delivering financial support for healthcare, research, education, social services, and child advocacy.”
To begin a volunteer relationship with the organization, there is an online form. The organization asks that people help in several ways: regular donation, tribute donation, and volunteering.
Several opportunities to volunteer are suggested by the organization. Those are: Hosting a book or toy drive, volunteers
for Boo at the Zoo during Halloween, Gift wrapping for the holidays (happening throughout November), and volunteers for a Dec. 8, holiday party for kids and families. Check the website for further details.
Highland Community Ministries 1228 E. Breckinridge St. hcmlouisville.org
The mission of the organization is to “build community through programs and activities that promote human and spiritual growth.” The organization does this through activities that assist children, community
organizations, and elders. There are several ways that volunteers can participate in activities with HCM. The organization runs a food pantry, meals on wheels programs that bring food to seniors, kids coaching opportunities, and other fundraising activities in the year.
Auttie World, Inc 101 North 7th St. auttieworld.org
Auttie World works with children who have Autism. The organization works through fostering artistic expression, computer literacy and interactions with nature.
individuals through housing. The mission states that the organization “brings people together to build homes, community and hope through affordable housing solutions of homeownership, community development and home repair.”
The work of the organization includes homebuilding, home ownership programming, home repair and rehabbing, and community development. Volunteers can serve in several ways from working on a build site, working at the Habitat ReStore, working on community beautification projects, to acting as mentors and consultants for those seeking housing.
Kentucky Refugee Ministries 969-B Cherokee Rd. kyrm.org
Most of the volunteer opportunities for this organization are for young people to build skills and strong relationships with children who have special needs. This will be participating in art programming, computer literacy, or help with one of their other activities. For more information, check the website.
House of Ruth 607 E. St. Catherine St. houseofruth.net
The mission of the House of Ruth is to “provide housing and support services for people living with HIV and their families who are homeless, at risk of losing their homes, or need financial help.”
One of the major ways to help House of Ruth, in lieu of monetary donation, is to host a product drive to help individuals get the self-care items and food they need. In addition to hosting a drive, purchases of food and self-care items can be made via their amazon wishlists: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ ls/1UBH31YYFT1XC?ref_=wl_fv_le. Contact the organization and check the website for ways to assist at House of Ruth.
Habitat for Humanity Metro Louisville1620 Bank St. louisvillehabitat.org
Habitat for Humanity, an organization championed and served by former President Jimmy Carter, serves to build strength and stability for families and
Kentucky Refugee Ministries is “dedicated to providing resettlement services to refugees through faith- and agency-based co-sponsorship in order to promote self-sufficiency and successful integration into our community. KYRM is committed to offering access to community resources and opportunities and to promoting awareness of diversity for the benefit of the whole community.”
The important work of helping immigrants settle into the community begins with organizations like KYRM. Many of the individuals coming to Louisville are leaving places that have been torn apart due to dire economic situations, war or other reasons. Providing the right assistance and programming can help families have a productive start to life in the United States. Many of these families go on to home ownership and starting small businesses in our community, helping Louisville sustain and grow.
Volunteer opportunities with the organization are many including donation drives. After a volunteer orientation, volunteer activities can range from a one-time commitment to 3 months. Working with KYRM is a great way to learn more about the REAL immigration process in America.
New Directions Housing Corp. 1617 Maple St. www.ndhc.org
New Directions’ mission is to “develop and maintain affordable housing and vital communities in partnership with neighborhoods and other stakeholders.”
There is an online volunteer application. After applying opportunities can range from donations to home repair. The organization has community building activities that might offer other opportunities to participate.
The DIY Louisville music festival returned October 19th and lived up to the hype!
BY JEFF POLK
How do you describe something that, unless you were there, is basically indescribable? Let me just start by saying this was my first time attending a No Comply event and it far exceeded my expectations! This was literally the most interesting music festival I’ve ever attended. There really is nothing else quite like it.
What is No Comply? The short answer: a “small” semi-local music festival held in a very unconventional place; the Dave Armstrong Extreme Park in Butchertown near downtown Louisville. The longer answer: named after the skateboarding trick, No Comply is an annual DIY, all ages, pay what you can, cross-genre, mostly local artist showcase that combines music with freestyle skateboarding and BMX biking — similar to what the Warped Tour used to do back in the ‘90s before it became just another corporate festival — but locally-focused and on a much smaller scale. No corporate sponsorship, no advance ticket sales, no major label bands; just the Louisville scene celebrating the Louisville scene.
Now in its fourth year, No Comply has already gained legendary status in the Louisville music scene with previous years reaching estimates of over 1,300 people coming out to watch bands such as White Reaper, Belushi Speed Ball, Anemic Royalty, Deady, Shitfire, Thee Tabs, and Sunshine, (among many others), play this rather unorthodox festival.
However, this year’s crowd more than doubled the previous festivals — with estimates placing the number of attendees around 3,000 people.
But by far the most unique thing about No Comply is that it doesn’t just take place on the grounds of the Extreme Park, but literally IN the park — as the bands play at the bottom of an enormous 11-foot tall concrete bowl that is normally used for skating and BMX tricks. The crowd can either stand or sit at the edge of the top of bowl and look down on the bands, or get in on the action by going into the bowl.
Getting into the bowl was a challenge unto itself. The only “official” way in was through a short, 6-foot tall tunnel that ends in a roughly 75-degree angle, 5-foot drop down. Thankfully the No Comply team had laid out a carpet for traction, as well as a secured rope to help the climb down/ back up. From there, you had to walk through a 24-foot tall concrete pipe that leads into the open floor of the bowl.
Or you could take the unofficial way in, and sit at the top of the edge of the bowl , then slide down into it on your back or on your butt, which several people did. Luckily no one that I saw entering the
bowl this way got hurt, and honestly it looked like a lot of fun.
The thing about being in the bowl is it was packed shoulder-to-shoulder during almost every band’s set, and the sides are rounded at the bottom then curve into a 90 degree angle about 4 feet up. So rather than to have to push their way through, many took to the sides and attempted to walk the curved slopes in an effort to bypass the crowd. This successfully worked maybe 5% of the time, the other 95% of the time ending in slipping and bowling over those unfortunate enough to be standing next to where friction lost the battle to gravity.
Keep in mind that this is a pay what you can event, and admission was only being asked for when you entered the bowl, not to get into the park itself. To get into the park was completely free, (as always). You just walked right in. So this was still very much a fully-functioning skate park even while this event was happening. Non-professional skaters, BMXers, and even people using Razor scooters were there by the dozens doing tricks and riding around in the other bowls and taking advantage of the park’s many features while pedestrians walked, milled and mingled alongside them with
nothing in place to separate the two. But honestly, the only people I saw get hurt were those attempting to do skateboarding/BMX tricks, failing, and eating shit because of it. I saw quite a bit of that, actually. It’s amazing how these under-25 year old “kids” can wipe out hard on solid concrete with no pads or protection whatsoever, get up bleeding and battered, and go right back at it — usually with the exact same result — over and over again. Meanwhile, if I sleep in the wrong position and pull a muscle, I’m out of commission for a week.
The festival lived up to its name with the predominately teenage crowd. There definitely was a fair share of teenagers not complying with laws or safety measures there. But it was great! Kids could just be themselves, and have fun without overbearing parents ruining it. Ok, so my teenage daughter, two nieces and their friend didn’t really have that luxury because I was there with them, but I kept my distance, lest I ruin their “rizz”, (used here solely for the cringe factor).
But the great thing was that there was no fighting or jock mentality within the crowd. The kids all seemed to be very understanding and accepting of each other, and their behaviors. Even I, one of the oldest people at the show, (I did see a couple guys
who might have had me beat in age though), was treated with respect, or at the very least indifference. No one there was fucking with the old guy for a laugh, nor did I overhear any shitty comments about why an old guy was at an all-ages show. This is important to me because, while I love going to see and hear live music, I always feel uneasy being at all ages shows. It’s kind of like I’ve unintentionally crashed a party that I’m not welcomed at. Not that I’ve ever been made to feel that way at an all-ages show, it’s just what’s running through my head the entire time.
Being that it’s October and Halloween is just around the corner, costumes were encouraged; and damned if the attendees didn’t come through in spades! From Elmo in the mosh pit to a detailed Art the Clown scaring the hell out of my niece several times, they were all there. Lost costume parts and accessories took flight in the bowl as objects such as a costume panda head, beach balls, even a rubber chicken were gleefully being thrown around during and in-between band sets.
Oh yeah, there were bands at No Comply 4 as well! Seven of them to be exact, as well as the host/ emcee of the event: the mad professor himself; Louisville music scene’s most valuable asset; the
one and only Señor Diablo, who was dressed in full costume as Dr. Azmentis, (I’m not quite sure who that is, but he was quite the sight - basically a skull with some rotting/burnt flesh on it, googles, giant mouth with enormous teeth, lab coat, black rubber gloves and boots). Diablo immersed himself in the character while introducing bands, bringing an even deeper level of surrealness to an event that was already pretty damn surreal to begin with. Actually Diablo, (Beau Kaelin), was a man of many hats at No Comply 4, taking care of several behindthe-scenes details as well as immediately jumping into his role as cameraman as soon as Dr. Azmentis was finished introducing each band. Check out his YouTube channel for videos of full bands sets at No Comply 4: youtube.com/c/SenorDiablo Kicking off this year’s fest was Suncage, a sludge metal band whom I believe are out of Lexington and sound a bit like what I think Bush League in their prime would’ve sounded like playing songs by Dystopia. I got there just in time to catch the last few songs. I would’ve liked to have gotten there earlier, but I had to wait on four teenage girls to get ready first, which is not by any means timely. Once in the festival, we headed for the top of the bowl. Standing on top of the bowl three people
deep was not how I planned on watching the show. A better viewpoint was desperately needed, so into the bowl we went, (the proper way, not by sliding down the side).
Once inside, I got to catch most of the set from the second band to play, Louisville’s own Crop Rot. Their sound is more of a cross between garage punk and post-hardcore; noisy at times with liberal use of feedback to their advantage. I say that based on listening to their demo recording on Bandcamp and not on their live set because, as it turns out, music being played in a large, open concrete bowl doesn’t really have the greatest acoustics. But a small price to pay for the opportunity to be able to say you got to see a music festival inside a skate bowl.
Following Crop Rot’s set, I met up an old friend who was there with his teenage son and some friends, so that gave me an opportunity to let my crew go be on their own without me hovering over them. Louisville’s Gunkus was up next and I literally couldn’t make out much of anything of what they were playing. I had listened to them beforehand, so I knew what I was supposed to be hearing, which was a mix of electronic noise rock, punk and hip hop with live guitar and vocals over
programmed beats. But all I could hear of their set was just noise and a little bit of programmed beats from my spot at the back of the bowl. The guitarist and vocalist were there physically, but I couldn’t make out anything specific they were playing/singing/saying. But they looked cool though and had the crowd going.
The sound got a little better for Bowling Green hardcore/crust punk/powerviolence band Black Forces. To put it in basic terms, the pit lost its collective shit during their 20-to-30 minute set. This is an intense band with a powerful message that I am both looking forward to and absolutely terrified of seeing again. This is music that physically hurts you, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Local grunge punks Deep Above played next for what I’d say was the largest crowd of the night. I’ve seen this three-piece band a few times now and am always impressed by their live sets. Their songs just hit way harder live than they do in recorded versions, and the pit during their set would attest to that. As far as sound, imagine Nirvana, Helmet, and Melvins all getting together and jamming out some songs. They were joined on stage by no less than three Michael Myers’ in full matching masks and body suits, one of whom crowdsurfed - and if a crowdsurfing Michael Myers doesn’t win people over, nothing’s gonna!
Next up were the undisputed tag team champions of Louisville rap: Why DOMS, who took to the stage in full WWE Dudley Boyz gear, and with their own personalized Why DOMS No Comply 2024 World Tag Team Champions belts, then proceeded to put a guy through a table before launching into their set. From there they proceeded to pound the crowd into submission. A pit is definitely not something you’d expect to see during a rap band’s set, but Why DOMS isn’t your normal rap band; which they proved halfway through their set by doing something a little unexpected: bringing out a full band. Why DOMS’ rappers Why Mark and J Doms also make up half of the punk/nu metal band Dig, who did a few original songs before ending with a cover of Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” that the crowd went ballistic for.
And then the headliner: The Little Michael
— part musical group, part cult, all fun. If you can describe their music, you’re a better person than me. Their debut album, the recently released Michael Hits the Fan is a 35-song, one-hour and 19 minute opus paying tribute to all things Michael. And not only does the band touch on every genre of music possible, but they also revel in just how many times the name Michael can be used in their lyrics and song titles. This isn’t a band, it’s a movement! The vocalist, who I assume is The Little Michael himself, (if I am wrong, may I be sacrificed to Michael), was dressed in the finest sparkly gold jacket, pants, boots, gold leaf crown, and of course wearing sunglasses at night. He arrived in style on a golden palanquin being carried by two servants before the band, (which consists of seven members plus numerous guests), inexplicably launched into the 1985 Dire Straits’ hit “Money for Nothing,” (with altered lyrics to glorify Michael). From there, things didn’t get any less bizarre. At one point the “Blue Man Group” attacked the band and fake blood was sprayed/thrown on the crowd, (they warned you beforehand that if you were in the bowl, you were going to get drenched). I’m not even going to attempt to describe it past that, just watch the video on Señor Diablo’s YouTube channel. Needless to say, I’m already looking forward to the next No Comply. And hats off to each and every person that made this and the previous three No Comply festivals happen. I can’t imagine the difficulties in just putting on a music festival, much less one inside a concrete bowl at a skate park. These are all local people doing it out of love of the scene without any corporate sponsors or big money backing them, and without a major payday at the end of it all. What these people have been able to accomplish is simply astounding! Thank you all! And for fuck’s sake, keep at it!
For more on No Comply, check out nocomply502. com and instagram.com/nocomply502
The Tedeschi Trucks Band co-founder talks marriage and band longevity, getting into the bourbon business, and all things Ass Pocket!
BY JEFF POLK
Derek Trucks could easily be your typical ego-driven rock star. He certainly has every right to be. He’s been included in Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” He was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of The Allman Brothers Band, as well as having won Grammy Awards for albums with his solo group, The Derek Trucks Band, and with the Tedeschi Trucks Band. He has played the White House for President Obama and his guests. And he’s shared the stage with damn near every musical genius you can imagine. In fact, blues legend B.B. King once remarked “That’s about as good as I’ve ever heard it, and I mean it” after hearing Trucks play one of King’s songs. Simply put, the man is a living legend.
Yet talking with him, you’d never know it. There is not even a hint of ego or arrogance present. Instead, what you get is a genuinely down-to-earth, funny, friendly, easy-going kind of guy that makes you feel like an old friend even
though you’ve just met him.
The nephew of The Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks, Derek first picked up the guitar at the age of nine after finding one at a yard sale for $5, (a guitar he still owns to this day).
From there, he became a child prodigy on guitar and formed his own group, The Derek Trucks Band, in 1994 at the ripe old age of 15. In 1999, he joined his uncle as an official member of The Allman Brothers Band, which he would stay with through the band’s final show in October of 2014 while continuing to record and tour with his solo band, and later the Tedeschi Trucks Band, which he formed with his wife Susan Tedeschi in 2010.
At Bourbon and Beyond 2024, Trucks officially launched his first venture into the bourbon world with his Ass Pocket Whiskey (APW) brand, which is bottled exclusively in 200 ml bottles designed to fit in your back pocket. The first APW release was a 100-proof heritage Kentucky straight bourbon released in a run of
just 3,000 bottles - all of which quickly sold out. However, future APW releases are planned and forthcoming.
So when LEO Weekly was offered the chance to do a quick interview with Derek Trucks prior to Tedeschi Trucks Band’s set at Bourbon and Beyond this year, we jumped at the chance! And what we got was personally this writer’s favorite interview to date! Here’s what the guitar virtuoso had to say.
LEO: How is it that you and your wife have been able to make music and tour together for all these years while maintaining a healthy marriage?
Derek Trucks: Well, you know, we did everything out of order, [laughs]. We met on the road, we started living together, we got pregnant, got married. But it was 10 years into marriage before we were like; “Hey, do you think we’re ready to start a band?” [laughs].
You’ve really got to think about these things, so we took our time and we tested the waters because not everybody works well together. Because we really give a shit about what we do, we really care about it, and it’s intense, and it’s a high bar you have to clear every night. So if what you do doesn’t help the other person clear that bar for themselves, then it can get frustrating. So we went out with her band and my band — our solo bands — and toured together, and that was fun. And then we were like, well, let’s combine the bands and see what happens when we hit the Soul Stew Revival for a summer, and that was really fun. And then my idea was if we’re going to do this, I feel like the only way to make it legitimate is to cut the safety nets. We can’t have your solo band and mine and this other thing. Because as soon as it gets bumpy, you’re just like, fuck it, [laughs], we’ll just do what we were doing. So if we’re going to do it, I feel like we really need to be all in with it and see where it goes. And it’s been an incredible ride. But it hasn’t been without its bumps, you know, like any relationship or any band or any anything. But communication is the biggest key, and just a baseline of respect, [laughs]. You gotta have those things. But I feel really lucky. I mean, I’m in a band with one of the great living vocalists, so it’s not hard to remember that when you’re talking to her [laughs]. Like, I might have ideas of the way I want to do it, but I’m not singing the tune, and she respects what I do enough and knows that being a bandleader and being able to navigate these things is my kind of forte. So we give each other certain lanes and you just lean into them. But I’ll say it’s better now than it’s ever been, and our relationship is better than it’s ever been, and I feel really, really fortunate. We’re 25 years in — in rock ‘n’ roll years that’s like 100 regularly years, [laughs]. We’ve put each other through the ringer, but we’ve come out the other side and we’re better for it.
You all are playing a wide range of songs, including different cover songs, every night. It’s never the same setlist twice, and you all apparently know every song that’s ever been written. How do you come up with the setlist, and how do you all remember all of those songs? [Laughs], It’s funny. I mean, some of that is just everybody on the stage. We’re blessed with incredible musicians, and sometimes it’s not even remembering a tune, it’s “Hey, what about this tune?” We may have played it five years ago with everyone, and everyone can relearn it or remember some of it pretty quickly. We always set up a rehearsal room backstage with small gear. After we do sound check, we’ll go in the rehearsal room and just talk through tunes, and it helps keep us on the toes. I feel like our audience has come to expect it. It’s a big part of the thing. But it can be tougher for Sue than it is for me or the rest of us. She’s got a lot of lyrics to remember. But it’s good for us. So I feel like in between making records when we’re not in there creating our own stuff, it’s nice to chew on other people’s material because when you hear a song and you remember it and know it, it’s different than getting inside of it and learning how to play it. Because a lot of times, you’ll learn a George Harrison tune and there’ll be all these little simple moves that just create a really profound feeling. They’re really important chord changes and you go, “Oh shit, that’s what that is.” And then years later, you might be writing a tune and stumble across it and you’re like, “Oh yeah, this is a powerful thing that you can use.” So I feel like the more you dive into it, the better.
it, [laughs]. She can say it, but like B.B., that’s pretty hardcore. Yeah, I remember sitting there because Sue had played with B.B. and I had met him in passing, but he didn’t know me, and we never had that moment or connection. So when I finally got to play with him and he just opened up and it was just this outpouring of compliments and love, I remember sitting there thinking “Oh, I’m going to be telling my grandkids about this!” [Laughs]. But I remember in the moment thinking, “Oh, this is one of those moments.” Often you have these moments you look back at in your life, and while it was happening you weren’t really aware that it was a thing, but that one I was aware of! [Laughs]. It was like 4 dimensional. I was waiting for like candid camera or some shit to come out and they’re like, “No, he was kidding.” [Laughs]
format other than 200 milliliters. Just keep it in a small bottle and, you know, it’s a lot easier to drop $50 than it is $400 or $500 or whatever. And then when you spend that much, you don’t really want to open it. But when we finally got these bottles in - because I found this juice about a year ago and have been sitting on it — but we finally got them in, my son got married on Friday of last week and we got a case in and we sat around the fire with cigars and just cracked one and everyone polished it off, and I was like, I felt proper, [laughs]. Like, that’s what it’s for.
So, how did you come up with the name Ass Pocket Whiskey?
But yeah, to me it’s kind of legwork for the next time you’re in the creative mode of writing and recording, so all that stuff comes out.
Speaking of that, are working on anything new or have any plans to record again soon?
We’ve been touring so hard these last two years; we haven’t had a ton of time. But we spent about 8 months rebuilding our studio and we’re weeks from finishing it. We got some of the band together at our farm in Georgia for a writing session maybe four months ago and it was just tons of ideas kicking around. So when we get to December of this year, we’re taking a good five months off from touring and we’re going to go hard into writing. We’re ready to get back in. I feel like everyone’s kind of craving that process again.
You’ve been on stage with some of the most legendary names in music. Is there anyone you still hope to one day get on stage with?
Man, I’ve been pretty lucky, [laughs]. For a long time it was B.B. King and Stevie Wonder and Wayne Shorter, and I was blessed to be able to get on stage with all of them. I’m sure there’s people I’m not thinking of, but yeah, I’ve been beyond fortunate in that world. And every time you get to be around somebody like that, it’s kind of everything you hoped and more. You feel it wafting onto you, [laughs]. It’s kind of wild.
When B.B. King said that you were one of the best guitarists he’s ever heard, was that the best compliment you’ve ever gotten? Yeah, other than your wife saying it and meaning
So what brings you into the bourbon business? I’ve just been a huge fan. In the early years, we were touring here in a Winnebago with my solo band and a friend of ours, we call him the Viking, he would show up at the shows with this road case briefcase with two or three bottles of bourbon and then shot glasses on the top. And he would bring it on the bus or the Winnebago and open it, and he’s like, “Yeah, these are really good local bourbons.” And then we’d try them, and I was like, “I like the one with the dude with a cigar.” And he was bringing out Pappy 15 and George Stagg. In the early days of it though, we would give him our per diem and he would run out and buy bottles and we just drank good stuff without knowing anything about it. So, I just kind of fell in love with it and started getting into the history of it. In those early days when we were traveling, on days off, you could go hit liquor stores and find good shit. So, the hunt was incredible. And then everything shifted and then you find good shit and its like, “Yeah, you can have it, its $3,000!” [Laughs]. So the idea of this kind of came from missing that search and being able to find things and then spend $50 and get it. So we’re trying to hunt it out on the front end because we’ve made great friends and connections where we can find 10-20 barrels of like high end, collector, old-age, good bourbon and stuff it in the bottle for $50, and I feel like people are more apt to actually open it and drink it. Because look, I’m a collector too, but I miss the days of like oh, you get a good bottle and you drink it with people, because that’s what you do, [laughs]. So just trying to, in our tiny little way, kind of push back against it just being a little too precious, a little holier than thou. I mean, the stuff in it is that good, and I feel like it should be enjoyed. So that’s the idea to kind of bring it back down to Earth just a little bit, [laughs]. It’s been fun searching out good stuff, and we took our time with it. Everybody in the world has a bourbon brand these days, so it’s kind of an anti-bourbon brand, in a way, [laughs].
It’s a great idea. I mean, no one else is doing that.
And our idea is to never make it in any other
[Laughs] I think it went well with the concept of trying to make it less pretentious. I was telling the guy we were making the bourbon with, “Man, I always carry an ass pocket with me,” and he was like, “What’s an ass pocket?” [Laughs] It’s an old blues terminology for a pint in your back pocket. And there is an RL Burnside record called A Ass Pocket of Whiskey. And I would find these old dusty bottles of Old Granddad from the 80s, and one of my favorite sips ever was out of one of those, and so I kept the bottle, I still have it. It’s like my flask. So if you go golfing or whatever, you keep an ass pocket with you. So I think when I said it, he just immediately is like, “That’s the name!” [Laughs] I was like, “I don’t know, is that a little much?” And he’s like, “Straight!” [Laughs] So I feel good about it. It makes you remember it, and it’s not pretentious at that point, [laughs].
So where are you getting the bourbon from? And what can we look forward to in the future? So we kicked it off at the Brown-Foreman property, but the idea is to get a lot of these old bourbon families excited about maybe finding 5-10 barrels of good shit that they don’t know what to do with and putting it in an APW bottle. Going forward, it’d be nice to put their name on the back. For me, the bottom line is it has to be something that if I found it on the shelves, I’d be willing to shell out cash for, that I would drink, and 10 years is the minimum on the aging for what I really want to do with it, and just making sure it’s good juice. So we kicked it off, and there’s already chatter like, “Hey, what about putting this in there?” [Laughs] A group of my brothers and friends from Jacksonville drive up to Kentucky every year to do a barrel pick or two, and that’s a fun search. But this will even be a different level of aware. I feel like we can search it out for other people too, or we can find that soft, sweet spot, [laughs], and maybe break off a few barrels they’re not willing to just release in that format. So it’s gonna be a fun ride at the very least! [Laughs]
For more info on Derek Trucks and the Tedeschi Trucks Band, visit tedeschitrucksband.com. For more info on Ass Pocket Whiskey, visit asspocketwhiskey.com
Tedeschi Trucks Band at Bourbon and Beyond 2024
BY DREW EVANS
Dave Simonett, lead singer and writer of Trampled by Turtles, has carved out a legendary career by blending his Americana and Folk roots with his deep love for the natural world. Simonett sat down with LEO Weekly to discuss their new EP, Always Here , and conservation efforts, offering a glimpse into how nature has profoundly shaped his life, music, and career.
Dave Simonett and his band recently released a new EP, titled Always Here which builds on the rich foundation that Trampled by Turtles has been crafting for over 2 decades. This project blends bluegrass, modern folk, and heartfelt love songs, creating a warm, comforting sound perfect for the fall season. It is the kind of EP you would play as you put on a Bob Dylan-esque jacket and embrace personal reflection as the leaves begin to turn.
In the song “Forever”, an a standout track, Simonett’s passion for nature takes center stage with lines like, “Evergreen and lonely, it is nothing I can’t bear oh, but I wanna see you forever, baby” This line encapsulates my whole conversation with Dave, how his love for nature is everlasting, and he has the desire to preserve the beauty of the world and the relationships that enrich our lives, whether you interpret it to a connection with nature or a deep bond with someone you love. The project also has two appearances from country singer, LeAnn Rimes. LeAnn is a seasoned industry veteran, and she fit perfectly on those songs. One standout song “Out of Time” is a beautifully devastating song, referencing how we do not have as much time as we would have thought. The chorus feels nostalgic, and the song is great in general.
Simonett hails from Duluth, Minnesota, a gritty, blue-collar town with a musical legacy thanks to Bob Dylan. Simonett carries the spirit of his hometown in his values and music. Just as Dylan’s work became a voice for so many, Simonett’s
journey is intertwined with the natural landscape he deeply cherishes, creating folk-like storytelling that respects the environment.
One significant manifestation of Simonett’s appreciation for nature is his conservation efforts, particularly his dedication to preserving the Boundary Waters of Minnesota.
“The Boundary Waters is a place I’ve spent a lot of time, both now and when I was younger. My kids have been up there quite a bit too. It’s the largest wilderness area in the Midwest. As you can imagine, the land is beautiful, but there’s always pressure from people who want to use it for purposes other than preservation. The organization we raised money for,
Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters, focuses on conservation through hunting and fishing, which is something I care deeply about. It was really cool of the Avett Brothers to get involved, even though it’s not their area. We were honored to support this organization,” he said.
Simonett’s dedication to the natural world goes far beyond his advocacy; he has used it for years, ever since he started writing music. He explains, “I lean into the natural world when I write. I spend a lot of time outdoors, and it always finds its way into my songs. I do reflect on the frustration that comes with how people treat the environment, but I try to stay focused on what we can do about it instead of dwelling on the negatives.”
Trampled by Turtles, despite being industry veterans, continues to receive thoughtful recognition. In a recent performance, Zach Bryan joined them on stage. Simonett reflected, “It was really sweet. After 22 years, it’s heartwarming and sometimes surprising to hear how our music affects people. Zach has been awesome; we opened for him last year on his first arena tour, and I have nothing but respect for him and his crew. He went from relative obscurity to mega-stardom fast, which can affect people differently, but Zach stays humble and focused on writing new songs. It was great having him sit in with us the other night since we were in his
neighborhood.”
Beyond his recent collaborations, Simonett’s influences span a wide range, from folk legends like Bob Dylan (of course) to introspective songwriters like Elliott Smith.
“I love Elliott Smith—rest in peace. He was a big influence on me when I was younger. He had this amazing crossover between punk and folk, which was everything I loved when I started writing. I grew up listening to punk rock, but I’ve always leaned toward more Americana and folk, and Elliott was a great example of how you can blend those styles,” he said.
Simonett’s passion for strong songwriting extends to contemporary artists like Big Thief.
“They’re one of my favorite bands,” Simonett said.
“Adrienne Lenker is one of the greatest songwriters around. I was actually just listening to their new project with Tucker Zimmerman this morning. I love all the members individually—Buck Meek’s solo work is great—but Adrienne’s voice is special.”
Experience Trampled by Turtles Live: Upcoming Performance in Kentucky
Trampled by Turtles is currently on a nationwide tour and will be making a stop in Kentucky soon. On December 12, they will perform at Manchester Music Hall in Lexington, with an exciting opening act
“I lean into the natural world when I write. I spend a lot of time outdoors, and it always finds its way into my songs. I do reflect on the frustration that comes with how people treat the environment, but I try to stay focused on what we can do about it instead of dwelling on the negatives.”
by The Last Revel. Fans can stream their new EP, Always Here, on all major streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. For more information and links to streaming, visit their website at trampledbyturtles.com. Don’t miss the chance to experience their music live!
Dave Simonett
sportsmenbwca.org/grouse-up-the-gunflint/ Trampled by Turtles Cooper Baumgartner
BY ROBIN GARR
Hey, everyone! I’ve got to tell you about this really good new Thai place. Open only since early in August, Amazing Thai is living up to its name with fare that’s earning rave reviews from happy diners.
But wait, you say: Didn’t you just review a new Thai eatery last time? Well, yeah! Take Thai on Factory Lane deserved some props too.
But I’ll tell you now what I told you then: Thai cuisine is really good. I’ll dig into a plate full of that any chance I get, and if a third new one opens before the next issue, I’ll probably go there too.
For now, though, I highly recommend a trip to this stylish shopping center dining room on Shelbyville Road just west of Juneau Drive in Middletown. It’s spacious and comfortable, and just about everything on the menu is priced between $10 and $20. Three large screens offer up a variety of Thai cooking videos to keep you occupied, and the food will light up your taste buds.
(For the fearful: Don’t worry if you can’t handle fiery fare. Amazing Thai offers a range of five spice levels, from zero to Thai hot, and in our experience, they’re good at preparing your dish as you like it. They’ll also bring out a handy carrier bearing jars of chile oil, fish sauce and garlic, chopped peanuts, and sugar so you can
tweak your dish to your liking.)
And then there’s this: Amazing Thai is one of the few Thai eateries I’ve found around town that will fashion you a bowl of Thai boat noodles. This traditional Thai noodle dish is named after the fleets of boats that line Bangkok’s beloved canals serving street food delights to passersby.
Boat noodles look a bit like Vietnamese pho, and we could place them in the same category as spicy Southeast Asian noodle-and-meat bowls. But boat noodles are pho’s country cousin, full and hearty with rustic broths and, usually, a variety of meat.
Of course we had to try them. Thai boat noodles ($14.99), identified on the menu as item NS-1, come in a big, round, cone-shaped red and black bowl. A mount of translucent skinny rice noodles were surrounded with a rich, dark, and beefy broth laced with ginger (or the similar Southeast Asian galangal), garlic, the gentle scent of star anise, soy sauce. Beef fat is definitely present but the dish is not at all greasy, the gift of fatty beef cubes, thin slices of well cooked beaf, and a couple of dense, grape-size meatballs. Green garnishes included cilantro, chopped green onion, and a wilted green that might have been Chinese water spinach. It was a spectacular noodle bowl, and came with an unexpected side, a couple of what appeared to be good old pork
rinds but were actually Thai-style pork cracklings – fatty pork skin and meat fried crisp –lighter and more airy than the rural Kentucky roadside treat.
If you come between 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday, it’s worth taking a look at the 20
lunch specials, which mirror larger dinner items but still come in generous portions and pack in an extra egg roll and small bowl of tom yum chicken soup. All that comes for a thrifty $11.95 if you get it with chicken, tofu, or veggies, $13.95 for the beef choice, and $15.95 for the seafood
option, a $3 saving from the dinner price.
We tried this deal with Panang curry ($11.95 on the lunch menu) and were glad we did. A flavorful variation on Thai red curry, it’s a rich hot-and-sour treat with your choice of tofu, chicken, beef. shrimp, fish, or seafood with crisp-tender, bite-size bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, zucchini, and basil in a thick, soupy coconut cream. We ordered it at a controlled 3-level heat and they hit a good balance with pleasant but not painful heat. A scoop of perfect rice sat alongside.
The lunch special came with a single egg roll about the size of a breakfast sausage It arrived sizzling hot, stuffed with finely shredded cabbage, packed in ultra-thin pastry fried dark golden brown, grease free, and shattering crisp.
It also came with a small bowl of chicken tom yum soup, served before the meal as an appetizer at our request. It was truly delicious. testifying to the worldwide popularity of chicken soup in all its international forms. The clear broth carried a rich chicken flavor, loaded with umami and complex with garlic and ginger flavors. Tiny red flecks dotted the top, indicating a chile pepper presence, but the heat was muted. Bits of chopped scallion added color to an otherwise simple broth bathing a single, good-size chunk of flattened boneless chicken white meat.
That is a minor complaint within an excellent meal, though. With a tall glass of Thai iced
Amazing Thai 12336 Shelbyville Road, 384-1914
amazingthai.toast.site
Facebook: bit.ly/AmazingThai502 instagram.com/amazingthai502
coffee ($4.99), our meal for two came to $33.85, plus a $10 tip.
Noise Level: With the room only partly full, conversation was easy in spite of voices from guests at nearby tables. Average sound level was 69.3dB with only occasional higher peaks.
Accessibility: The restaurant and all seating except for some booths appear to be accessible to wheelchair users.
Panang curry shows off the subtle intrigue of Thai cuisine with its hot-and-sour red-curry blend of aromatic flavors and coconut.
Pork rinds? In a Thai restaurant? Almost, but this Thai version brings extra fat to the party, not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Traditionally served from boats on Bangkok’s famed canals, Thai boat noodles resemble Vietnamese pho but boast distinctive Thai character and lots of beefy goodness. Robin Garr
BY TRACY HEIGHTCHEW
Sunday, November 17
Free Speed Cinema
2035 S. 3rd St.
Post-film discussion with filmmakers Mike Elsherif and JohnBen Lacy
As Louisville continues to try and grow a thriving film scene, it’s good to identify a few of your favorite homegrown makers and make an effort to see and champion their work. For years now, starting with their 48 Hour Film Festival-winning entries, I have found the filmmaking partnership of Mike Elsherif and JonBen Lacy just delightful. They make small-scale, deeply felt short films flavored with a touch of whimsy and a haunted sheen over the whole endeavor, usually veering off on an unexpected path.
Their partnership and films also challenge people’s stereotypes about Kentucky overall because they interweave Louisville’s international roots and immigrant communities into the stories. Elsherif brings his experience as a Palestinian-American to the table, having immigrated here with his family from Kuwait after the Persian Gulf War.
In their latest short, Maqluba, written and directed by Elsherif, they turn to his family background (and literal family) to create a low-key mystical film centered on the relationship between a Palestinian-American grandmother and her granddaughter as they unpack after a recent unwanted downsizing move. At cross purposes, they spend an evening together eating maqluba, reading Turkish coffee grounds, and side-eyeing their pain as they deal with transition, bad decisions, and things beyond their control. When the lights go out, the evening takes on an extra layer of foreboding.
The grandmother is played by Amineh Elsherif, the director’s mother, and her grandmotherly tendencies and the relationship on display is very relatable, even if the touchstones are culturally different than my own background. The apartment reminds me distinctly of the Old Louisville
apartments of my college years, and while the city is unnamed, locals will recognize the setting. It is a touching fable about the inter-generational immigrant experience and life in the diaspora, and rich in authenticity.
Elsherif is currently finishing up his Bernheim Forest & Arboretum Artist-in-Residence project, “Inshallah.” He is mixing Bernheim visuals with Hi-8 footage he took during a trip to Palestine back in 2000 to create a travelogue of sorts as a displaced spirit tries to find his way home. After that, keep an eye open for another joint project from the filmmaking pair, “Goodbye Habibi,” a Palestinian superhero short to be shot in 2025. This production is made possible by the Sunbird Stories Production prize from FilmLab Palestine in Ramallah and the first-ever Shireen Abu Akleh Film Grant from the Islamic Scholarship Fund. Not bad for a couple of Kentucky filmmakers on the other side of the world.
Sunday, November 24
Free Speed Cinema 2035 S. 3rd St.
Post-film discussion with filmmakers Imani Dennison, Bryn Silverman and Naveen Chaubal
Imani Dennison is a Louisville born and raised Artist with a capital A, and is currently the head programmer at Black Science Fiction, a collective and incubator space for Black and brown artists who push artistic boundaries in music,
performance, and film.
She will return to Louisville to discuss her newest project “The People Could Fly,” a documentary which centers the history and legacy of roller skating culture in Louisville’s Black community. Less concerned with presenting a straightforward talking heads style doc, Dennison instead weaves together memories, interviews, archival footage, and newly shot material to create a poetic film that illuminates the importance of Black gathering spaces in a (still) segregated city.
Named after the myth written down and popularized by Virginia Hamilton, “The People Could
Fly” is a hyper-local love letter to roller rinks as sanctuaries, and a celebration of Black Joy. And there’s a little Sun-Ra in there too.
Both of “Maqluba” and “The People Could Fly” are Sunday Showcase films, shown as part of Oswley Sundays in which general admission to the Speed Art Museum is free. See new, lovingly made films, meet your local filmmakers, AND see what the Speed has on display. That’s an afternoon well spent.
BY T.E. LYONS
Is this the time to hear or read the tale of an undocumented immigrant? With a true-life saga as gripping as “Solito: A Memoir,” as soon as possible is what’s right. Perhaps the only unfortunate matter with timing is that poet/memoirist Javier Zamora’s arrival in Louisville — to accept an award as part of Spalding University’s semi-annual Festival of Contemporary Writing, and to speak at the public library’s main branch — comes after this year’s very consequential Election Day. Matters of immigration and the U.S. southern border may be on the top of mind for many, and Zamora’s appearance a week late might bring about some feelings of lost opportunity.
The poetry he’s written throughout his adult life includes bravura collection “Unaccompanied,” and a total body of work that has brought him fellowships at Stanford and Harvard. But “Solito” is first-person creative nonfiction reflecting the most trying days of his life — when at age 9, Zamora
journeyed from El Salvador toward the destination where his parents had gone before — to California.
His father arrived in America nearly a decade ago, and his mother followed a few years later. They dutifully sent money to the relatives caring for Javier—including funds intended to eventually get the boy across the multiple borders and unforgiving landscapes. Funds that would go into the hands of someone they’d have to trust as their son’s guide and protector. Or as they’re now referred to: coyote.
All of the Javier’s family, and the people around his small hometown, speak with anticipation about his “trip,” while payments are passed around and plans made. Out in the wilds, especially through the desert and across the path of those with guns (whether or not they also have uniforms), damn little will go according to plan.
“Every pollero promises us vans we never make it to…”—but the word of eventual importance is
we. Young Javier finds fellow travelers along the haphazard route — and some sympathetic souls in similar plight become just enough of a familia that there is companionship. Additional eyes to watch out and alternative perspectives as to what might be a trap, or who might have an idea of where to find a little food or water. And who might turn out to betray, be cowardly… be like Marcelo. Goodbye to the coyote.
Zamora writes with exquisite tactile sensory detail. Many of his casual metaphors sing of little wonders in nature and shelter. (Of twilight, just after the birds go quiet: “Small brown bats take over, making noises like keys hitting keys, or like zippers hitting metal.”) These observations blend the original child’s-eye interpretation with the discipline of meter and vocabulary that Zamora has since mastered.
The dialogue exchanges easily take on the burden of weighing hope and fear, expressed
through a pre-adolescent’s all-too-understandable vulnerability and his attempts to take some things in stride. But at other times he must summon courage, sometimes as if he was in an action film. And in the last reel, “The Six” has become four who have reached a safe house — across the final border, but nowhere near the end of an anxiety that’s always alongside their determination. But for the youngest of them, there is a final moment, expressed on the page in sweet understatement, and readers will greet it with a sigh if not tears.
Tuesday Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. Javier Zamora will be at Louisville Free Public Library, 301 York Street. Event is free but registration is requested (LFPL.org/ Authors; 574-1644).
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Week of November 6
ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I rarely recommend acquisitive behavior. But my analysis of the astrological omens tells me you now have cosmic authorization to indulge in a sublime version of voracity. We might also refer to it as a license to practice a spiritually correct variety of greed. Here’s the fine print: You should NOT interpret this as permission to amass materialistic treasures and status symbols. Instead, the things you gather will be rich feelings, encounters with inspiring beauty, epiphanies about your divine purpose, and exquisite states of consciousness. You can also ask for and receive colossal supplies of love and affection.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The last time I ate a hamburger was in 1994. I doubt I will ever eat another. Why? The taste is not enjoyable to me, and no matter how well I chew it, my stomach always rebels. There’s an additional problem: For several reasons, cattle farming is a significant factor causing the climate crisis. I would rather not contribute to that decimation. Does my attitude toward hamburgers mean I am a judgmental, close-minded zealot? No, it doesn’t. I don’t proselytize to those who relish burgers, especially if they take other measures to reduce their carbon footprint. In this horoscope, dear Taurus, I am illustrating an approach I hope you will cultivate in the coming weeks. Be extra zealously devoted to your ideals and proclivities without condemning and dismissing those who don’t share them.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): There are numerous approaches to getting good results from meditation. One is to sit silently and still in a tranquil sanctuary. Another is to lie on the ground under a dark sky and beseech the stars to bestow inspiration. One of my personal favorites is to sing rowdy hymns to birds, insects, and trees while hiking vigorously in nature. How many other varieties can you imagine, Gemini? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to develop and expand your meditation skills. Here’s a key consideration: How can you achieve maximum fun while meditating? I recommend you free your mind to experiment with a host of interesting approaches.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): If there was ever an appropriate time for you to indulge in creatively rowdy thoughts and inspirationally unruly behavior, it would be now. Life is giving you license to de-emphasize decorum and formalities—and to emphasize boisterous enthusiasm and plucky adventures. For the sake of your mental health, I
believe you need to engage in experimental improvisations that include maverick expressions. What areas of your life need liberation? What feelings need to be released from their constraints? What worn-out old theories and opinions should be abandoned?
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are your talents even slightly underrated and overlooked by others, Leo? Have your gifts received less than the full appreciation they deserve? Could you be of greater service and inspiration to your fellow humans if only your offerings were better known? If you answered yes to any of those questions, I’m pleased to tell you that the coming months should bring remedies. Life will be conspiring with you to help spread your influence and boost your clout.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I wish it were true that the forces of darkness are lined up in opposition to the forces of light. Life would be so much easier for you. But I’m afraid it’s not that simple and clear. In my view, a more accurate metaphor might be that the energies of smokey grey are squaring off with the energies of dusky beige. Each side has a touch of both wrongness and rightness, a bit of ugliness and beauty. So what is the most honorable role you can play in this showdown? My suggestion is to develop a third side, an alternate way.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In the early part of his career, Libran author Mario Puzo wrote short stories and novels, but never a screenplay. At age 49, he was asked by director Francis Ford Coppola to co-write the script for the film The Godfather. It turned out to be a sensational rookie effort. He was ultimately awarded an Academy Award for it, and later garnered another Oscar for his screenplay for The Godfather Part II. It was only then that Puzo realized he had found his calling and decided he should study the art of screenwriting. In the first chapter of the first book he bought about the subject, he read with great amusement that the ideal screenplay was the one by Mario Puzo for The Godfather. I bring this story to your attention, Libra, because you are approaching a time with resemblances to Puzo’s situation before Coppola solicited his work. Trust your rookie instincts!
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the life cycle of a butterfly, the earliest stages are larva and pupa. As a larva, the future beauty crawls around as a caterpillar, cramming itself with nutritive substance. After it transitions into the pupa state, it’s inert for a while, working on the inside of its cocoon to transform itself into its ultimate form. I don’t want to be too
literal about the comparison, but my sense is that your time as a larva will last another two months, whereupon you will begin your pupa phase. When will you emerge as a winged creature? It depends on how earnestly you work as a pupa, but I expect no later than March 2025.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, is one of the most innovative and imaginative songwriters ever. Many of his compositions have become bestselling hit tunes. But he had a rough start in his craft. The first song he ever wrote was “Surfin.’” He submitted it to fulfill an assignment in his high school music class, but his teacher gave it an F, the lowest possible grade. Fifty-eight years later, Wilson returned to the school for a visit, and the new principal changed his original grade to an A. I foresee a comparable event occurring in your life sometime soon: a vindication, restitution, or reparation.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Earlier this year, 79-year-old rock singer Rod Stewart performed his greatest hits during a multi-city tour in many countries. “I shall never retire!” he proclaimed. Can you guess what astrological sign he is? Capricorn, of course. Many members of your tribe age very well, displaying stamina and vitality into later life. I bring this to your attention because I think you are close to discovering new secrets and tricks that will serve you well as you ripen. Here are some meditations that might be helpful: 1. What haven’t you been ready to do before, but might be soon? 2. What fun things would you love to be doing years from now, and how could you seed their future growth?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Scientists have discovered the fossil remains of over 700 dinosaur species buried underground. But the experts agree there are many more down there. Previously unknown species are still being unearthed every year. Let’s use these facts as a metaphor for your life in the coming months. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you could learn a host of fresh truths about your history. You may have imagined that your past is finished and finalized, but it’s not. I encourage you to have fun hunting for revelations and investigations that will transform the story of your life.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You haven’t fully tapped into all of your vast potentials, Pisces. Latent talents and aptitudes within you may still be at least partially dormant. It’s even possible that some of your future powers are so foreign to your self-concept that they will feel like magic when they finally come into full expression. Now here’s the very good news: The coming months will be an excellent time to figure out what you need to do to express a more complete version of yourself.
Homework: Maybe it would be beneficial to narrow your range of choices in one area of your life.
BY DAN SAVAGE
Hey Dan: This debate is raging again, Dan, and we need you to issue a ruling: Do straight women belong in gay bars?
Some (straight women, gay bars), not all (straight women, gay bars).
Hey Dan: Why do men keep ghosting me after sex? I’m a 25-year-old woman.
No clue. You could’ve had a string of bad luck — and fucked half a dozen (or more) shitty guys in a row — or it could be something you’re doing wrong. Even if you don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, once you’ve noticed a pattern of behavior and/or results that makes you unhappy, it’s a good idea to make some changes. Make an effort to meet different kinds of guys in different kinds of way, slow your roll/slow your hole, and be take some time along the way to engage in constructive introspection and make further changes/course corrections, as needed.
Hey Dan: How do I stop people from falling in love with me when they meet me?
Put that MAGA hat on.
Hey Dan: Do all straight men secretly want something up the ass?
Considering that not all gay men want something up the ass — not tongues, not dicks, not toys — I feel pretty confident saying not all straight men want something up the ass. What’s different now is that straight men who do want something up their asses are less likely to feel shame and more likely to ask people — randos, FWBs, sex workers, romantic partners, spouses, etc. — to put something up their asses.
Hey Dan: How do you stop wanting what you can’t have?
By focusing on something you can actually get — or someone you can actually get — and then willing yourself to believe you wanted this other something/someone as much or more than you wanted the something/someone you couldn’t have.
Hey Dan: How do I stay GGG even though I hate getting any kind of hair — including mine — in my mouth? The longer the hair, the worse it feels!
Three options come to mind: seek out sex partners with alopecia; keep a hair clipper in on bathroom sink and tell new sex partners a quick trim gets them oral; or make a kinky virtue of irrational hangup and actively pursue perverts who get
off on being ordered to keep their bodies hairless.
Hey Dan: Are friends of exes or exes of friends always off limits?
No and no — and since anyone who believes they can declare exes or friends off limits needs to learn that they don’t actually have the power to do that, you’re doing people like that a favor when you fuck their friends and exes.
Hey Dan: Is it okay to set up an online dating profile just to see what’s out there?
It is — but going places and doing things, e.g., joining and volunteering and partying, remains the single best way to see what’s out there.
Hey Dan: My wife lost all interest in sex ten years ago but insists I remain monogamous. Arguments often end with her angrily saying, “No one owes you sex.” What can I say in response to that?
“No one owes you celibacy.”
Hey Dan:. How do you discreetly sniff an uncut cock? Dick cheese is awful.
When someone says, “I wanna inhale your cock,” it’s typically not meant literally. (No one wants to aspirate a dick.) Another expression that usually isn’t meant literally: “Passing the smell test.” But if you’re gonna be face down in someone’s crotch, you’re gonna inhale at some point... so, why not inhale right away? And if someone fails that smell test, tell them to go jump in the shower — unless you consider showing up with a dirty dick in the first place to be disqualifying, in which case you can and should tell them to take their dirty dick elsewhere.
Hey Dan: Just went exclusive with a new partner last night and this morning an old sexy fling hit me up. For fuck’s sake! What do I do?
If a single text message from a long-ago fling was all it took to make you regret going exclusive with your new partner last night… it was quite obviously a mistake to go exclusive with your new partner at all.
Hey Dan: What websites should I use to post my foot photos to make $$$?
“I’ve done it — I’ve sold some foot pics — and there can be some money in it,” said Tyler Tanner, who has been creating, sharing, and monetizing his adult content online for three years. “The best places to post foot photos would be OnlyFans and maybe Feetfinder. But whether you make money or not really depends on how good you are at marketing, just like any other product!” Tyler Tanner is on Instagram and YouTube @ TylerTannerX.
Hey Dan:. How admirable is it to work as a fetish porn star in 2024?
A fetish porn star — or a humble porn content creator — is more admirable than a rightwing standup comic.
Hey Dan:. How to keep the sex life alive on the long, hard road to conceiving with infertility issues?
If you’ve been trying to conceive the old-fashioned way for a while, vaginal intercourse may feel like a chore. If you’ve moved on to fertility treatments like IUI or IVF, vaginal intercourse — at least for the moment — may symbolize of your failure to conceive without assistance. My advice: take PIV off the menu and enjoy other kinds of sex that symbolize (and provide) pure pleasure, i.e., oral sex, mutual masturbation, frottage, anal play (if you’re into that), etc.
Hey Dan: I’ve always wanted a straight man to use me as the faggot I’m meant to be used as. I wanna beg him to stop and for him to just get rougher the more I beg. I’m done when he says I’m done.
Thanks for sharing — and since very few actual straight men would ever wanna use you the way you describe wanting to be used, you can jack off all you want about this CNC scene, secure in the knowledge that it’s never gonna happen.
Hey Dan:. A friend drunkenly confessed having feelings for me. This person happens to be a close childhood friend’s ex-partner. We actually met me through my childhood friend. Part of me feels giddy about this confession (I like this person!), but I would never want to hurt or betray my childhood friend. Should I tell my childhood friend what happened and seek their blessing? Or should I distance myself from the friend that confessed feelings?
If you wanna date this person, you should date this person. You should give your close childhood friend a heads up — as a courtesy — but your childhood friend doesn’t have a veto and, if they’re a good friend, they won’t want a veto.
Hey Dan: What’s the best way to find a loaf of gay bread and make a fuck sandwich? Gay guy here who wants to be the meat in one.
My single gay friends are constantly complaining to me — of all people — that they never meet singleand-available guys online or out in the bars. All they’re meeting are partnered guys in open relationships and/or couples seeking thirds for an evening, a weekend, or a lifetime. So, finding that loaf of gay bread — finding a gay couple seeking meat — shouldn’t be that hard. Get on the apps, go the bars.
Hey Dan: His libido is much lower than mine. Could this work over the long term? I feel rejected.
If what you were feeling was deprived, opening the relationship up could resolve those feelings, since being with your partner wouldn’t mean being deprived of sex, allowing the relationship — barring other issues —to work over the long term. But if what you’re feeling is rejected, opening things up is unlikely to make you feel better in the short or long term, since your primary partner wouldn’t be any more interested in fucking you than they already are.
Hey Dan:. I’m a 35-year-old married transgender man. I started my transition when I was in my 20s.
My wife is 100% straight. I’ve recently started being open about being queer and being attracted to men. As I get older, I keep finding myself longing to fuck a cis man. At times it’s the only thought that gets me turned on. I’ve been married for ten years. My wife is pretty uptight. Open relationships and ENM is NOT an option. What do I do? Suck it up?
You have exactly three options: honor the monogamous commitment you made (and suck it the fuck up), dishonor the monogamous commitment you made (and risk getting caught), or issue an ultimatum and demand some degree of openness (and risk getting divorced). I wish there were another option — people write every day hoping that I’ll find a magical fourth option that doesn’t involve going without, becoming a cheating piece of shit, or issuing painful ultimatums that could blow up their marriages — but there are only these three options.
Hey Dan: I’m a mid-thirties gay male. I recently finally came to terms with my sexuality. I was previously married to a woman for ten years and we were monogamous the whole time and had a pretty normal sex life. But as soon as I had gay sex, it felt natural to me. My biggest concern is that I get so in my head when I have sex with men, especially when it comes to topping. This often results in me losing my erection. I’ve tried Viagra and Cialis, and they’ve helped but there have been times that I take the meds and even then, I’ll lose the erection. How do I enjoy the moment if I’m constantly worried I’ll lose my erection?
By telling yourself you can enjoy the moment — and enjoy the man — even if you don’t have an erection.
Hey Dan: Is it okay to use the same sex toys you’ve used with your ex when you’re with a new person?
Yes.
Hey Dan: I started dating a guy seven months ago and three months in we were arguing constantly. Every time something went wrong, he would say he was done with me, and I would block him. Then he would text me from a different number, claim he didn’t mean it, and tell me he loved me. What should I do?
Stop falling for it/him.
Hey Dan: On the homepage of pornhub.com the word «step» (as in stepmom, stepbrother, stepsister) appears 12 times. Is fauxcest really what everybody wants? When did this happen, and why?
Someone — I think it was a Savage Love reader — observed that stepparent and stepsibling scenarios brought a veneer of transgression and eroticized power imbalances to what would otherwise be regarded as straightforward vanilla sex.
Read the full column at LeoWeekly.com
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
BY JERRY MICCOLIS
EDITED BY JOEL FAGLIANO
Jerry Miccolis is a retired actuary and financial executive who splits his time between the Garden State (Basking Ridge, N.J.) and the Garden Isle (Kauai, Hawaii). He spends his days as a playwright, math tutor, softball player and volunteer with NASA’s Solar System Ambassador program. This puzzle’s theme riffs on the same idea as his New York Times debut of July 17, 2016, which was titled ‘‘Double Features.’’ Across
1 ‘‘Yikes!’’
5 Italian sauce whose name sounds like a French stew
9 Last word
14 It can bust one’s bracket
19 Island west of Komodo National Park 20 Privy to 21 Call to mind
22 10th of 24
23 Marquee at the Tri-Plex mistaken as a promo for ‘‘Godzilla’’?
26 Island, designated historic site for both New York and New Jersey
27 Fantasy-football fodder
28 Something seen framed in a Zoom background, perhaps
29 Honors for David Beckham and Leona Lewis: Abbr.
31 Bandmate of Keith for 60-plus years
32 Hasten, old-style
34 Rival of Forbes
35 Futuristic microscopic machine
37 ‘‘E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial’’?
43 Essen exclamations
45 Bile
46 Band whose name is sometimes rendered with a backward B
47 Grave words?
48 ‘‘While I nodded nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping’’ poet
49 alai
50 Sam who directed ‘‘Spider-Man’’
52 D-Day craft: Abbr.
53 With 112-Down, a small laugh
54 ‘‘Independence Day’’?
59 Having had a few bites, say
60 What this is
61 Mediterranean condiment
62 ‘‘Mon ____!’’
63 Liturgical vestment
65 Center
67 At sea
71 Suitor of Christine in ‘‘The Phantom of the Opera’’
73 Kind of shell that’s easily broken
74 Novelist whose name is synonymous with nightmarish absurdity
75 ‘‘Rush Hour’’?
81 ‘‘Devilish’’ cartoon character
82 Publishing V.I.P.s
83 Like golden eagles vis-à-vis bald eagles, in the United States
84 Unsafe?
85 Modern H.R. initiative
86 Bryn Mawr grad, e.g.
88 Nag
89 Connections
90 One in a line at a grocery store
91 ‘‘Insomnia’’?
96 Person with attachment issues, perhaps
97 ‘‘The Strife Is ____, the Battle Done’’ (hymn) 98 Detergent brand 99 Baja resort town, familiarly 101 Sidle, longtime role on ‘‘C.S.I.’’ 102 Moving-day leftovers 104 Overseas refusals 108 Holding nothing back 110 ‘‘Sex and the City’’?
113 ‘‘Welcome’’ introduction?
114 Texas A&M athlete
115 Girl’s name that sounds like two adjacent letters
116 Singer Horne 117 Mount
118 Detritus at the bottom of a bag of bagels 119 Variety 120 Novelist Johnson who won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for fiction
1 Subsides 2 Walk way?
3 Aquarium growth 4 ‘‘Check it out, man!’’
5 Narrow inlet
6 Antonio López de Santa ____, three-time president of Mexico
7 Finally saw through a deception
8 Emasculates
9 Ward (off)
E.R. lines
0% 12 Japanese art of flower arrangement
Star in Venus’s orbit? 14 Island strings 15 Ingredient in some lipsticks, pizza dough and biodiesel 16 Cause of a hung jury
Assignment
Marine menace
Sensitive subject
Pioneering computer
Harsh
From what place
Actor-turned-policeman Estrada
Jazz singer Cleo
PCs
Ending with teen
42 ‘‘That’s a ____!’’ (chemist’s punny observation)
43 Garden invader
44 Raccoon relative
49 Partner of pride
50 Small brook
51 Illness with chills
52 Island rings
55 Roil
56 Give a lecture, say
57 Sported
58 Seasoned rice dish
63 Listing agent’s condition
64 Voting day: Abbr.
65 Feature of some English gardens
66 ‘‘Happy Birthday’’ writer, sometimes
68 Athlete’s out-of-character performance, say
69 Lift-ticket purchaser
70 Unspoken
72 Word after hidden or political
73 Calorie-rich cake
74 Apt name for a veterinarian
75 Ankle bones
76 Sky shade
77 Claim on an egg carton
78 Woodworking tool
79 Tennille of Captain & Tennille
80 Charlotte (dessert)
81 Shooting marble
87 Aide-____ (mnemonic device)
88 Nobility
89 ‘‘Let’s do this thing!’’
90 Creator of colorful crafts
92 Woolly pack animals
93 Origin
94 Hexad
95 Rubik of puzzle-cube fame
99 Coral islets
100 Quite often
102 Sweeties, informally
103 Barbershop sound
105 Barely made, with ‘‘out’’
106 Poke-bowl ingredient
107 Overcommunicate, say
109 Low, famed English pirate
111 Secreted
112 See 53-Across
