The Pulse - Vol. 6, Issue 30 by Brewer Media Group

Inside The Mind of Wayne White By Janis Hashe

Penguin population explosion Chattanooga crime series Winding and Binding

News, Views, Arts & Entertainment • July 23 - 29, 2009 • Volume 6, Issue 30 • www.chattanoogapulse.com • pulse news 95.3 WPLZ

CONTENTS T H E P U L S E • C H AT TA N O O G A , T E N N E S S E E • J U LY 2 3 , 2 0 0 9 • V O L U M E 6 , I S S U E 3 0

COVER STORY

page 11

NEWS & VIEWS 6 BEYOND THE HEADLINES

20 ON THE BEAT

A penguin population explosion.

God's busy work.

9 SHRINK RAP

22 SHADES OF GREEN

Four steps to making it manageable.

Batteries included.

14 LIFE IN THE NOOG

27 ASK A MEXICAN

The ballad of Chuck Jennings.

Who's got the cojones?

ARTS & FEATURES 16 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT By Michael Crumb David Smotherman has seen his small book/art store blossom into one of the largest spaces on Frazier Avenue, and WinderBinder has become an important regional folk art gallery.

19 FILM FEATURE

By Phillip Johnston Imagine how difficult it would be to turn an almost universally loved novel, clocking in at 652 pages, into a single feature film. It’s a package deal—fans will see an elaborate film adaption if it is made.

21 DRIVING DIVERSIONS

By Damien Power There is the Knoxville there is, and the Knoxville there once was. Like Chattanooga, our orange-and-white neighbor to the north has been undergoing a steady and growing revitalization effort that gives visitors a reason to visit.

24 MUSIC FEATURE

By Hellcat If you have been doing this as long as I have, sometimes you just feel like getting crazy and throwing all the bands you want to hear together, regardless of their genre.

Cover artwork, "Bobby" by Wayne White

SENSITIVE FAMOUS: INSIDE THE MIND OF WAYNE WHITE By Janis Hashe From the beginning, Wayne White wanted to draw. Between games with his Little League “Dixie Youth” team, he drew. On drawing pads, on paper bags, on pieces of wood, on rocks. And now, more than 40 years later, he still does.

4 4 5 5 6 7

EDITOON LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PULSE BEATS CITY COUNCILSCOPE THE LIST POLICE BLOTTER

17 18 25 26 28 29

A&E CALENDAR NEW IN THEATERS MUSIC CALENDAR NEW MUSIC REVIEWS FREE WILL ASTROLOGY JONESIN’ CROSSWORD

The entire contents of this publication are copyrighted and property of Brewer Media Group. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publishers. The Pulse utilizes freelance writers and the views expressed within this publication are not necessarily the views of the publishers or editors. The Pulse takes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other materials.

The

Editoon

by Rick Baldwin

Publisher Zachary Cooper zcooper@chattanoogapulse.com Contributing Editor Janis Hashe jhashe@chattanoogapulse.com News Editor/Art Director Gary Poole gpoole@chattanoogapulse.com Advertising Sales Rick Leavell rleavell@chattanoogapulse.com Leif Sawyer leif@brewermediagroup.com Contributing Writers Gustavo Arellano Thom Benson Rob Brezsny Elizabeth Crenshaw Chuck Crowder Michael Crumb Hellcat Phillip Johnston Matt Jones Keith Landecker Louis Lee Kelly Lockhart Ernie Paik Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D. Stephanie Smith Alex Teach Editorial Intern Molly Iles

Letters to the Editor

Editorial Cartoonist Rick Baldwin

that makes babies without having set up a husband-and-wife structure to rear children costs us money: police, education, health, etc. Send the official message that fornication does cost, and try (not too hard) to collect some of the cost. This won’t stop the problem(s), but it might improve some of the statistics. Andrew Lohr Chattanooga

Art Department Sharon Chambers Kathryn Dunn Kelly Lockhart Damien Power Art Intern Megan Humble Staff Photographer Damien Power Contact Info: Phone (423) 648-7857 Fax (423) 648-7860 E-mail info@chattanoogapulse.com Advertising advertising@chattanoogapulse.com Calendar Listings calendar@chattanoogapulse.com The Pulse is published weekly and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. No person without written permission from the publishers may take more than one copy per weekly issue. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors.

The Pulse is published by

1305 Carter Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402 phone (423) 648-7857 fax (423) 648-7860 Letters to the editor must include name, address and daytime phone number for verification. The Pulse reserves the right to edit letters for space and clarity. Please keep letters within 500 words in length. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on culture, the arts, entertainment and local news.

Member

Fantastic Article I just wanted to write in and say that the gangs article was great [“Saving Our Kids From Gang Violence”]. Thank you for publishing this story. Polly Curtis Chattanooga We Need A Fornication Tax If 90% of at-risk kids have single mothers, one way to dent the gang problem would be to put a tax on fornication, on sex outside holy marriage. (Call it a “sin tax.”) Sex

County Residents Against Annexation Hamilton County residents are banding together in opposition to Chattanooga’s proposed annexation, and we have started a movement against this act. www.hcraa.org (Hamilton County Residents Against Annexation) is up and running and response has been amazing. This effort started as a door-to-door petition in Hurricane Creek Estates, but we have expanded our scope to involve all residents of the county who are facing annexation. As county residents, we have no official voice as far as the city council is concerned as we are not (yet) residents. If we are annexed, we do not have a right to a jury trial as is guaranteed by the Tennessee state constitution (article I, section 6). Current TN code annexation

laws are in stark contrast to the state constitution by allowing only a hearing by a chancellor in a case that would affect thousands of county residents in what is nothing more than a blatant cash grab by the city. Kyle Holden Hurricane Creek Unhappy With Club Reviews Umm, this is not the Chattanooga I live in [“The Good, The Bad and The Sound”, 7/9]. This is sad and onesided. All the non-yuppie venues on this list are either inaccurate or just reduced to a few carefree sentences. Chris Morse Chattanooga Guns In Parks Ridiculousness I would be willing to bet that if any of the nine council members were to get robbed at gunpoint in one of these precious so called “safe” parks, they would have a different view [“City Council Bans Guns In Parks”]. These places are far from safe, but it usually takes someone being faced with a lifeor-death situation before they take the steps to ensure they will never be a victim again. Rob Tell Chattanooga

Send all letters to the editor and questions to info@chattanoogapulse.com We reserve the right to edit letters for content and space. Please include your full name, city and contact information.

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Pulse Beats

Quote Of The Week: A rundown of the newsy, the notable, and the notorious...

“In 35 years in the park business, I have never seen a situation where a citizen with a gun could have handled a situation.” — Chattanooga Parks Director Larry Zehnder, speaking in favor of a resolution banning all weapons in city parks.

Crime Series: Where’s Our PAL? By Keith Landecker keith@brewermediagroup.com The Pulse has teamed up with 95.3 Pulse News, Power 94 and the new lcoal web site ChattanoogaCrime.com to present a two week series of stories about crime and crime prevention in the Chattanooga region.

Gangs, drugs, and violence are prevalent in America; however, involvement in these things does not have to be a rite of passage for our children. Participation in Police Athletic Leagues (PAL) can help deter youth, suburban and inner-city alike, from spending their idle time in destructive ways, while increasing positive connections within the community. Studies show that participation in gangs, violence and drugs can start as early as middle school and often involves children that do not participate in extracurricular activities and spend a lot of time unsupervised. This lack of supervision is due in part to both parents being in the work force, single-parent homes, and the unavailability of structured programs for tweens and teenagers. PAL is a youth crime prevention program that utilizes educational, athletic and recreational activities to create trust and understanding between police officers and youth. PAL provides an opportunity to get kids off the street and bring youth under the supervision and positive influence of a law enforcement agency. It is based on the conviction that young people, if they are reached early enough, can develop strong positive attitudes towards police officers in their journey toward the goals of maturity and good citizenship. Studies have shown that if a young person respects a police officer on the ball field, gym or classroom, he will likely come to respect the laws that police officers enforce. Such respect is beneficial to the young person, the police officer, the neighborhood, and the business community. PAL offers free year-round and seasonal educational, athletic and cultural programs for any child between the ages of 4 and 17. As a nonprofit youth-serving organization, PAL em-

ploys officers and a volunteer staff to oversee these programs to ensure safety, competency and order. Staff and volunteers are committed to assisting children with finding guidance, setting goals, and enjoying new life opportunities. PAL programs and facilities are available to all youth, regardless of race, religion or financial situation. (www.co.benton.ar.us/SheriffsOffice/ PAL). Unfortunately, the PAL program, supported by Hamilton County and held in East Lake, was terminated. Officer Wayne Jefferson, who was the director of the local PAL at the Chattanooga Police Department, told us that PAL was used by most of the children who couldn’t afford organized sports leagues. Although PAL was not known to many, those who were familiar with it, enjoyed the program while it lasted. “We had all kinds of sports,” says Jefferson. “It was a good, free program that had a lot of parental sup-

Here is one of the more interesting agenda items set to be discussed at the June 28 meeting of the Chattanooga City Council.

7. Resolutions: a) A resolution authorizing the Mayor to execute an agreement with Hamilton County for the Hamilton County courts community service program to pick up litter along city right-of-way using first-time, non-violent offenders.

port, and also helped a lot of kids. Since it switched over to Parks and Rec, we now participate with the Explorer Program, where we mentor kids.” For more information about PAL, visit www.nationalpal.org

Signal Mountain Space House Looking For Zoning Change The new owners of the nationally famous Signal Mountain “Space House” are running into local opposition over their plans to convert the house into a vacation rental. James Farris of Quest Holdings LLC, the company that bought the house last year, has asked that the property be rezoned from singlefamily residential to multi-family residential. Farris has made extensive renovations to the house, and in his zoning request told the Regional Planning Agency that his plan was to rent out the house for short-term vacations. Currently, the house can only be rented out for a minimum of a month, at the advertised rate of $2,100 per month. However, not everyone is in favor of the re-zoning. Area residents have contacted the Regional Planning Agency and expressed concerns about increased traffic and parking, plus what is known as “spot zoning”. The matter will be addressed publically at August 10 meeting of RPA, and if approved there, will be presented to the Hamilton County Commission later in the month.

It is very common for first-time, non-violent offenders to be sentenced to community service. For many people, it means spending a weekend morning wearing a brightorange safety vest and picking up trash and litter alongside the roads. Which serves a dual purpose: It not only helps to keep our city roadways clean (since it’s nearly impossible to convince all drivers not to litter), but it also works as a great deterrent by making the punishment publically embarrassing. The resolution in question is merely one of those governmental formalities, which makes it legal for the county courts to sentence those first-time, non-violent scofflaws to pick up litter inside the city limits. Otherwise, we’d have a strange situation of very clean roads in the unincorporated areas of the county but not inside the city limits. Of course, the best solution of all would be if no one littered in the first place. Especially you smokers. There’s a reason why cars still come equipped with ashtrays (or at least have them available as an option)— so you can put out your butt inside your car instead of tossing a burning stick out the car window. The Chattanooga City Council meets each Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the City Council Building at 1000 Lindsay St. For more information on the agendas, visit www.Chattanooga.gov/City_ Council/110_Agenda.asp

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Beyond The Headlines The Ten Most Common Last Names In America 1. Smith 2. Johnson 3. Williams 4. Jones 5. Brown 6. Davis 7. Miller 8. Wilson 9. Moore 10. Taylor Chances are, you know or work with someone with one of the above last names. In fact, there’s a good chance you know several people with these names. Take a quick look around and see how many of the above names you can find. Here at Brewer Media, we have a Matt Jones (our crossword designer), a Stephanie Smith (arts and music writer), a Chris Taylor (traffic reporter) and Randy Smith (ESPN radio afternoon host). Our film reviewer, Phillip Johnston, just misses the cut due to having an extra “t” in his surname, most likely due to a remote ancestor wanting to separate himself a bit from all the other Johnsons around. Soure: 1990 U.S. Census

Penguin Population Explosion at the Tennessee Aquarium By Thom Benson

he Tennessee Aquarium’s penguin exhibit is quickly becoming a nursery, as another newborn penguin was welcomed into the world last week—with more potentially on the way. “[Last Wednesday morning] we noticed a small dime- or nickel-sized hole in the egg, but there wasn’t much progress throughout the day,” says senior aviculturist Amy Graves. “But when I came in [Thursday morning], the fluffy little chick was out.” Since spotting the newborn early that morning, Graves has been able to see the whole chick several times. The Aquarium’s first baby gentoo penguin already resembles its parents “Bug” and “Big T” and looks different than the macaroni chick born nearly four weeks ago. “This gentoo chick is lighter in color on the back and has a darker head than the macaroni baby,” Graves says. “It already has that orange gentoo beak with a few darker markings.”

The newborn gentoo penguin chick is examined by an Aquarium staffer.

There’s no way to know right now whether the chick is 100 percent healthy. In addition, Bug and Big T are first-time parents and they haven’t exactly been gentle with their eggs. “They were a little rough while turning their eggs and tending them,” Graves says. “They broke one in the nest and chipped their remaining egg. Hopefully they are gentler with the baby, because one misstep by the parents could injure the chick in the nest.” Macaroni parents Paulie and Chaos are model parents according to Graves. “They have been great about protecting their chick, feeding it, keeping it warm and taking turns,” she says. “Ideally that’s what will happen with Bug and Big T. Then as we saw with the macaroni chick, if things go well, baby penguins grow fast. So if you really want to see a baby penguin,

“They were a little rough while turning their eggs and tending them,” Graves says. “They broke one in the nest and chipped their remaining egg.” Big T fed the tiny bird right off the bat, which is considered a bit early for a newborn penguin. While Aquarium staff members were encouraged by this sign, they also point out that the first few days of a baby animal’s life are some of the most crucial for survival.

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you need to visit soon.” In fact, at last week’s weigh-in, the four-weekold macaroni baby tipped the scales at slightly more than four pounds. While many Aquarium visitors are amazed at how fast the macaroni baby has grown, they are also fascinated and excited to see the new gentoo baby. “Bug and Big T’s nest is in the center of the exhibit in an elevated position,” says Graves. “We’ve already had several groups that were thrilled to see this new baby. It is so tiny and cute.” The nest is also in a perfect spot for the Aquarium’s live webcam. While it’s tough to see the small chick online, you can see the parents as well as curious neighbors stopping by to see the new addition. There are two other gentoo pairs with eggs. If Poncho and Peep’s two eggs are viable, they could hatch later this month, according to Aquarium officials. The pair of eggs that Zeus and Pebbles are incubating could hatch around the first week of August. And penguin keepers are still observing the late nesting activities of Nipper and Flower.

A weekly roundup of the newsworthy, notable and often head-scratching stories gleaned from police reports from the Chattanooga Police Department, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Department and the Dalton Police Department.

• What was supposed to be a simple burglary call turned into a much bigger bust for Bradley County deputies. A report of a burglary in process at a house on Benton Pike last week turned out not to be just a burglary, but a working meth lab. Deputies who responded to the call noticed a strong chemical odor coming from the house, one that police officers have become all too familiar with. The four unlicensed chemists inside the house were arrested on charges of manufacturing methamphetamine, felony possession of drug paraphernalia and aggravated burglary. The reason they choose that particular house: It belonged to the mother of one of the meth chefs, who knew she would be out of town on vacation. • Each year, the average number of hours Americans spend in front of their television sets increases. However, at least one Dalton criminal has taken their liking for television to another level, as homeowners in the areas of Tyler Street, Boundary Street, and Chattanooga Avenue have learned to their dismay. Dal-

ton Police have noticed over the past month a number of daytime breakins in which a burglar (or several) has targeted television sets and jewelry. They are asking residents in the area to be more aware and to take steps to keep their houses safe when they leave for work. And maybe chaining down their TVs, as is common in motels, might not be a bad idea either. • One of Chattanooga’s claims to fame is that it’s the birthplace of the towing industry. Yet apparently someone in town has taken a strong dislike to towing vehicles, as workers in town to do a job for a wireless company discovered to their dismay. They had parked their towing vehicle in the parking lot of a Lee Highway motel overnight, and when they awoke in the morning found that someone had placed two plastic drink bottles filled with gasoline under the vehicle. Luckily, the bottles had not been ignited, and the city bomb squad was able to remove them without incident. The owner of the company said he knew of no conflicts the company or the drivers had with

Chattanooga Street Scenes

anyone, or why anyone would want to try and blow up his vehicle. • Chattanooga loves visitors. We enjoy tourists and a good part of our local economy is based on attracting visitors to visit our attractions. However, there are still those out there who see tourists as easy targets, especially their vehicles. And to make matters worse, there are many tourists who leave expensive valuables in their vehicles. A man who was visiting one of our local attractions returned to the parking lot to discover his SUV had been broken into, and a large amount of expensive items had been stolen, among them a laptop computer, a Nintendo games system, $455 in games, two DVD players and $1,200 in DVDs. As any parent knows, keeping kids entertained on long trips is easier with movies and games, but in the long run it might be a lot cheaper to stick with “auto bingo”. Photography by Kelly Lockhart

Pedal powered art near the Hunter Musuem.

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Shrink Rap

Four Steps To Making It Manageable By Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D www.DrRPH.com

ver get that overwhelmed sensation where it all feels like too much? Maybe you can’t see how you’re going to get everything done in time. Or perhaps there’s simply too much to do, and it’s somewhat paralyzing to even think about it. Pretty much everyone feels like this from time to time, so it’s likely you’re familiar with that heart-racing, shallowbreathing anxiety that accompanies a full plate of obligations, duties, tasks. It doesn’t feel good. Maybe these stressedout moments lead you to gaze out the window, wishing you could just take off for a while…go on a really long drive, or cash in the kids’ college fund for a few weeks of white, sandy beaches and Mai Tais. These days, especially with the economy the way it is, it can be all too common to feel stressed about things that normally wouldn’t bother you, or wouldn’t bother you to such a degree. Many folks find themselves working harder for less income. Many are worried about keeping their jobs. Even if the economy isn’t a source of distress for you, perhaps you have a long-term familiarity with feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Maybe you go along just fine with the day-to-day stuff, but if something unexpected gets thrown into the picture, it’s enough to tip the anxiety scales sending you into that out-of-control spiral. In fact, one of the characteristics of feeling overwhelmed is this exact tendency for it to spiral out of control. Your “to-do” list may start out feeling

a bit burdensome, but then you start to think of how you won’t have time to accomplish what you need to do, and you start to think about the other things you’ve been meaning to get to that aren’t even on the list, and then you think of more things, and expectations, and the lack of hours in a day, and then panic sets in, and then—whew! It’s anxiety-provoking just writing this. That “spiraling out of control” feeling, that mountain growing out of a molehill, we therapists often refer to as “generalizing.” Basically, generalizing means that a thought starts out small, but expands beyond the original issue, fueled by anxiety, until the problem no longer feels manageable, but instead feels overwhelming. Sometimes this anxiety is best helped with medication. Your therapist or physician can help you decide that. But meds aside, let’s look at ways to rein it in, and you can add these to your Big Bag O’ Coping Tools. Because with or without medication, it’s very empowering to feel that you have the tools you need to regain some control. 1. First, breathe. At the first signs of anxiety taking hold, your breathing will tend to be shallow, but it’s important to take five to 10 slow, deep breaths. This helps keep not only your mind from racing, but also helps the systems in your body to stay calm and function normally. What you don’t need right now is more adrenalin. You need to slow down, and return to center. 2. Second, realize that what’s happening is all about perspective. You’re seeing the issue all at once, it’s too big, and so of course it’s going to seem unmanageable. Perhaps this is about work, or home, or school, or relationships. Whatever it is, let this feeling be your red flag that cues you to start looking at it differently.

3. And here’s how to do that: Take the big picture and break it down into small, bite-size pieces. Allow yourself to think in terms of “one step at a time.” Right now, all I have to do is make this phone call. Then, done with that—now all I have to do is gather my things and walk to my car. Now— all I have to do is start the car, breathe, and drive to the meeting. You get the idea. Make the pieces as small as you need to, even if it feels silly at first, and focus only on one piece at a time. You can’t eat a whole plateful of food at once; you take it a bite at a time. This is the same way to keep your anxiety from spiraling. 4. Create for yourself a mantra, such as: Stay present. Just focus. One step at a time. Keep it simple. Breathe. Whatever catch phrase helps you stay with yourself, and not abandon yourself, will serve to bring you back to the present moment, and away from the impulse to rush forward. Remember, anxiety tends to be future-based, filled with worries about what’s to come. A few other practical tips that could help: Make a list and divide it up over several days, instead of trying to do it all today. Solicit the help of a friend or friends to help with some of the tasks, making it more fun and take less time. If applicable, learn to delegate and share the wealth…er…burden. And lastly, quit trying to be perfect. (Read the July 9 Shrink Rap for more about this.) Until next time: “You owe it to everyone (including yourself) to find pockets of tranquility in your busy world.” — Georges Bernanos

“‘Generalizing’ means that a thought starts out small, but expands beyond the original issue, fueled by anxiety, until the problem no longer feels manageable, but instead feels overwhelming.”

Dr. Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, minister, and educator, in private practice in Chattanooga, and is the author of “Empowering the Tribe” and “The Power of a Partner.” Visit his web site at www.DrRPH.com where you can email your questions and comments.

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Cover Story

WayneWhite

SensitiveFamous “If it really strikes a chord with me, so that I mutter it, if it sticks in my head, then it has some depth. They’re like the world’s shortest short stories.” 95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 7.23.09 The Pulse

Cover Story

Inside The Mind Of Wayne White released Wayne White: Maybe Now I’ll Get The Respect I So Richly Deserve, “There was always a football or baseball game going on, and my father bowled all the time. I grew up in a bowling alley…”

By Janis Hashe

“The phrases on my paintings are voices of characters that I imagine. Some are me, some are other people, my parents…and a lot of the roadside imagery, like the ‘See Rock City’ signs, is still there.”

jhashe@chattanoogapulse.com

rowing up on Atlanta Drive in Hixson in the ’60s, Wayne White tried hard to be a jock. His dad loved sports, and as he tells Todd Oldham in the newly

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But from the beginning, Wayne wanted to draw. Between games with his Little League “Dixie Youth” team (“We had the Confederate battle flag on the patch on our shoulders”), he drew. On drawing pads, on paper bags, on pieces of wood, on rocks. And now, more than 40 years later, he still does. His journey, though, has taken him from Hixson to Murfreesboro to Lake Placid to Nashville to the East Village in New York to Hollywood. He’s been a short-order cook at IHOP, cartoonist, puppet-maker and puppeteer, printmaker, painter and sculptor. He worked with legendary comics artist and graphic novelist Art Spiegelman, designed all the puppets (“except for Chairy”) on Peewee’s Playhouse, did the groundbreaking “Big Time” Peter Gabriel video, and built an entirely new career taking thrift-store art reproductions and painting phrases such as, “But it is/And I am/So they won’t” on top of them. In the book’s preface, Oldham describes his work, “as if one is viewing an old master from another galaxy.” At heart, however, Wayne remains a Southern kid from Hixson, TN, where his parents still live. He spent some time talking with The Pulse about his art and the release of the comprehensive retrospective on his career.

Cover Story

The Pulse: How long has it been since you were in Chattanooga? Wayne White: I left Chattanooga in 1979, but I go back a lot to visit my parents. TP: Now that you’ve lived so long away from the South, has the Southern imagery in your work become more iconic, as opposed to being based on real memories? WW: I still see myself as a Southerner, I still use Southern phrases. The phrases on my paintings are voices of characters that I imagine. Some are me, some are other people, my parents…and a lot of the roadside imagery, like the “See Rock City” signs, is still there.

“I like things you say to yourself. Many of them are universal; they could apply to everyone.”

ghosts around you. WW: Yes, it’s like the present is layered on the past. The Cherokee, the Civil War, the TVA… when I was a kid, we’d go to junk stores, antique stores. I was kind of lost in a reverie about the past. Now I recycle old paintings. TP: I notice that quite a few of the paintings reproduced in the book use seascapes. Is there a significance in that? WW: No, not really, because I think of the reproductions that I use as an empty stage. I only paint on reproductions. Real paintings have too much human smell, and it would be a “comment” on that artist…in a way, I’m collaborating with the artist who painted the original of the reproduction. TP: You’ve worked in so many forms and mediums in your life. When you get an idea, does it immediately present itself as one form or another? Or do you have to think that out?

WW: (laughing) Yes, that’s me talking to myself. I like things you say to yourself. Many of them are universal; they could apply to everyone. If it really strikes a chord with me, so that I mutter it, if it sticks in my head, then it has some depth. They’re like the world’s shortest short stories.

WW: I don’t jump back and forth. I often get into a genre of making paintings, or sculpture for three or four months and make a series of them. I’ve been doing paintings, but I’m working on a big sculpture right now, it’s a giant puppet head of George Jones for a gallery in Houston. I want to keep alive the genres I’ve worked in.

TP: Chattanooga has so many layers of history; it’s almost as though you can feel the

TP: You mention at the end of the Todd

TP: Your painting “You Didn’t Know What You Were Doing But You Did It And Now Here You Are” [in which a thrift-store still life is layered with Dali-esque drooping letters forming the phrase] seems like a self-referential one?

Oldham interview that you’d like to do puppet shows again. Were you talking about live or on TV? WW: Live. I’d like to do them in a gallery or in the back yard…for the George Jones piece, you can peep into his brain and there’s a performance going on in there. I like to have an audience… puppets that begin as sculpture and then it starts to move. TP: Would you like to see a show of your work here, in your hometown? WW: Yes! I’d love to have a show at the Hunter. Call them for me, would you?

Wayne White: Maybe Now I’ll Get The Respect I So Richly Deserve Art by Wayne White; interviewed by Todd Oldham $65 Ammo Books, 2009

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Life In The Noog

The Ballad of Chuck Jennings By Chuck Crowder www.thenoog.com

owntown just ain’t what it used to be. They say when Giuliani was mayor of New York, he turned Times Square from the Thunderdome into Disneyland. And pretty much the same thing happened here when the Tennessee Aquarium opened in 1992. But before that, you could shoot a gun down Market Street and not hit a soul, which made downtown Chattanooga the perfect playground for us kids. There were tons of cheap apartments. And if you didn’t feel like paying rent, there were plenty of places to squat as well. There were scores of dive bars and restaurants. And there were tons of places to see good live music. The infamous institution known as “The Nucleus” (where The Mix was located at 4th and Market) for example, hosted Black Flag and Red Hot Chili Peppers among other top-shelf alternative bands of the time before they were superstars. Chattanooga had its fair share of great local punk bands too. Loud, fast, dirty, filthy, gnarly, distorted garage rockers who could count on one hand their influences (which almost always included The Stooges, Dolls, Pistols, Replacements and Ramones). And if, of all of those bands you had to name the one that truly stood at the center of Chattanooga’s plethora of young, talented qualifiers, it would likely be an outfit simply known as Hank. Named for the activity that generally ensues when looking at a racy magazine during some

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alone time, Hank was made up of bass, drums, a female guitarist and an illustrious lead singer: Chuck Jennings. Chuck was quite a character, very mysterious. Mainly that’s because only a few people knew his true story. Most knew the legendary story. And here’s how it went. Apparently Chuck hailed from somewhere in California. Laguna Beach, I believe. He had just been released from either reform school or prison when he arrived in Chattanooga back in the mid-’80s. Now, just because Chuck spent some time “gettin’ his mind right” didn’t mean he was bitter, dumb or spiteful. In fact, he was quite the opposite. Chuck had an intense lust for life that not too many of us could muster up unless he was around. One friend put it best when he pointed out Chuck was the type of guy who could send you a letter from prison that would make you feel like you were missing something by not being there. And, he was a pretty smart guy when it came to figuring out real quick how one can get by on their wits, charm and good looks. First step: Start a band. And what a band he started. Hank was a very, very talented outfit. In addition to their exceptional musicianship, they had Chuck. And Chuck was the closest incarnation of Iggy, Mick and Bowie rolled up into one this town has ever seen. My favorite of Chuck’s personality traits was that he didn’t give a shit. At all. He would do anything, anytime, to or for anybody if it meant 1) kicks, 2) mayhem or 3) adding to his growing mystique. But when it came to fronting a fine rock band, he was flatout the consummate showman. That’s where he truly shined. In fact, even to this day, THE finest display of local talent I have ever

“Chuck was the type of guy who could send you a letter from prison that would make you feel like you were missing something by not being there.” witnessed was Hank’s infamous show at a now-defunct bar called the Go-Go Club back in the summer of 1986. During a rockin’ cover of AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie,” Chuck swung from the light rigs and then jumped off the stage, ran over to the bar, jumped across it and started grabbing bottles and pouring liquor down his throat. As the bartender started to chase him away, he jumped back on stage just in time to finish the song and, true to form, bolted before the cops showed up. Brilliant. As with anyone who’s bigger than the town they’re in, Chuck decided to move to LA right about the time people started wondering why he was living here in the first place. But wherever he ended up over the years, he would occasionally send us a card or letter with a cryptic tale that was surely written with the same kind of smile with which it was received. Unfortunately though, his demons, habits and survival tactics eventually got the best of him. Sadly, Chuck overdosed about ten years ago. But as far as the mark he left on the preaquarium Noog, he lives on. “K-Mart Town!” Chuck Crowder is a local writer and general man about town. His opinions are just that. Everything expressed is loosely based on fact, and crap he hears people talking about. Take what you just read with a grain of salt, but pepper it in your thoughts. And be sure to check out his wildly popular website www.thenoog.com

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Arts & Entertainment

Booking More Art By Michael Crumb

avid Smotherman has seen his small book/art store blossom into one of the largest spaces on Frazier Avenue, and WinderBinder has become an important regional folk art gallery. Dave now presents 75 artists, about one third of them local. All this has resulted from WinderBinder’s expansion into the former A Novel Idea bookstore, and it includes the acquisition of the bookstore’s inventory, now combined with Dave’s own inventory. Consequently, thousands of books will now be available to the reading public at the new WinderBinder. Having written a previous article on the qualities of the folk art offerings at WinderBinder, I’m glad that this gallery’s expansion will support more artists, and allow them a more prominent showcase. Patrons entering the space will still be greeted by Charlie Henson’s whimsical found-art sculptures. This Atlanta-based artist also creates lamps made from old appliances, such as a “vacuum lamp,” an elegant combination of recycling and functional decoration.

there’s more balance, with shelves retained from A Novel Idea. Also, former ANI owner Karen Poole’s Book Club continues to meet in the space. Dave will take in books for trade credit, and will also offer some book repair. When I first moved to Chattanooga a few years back, I was impressed by people’s interest in books and reading. As a long-time bibliophile, I was glad to find a couple of fine books at A Novel Idea. Now that the two book inventories have merged, people can expect more interesting finds. I noticed some intriguing art books and some equally intriguing old editions. Dave notes that he was ordering a first edition of Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as well as a signed presentation copy of The Spirit of St. Louis by Charles Lindbergh, rare by definition. Although Dave’s personal literary interests focus on nonfiction and history, he wants to develop his

“Although Dave’s personal literary interests focus on nonfiction and history, he wants to develop his collection of art books on Southern art.” Newly prominent are the book presentations. Dave explains that he had worked as a book dealer, and opened WinderBinder as a book/ art store, but the folk art gallery developed so much that it tended to dwarf the books offered. Now,

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collection of art books on Southern art, more companionable to his gallery offerings. Folks can also find books on Tennessee history, including Chattanooga. Dave is particularly excited about the tenfold increase in square footage being much more amenable to the music events that he hosts at WinderBinder. The upcoming What Cheer? Brigade, a 19-member band, will march across the pedestrian bridge to do a concert in Dave’s parking lot on Friday, July 31. Still, Dave regularly programs music events indoors at WinderBinder, eclectic shows that will now be a little more accessible for musicians and patrons alike. Find some time for a WinderBinder expedition, and see what prizes will reward you there.

What Cheer? Brigade 7-9 p.m. Friday, July 31 March over Walnut Street Bridge, then performance in parking lot WinderBinder Gallery 40 Frazier Avenue (423) 413-8999. www.winderbinder.wordpress.com

A&E Calendar Friday

Thursday

Caravan Gefen Israeli songs and dances plus a community dinner. $10 adults, $5 kids (reservations required) 6 p.m. Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace Road. (423) 493-0270, ext. 13. www.jcfgc.com

Send your calendar events to us at calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

“The Language of Landscape” 5:30 p.m. Bill Shores Gallery, 301 Manufacturers Rd. Ste. 107. (423) 756-6746

“Dance Alive” 6 p.m. Roland Hayes Concert Hall, Vine & Palmetto Streets. (423) 821-2055.

Treasure Hunt 6 p.m. Delta Queen, Coolidge Park. (423) 468-4500. www.deltaqueenhotel.com

“Oh, Lady, Be Good: A Tribute to the Great Ladies of Song” Cabaret Show 6:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. Delta Queen, Coolidge Park. (423) 468-4500. www.deltaqueenhotel.com

Foods of the Wild West 6 p.m. Hunter Museum of Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. www.huntermuseum.org Guys and Dolls 8 p.m. Signal Mountain Playhouse, 3500 Taft Hwy. (423) 886-5243. Kristen Key 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com

Young dancers perform with guest artists.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 7:30 p.m. Ripple Theater, 3264 Brainerd Road, (423) 475-5006. www.rippletheater.com

Free. 6 p.m. Roland Hayes Concert Hall, UTC. Corner of Vine & Palmetto Streets. (423) 643-6052. www.ballettennessee.org

Kristen Key 7:30 p.m. & 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch & Giggles Grille, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com

Ballet Tennessee “Dance Alive”

Saturday

Mosaic Market 11 a.m. 412 Market St. (corner of 4th/Market) (423) 624-3915.

Your chance to hear the full text of the play many consider the Bard’s swan song Free. 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Circle Stage, 400 River Street. (423) 622-2862. shakespearechattanooga.com

Monday

“Jellies: Living Art” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. “Human Nature” River Gallery, 400 E. Second St. (423) 265-5033. www.river-gallery.com Fine Handmade Jewelry by Mary Helen Robert In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9214.

A Midsummer’s Night Dream 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga State Humanities Auditorium, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 697-4404.

Kindred Spirits Book Club 2 p.m. Downtown Public Library, 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-1310. www.lib.chattanooga.gov

Kristen Key 7:30 p.m. & 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch & Giggles Grille, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe 3 p.m. Ripple Theater, 3264 Brainerd Road, (423) 475-5006. www.rippletheater.com

“Delta Queen: A Musical Journey” 8 p.m. Delta Queen, Coolidge Park. (423) 468-4500. www.deltaqueenhotel.com

Back Row Film Series: Kenosha Kid: Steamboat Bill, Jr. 7 p.m. Barking Legs Theatre,

Guys and Dolls 8 p.m. Signal Mountain Playhouse, 3500 Taft Hwy. (423) 886-5243.

Tuesday

Wednesday

“Jellies: Living Art” Hunter Museum of Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944.

“Speak Easy” spoken word and poetry night 8 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9040.

“Human Nature” River Gallery, 400 E. Second St. (423) 265-5033. www.river-gallery.com

“A Barage of Butterflies” Houston Museum of Arts, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176.

“Windows on the West: Views From the American Frontier” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944.

Fine Handmade Jewelry by Mary Helen Robert In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9214.

“Coal Miners Health in Appalachia” Photo Exhibit Downtown Public Library, 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-1310.

“Accessing the Artist’s Brain: Drawing as Metaphor” Association for Visual Arts, 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-4282.

Works by Stephen Scott Young Shuptrine Fine Art and Framing, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453.

“Windows on the West: Views From the American Frontier” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944.

“Tying the Knot: Jewish Wedding Traditions” Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace. (423) 493-0270.

“Tying the Knot: Jewish Wedding Traditions” Reception 2 p.m. Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace. (423) 493-0270.

1307 Dodds Ave. (423) 624-5347. www.barkinglegs.org

Southern Literary Book Club 6 p.m Rock Point Books, 401 Broad St. (423) 756-2855.

Fine Handmade Jewelry by Mary Helen Robert In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9214.

“Cultural Fragments” Lookout Mountain Gallery, 3535 Broad St. Ste A. (423) 508-8117.

Sunday Chattanooga Freethought Association’s Coffee Social 10:30 a.m. Panera Bread, 1810 Gunbarrel Rd.

Shakespeare Chattanooga reads The Tempest

Guys and Dolls 8 p.m. Signal Mountain Playhouse, 3500 Taft Hwy. (423) 886-5243.

Kristen Key 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Works by Stephen Scott Young Shuptrine Fine Art and Framing, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453.

Last chance for Amazons, fairies, lovers under a spell and an ass’s head. Need we say more?

“A Barage of Butterflies” Houston Museum of Art, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176.

$10 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga State Humanities Auditorium, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 697-4404.

“Coal Miners Health in Appalachia” Photo Exhibit Downtown Public Library, 1001 Broad St. (423) 757-1310. www.lib.chattanooga.gov

Editor’s Pick: Featured Event Of The Week

Book Signing with Mark Fitten 7 p.m. Rock Point Books, 401 Broad St. (423) 756-2855. www.rockpointbooks.com

“Accessing the Artist’s Brain: Drawing as Metaphor” Association for Visual Arts, 30 Frazier Ave. (423) 265-4282.

Back Row Film Series: Kenosha Kid and Steamboat Bill, Jr. The classic Buster Keaton silent film gets a live jazz soundtrack courtesy of the group Kenosha Kid. Also on the bill is a short film by the Shaking Ray Levi Society. Part of the AEC Back Row Film Series. Saturday, July 25, $10, 7 p.m. Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Avenue. (423) 624-5347. www.backrowfilms.com

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 7.23.09 The Pulse

New in Theaters G-Force Producer Jerry Bruckheimer brings his first 3-D film to the big screen with G-Force, a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws. Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin (voice of Sam Rockwell), the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster (voice of Tracy Morgan), an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez (voice of Penelope Cruz), a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles (voice of Nicolas Cage), the computer and information specialist.

Starring: Bill Nighy, Tracy Morgan, Penelope Cruz, Nicolas Cage Director: Hoyt Yeatman Rating: PG

Also in Theaters Orphan (New) A mourning couple decides to adopt a child, only to discover that the seemingly sweet angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. The Ugly Truth (New) Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler team up as TV morning show producers searching for the ugly truth on what makes men and women tick. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Daniel Radcliffe returns as the teen wizard, back at Hogwarts and facing his darkest threat yet. (500) Days of Summer Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel star in the boy-meets-girl story of an unpredictable noholds-barred love affair. Bruno Sacha Baron Cohen is a flamboyant Austrian fashionista who takes his show to the U.S., wreaking havoc on unsuspecting Americans. I Love You, Beth Cooper A geeky high school valedictorian uses his graduation speech to declare his love for Hayden Panettiere, setting

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a off a night he’ll never forget. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf return to join with the Autobots’ battle against the evil Decepticons. Public Enemies Johnny Depp stars as notorious Depression-era gangster John Dillinger, whose charismatic crime spree made him a folk hero to the masses. The Proposal Sandra Bullock is a highpowered exec who fakes an engagement with her assistant to avoid deportation to her native Canada. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Manny, Sid, Diego and the rest of the computeranimated critter crew are back for their third prehistoric adventure— this time in 3D! The Hangover Four friends go to Vegas for a blowout bachelor party, only to wake up the next morning with a baby, a tiger, no groom, and no clue. Up In Pixar’s latest, a twist

of fate—and a persistent Junior Wilderness Explorer—send a 78-yearold man on an adventure beyond his wildest dreams. My Sister’s Keeper A young girl, conceived to provide a donor match for her leukemia-stricken older sister, seeks to earn medical emancipation from her parents. The Taking of Pelham 1 23 Denzel Washington is a civil servant who must outwit John Travolta, a criminal mastermind who hijacks a subway train. Year One Jack Black and Michael Cera are a pair of village idiots on the first road trip ever, wandering through early civilization in biblical times. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Ben Stiller returns as the bewildered night watchman who witnesses exhibits coming alive. Star Trek Kirk, Spock, Bones and the rest of the Enterprise crew boldly go where no one has gone before in J.J. Abrams re-imagining of the final frontier.

Film Feature

Wizardry and a Couple of Brothers Bloom By Phillip Johnston

magine how difficult it would be to turn an almost universally loved novel, clocking in at 652 pages, into a single feature film. It’s a package deal—fans will see an elaborate film adaption if it is made. There are two options for the filmmaker: Churn out a mediocre film and reap the monetary benefits or make a quality film and, of course, still reap those guaranteed monetary benefits. I honestly believe that the creative team behind each film adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels has chosen option two. Only the best British character actors sign on for adult roles, and there are never any shortcuts taken in making Harry Potter’s world eye-poppingly real. There have been some notable directors in the mix, too, Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban) being the best among them. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is the story of Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the year begins with a stern warning from headmaster Dumbledore: Hogwarts isn’t the safe place it once was and any student could easily be taken in by the Dark Lord, Voldemort (a terrifying Ralph Fiennes, sadly not seen in this installment). Forces of evil have been emboldened by Voldemort’s return and Harry Potter, rumored to be “The Chosen One” to destroy the dark wizard, must prepare himself and learn as much as possible about Voldemort’s past.

“There’s madcap, surreal hilarity to follow—a drunk camel, a Japanese girl named Bang Bang who specializes in explosives, a insanely rich heiress from New Jersey.” David Yates directs. He’s been doing serialized television for the BBC for 20 years and has proved very good at it, making me wonder if it has ever crossed his mind how Harry Potter might look if the novels were adapted serially instead of in one fell cinematic swoop. “Wait,” you may say, “that would take forever.” Well—yes. But if it were to happen, adolescent love among the young magicians would make lot more sense, characters wouldn’t lose all sense of motivation, and story-shattering events wouldn’t be zapped of their emotional import as if by a spell from a magic wand.

On the upside, a scene where Harry and Dumbledore travel to a dark cave to retrieve a piece of Voldemort’s soul shocks with one of the best jump scares in recent movies and ends with a breathtaking fire sequence brilliant to behold. The film is beautiful to look at— the cinematography an inspired amalgamation of the real and the computer-generated. Veteran British actors Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, and David Thewlis steal all their scenes and the addition of Jim Broadbent as Professor Horace Slughorn is most welcome. Still, the “Potter” film saga will have to calculate some inspired moves in order to do justice to Rowling’s thrilling conclusion in which…well… you can go read it yourself. It’s recently out in paperback. The Brothers Bloom is the sophomore feature by its director, Rian Johnson, who had massive critical success with his debut film Brick, a masterpiece that has gained a cult following. Whereas Brick surpassed everyone’s expectations in transferring the world of film noir flawlessly into the American high school, The Brothers Bloom follows two brothers, con men since childhood and, in broad strokes of fancy and color, shows us their biggest and best con. Stephen and Bloom specialize in high-profile con jobs, but they are far from equals. Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) is the mastermind, designing his elaborate cons bit by bit, plotting them like a literary master, and getting out of them exactly the money he wants. Bloom (Adrien Brody) reaps 50 percent of the monetary benefits, but usually ends up geting the short end of the stick in other ways. If Stephen is the brilliant writer of these masterful cons, Bloom is the main character, riding the thematic arcs, often emerging as the lovable anti-hero. During the con, he might benefit from moments of fame and the company of women, but he’s left in a depressive rut by the end. After losing his identity countless times to his brother’s massive schemes, Bloom is tired and wants out. But Stephen has one more con up his sleeve and he can’t pull it off without his brother. The con involves the money and talent of beautiful and lonely New Jersey heiress Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz). Enlisting her proves easy, but her instability is awfully unpredictable. What is predictable (at least from Bloom’s perspective) is that he is yet again falling for the woman he’s conning. Lurking in the subtext of Stephen’s con is the brothers’ archenemy: a one-eyed old swindler and former mentor named Diamond Dog who eagerly lies in wait to exact his revenge on The Brothers Bloom.

Johnson’s film is exceedingly well scripted (by himself) and his direction is reminiscent of Wes Anderson, though not nearly as self-important. The first seven minutes follow the brothers’ childhood exploits. Their adventures have an energetic innocence that never becomes cartoonish. These are inspired moments. There’s madcap, surreal hilarity to follow—a drunk camel, a Japanese girl named Bang Bang who specializes in explosives, a insanely rich heiress from New Jersey—but somehow (and I don’t claim to know how), these unexpected little details never undermine the richness of Johnson’s characterizations, especially when it comes to the two brothers. The Brothers Bloom is a comic conmen fantasy and that in itself is something rather new and exciting. I’d happily sit through it many more times.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Directed by David Yates Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Elizabeth, Rupert Grint Rated PG Running time: 2 hours, 33 minutes

The Brothers Bloom Directed by Rian Johnson Starring Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz Rated PG-13 Running time: 113 minutes

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 7.23.09 The Pulse

On The Beat

God’s Busy Work By Alex Teach

was sitting in the filthy booth of Chinese restaurant on East 23rd Street, resting my chin on the palm of my hand, staring listlessly out of a grimy window overlooking a barren parking lot when I again came to the conclusion that all indications suggested the greater East Lake Area was still an uninhabitable wasteland, abandoned by law enforcement and unwatched by God Himself. It was not the first time I’d realized this, but the answer provided comfort to me, particularly in light of my apparent inability to do anything about it. Make no mistake; I’d done my part over and over, but I could still see no tangible effect despite my best efforts. Was this my life? Was it to be spent putting Band-Aids over the festering arms and legs of this horrible graveyard of a community, doing no more than God’s “busy work,” as its indigenous people went about their days and nights seemingly only able to demonstrate how to stand in direct opposition to everything that makes America great? I wasn’t there at the beginning, but I am still relatively hopeful that this country wasn’t founded on fornicating, drug use, and theft. Or was it? Out of psychological desperation, I once even tried to be reasonable and considered how two out of the three could work statistically, but even then I thought that was stretching it a bit. I wasn’t just being a crybaby or anything, mind you. I’m not talking about the usual craven and gutless acts of pig-men who commit rapes and home invasions—no. While awful, those were legal and societal anomalies and I dealt with them quite well. They were what I was “supposed to deal with,” and they fit into the scheme of things. It was the little things that were eating away at me, I supposed…the busy work that individually shouldn’t bother me, but after months (and years) worked into the small drips that can eventually bore into stone.

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I had just left a home in the 100 block of Morningside Drive, a revitalized neighborhood that held the pimps and thieves at bay by sheer will and steady use of the department’s non-emergency line. It was a rental house occupied by a handful of twenty-something hippie wannabes, the smell of patchouli and bong water just taking hold in the mismatched furniture and piles of clothing that was their little piece of Nirvana, right down to a caged pet marmot. They called because someone had stolen their water hose and a bicycle left in the yard by the sidewalk, and they just couldn’t understand a society that would do such a thing. I took their information and gave them vague but reassuring answers on how I would deal with this situation before departing to complete the report. Twenty minutes later, my employment-challenged customers called back for my return. They were beside themselves and wanted to again impress upon me the fact that they had saved for that bicycle, and it meant a great deal to them. I gritted my teeth but attempted to placate them with the love of my own childhood bicycle, backed with suggestions of canvassing the neighborhood. Door-to-door interviews, perhaps post pictures of said bike on street poles and solicit information for a reward? They grew annoyed, so I suggested a field trip, a little jaunt just one block east to the 1700 block of South Hawthorne Street, the neighborhood they had moved next to. The kind of neighborhood that gave slumlords a good name, and intravenous drug addicts a vacation spot. The kind of place that did not play host to a group of young men who thought a sitting around getting high and watching Star Trek: The Next Generation marathons was preferable to stabbing someone over smudged shoes, and that in accordance with such they should consider not leaving their shit in the yard and creating an opportunity for any asshole walking by to consider taking it for themselves. I assured them that I would, however, keep an eye out for their “hose”. (They might not have been satisfied with this, but they were quiet. Realizing I’d snapped somewhere along the way, I decided to leave.)

“I wasn’t there at the beginning, but I am still relatively hopeful that this country wasn’t founded on fornicating, drug use, and theft.” Back at the restaurant, I continued to peer out of the partially tinted glass. By “partially” I mean the tint had been peeled off half the window, leaving a cloudy residue that fairly well matched the ambience of the establishment, but I had never complained. The proprietors were kind and grateful, and the food was good. OK, the food was free. Movement across the parking lot caught my attention, and I saw a medium-sized dog squatting there in the middle of the lot, legs bowed and shivering madly in the throes of taking a very painful and apparently very unsuccessful shit despite the activity around him, and five minutes passed before I even realized I was still watching. I grew disgusted with myself and my station all over again. “Abandoned by law enforcement and unwatched by God Himself,” I thought. “Yup.” When officer Alexander D. Teach is not patrolling our fair city hot on the heels of the criminal element, he is an occasional student of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and in his spare time enjoys carpentry, auto mechanic work, boating, and working for the Boehm Birth Defects Center.

Driving Diversions

Road Trippin' To The New Knoxville By Damien Power

here is the Knoxville there is, and the Knoxville there once was. Like Chattanooga, our orange-and-white neighbor to the north has been undergoing a steady and growing revitalization effort that gives visitors a reason to visit outside of Neyland Stadium. Let’s get some due diligence out of the way. I was a resident of Knoxville and a student of the University of Tennessee. While residing there, I hated the place. It was paved, it was dingy, and it was sad. Everything was under construction, all the time. The live music was its only redeeming quality, and even that seemed to wane towards the end. Of course, the moment I graduated and moved back to the Scenic City, the dominoes of revitalization fell into place. Right in the heart of downtown, Market Square channels the energy of this new Knoxville into a concentrated area resembling the best aspects of Chattanooga’s Miller Plaza, Coolidge Park and the First Tennessee Pavilion. Seasonal performances sporadically appear (much like Chattanooga Market). For example: Shakespeare on the Square’s performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday for free until August 16, or ice skating during the winter. Of course the centerpiece of Market Square is Sundown in the City, their version of Nightfall, which I actually enjoy more thanks to the Square’s inherent crowd-control flow. You’ll see some popular local bands make an appearance, and every so often you’ll get a bigger name taking the stage. I’ll never forget the time I saw Southern Culture on the Skids, because the crowds are so energetic.

Yankovic at the Tennessee last year, and enjoyed his performance there much more than I would have at the Memorial. There’s just something in the atmosphere that brings a smile to your face. Of course, the World’s Fair Park, Amphitheater and Sun Sphere are the most identifiable Knoxville landmarks. It’s interesting that Knoxville decided they also needed a kitschy tourist trap to compete with our Rock City and Ruby Falls. Instead, they’ve built a fantastic green space complete with peaceful water features and magnificent art installations. Now that we’ve got the obvious stuff out of the way, let’s talk about the hidden gems. Since Knoxville is usually stereotyped as a sports town, let’s talk about the greatest sport ever played: hockey. You heard me right! The Knoxville Ice Bears play at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium & Coliseum, which resembles a really big high school gym. The good news: cheap tickets and excellent seats no matter where you are. The bad news: hockey season starts in October, so mark your calendar now. The other dark little secret about Knoxville is that it isn’t really a city so much as a collection of suburbs (sound familiar, Chattanooga?) As such, you might have to do some driving to get to some of the better dining establishments. For example, the best hamburger you’ll ever eat will be at Litton’s Market, Restaurant & Bakery. All you have to do from downtown is hop on Broadway and keep heading north. Once there, you’ll see a sign proclaiming their quality since 1946—and they are completely right. The Market in Litton’s Market is the meat market, meaning the hamburger you’re about to eat wasn’t even ground beef until you ordered it. Litton’s Bakery puts the City Café to shame. If you’re just in the mood to hoof it, because you found the awesome free-on-theweekends parking garage (ARE YOU LISTENING, CHATTANOOGA?) near Market Square, then you’ve got some great options there as well. On Gay Street, you’ve got the Downtown Grill & Brewery, where a starter of soft pretzels will blow your mind. Or Shono in City (no “the”, so don’t put it in the Garmin), a delicious little Japanese place right on the square that just can’t be beat.

“Right in the heart of downtown, Market Square channels the energy of this new Knoxville into a concentrated area resembling the best aspects of Chattanooga’s Miller Plaza, Coolidge Park and the First Tennessee Pavilion.” Furthermore, great efforts have been made to bring excellent performances to two Knoxville landmarks, the Bijou Theater and the Tennessee Theater. Both rival our Tivoli and Memorial for beautifully intricate interiors, and their symphony and opera rival ours as well. (The other thing that the Tennessee Theater has going for it is that you can enjoy a tasty alcoholic beverage with your show.) I’m happy to report that I saw “Weird Al”

Since you’re already there, you should definitely stop by Mast General Store. In addition to being an awesome frontier-style general store, it is also home to the most delicious beverage ever devised by man: Cheerwine. Not to be confused with Cherry Coke or Cherry Pepsi, Cheerwine from Mast General comes chilled in a glass bottle and is made with sugar, not corn syrup. This perfect combination of sugar, cherry and caffeine is surprisingly enough bottled right there in Knoxville, despite being a North Carolina-based company. Mast General also carries an assortment of “art”, trendy clothes, and barrel upon barrel of candy by the pound. But wait, there’s more! Yee-Haw Industries specializes in what they call “original art-like products.” Their real claim to fame is their printshop, cranking out amazing posters for bands such as Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Southern Culture on the Skids. If you like print art, check out Yee-Haw’s storefront on Gay Street, period. However, if a driving beat and the dance floor are more your flavor, you’ve got to go to the World Grotto. It’s dark, it’s literally underground, and it’s a real dance club with no pretensions. Hippies, punks, Goths, preps, everyone’s welcome as long as they’re dancing. They’ve got a bar upstairs if your feet start to hurt (or you want to actually hear what that cute girl with the lip ring was saying). I didn’t like the Knoxville that once was, but I miss the Knoxville that it has become. It’s two short hours away, and there’s so much more than football going on. For more information, visit www.knoxville.org

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 7.23.09 The Pulse

Shades Of Green

Batteries Included By Elizabeth Crenshaw

y the early 1990s, Chattanooga was distancing itself from its former life as the most polluted city in the nation to a progressive, green municipal model. 1992 was a defining year for Chattanooga. In that year, Chattanooga launched four initiatives that cemented the city’s new reputation. Most Chattanoogans know two of the projects: the Tennessee Aquarium and the CARTA’s downtown electric shuttle bus system. The Aquarium is one of the most recognized landmarks in the city, helping to attract more than 1 million visitors. The CARTA electric shuttle was the solution city leaders proposed to avoid creating additional parking lots in the downtown core. ThenMayor Gene Roberts asked a group to research other cities’ transportation models. Tram and trolley systems were considered, but city leaders were most interested in battery-powered vehicles. They found an ideal model in Santa Barbara, Calif. Although CARTA had to buy the first buses from outside the state, it soon became apparent that city leaders were onto something big. A strategic vision began to materialize: Chattanooga could become global leader in electricdrive transit technology. It was a niche that few other cities had chosen to consider or adopt in such a purposeful way. In the years following, Chattanooga has been known for moving masses of people around its downtown—tailpipe emission free. CARTA managers kept meticulous records, providing the public-transit sector with real-world data proving the performance o this resourceful technology. But this distinction would not have been possible without the two other entities launched in 1992: Advanced Vehicle Systems (AVS) and the Advanced Transit Technology Institute (ATTI). AVS was established to design and manufacture the buses in Chattanooga, meeting the city’s orders with local job creation. The

production company served to spur local economic development, as well as to anchor all things electric drive transit-related here in Chattanooga. ATTI was founded as nonprofit organization to accommodate requests coming into the city regarding battery technology. An entity was needed to provide briefings, presentations and tours to diverse groups of people. Everyone from city managers to foreign dignitaries wanted to learn more about CARTA’s innovation and investigate to see if a similar system could be adopted in other places. Since then, ATTI has evolved, as have the popularity and viability of the electric-drive technologies it promotes. Today, there is a spectrum of vehicle types that fall under the electric umbrella: Pure electric-drive vehicles propelled solely by batteries that plug into the grid for recharging. The technology has advanced to the point that a single charge is enough to power a vehicle through its typical daily duty cycle. Most passenger vehicles can simply be plugged into a standard three-prong outlet. Hybrids. Electric motor and internal combustion engine working in combination, delivering more efficient power with ultra-low emissions. Hybrids do not need a connection to the electric grid for recharging. Plug-in hybrids. At least three commercial models will be introduced in 2010. The battery alone will supply all the power needed. Hydrogen Fuel Cell. While not predicted to be on the market for about a decade, these vehicles are being tested. They are super efficient and ultra clean. Drivers will have up to 250 miles of propulsion before requiring a new supply of hydrogen. Today, the Advanced Vehicle Test Facility at Chickamauga Dam is the site for a range of research and development projects exploring wireless inductive charging of transit buses, enhanced information displays for battery-operated vehicles, and hydrogen as a fuel source. In 2006, TVA turned the one-mile test track and research building over to ATTI and UTC, returning this unique local asset to its original purpose. ATTI’s executive director Jim Frierson believes Chattanooga and the Tennessee Technology Corridor

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are reaping the benefits of being on the leading edge: “ We’ve come a long way. Private venture capital and government research support are attracted to electric-drive transportation because it offers the greatest potential for technology advancement. This is truly the space race of our era.” Nissan, for one, appears to agree. After visiting Chattanooga and the test track, a top Nissan official has committed to including Chattanooga in the 2010 deployment of its allelectric fleet vehicles. This joint venture with TVA and the state of Tennessee will demonstrate that electricity is a mobile source of power, displacing established fuels such as gasoline and diesel, and competing effectively with biodiesel, ethanol and natural gas. But it’s not just about tangible benefits. Frierson sees other benefits the CARTA fleet gives the city. “Riding the downtown shuttle farefree just astounds most visitors,” he says. “Perimeter seating inside the 23-passenger shuttle bus was no accident of design. Planners thought this arrangement would subtly encourage conversation among local residents and visitors—furthering Chattanooga’s reputation as a peoplefriendly place and helping to reinforce the success of tourism. “It’s serendipitous that through the advantages of clean, quiet transportation and thoughtful social interaction, we are harnessing such a positive force in the city,” says Frierson. The obvious environmental benefits to the city are zero tailpipe emissions and energy efficiency. With renewable energy gaining support, electric-drive vehicles might soon come full circle. Yet the social benefits are enduring. The buses give riders a sense of community. When people begin talking, new ideas are created that can become solutions to city problems. Such a shared sense of place invests people in their community— another value at the very heart of sustainability. Elizabeth Crenshaw is LEED accredited and works for EPB in Strategic Planning, but her views are her own. Originally from South Carolina, Elizabeth moved to Chattanooga after graduating from Warren Wilson College in 2007.

“Private venture capital and government research support are attracted to electric-drive transportation because it offers the greatest potential for technology advancement. This is truly the space race of our era.”

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 7.23.09 The Pulse

Music Feature

The Birthday Cat By Hellcat

fter four or five years of promoting and booking, particularly in Chattanooga, and 10 years, in one music scene or another, one grows tired of what we call “pairing”. Basically, this means you spend a great deal of your time making sure that one band meshes with another or complements their sound. This generally makes for a great show. However, if you have been doing this as long as I have, sometimes you just feel like getting crazy and throwing all the bands you want to hear together, regardless of their genre. Maybe you are one of those really wacky folks that likes to live life dangerously and puts the MP3 player on shuffle, where you may be given Lady Gaga followed by Modest Mouse and Neko Case. Nobody knows, so you can get away with it. Well, it’s about to be my birthday, and the majority of my booking duties have to do with “pairing”. The majority of John of JJ’s Bohemia’s duties in regard to booking have to do with pairing and matching up bands to create a smooth flowing line up that will go on without any awkward transition. I get it. It’s the way it should be done. It’s the “pro” way to do things. Although, when it becomes part of your job, sometimes it loses

“I know, you are all probably, like, ‘WTF, Hellcat!?! Those bands don’t go together…!’ But you see, my dear music lovers, that is the whole point. It’s my party and I’ll pair how I want to!” 24

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its luster. It’s a drag when you have a great indie-rock line-up and then an awesome punk band comes through town and needs a show…you have to decline, because the “pairing” just isn’t right. Taking all of the aforementioned information in, I would like you to realize just how awesome it is to be given a birthday show to do with what you will. It’s the greatest freedom a booking agent can have. Thank you, JJ’s. I have two birthday bashes coming up, and if you don’t like me, feel free to come and see the awesome bands and then bash me as you see fit. I will be there. For the first show, on Saturday, July 25, we did traditional pairing, with Heypenny, Coral Castles, The Saps, and the Icons. AWESOME! Heypenny better wear some birthday hats! We all know and love Coral Castles, so that is an amazing present that doesn’t even require a ribbon. But for me, that evening, is going to be the greatest gift I could ever ask for, as The Icons are going to rise out of past awesome and become the much improved present excellence that I always wanted them to be! Stay tuned for more information on them! Then, on my actual birthday, the 28th, we threw pairing to the wind. I get to hear who I want to hear, regardless of genre! You guys need to get in on this. I picked The Tammys, who are ridiculously talented, as well as The Bohannons, who are a band that if you don’t know by now, you should just move. Shameful! To top the night off, (as I am the type to put my iPod on shuffle), will be Eris. Eris has never played JJ’s Bohemia, and I would like to invite all of my bearded hipster brethren to bring your friends and come along! I know, you are all probably, like, “WTF, Hellcat!?! Those bands don’t go together…!” But you see, my dear music lovers, that is the whole point. It’s my party and I’ll pair how I want to! To clarify: While both nights celebrate my birthday, there is no invitation required. I gain no profit from the function, other than getting to host some really amazing bands. If you would like to donate money for the center for battered women, there

will be an opportunity to do so, and it would be much appreciated. If you hate charities and don’t have any sympathy for battered women, then I suppose you could bring me some bourbon (Maker’s Mark). Let me recap, within three days, there will be seven amazing bands, and two opportunities for you, my readers, to come down and rock out…or attempt to pour a beer on me. Either way, as long as the money goes to the bands, I don’t really care. Bring it. Come celebrate awesome music, and come celebrate my voodoo birthday as I turn 28 on July 28. If anyone else is born on July 28, come down and do a few shots with me, as I have always wanted to meet someone with my exact birthday. Thanks for a great few years, The Pulse, and our readers. I hope to see you out, at least one of the two nights!

Heypenny, Coral Castles, The Saps, The Icons $7 9 p.m. Saturday, July 25 JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd, (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

The Tammys, the Bohannons, Eris $7 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 28 JJ’s Bohemia 231 E. MLK Blvd, (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Music Calendar

Send your calendar events to us at calendar@chattanoogapulse.com

Friday

Thursday They Came Running, Divide The Sea, Second Thief 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge.

Mobile Deathcamp, SSCS, Hoth You'll have plenty of time over the weekend to let your ears get back to normal. Toledo's own metal monsters bring the Mobile Deathcamp to town. 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Noah Collins Noon. Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. (423) 265-0771.

Arlo Gilliam - CD release party with Robert Lee 8 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644.

April Cover, Colour Academy, Windsor Drive, The Hearts Story 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd. East Ridge.

Karaoke Night with Steve and Judy 8 p.m. The Tin Can, 618 Georgia Ave. (423) 648-4360.

KayFabe, Autumn to Arms, Surreal, Tommorrow’s End 7 p.m. Club Fathom, 412 Market St. (423) 757-0019.

Eleni Mandell with Taxicab Racers

Open Mic Night 9 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260.

Nightfall continues its summer march with the diverse and breathy vocal styles of Eleni Mandell.

The Micks 9 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd #202. (423) 499-5055.

Free 7 p.m. Nightfall, 850 Market Street. (423) 265-0771. www.downtownchattanooga.org

Saturday

Ocams Razor, Thyne, Electric Garden 8 p.m. Ziggy’s Hideaway, 607 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 634-1074. The Owls 9 p.m. The Low Down, 306 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 468-3593.

Show The Fight, Fallacy, Axiom, The Seas Aflame 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge.

Too Far Gone South 9 p.m. The Tin Can, 618 Georgia Ave. (423) 648-4360. www.thetincanchattanooga.com

If you can’t find the reason to jump up and down, shake your hips, pucker your lips, scream out loud and stomp real proud...that’s your problem.

Stoneline, Waste and Regret, Of Legend, Toxic Fuzz, Faded 8 p.m. Ziggy’s Hideaway, 607 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 634-1074.

Baadd Mojo 9:30 p.m. The Riverhouse, 224 Frazier St. (423) 756-0066.

$7. 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

It doesn't matter if you're not Irish by blood as long as you're Irish by heart. Come celebrate the music of the Emerald Isle.

The Micks 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd #202. (423) 499-5055.

Butch Ross CD Release Party 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. myspace.com/marketstreettavern

6:30 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com

Tuesday

Wednesday

Ben Friberg Trio 7 p.m. Table 2, 232 E. 11th St. (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com

Ben Friberg Trio 6:30 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market Street, (423) 634-0260.

Billy Hopkins 8 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260.

Johnston Brown 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd #202. (423) 499-5055.

Brian Hensley, Eric Nelson, Last of the Blue Eyed Devils, New Binkley Brothers 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. Karaoke 9:30 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. The Palms at Hamilton 6925 Shallowford Road, Suite #202, (423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com

Eddie Gwaltney 10 p.m. Pickle Barrel, 1012 Market St. (423) 266-5699.

Iron Mike and the Delta Rockers 10 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com

Farethewell, We Are Only Fiction, The Hearts Story, Tyler Malshenko 7 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. www.myspace.com/warehousetn

The Get Sexy, The Drownout, Reverie 7 p.m. Club Fathom, 412 Market St. (423) 757-0019.

Cracker 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com

The Fuze 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878.

Open Mic w/Jeff Daniels 4 p.m. Ms. Debbie’s Nightlife Lounge 4762 Highway 58, (423) 485-0966. www.myspace.com/debbieslounge

Jazzchronic 9 p.m. The Low Down, 306 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 468-3593. myspace.com/thelowdownchatt

Coral Castles, Heypenny, The Saps, The Icons

Old Tyme Players 6 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260.

Bud Lightening, Nathan Farrow 10 p.m. Midtown Music Hall, 820 Georgia Ave. (423) 752-1977.

Sunday Tom Kimmel 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s, 105 McBrien Road. (423) 892-4960.

Monday

The Bowsters, The Middlemen, Prettyboy Thornsen 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400.

Open Mic Night 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1230 Hixson Pike, (423) 266-1966. Hellcat's Birthday Bash with Eris, The Tammys, and The Bohannons 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia Spoken Word/Poetry Night The Riverhouse, 224 Frazier Avenue, (423) 752-0066.

Open Mic Challenge 9 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9040. www.mudpierestaurant.com

Roger Allan Wade 9 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Rd. (423) 499-9878. www.budssportsbar.com

Irish Music

Open Mic Gene’s Bar & Grill, 724 Ashland Terrace, (423) 870-0880. myspace.com/genem14 Computer and Friends (dance party) 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Editor’s Pick: Featured Event Of The Week

Butch Ross CD Release Show

Hidden Spots, Landlord Witches 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Butch’s prodigious mountain dulcimer skills have been attracting attention for years. His latest album, A Long Way from Shady Grove, was recorded here in Chattanooga and mixed by Dan Landrum at the Maple Ridge Studios. Hear this latest release, live, and take in one of Chattanooga’s celebrated local musicians.

DJ GOP The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd #202.

Saturday, July 25, $10 (copy of CD included) 9 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market Street (423) 634-0260. www.myspace.com/marketstreettavern

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 7.23.09 The Pulse

New Music Reviews The Phenomenal Handclap Band The Phenomenal Handclap Band (Friendly Fire)

“Not surprisingly, the most effective songs are the ones with strong melodic and vocal hooks”

The Fiery Furnaces I’m Going Away (Thrill Jockey)

Listeners who are familiar with the Fiery Furnaces, the group centered on the brother/ sister core of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger, will immediately notice two things largely missing on the new album, I’m Going Away; the trademark, herky-jerky intra-song changes have been diminished, and the distinctive, crazy keyboard sounds are gone. It’s as if the band is making a statement about its identity and trying to defy expectations, or even attempting to limit itself as a challenge; the instrumentation used is a rock combo setup with Matthew playing electric

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If you’re looking for an equivalent that best covers the ’70s, we have a contender: the new, debut album from the Phenomenal Handclap Band. This Brooklyn collective, formed by producers and keyboardists Daniel Collás and Sean Marquand, captures more than a handful of styles for the decade spanning the aftermath of Woodstock in 1969 through disco’s rise and fall and ending with “Rapper’s Delight” in 1979. The group’s name—surely a tribute to the funky, oft-sampled Incredible Bongo Band—is a tip-off that we’re dealing with insiders who know their stuff. The opening track, “The Journey to Serra Da Estrela,” saunters into psychedelic territory, like Pink Floyd’s more spacious moments,

before shifting into a higher gear and then into full-on disco mode; the keyboard sounds, like nearly all of the keyboard sounds on the album, are endearingly dated. This isn’t a modern update on old styles—the group is trying to make a classic sound as convincingly authentic as possible. Giorgio Moroder, Wings, and a slew of soul-funk bands come to mind when listening to the album, and individual tracks—like Santana’s “Evil Ways” and Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”—are hinted at, while not exactly aped. Nearly every track features a different lead singer, like Carol C with a breezy delivery on “You’ll Disappear” or the Lady Tigra rapping on one of the album’s best and funkiest tracks, “15 to 20.” Not surprisingly, the most effective songs are the ones with strong melodic and vocal hooks, including the soul number “Baby,” meticulously constructed with brass flourishes and a perfect flute/ glockenspiel pairing. All the hooks don’t dig in upon first listen, but the album grows on you; one could over-analyze the album and its intention and methods, but it carries a spirit and a groove that’s gratifying enough to dispel the notion of it being a pointless nostalgic exercise. — Ernie Paik

guitar and piano, Jason Loewenstein (of Sebadoh) on bass, Robert D’Amico on drums, and Eleanor, as always, singing lead vocals. Upon first listen, I missed those nonstop, quirky, abrupt transitions and unabashedly artificial keyboards, but on each subsequent listen, I enjoyed it after focusing on key elements of the album. By conventional standards, I’m Going Away is still a weird album, but when considering the Fiery Furnaces scale, it’s not as much; there are, however, concentrated, gloriously out-there, attention-grabbing outbursts scattered throughout the album in the form of some memorable and distinguished solos. “Charmaine Champagne” has a mind-bending one that consists solely of four ascending notes, each processed with an extreme tremolo effect, and the cool-down fake-out track “Drive to Dallas” uses manic guitar lines to emphasize its rapid tempo changes, which would be

compulsory on almost any other Fiery Furnaces album. The group has always had a somewhat vague, deconstructed blues-rock style, and superficially, one might say that I’m Going Away is most similar to the outfit’s 2003 debut album, Gallowsbird’s Bark. Lyrically, the album is perhaps a little less impenetrable than other efforts, like the wonderfully cryptic Widow City, but it is still unclear what is exactly going on. There’s a definite road-trip theme, with locations like Boston, Lake Geneva, and Manchester sprinkled throughout, and occasional references to a wedding, bullets and knives, and a fatality. Ironically, the band actually seems to be making their identity more complex by dialing down the capriciousness, and while the sturdy and consistently good I’m Going Away is possibly the group’s most accessible album, that’s not a bad thing. — Ernie Paik

o single album can adequately summarize ’60s popular music, but if I had to pick one, it would be the compilation released by the Dukes of Stratosphear—and it wasn’t even made in that decade; those brilliant, completely spot-on, ersatz ’60s pop recordings were created by the group XTC in disguise in the ’80s.

Ask A Mexican

Who’s Got The Cojones? By Gusatvo Arellano themexican@askamexican.net

Dear Mexican, The mainstream media is making big noise of Sonia Sotomayor likely being the first Latina Supreme Court justice, and that all Latinos should be proud. But Puerto Rican ain’t Mexican! The Supreme Court won’t have a shade of brown until a Mexican is among Roberts and Scalia. What does the Mexican think of Sotomayor’s nomination and likely appointment? — Legalingo Dear Pendeja, Sotomayor not brown? Yeah, and George Lopez is as güero as Conan O’Brien. The Mexican beams with pride at the thought of Sotomayor on the Supreme Court, not just because she’ll be the first Latina/o to sit on the nation’s highest judicial branch (don’t believe the hype about Benjamin Cardozo being el primero; he never identified as Latino or even Hispanic, and I doubt Hizzoner’s Sephardic ancestors would’ve liked Cardozo grouped with the people that best carried out the Inquisition), but because she forces gabachos to remember the nation’s other problem brownies: Puerto Ricans, who weren’t good enough for independence like the Philippines or statehood like the Mexis of the southwest United States but have instead lived for over a century as vassals in their own homeland. Gracias a Diós that I’ve heard only a few instances of Chicano chauvinism like your case, Legalingo, and you few need to crack open a Coors with Know Nothings and talk shop. Sure, it would’ve been chido if

a Mexican replaced David Souter, but boricuas and other Latinos deserve a spot in the Reconquista, too, and President Barack Obama rightly, sadly, figured a moderate Puerto Rican are easier to stomach for gabachos at this point in the American experience than a moderate Mexican. Besides, it’s about time Puerto Rico gave this country something more significant than Ricky Martin, reggaetón, and bananas. Dear Mexican, Having lived in San Antonio for a number of decades, I’ve learned a smattering of street Spanish. That experience has caused me to cringe when I hear the word cojones used in American movies or television as a referent to testicles when the writer is trying to have the character talk dirty. In San Antonio, a person would use huevos in that context. Which is the correct Spanglish, or is a matter of cojones being used in California and huevos being used in Texas? — Big-Balled Dear Gabacho, I’ve only heard gabachos use cojones, while Mexicans use huevos (other Latinos, of course, have their own terms for the male fun sack, but we’ll leave the discussion for Maledicta). Both words are linguistically correct, politically incorrect and both derive from Latin (cojones comes from the singular cojón, testicle, from the Latin coleo—sack—while huevo actually means egg and derives from ovum). So, the real question in your inquiry how gabachos came to use cojones more commonly instead of huevos as slang for balls. The answer is Ernest

Hemingway, a man who introduced more misinterpreted-as-Mexican overused Spanish terms (mano a mano, macho and maricón, to name the most notorious examples) than any other writer after me. His otherwise-masterful Death in the Afternoon, an account of bullfighting and its practitioners, included a glossary defining cojones and remarked, “A valorous bullfighter is said to be plentifully equipped with these.” Gabacho writers began introducing cojones into their works to emulate the faux-authenticity of Papa, and their audiences made the word a part of American Spanish, just like gringo and Drinko por Cinco. Mexicans, meanwhile, try to teach gabachos about huevos but remain puzzled why gabachos consistently prefer fey Castilian over our crude idioms. Eh, what’s a wab to do except steal back more of Aztlán? ¡ASK A MEXICAN GRATIS BOOK CONTEST! Sí, gentle readers: It’s that time of the año again where I give away an autographed copy of my book to one lucky reader from each paper that carries my columna, and cinco readers from everywhere else. The challenge: in 25 words or less, tell me your favorite local Mexican restaurant and what makes it so bueno. I’ll be traveling ’round los Estados Unidos in my trusty burro soon to research my coming book on the history of Mexican food in the United States, and need places to haunt and cactuses to sleep under. One entry per person, one winner per paper, and contest ends when I say so!

“Ernest Hemingway, a man who introduced more misinterpretedas-Mexican overused Spanish terms (mano a mano, macho and maricón, to name the most notorious examples) than any other writer after me.”

95.3 Pulse News www.chattanoogapulse.com 7.23.09 The Pulse

Free Will Astrology CANCER (June 21-July 22): The coming week may be one big Ethical Test for you. Maybe today the cashier at the cafe will accidentally give you $10 too much in change. Tomorrow you could be baited with a chance to gain personal advantage by betraying a friend. The next day you may have to decide between doing the right thing and doing the kind thing. It has been a long time since your integrity has been pushed and probed and pricked like this. As you wend your way through the gray areas, Cancerian, remember that sometimes being moral is not about saying no, but saying yes. In fact, one of the most high-minded acts you could make is to open your heart to a righteous temptation. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Did life feel meaningless last week? Was your destiny a random sequence of events shepherding you to a series of different nowheres? Even worse, were you convinced that human beings are toxic scum? If so, Leo, get ready for your mood to shift drastically. The whims of fate are mutating. Soon, a source of curses may be a fount of blessings. Enticing leads will rise up out of the midst of boredom. Human beings will fascinate and teach you, and every day will bring new signs to draw you deeper into delicious mysteries. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’re hereby relieved of your responsibility to keep everyone’s illusions afloat. (You might want to sink your own illusions, as well.) Consider yourself armed with Ernest Hemingway’s “built-in, shock-resistant bullshit detector.” Beginning immediately, be an elegant but in-your-face Reality Check. Don’t just tell the truth. Tell the lush, pulsating, up-to-the-minute truth. And be aware that even the dry facts may be evolving pretty fast. What seems like incontrovertible evidence today may be puny propaganda tomorrow. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I usually applaud your inclination to remain above the fray and churn out astute observations. I normally honor your instinct to distance yourself from petty partisan squabbles. But this week’s different. For the foreseeable future, I’d like it very much if you dive into the pit with the other diehards and fight with hardnosed audacity for what you believe is the beautiful truth. At least temporarily, Libra, forget about your graceful talent for tactful compromise. I think it’s time for you to be a warrior who’s ferociously devoted to a just cause. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In behalf of all the other signs, I’d like to express our gratitude for the jumpstarts you Scorpios give us. The jolts aren’t always bliss-inducing, true, but in retrospect we often say, “Thanks, I really needed that.” We also appreciate the debates you embroil us in. They force us to take stands on issues we’ve been wishy-washy about. Our gratitude also goes out to you for those times you help us lose our excessive self-importance. It’s hard to cling to our pretensions with you around, and it’s easier to get to the root of the truth. Keep up the good work. Continue to be your warm prickly self even in the face of protests from faint hearts. Know that at least some of your fans out here respect the way you push us and trick us and inspire us to go places we don’t even realize we’ll benefit from going. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): During his time in hiding, the Biblical prophet Elijah was kept alive by ravens who brought him food. John the Baptist survived on nothing but honey and locusts when he was roaming the wilderness. And I’m sure that some unexpected source of comfort and sustenance will likewise turn up during your wanderings, Sagittarius. It may not be what you’re used to. You might even have to cultivate a taste for nourishment that seems foreign. But stick with it. You could learn to love it, and in the process become less dependent on stuff you thought you couldn’t do without. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Burn the Book of Love you’ve been using these past few years, Capricorn, even if you just do it metaphorically.

The Pulse 7.23.09 www.chattanoogapulse.com 95.3 Pulse News

By Rob Brezsny

Don’t think of the incineration as censorship. Think of it as liberating yourself from the tyranny of fables that have programmed you to accept less love than you deserve and give less love than you have to give. Imagine that you’re ready for a riper approach to the knotty riddles of the heart. And when you’re done with the burning, go in search of a brand new Book of Love. Better yet, write that holy text yourself. A good title might be “Love Doesn’t Conquer All, But Sixty Percent Isn’t Bad.” A bad title would be “Love Doesn’t Suck.” AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You should closely monitor your environment for beguiling appearances of the number seven. I have reason to believe that seven may be involved in your current inconveniences and dilemmas. I theorize that seven has been trying to call attention to itself in an odd or irritating manner so as to get you to tune in to certain benefits that could be associated with the number seven—benefits you’ve been overlooking. I would even go so far as to speculate that seven might be both the cause of and the cure for your itch. Be especially alert for sevens that are in the vicinity of the color green or the letter “G.” Perk up your intuition anytime seven appears in advertisements, boxes of food, tattoos, or T-shirts. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t concern yourself with praying to the gods of luck and chance. I’ll take care of that for you. Your job is to solicit the favor of the gods of diligence and discipline. Why? Because I think you’ve got a lot of good work ahead of you -- work that will take ingenious attention to detail -- and you’re going to need the extra boost those gods can provide. Of course, their help won’t be enough. You will also have to draw on extra reserves of your willpower in order to express new heights of determination and persistence. Together, you and those no-nonsense deities will be an unbeatable team. The better you organize yourself, the more they will help you get organized. The stronger you push to make your efforts crisp and efficient, the easier they’ll make it for you to do just that. ARIES (March 21-April 19): Storm chasers are people who love traveling around the continent in pursuit of wild weather. Nothing feeds their lust for life more than getting up close and personal with a tornado or supercell thunderstorm. Many of them are meteorologists who are curious about the way storms work; they’re not motivated solely by bravado. I mention this because, according to my astrological analysis, the coming weeks will be prime time for Aries storm chasers to load up on thrills. The immediate future should also bring excellent opportunities for other Rams who are yearning for breezy adventures that will captivate their imaginations and slake their sense of wonder. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Let’s say that you lost a treasured object a while back. What do you think the odds are that you’ll find it this week? Or let’s say that a bewildering companion walked out of your life many moons ago. How much do you want to bet that your paths will cross again soon? According to my reading of the omens, events like these could be common between now and August 15. That’s because the past is cycling back to you for another look. Revival and resurrection are in the air. What has been old may become new again. Are you ready to experience something resembling time travel? GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The seductive torments of insatiable desires are leaving you in peace, at least for now. That means you’re free to concentrate on the easier gratification of more satiable desires. I hope you’re open to that, Gemini; I hope you haven’t fallen for the illusion that hard-to-get pleasures are deeper and finer. Please believe me when I tell you that you’re ready to exult and bask in the simple joys. Homework: In what part of your life are you doing less than your best? Why? FreeWillAstrology.com.

JONESIN’

By Matt Jones

“A Buncha” –words, that is.

Across 1 Fine 10 Outlines 15 Dan the Automator’s instrument 16 Anticipate 17 Takes part in 18 Harvey Wallbanger ingredient 19 Like some car air fresheners 20 Does some clerical work 22 Actress Shaye of “There’s Something About Mary” 23 Leaning typeface: abbr. 24 Airline in “Catch Me If You Can” 25 Cracker brand named after a hotel 26 Noise 27 Herbert of the “Pink Panther” series 28 “Old MacDonald” noise 30 Effect on the community 34 It was big news in 1999 37 Toy that originally used a 100-watt light bulb 39 Game within walls 42 It’s like finishing H.S. 43 Baby ___ (girl involved in the first

heart transplant from a baboon) 44 “That feels good,” to a tabby 45 Online birthday greeting 48 Parks it 49 Dorm leaders, for short 50 First place mentioned in the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo” 51 “That’s ___ Took” (Gram Parsons song) 52 “Only Time ___” (Loretta Lynn song) 54 Japanese place for couples 56 Available for rent 57 Way, way too big for one’s britches 58 “My stars!” 59 Beams up Down 1 Aptly titled 1996 Tom Arnold dud, with “The” 2 Military stockpile 3 Military stockpile 4 Get ready to be knighted 5 Macy Gray’s first hit 6 Bitch and moan 7 Cable network unlikely to air repeats of “The Sopranos” 8 Liquid portion of fat 9 “Signs” band 10 Restrooms, in Britain

11 “Sands of ___ Jima” (John Wayne movie) 12 Part of a fill-in-theblanks game 13 Mister Khrushchev 14 Sestina section 21 Raised to hold back water 24 Buffing tool 25 Pi, e.g. 27 Actor Lorenzo 29 Covered with spots 31 “Chances are, ‘cause ___ a silly grin...” 32 Orioles’ org. 33 Small rocks in a walkway 35 Lens accessory for photographers 36 Most muscly 38 Gets cozy 39 Drink for which “lymon” was coined 40 Cleveland’s home 41 Octopus in a Disney film 46 Lamp base, in French (from the French for “ass”) 47 Overhead 48 “Hobo Humpin’ ___ Babe” (‘90s hit for Whale) 50 Court figs. 51 “Just ___, skip...” 53 Roulette bet 55 Before, in poetry

©2009 Jonesin’ Crosswords (editor@jonesincrosswords.com) For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548. Reference puzzle #0424.

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