Riverfront Times, December 20, 2023

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

DECEMBER 20-26, 2023

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DECEMBER 20-26, 2023

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Owner and Chief Executive Officer Chris Keating Executive Editor Sarah Fenske

E D I T O R I A L Managing Editor Jessica Rogen Editor at Large Daniel Hill Staff Writers Ryan Krull, Monica Obradovic Arts & Culture Writer Paula Tredway Dining Critic Cheryl Baehr Theater Critic Tina Farmer Music Critic Steve Leftridge Contributors Aaron Childs, Max Bouvatte, Thomas Crone, Mike Fitzgerald, Cliff Froehlich, Eileen G’Sell, Reuben Hemmer, Braden McMakin, Tony Rehagen, Mabel Suen, Theo Welling Columnists Chris Andoe, Dan Savage Intern Peter Cohen

COVER

A R T

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P R O D U C T I O N

Art Director Evan Sult Creative Director Haimanti Germain

St. Louis Literary Cribs

Graphic Designer Aspen Smit

M U L T I M E D I A

A D V E R T I S I N G

Great authors slept here. From mansions to desiccated parking lots, here are the local spots they called home

Directors of Business Development

Cover illustration by

Circulation Manager Kevin G. Powers

SAM WASHBURN

B I G

Publisher Colin Bell Account Manager Jennifer Samuel Tony Burton, Rachel Hoppman

C I R C U L A T I O N

L O U

H O L D I N G S

Executive Editor Sarah Fenske Vice President of Digital Services Stacy Volhein Digital Operations Coordinator Elizabeth Knapp

INSIDE Front Burner News Missouriland Feature Calendar Cafe Short Orders Reeferfront Times Culture Music Stage Film Out Every Night Savage

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Director of Operations Emily Fear Chief Financial Officer Guillermo Rodriguez Chief Executive Officer Chris Keating

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N A T I O N A L

A D V E R T I S I N G

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DECEMBER 20-26, 2023

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FRONT BURNER

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11. The Post-Dispatch reports that the once high-flying St. Louis developer Green Street is in trouble — it owes $800K in unpaid taxes and is getting hit with lawsuits from numerous contractors. Even the St. Louis Board of Aldermen is considering turning off the spigot for tax incentives. That’s how you know it’s dire! Speaking of tax incentives, remember Asprient/STL CityWide/Lux Living, which the city was happy to give tax breaks to even as tenants complained bitterly about living conditions? Residents of the Ely Walker Lofts downtown have blamed STL CityWide owners Vic Alston and Sid Chakraverty for buying up a majority of units, taking over the condo board and then running the place into the ground.

Now the trustee appointed to take over operations tells a judge they can’t help out after all. Boo! TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12. After an uneven start, Craig Berube is out as the coach of the St. Louis Blues. Guess that Stanley Cup four short years ago wasn’t enough.

City SC aside, it’s just not a good year for St. Louis sports. Meanwhile, the Saint Louis Zoo says Raja the Asian elephant will be shipped to Columbus, Ohio, poor guy. He was the first elephant born at the zoo 31 years ago and has already sired three li’l

Previously On LAST WEEK IN ST. LOUIS elephants. Poor Raja’s such a stud, they need to move him around the country to ensure the species’ survival. Imagine your sex life being that important!

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13. St. Louis Circuit Court judges want the ability to hire their own security staff, which would strip hiring power from Sheriff Vernon Betts. He calls the plan “malarkey,” which sounds Biden-esque in a not very good way. Meanwhile, St. Louis County is trying to figure out how to eliminate a $14 million budget deficit. Might they have to walk back the property tax freeze recently bestowed on seniors? But, but, seniors vote!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14. State Representative Sarah Unsicker (D-Twitter) announces she’s dropping out of the race for Missouri attorney general — but not because she regrets libeling her Jewish opponents as potential “foreign

4 QUESTIONS for champion baker Lia Holter If you caught season four of TLC’s Next Great Baker, you’re undoubtedly a fan of Lia Holter and her Made. by Lia Craft Bakery (610 Rue Street, Florissant; 314-551-2383). Holter’s love of baking began with her family’s Christmas cookies, and so her new cookbook Made. by Lia’s Christmas Cookies features both childhood favorites as well as bakery staples.

Holter recently joined us to share how her baking journey began — and her favorite Christmas cookie. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get into baking?

I’ve been baking ever since I was a little kid. Christmas cookie day with my big Italian family is where I fell in love with the kitchen. We would make hundreds and hundreds of cookies with my great grandma, my grandma, my mom and my sisters. So that’s where I fell in love, and I knew that I wanted to find a job in the kitchen and be able to do something that I love doing every day. That’s kind of why I wrote this Christmas cookie book because that’s really where it all began.

What was it like being on Next Great Baker?

I lived in New Jersey for like two months, and we filmed every day.

It was super exhausting and grueling. It was, like, 15- to 20-hour film days. But I kept winning each week, and I was like, “I actually have a chance to win.” And it just so happened that my team won.

That’s really what helped get Made. by Lia started because I started it in 2012 just as a little Facebook page for friends and family to order from. Then I won Next Great Baker in 2014, and Made. by Lia grew overnight. There were all these orders, and I was baking out of my little tiny apartment. I didn’t know how I was going to keep up with the demand. So in 2015, I moved to Central West End in the Cortex District. I was a brand ambassador for AB Mauri, and they let me use their state-of-the-art baking facility. I couldn’t have customers come

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agents.” No, the Shrewbury politician is doubling down on her nonsense, saying that one of her terminally online friends has filed a criminal complaint against Democratic opponent Elad Gross, so it would supposedly be a conflict of interest for Unsicker to stay in the race. Good riddance. Her press release quitting the Democratic primary calls for Gross to withdraw from the race and “public life.”

Gross tells us he’s staying in the race — oh, and also, “I’m pretty sure I’m not working for the Israeli government here.”

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Virginia), who promised to make it “painful” if Congress’ defense spending bill did not include funding for St. Louisans exposed to radioactive contamination, fails in his quest, as the bill sails through both House and Senate without said funding. It’s a bummer to have such an impotent senator.

Also, the Israeli military accidentally

kills three hostages who apparently escaped their captors or were released, and approached their own military waving white flags — yet were wrongly seen as a threat. Heartbreaking.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16. It’s a rainy Saturday, and the Teamsters vote to authorize a strike at A-B’s North American breweries, including the Soulard flagship. The union says 99 percent of its membership voted yes, which could lead to walkouts. Meanwhile, a St. Louis woman now faces criminal charges for threatening to shoot a Lyft driver in the head after he insisted he couldn’t drive her kids without car seats. Unsurprisingly, KSDK reports, she already has a pending felony case in St. Louis County, this one for stealing from Kohl’s.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 17. It’s finally a little bit cold in St. Louis but not bad for December, really. Also, just as all good St. Louisans are heading to bed, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake shakes Illinois — and you can feel the tremors as far west as South Grand. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake was 10 miles underground in Mount Vernon, Illinois.

Note to self: Do not Google “New Madrid disaster.”

in, but I was able to produce a lot of my products and still do catering and weddings. Then in 2019, in the middle of COVID, I opened up my first brick-andmortar, and we’ve been there for about three years now.

What made you decide to come out with a Christmas cookie cookbook?

I kind of woke up one morning early in November and was like, “I’m going to make a bunch of cookies today, take a bunch of pictures and then turn it into a cookbook.” I did it in under a week’s time, which is kind of crazy. It was something I wanted to get out this year because on Lia Holter won TLC’s Next Great Baker, and now the back of the book it announcshe’s sharing all her tricks. | COURTESY PHOTO es the coming of my actual baking book that will be launched next year. It will include a lot more of the pastries, breads and scones we have at the bakery, but also a lot of my family favorites and traditions.

What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

It’s an Italian sesame cookie, but we call it giuggiulena. It’s kind of a take on a Scottie — you dip it in your coffee and just one taste of it brings me right back to being at my childhood home. There’s a certain method of rolling them and dipping them in the sesame seeds, and it just fills my heart with so much joy. Besides that one, it would be our ginger doodles. They’re a really chewy kind of molasses and we dunk them in white chocolate. They’re so good. —Paula Tredway

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WEEKLY WTF?!

Ouch. | EMILY WOODBURY

STOP SIGN WATCH Where: Pernod and Clifton avenues, Northampton When: 2 p.m. Sunday, December 10 What: a symbol of our beleaguered city No, really: It was made of cheap-ass corrugated material when fiberglass was required. It was shot at, whipped by the wind and bent. Yet it’s still here. So are we. Merry Christmas, y’all.

15 SECONDS OF FAME KNIFE ENTHUSIAST OF THE WEEK

Christopher Manley

Sometimes, it’s not the crime but simply the expression on a man’s face that earns him a viral moment — and so it was for Christopher Manley, a man of unknown age and unknown address who popped into a south county White Castle on a random Tuesday and just went apeshit.

St. Louis County police say Manley threw items around the store, ripped a monitor from the counter and spat on the manager. All bad enough. Even worse: When they arrested him, they found 12 knives on his person, and he angrily told police, “If you pick me up ever again, I will wrap these cuffs around your neck and choke you to death. It ain’t a hollow threat, it’s a promise.

Christopher Manley. | ST. LOUIS COUNTY JAIL You can lock me up for that, too.”

And so they did. Manley is now being held in the county jail on a $75,000 cash-only bond. But his face?

His face is famous. Congratulations, good sir. You spat your way into the RFT.

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NEWS

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Brutal Bus Beating Haunts Trans Woman The FBI is investigating the April attack as a hate crime Written by

MONICA OBRADOVIC

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ydney Maisie was on her way to a job interview in Webster Groves when her bus ride turned horribly wrong.

On the afternoon of April 13, a man entered the MetroBus she was on. He only had a $20 bill to pay the bus’ $1 fare. Buses don’t give change, and the man made a “huge scene” about how he had to shell out $20 to enter. So the bus driver allowed the man to board the bus and gave him back his $20, causing him to “gleefully” gloat about his free ride to one man, showing him his $20, according to Maisie.

The new passenger, a Black man with a medium build who authorities are still trying to identify, eventually made his way to the back of the bus and sat in a corner. Maisie, a transgender woman, was in a row in front of him. Her instincts told her “don’t interact, don’t interact” as the man spoke to himself and glanced at her.

At one point, Maisie says he motioned for her to come over and sit next to him, which she interpreted as flirting. She declined his advances, saying, “No thanks, I’d rather not.” The man came toward her anyway.

“In a frustrated tone that sounded disappointed, he said, ‘Man, you sound like an old man,’” Maisie recalls. “I was like, ‘Huh?’ And that’s when he started to beat the fuck out of me.”

What happened for the next 90 seconds or so would shock St. Louis in its brutality. The assault, all captured by a MetroBus security camera, involved the man punching, slapping, kicking and threatening Maisie with a handgun.

Sydney Maisie was on her way to a job interview when she was attacked on a MetroBus. | COURTESY SYDNEY MAISIE The FBI has launched a hate crime investigation into the assault and released footage of the incident last week to announce a $10,000 reward for information on the man’s identity. FBI spokesperson Rebecca Naber says the agency is following up on tips it received.

Maisie, who last week spoke about the incident for the first time to a reporter, says she still has “trauma flashbacks” when she rides the bus.

It’s “haunting” to know the man is still out there, Maisie adds.

But Maisie is also keenly aware that what happened to her isn’t rare. According to the FBI’s latest hate crime statistics, there was a “significant increase” of antitransgender incidents in 2022.

What’s more, on the day the FBI released the footage and Maisie’s assault made headlines, other local stories illustrated the reality of violence in the city. It was the same day a 12-year-old shot his mom’s boyfriend in the head, and news broke that a St. Louis man had been charged with two firearm-related felonies after pulling a gun on a woman he met through a dating app.

“Shit like this happens all the time,” Maisie says. “It’s just another headline.”

Yet as far as attacks on MetroBuses, Kevin Scott, general manag-

er of security for Bi-State Development, tells the RFT that incidents like Maisie’s assault are very rare.

When asked if there were any security measures in place that could have prevented Maisie’s assault, particularly in regard to the assailant’s gun, Scott says it’s not possible to “scan” riders at all 59 bus routes in MetroTransit’s three-jurisdiction scope.

But the agency does employ public safety personnel who patrol bus routes and transit centers and respond to calls for help. Security guards and police officers, including some from SLMPD, according to Scott, ride the buses.

“We can’t have a police officer on every bus, but we try to create a dynamic where police officers in overtime and off-duty capacity ride some of our buses for visibility and comfort,” Scott says.

There wasn’t a security guard or police officer on Maisie’s bus, and it kept traveling its route while Maisie was attacked.

Even through the chaos of it all, Maisie says she remembers questioning why it seemed as if no one else on the packed bus reacted. “Why were there no turning heads?” She remembers kicking back and screaming “Somebody help me!”

“Nobody’s going to help you here!” Maisie says the man said as he pulled out his gun.

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“No one seemed to notice until after I was on the ground in a fetal position [and] in tears,” Maisie says.

The man eventually stopped.

Maisie is unsure why. In the minute after the bus came to a stop, the man left.

Surprisingly, Maisie had no serious injuries and did not go to a hospital. She did, however, experience extreme pain throughout her body in the weeks afterward. She was bruised for about a month.

Maisie was on her way to a second job interview at a massage clinic in Webster Groves (she didn’t end up rescheduling the interview). The inner-ring suburb is not too far from St. Louis’ Shaw neighborhood, where Maisie boarded the bus that day. Yet she notes that what would take a car just 10 to 15 minutes on the road involved a two-hour trip on the bus with three different stops, Maisie says.

Maisie is a staunch supporter of public transit, and still uses it exclusively. Even so, she wonders if things would have been different if St. Louis’ system was safer or more efficient.

“It shows how big of a failure public transit is in St. Louis,” Maisie says. “It’s not safe. Like nobody should have a gun on the bus. But he did.” n

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Jail Oversight Board Members Quit Janis Mensah and Mike Milton both blasted the mayor’s office in their resignation letters Written by

RYAN KRULL

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wo members of the civilian board tasked with overseeing jail operations in St. Louis resigned in a period of two days last week.

Board member Mike Milton released a resignation letter Thursday addressed to Detention Facility Oversight Board Chair Darryl Gray and Ruby Bonner, the deputy commissioner of the Division of Civilian Oversight. He called the oversight board “idle and ineffective” just one day after the oversight board’s vice chair, Janis Mensah, also resigned with a blistering letter.

Both Mensah and Milton expressed frustration with being unable to access the jail or even complaints made by staff or detainees. Earlier this year, Mensah was also arrested in the lobby of the City Justice Center while seeking information about a person who’d died in the jail.

Mensah’s letter read in full, “Warden Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah should be fired. The City Justice Center should be closed. Mayor Tishaura Jones should be ashamed. I resign.”

Milton’s letter is longer. Milton writes that he joined the board because he wanted to make jails safer for the people locked up inside them. Milton was nominated to be on the board by Jones in 2021.

“Mayor Jones made a number of progressive campaign promises of transparency, accountability and reimagining public safety,” he writes. “I expected a sincere effort to disrupt the state violence in our city, but instead we’ve faced constant obstruction.”

He writes that after “18 months of obstruction from the administration and the jail commissioner,” he’s come to believe that the mayor’s office “does not want to take claims of injustice seriously.” He goes on to say that he’s been blocked from receiving detainee complaints and other data required to do the job he was purportedly appointed to do.

He writes, “It’s clear to me now, the board was never designed to change the systemic violence in the jail, it was designed to give the illusion of progress while maintaining the status quo.”

Between the two resignations, the Board of Aldermen Public Safety Committee held a hearing about the jail, which included testimony from Director of Public Safety Charles Coyle.

Coyle told the aldermen that his

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Mike Milton called the oversight board “idle and ineffective.” | DANNY WICENTOWSKI

“It’s clear to me now, the board was never designed to change the systemic violence in the jail, it was designed to give the illusion of progress while maintaining the status quo.” department is trying to ameliorate the low staffing at the jail, which is seen by many as the main cause behind the facility’s many woes. He said that the City Justice Center is offering a $3,500 hiring incentive for new employees and that corrections officer pay has been raised to a starting salary of $46,000 a year.

Coyle said the jail is also exploring hiring college students as part-time corrections officers and that he has been involved with talks with administrators from Harris-Stowe State University. He also mentioned recruiting criminology and criminal justice majors from universities like St. Louis University. The jail also employs a recruiter to connect the jail to potential future employees. n

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MISSOURILAND

Shake It (All) Off A Taylor Swift-inspired pole dancing show brought Swifties to deep south city Photos by

MAX BOUVATTE Words by

SARAH FENSKE

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aybe you celebrated Taylor Swift’s birthday by streaming various Taylor’s Versions over and over. Or maybe you went to the theater to watch her concert film.

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Some dedicated fans took things much further and created a poledancing show in honor of 2023’s biggest pop star and Time magazine person of the year. And they found the perfect venue in deep south city.

The self-described “STL’s dreamiest venue,” located in the Patch neighborhood, Aurora (7413 South Broadway) hosted a Taylor Swift-inspired pole and aerial variety show and dance party, Meet Me at Midnight, on December 9.

Produced by Ruby SoHo STL, the theatrics included a bit more skin than the Eras Tour — but attendees could definitely feel a lavender haze creeping up on them … and it was dizzying.

At Aurora, every seat in the house has a great view of the stage, and both Swifties and Gaylors sang along to every word of the Taylor Swift playlist. n

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A C E L E B R AT I O N O F T H E U N I Q U E A N D FA S C I N AT I N G A S P E C T S O F O U R H O M E

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St. Louis

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LIterary Cribs Great authors slept here. From mansions to desiccated parking lots, here are the local spots they called home B y

R y a n

Does a writer’s house

have any bearing on their work? It certainly seems so. Why else would so many of the best-known writers with connections to St. Louis set their fiction in thinly veiled versions of their digs, or pen essays about the homes they grew up in? Clearly there’s a connection between place and prose.

So we present to you 17 great wordsmiths who have roots in, passed through or settled down in our fair city. Their rapturous descriptions of St. Louis can be enough to make us blush — although just as often they’re talking eloquent smack. We’ve also included info about the houses most closely associated with them — or at least the houses most closely associated with them that we could find still standing. (In some cases, this being St. Louis, the address leads only to a vacant lot.)

We hope the list inspires you to contemplate the streets where your favorite writers once lived.

(Note that we intentionally chose writers who have been gone for at least five years, whether by death or moving van; it didn’t feel neighborly to send a flock of fans to, for example, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Carl Phillips’ home.) If nothing else, we hope you can feel a little pride in St. Louis for having played — and for continuing to

play — such an important role in American literature.

Credit goes to Lorin Cuoco and William H. Gass’ 2000 book Literary St. Louis: A Guide for providing key addresses for some of the writers on this list. And we have to give a shout out to all the people living in these homes who went above and beyond when a random reporter interrupted their already busy December. In reporting this feature, I remarked to one of the owners of William S. Burroughs’ boyhood home about how welcoming everyone had been when I showed up at this or that literary luminary’s old front door.

“I think that’s why we want to live in these places,” the Burroughs homeowner said. “Because we want to be a part of that history.”

Kate Chopin

Central West End

Born in St. Louis in 1850, Chopin moved to New Orleans with her

Clockwise from upper left: Writers Irma Rombauer, Kate Chopin, Maya Angelou and Harold Brodkey spent key years in these homes in St. Louis and University City. | RYAN KRULL

K r u l l husband in her 20s but moved back to her hometown upon his death. It was here, in the final decade of the 19th century, that Chopin produced her best-known stories and her novel The Awakening, works considered scandalous for their depictions of women behaving badly by the standards of the day. In 1903 Chopin moved to the 4200 block of McPherson Avenue in the Central West End. Sadly, the following year she suffered a brain hemorrhage while attending the World’s Fair.

Jane Smiley Webster Groves

Everyone knows that Smiley, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel A Thousand Acres, hails from Webster Groves. Less appreciated is the extent to which Webster and St. Louis as a whole have influenced her four-decade body of work. She tells the RFT that what made Webster a special place to grow up was that different social classes lived in close proximity to one another.

“Once I got old enough to walk around, I could see the fancy houses in Webster Park, the middleclass houses around Avery School, and the small, junk houses like the one my mother and I rented on St. John Avenue,” she says. “That got me interested in writing about all different classes — and races, since Avery School was peacefully integrated when I was in second grade.” The St. John Avenue house has since been torn down, but the house that used to belong to Smiley’s grandparents still stands tall

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not far away on Clark Avenue.

Later, Smiley’s family moved to a house on Wood Acre Road in Ladue, not far from the headquarters of the St. Louis County Library. “I used to walk to the library from the house on Wood Acre, pick a book off the shelf, and then lie down on the floor next to the shelf and read it,” she says. “I don’t know why they let me do that, but they did.”

Among other highlights from Smiley’s childhood include seeing shows at the Muny: Peter, Paul and Mary at Kiel Auditorium; and — most legendarily — the Beatles at Busch Stadium in 1966. She adds that she “probably wouldn’t have written” a number of her books had she not grown up here, including The Greenlanders (which fellow St. Louisan Jonathan Franzen called one of the best novels of all time) and her most recent, Lucky, which is due out in April.

T.S. Eliot

Central West End, Midtown

In real estate terms, T.S. Eliot is most closely associated with the stately three-story brick home at 4446 Westminster Place in the Central West End. However, as outlined in Young Eliot: From St. Louis to The Waste Land, he only lived there for a year and was actually born at 2635 Locust Street, which was closer to downtown. In an unintentionally fitting tribute to a man whose best-known work is The Waste Land, that house is now a parking lot — not even a

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Fittingly, T.S. Eliot’s childhood home is now a wasteland. | RYAN KRULL

particularly nice parking lot, at that.

After moving from New Mexico to St. Louis, poet Dana Levin recently had some fun with the wasteland that is Eliot’s childhood home, with one section of a poem titled, “Standing Outside the Parking Lot That Was Your Childhood Home.” “It’s exciting to be living in the city that birthed / T.S. Eliot / even though he was a casual / anti-Semite/ like so many of his class and breed,” she writes. “I stand here DLev, / one of the roughs — aspirated, liberally / educated, / shtetl-fed.”

about high-tailing it out of St. Louis.

After dropping out of Washington University’s law school here in the 1960s, Ford returned to the university’s English department as a visiting writer in residence many years later. The story goes that one of the writing program’s fiction students, a born-again Christian, sent him a note outlining what this student saw as many issues with his work.

(The aforementioned philandering among them, perhaps?) That letter came on top of the fact that no students came to Ford’s office hours to seek his counsel, a situation that dismayed him. He packed up and drove off.

Is that story true? We couldn’t swear to its every detail, but it’s certainly true that it is a story.

Richard Ford

Tennessee Williams

T.S. Eliot is also name-checked in one of the all-time blistering depictions of our city, courtesy of Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Ford.

In Ford’s Reunion, the protagonist (who totally, for sure, definitely isn’t Richard Ford) bumps into an acquaintance with whose wife he’s had a liaison in the Mayfair Hotel downtown (which actually, totally was a real-life spot and is today the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis). In that story, Ford writes that St. Louis is a “largely overlookable red brick abstraction that is neither West nor Middle West, neither South nor North; the city lost in the middle, as I think of it.

I have always found it interesting that it was the home of T. S. Eliot and, only 85 years before that, the starting point of Western expansion. It is a place, I suppose, the world can’t get away from fast enough.” Ouch.

Ford does know a thing or two

Tennessee Williams left St. Louis when he was a young man and famously disdained the place for the rest of his life, bestowing on it the nickname “St. Pollution.” Not all that clever by world-famous playwright standards, if you ask us.

But we’re the magnanimous ones here, throwing a very legit festival in his honor every year. During the pandemic, the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis even mounted his “memory play” The Glass Menagerie on a stage built to include the fire escapes of the Central West End apartment building where Williams once lived.

He shared that space (as well as another apartment in University City) with an abusive drunk of a father, which may to some extent explain his complicated relationship with the city. Today, the Williams family’s apartment at 4633 Westminster Place is an Airbnb, so you too can sleep under the roof

LITERARY CRIBS Continued from pg 15

University City

Central West End, University City

William Gass had built-in bookshelves almost as high as his coils of prose. | RYAN KRULL that nourished genius. And true Williams fans may want to make a second stop in St. Louis while following in the playwright’s footsteps. After dropping out of Mizzou, young Tom Williams took a job at the International Shoe Company downtown, the same firm that employed his hated father.

Williams despised the factory job and eventually quit to enroll at Wash U, but his time there directly inspired the struggles of his Glass Menagerie protagonist.

The shoe factory today, of course, is St. Louis’ beloved City Museum — and so the building continues to spur the imagination of young people seeking to find their way. Only without, one hopes, the nervous breakdowns that Williams suffered as a cog in the shoe assembly line.

William Gass University City

William Gass did the opposite of ol’ Tennessee. Born in Fargo, North Dakota, he arrived in St. Louis in the late 1960s for a job at Washington University and hung around in the Lou long enough to become an institution unto himself. In 1968, In the Heart of the Heart of the Country established him as a serious voice in American fiction, but it’s Gass’ 1995 tome The Tunnel for which he’ll be forever remembered among that specific set of people who appreciate difficult, dense postmodern literature. If you’re into 652 pages of “endless coils of prose,” this is the book for you.

Gass and his wife Mary moved into their stately University City home in 1970. “It’s been a big part of our lives together,” Mary tells the RFT. “It’s the only house we ever lived in together. It always

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worked for us.” (Gass passed away in December 2017.) Though Gass had an office at Wash U, he did his writing at the home office, a second-floor study above the porch with windows on three sides overlooking the Limits Walk, which, prior to the construction of the Ackert Walkway, was the primary connector between the Loop and the university campus.

Gass would often work with the windows open and pick up snippets of conversations coming from passersby. “He was sort of tickled every once in a while hearing a student talk to themselves or whistling or singing or something,” Mary recalls.

The interior of the house is defined by books and bookshelves.

As soon as the couple moved in, Gass set about building bookshelves in the house’s secondfloor library, sourcing the wood and doing the construction of the shelves himself. When the Gasses’ twins moved out, their bedrooms were also converted to libraries, one for French literature and the other German.

Contrary to the stereotypes about the sort of people who write the kind of difficult books Gass did, the writer and professor didn’t take himself too seriously, at least if the following anecdote is to be believed: Gass once gave a lecture arguing a novel’s words were in fact true, and it was the readers who were the fictional entities. (It no doubt sounded more persuasive coming from Gass.)

Some undergrad smart aleck only in attendance at the lecture for extra credit raised his hand and asked why he should care what some short man who may not be real had to say about reality. Gass

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ther was the delivering devil.”

The trauma of that first year back in St. Louis would include Angelou’s rape and then the murder of her rapist at the hands of an uncle; Angelou then chose not to speak for five years.

The home has since been rehabbed and, in 2015, was given landmark status. The house itself still looks great, though it sits somewhat awkwardly in Saint Louis University’s ever-developing shadow.

Rachel Kushner

Greater Ville, Webster Groves

Stanley Elkin set his novella Her Sense of Timing in this University City home. | RYAN KRULL

LITERARY CRIBS Continued from pg 17

was taken aback, but laughed.

Then the whole crowd did, too.

Harold Brodkey University City

University City also features heavily in The Runaway Soul, an 835page semi-autobiographical story by longtime New Yorker staff writer Harold Brodkey, who grew up in a three-story brick apartment building on Kingsland Avenue in the 1930s. The novel was hyped for years before publication but failed to meet those lofty expectations — however, it is probably more famous today for its flop status than it would have been had it been a hit.

A bit of a fabulist in his personal life, Brodkey claimed to have written his first published story “The State of Grace” in less than an hour, a physical impossibility.

His body of work is replete with turns of phrase describing his hometown. “St. Louis swells out like a gall on the Mississippi River,” he wrote in a short story. “St. Louis is an island of metropolis on a sea of land.”

Stanley Elkin University City

When Brodkey came back to town during his New York years, he’d purportedly hang out with the lo-

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cal literati, among them Stanley Elkin, whom novelist Martin Riker called “one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.” Born in New York, Elkin grew up in Chicago and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before settling in St. Louis, where he was on the faculty at Washington University for three decades. His best-known story is probably the widely anthologized “The Guest,” centered on a traveling salesman/ huckster who stays in St. Louis (University City, specifically) just long enough to get a house-sitting gig and get into antics.

In an essay titled “Why I Live Where I Live,” Elkin wrote, “The city of St. Louis is self-contained as an island, exists in no country, is, in a way, a kind of territory, gerrymandered as Yugoslavia, its limits fixed years ago, before the fact, staked out, one would guess, by a form of sortilege, a casting, say, of vacant lots, working farms and 19 miles of the Mississippi River into the equation…shaping a town like a stomach, stuffing it with ellipses, diagonals, the narrows of a neighborhood.”

A plaque adorning the backside of Elkin’s former home on Westgate Avenue reads “Stanley Elkin, 1967 -”, and the absence of a final year gives the sense that his energy still imbues the place. The current homeowners, a musician and a ceramicist, are certainly fit-

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ting stewards of that energy. The couple bought the home from an Elkin family trust after Stanley’s wife, Joan, an accomplished artist in her own right, died last year.

The house came with two of Elkin’s books, including a collection of novellas, the first of which, Her Sense of Timing, takes place at the home.

“Oh, my God, this is my house,” the current owner says, recounting her experience reading that book.

“It was crazy. I got such insight into the people who used to live here.”

Another insight: Unusual for a city pad, the erstwhile Elkin estate has a kickass swimming pool.

Maya Angelou The Gate District

Born in 1928 in what was then the Compton Hill neighborhood (now the Gate District), Maya Angelou is arguably St. Louis’ most decorated literary icon. Among her accolades are nominations for a Pulitzer Prize and three Grammys.

Angelou lived in this home until 1930, only to move to Arkansas and then return to St. Louis as an eight-year-old. In her seminal autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she recounts her return: “St. Louis was a new kind of hot and a new kind of dirty. My memory had no pictures of the crowded-together soot-covered buildings. For all I knew we were being driven to Hell and our fa-

Rachel Kushner never lived here, but the city would be wise to make some noise about its connections to the highly acclaimed author of Telex from Cuba, The Flamethrowers and The Mars Room. Fortunately, it isn’t too much of a stretch for St. Louis to claim the Oregonborn writer — at least a little bit — as our own. Her family has deep roots here. Kushner tells the RFT that her great grandparents on her mom’s side ran Drosten Bakery, on north city’s St. Louis Avenue, where they also lived. Kushner’s grandfather, Fred Drosten, was to take over the bakery after graduating from Soldan High School, however he developed an allergy to flour which, combined with a scholarship to Washington University, sent his life on a different path. His future wife, Mary Lou, was a Webster Groves native who also went to Wash U and got a degree in architecture.

Their daughter, Pinky Drosten (also a Wash U grad: comparative literature), had her first date with her future husband, Peter, at Academy Barbecue on Academy Avenue, which Peter claimed had the best barbecue in St. Louis. In the 1960s, Pinky and Peter and their young family settled into a house in the Fairgrounds neighborhood at 4241 Prairie Avenue (now gone, sadly).

“On the corner was a bar called Johnny’s Ghetto Lounge,” Kushner says of her parents’ old neighborhood. “Nearby was Sara Lou’s Kitchen, which sold frog legs and shrimp and was a favorite spot to eat.” (The building housing Sara Lou’s Cafe still stands, but like many north city landmarks, it’s owned by the city’s Land Reutilization Authority. It’s been considered a “place in peril” by preservationists for years now.)

Pinky and Peter often traveled across the Mississippi to the Harlem Club in East St. Louis, where they saw the likes of Ike and Tina Turner perform, treks that feature in the essay “Tramping the Byways” in Kushner’s book The Hard Crowd.

Jonathan Franzen’s dad made some key upgrades to this home. | RYAN KRULL Later, the family moved west to Eugene, Oregon, where Kushner was born. Kushner’s grandparents Mary Lou and Fred remained here, however, and young Rachel came back to visit every summer, staying with them at their house in the 900 block of Old Bonhomme Road in University City.

“I have fond memories, myself, of being taken by my grandparents to Miss Hullings Cafeteria many times,” she says.

Jonathan Franzen Webster Groves

Webster Groves-native Jonathan Franzen has written three books that are (more or less) set in St. Louis: his debut novel, The Twenty-Seventh City; his memoir in essays, The Discomfort Zone; and his most-celebrated book, The Corrections, in which he disguised St. Louis as the fictional Midwest rust belt metropolis St. Jude. However, given the biting regard he showed for our town in his first novel, it’s probably best for everyone he used the pseudonym.

“Cities are ideas,” Franzen wrote. “Imagine readers of the New York Times trying in 1984 to get a sense of St. Louis from afar.

They might have seen the story about a new municipal ordinance that prohibited scavenging in garbage cans in residential neighborhoods. Or the story about the imminent shutdown of the ailing Globe-Democrat. Or the one about thieves dismantling old buildings at a rate of one a day, and selling the used bricks to out-state builders.” We do make a fine brick.

However, it is worth noting that the National Book Award-winning writer was much warmer when writing specifically about the twostory brick, colonial-style home

situated in a neighborhood just off Big Bend where he grew up — particularly in “House for Sale,” an essay about his selling the home in the wake of his mother’s death.

The house’s current owner tells the RFT she wasn’t aware she was buying the Franzen house until her sister-in-law typed the new address into Google Maps and “Jonathan Franzen’s boyhood home” popped up on the screen.

The house on Webster Woods Drive is now substantially different from the one Franzen grew up in, she says, with an addition of a large family room and a primary suite expanding into what was once the backyard.

“I can only imagine what he’d say about it given his disdain for the changes he observed in the neighborhood upon a revisit 20 years ago,” she says. “But there are some remnants of his family

William S. Burroughs was born in this Central West End home. | RYAN KRULL remaining here too: Based on his essays, we know that the pictureframe molding in what was then the dining room, the brick walkway and the ’70s-era half-bath in the basement were all installed with pride by his parents.” One of the culs de sac in the neighborhood also has a greenspace at its center with a tree dedicated to the author’s dad.

After being inspired by her new digs to delve into Franzen’s oeuvre, the house’s current owner suggested her book club read The Corrections, which they discussed in the house itself. “I couldn’t help but visualize the characters — really, stand-ins for his parents — moving through the familiar rooms of our house,” she says.

William S. Burroughs Central West End

The original trust-fund hipster

At his home, you can see the Burroughs Adding Machine that helped underwrite, in a roundabout way, the vivid depravity of William S. Burroughs’ life. | RYAN KRULL

William S. Burroughs’ bust now stands sentry in front of Left Bank Books in the Central West End, just a few blocks from where he was born in a three-story, sturdy brick house in the 4600 block of Pershing Place, about a block from Kingshighway in the Central West End. Burroughs’ life included wild stints in New York City, Mexico City and South America. Despite his itinerant life, he maintained a genuine emotional connection to St. Louis. He is perhaps the only person in its history who upon returning here fell into despair over how nice things had gotten. After visiting his hometown in 1965, he wrote in the Paris Review: “But what has happened to Market Street, the skid row of my adolescent years? Where are the tattoo parlors, novelty stores, hock shops — brass knuckles in a dusty window — the seedy pitchmen …

Where are the old junkies hawking and spitting on street corners under the gas lights?”

Anyone new to Burroughs would be advised to start with his debut novel, Junkie, a work with an uncanny resonance in the midst of America’s current opioid crisis; just swap in the word “fentanyl” for morphine and goofballs and — if not for the dozens of other ways it would offend modern sensitivities and tastes — that book could be published today.

One description that has stood the test of time is Burroughs’ limning of the River Des Peres.

In his 1976 memoir Cobble Stone Gardens, he describes our least favorite waterway as a place where “turds shot out into the yellow water from vents along the sides.” As true now as it was the day it was Continued on pg 20

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Mark Twain dined at this edifice in 1902. Now it’s a funeral home. | RYAN KRULL

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written, at least when it rains.

The current owner of the Pershing house says that she read Burroughs in high school, and even though his Beat style is no longer her cup of tea, she appreciates what he and other writers of his generation did to move the country forward in certain social aspects. Also, every time anyone in her family does laundry in the basement, they pass by an antique Burroughs Adding Machine, a proto-calculator invented by Burroughs’ grandfather whose success created the family wealth that allowed the Naked Lunch author to live a bohemian lifestyle, saving him from having to get a job like everyone else.

Mark Twain

Central West End, St. Louis Place

Mark Twain is most closely associated with his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri, where he set his two most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

But St. Louis is not without many Twain connections. He first came here by riverboat with his father when he was 10. Twain — who was of course then only Samuel Clemens — took to the city, and vice-versa. Clemens haunted the city’s rooming houses and piloted riverboats on the Mississippi to and from New Orleans. Later, as the world-famous Mark Twain, he gave lectures here, remarking that St. Louis was a place where “audiences are jolly, and where they snap up a joke before you can fairly get it out of your mouth.”

He often stayed with his cousin

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James Clemens on Cass Avenue in the St. Louis Place neighborhood.

He spent an extended period of his late 40s here, researching and writing Life on the Mississippi, the book that Twain considered to be his finest. The Cass Avenue house stood as a city landmark until it sadly burned down in 2017.

Twain’s sister’s residence downtown long ago was razed for Poelker Park. However, still standing is the home of his other cousin, JL Clemens, which is in the 3900 block of Washington Avenue in the Central West End. That’s where Twain dined in 1902 upon his last visit to St. Louis, a trip during which he also attended a groundbreaking for the forthcoming World’s Fair. It is now a funeral home.

Martha Gellhorn Central West End

Ernest Hemingway had four wives, and the first three were from St. Louis, inspiring him to boast, “If one is perpetually doomed to marry people from St. Louis, it’s best to marry them from the best families.” To which Gertrude Stein memorably replied, “Anyone who’s married three girls from St. Louis hasn’t learned much.”

The fact stands, though, that Hemingway’s St. Louis wives did come from families of means — and his third wife, Martha Gellhorn, had only a high school diploma from John Burroughs School (and a year at Bryn Mawr) when she became one of World War II’s most celebrated correspondents. Really, it’s unfortunate we’re even talking about her as a Hemingway wife versus the great journalist that she was. (We simply can never resist a chance to quote Gertrude Stein.)

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Martha Gellhorn grew up in this home in the Central West End. | RYAN KRULL Gellhorn’s childhood home in the 4300 block of McPherson was built in 1898 and got a significant rehab around 2007. It remains a single family home in the heart of the Central West End.

Irma Rombauer

Compton Heights, Lafayette Square, West End, Central West End

Irma von Starkloff spent her early years in the shadow of Carondelet Park, but her father became a noted physician, and the family was soon moving on up — and so after five years in Europe, they moved into a mansion in Compton Heights in 1894, which stands today at the corner of Longfellow and Compton.

After Irma married Edgar Rombauer, the couple soon moved to Kennett Place in Lafayette Square.

But after Edgar killed himself in 1930, 52-year-old Irma had to find a way to support herself — and from an apartment at 5712 Cabanne Avenue, she self-published the book that would become a bestseller a zillion times over, The Joy of Cooking.

The apartment, sadly, is gone, but Rombauer’s later domicile, the Central West End’s Monticello Apartments, still continues to house city dwellers finding their way — or working on that book that will change the world.

Sally Benson Academy

When Sally Benson wrote about her childhood in St. Louis, she didn’t bother to conceal the details. She actually titled one series, which ran in the New Yorker from 1941 to 1942, “5135 Kensington” — which had been her family’s address in north St. Louis’ Academy neighborhood. Those stories

later formed the basis of MGM’s 1944 classic Meet Me in St. Louis.

But though the Bensons’ old Victorian still stood proud at that time, MGM wasn’t much for filming on location in the World War II years, and it instead recreated the street on its backlot, where it was nicknamed “St. Louis Street.”

Alas, 5135 Kensington was demolished in 1994 by the city’s Land Reutilization Authority.

And, like all too many of the north city properties in its land bank, it never did get reutilized — city records show the LRA still owns the parcel. It’s valued today at $5,000.

Ntozake Shange Visitation Park

The quintessential literary multihyphenate, Ntozake Shange penned poetry, plays and six novels. She also performed spoken word poetry and is perhaps best known for her play for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. Born in New Jersey, Shange moved to St. Louis when she was young, and her formative years here living on Windermere Place in north city’s Visitation Park would feature heavily in her work.

Shange’s 1985 novel Betsy Brown centers on a young girl living in St. Louis who is among the first Black students to integrate into a previously all-white school after desegregation. That novel includes this relatively flattering description of the Lou in that era: “St. Louis considered itself the only civilized city on the Mississippi, after New Orleans, of course. Every boulevard bespoke grandeur and Europe for even the colored avenues weren’t without some token frenchified accent.”

Our accent? Frenchified? n

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BY RIVERFRONT TIMES STAFF

THURSDAY 12/21 Let’s Get Crackin’ In one of St. Louis’ most enduring traditions, the St. Louis Ballet is mounting a full roster of performances of Tchaikovsky’s 1892 two-act ballet The Nutcracker through December 23, with numerous options to accommodate the younger ballet lover in your life (think: 2 p.m. matinees, 7 p.m. evening performances). Wisely, the ballet is also a briskly paced two hours including intermission — so even the non-ballet lovers roped into joining you at the Touhill (1 Touhill Circle, Bellerive; 866-516-4949) for the Sugar Plum Fairy can manage their annoyance. Not into driving to UMSL? On Friday, December 22, you can also catch a traveling production making a two-show stop at the Fabulous Fox (527 North Grand Boulevard, 314-534-1111). Find details for the former at stlouisballet.org/thenutcracker and for the latter at nutcracker.com.

Off the Hook Looking for something to do to get your visiting relatives out of the house but afraid that taking the family to a film is just going to offend Grandma and Grandpa due to overt sexual content? Or worried that even the most banal of museum exhibits might somehow trigger that MAGA uncle of yours?

Well, the Jefferson Barracks Telephone Museum (12 Hancock Avenue, 314-416-8004) feels your pain, and they have you and the whole extended family covered this holiday season. Take the fam back to a pre-hellscape time, before the invention of the smartphone, and learn about how people used to communicate with each other in a manner that did not decimate mental health. On display you’ll find a special Candlestick Telephone Exhibit, which for the uninitiated is basically every phone in any black-and-white movie ever. They are much more intricately designed and fun to look at than the smooth black rectangles we all carry around in our pockets today. The exhibit is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 9 a.m. to 2

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FrizzMas Happy Hour brings all the fun and inclusivity of the annual Frizz Fest to the holiday season. | PHILLIP ELLINGTON MEDIA p.m., through January 31. Tickets vary by age, but the priciest pass is only $5. More info at jbtelmuseum. org.

Hair of the Dog St. Louis nonprofit Frizzy by Nature puts on an annual festival, Frizz Fest, which celebrates natural beauty and creates safe spaces for Black women, in Tower Grove Park. There are stars — Mýa performed this year, for example — great food from Black business owners, an expo with lots of goods for sale, live music and dance, and even the fanciest selfie station you’ve ever seen. In other words, it’s a really great event and clearly one that cannot and should not be contained to a single weekend.

Thankfully, it’s not the only shindig that Frizzy by Nature puts on. At 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 21, St. Louisans can attend another: FrizzMas Happy Hour at Anita

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Cafe and Bar (2704 Locust Street, 314-669-7700). There will be special FrizzMas cocktails on offer as well as a host of local Black-owned vendors, so you can pick up those last-minute gifts on site and skip the big-box store run. There will also be a hat and glove drive to support the Little Bit Foundation, which benefits students at underresourced schools — consider donating while you’re at it so that you can do good while also having a good time. The whole affair is free to attend, though obviously drinks, food and goods are not. Learn more at frizzybynature.com.

FRIDAY 12/22 Welcome to the Party, Pal When you think Christmas, you think candy canes, jingle bells,

Christmas trees and holly, but Bruce Willis’ forehead sweat as he battles terrorists in Die Hard is just as much of a holiday symbol. Whether John McTiernan’s 1988 action classic is a Christmas movie has long been hotly contested — there’d be no plot without the holiday party at the beginning … just sayin’ — but regardless, if you’re just in the mood to rewatch hero John McClane go head to head with the dastardly Hans Gruber or experience those thrills for the first time, you can now do so on the big screen on the last weekend before Christmas. Catch Die Hard at the HiPointe Theatre (1005 McCausland Ave, 314-644-1100) at 10 p.m. on Friday, December 22, or Saturday, December 23. Those of you who really have the Christmas spirit will attend both days, of course.

Tickets are just $8 and can be purchased at cinemastlouis.org/ die-hard.

WEEK OF DECEMBER 21-27

MONDAY 12/25 Fit for Feastin’

Joy to the bunhead world: Multiple productions of the holiday favorite The Nutcracker are on offer in St. Louis this week. | VIA TICKETMASTER

This year, once the presents have been presented and the PJs have been cast aside, why not kick off Christmas right with a feast fit for the Nice List occupant that you are? Casa Don Alfonso (100 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton; 314-7191496) brings a bit of decadence to this year’s proceedings with a Christmas Brunch Buffet from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Enjoy an overthe-top menu of specialty dishes and traditional trimmings, including eggs benedict, waffles, pecansmoked bacon, soups, salads, ravioli and more, plus two carving stations with roasted-herb prime ribeye and salt-crusted red snapper, a wide variety of desserts and a “dessert action station” serving sticky toffee pudding. Children can enjoy meatball sliders, chicken tenders, fries, M&M cookies and more. Tickets start at $95 for adults and $45 for children. Visit casadonalfonsostlouis.com for reservations.

WEDNESDAY 12/27 Sad Sack

The Candlestick Telephone Exhibit celebrates when phones were stylish. | VIA FLICKR/JOE HAUPT

SATURDAY 12/23 Here Is Your King Celebrate the holy birth of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (or something like that, who knows) in King of Pop style this year with The MJ Experience: A Christmas Thriller. Prepare to

moonwalk your way through the holiday season as Allusion Entertainment hosts a top-notch Michael Jackson tribute at the Ambassador (9800 Halls Ferry Road, 314-869-9090) on Saturday, December 23. Bask in the Gloved One’s magical aura by way of Las Vegas-based MJ impersonator Santana Jackson and a wonderland experience filled

The best Christmas movie ever made sees multiple showings at the Hi-Pointe this week. | POSTER ART with gifts, candy canes and cocoa. And of course, make sure you don’t leave without first taking a photo with Santa — he’s the reason for the season, after all. All the family-friendly fun kicks off at 9 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at thenewambassadorstl.com, with prices starting at $18.

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When Christmas is over, and January looms in the near-future, cold and dark and pointless. You may feel like crying into your beer. (It’s OK, we’ve all been there.) Fortunately for you and your seasonal depression, the Midwestern (900 Spruce Street, 314-696-2573) has just the soundtrack for your sadness. At Emo Nite Live After Christmas, the popular downtown sports bar is hosting local band Danger Party, self-described as “just five dudes with a pet shark who play all your favorite 2000s alternative jams.” Sounds perfect for indulging in the post-Christmas blues! If you’d prefer to eat (or drink) your feelings, there will also be taco stand Weekend at Baudy’s and Una Vida Tequila.

The pity party kicks off at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, December 27; admission is free, though you must be 21 or older to get in. Details at midwesternstl.com. n

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CAFE

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The Good Days Mainlander’s masterful dishes and atmosphere transport diners to mid-century modern America Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Mainlander 8 South Euclid Avenue. Wed.-Sat. two seatings at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (Closed Sun.-Tues.)

B

ob and Joann Baehr loved going to the original Mainlander at the corner of Hanley and Bonhomme in the late 1960s to early 1970s Clayton.

It was one of their regular haunts — a place they’d go before or after bowling at Tropicana Lanes or dancing at the Chase Park Plaza.

They frequented the Polynesian Palace on the top floor of what was then the airport Holiday Inn and dined at Top of the Tower on Chambers Road, collecting matchbooks and coasters everywhere they went. They used those and other tchotchkes to decorate their post-war ranch house in Florissant, which was outfitted in green shag carpet, a green and yellow upholstered couch and framed botanical-inspired crochet artwork. The bathroom had one of those cushioned pleather toilet seats that cracked over time and scratched your ass, and the kitchen boasted a tree-trunk brown refrigerator, cornflower-patterned Corningware, embroidered doilies and enough mustard-yellow, avocado-green and burnt-orange Tupperware to fill an Olympicsized swimming pool.

I can’t write a review of Mainlander without bringing up Bob and Joann because, I promise you, my late parents were sitting at the table with me on the recent December evening I had the pleasure of dining at this gut-wrenchingly nostalgic yet fiercely modern restaurant. They were everywhere — in the glass-fronted china cabinet filled with vintage tiki barware, in the retro-teal fabric-covered chandeliers, the silver Christmas tree, the macrame plant holders, the

Mainlander is a supper club featuring a prix fixe menu in the Central West End. | MABEL SUEN

Gordon Chen and Blake Askew carefully picked St. Louis as the place for Mainlander. | MABEL SUEN pegboard wall adorned with metal Jell-O molds, the string-and-nail art schooner set against a blackvelvet backdrop and outlined in a textured-brass frame (we had one of those, too) and even in the fancy dressing on the Manchester salad, which bore a striking resemblance

to the homemade Thousand Island my mom made for special occasions. To say that owners Blake Askew and Gordon Chen gave me a trip down memory lane does not come close to capturing just how profound this experience was.

They gave me a window into the

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people my parents were in the prime of their lives and caused me to miss a time that I’d never even experienced for myself.

My experience at Mainlander was deeply personal, without question, but it also embodies just how powerful a space Askew and Chen have created. That they can evoke such emotions means they are going beyond serving food and pouring drinks: They are creating an experience that transports you to another time, whether that means a moment in your own life or one that only lives in your mind’s eye.

It’s a rare place that separates what’s outside the front door from what’s inside, and I cannot think of another restaurant that has pulled off the feat in this significant of a way.

Taking someone on a journey was the animating idea behind Mainlander, which Askew and Chen opened in a small storefront in the Central West End in July. For Askew, the genesis of the idea was the tiki bars he and Chen frequented living in the San Francisco Bay area — such as the original Trader Vic’s, Smuggler’s Cove and Pagan

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Mainlander cocktail pairings include the mezcal-based Last Word. | MABEL SUEN

MAINLANDER

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Idol that were (in many ways, problematically, Askew acknowledges) designed to take guests on a journey to a fantastical, made-up land and provide temporary respite from the real world.

However, Askew’s path to Mainlander began much earlier and runs much deeper than those rum-infused outings. Though he went to school for music, he got into the restaurant business to pay the bills. He’d always loved cooking for people, but he took mostly front-of-house gigs because, at that time, a machismo-fueled lockerroom culture permeated restaurant kitchens — something that made him feel unwelcome as a young gay man.

Askew was an avid viewer of Top Chef and had a chance encounter with one of its earliest contestants, chef Casey Thompson, which made him rethink his place in the professional kitchen and changed the course of his career. After running into her at a party, he found himself learning the ropes in her restaurant’s kitchen in Dallas. It was the beginning of a close professional relationship that gave him the chops to work for Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant group, where he rose through the ranks for several years before rejoining Thompson as her sous chef at a high-end restaurant in San Francisco. From there, he went on to work for Dominique Crenn and at other upscale San Francisco establishments up until the early months of the pandemic, when, like so many others,

he found himself at a crossroads.

Though he considered taking on another gig under an acclaimed chef, Askew knew that if he was going to open a restaurant, it was now or never.

Because their families are scattered far and wide, Askew and Chen felt free to decide where they wanted their restaurant (as well as Chen’s chiropractic practice) to be. Askew had family ties to St. Louis and felt a connection to it; on cross-country trips searching for a place to call home, he and Chen kept coming back to the city, and decided to put down roots. After getting to know the area through a few stages and a lengthier stint at Bulrush — and time spent researching and developing the Mainlander concept through popup dinners — Askew and Chen felt ready to go all in. They welcomed their first guests to their take on a mid-century dinner party in July.

Askew is keenly aware that Mainlander is more an experience than it is a traditional restaurant; he believes it is a place to come because you want to feel something, not necessarily because you crave a particular dish. This is true in the sense that the prix fixe menu, which changes every month, keeps diners from developing a favorite item. But Askew’s statement doesn’t give the restaurant enough credit for turning out flawlessly executed dishes that give you the confidence to know that, no matter what you are eating at this dazzling place, it’s going to be delicious.

On any given night, a Mainlander meal will be divided into three courses that consist of a series of tidbits, or appetizers, a main

The interior of Mainlander is gloriously nostalgic. | MABEL SUEN entree, called “supper,” and dessert. On one particular visit, dinner began with funghi Rangoon, a magnificent play on crab Rangoon, filled with luscious cream cheese and deeply earthy mushrooms. In place of the usual wonton, Askew created a hand-kneaded dumpling-style wrapper that gave the offering heft and chew.

The texture difference between the hand-kneaded exterior and a typical wonton was the difference between freshly made pasta and something mass-produced.

Baked Oysters Mainlander, another tidbit, were topped with a wonderful savory and slightly smoky bread pudding. This was followed by the Chive Box, a take on a traditional Taiwanese dumpling that was like a fried puffy taco filled with scrambled eggs and funky bean noodles. The plate was drizzled with an absolutely addictive sweet-and-spicy honey chili crisp.

For the salad course, Askew served a Manchester salad, which was a thrilling take on the 1970s-style greens that consisted of chopped hard-boiled egg and creamy ketchup-spiked dressing (Askew calls his version Fancy Sauce). Pickled beets vividly brought the dish to modern times.

For the main course, Askew presented a dish he feels represents a beautiful marriage of his and Chen’s traditions: a pork steak, cooked char siu style. The stunningly marbled slab of pork was perfectly charred around the edges, then gilded with a mouthwatering, five-spice-scented glaze that is equal parts Taiwanese barbecue and Maull’s-fueled back-

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yard cookout. Askew served the pork with snappy wok-seared green beans and a sweet potato spaetzle mac and cheese that had so much funk from its aged-whitecheddar-cheese sauce I swear I heard Eddie Hazel playing from the great beyond.

Drink pairings, while technically optional, are a vital part of the Mainlander experience and some of the most thoughtfully put-together — yet still incredibly approachable — cocktails I’ve had all year. These included the lovely hot-buttered rum that was fresh-from-the-oven pumpkin pie in beverage form, the Last Word, an incredible mezcalbased concoction brightened with fresh lime and, in keeping with the spirit of the place, the Mai Taiinspired Mainlander, which incorporated walnut and macadamia liqueur and was finished with a flaming orange garnish.

Joann was a gin Collins lady, but Bob loved rum. I assume that’s where I got my taste for the sugarcane spirit, and I’m just as certain that the Mainlander is precisely the drink he would have ordered if he could have visited the lounge that bore that same name so many years ago.

I would have loved to experience that moment with them, and for those two hours at this absolute masterpiece of a restaurant, I felt like I did. That Askew and Chen were able to pull off such a priceless experience is beyond hospitality. It’s a gift. n

Mainlander Mainlander menu �����������������������������������$88 Cocktail pairing (alcohol or n/a)����������� $38 Wine pairing ������������������������������������������ $38

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SHORT ORDERS

[FIRST LOOK]

Meet Mazaj The new stall, a spinoff of Golden Chicken in St. Peters, brings Palestinian food to City Foundry Written by

JESSICA ROGEN

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here were no Palestinian restaurants in St. Louis when Amjed Abdeljabbar returned to the area at age 11. The Hazelwood native, who’d moved overseas as a child, is not talking about Middle Eastern food in general, but about the specific spices and variations that are unique to Palestinian fare — and he missed it.

“Every country has their own style that’s totally different,” Abdeljabbar says, adding that the specific spices are different and that, at the time, you didn’t see places cooking shawarma or rotisserie chicken like he was used to.

Even now, there aren’t many Palestinian restaurants in the area. While food enthusiasts in the city’s core might point to Medina, which recently opened its third location within the City of St. Louis, Abdeljabbar says he can think of just one: Golden Chicken, which he opened with his uncle, Mahmoud Abed Abualizz, in St. Peters in 2020. But as of late, there is another. The duo opened a new concept, Mazaj, in the City Foundry Food Hall on December 9.

Mazaj serves a slightly strippeddown version of what’s available at Golden Chicken. That means dishes such as chicken shawarma, falafel, gyro wraps, hummus, kebabs, fries, wings, a lemon mint drink made with a plethora of fresh ingredients, and much more. Everything served is halal.

“A platter with everything on it is my personal favorite,” he says.

“Well, just because I ate it growing up — chicken shawarma or falafel — overseas when I lived there, I would eat it every day.”

Though the idea to add a second location had been in the back of Abdeljabbar’s and Abualizz’s minds for a while, the actual open-

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Mazaj serves a pared-down version of Golden Chicken’s offerings. | JESSICA ROGEN ing of the food stall happened quickly. Abdeljabbar says that they’d talked with the food hall for only a few months before opening.

But since they had a vision already, it came together quickly.

The City Foundry space appealed to the duo because of the variety of activities nearby in the

complex and the fact that it is a family-friendly space, something that’s important to them.

But another large part of the appeal was the chance to bring Palestinian-style fare to the city and to introduce it to a whole new customer base.

“I hope everyone enjoys the

Amjed Abdeljabbar is one half of the nephewand-uncle team bringing Palestinian food to the City Foundry. | JESSICA ROGEN food,” Abdeljabbar says. “That’s one thing that makes me happy: when someone enjoys it. I’m excited for that.” n Mazaj is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m on Sunday.

[FIRST LOOK]

City Foundry Gets a Coffee Shop In Century Coffee, developers New + Found bring top-notch java to an 800-square-foot space near the Food Hall Written by

JESSICA ROGEN

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here’s something about golden milk that sounds so California, Gwyneth Paltrow, yoga and crunchy granola.

But one sip of the beverage at Century Coffee Company (3730 Foundry Way, centurycoffee.com), and your preconceptions will come tumbling down around you.

The drink’s subtly earthy sweetness is the first thing you’ll notice, along with its appealing spice-flecked appearance. It’s lightly spicy, akin to a chai latte but also totally different. Then the bite of the turmeric takes hold of your taste buds, momentarily cutting through everything else

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Century Coffee is now open in City Foundry, and its golden milk is next level. | JESSICA ROGEN before receding as the drink finishes with a softly sweet note.

In other words: It’s a totally unique cup in the best way.

That such an offering is on Century’s initial menu is a good sign for the City Foundry coffeehouse, which opened its doors early December. Located just

within the entrance to the Food Hall, the coffeeshop is a primarily grab-and-go spot from New + Found — the company that developed and curated City Foundry — and General Manager Matt Foster, known for both his specialty coffee and mixologist chops.

“We’ve been really excited to build

out this concept, which is a multi-roaster coffee shop,” Foster says. “I just want to bring these unique coffee experiences here at the shop.”

A coffee shop, Foster says, has long been on the request list for City Foundry, and something he’s been working on for about a year with the New + Found team. That started by transforming the 800-square-foot industrial space.

They kept a lot of those industrial elements, like the high ceilings and cement floors, and then added on. “We also wanted to soften the space a little bit,” he says.

“So we have blues, we have accents of pinks, whites, open wood shelving.”

Though the bar and pastry case are front and center upon entering, there is a small seating area by a window with a few spots for patrons to sip on their drinks — as well as the large open seating area just steps away in the Food Hall.

Instead of a traditional espresso machine, Century uses a super-automatic Eversys machine that will ensure that every drink served in the shop is made to exact specifications. But Foster says that staff members still get trained with the traditional knowledge of grind specifications, dose and so on.

“The machine provides the consistency, the barista the quality,” he says. “[Also] that lets us have a really warm, genuine interaction in a very small window, essentially, because we aren’t facedown looking at scales.”

Foster is the mind behind the menu, which includes both the sort of familiar espresso drinks you’d expect as well as a rotating menu of seasonal offerings that are more varied, like the aforementioned golden milk and a peppermint mocha.

There’s also a large selection of looseleaf teas from Kansas City’s Hugo Tea, baked goods and mocktails that tap his bartending background, such as an n/a mulled wine. Long term, the coffee shop will add on pour overs and, Foster hopes, alcoholic beverages.

As a multi-roaster, Century Coffee will serve beans from a variety of roasteries including local names such as Goshen Coffee, Switch Coffee Collective, Coffee Stamp and Blueprint. They also have a guest roaster; right now that’s Good Citizen out of Nashville, Tennessee.

One benefit of having so many beans on hand is that Century Coffee is able to offer something fairly unique: different brews based on whether you like your cuppa black or with milk and sugar.

“We want people to feel taken care of,” Foster says. “Our coffee selection is very curated.” n Century Coffee Company is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

[FOOD NEWS]

Retreat Gastropub Changes Hands Two longtime employees, Jennifer Anderson and Sydney Caldwell, say their boss, Travis Howard, approached with an offer they couldn’t refuse Written by

JESSICA ROGEN

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wo employees have purchased beloved neighborhood restaurant Retreat Gastropub (6 North Sarah Street, retreatgastropub. com) from founder Travis Howard, who is also co-owner of Yellow Belly and Lazy Tiger.

Jennifer Anderson and Sydney Caldwell are the new owners of the Central West End spot. Anderson has been with Retreat since 2016, and Caldwell joined the staff in 2018 to put herself through graduate school. Even as they’ve risen through the ranks — Anderson started as a server and rose to general manager in 2020, and Caldwell eventually became bar manager — they fell in love, got married and now are co-owners.

“We’re just super grateful that Travis gave us this opportunity to continue the legacy that he’s built here, and we’re really excited to keep it going,” Anderson says.

Howard says that he had been fairly “disconnected from the day to day” of the restaurant and less passionate about the eightyear-old project than he once was. He’d gone back and forth on the idea to sell in the back of his head for a while, but he was not interested in passing the reins to a random person. He approached Anderson and Caldwell one day and asked if they’d be interested in owning a restaurant. When

Retreat is located at the corner of Sarah Street and Laclede Avenue. | LAUREN MILFORD they said yes, he proposed that spot be Retreat.

“We were just shocked,” Anderson recalls, saying there were no hints from Howard about the upcoming move. “It was a surprise.

A wonderful, wonderful surprise.”

That was a little more than a year ago — turns out selling a restaurant is a long process that entails financing, turning over the lease, getting a new liquor license and more.

Now that things are finally settled, Howard says that he feels good about turning over Retreat, the first restaurant he founded, to its new owners, and grateful for the neighborhood that has supported it all this time.

“It’s a little bittersweet because it opened a lot of doors for myself and my partner Tim [Wiggins],” he says. “But at the same time, I couldn’t feel better about passing it off. … I’m pretty positive Retreat will still be successful, and I still am willing to help them in whatever way is needed to contribute to that success and to their success.”

He’s planning on using his newly open schedule to look for new opportunities. That might be a new restaurant with the Yellow Belly team or focusing on his real estate and renovation ventures.

As for Caldwell and Anderson, they plan to keep much the same at Retreat but have a few ideas

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about things they’d like to change up. They’ve hired a new chef, Drake Cleeton, and asked him to work on giving a few of the dishes a modern twist. They would also like to give the place a slight facelift once they have saved some money and to add a catered lunch option for the neighborhood Cortex worker crew.

“We really just want to continue trying to take better and better care of our staff,” Caldwell says, suggesting they’ll try to add employment perks, such as paid time off, when it’s financially possible.

That’s not the only thing that Caldwell and Anderson are planning. Though they got hitched in September, they will be having a wedding reception on New Year’s Eve — but not at Retreat. That, they say, would be too much like work.

But if they had gone that route, it would have been fitting, because the two met at Retreat.

Their romance began when Caldwell was supposed to cover a catered event by herself. Seeing the size of the huge cooler full of bruschetta and cocktail fixings, Anderson stepped in to help out.

“Things just kind of happened slowly,” Anderson says. “She’s my best friend. I am lucky to say that I married my best friend.

And we get to do this crazy thing together.” n

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[FIRST LOOK]

Upstairs Lounge Rides Again Kenny Marks’ Kenny’s Upstairs adds a cocktail lounge to South Grand Written by

IAIN SHAW This story was originally published in Sauce Magazine.

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enny’s Upstairs opened Friday at 3131 South Grand Boulevard in Tower Grove South. Located in the legendary Upstairs Lounge space, Kenny’s Upstairs is a “neighborhood bar, cocktail dive that you can just count on,” Marks said.

This is the first bar Marks has owned, but their reputation in the local food and drink scene is solid, having spent years working in a variety of well-loved breweries, cocktail bars and restaurants including Side Project, Handlebar, Small Change and most recently Indo. Marks also cofounded the Save Me a Place pop-up series at Wild Carrot with Luc Michalski.

It’s an understatement when Marks says the former Upstairs Lounge space required “quite a bit” of rehab in order to whip it into shape. In addition to needing some decorative love and care, the space lacked many of the amenities a proper bar needs. “No floor drains, no mop closet, no ice machine … every pipe

CHERYL BAEHR’S

SLINGER PICKS Beloved by some, reviled by others — likely based on the amount of alcohol you have coursing through your bloodstream — there’s no question that the slinger is essential St. Louis culinary lore. While the diner staple may look like little more than a mess of ingredients on a plate, there is actually a significant degree of nuance that separates the merely passable ver-

The “mega booth” at Kenny’s Upstairs in Tower Grove South. | MICHELLE VOLANSKY in this building was burst,” Marks said.

Upstairs Lounge veterans will recognize the layout of the space, and Kenny’s Upstairs contains a few intentional nods to its predecessor, but Marks is careful to assert that this is not Upstairs Lounge 2.0. There will be a DJ in the DJ booth, but the music will be supplementing the ambiance of the bar rather than getting people up on the dance floor. The dance floor is still there, but now there’s a pool table in the middle of it. “One, because of capacity reasons, and two, because it’s my bar, and I want to play pool,” Marks said.

The seating booths that run along one side of the room have been reupholstered, with what Marks calls the “mega booth” in the corner seating around 12 customers.

The whole bar has space to seat around 30 guests, including around eight bar stools. On one wall, there’s a large monochrome mural by Marks’ friend and local artist Ashley Hohman; on the other side of the room, paintings hang from the wall

and a variety of odds-and-ends sit atop shelving that runs the length of the room, including an array of small vintage televisions. “Everything’s either from just stuff we had or estate sales,” Marks said. “We kind of just have the same aesthetic, everyone who’s part of this.”

The bar features five signature cocktails, including an n/a option, Before the Dawn. Straight off the bat, our favorite is Kenny’s World Famous Pickle Martini, a gin or vodka martini with a pickled vermouth. The vermouth takes on a savory flavor and adds depth to the standard martini. “I took a recipe that I used to do dill pickles, I just subtracted the vinegar and the sugar, and then let that sit for four days in vermouth,” Marks said. “It’s pretty subtle.” Rather than olives, the drink is served with a cocktail onion garnish. Evil Fantasies gives fans of sweeter drinks something to reach for: raspberry tequila, gin, framboise, lemon, cinnamon and club soda. The Champagne (of Beer) cocktail

sions from those that exemplify all that can be achieved. These are our five favorites.

more different from the greasy spoon fare served by its predecessor. Credit goes to chef and owner Tim Eagan, who assembles the dish more like he’s at a fine-dining establishment than a humble diner. The result is a gourmet slinger made with a mouthwatering quarterpound prime beef patty, silken eggs, potato hay and outstanding chili.

GOTham and Eggs For slinger purists, GOTham and Egg’s (3139 South Grand Boulevard, 314-833-8355,gothamandeggs.com) version is shocking in that it balances being deeply satisfying without making you feel disgusting. Credit goes to the vegan chili, a rich concoction of various beans and vegetables that has all the flavor without the grease. You can keep the dish completely vegetarian, pairing the chili with cubed potatoes, bell peppers, onions and an egg, or you can add beef.

Either way, it’s mind-blowingly delicious and does not immediately require a nap.

Fleur STL Though Fleur STL (622 Chouteau Avenue, fleurstlfoodgroup.com) occupies the same building as the former Eat Rite diner, its slinger could not be any

Courtesy Diner The quintessential version of both the dish itself and the atmosphere in which it’s served, the slinger at Courtesy Diner (multiple locations including 1121 Hampton Avenue, 314-644-2600) embodies what you want: hamburger patty, greasy diner chili, shredded cheese, buttery hash browns, fried eggs, diced onions and a judgment-free zone for noshing on this belly-bomber when you are three sheets to the wind.

Southwest Diner The slinger at Southwest Diner (6803

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Kenny Marks makes a pickled vermouth martini. | MICHELLE VOLANSKY is essentially a Spaghett, featuring Miller High Life, Aperol, lemon and bitters.

The bar can also do whatever your favorite cocktail is, as well as offering a small selection of domestic beers, a couple of craft beers and a number of wines.

Whatever else you do at Kenny’s, order the “baby beer” shots, served in cute glasses resembling tiny beer mugs, complete with handles. There are two options: One is a “lager” featuring Spanish liqueur Licor 43 and heavy whipping cream on top. Marks compares the flavor to a Dairy Queen soft serve. The other is a “stout” made from Fernet Branca with a coffee liqueur and that creamy topping. “It just tastes like chocolate ice cream,” Marks said.

There’s no kitchen at Kenny’s Upstairs, but Marks said they hope to be able to work with food trucks once the bar gets into its rhythm. n Kenny’s Upstairs is open seven days a week, 5 p.m. until last call at 1 a.m.

Southwest Avenue, 314-260-7244, southwestdinerstl.com) starts out classic with two hamburger patties, peppery home fries and a generous smattering of cheese. What distinguishes it from the pack is the incredible chili. True to its name, the restaurant offers a choice of either red or green spicy New Mexican style chili — though why choose when you can get both?

Rooster Rooster (multiple locations including 1025 Washington Avenue, 314-241-8118, roosterstl.com) offers several slingers, including a classic with brisket chili, a namesake one with local andouille and even a vegan version. However, Rooster’s pork slinger is its masterpiece, complete with both bacon and sausage, flawlessly seasoned potatoes that soak up the pork grease, gooey over-easy eggs and a velvety, peppered sausage gravy so good you’ll be tempted to ask for an extra bowl on the side.

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Platypus is located on a busy corner at the western end of St. Louis’ Grove neighborhood. | MABEL SUEN

[DRINKS NEWS]

Platypus Rules Liquor.com names the Grove spot as the best underrated bar in the U.S. Written by

SARAH FENSKE

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latypus (4501 Manchester Avenue, 314-448-1622) has earned raves in its two years in business — and now the national press is playing catchup.

The cocktail bar in St. Louis’ Grove neighborhood, which combines expertly mixed drinks with a friendly dive feel, was the RFT’s Best New Bar in 2022 and Best Late-Night Bar this year. Now it can add “Best Underrated Bar,” by no less than Liquor.com, in a list that draws on the expertise of 60 hospitality industry professionals.

Writes Dylan Garret, “During

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the initial round of nominations for this year’s Best of 2023 Liquor Awards, when our panel of roughly five dozen bartenders from across the U.S. was asked to name one place in the entire country that they love but never get to see on annual year-end lists, the response was overwhelming: Platypus.”

In comments to Garret, co-owner Tony Saputo expertly explains Platypus’ appeal: “Here in St. Louis, it seems like if you want to get a good drink it’s usually a very quiet atmosphere, sometimes stuffy. There wasn’t a place where you can hang out with 10 of your friends, you can yell and scream, you can do shots, but also get a really great cocktail.”

We should also note that in addition to the terrific libations (by Saputo and co-owner Meredith Barry), Platypus also offers a great food window, Eat DuckBill, making it that rare chill bar that has good things to eat and drink. This place hits on all cylinders, and it’s great to see the world take notice.

Also worth noting: South Grand’s Gin Room is a finalist on the same list, in this case for “Best Spirits Selection.” Congratulations to owner Natasha Bahrami on another welldeserved accolade. n

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REEFERFRONT TIMES

From my experience, a weed strain like this will be very dependent on your activity, so if you need to do something with the Tire Fire, keep moving if you gotta move. Otherwise, you could easily faceplant.

[REVIEW]

Good Enough Weed Good Day Farm’s Banana Cream Cake x Jealousy and Tire Fire preroll deliver, mostly Written by

GRAHAM TOKER

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ftentimes when choosing what weed to hunt down to review, it’s a matter of cruising on some shop menus then picking something that you’d think consumers would like to try. But this time, the weed selected me.

My editor passed along an email from Good Day Farm touting its new lineup of exotic weed coming to Missouri. I hadn’t had any of its products before, so they would be a new-to-me experience. Although I’d heard rumblings about the company’s quality before, I wanted to give its product a clear shot before digging into the online fervor. Besides, I had two friends who had casually mentioned enjoying its products. That was good enough, I decided, and headed out to get some Good Day Farm flower.

I strolled into the Loop location of Good Day Farm (6662 Delmar Boulevard, 314-530-7931, gooddayfarmdispensary.com), in the former Jane Dispensary, where covered windows reach to the lobby’s high ceiling. After the ID song and dance, I went to the back. There was a long bar full of products, an additional glass box of products opposite the bar and ropes for a line of people floating in between. My budtender walked right up, and we started figuring out what to get. I got cut off pretty fast to get pitched on a $50 quarter ounce of popcorn buds from another grower, which I declined, saying I wanted to try Good Day Farm’s product. The budtender grabbed four different strains and put them on the countertop. Some of the names looked familiar from Good Day Farm’s PR email, but the budtender steered me toward the

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It’s an excellent choice for doing an activity because it delivers a clear head high. | GRAHAM TOKER Banana Cream Cake x Jealousy, a name new to me. “I’m a big fan of this one, man,” they said. “It smokes really smooth.” Who am I to argue? The purchase also included a one-gram preroll at the low, low cost of a penny. The budtender said something, and I said yes, not exactly sure what preroll got selected. After the discount for being a first-time customer, the preroll discount and getting charged the rec tax even though I presented my medical marijuana card, the total for the 3.5 grams of flower and the 1 gram preroll came to $53.

As the name clearly states, the flower is a cross between Banana Cream Cake and newcomer Jealousy, a 2022 Leafly Strain of the Year. The genetic makeup has a lot of sweeter-leaning cultivars from the Jealousy side (Sherbert Bx1 crossed with Gelato 41) that dominate the more gassy, funky side from the Banana Cream Cake (Wedding Cake crossed with Monkey Banana). The color is not prominently light green, dark green or purple. It reminded me of the sepia tone used to denote that, yes, the film/TV show is taking place in the past.

I rolled the first two joints to accompany dog walks. I wasn’t messing around with the size of these joints, so I broke out the Handwraps King Sized rice papers.

There wasn’t much of an oil ring forming on either as I meandered around my neighborhood. The inhale and exhale was fairly smooth, and I don’t recall coughing very much. For me, there wasn’t an overwhelming taste profile other than sweet. This isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t a multi-noted terp bomb.

It’s also a very balanced high. Overall, it had a very clear cerebral effect that didn’t bog down conversations with a medium body high that didn’t feel like a heavy backpack weighing me down. I can definitely recommend it for walking your dog, but this would also be a good weed to do any activity, such as a concert, perusing a museum or a social situation, because of the clear head high.

I ventured to the preroll on a chilly weekday afternoon after work. Turns out it was called Tire Fire, a cross between Dosidos and Hi-Octane. I was excited that it was a full-gram preroll. The packaging was very nice overall, and the preroll was packed very well. I

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had a nice, even smoke all the way down the preroll joint without canoeing. I saw tar as a flavor note for this flower online, which I don’t feel is accurate. The Tire Fire for me has more earthy, herby and slightly gassy tones, like a patch of grass on the outskirts of a gas station. Its cerebral and body effects were more elevated than the balanced Banana Cream Cake x Jealousy, and I sat down on the couch after smoking this joint and had some slight couch lock, so tread carefully if you need to be able to function. I was able to make it off the couch to take my dog on a walk and didn’t zonk out. From my experience, a weed strain like this will be very dependent on your activity, so if you need to do something with the Tire Fire, keep moving if you gotta move. Otherwise, you could easily faceplant.

On a rainy afternoon, I circled back on the Banana Cream Cake x Jealousy jar to find two lonely nuggets left. I rolled them up, and I had something new happen: I got a massive case of the munchies. Unfortunately, there were no snacks around the house, so I ordered a pizza. As the chain delivery pepperoni pizza hit my lips, there was definitely a sense of understanding. Good Day Farm’s product hit just like a big chain delivery pizza. It has its place in the ecosystem: Despite not being the best, it fills a need. n

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CULTURE [ PA R K S & R E C ]

Chain of Rock Park Opens Early 2024 Great Rivers Greenway’s latest addition to the region will offer everything from new safety features to a food truck area Written by

PAULA TREDWAY

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reat Rivers Greenway will open a new Chain of Rocks Park just in time for spring.

The new park will be on the Missouri side of the old Chain of Rocks Bridge and will aim to bring people to the site on a regular basis with enhancements in safety, security, event opportunities and the facilities needed to support them.

Since 2019, Great Rivers Greenway, partners and community members have worked together to plan and design a new vision for the Chain of Rocks Bridge site at the western end of the historic Route 66 bridge.

“This is something that has been coming from community engagement for years,” says Vice President of Communications Emma Klues. “The planning effort was throughout 2019, 2020 and 2021, but we’ve heard from the community about this site for the last 10 to 20 years.”

Klues says many different stakeholders have helped with the project.

“Some are neighbors nearby, some are people who use the greenway and the bridge quite a bit, some are organizations that like to plan events there, so working with are stakeholders and partners to figure out the key needs for this space — so not just the bridge itself but this park surrounding the Missouri side of the bridge,” she says.

With the help of local tax dollars, private donations and a $990,000 grant from the National Parks Service through the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership programs, Great Rivers Greenway has been able to bring back life into the 16-acre outdoor space.

“One thing that came up a lot was enhancing the natural features, the habitats and the environment in the area, the amenities for daily users and special events as well as safety and security features,” Klues says. “Years and years ago it used to be a place where there were car break-ins, so we closed it for a while, and

With the help of local tax dollars, private donations and a $990,000 grant from the National Parks Service, Great Rivers Greenway has brought life back into the historic Chain of Rocks Bridge site. | COURTESY GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY

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a permeable parking lot and an overflow grass lot, a picnic pavilion for group events, restrooms for daily use, a drinking fountain, direct walking and biking access to the historic bridge with overlook and an event lawn and food truck area with water and electricity for community events.

To help preserve the natural environment, the wetlands and woodlands have been restored and will provide food and shelter for native wildlife. There will also be a new one and a half acre reconstructed prairie, an unpaved footpath through native habitats in the prairie, rain gardens to reduce stormwater runoff and signs explaining native habitats and nature-based stormwater management. There will also be local artwork displayed that reflects the Mississippi Flyway migratory route and Chain of Rocks river geology.

“Construction will finish in February, and we will be having a big opening celebration in April,” Klues says. n

we’re excited to open it and have those security measures.”

To address those security concerns, the new park will feature a gated en-

trance, staff on site during peak hours, fencing around the site, lighting in the parking lot, video surveillance cameras and an emergency phone. It will also have

For more information and progress updates, visit Great Rivers Greenway’s website at greatriversgreenway.org/bridge.

[PRANKS]

tions and very beautiful gardens in Missourie [sic],” the letter begins. “Sadly, and with a heavy heart, after consulting both our legal counsel and leaders of the Tourism Board of the City of Venezia, we must ask that you ‘cease and desist’ the use of the name of Venice in your business name, or in the alternative, to enter into a legal agreement to license this name.”

The letter then goes on to describe the long history of La Biennale di Venezia and the entity’s legal right to Venice’s “trade name.”

“In managing this legal right, it has come to our attention that many tourists have mistaken the origins and beauty of your establishment with the City of Venezia,” the letter says. It also claimed that “agents” have visited the cafe in St. Louis and confirmed that while Venice Cafe is “truly exceptional,” it is “clearly both diluting and confusing with our city’s own reputation in both the beautiful and distinctive in the arts [sic].”

Reached on Facebook, Venice Cafe bartender and social media manager Tess LaCoil says Venice Cafe is “PRETTY sure” the letter is a joke. The writer’s demand of a measly $4.27 USD, to be paid in Italian lire, a now-defunct form of Italian currency, is just one giveaway.

Cicutto’s scrawly signature written in a crooked line at the end was another, as was the fact that Venice’s motto, “Duri i banchi!” was typed in Comic Sans at the bottom of the page.

If the letter is real, just wait until La Bi-

ennale di Venezia finds out about Venice, California, LaCoil jokes. The Los Angelesarea beach town is the cafe’s true namesake. Lockheed was amused by artistry there in the 1970s, according to LaCoil.

And take Venice, Missouri, for that matter. People’s attention spans being what they are, perhaps it’s not too bold of an assumption to think the modern brain cannot differentiate between the barren, landlocked streets of Venice, Missouri, from the scenic ancient canals of Venice, Italy.

Or maybe the author just wants to profit off the apparent trademark frenzy incurred by a handful of recent lawsuits involving local brand identities. Mission brand tortillas recently sued St. Louis-based Mission Taco Joint over its “misleading representation,” saying the restaurant chain’s use of the word “Mission” could “likely cause confusion” in the taco world. In September, KMOV sued KSDK over its use of the phrase “First Alert Weather.” And last month, local secondhand chain Found by the Pound sued brand-new retailer Found, saying consumers were confused by the similar names.

Or could it have just been an inside job? “[It’s] possible,” LaCoil says. “It’s someone who knows our sense of humor.”

But LaCoil almost hopes the letter is real — just for the entertainment of it all.

“It would be beyond frivolous,” LaCoil says. “The only result would be a ton of free click-bait-guarantee publicity for our nutty little venue.” n

Basta!

Venice Cafe gets a cease and desist letter from Venice, Italy.

But staffers aren’t taking it too seriously Written by

MONICA OBRADOVIC

V

enice Cafe, the eccentric bar and music venue in St. Louis’ Benton Park neighborhood, is apparently confusing patrons of Venice, Italy.

At least, that’s what a letter received by the bar last week claims.

Venice Cafe staff members say they are a bit perplexed by the letter, which through primitive graphic design was made to look as if it was sent by La Biennale di Venezia, the renowned international architecture, film and music exhibition held in Venice each year.

In the letter, addressed to “Egregio Signor Jeff” (they could have at least Googled owner Jeff Lockheed’s last name), Roberto Cicutto, the president of La Biennale di Venezia, supposedly expressed his dismay.

“It is with great appreciation that we have heard of your marvelous installa-

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MUSIC

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[COUNTRY]

Glow Out Brett Eldredge can’t wait to come back to his childhood stomping grounds for another Christmas show at the Fox Written by

STEVE LEFTRIDGE

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ountry crooner Brett Eldredge returns this week to the Fabulous Fox for Glow, a Christmas show that has become an annual tradition.

Eldredge, who has landed a series of Top 10 albums and singles on country radio since 2013, has carved out a unique place for himself within contemporary country music. Rather than aping the interchangeable army of hat-wearing country bros who dominate the charts, Eldredge makes music that blends cosmopolitan country, singer-songwriter meditations and jazz-vocal-inspired crooning.

And while hit singles like “Don’t Ya” and “Drunk on Your Love” contain some sheeny country instrumentation, Eldredge is just as comfortable making like Sinatra, as heard on last year’s Songs About You, an album that finds Eldredge bending his pliant baritone around a distinctive blend of soul, jazz and country tunes.

A native of Paris, Illinois, Eldredge grew up a two-and-halfhour drive from St. Louis, and his roots are woven deep into his songs. His 2015 sophomore album was titled Illinois, and 2020’s Sunday Drive is a song series about family and memories of his hometown. Lately, Eldredge has been as associated with Christmas music as anything, donning a tuxedo each year for a winter tour to reprise songs from his swinging, well-received 2016 holiday album Glow and its follow-up, 2021’s Mr. Christmas. We chatted with Eldredge between tour stops as he makes his way to St. Louis.

You grew up in Paris, Illinois. Is that Cardinals or Cubs country?

Cubs! Half my family are Cardi-

Cutline goes here followed by Art Credit, in All Caps. | ART CREDIT nals fans though, so the rivalry is incredible.

Did you make a lot of trips to St. Louis as a kid?

Yes, every year growing up. I had a lot of family that lived there.

Do you have any specific memories of performing in St. Louis?

Last year we brought Glow to St. Louis for the first time, and it was awesome. This year, we are going even bigger and ending the tour there.

You’ve been writing songs since you were young. Can you talk about your process when writing? How do the songs come, and has your method changed over the years?

I love to write songs, and the method is always different. I like to let the inspiration hit me whenever it shows its beautiful face. Sometimes it’s on a drive, sometimes it’s in the middle of the night, sometimes it’s on an airplane thousands of feet up in the sky. I try to capture it and see where it goes.

Have you always considered yourself a country artist? How do you fit into the country music ecosystem these days?

Honestly, I just love to make music. I think I’m a lot of things when

it comes to style. I prefer to just let the music be whatever it is, and at the end of the day, it will find the right person that needs to hear it.

Your 2021 album is called Mr. Christmas. With your successful Glow tours, that nickname is starting to make sense. How did you come to so thoroughly embrace yourself as an artist associated with Christmas traditions?

I have been a Christmas fanatic since I was a little kid. The traditions throughout our lives help form our sense of belonging and our sense of self. Christmas traditions and music make me feel connected to myself and to others, and I feel I get the opportunity to spread that everywhere I can by singing and telling my stories. It’s a big heart-opener, and we could all use a little of that right now.

We could all use a little of that always.

You have a great voice for crooning. Your last album, Songs About You, was inspired by jazz singers. Do you think you will continue going in that direction and perhaps make a purely nonChristmas jazz/torch music?

I think there’s definitely a good chance I could go that direction.

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My heart feels it so deep. I guess I’m an old soul to the core.

Can we assume that you are always writing and generating new material for an upcoming album? If so, how is that shaping up?

It’s shaping up beautifully. I am exploring new sounds and doing a lot of writing in New York.

What do you do to stay in shape when you’re out on the road?

I have to move every day. My mental health suffers if I don’t.

I do a lot of weight training and cardio but also simply going for a long walk helps a ton.

Let’s talk about this year’s Christmas show. What should fans expect?

The show is built around traditions, songs that you’ve always loved and some that I’ve written that will put you in the spirit.

Now that this tour has become a tradition for many, I try to keep a common thread in some ways, because that’s what makes it feel like a warm blanket you keep wanting to be wrapped up with.

I want it to feel like we are all sitting around the tree together, telling stories and singing the songs that helped us find a little magic in the world. n

DECEMBER 20-26, 2023

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STAGE

[REVIEW] CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA NYE WEEKEND

ZEDS DEAD PLUS RUSKO & HEYZ

FRI, DEC 29

TYLER HENRY:

THE HOLLYWOOD MEDIUM

TUE, JAN 9 7-0-7 TOUR

ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS PLUS CHARLIE SEXTON

FRI, JAN 26

THE SIMON AND GARFUNKEL STORY FRI, FEB 2

BAND OF HORSES SAT, FEB 17

SUBTRONICS PLUS WOOLI, HEDEX, SAKA, JON CASEY, SKELLYTN

THU, FEB 22 GOODBYE YELLER BRICK ROAD, THE FINAL TOUR

LEWIS BLACK FRI, FEB 23

MUSCADINE BLOODLINE PLUS BEN CHAPMAN

SAT, FEB 24 ST. PATRICK’S DAY TOUR 2024

DROPKICK MURPHYS PLUS PENNYWISE

AND THE SCRATCH

MON, FEB 26

THREE DOG NIGHT PLUS CHRIS TRAPPER

FRI, MAR 1

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A New Twist The Rep elevates a familiar tale, It’s a Wonderful Life, with top-notch performances Written by

TINA FARMER It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play Adapted from the Frank Capra movie by Joe Landry. Directed by Kate Bergstrom. Presented by the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis through Saturday, December 23. Showtimes vary, and tickets are $30 to $90.

KSTL surprises leading man Jack Laurents with a live performance of his favorite movie. | JON GITCHOFF

C

ertain holiday memories are so ingrained into our collective consciousness that it’s hard to imagine them any different than the original.

Perhaps no film better exemplifies this than Frank Capra’s 1946 holiday classic It’s a Wonderful Life. The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis satisfies our love of the story while circumventing comparison with the imaginative and engaging It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.

Sometime in the middle of the 20th century, when radio was the source of news and entertainment, KSTL is preparing for its weekly live radio play. What leading man Jake Laurents doesn’t know is that the station is surprising him by performing one of his favorite movies: It’s a Wonderful Life. Announcer Freddie Filmore steps up to the microphone to welcome the listeners and, just like that, the Rep’s audience is transported back in time.

George Bailey is facing a host of problems and, for once, doesn’t know what to do. When the greedy opportunist Mr. Potter suggests that Bailey is worth more dead than alive, he contemplates taking his own life. Up in heaven, an angel observes Bailey’s conflict and decides to send Clarence, a well-meaning but awkward angel-in-training, to help convince Bailey that his life is worth living. The quick-paced and engaging story keeps even those who are familiar with it on the edge of their seat, from Bailey’s first moment of doubt to his reunion with

DECEMBER 20-26, 2023

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The Rep’s show transports the audience back in time. | JON GITCHOFF his family and friends, listening for the ringing bell.

Director Kate Bergstrom takes the show through its many changing scenes with a sure, confident hand, but it is the performers on stage who truly amaze. The majority of the cast seamlessly moves from character to character while expertly incorporating live sound cues that enhance the story in ways that encourage the audience to free their imagination and complete the picture in their minds.

The timing and proficiency of the cast is central to the success of the show, and the Rep’s ensemble of

local performers delivers excellence from the opening note to the well harmonized and humorous jingles to the heartwarming and deeply satisfying conclusion.

Michael James Reed is likable and believably caught up in the moment as Jake Laurents/George Bailey, reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart’s iconic Bailey without veering into impersonation or caricature. DeAnté Bryant shows impeccable comic timing while embodying care and empathy as Harry Heywood/Clarence Odbody. Eric Dean White maintains a stiff upper lip and good humor as announcer Freddie Filmore, Jailyn Genyse impressively manages and conducts the sound cues as stage manager and TJ State Jr. is infectiously vibrant as Lead Songbird. J. Samuel Davis, Carmen García, Melissa Harlow, Daisy Held and Aria Maholchic complete a talented, multitasking ensemble that sings together as skillfully as they shift between characters and sound cues.

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play runs about an hour shorter than the film while still conveying all the important plot points and underlying social context. Though suicide is a central theme, the story and tone of the play are intended to lift spirits up and remind everyone that “Each man’s life touches so many other lives.” If you’re looking for a topnotch holiday production for the family or a heartwarming night out, move It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play to the top of your must-see list. n

FILM [REVIEW]

Not Just Another Sports Movie The Iron Claw is well-acted and brilliantly filmed — and it leaves you with a gut punch Written by

KAYLA MCCULLOCH The Iron Claw Written and directed by Sean Durkin. Opens December 22.

H

ow many different sports movies am I summing up in this one sentence? “Against all odds, an athlete claws their way to the top.” Based on a true story or not, this narrative trope has always been a key component of the subgenre and its seemingly limitless appeal.

That said, I’m not sure the basic framework has ever been taken more literally than in The Iron Claw. Inspired by the real-life tragedy of the Von Erich family, one of the most iconic surnames in professional wrestling, writer-director Sean Durkin shows there are still original angles to explore the tried and true sport-drama conceit.

Prior to parenting pro wrestlers Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), David (Harris Dickinson) and Mike (Stanley Simons), Fritz Von Erich (Holt McCallany) was a highly decorated champion in his own right. Earning three world championships and close to two dozen NWA championships before retiring and transitioning to a career as a savvy promoter, Von Erich made it his mission to train up his sons to surpass his list of accomplishments in the ring.

The family’s greatest challenger?

Not another wrestling dynasty, but the so-called Von Erich curse.

(Turns out Fritz’s signature finishing move “The Iron Claw” wasn’t the only thing passed down patriarchally.)

The Von Erich boys knew this dark cloud would linger over their

Yes, that’s Zac Efron flying high, and his acting is as impressive as his physique. | A24 FILMS heads for as long as they — and any future descendants — bore the last name. Still, Kevin and David trained hard to follow in Dad’s footsteps while Kerry and Mike set their sights on other equally lofty goals. With luck, the former’s Olympic hopes in track and field and the latter’s natural talent for music would be distinct enough from their old man’s path to skirt the generational smudge they fear awaits them like a Grim Reaper.

Despite these attempts to subvert fate, the steel grip of the Von Erich curse grabs ahold of each boy in turn. With this, near the midpoint of The Iron Claw, writer-director Sean Durkin’s third feature transitions from a serviceable by-the-numbers biopic to an exceedingly harrowing melodrama. What initially felt like an interesting choice for Durkin — the man behind such psychological dramas as Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) and The Nest (2020) — eventually proves to be right up his alley. This mid-film shift makes for a truly crushing blow as it moves away from standard genre fare and into much more affecting territory.

In shooting a movie of this sort, cinematographer Mátyás Erdély undoubtedly had his work cut out for him. From the pop culture staying power of the Rocky franchise to the continued success of the Creed spinoffs — not to mention the countless other boxing, wrestling and fighting movies to

The family’s greatest challenger? Not another wrestling dynasty, but the so-called Von Erich curse. put audiences on the ropes (or the many stars to come out of the WWE and other professional promoters) — it’s a very cinematic sport he’s dealing with here. Nevertheless, Durkin’s direction and Erdély’s shots manage to present inherently picturesque feats of athleticism in fresh ways.

Editor Matthew Hannam plays a part in this as well. A one-time collaborator with such filmmakers as Denis Villeneuve, Noah Baumbach and the Daniels, it’s Hannam’s past work with Durkin on The Nest that informs his decisions here. The film avoids feeling like a Wikipedia speed run with the help of some perfectly timed fight scenes and well-spaced breathing room dispersed throughout. These will either get your pulse pounding or bring it back down to a resting rate, just as any good sports epic should do. Even this is elevated above the norm, particularly dur-

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ing the instances where the closing shot of one scene blends with the opening shot of another.

I’ve hardly touched on the cast, which, to be clear, warrants a fair share of praise in all this. Those who already adore Jeremy Allen White from his stints on hit series Shameless and The Bear will not be disappointed by his time on screen here. That’s also true for fans of Holt McCallany from David Fincher’s filmography, who’ll be glad to see the character actor in a deservedly meaty role (even if it’s not a third season of Mindhunter). Maura Tierney and Lily James also earn a mention for doing more with their parts as mother and wife — traditionally two-dimensional archetypes in works about masculine men with unhealthy balances between career and home life.

This aside, I’d say it’s Zac Efron who deserves the most acclaim of all. With his Disney years long behind him (and his torrent of raunchy comedies trickling to a stream as of late), it’s about time he received a chance to shine in something more substantial. I’ve suspected him capable of a performance of this caliber since his supporting role in, strangely enough, Harmony Korine’s The Beach Bum. Underrated and overlooked upon its release, Efron’s committed bit in that film as a party-loving pyromaniac named Flicker stands as a harbinger of the kind of dedication he’d bring to the far less goofy but just as engrossing part of Kevin in The Iron Claw.

From its dependable beats to its winning ensemble to its all-enveloping late ‘70s/early ‘80s pastiche, The Iron Claw is destined to be a crowd-pleaser — though there’s nothing overtly pleasant about this tragic cautionary tale. From top to bottom, Durkin’s team (both on camera and off) understands the task at hand — to take a wellknown true story full of familiar themes and take it to artful new heights — and, as a result, they largely succeed.

There’s no shortage of excellent titles to see this holiday season, but don’t be turned away by what ostensibly appears to be just another sports flick. It’s one of the most surprising gut punches of the year — a rock-solid melodrama rising up moments before the bell rings on 2023. n

DECEMBER 20-26, 2023

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OUT EVERY NIGHT

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ach week, we bring you our picks for the best concerts of the next seven days. To submit your show for consideration, visit https://bit.ly/3bgnwXZ. All events are subject to change, so check with the venue before you head out. Happy showgoing!

[CRITIC’S PICK]

THURSDAY 21

BRETT ELDREDGE: 8 p.m., $47.50-$127.50. The Fox Theatre, 527 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 314-534-1111.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON: 7 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

PAUL NEIHAUS: 3 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

PHAT BUDDHA 25TH ANNIVERSARY HOLIDAY JAM: w/ Marquise Knox, Funky Butt Brass Band, Clusterpluck, St. Boogie Brass Band 7 p.m., $10.

BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

THE SO & SO’S HOLIDAY PARTY: 6:30 p.m., free.

Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.

THE SOULARD BLUES BAND: 8 p.m., $15-$20.

Joe’s Cafe Gallery, 6010 Kingsbury Ave., St. Louis, 314-862-2541.

TOMMY WARD: 7:30 p.m., $30. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

El Monstero. | KENNY BAHR

FRIDAY 22

ALLIGATOR WINE: 9 p.m., $11. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

BEER CHOIR - CHRISTMAS EDITION: 7 p.m., free.

Das Bevo Biergarten, 4749 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-224-5521.

BETH BOMBARA: 7:30 p.m., free. Yaqui’s on Cherokee, 2728 Cherokee St, St. Louis, 314-400-7712.

DIALOGUE: 8 p.m., $5-$10. The Sinkhole, 7423 South Broadway, St. Louis, 314-328-2309.

GLASS MATTRESS: w/ The Public, Armories 7 p.m., $10. Platypus, 4501 Manchester Avenue, St. Louis, 314-359-2293.

HONKY TONK HAPPY HOUR: 4 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

J.D. HUGHES: 4 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON BAND: 6 p.m., $12. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 South Kingshighway Blvd., 2nd Floor, St. Louis, 3143765313.

JOSE GOBO ORGAN TRIO: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.

LYNITA RENEA: w/ DJ Tycoon 8 p.m., $15-$20.

The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.

MARTY ABDULLAH & THE EXPRESSIONS: 8 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

Q: w/ T.U.F.T., Abi Ooze 8 p.m., free. CBGB, 3163 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis.

RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: 8 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

ROBERT NELSON: 7:30 p.m., $25. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

THOR AXE: 8 p.m., $12. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

SATURDAY 23

ANNIE & THE FUR TRAPPERS: 8 p.m., $15-$20.

The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550.

BB’S CHRISTMAS BASH: w/ Chris Shepherd Band 2 p.m., $25. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

DR. ZHIVEGAS PRINCE TRIBUTE: 8 p.m., $20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

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El Monstero 8 p.m. December 21 through 23 and December 27 through 30. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $37.50 to $57.50.

314-726-6161.

It’s frankly a bit of a head-scratcher that one of St. Louis’ most enduring holiday traditions in the year of our Lord 2023 is a string of full-scale, over-the-top tribute concerts honoring an English rock band that was formed nearly 60 years ago, but then there’s a lot about St. Louis that defies explanation. (FFS, have you seen that crap we try to pass off as pizza?) And GOTCHA: w/ Michael Bishop, Saylor 9 p.m., $10$15. The Crack Fox, 1114 Olive Street, St. Louis, 314-828-5064.

JIM MANLEY CHRISTMAS SHOW: 7 p.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.

JOHN MCVEY BAND: 8 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

KRIS KRINGLE & THE JOLLY JINGLES, THE LOUD LOUD CROWS: 8 p.m., $10. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

MATT “RATTLESNAKE” LESCH: 8 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

THE MITCHELL MATTHEWS XMAS EXPERIENCE: 7 p.m., $10. Club Riveria, 3524 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314-531-8663.

MU330: w/ Pleasure Center 8 p.m., $20. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

ONE WAY TRAFFIC: 9 p.m., $14. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

PLACK BLAGUE: w/ Moon 17, the Mall, DJ Sex Nintendo, DJ Domolition 9 p.m., $12-$15. The Crack Fox, 1114 Olive Street, St. Louis, 314-828-5064.

RICH MCDONOUGH & THE RHYTHM RENEGADES: 2 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St.,

DECEMBER 20-26, 2023

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so, just in time for the birth of the baby in the manger, the powerhouse act that is El Monstero will once again embark on a seven-night run of high-flying, Pink Floydaping fun. As much musicianship as it is sheer spectacle, El Monstero’s show combines the songs of Pink Floyd with its indelible iconography for a truly immersive experience that brings the KSHE set out in droves. The band mixes wellknown classics with deeper cuts alongside a Broadway-level stage show that completely transforms the Pageant and arguably rivals the act to which the band is paying tribute. That’s no small feat, and

the fact that the band reliably sells out a week’s worth of shows year after year at a 2,000-capacity venue serves as proof positive that El Monstero has hit upon a winning formula.

Don’t Trip: Tempting as it may be, you are not advised to consume a fistful of psychedelic drugs before the show. Famously, some of Pink Floyd’s work hits upon fascist themes, and El Monstero doesn’t shy away from those elements in either the music or the visual elements.

In other words, save the shrooms for your next trip to the City Museum; it’ll be a far less terrifying time.

—Daniel Hill

St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

SALTY GINGER BAND: 6 p.m., $6. The Attic Music Bar, 4247 South Kingshighway Blvd., 2nd Floor, St. Louis, 314-376-5313.

St. Louis, 314-678-5060.

NAKED MIKE: 7 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

WEDNESDAY 27 SUNDAY 24

BROTHER JEFFERSON BAND: 7 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

ERIK BROOKS: 2 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

THE HAMILTON BAND: 12:30 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

MISS JUBILEE & THE YAS YAS BOYS: 11 a.m., free. Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.

RENEE SMITH: 4 p.m., $15. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

TUESDAY 26

ETHAN JONES: 9 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

MARK HARRIS II: 7:30 p.m., $30-$35. City Winery St. Louis, 3730 Foundry Way, Suite 158,

DREW LANCE: 4:30 p.m., free. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

HARD BOP MESSENGERS QUARTET: 7 p.m., free.

Evangeline’s, 512 N Euclid Ave, St. Louis, 314-367-3644.

JOHN MCVEY BAND: 7 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

MARGARET & FRIENDS: 3 p.m., $5. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

SPENCER JONES: 7:30 p.m., $15. Blue Strawberry Showroom & Lounge, 364 N Boyle Ave, St. Louis, 314-256-1745.

VOODOO TOM PETTY: 8:30 p.m., $14. Broadway Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-8811.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT JAZZ JAM: w/ Bob DeBoo 6 p.m., free. The Dark Room, 3610 Grandel Square inside Grandel Theatre, St. Louis, 314-776-9550. n

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SAVAGE LOVE Quickies

BY DAN SAVAGE 1. What’s with all the caging in gay porn?

The appeal of male chastity devices seems obvious to me: A cock cage instantly turns the most important thing about a male porn performer into the least important thing. Paradoxically, male chastity devices pull visual focus toward a performer’s dick — they draw the eye — while shifting the focus of the action away from the performer’s dick.

Gay guys into dirty talk enjoy saying things like, “I’m just a hole, Sir!” but gay guys who wear a male chastity device really commit to the bit. Also, quality male chastity devices — like the ones made by the evil geniuses at Steelwerks (steelwerksextreme.com) — aren’t cheap, so conspicuous consumption, consumer culture and late-stage capitalism all factor in.

2. I’ve been having more sex ever since opening up my relationship. I had an experience with one of my hookups where I wasn’t able to stay hard, and ever since then, it keeps on happening. I feel like now I get so in my head worrying about if I’m hard or if I’m going to get hard that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Do you have any advice on how to get out of my head and stop worrying about being hard?

Taking ED meds — temporarily — can help boost your confidence and get you out of your head.

3. I am a sex-repulsed asexual. I would like to have a committed romantic relationship that does not involve sex. Committing to me means forgoing sex entirely, as the idea of my partner being sexual with others is repulsive to me. Am I obligated to disclose my asexuality? When I disclose these facts in advance, I am refused dates. When I wait until I have been dating someone for some months to disclose these facts, I face angry accusations of deceit.

If I asked a woman out on a date and spent months wining and dining her, that woman would make the perfectly reasonable assumption that I was interested in her romantically and sexually. And when she found out I wasn’t interested in her — when she learned I was leveraging her perfectly reasonable assumption (he’s into women) to get some other thing I wanted (her Netflix password) — she would have every right to be furious

with me.

So, just as the overwhelming majority of men who date women are straight, the overwhelming majority of people seeking romantic partners are sexual. By failing to disclose your acute asexuality in advance (lifelong celibacy is a big ask), you’re weaponizing the reasonable assumptions others might make based on your actions to get what you want. And not only shouldn’t you do that, I don’t understand why you need to. The Internet exists, and sexrepulsed asexuals can find other sexrepulsed asexuals online. If getting on a dating app for asexuals doesn’t appeal to you, get on Twitter or BlueSky or Threads and look for people complaining about sex scenes in movies and ask one of them out.

4. Is it safe to put numbing cream on your partner’s dick as part of D/s pleasure denial?

Numbing creams are safe to use on dicks — as are more torturous creams, like Icy Hot or BENGAY — but they’re not safe to use on holes, as a numb hole is an easily injured hole. So if you put numbing cream on your sub’s dick, be sure to roll a condom over it before you slide that zombie dick into your ass or pussy.

5. I love getting facials — the cum kind — but my partner won’t come on my face. How to convince them?

You can only impress upon him that facials are something you enjoy — maybe he’ll come around (and come on your face), maybe he won’t. If he thinks they’re degrading and doesn’t wanna degrade you, explain to him that desired degradation play is affirming, not degrading. If he’s worried you’ll wanna kiss him with his load all over your face, promise you’ll go wash up immediately after. If it’s just not something he enjoys for reasons he can’t fully articulate, take no for an answer.

6. Does the booty remember how to take certain sizes of dick? Is there muscle memory?

If you’ve taken larger dicks, and your bigdicked partners provided you with lots of anal foreplay, used lots of lube, took it slow, etc., you and your booty will be less anxious, less fearful and more relaxed when that big dick comes at you again.

It’s less about muscle memory and more associating anal stimulation/penetration with pleasure. It’s the good times a booty remembers, not certain sizes.

7. What’s the best way to dispose of old sex toys? I feel bad putting something with batteries in the trash.

Fast Company recently wrote up the movement to keep trash out of landfills by tasking manufacturers, not consumers, with the safe disposal of consumer goods: “Swedish academic Thomas Lindhqvist framed this idea in 1990 as a strategy to decrease products’ environmental impacts by making manufacturers responsible for the goods’ entire life cycles — especially for takeback, recycling and final disposal.” If we can make that work for computers, phones and video game consoles, it should work for vibrating remote controlled butt plugs — but since these systems aren’t up and running yet, you’ll have to put those old sex toys in a box and shove them in the back of your closet for the time being.

8. Autistic here. What are the “general rules” for texting? I forget people exist after two days with no response.

I have an autistic acquaintance who set a twice-weekly “text alarm” on his phone.

When it goes off, he scrolls through his recent text messages. He responds to people he didn’t get back to when they texted him and politely checks in with people who haven’t responded to texts.

Maybe that would work for you?

9. Is low T common or am I just getting constant ads for it because I’m 40 and gay?

It’s relatively common — but no one ever went broke playing on the insecurities of gay men in their 40s and 50s. The benefits are real (improved sexual function, retention of muscle mass, improved mood), but there are real risks (moobs, clots, cancer), so best to talk to your doctor before getting on testosterone supplements.

10. Tips for moving in together besides lots of communication and giving each other enough space?

Equal division of household labor does not mean equal division of each and every task. So if one of you doesn’t mind washing the dishes and is, in fact, totally excellent at it (like me), that person should wash the dishes. If one of you is the kind of controlling OCD freak who gets off on meticulously folding laundry for hours, that person should do the laundry (like my husband). Also, get my book Savage Love From A to Z and read the chapter on the “Price of Admission” aloud to each other in bed.

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11. Can fecal matter from anilingus sicken you with something other than STIs? Yes, it can — but eating a clean ass is less dangerous than eating at a buffet, IMO, where people who haven’t washed their hands regularly get fecal matter all over the tongs.

12. Woman, age 38, in a loving, long-term relationship. What’s your best tip for getting out of the inevitable sexual rut?

At the start of a relationship, you’re the adventure they’re on, they’re the adventure you’re on — it’s a combo that makes for effortlessly adventurous sex. If you want to get that adventurous feeling back after five or ten years, you have to go on adventures together, e.g., go to sex clubs, have sex somewhere you might get caught, book a joint session with an erotic body worker, etc.

13. Can I still be a lesbian even if I don’t like receiving oral sex? I like giving and other activities.

I will allow it.

P.S. There are gay men who don’t like anal (they’re called “sides”) and straight men who prefer eating pussy to fucking pussy (no catchy name). Masc lesbians who liked to give oral sex but didn’t like to receive it were once known as “stone butch dykes,” so lesbians like you — assuming you’re butch — have a catchy name and a storied history. Your pillow princess is out there.

14. I came out while in a manic episode. Am I still queer?

If you came out as intersex, and you’re actually intersex, you’re still queer. If you came out as gay or lesbian but postmania you’re no longer attracted to members of your sex, you’re not queer. If you came out as bi, and post-mania you’re still attracted to people of both and/or all sexes and/or both and/or all genders, you’re queer. If you came out as sapiosexual or fictosexual or objectumsexual or pomosexual, you were never queer — just annoying.

15. Love lube for foreplay but it ruins oral after using because of the taste. Recommendations?

Keep a warm, wet washcloth within easy reach.

Send your question to mailbox@savage.love Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

DECEMBER 20-26, 2023

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