The Pulse - Vol. 7, Issue 35

Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative

Unpredictable, Challenging, Surprising AEC’s Independent Film Series Presents The New Season

by Phillip Johnston

FREE • News, Views, Music, Film, Arts & Entertainment • September 2, 2010 • Volume 7, Issue 35 • www.chattanoogapulse.com

President Jim Brewer, II Publisher Zachary Cooper Contributing Editor Janis Hashe News Editor / Art Director Gary Poole Advertising Manager Rhonda Rollins Advertising Sales Rick Leavell, Jonathan Susman Townes Webb Graphic Design Jennifer Grelier Staff Photographer Louis Lee Contributing Writers Gustavo Arellano, Erik Bhatnagar Rob Brezsny, Chuck Crowder Michael Crumb, John DeVore Joshua Hurley, Phillip Johnston Matt Jones, Sandra Kurtz D.E. Langley, Tara Morris-Viland Ernie Paik, Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D. Gary Poole, Alex Teach Editorial Cartoonist Rick Baldwin Calendar Editors Bryanna Burns, Josh Lang Editorial Assistant Sean Lee Contact Info: Phone (423) 265-9494 Fax (423) 266-2335 Email Inquiries info@chattanoogapulse.com Calendar Submissions 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.

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Brewer Media 1305 Carter Street Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402 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 300 words in length.

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2010

cover story

C

ontents

M ee w xt ne

Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative

AL IVE e NU AT ES Puls AN ERN IN he IC T T AL ED k in

SEPTEMBER

12 INDEPENDENTS DAYS

By Phillip Johnston The AEC’s Independent Film Series is the only venue in Chattanooga to see the best and most recent independent and foreign films on the big screen.

For 24 weeks during the fall and spring of each year, the AEC provides one film a week on a screen in the Carmike Majestic 12. Documentaries, dramas, musicals, thrillers, and more.

feature stories 18 CHOCOLATE COVERED BLUEGRASS

By Tara Morris-Viland As I was sitting on the porch last week, I found myself dipping into music I hadn’t heard in forever. I’m talking old-school rap and R&B, and while “old school” may be termed differently by different ages, as a mid-twentysomething I am describing groups such as En Vogue, BoyzIIMen, etc.

24 THE HUMAN FRACTAL?

By Michael Crumb The In-Town Gallery will feature Doug McCoy’s work in a show opening this Friday. McCoy’s fine art work forms include pen and ink, pen and ink over paint, and pointillism.

30 GET LOW IN THE HOLLER

By John DeVore Eccentrics usually don’t happen by chance. When we meet someone, we often wonder about them. Most people aren’t inclined to share their life stories during casual conversation. So we investigate. We ask others.

We invent reasons for personality quirks or work habits.

news & views 5 6 10 29 32 38

PULSE BEATS SHADES OF GREEN SHRINK RAP LIFE IN THE NOOG ON THE BEAT ASK A MEXICAN

everything else 4 9 19 20 25 31 35 36 36 37 37

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICE BLOTTER NEW MUSIC REVIEWS MUSIC CALENDAR A&E CALENDAR NEW IN THEATERS DINING REVIEW SPIRITS WITHIN FREE WILL ASTROLOGY JONESIN’ CROSSWORD JOY STICK

Letters to the Editor Sister Cities I wasn’t surprised to see the photo of a smiling Ron Littlefield in China in the sister cities article in The Pulse last week. I’m just surprised that he hasn’t pushed for sister cities in placed like the Bahamas or the South of France or Tahiti. Any place he can spend taxpayers’ money to travel to instead of focusing on the problems here at home is fine with him, apparently. There’s a reason so many people signed the recall petitions, and maybe now he’ll wake up to the fact that the taxpayers are fed up these types of boondoggles.

Benjamin Watterson How can we get a cultural exchange with Nizhnii Tagil for one of their tanks? It’d be the perfect thing for driving the ridge cut on Friday afternoon.

Steven Hopkins Mayoral Recall Why recall our mayor? Because he ran

for re-election without warning us about annexation, wastewater fee hikes, and tax hikes, all of which he should have known about, and all of which seriously affect people, as the rate changes are not small. I don’t think tax-paid public art, or the matter of policemen taking patrol cars home (neighborhood safety, response time), or the homeless fiasco (Salvation Army sheltering fewer, Union Gospel Mission closed, Chattanooga Rescue Mission zoned out of expansion, and no campus) rise to quite the same level, but those are irritations as well.

Andrew Lohr Cops And Guns Cops with AK’s! So he [Matthew Pickett] took a little memento home from Iraq.

He risked his life for it. For most law enforcement officers, it’s legal to purchase and carry automatic weapons as long as you’re qualified. Too bad they make it so difficult to do things legally for our armed forces and police. Selling one

to someone else was a definite no-no, but this guy’s life is now over because of a selector switch that just gives you a couple more rounds per minute than a semi-auto rifle does.

Bob Moe Response To Alex Teach Well played, my man, well played.

Chuck Crowder

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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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Pulse Beats

Quote Of The Week:

A rundown of the newsy, the notable, and the notorious...

I don’t know why it has to be so secretive. We put it in writing, we should be able to own up to it.

—Hamilton County School Board member Rhonda Thurman, on learning that the full review of School Superintendent Dr. Jim Scales’ job performance was not being released to local media.

Water for Elephants Film Shoot Leaves Million-Dollar Impact On City 20th Century Fox’s new film Water for Elephant recently wrapped a two-week shoot in Chattanooga, leaving a $1 million footprint in local economic impact. Based on the New York Times #1 bestseller written by Sara Gruen, the film has stirred a cult following and has been billed by those in the industry as Academy Award material. And now the film has put Chattanooga on the map for filmmakers, building momentum toward future filming projects.

The role of the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (TVRM) in providing a vintage train and dedicating a three-mile track for the film set was the key to landing the shoot with 20th Century Fox. “The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is what makes Chattanooga unique for filming,” says TVRM Marketing Coordinator Steve Freer, who has been working for almost two years to attract Water for Elephants to film in Chattanooga.

“Vintage trains are getting harder to find, and we have several steam engines which are even more difficult to find because they are expensive to operate and maintain,” Freer adds. Railroad museums have historically been involved in filmmaking, according to TVRM President Tim Andrews, who notes that the railroad has enjoyed a long relationship working with Hollywood films, from shooting train scenes for George

Clooney’s multimillion dollar movie Leatherheads, to the CBS television series Christy, to the 1971 Jimmy Stewart film Fool’s Parade.

Nathan Lux with the Tennessee Film, Entertainment & Music Commission said, “This film will showcase Tennessee’s beautiful locations to the rest of the world, which is one of the reasons we fight so hard to bring productions to our state.

FOX didn’t want to shoot this feature outside L.A. but our trains and landscapes were just too compelling.”

When a film chooses to locate production in a city like Chattanooga, there is a significant impact to the local economy. In the short two-week period the film Water for Elephant was shooting in Chattanooga, the team spent nearly $1 million on local accommodations and services. 20th Century Fox footed the bill for nearly $100,000 in hotel rooms alone—with offices located at the Sheraton Read House and crew housed at the Chattanooga Choo Choo and the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown.

Executive Producer Kevin Halloran

commented, “I’ve only been here a short time, but we’re using everything—dry cleaners, grocery stores, drug stores, hotel, restaurants.” Having spent time exploring the city, Halloran says he definitely sees potential in Chattanooga for future filming locations—perhaps for a speakeasy or gangster setting.

Producer Andrew Tennenbaum says, “[Chattanooga] have helped us a lot. Between the crews, the locations, the film incentives, and ultimately the people. The people have been so incredibly welcoming and gracious and open—from the local retailers to some of the restaurateurs. We’ve become friendly with some really, really cool people down here.”

Girls Inc.’s IMPACT Seeks Teen Ambassadors Girls Inc. of Chattanooga’s Infant Mortality Public Awareness Campaign for Tennessee (IMPACT) is recruiting high-school teens from public and private schools to be in-school ambassadors for its teen-led advocacy program. Home-schooled students are also encouraged to apply. The ambassadors will spread awareness and assist core team members with delivering presentations for IMPACT. IMPACT is a teen-led program in which the teens train their peers about the issues surrounding infant mortality and the steps they can take now to decrease the likelihood of their child dying before its first year of birth—when they become parents as adults. The teens also develop a media advocacy campaign for print, radio and television and advocate with elected officials both in Nashville and in Washington.

Ambassadors must be creative, have a strong desire to improve their community and have good technology skills. Public speaking skills are a plus. Community service credit will be given. For more information or for an application, visit www. girlsincchattblog.com or call (423) 6244757 or (423) 413-9785.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

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Shades of Green

By Sandra Kurtz

Buying the Nuclear Farm A

buyer walks up to the sales clerk and says, “Sir, I’d like to buy a nuclear plant. What would that cost?”

“It’s about $8-to$15 billion to get one operating, assuming they approve a design.

Then you have to hire a paramilitary squad to protect against terrorism.

We could have one ready for you by 2018.”

Sandra Kurtz is an environmental education consultant, a former classroom teacher and a founder of Tennessee Environmental Education Association.

Presently she is executive co-director with the Urban Century Institute, a local nonprofit organization promoting sustainability and sustainable thinking.

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“It’s about $8-to-$15 billion to get one operating, assuming they approve a design,” the clerk replies. “Then you have to hire a paramilitary squad to protect against terrorism. We could have one ready for you by 2018.”

“Whew, that’s a huge investment!“ “Yes, but you don’t have to worry, because even without insurance the government loans you the money and guarantees default. About half of them do.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. You know what they say in business—it’s good to spend someone else’s money,” said the buyer smiling. “What else should I consider?”

“Do you have a site by a river?”

“Yes! I have 1,600 acres in Alabama!”

“Good. You need that. Once operating, a nuclear plant draws up about 20,000 extra gallons of water a minute,” the clerk explains.

“A third of that water goes back into the river, but it can’t be too hot. We’ve had some trouble this summer and future summers are predicted to get hotter so you might not be able to run it all the time.“ ““H’mm, I want it to be reliable, but I guess fish, plants and aquatic animals wouldn’t like the water too hot.”

“Yeah, but they can always swim around hot spots.” (Clerk laughs.) “Of course, that’s not the only water problem.”

“Really? What else?”

“There’s the radiation.”

“What? I though radiation was all contained unless there’s a meltdown or a terrorist attack.”

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

“Mostly true—not counting the tritium and other pipe leaks or accidents—but no one can contain it all, so get an ALARA permit.”

“What’s that?”

“That stands for ‘As Low As Reasonably Achievable’. Then you’re allowed to put whatever you can’t capture into the river and air every day.”

“But isn’t radiation cumulative over the years—maybe causing cancer?”

“True, but they say it’s an insignificant amount.”

“At least the air will be cleaner without all that CO2 and toxic emissions we get from coal burning,” the buyer asserts.

“That’s right,” the clerk agrees. At your site, at least.”

“Meaning?”

“Well, before fuel gets to the reactor there’s mining and milling leaving low radioactive tailings; conversion and enrichment separating the U-235 from the rest of the radioactive material left behind; and fuel fabrication where they bake the U-235 material and form pellets for the fuel rods. These all cause greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, rods travel to the plant.”

“Gee, I guess it’s not clean when you consider the whole process. What then?”

“Once rods are put into the reactor, the U-235 atoms begin to split, making heat to boil water for steam to turn a turbine for electricity.”

“Wow, that sure is a hard way to boil water.”

“There’s a lot of energy in those tiny atoms.

They don’t give all of it up either.”

“How do you mean?”

“When they remove the rods, they are actually more radioactive. They are put in pools of borated water, cooled, and then removed to casks for storage on site.”

“Where’s the permanent landfill?”

“Oh, there isn’t one.”

“You mean the radioactive waste stays on the grounds? That’s worrisome. How long do we have to keep it isolated?”

“Some say 1 million years. I don’t know how the storage casks can last that long, but we’ll leave that to our kids.”

“One last question, sir,” said the buyer. ”What does a solar power plant cost?”

POSTSCRIPT: TVA wants to be the nation’s leader in increased nuclear production. www. matrr.org, www.bredl.org, www.nirs.org, www. beyondnuclear.org, www.cleanenergy.org

www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

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.

• That whole “don’t bring home automatic weapons” rule really should be taken seriously. A Bradley County deputy will plead guilty in federal court September 9 to smuggling two AK47 assault rifles into the country from Iraq. The deputy faces up to 20 years in prison. The former Marine took the two weapons and some hand grenades from Iraqi soldiers while he was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He sold one rifle to another Bradley County resident and kept the other in his patrol car. He got them into the country by hiding them in the fuel tank of a military vehicle.

• “Hey Grandpa, where’d you get the killer weed?” A 74-year-old Spring City man is facing charges of growing marijuana is his garden, across the street from an elementary school. The alternative gardener was arrested last week on charges of manufacturing marijuana and released on a $2,500 bond.

According to a sheriff ’s department spokesman, the senior citizen told deputies that he was growing the marijuana for personal use, but added

that he would be willing to sell it if times got hard enough. The 16 plants were discovered after deputies received a tip that he was growing the drug among his tomato and okra plants.

He also gave deputies of a bag of loose seeds and leaves he had hidden inside a smoker.

• Remember the massive house explosion that dominated local news this past spring? The explosion of the house in Calhoun back in April has now been ruled an intentional act.

The blast, which damaged more than 60 surrounding homes, was the result of a natural gas explosion. Georgia Fire and Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine said evidence showed someone entered the house and tampered with the gas line.

Both the state and the gas company are offering rewards for information on the arson. An arson hotline has been set up at (800) 282-5804.

• Some people really need to work on their handwriting. City employees working at the City Hall Annex building

The List Top 10 Talking Donkeys

on 10th Street, across the street from the main City Hall, contacted authorities after a suspicious package was delivered to the third floor last week. CPD bomb technicians were dispatched to the scene and determined that the package, marked with nearly illegible writing, contained only papers. A police spokeswoman said that units of the Chattanooga Fire Department as well as Emergency Medical Services had been staged nearby, while Lindsay and 10th Streets were blocked off by officers while the package was inspected. In the future, it is requested that anyone who mails anything to a local government office please print far more legibly.

1. Bottom, from William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2. Donkey, from Shrek 3. Eeyore, from A.A. Milne’s Winnie-The-Pooh 4. Balaam’s Talking Ass, Numbers 22 (Old Testament) 5. Baba Looey, sidekick to Quick Draw McGraw 6. Leroy, the tuba-playing donkey from The Muppet Musicians of Bremen 7. Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey 8. Benjamin, from George Orwell’s Animal Farm 9. Ya’foor, Muhammad’s talking donkey from The Beginning and the End 10. The Ass in the Lion’s Skin, from Aesop’s Fables There have always been plenty of asses in literature, television and film, and even ruling out most of the critics, there are still plenty that have stood the test of time. And any list that can combine The Bard with The Muppets is a perfect list.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

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Shrink Rap

By Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D

A Good Life to the Last Breath

“Being ‘positive’ does not mean avoiding thinking about the tough stuff, or not talking about anything painful or difficult. Quite the opposite!”

Dr. Rick Pimental-Habib, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, minister, and educator, in private practice in Chattanooga, and the author of “Empowering the Tribe” and “The Power of a Partner.” Visit his new wellness center, Well Nest, at www.

WellNestChattanooga.com, and his web site at www.DrRPH.com

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Dear Readers, The other day I heard from a reader who is dying. This young man, in his early 20s, has been living with a terminal disease, and has been told that he has only a short time left. Medical science has done all it can; his homeopathic treatments—herbs, vitamins, massage, visualizations, etc.—are keeping him in relative comfort. While his body weakens, his mind is sharp as a tack, and he is often surrounded by loving friends and family. Indeed, many are traveling from far away to spend some time with him while he’s in this life. Not very mobile, he spends many hours sitting on his parents’ porch, reading, watching nature, pondering his young life, and having, what he calls, “meaningful conversation” with people and with his Creator. He told me that he “doesn’t have much time for bullshit anymore…talk to me about what’s real, what’s important to you, and let’s spend our time with that.”

This young man’s name is Josh, and Josh said that he finds himself, in these last weeks or months, praying and meditating a lot. “It’s like I’m often in this really cool, peaceful altered state—and this time without hallucinogens!” Then he laughs loudly like he’s found the answer to life. But he was quite serious when he told me that he doesn’t pray in the “typical” way, in a church with other people around. While that works for many folks, for him it doesn’t. He needs to be quiet, and then his mind will float onto whatever feels pertinent to him in that moment. It may come from a conversation, or a phrase he read, or a saying on a T-shirt. He says it doesn’t matter. What matters is that it allows his mind to go where it feels important to go, and in that allowing, he finds peace.

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Last week in this column we explored the power of thought, and how our thoughts lead to our words which lead to our actions and, ultimately, our reality. We create our reality as we go along, so said Winston Churchill, and this I believe is what he meant. It happens as our thoughts manifest into shaping our lives. So when our thoughts stay positive, they breed more positivity around us, as proven in the people we meet, and experiences we have. When our thoughts spiral down into the negative, we stay stuck, and those who believe like us find us, and subtly nurture the negativity. Josh says he’s “stopped giving in to the negative.” Look at your own life, and do your own bit of questioning to see what you find to be true. It will take some careful observation, some soul-searching and vigorous honesty, then I believe you’ll see where you are along the positive-to-negative continuum.

Let’s be clear: being “positive” does not mean avoiding thinking about the tough stuff, or not talking about anything painful or difficult. Quite the opposite! It means that as we deal with the tough stuff, the challenges in life, we’re much better equipped to survive them, to come out the other side wiser, more empowered, if we’re willing to look at the blessings, the gifts and lessons inherent in the struggle.

This week I want to offer you some words. Affirmations, meditations, prayers, motivations, call them what you will. These are presented here for you to ponder. Maybe you’re going through some “tough stuff ” of your own. Perhaps you’ll find a saying here that really resonates with you, and you’ll make it your personal mantra. Perhaps you’ll find some bit of wisdom to share with others. I

encourage you to let them in, sit with them, chew on them a bit and see if any could be the kind of life philosophy that helps you become, following Josh’s example, the positive, more empowered person you may wish to be.

1. From Albert Einstein: “Out of clutter, find simplicity; from discord, find harmony; in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

2. Harsh reality is a window to sweet liberation.

3. From George Bernard Shaw: “Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself.”

4. From Will Rogers: “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there!”

5. The Dalai Lama: “My religion is kindness.”

6. From Randy Pausch: “If you live your life well, the karma will take care of itself…your dreams will come to you.”

7. From Cesar Millan: “Start by becoming a pack leader in your own world and healing your own world, and the effects will ripple.”

8. Confusion and answers anticipate each other.

9. From Mary Anne Radmacher: “Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Play with abandon. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. And live as if this is all there is.”

10. From Solbeam: “Fall in love. Embrace it. Forgive yourself. Breathe. And enjoy the ride.”

Until next time: “May we look toward the wisdom of those around us, young and old, and bask in their spirit, learn from their words, and follow in the steps they’ve left behind.” — unknown

www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

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Cover Story

“The AEC’s Independent Film Series is the only venue in Chattanooga to see the best and most recent independent and foreign films on the big screen.”

Independents Days

By Phillip Johnston

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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Cover Story

The selection committee for the Chattanooga Arts

and Education Council’s Independent Film Series is a unique assemblage of local film enthusiasts—there’s the projectionist, the film reviewer, the music critic, the filmmaker, a host of film series regulars, and a smattering of other Chattanoogans. They all gather in the few weeks before each series starts to hash out what independent and foreign films should make the cut for the fall and spring series. Armed with printouts of film reviews, press kits, and links to movie trailers, they circle up at a table in the back of the AEC office to shoot the breeze about films they’ve seen, want to see, and think Chattanooga should see, too.

The AEC’s Independent Film Series is the only venue in Chattanooga to see the best and most recent independent and foreign films on the big screen. For 24 weeks during the fall and spring of each year, the AEC provides one film a week on a screen in the Carmike Majestic 12. Documentaries, dramas, musicals, thrillers, horror films, foreign offerings—anything is fair game for this series and the uncontested variety is what keeps the series’ loyal supporters coming back season after season.

As the discussion of what films should make the cut moves along, one issue always seems to crop up: usually more than one of these dedicated film fans has traveled elsewhere in the course of the last year to see a movie they couldn’t find in Chattanooga.

They go to Nashville, Knoxville, Atlanta—and though a die-hard film buff sees this as no great expense, few can deny that it’s still an inconvenience.

“Give me a film that surprises me, that challenges me to think, that teaches me something about another culture, that shows me something about the human condition, whose ending I cannot predict.”

www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

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Cover Story Therein lies the reason why the AEC series is so important for Chattanooga. Ask any serious film enthusiast or even the most casual (yet dedicated) film fan and you’ll find out how rare it is to see current independent and foreign film offerings in a mid-size city like Chattanooga. It’s almost unheard of.

When the AEC Independent Film Series came to Chattanooga in the 1960s, its first home was the basement of the downtown YMCA on Mitchell Avenue. In need of more space, the series transplanted to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where 16-millimeter film prints would roll from a dusty projector onto a screen in Grote Hall.

Karen Henderson is currently clinical assistant professor in the Department of Theater and Speech at UTC and teaches some of the university’s film courses. She says that the film series was a huge drawing card for her when she was considering moving to Chattanooga to take a job in 1987.

“For someone who had lived in

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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

a small town for four years and had to drive 45 minutes to see movies at a theater, the AEC series put Chattanooga on the level of Atlanta or New York City to me,” she said. “The Independent Film Series was the only way I knew of to see foreign and independent films.”

After its stint at UTC, the Independent Film Series moved on to the screens of the Carmike Bijou on Broad Street, until last year when the iconic downtown theater closed its doors. The series’ current home is the new Carmike Majestic, directly next door to the former Bijou.

Though the series has moved back and forth to different homes over the years, the shifting venues have done nothing to deter a loyal audience. “The Independent Film Series is one of AEC’s signature programs, reaching an estimated 8,000 people each year,” says Laurel Eldredge, program director for the AEC. “It has been sustained over the years by strong community support. Of all of our programs, the Independent Film

Cover Story “Anything is fair game for this series and the uncontested variety is what keeps the series’ loyal supporters coming back season after season.”

Series patrons are some of our most loyal. It’s not hard to find someone who has been coming to the films since the beginning, and others who see all 12 films in each series.”

Film Series patrons seem to realize that if they want to truly experience a film, there really is no replacement for a darkened theater. Start frequenting the Independent Film Series, and you’ll soon realize that the audience is uncommonly respectful of the films on the screen. Audience members rarely pull out their cell phones to check the time or send a text.

Walkouts are extremely rare. There’s no whispering or tittering from the top row. They even seem to know how to hold it when nature calls.

The AEC makes the commitment to see all 12 films each season an easy one for film patrons. For $15 each season, film fans can purchase an AEC Film Club Card that ensures a matinee price on all evening Film Series screenings and discounts for local restaurants and arts events.

But even with perks like this, can a series like the AEC’s survive for much longer? Twenty-first century film lovers face a huge choice: Does one shell out the money for a theater ticket or simply wait for the inevitable DVD release? With brilliant and well-marketed DVD labels like the Criterion Collection and Kino International at their disposal for independent offerings and the nearbottomless (and very affordable) film wells of Netflix and Blockbuster Online, isn’t a trip to the theater a bit excessive?

For Karen Henderson, the answer to this question is a no-brainer.

“Who wants to see great movies on a 19-inch screen, or even a 46inch screen? It won’t be the same as seeing it at a theater,” she says. “Plus, it gives me something better than the huge selection of drivel many of the big Hollywood studios insist on producing.”

Whereas it was once the territory of perceived snobs and cultural elitists, the camp that categorizes most Hollywood films as drivel has become a somewhat popular and obvious place for many everyday moviegoers to pitch their tents. There have been noted exceptions this summer, of course: Toy Story 3, Inception, even the underrated The Other Guys. But for every Inception, there are ten-plus Piranha 3Ds and Vampires Sucks.

Hence the reason the tail end of summer is the perfect time for the Independent Film Series to arrive on the screens of the Majestic.

The tickets are the same price as a normal movie ticket, with discounts readily available. It’s at a central location. And it’s the perfect place to be surprised by something potentially unknown and unsung. One of the best things about the Independent Film Series, says Karen Henderson, is its unpredictability: “Give me a film that surprises me, that challenges me to think, that teaches me something about another culture, that shows me something about the human condition, whose ending I cannot predict. Give me the AEC Independent Film Series.” www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

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Cover Story

The Fall Independent Film Series...So Far

(Two films are still unconfirmed at press time, but here’s the list of all the others) September 3: Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. This doc takes viewers along with the comedy icon during her 76th year.

September 10: Wild Grass. Legendary French director Alain Renais examines what happens to two strangers when a red wallet is lost and found.

September 17: Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky. Traces the affair between designer Coco Chanel and composer Igor Stravinsky in Paris in 1920.

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September 24: Animal Kingdom.

Australian thriller about a criminal family, based on real events that took place in Melbourne.

October 22: Lebanon. Four Israeli soldiers in a tank are detailed to “clear the area” of hostile Lebanese fighters in 1982.

October 1: The Girl Who Played with Fire. Sequel to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and like it, based on the worldwide bestseller trilogy by Steig Larsson. Lisbeth Salander, social misfit/ hacker, returns.

October 29: Cairo Time. Two people find themselves in the middle of an unexpected affair in Cairo.

October 8: TBA October 15: TBA

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

November 5: Mesrine: Killer Instinct.

Story of the French gangster before he becomes Public Enemy #1. With Vincent Cassel and Gerard Depardieu.

November 12: Mesrine: Public Enemy #1. Sequel continues the story of

the famous gangster to rave reviews throughout Europe.

November 19: A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop. Zhang Yimou’s remake of the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple.

November 26: Tamara Drewe. Director Stephen Frears tells the story of a young journalist who returns to her hometown to find her childhood home is being prepped for sale.

All films are shown in a select theater at the Carmike Majestic 12 cineplex at 311 Broad Street. www. artsedcouncil.org

www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

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Music Feature

Chocolate Covered Bluegrass A

By Tara Morris-Viland

“Dom plays bones, Justin establishes the jug is as cool as playing the bass, and Rhiannon captivates the kazoo in an almost angelic style.”

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s I was sitting on the porch last week, I found myself dipping into music I hadn’t heard in forever.

I’m talking oldschool rap and R&B, and while “old school” may be termed differently by different ages, as a mid-twenty-something I am describing groups such as En Vogue, BoyzIIMen, Bone Thugs and Harmony, Keith Sweat, Tupac, even Montell Jordan.

I could go on forever, but will stop there and say that these links in my musical past have given me a lot of soul. This soul has given me an excuse to karaoke on my porch to these great jams and for that, neighbors, I am sorry.

Soul is all around us and is usually connected to genres such as blues, jazz, R&B, and gospel.

But how many times does the average person connect it to bluegrass?

I know what I think of when I picture bluegrass: old white men nestled in the Smoky Mountains playing banjos, wearing overalls and drinking moonshine. Luckily, this stereotype has been altered a few degrees with events such as the 3 Sisters Music Festival and local bands such as Slim Pickens and The New Binkley Brothers.

If your image of bluegrass remains

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

connected to hearing the theme from Deliverance when entering wooded areas, then you must swing down to Miller Plaza Friday, September 3 to hear The Carolina Chocolate Drops. DJ Kool and The Gang may have brought us hip-hop, but The Carolina Chocolate Drops brings that “Genuine Negro Jig”. This group out of North Carolina has not only made an amazing step in its career, but has also honored the musical past and given new dreams to any young person who couldn’t imagine a life of fiddles, washboards, and jugs.

Many times we forget that African Americans paved the way for many styles of music. Without African American influence we wouldn’t have country music or the banjo.

Kind of gives Darius Rucker more clout—and I begin to wonder if hippies would even know how to dance. An intense amount of history goes into this music, and it will all come alive this week with The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Members Dom Flemmons, Rhiannon Giddens, and Justin Robinson came together in 2005. They committed to once-a-week jam sessions with Joe Thompson, an old-time black fiddler.

In the beginning, The Drops didn’t believe they would be a long-term project. Their music was really a tribute to Joe Thompson and other great influences. Playing farmers markets and small attractions, they kept the music rolling and gained many followers. They were picked up by the Music Maker Relief Foundation at the Shakori Hills Festival. This was the beginning of a great relationship that would take them to Europe, a Denzel Washington film, Prairie Home Companion, good old Bonnaroo, and eventually, to becoming the first black string band to play The Opry.

The band first got my attention with a cover of Blu Cantrell’s “Hit Em Up With Style” (another karaoke fave of mine). Rhiannon’s vocals mixed with her fiddle rocking, Dom’s banjo strumming, and Justin’s beat-box background excited me in ways that aren’t viable in print media. I swear I must have added 100 hits to the YouTube video of their live show at the Blue Plate Special in Knoxville.

One YouTuber commented that this video was an example of “…when covers demolish originals.” And I have to agree. They took away the pop-induced lyrics and replaced them with soulful talent that gave the title a whole new meaning.

Ensuring they are traditional but modern artists, they embrace songs such as “Cornbread and Butter Beans” and “Your Baby Ain’t Sweet Like Mine”, showing off the talents of each member as they change instruments and vocals with ease. Dom plays bones, Justin establishes the jug is as cool as playing the bass, and Rhiannon captivates the kazoo in an almost angelic style. Whether you loved Marvin Gaye, Puff Daddy, Brian McKnight— hell, even if you are into 36 Mafia, you’ve got to remember that music holds no color and that Friday night you are going to experience what Genuine Negro Jig really is.

To sound as professional as I can: It’s pretty friggin’ awesome! (Did I just squeal?)

The Carolina Chocolate Drops (New Binkley Brothers open) Free 7 p.m. opening act, 8 p.m. headliner Nightfall, Miller Plaza, MLK Blvd. at Market St. www.nightfallchattanooga.com

New Music Reviews Oneohtrix Point Never Returnal (Editions Mego)

“It’s an arresting, disquieting opener, with a complicated mix of processed static, alerting beeps, and manipulated yells.”

By Ernie Paik

Perhaps the laziest criticism of Lou Reed’s controversial and abrasive album Metal Machine Music is that it is “just noise.” Details are there for those who listen closely, although, generally, listeners are not used to having to do so for harsh, loud music. Such is the case for the opening track, “Nil Admirari,” on the new album Returnal by Oneohtrix Point Never, the one-man project of Brooklyn-based musician Daniel Lopatin. It’s an arresting, disquieting opener, with a complicated mix of processed static, alerting beeps, manipulated yells, and other destroyed sounds.

There are different bustling activities happening at various frequencies, and actually, hearing this song on speakers while walking around, occasionally going outside the listening room, can help different subtle elements emerge; for example, there’s a low tone that forms a compelling beat in the middle of the piece, which might not be apparent when facing the full brunt of the song.

While a gripping track, it’s not representative of most of the album, which leans more toward the synth-space-drone side of things; the second track, “Describing Bodies,” is another highlight, with ambient layers and pulsing, effervescent tones that don’t overstimulate but are interesting enough to hold the listener’s attention.

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti Before Today (4AD) A recent entry of the photoblog “Hipster Puppies” shows a particularly guilty-looking puppy with the following caption: “Ugh, it’s seriously gotten to the point where Cinnamon unironically watches American Idol and ironically listens to Animal Collective.” This just about sums up the odd conflicts behind the new album

The title track features a constant, metronomic stream of synth notes behind heavily altered singing, including an echoing, high-pitched chipmunk effect; frankly, the album would have been better without any of this kind of singing.

The quasi-minimalist “Where Does Time Go” overlays various three-note sequences, atop sustained, thick chords, followed by the two-minute “Ouroboros,” which entirely uses sonic entrances and departures to create a wistful mood. Perhaps the busiest, most complex track on Returnal is “Preyouandi,” with jittery percussion in the form of rattling bits of metal and wood, and attentive listeners may notice that among the freeform sprawl of the piece, there is actually an underlying melody.

Returnal starts and ends strongly, with a less distinct middle section, and part of its appeal is finding the order within the chaos.

Before Today from Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti—depending on one’s view, it could be taking a joke too far or blurring the notion of ironic detachment so that it becomes a warm embrace. Before Today, Pink’s debut for 4AD Records, marks a shift from his lofidelity home recordings—weird, hook-laden eccentric pop—that were released on Animal Collective’s Paw Tracks label to a slicker studio approach with key vestiges of his past material. Stylistically, Pink is functioning like some aural alchemist, spinning AM radio gold from an obsession with ’70s and early’80s middle-of-the-road soft rock, aided by studio insiders like engineer Rik Pekkonen (who has recorded the likes of Joe Cocker and Jackson Browne) and Sunny Levine (a grandson of Quincy Jones).

As a pastiche, Before Today is largely convincing, with earnestly delivered sax parts and wailing guitars, and most listeners would

probably be fooled if told that it was recorded in 1982. One tip-off, though, is Pink’s vocal style; at times, he throws in goofy flourishes and exclamations, but at others, his approach is indistinct and a bit uninspired—not like a hammy Top-40 star. With its dated synth sounds, “Fright Night (Nevermore)” sounds exactly like a new-wave imitation by John Maus (Pink’s cohort and kindred soul), and “Round and Round,” the album’s single, pulls off smooth vocal harmonizing and cheesy lyrics like a totally unabashed Yacht Rock sonic man-hug. Although this type of ambiguous ironic/unironic, smirking/ sincere musical nostalgia is a bit played-out today, purely from a functional perspective, Ariel Pink probably did with Before Today everything he intended to do with it. Now that he’s done it, maybe others will realize that they don’t have to.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

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Music Calendar Thursday Spotlight

Zoogma Sonic diversity and light show with the boys from Oxford, Mississippi. $7 10 p.m.

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

Thursday Happy Hour Serenade with David Anthony 5 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055.

Live Team!

7:30 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055.

Goat Whore, Coathanger Abortion, Crabs of Valor, Strong Intention 8 p.m. Ziggy’s Underground, 607 Cherokee Blvd. (423) 756-4786. myspace.comziggyshideaway Tim Lewis and Reece 9 p.m. Bart’s Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777. www.bartslakeshore.com Open Mic with Gabriel Newell 9 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Rick Rushing & the Blues Strangers, Lon Eldridge, Mark “Porkchop” Holder 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Friday Spotlight

Zoogma with Right Brain Shift 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com Soul Sessions 10 p.m. Table 2, 232 E. 11th St. (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com

Friday Happy Hour Serenade with David Anthony 5 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Ben Friberg Trio 6 p.m. Table 2, 232 E.11th St. (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com Binary Marketing, mermaids, abby go go 7 p.m. Discoteca, 304 E. Main St. (423) 386-3066. www.myspace.com/discotecabar Third Lobby 7 p.m. Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. www.nightfallchattanooga.com Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Rock N’ Roll Spectacular 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo Centennial Theatre, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000.

Matt Turnure Trio 7:30 p.m. Blue Orleans Creole Restaurant, 3208 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 629-6538. blueorleanscreolerestaurant.com Carolina Chocolate Drops 8 p.m. Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. www.nightfallchattanooga.com

Downstream 9 p.m. Bart’s Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777. www.bartslakeshore.com Tone Harm 9 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Brian Collins 9 p.m. Raw Sushi Bar, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919. www.myspace.com/jimstriker Cadillac Saints 9 p.m. Southside Saloon & Bistro, 1301 Chestnut St. (423) 757-4730. www.southsidedaloon.com Roger Alan Wade 10 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240. www.tboneschattanooga.com Mark Holder 10 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Gerle Haggard CD release, New Binkley Brothers, Matt Campbell 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia 80Z-Enuff 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com

Saturday To Speak of Wolves, My Epic, Amity, Everybody Loves the Hero, Servant Advocate, Against the Opposition 6 p.m. The Warehouse, 5716 Ringgold Rd., East Ridge. www.myspace.com/warehousetn

Carolina Chocolate Drops Do not miss one of the last African American string bands.

Free 7 p.m. opener, 8 p.m. headliner Nightfall, Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. www.nightfallchattanooga.com Mark Merriman 7 p.m. Blue Orleans Creole Restaurant, 3208 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 629-6538. blueorleanscreolerestaurant.com Randall Bramblett and Geoff Achison Blues Band 7 p.m. Chattanooga Riverfront, 201 Riverfront Pkwy.

(423) 424-2000. www.riverfrontnights.com Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com Rock N’ Roll Spectacular 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo Centennial Theatre, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000.

Big Band Dance 7:30 p.m. American Legion Post 95, 3329 Ringgold Rd. (423) 624-9105. www.americanlegionpost95.org Mister Sinster 8 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066.

(423) 867-1351.

Camp Normal 9 p.m. Raw Sushi Bar, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919. www.myspace.com/jimstriker

Music Calendar

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

Saturday Spotlight

Cross Culture Day with Lumbar 5, The Pool, Culture of the World Parade St. Elmo is the place for some great daytime music today.

Free 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The Incline, lower station, St. Elmo. www.ridetheincline.com Monkey Shine 9 p.m. Southside Saloon & Bistro, 1301 Chestnut St. (423) 757-4730. www.southsidedaloon.com Open Mic Night 9 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9043. www.mudpierestuarant.com Heypenny, Kyle Andrews 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia Mark Holder 10 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com 80Z-Enuff Take 2 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com

Sunday Noogapalooza 11 a.m. Chattanooga Market, 1826 Carter St. (423) 266-9270. www.chattanoogamarket.com New Binkley Brothers Noon. Rock City, 1400 Patten Rd. Lookout Mountain, GA. (706) 820-2531. www.seerockcity.com

Sunday Spotlight

Open Mic w/Jeff Daniels 4 p.m. Ms. Debbie’s Nightlife Lounge 4762 Highway 58, (423) 485-0966. myspace.com/debbieslounge Irish Sessions Music 6 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Open Mic 8 p.m. Gene’s Bar & Grill, 724 Ashland Terrace, (423) 870-0880.

Southlander 9 p.m. Southside Saloon & Bistro, 1301 Chestnut St. (423) 757-4730. www.southsidedaloon.com All You Can Eat Comedy Buffet 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Monday Old Tyme Music 6 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Paul Lohorn and the Monday Nite Big Band 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055. www.thepalmsathamilton.com

Tuesday Ben Friberg Trio 6:30 p.m. Table 2, 232 E. 11th St. (423) 756-8253. www.table2restaurant.com Gentlemens Jazz Quartet 8 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055.

Open Mic with Mike McDade 8 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike. (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Lightning Billy Hopkins 8 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com The New Mastersounds with East Ponce Soul Faction 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644. www.rhythm-brews.com Tim Starnes with Special Guests 9 p.m. Bart’s Lakeshore, 5600 Lakeshore Dr. (423) 870-0777. www.bartslakeshore.com Open Mic 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike, (423) 266-1996. www.tremonttavern.com Harlem, Hidden Spots, Casey, Ursa Major 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

Wednesday Ben Friberg Trio 7 p.m. Market Street Tavern, 850 Market St. (423) 634-0260. www.marketstreettavern.com Jimmy Harris 7:30 p.m. The Palms at Hamilton, 6925 Shallowford Rd., #202.

(423) 499-5055.

Johnny B. and Friends 8 p.m. Bourbon Street Music Bar, 2000 E. 23rd St. (423) 826-1985.

Cadillac Sky 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. (423) 267-4644.

NoogaPalooza Experience what happens when the “Rock Lottery” bands take the stage. $15 7 p.m. - midnight First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd. www.noogapalooza.com Open Mic Night 9 p.m. Riverhouse Pub, 224 Frazier Ave. (423) 752-0066.

Karaoke with American Idol’s Chase Guyton 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (inside Day’s Inn) Open Mic with Mark Holder 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia Got a gig coming up that you want to tell the world about?

Don't rely just on flyers, word-of-mouth and posts of Facebook and MySpace.

All you need to do to get the word out for free is to send us your information (the basic when, where and time) and we will list it here in the weekly music calendar.

Email the particulars to us at calendar@chattanoogapulse. com at least ten days before the event.

And for last minute changes and updates, be sure to visit www.chattanoogahasfun.com

www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

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Arts & Entertainment

The Human Fractal?

T

By Michael Crumb

“Do the smaller figures represent past selves, or the tendencies, perhaps overwhelming, that exist in our own potential?”

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he InTown Gallery will feature Doug McCoy’s work in a show opening this Friday. McCoy’s fine art work forms include pen and ink, pen and ink over paint, and pointillism.

McCoy wants to create work that engages people, and his work shows a dedication to fine detail, which promotes a close view.

In a sense, this show will be historic for In-Town, since it will be their first show offering prints. McCoy’s “Man Made” and “Woman Walking”, for example, will be offered for sale as prints. These figures are drawn with tiny figures in such a way that the shape is made from so many of them that it suggests the idea of a fractal.

To my knowledge, fractal mathematic expressions were presented visually, demonstrating the striking quality that the apparent visual structures actually contained within them, much similar structures that remain identical to the larger structures.

Normally outside the range of human visual

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

perceptions, fractals nonetheless strongly suggest deeper levels of order in natural phenomena. Fractals present an aspect of chaos theory—that an underlying order may exist within apparently chaotic phenomena.

Naturally, these figures made of figures can suggest other ideas. For example, do the smaller figures represent past selves, or the tendencies, perhaps overwhelming, that exist in our own potential?

Would a viewer find these collections of tiny figures funny or terrific? May they suggest the impressions of others on our own existence? After all, we are interdependent—or could they also represent more complex psychological structures like Jung’s collective unconscious?

No doubt—they require a good deal of meticulous work to construct. McCoy has been drawing for almost all of his life. He has worked in comic art, and he has also drawn from science fiction and horror sources.

With fine arts, some concepts are traditional, and artists continue to present these themes, sometimes with contemporary variations. Still, fruit is largely still fruit, even if it covers half a wall—and I’m not disallowing that an artist may find a way to cover half a wall with a fruit executed with an astonishing technique.

Consequently, although technique remains significant, progression in fine arts has much to do with progressed concepts. Such concepts will often encounter controversy, since they may not be immediately accessible. Also, the traditional subjects of fine arts are often more

marketable, so some controversy may be generated by parties interested in the status quo of common art market relations, and the resulting controversy is more economic than aesthetic.

There is quite a lot of traditional art in this Chattanooga art scene, but the continued growth and vitality of Chattanooga arts may well depend upon the ability to accept and nurture new forms. After all, the larger art world grows with innovation, and its attention will turn to places where innovation can be found.

For McCoy, who has also done fine arts work in traditional forms, this figural inscription has provided a concept that drives his current fine arts work. Sometimes these tiny figures inhabit larger, suggestive geometries, or a piece may include a crowd of faces with humorous nuance.

McCoy also works in pointillism, where paint is applied in tiny dots to create a larger figure. His “Black Hole Sun” has been derived from the Mayan calendar, but it also includes other elements. This piece expresses the archetypal surreal very directly, since some of the represented figures are archetypal.

The In-Town Gallery remains one of the oldest cooperative galleries in the country.

Its fine arts focus is supported and managed by the artists who run it. Of course, McCoy is one of these artists. Come and see how you react to McCoy’s constructions.

Doug McCoy: “The Myth of Man” Opening reception September 3, 5 – 8 p.m.

In-Town Gallery, 26-A Frazier Avenue (423) 267-9214. www.intowngallery.com

A&E Calendar Highlights Friday

Thursday

Artful Evening with Avant-art at the Hunter Discussion of group-chosen theme.

Included with $9.95 museum admission 6 p.m.

Hunter Museum, 10 Bluff View (423) 267-0968. www.huntermuseum.org

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

Chattanooga Market Thursday Plaza Party 11 a.m. Miller Plaza, 850 Market St. www.chattanoogamarket.com Opening Reception: Works by Lynne A. Mayer and Deidra Nehrenz 4 p.m. My Color Image Boutique and Gallery, 330 Frazier Ave. (423) 598-6202.

The Mystery of the TV Talk Show 7 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839. www.funnydinner.com Hicks Gone Wild 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com “Flavors of Tuscany” by Cam Busch North River Civic Center, 1009 Executive Dr. Ste. 102.

(423) 870-8924.

“Kathleen Mack Exhibit” Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. www.shuptrinefineartgroup.com “Figures” Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 N. Terrace Rd. (423) 493-0270.

“Myth of Man” opening reception New acrylic paintings and ink drawings by popular local artist Doug McCoy. Free 5 - 8 p.m.

In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9214. www.intowngallery.com

Saturday

Romeo and Juliet Six-member cast performs dance/theatre version of Bard favorite. $10 2 p.m.

St. Andrews Center, 1918 Union Avenue (423) 987-5141. ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com

Hubble in 3D 11 a.m.. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695. www.tnaqua.org “The World Within” Opening Reception 6:30 p.m. River Gallery, 400 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033. www.river-gallery.com Rock and Roll Spectacular 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000. www.choochoo.com Hicks Gone Wild 7:30, 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com Romeo & Juliet 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 1918 Union Ave. ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work 7:45, 10 p.m., Majestic 12, 311 Broad St. (423) 826-2370. www.carmike.com Wild Ocean in 3D 8 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695.

Chattanooga Ghost Tour 8:15 p.m. Walnut Street Bridge, 1 Walnut St. (423) 821-7125. www.chattanoogaghosttours.com Mystery of Flight 138 8:30 p.m. Vaudeville Café, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839. www.funnydinner.com Lantern Tours 8:30 p.m. Ruby Falls, 1720 South Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544. www.rubyfalls.com Female Impersonation Show Midnight. Images, 6065 Lee Hwy. (423) 855-8210. www.imagesbar.com “Summer Salon 2010” Hanover Gallery, 111 Frazier Ave. (423) 648-0533. hanovergallery.blogspot.com “Butterfly Handled Tea Paraphernalia” Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176. www.thehoustonmuseum.com Local Artists Exhibit Reflections Gallery, Eastgate Town Center, 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 892-3072. www.reflectionsgallerytn.com

Sunday East Hamilton County Ruritan Club Car Show 8 a.m. Tennessee Riverpark, 4301 Amnicola Hwy. (423) 595-7052.

Appalachian Celtic Festival and Highland Games 10 a.m. Ringgold, GA. appalachiancelticconnection.org Chattanooga River Market 10 a.m. Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695.

Brainerd Farmers Market 10 a.m. Grace Episcopal Church, 20 Belvoir Ave.at Brainerd Rd. Mosaic Market 11 a.m. 412 Market St. (corner of 4th/Market). (423) 624-3915.

Art Til Dark Noon. Northshore. (423) 413-8999.

“Buy Local Authors” Fundraiser: Fiction Writers Book Presentation 2 p.m. Eastgate Library, 5705 Marlin Rd. Suite 1500.

(423) 757-5310.

Artist Reception: Mary Helen Robert & Ange Roth 6 p.m. Umbra Essence Candles & Gifts, 3913 St. Elmo Ave. (423) 821-4902.

Sundown in St. Elmo 6 p.m. St. Elmo Ave. www.st-elmo.org Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work 7:45, 10 p.m., Majestic 12, 311 Broad St. (423) 826-2370.

Hicks Gone Wild 7:30, 10 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233. www.thecomedycatch.com Rock and Roll Spectacular 7:30 p.m. Chattanooga Choo Choo, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-5000. www.choochoo.com Wild Ocean in 3D 8 p.m. IMAX Theater at the Tennessee Aquarium, 1 Broad St. (800) 265-0695.

Chattanooga Ghost Tour 8:15 p.m. Walnut Street Bridge, 1 Walnut St. (423) 821-7125. www.chattanoogaghosttours.com Lantern Tours 8:30 p.m. Ruby Falls, 1720 South Scenic Hwy. (423) 821-2544. www.rubyfalls.com Female Impersonation Show Midnight. Images, 6065 Lee Hwy. (423) 855-8210. www.imagesbar.com

NoogaPalooza Event begins with local bands at the Market; shop, sample and rock out.

Free 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Chattanooga Market, First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Reggie White Blvd.

(423) 266-9270. www.chattanoogamarket.com

Appalachian Celtic Festival and Highland Games 10 a.m. Ringgold, GA. appalachiancelticconnection.org Chattanooga Market 11 a.m. First Tennessee Pavilion, 1826 Carter St. (423) 266-4041. www.chattanoogamarket.com First Free Sundays Noon. Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. www.huntermuseum.org Romeo & Juliet 3 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 1918 Union Ave. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work 7:45, 10 p.m., Majestic 12, 311 Broad St. (423) 826-2370.

Hicks Gone Wild 8 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Rd. (423) 629-2233.

Movie at the Greenway 8:30 p.m. Veterans Park/ Collegedale Greenway, 9300 Apison Pike. www.southern.edu/sife All You Can Eat Comedy Buffet 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 East M L King Blvd. (423) 266-1400. www.myspace.com/jjsbohemia

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A&E Calendar Highlights Monday Speak Easy: Spoken Word and Poetry 8 p.m. Mudpie Restaurant, 12 Frazier Ave. (423) 267-9040. www.mudpierestaurant.com Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work 7:45, 10 p.m., Majestic 12, 311 Broad St. (423) 826-2370. www.carmike.com Stephen Rolfe Powell Glass Exhibition Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. www.huntermuseum.org “The World Within” River Gallery, 400 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033. www.river-gallery.com Works by Lynne A. Mayer and Deidra Nehrenz My Color Image Boutique and Gallery, 330 Frazier Ave. (423) 598-6202.

“Collecting is a Legacy: The Thompson-Wilson Collection” Bessie Smith Cultural Center, 200 E. Martin Luther King Blvd.

(423) 266-8658.

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Tuesday “Jellies: Living Art” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944. www.huntermuseum.org “Street Art” The Arts Center, Athens, TN. (423) 745-8781. www.athensartscouncil.org “Solo Photography” by Asher Love Mendonsa Asher Love Studio and Gallery, 3914 St. Elmo Ave., Ste. G. (423) 822-0289. asherlovegallery.blogspot.com “Myth of Man” In-Town Gallery, 26A Frazier Ave. (423)267-9214. www.intowngallery.com “Flavors of Tuscany” by Cam Busch North River Civic Center, 1009 Executive Dr. Ste. 102.

(423) 870-8924. www.chattanooga.gov “Kathleen Mack Exhibit” Shuptrine Fine Art Group, 2646 Broad St. (423) 266-4453. www.shuptrinefineartgroup.com

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Wednesday Main Street Farmers Market 4 p.m. Main St. at Williams St. www.mainstfarmersmarket.com Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work 7:45, 10 p.m., Majestic 12, 311 Broad St. (423) 826-2370.

“Transformation 6: Contemporary Works in Glass” Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View. (423) 266-0944.

“Butterfly Handled Tea Paraphernalia” Houston Museum of Decorative Arts, 201 High St. (423) 267-7176. www.thehoustonmuseum.com Local Artists Exhibit Reflections Gallery, Eastgate Town Center, 5600 Brainerd Rd. (423) 892-3072. www.reflectionsgallerytn.com “The World Within” River Gallery, 400 E. 2nd St. (423) 265-5033.

Works by Lynne A. Mayer and Deidra Nehrenz My Color Image Boutique and Gallery, 330 Frazier Ave. (423) 598-6202.

Editor’s Pick: Featured Event Of The Week

17th Annual Shawn Adams Memorial Flying Disc Tournament Free, Starting at 9 a.m.

The Frisbees will be a-flyin’ at Camp Jordan with 48 teams.

Saturday and Sunday, September 4 and 5 Camp Jordan, 323 Camp Jordan Parkway, East Ridge www.playultimate.net/shawn.shtml

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Chattanooga Street Scenes

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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Aerial photography by Louis Lee The Volkswagen Assembly Plant at Enterprise South

Life in the Noog

By Chuck Crowder

Vinyl or Plastic, Sir? O

“Twelve-inch LPs are big, round, thin, fragile disks constantly in danger of a number of perils, including scratching, warping, static electricity, chipping and breakage of the record itself.”

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 popular website thenoog.com

ver the past couple of years I’ve witnessed the return of the vinyl record. Seems kids these days have discovered the music format most of us discarded years ago and are embracing it as tightly as the Cabbage Patch Kid they were holding the day we threw out our turntables to make room for the new CD player.

The new breed of CD-reared twentysomethings have dusted off the stack of records we so carelessly left in the basement and are now preaching to us the virtues of a “pristine, unadulterated, purer form” of recording that we were obviously too stupid to truly appreciate back in the '70s and '80s.

Well I’m not buying it. Maybe it’s because I was around when vinyl was just about the only format available—and in many ways it sucks. Twelve-inch LPs (okay kids, tell me what “LP” means) are big, round, thin, fragile disks constantly in danger of a number of perils, including scratching, warping, static electricity, chipping and breakage of the record itself, not to mention corner crinkles and disk impressions on the cover.

In fact, my friends and I spent hours perfecting the right combination of regular maintenance techniques required to keep the condition of our records as pristine as possible. De-static gun, dust-wiping chemicals and series of brushes, non-static slip sleeves for the vinyl and plastic sleeves on the outside to protect the cover. Absolutely no leaving records in a warm car. And even more critical, the honorable respect

of the sacred bond of trust among friends concerning the loaning of records that no Hippocratic oath or even Boy Scout motto could ever put asunder.

Sure, vinyl records played through the proper stereo equipment sound warm, deep and sometimes a little less “tinny” than a CD. But you’ll never convince me that a staticladen, scratchy, wobbly hunk of petroleum with a diamond raking across it as it spins sounds any “purer” than an untouched, clean, crisp digital version of that same recording.

In fact, I’m no recording artist or producer, but I don’t think that many back in the day liked having to make concessions in the studio process in order to compensate for the shortcomings of the “crcrcrrrrrcrrrrrrcrrrhssssssss” that was sure to accompany their songs through a listener’s speakers. That’s why I don’t buy the argument that vinyl is listening to music in its “purist” form. It was just the only format available back then—except for the 8-track tape, which would pause a song in the middle if it happened to run over a track transition.

Nobody’s nostalgic about that.

I’m in no way an audiophile. I’m just a music fan. And yes, I get the lo-fi cool factor of the hi-fi vinyl these newfound fans have just now discovered. I realize there’s nothing like pulling the record out of the sleeve, gently laying it onto the turntable, placing the needle in the outside groove and then sitting back to listen while admiring the cover art and liner notes. I remember doing that through most of my childhood and teenage years.

On the other hand, I also remember having

a similar feeling when I purchased my first CD. A silver “compact” disk scanned by lasers in a special player. No static, no dust, no pops, no significant lows or audio drops, just the cleanest, most incredible sound I’d ever heard in my life. I began noticing sounds on all-too-familiar albums that I’d never been able to make out before on the vinyl record.

It was like hearing those albums and songs again for the first time. I therefore wasted no time in replacing all of my vinyl on CD. There wasn’t a soul I knew back in the day who didn’t agree that ANY compact disk sounded ten times better than its vinyl counterpart. In fact, you were a sucker if you weren’t actively switching your collection over to the new, more highly-regarded format. Of course, you were also a sucker if you still wore trucker’s caps, polyester pants and carried novelty airline tote bags too, but that’s another story altogether. I couldn’t wait to consolidate my massive vinyl crates down to a simple rack next to my speakers. And it was an even greater feeling later on to rip all of those CDs down to MP3 files I could load on a player that would fit in my pocket.

At any rate, having grown up on nowessentially-dead music formats like vinyl, 8-tracks and cassettes, instead of CDs like the new breed of vinyl junkies, it’s hard for me to fathom a return to nostalgia when all we wanted back then was a cleaner, lesshassle sound. Maybe that’s why, to me, the reversal from MP3s back to vinyl is like going from cell phones back to hard-wired rotary telephones.

It just doesn’t ring my bell.

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Film Feature

Get Low in the Holler E

By John DeVore

“Robert Duvall shows us that man, the man with the dangerous glint in his eye, the one with a gruff, unsettling politeness.”

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ccentrics usually don’t happen by chance. When we meet someone, we often wonder about them. Most people aren’t inclined to share their life stories during casual conversation.

So we investigate. We ask others. We invent reasons for personality quirks or work habits. We rarely know as much as we think we do about anyone.

There are some people, however, about whom we know even less. Some people are deliberate in their obfuscation. They hide themselves, for reasons known only to them. Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) is a man who has so expertly hidden himself, the residents of a small, outof-the-way East Tennessee town have had to dramatically invent stories, tall tales, and fabrications, in order to explain to themselves why a man would seclude himself for 40 years in a backwoods cabin with only a mule and a shotgun for companionship. The truth is never as complicated as it seems; secrets are only shocking to those closest to them. Lesser men than Felix would take their secrets to the grave.

Filmed in northern Georgia and set in Roane County, Tennessee, Get Low is loosely based on the true story of Felix Bush Brazeale, a man who threw a lavish funeral for himself before he died, so that he could see his send-

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

off. The true story is more whimsical than its Hollywood counterpart; the funeral was the most well-attended event 1938 Roane County had ever seen. Eight to 12 thousand people descended on Cave Creek Primitive Baptist Church, situated just off Tennessee Hwy. 70 (and only a few miles from my parent’s house), to see the spectacle. It was covered by Life and Newsweek; Felix became a national celebrity, even traveling to New York City to be interviewed by Robert Ripley. Upon his return, he complained that “their victuals weren’t worth a darn.”

In the film, Felix begins thinking about his death after hearing about the death of a distant friend. He travels to town and comes across a young family man who works for slightly unscrupulous funeral director Frank Quinn (Bill Murray). Quinn isn’t Southern born—he comes from Chicago, fresh out of a failed marriage, looking to provide a service that everyone needs. But business is slow, with Tennesseans not being as eager to pass on as the hardened, frozen city folk, and the funeral parlor is on the verge of going under.

Felix decides, encouraged greatly by Quinn, to throw a funeral party, inviting anyone who wants to come, provided that they can share a story about him. Felix has his own story, of course, one that he has carried with him for 40 years. Perhaps he is curious whether his neighbors know enough snippets of fact to piece together the enigma of his past. Maybe he wants a chance to clear his name. Reasons are known only to Felix.

The actors make this movie shine. We are given the opportunity to see two of our finest craftsmen of character skillfully entertaining us. These are real people, however strange they may be. Their strangeness, in fact, isn’t

that strange, especially to those of us who have spent our lives in the foothills and valleys of the Great Smoky Mountains. Some of us know a Felix personally. More of us know one by rumor. Childish curiosity about the man who lives in the holler is almost universally found in the hallways of our schools and churches.

Robert Duvall shows us that man, the man with the dangerous glint in his eye, the one with a gruff, unsettling politeness. He shows us the gentleness that still exists, despite years of solitude and guilt. There aren’t many actors who could convince us the two aren’t mutually exclusive in the way Duvall does. Watching this is a joy.

For me, however, it was the setting that made the film. Yes, the deep greens of Appalachian valleys against the blue haze lofting over our softly rounded evergreen peaks are visually stunning. But we don’t all live nestled in pine ridges with spectacular views, any more than New Yorkers all live in view of the Empire State Building. Tennessee winters are a dull brown down in the valleys and far from the peaks lie rocky land and muddy water. But these barren trees hold a natural beauty that few others can appreciate.

The low lights, cold winter rains, and spotty snow patches give the film an authenticity that created the lightly somber atmosphere necessary to tell the story of these people. It was distinctly not Vancouver or California. It was home; or at least, it was close enough.

Get Low Directed by Aaron Schneider Starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek Rated PG-13 Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

New In Theaters Machete After being betrayed by the organization who hired him, an ex-federale launches a brutal rampage of revenge against the people who double-crossed him. This is the long-awaited Planet Terror spinoff from director Robert Rodriguez that leads off a jam-packed Labor Day weekend for film releases. Danny Trejo’s knife-wielding character was generating his own folklore, but it appeared the project was just another one of Rodriguez’s great genre ideas until he finally put everything together in a film that would make Sam Peckinpah sit up and applaud. Add in the awesomeness of Cherry Darling and Jessica Alba playing opposing twin sisters and the paparazzi trainwreck that is Lindsay Lohan and you could have a major hit on your hands.

Plus, Danny Trejo may just be the most bad-assed actor on the planet right now.

Rumors that this will be the first in a trilogy of films has many Rodriguez fans very excited.

The American An assassin hiding out in an Italian village while he anticipates his last-ever assignment tempts fate by seeking out the friendship of a priest as well as the affection of a local woman. Renowned music-video director Anton Corbijn, without any intended irony, has critics loving the fact that his current film is so non-American (Hollywood) in its casting. All of the players surrounding George Clooney vie for the spotlight, especially Thekla Reuten and the sensationcausing Violante Placido. This may be the least American film about an American since the “Bourne” movies.

Starring George Clooney, Paolo Bonacelli, Violante Placido Directed by Anton Corbijn

Going the Distance A romantic comedy centered on a guy and a gal who try to keep their love alive as they shuttle back and forth between Chicago and Los Angeles to see one another. It seems that stars Justin Long and Drew Barrymore like to break up in real life just in time to act together in a rom/com, as this appears to be (at least) the third time the on-again/

Starring Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro Directed by Ethan Maniquis and Robert Rodriguez off-again/on-again/off-again couple has brought their quite enjoyable talents to some lighthearted romantic comedy fluff. And it’s nice to see Jim Gaffigan on the big screen, though it’s a shame he departed the quirky My Boys television show to accommodate “Distance”’s shooting schedule. Give the man a Hot Pocket and we’re all happy.

Starring Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Ron Livingston Directed by Nanette Burstein

The Tillman Story Pro football player Pat Tillman left the NFL to enlist in the U.S. Army after 9/11. Upon his death two years later, the U.S. military opted to reward him with the Purple Heart and other posthumous honors; meanwhile, his family set out to reveal the truth behind the events that claimed his life. Amir Bar-Lev quickly is becoming a premier documentarian, and with this unflinching look at how the military and U.S. government tried to cover up the friendly-fire death of Tillman and turn him in a hero solely for propaganda purposes, he could very well be accepting a small gold statue next year.

Directed by Amir Bar-Lev

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On The Beat

By Alex Teach

The Real Blue Line H

“Had I fired that shot when he reached into his pants after jumping out saying he was going to shoot me, I’d not be writing this, folks.”

When Officer Alexander D. Teach is not patrolling our fair city on the heels of the criminal element, he is an occasional student, carpenter, boating enthusiast, and spends his spare time volunteering for the Boehm Birth Defects Center. To contact him directtly, follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/alex.teach

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is left hand was jammed down the front of his pants, his right was leveled out and pointing two fingers at me sideways as if holding a mock pistol, and he was yelling “I’m gonna’ kill you, mother*$@&, I’m gonna’ shoot yo’ ass!” at the top of his lungs over and over. He was an idiot, but at least he let me know where we stood.

Sweat glistened around his eyes and was amplified by the sun shining on his face, putting the direct light at my back. “At least I have that going for me,” I thought as the hammer on my .45 slowly crept back, closer and closer to the point of release…and therefore of no return. As soon as he pulls up that left hand I knew there would be a profound fork in the road of my life…and that’s how quick it happens.

In the two seconds it took to process what I’d been told, what I’d seen as he jumped out and reached down into his belt, and what he was saying he was going to do to me, I was also thinking forward about the rest of my life: I was quite unfortunately Caucasian and he was not, so I was already thinking of the media slant of racist activists (shocking, but they exist), my administrative leave with pay that would be criticized, my sound bites on The O’Reilly Factor, and somewhere in there while staring at that left hand, waiting for it to emerge quickly or slowly, either full of gun or empty, I actually wondered how it got to this point.

I glanced at my partner (we had him vectored nicely in a “V” where our customer was making his final stand) and in another millisecond we were in complete silent

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

understanding as he wondered the same thing I was. We were different people, but doing the same job with the same equipment and the same training, so words were unnecessary.

It’s sad, but people are convinced that the “Blue Line” is actually about keeping your mouth shut and maintaining loyalty to one another when being accused of something. It makes for great movies, but this is bunk. We give each other up in a matter of heartbeats like any company or group.

No. Speaking as a cop, the “Blue Line” to me are those seconds when you are connected by a thread, when there is no other thought in your head about politics or bills or loved ones or sickness or what you have TiVo’d for later… just the purity of living from one second to the next, literally—whether it’s you, your partner, your client, or all three that are in jeopardy Our heads stay cluttered without our realizing it, until we are very literally on the edge of death. Talk about a pure connection.

That is the Thin Blue Line, folks, and that intimate connection is what makes us different from the medics and the nozzle heads and the fishermen and the test pilots. Without doubt their lives are risked daily and they too share a bond, but they are not the ones with their fingers on a trigger making the conscious decision as to whether or not they’re going to have to kill another human being. That denotation is kind of a big deal; it doesn’t make us better, but it’s definitely a different level. Weak floors, falling timber, car crashes, rogue waves—those are occurrences of chance.

Consciously deciding to shoot someone in the chest, however…What can I say? Did I mention having to do so while also wondering if you’re about to die, too?

Which brings me back to that sweltering

front yard. He was still dialoguing and not pulling pistols, so the trigger pressure relaxed, but only slightly. I closed in on him, the dimesized barrel of my pistol pointed at his face, fully occupying his attention so that when my partner fired two barbed probes from a Tazer into his chest, the 50,000 volts that brought him to the ground (left hand still reaching under his belt line as if for a gun) had the maximum lifesaving effect. And as it turns out…there never was a gun. (O’Reilly Factor, indeed. And CNN, and federal court.)

I asked him later if he wanted to die, and he said yes. (It was over a “girl”, after all.) For that, I told him he was an asshole and that I did not see us becoming friends.

To my partner…I smiled and laughed as the adrenalin began to dump as indicated by the slightly shaking hands and the feeling of nausea where our stomachs had contracted as we prepared for fight-or-flight earlier.

“Close, yeah?” was about the extent of the conversation, and all that was needed.

I got in my car some time later, and turned right at the next street to leave. It was symbolic to me, that turn, because I knew it was the first turn on a new path my life had taken. Had I fired that shot when he reached into his pants after jumping out saying he was going to shoot me, I’d not be writing this, folks. His history, his actions at the time, heck—even the video I have would have cleared me, but not for years and not without great cost. All in a split second…but that’s how it usually goes. The difference for me is, I can clearly see the forks I took.

And for those few life and death seconds while the air is so fresh and time has no constants, I can so very clearly see the thread of that thin Blue Line between us.

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The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

The Pulse • Dining Out Spotlight

Mexican Metamorphosis at La Olla

by D. E. Langley The owners of La Olla, Marcelino and Elena Hernandez, recently decided that their restaurant on Brainerd Road needed a change, an evolution of sorts.

They wanted to find that something that would make them stand head and shoulders above their competition.

That something turned out to be a someone—namely, Chef Eric Saenz.

Transformation is what Chef Saenz does. Much acclaimed in his field, he has worked in fine restaurants around the world, and now offers his services to owners of establishments who, like Marcelino and Elena, want to up the ante in terms of what their restaurants offer to their surrounding communities.

The first thing Saenz did when he came to La Olla was to empty out the freezer.

“We now use absolutely NO frozen product. We don’t have a big truck coming in from Atlanta. All our product is now either bought fresh from local markets, or imported directly from Mexico,” he relates. One of the reasons for that is the chef’s desire to achieve a truly Mexican style of cooking, as elusive as that may be.

“Before I opened my first Mexican restaurant, I went to Mexico, to four different states,” he says. The thing is, there is no such thing as ‘Mexican’ food. They’re all regional dishes. Take the avocado compound butter we put on our steaks. I learned that technique from a street vendor in Puerto Vallarta.”

That authenticity, and the freshness that it demands, was especially noticable in the dishes I was served. The housemade salsa that started my meal, smooth and piquant, with a garlicky bite, was as far from a jar as you could imagine.

The fantastic guacamole that followed, prepared tableside, was fresh and flavorful, more akin to a salad than to the thick pastes I’ve had at so many other places.

Then came the main course, a Bohemianstyle burrito of cerveza-marinated carne asada, served alongside refried beans with authentic queso fresco, a Mexican risotto, and a watermelon salad. The sweet lightness of the salad was perfect to balance the savory heartiness of the carne asada, and the Mexican risotto was unlike anything I’d ever tasted.

Generous portions of each ensured I’d have leftovers. The plate was artfully laid out, with the halves of the burrito standing, as if at attention. There’s a reason for that, Chef Eric says.

“When they’re challenged to make the plate beautiful, it ensures the cooks care about each dish. Really, we’re training our cooks to work like

chefs. You eat three times a day, if not more. This is something different. When you go home, we want you to remember this experience.”

Saenz was adamant that he is not alone in his quest at La Olla. “It’s not the chef or the owner that ‘makes’ a restaurant. It’s the servers, the cooks.

The front of house and back of house aren’t separate here—they’re one entity.

My job is to inspire passion in all of our employees and make sure they’re excited about the changes taking place.

People are happy to work here, and happy people make a better product.”

He seems to be doing a good job of that. Every employee at whom I snuck an unguarded glance was smiling, even in the kitchen, and from experience, I can tell you that’s often not the case in the restaurant industry. My server Yamina was certainly a shining example.

The other members of Chef Eric’s itinerant team are Joe, Guillermo, and Juan Pablo, all of whom are helping train the staff to live up to La Olla’s new standard of excellence. So when will they be moving on to help the next restaurant find that something? I asked Eric over a shot of Tequila Nuestro Orgullo, a terrific spirit from the owners’ home state of Jalisco. “Well, that all depends,” Saenz told me. “Right now, La Olla is our only focus. It may take one year, it may take 20... we don’t want to be just the best Mexican restaurant in Chattanooga. We want to be the best restaurant in Chattanooga.”

La Olla Mexican Restaurant, 5773 Brainerd Road. Open Monday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (423) 296-1073 or visit www.chattanoogachow.com for info.

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Spirits Within

By Joshua Hurley

A Perfect Tequila

Can drinking a certain spirit or wine make you “cooler”, more “in” or “hip” than the person next to you? I wouldn’t think so—but it might make you smarter. Some spirits are made better than others; in other words, they are distilled more times, making them smoother and clearer, decreasing your chances of contracting a nasty hangover the morning after. So for this week’s “Great Buy”, we will investigate a tequila that claims to be better than all the rest. Great Buys is where Riley’s Wine and Spirits on Hixson Pike in Hixson picks something special from the area’s largest selection of wine and spirits from around the world and shares it with the readership of The Pulse. This week’s selection is Inocente Tequila Blanco.

All tequila is made from agave. The agave is a cactus-like plant found in the desert. It can stand up to ten feet tall and contains long, threatening, sword-like clusters that make it look similar to the aloe plant, but in fact the agave is a relative of the pineapple.

Once every eight to 12 years, the plant’s sap rushes to the base of the plant.

This causes the agave to bloom, which alerts the agave farmers that it’s time for harvest. Once harvested, the agave plant’s stalk is cut into pieces and crushed to extract all of its juice. This is the juice that will become tequila by its distillation and oak aging. It is here at this crucial step, the distillation process, that makes one tequila better than another.

Many tequilas on the market are only twice distilled; “Inocente” is distilled three times. This three-time distillation improves smoothness, which in turn also improves its overall mouthfeel or texture. Most importantly, three-times distillation removes unwanted organic compounds, considered impurities, which can cause the dreaded morningafter head and stomach ache (also known as a hangover). Inocente also uses a

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Free Will Astrology VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “The trouble with life isn’t that there is no answer; it’s that there are so many answers,” said folklorist Ruth Benedict. That’s always true, of course, but it’s especially apropos for you right now. You’re teeming with viable possibilities. There are so many decent ideas eddying in your vicinity that you may be hard-pressed to pick out just a couple to give your power to. My advice: Let them all swarm and swirl for a few more days, then go with the ones that you feel will last the longest.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Jack Mytton was a famous 19th-century eccentric whose wealth and privilege often shielded him from the consequences of his odd behavior.

One of his less successful adventures came on a night when he got a bad case of the hiccups. Thinking he could scare himself into being cured, he set fire to his pajamas.

In the ensuing mayhem, his hiccups disappeared but he burned himself. I bring this to your attention, Libra, in the hope it will dissuade you from attacking a small problem in a way that causes a bigger problem. For now it’s better to endure a slight inconvenience. Don’t seek a quick fix that causes a complicated mess.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In accordance with the astrological omens, Scorpio, I will ask you to make everything wetter; to be the personification of fluidity.

Where there is drought, use your magic to bring the rain.

If you’re stuck in a dynamic that is parched and barren, add moisture and tenderness. Be ingenious, not rash, as you stir up dormant feelings in people you care about.

Remind those who are high and dry about the river that runs through them. (A good way to do that is to reveal the river that runs through you.)

micro-oxygenation process after its third distillation. This added step injects tiny air bubbles into the juice. This further removes unwanted organic impurities that cause excess harshness still left over after triple distillation.

Inocente Blanco goes down as innocent as water. The traditional flavors of agave are further highlighted by a cinnamon edge that’s typical from agave grown in the Volcanic Hills town outside of Tequila. Inocente’s middle palate consists of the smoothest mouthfeel of any straight tequila shot I’ve ever tried. Sure, it’s mildly warm, but pleasantly so, with a hint of lime. The finish is easy; hardly any burn or bite, with a refreshingly minty aftertaste.

All in all, Inocente Tequila is the perfect tequila—a marriage of old-world traditions and new-wave techniques, combined to give consumers a quality product—and a morning after in which you’ll actually look and feel innocent.

Riley’s offers Inocente Tequila Blanco Platinum in the 750mL size for $44.99 plus tax.

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Gwyneth Paltrow is the most perfect person alive, said Gawker.com. From a certain perspective, I suppose it’s possible to award her that title. She’s beautiful, rich, famous, and in good shape.

She’s a talented actress and published author. Without denying that Gwyneth is a gem, however, I must say that my standards of perfection are different. Are you doing the work you love? Are you engaged in ongoing efforts to transform your darkness? Do you practice compassion with wit and style? Are you saving the world in some way? Are you skilled at taking care of yourself? Those are my primary measures. What are yours, Sagittarius? It’s an excellent time to define your ideal human.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In an old Star Trek episode, a 24th-century starship captain is weighed down by a knotty problem about how to deal with two of her enemies who are at war with each other. Unable to come up with a viable solution, she retreats to the holodeck, where virtual reality technology can create a convincingly real rendition of any desired scene. Where does she go for advice? She seeks out Leonardo da Vinci in his 16th-century studio. Once she has outlined her dilemma, Leonardo offers his counsel: “When one’s imagination cannot provide an answer, one must turn to a greater imagination.” This is my advice to you right now, Capricorn.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Seth Grahame-Smith rewrote Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice.

He kept 85 percent of her material, but also added a big dose of “ultraviolent zombie mayhem,” creating a new story, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. In his version, Austen’s tale is expanded and altered by the previously unrevealed activities of zombies. I urge you to follow Grahame-Smith’s lead, Aquarius. Take some original creation you really like, and add a shot of your own unique approach to generate a completely new thing.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Everyone alive should see the musical comedy I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. At the very least, we should all meditate regularly on the play’s title, using it as a self-mocking mantra that dissuades us from committing the folly

By Rob Brezsny Truthrooster@gmail.com it describes. How better to serve the health of our relationships than by withdrawing the projections we superimpose on people, thereby allowing them to be themselves? Right now you’re in special need of honoring this wisdom, Pisces. If you feel the itch to tell friends and loved ones that they should be different from how they actually are, stop and ask yourself whether maybe you should transform yourself instead.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In an old comedy sketch called “One Leg Too Few,” a one-legged man comes in to a casting agent’s office to audition for the part of Tarzan in an upcoming show. The agent is as diplomatic as he can be given the fact that the role would best be played by a strapping young man with exceptional running and leaping skills. “It’s possible that no two-legged men will apply,” the agent tells the applicant, “in which case you could get the part.” Don’t be like the one-legged man in this story, Aries. While I usually encourage you to think big and dream of accomplishing amazing feats, this is one time when you should respect your limitations.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): As I was meditating on your horoscope for this week, a song popped into my head: Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” I instantly knew it was a message from my unconscious, meant to be delivered to your unconscious—a perfect action plan for you to pursue in order to be in maximum alignment with the astrological omens. I encourage you to come up with your own interpretation of what “sexual healing” means for you, maybe even write your own lyrics. If you’d like to listen to the original for inspiration, go here: tinyurl.com/ SexHealing. P.S. You don’t necessarily need a partner to conjure up the cure.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You probably get emails that close like this: “Sent from my iPhone.” Maybe you even deliver emails like that yourself. Keep that detail in mind while I tell you the dream I had last night. In the dream, all of my Gemini friends had sent me poignant emails.

Every one of them said something like, “I’ve got to get back to where I started from” or “There’s something really important that I’ve got to do, but I can’t remember what it is” or “I hear a voice calling my name but I don’t know who it is or where it’s coming from.” And each of their emails ended like this: “Sent from my iSoul.” I suspect my dream is in perfect accordance with your astrological omens, Gemini. It’s time to go home, in every sense of the word.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): My name was “Robbie” from birth till seventh grade. But as my adolescent hormones began to kick in, I decided I needed a more virile stature.

My name became the punchier, sleeker “Rob.” But with every year that passes, I find myself heading back in the direction of “Robbie.” The clever severity of my youth yearns to meld with the buoyant tenderness I’ve been cultivating the past decade. I want my paradoxes to harmonize—my blithe feminine qualities to cooperate with my aggressive masculine side, my bright-eyed innocence to synergize with my restless probing. So you can call me “Robbie” if you like, or “Rob,” or sometimes one and sometimes the other. Isn’t it time for you, too, my fellow Cancerian, to circle back and reclaim an early part of you that got lost along the way?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The Clash was a leftwing punk band that launched its career in 1979. With its dissident lyrics and experimental music, it aspired to make an impact on political attitudes. But then one of its songs, “Rock the Casbah,” got so popular that college fraternity parties were playing it as feel-good dance music. That peeved the Clash’s lead singer Joe Strummer, born under the sign of Leo. He didn’t want his revolutionary anthems to be used as vulgar entertainment by bourgeois kids.

I sympathize with his purity, but I don’t advocate that approach for you. For now, relinquish control of your offerings. Let people use them the way they want to.

JONESIN’

Across 1 “If I ___ so myself...”

6 Peace symbol 10 Capital dating back to 1000 AD 14 Pet person’s org.

15 Law professor Dershowitz 16 Nighttime bird call 17 Part 1 of a question 19 Cigar leftover 20 Delhi wrap 21 “In ___ of flowers...”

22 Knife brand used for crafts 23 Part 2 of the question 26 Famous naked horse rider 29 National Hamburger Month 30 Got up 31 Bangkok residents 34 Ruin 37 Wearing enough layers 38 Part 3 of the question 39 Like some essentials 40 Airline to Amsterdam 41 In a playful way 42 Passe 43 Go after a zit 44 Coffeehouse orders 45 Part 4 of the question 51 Group of cheerleaders 52 Extremely

“Everyone's Gotta Eat” –they're just doing what they believe in.

53 Sound of being hit with a newspaper 57 Expresses disapproval, in a way 58 Answer to the question 60 Give an X to, perhaps 61 Ski slope site 62 “___ I may...”

63 Late host Ken of MTV’s “Remote Control” 64 “Casablanca” character 65 Take in a stray Down 1 ___ Butler (voice of Yogi Bear) 2 Workplace-watching org.

3 Practice box 4 Trying to change society 5 Side-to-side movement 6 Spinoff of “Beavis and ButtHead” 7 Bygone, like days 8 Liechtenstein’s capital 9 Roxy Music ex-member Brian 10 “Chantilly Lace” exclamation 11 Sans ___ (without worry) 12 Lenya of “The Threepenny Opera” 13 Preminger and Klemperer 18 Gymnast Korbut 22 “Do not open ‘til ___”

24 Mitochondrial ___ (descendant of all living humans) 25 Leave off 26 Hang around too long to stare 27 Of a certain Freudian fixation 28 Place to crash on campus 31 “Love ___ neighbor” 32 “2001” computer 33 “Press ___ key to continue” 34 Class with divisions 35 Neighborhood 36 1981 Warren Beatty epic 38 Imitate 39 The wrong way 41 Like some softball teams 42 “Back to the Future” inventor, familiarly 43 It may be set to “stun” 44 Poet Angelou 45 Houston player 46 Young pigeon 47 Mozart’s “Cosi fan ___” 48 Miss Lavigne 49 Blue-green shades 50 Syllables sung while skipping 54 Ed McMahon catchphrase 55 Take ___ (rest) 56 “Hey, over here!” hiss 58 Letters near 4 on a keypad 59 ___ standstill

Crossword created By Matt Jones. © 2010 Jonesin’ Crosswords. 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 #0483.

Joy Stick

By Erik Bhatnagar

Offer He Can’t Refuse 2010 has been a pretty good year for open-world games, with the fantastic Red Dead Redemption, and the extremely entertaining Just Cause 2. Now, Mafia 2 is here—and the streak continues. Although a few things prevent it from being a classic, Mafia 2 ends up being one of the most pleasant surprises this year.

In Mafia 2, you play as Vito Scaletta, the son of Italian immigrants who means well, but easily succumbs to shady methods to make money. After fighting in World War II, he has returned home to Empire City in 1945.

Though the city is fictional, the resemblance to a 1940s-era New York City does not go unnoticed.

Vito first reconnects with his mother and sister. Both are grateful for his return and want him to live a normal, straight-arrow life. But times are hard, and despite his best efforts, Vito quickly goes back to his old ways, partially thanks to meeting up with his childhood friend, Joe, a man who has slowly made a name for himself in the criminal underworld.

At first, the missions are small enough. Vito shakes down factory workers for the bosses, or sells stolen food stamps to gas stations.

But as the game continues, the jobs become more violent and vicious, and the rewards become bigger and better.

The best thing about Mafia 2 is easily the characters and the storytelling. Vito is one of the most interesting playable characters in quite some time. He doesn’t enjoy doing his brutal deeds, but he doesn’t feel much guilt either. For him, it’s all about helping himself and his family, and while this doesn’t make him the most likeable character ever, it is refreshing compared to the self-righteous heroes and blood-loving anti-heroes that tend to pop up in every video game. At one point, Vito even bluntly says that they do this to “get stuff ”. Once again, not very nice, but it’s nice to see someone who is honest about what he does.

The rest of the characters, from Vito’s caring and concerned mother, to the various

shady crime bosses he works for, are all engrossing and fit into this world perfectly.

Special mention to Joe as well—the character could easily fall into the annoying sidekick character that plagues a lot of video games.

But Joe is actually a funny guy, and his character is as interesting as Vito. Suffice it to say, all the voice acting is fantastic.

The story is also great, and could easily be listed alongside some of the best Mafia/mob films in movie history. The game has plenty of great dialogue scenes and a few twist and turns that change it up pretty well. And the feel of the game is perfect. Empire City feels like a living and breathing city. The '40s setting is perfect, with vintage cars (with wellchosen classical music), advertisement signs, radios, and cafes.

All this story would be nothing if the action didn’t work. Thankfully, it does. Shooting and driving is as polished and seamless as any Grand Theft Auto game. Hand-to-hand combat is fun and addicting. They even have a few stealth missions that work very well. It is good to see that not too many sacrifices were made for the story and graphics.

That said, there are a few negatives.

Despite the open-world setting, the missions are quite linear. There are a few collectables to find, some stores to shop in, and plenty of cars to steal and police chases to get into, but the lack of side missions is disappointing, and with a city as great as Empire City, it feels like a lost opportunity to explore more of the town. Also, the earlier, more mundane missions do require some patience and aren’t as fun as latter missions.

That said, Mafia 2 is a great game that I highly recommend.

Play N Trade, 5084 South Terrace, Suite 18, East Ridge.

www.chattanoogapulse.com | August 26, 2010 | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | The Pulse

37

Ask A Mexican!

By Gustavo Arellano

Special Labor Dia Edition

“Lot of bad people inhabit la frontera—drugrunners, coyotes, Guatemalan aliens who invaded Mexico first before setting their beady eyes on the United States—and no one is better than a Mexican to deal with scum.”

Ask the Mexican at themexican@ askamexican.net, be his fan on Facebook, follow him on Twitter or ask him a video question at youtube.com/askamexicano!

38

Dear Mexican, I’m a naturalized citizen born in Ciudad Juarez (the most dangerous city in the world, thanks to the drug cartels) but I work for la migra. I get a lot of shit from some of my family members because they feel I shouldn’t be doing this job. I always tell them that it’s better I got the job rather than some racist gabacho who might other wise “mistreat” the aliens that come to the country. Particularly the ones that like to make menudo on Sundays. I know I wouldn’t mistreat them. Should I quit my job and make my family happy, or keep my job and do it in a humane manner?

— Migra Mexican

hasn’t complied with his end of our Faustian pacto), and but would ask you to be in the juego, not of the juego. Calling the undocumented “aliens”? You know better than that.

By, the way, gentle readers: a member of the Mexican’s extended family is migra. And now you know how I snuck into the United States.

Dear Gabacho, I must’ve answered your family’s question back in 2008, when someone called you and the 52 percent of wabs that make up the Border Patrol a bunch of hypocrites. My answer then, was this: “It’s easy for Mexicans to dismiss these agents as vendidos, but let’s not pretend the United States-Mexico border is a playground on the level of Xochimilco.

Lot of bad people inhabit la frontera—drugrunners, coyotes, Guatemalan aliens who invaded Mexico first before setting their beady eyes on the United States—and no one is better than a Mexican to deal with scum, mostly because we deal with it daily in the form of our governments.

Besides, don’t bash our Mexican migra— we all know those brown Border Patrol agents are Manchurian Mexicans waiting for Obama to become president so they can open the gates once and for all.” I still stand by that sentiment (although Obama

Dear Gabacha, Because perfection takes time, chula. Take the Reconquista...

The Pulse | Vol. 7, Issue 34 | August 26, 2010 | www.chattanoogapulse.com

Dear Mexican, Why do Mexicans only purchase one piece of wood from the hardware store at a time?

Usually, it’s an odd shape, like a 2x2 or one piece of trim, too small to even trim a closet.

— Home Depot Diva

Dear Mexican, As you’re probably well aware, most American conglomerates have set up shop south of the border. Without naming names, how is it that they get away with, in most cases, charging more for the same product, yet pay these employees a fifth of what the same employee makes doing the same job up north?

Why doesn’t Mexico say, “Hey, you want to sell products here for the same price or better that you sell it for back home, pay the same wages you do up there?” If Mexico were to force these companies into this agreement, there would no longer be the draw to narcotrafficking jobs that pay 400 American dollars a week making human soup, ¿qué no? Not to mention the fact that there wouldn’t be eight people in a one-bedroom living illegally up

there making $300 a week thinking they hit the lottery. Why is Mexico allowing itself to be bullied by its big next-door neighbor like this?

— ¡A La Mecha!

Dear Wab, On one issue and one issue only can Know Nothings and Aztlanistas agree on, and that’s the destruction the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other neoliberal policies wrought on Mexico. Before its implementation, Mexico was largely a statist economy, with heavy subsidies and protections for industry and workers. That created a stagnant business environment, however, especially when compared to the free-market fustercluck we run up here, so Mexico’s peso policies didn’t stop its residents from going to el Norte.

But once globalists on both side of the border (as usual, Canada played an inconsequential role) implemented NAFTA on January 1, 1994, the relaxed regulations (coupled with a devaluation of the peso) destroyed Mexico, unleashing the flood of migrants we have today. The problem with those maquiladoras you mention is that they’re merely following the free market—they can pay less in Mexico and charge more for products than in the United States because of our uneven economies, but they can also pull out and relocate to countries with even worse salaries than Mexico and screw everyone further.

This is all a long way of answering your question: Mexico can’t do a thing because we’re so close to the pinche United States— except invade.