The Pulse 10.08 » Feb. 21-27, 2013

February 21, 2013

Vol. 10 • No. 8

Chattanooga’s Weekly Alternative

All the City’s a Stage Smaller companies grow, new companies form, theatre flourishes

By Janis Hashe Garry Lee Posey, founder and artistic director of the Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga

TRIBUTE DENNIS PALMER ARTS ‘Cyclopædia’ comic brian regan food community pie

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THIS WEEK FEB. 21-27 IN THE PULSE

Dennis palmer • 1957-2013

milestones P7 & music P12 Cover Garry Lee Posey • Photo by Kim Hunter Above Dennis Palmer • Photo by Lesha Patterson

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Director of Sales Mike Baskin Account Executives Chee Chee Brown • Eric Foster John Holland • Rick Leavell • Jerry Ware Josh Williams

CONTACT

EDITORIAL

Editor & Creative Director Bill Ramsey Operations Manager/Webmaster Mike McJunkin Contributors Rich Bailey • Rob Brezsny • Zachary Cooper Chuck Crowder • John DeVore • Janis Hashe Matt Jones • Mike McJunkin • Ernie Paik Sarah Skates • Alex Teach • Richard Winham Photographers Kim Hunter • Josh Lang Cartoonists Max Cannon • E.J. Pettinger • Richard Rice Jen Sorensen • Tom Tomorrow Interns Gaby Dixon • Julia Sharp • Esan Swan

Offices 1305 Carter St. • Chattanooga, TN 37402 Phone 423.265.9494 Fax 423.266.2335 Web chattanoogapulse.com Email info@chattanoogapulse.com Calendar calendar@chattanoogapulse.com THE FINE PRINT The Pulse is published weekly by Brewer Media and is distributed throughout the city of Chattanooga and surrounding communities. The Pulse covers a broad range of topics concentrating on culture, the arts, entertainment and local news. 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. We’re watching. The Pulse may be distributed only by authorized distributors. © 2013 Brewer Media. All rights reserved.

BREWER MEDIA GROUP Publisher & President Jim Brewer II

Founded 2003 by Zachary Cooper & Michael Kull

chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 3

BOWL

THE

THE HUNTER

Go underground and ‘grab’ great local art Any event claiming to be held “underground” makes us wonder: Will it be like Prohibition-era speakeasies where covert guests climb down staircases, or more like a loud, echoing party in the tunnel of an underground subway?

Underground@The Hunter, set for 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, at The Hunter Museum of American Art, will combine class and fervor in a night fit for Gatsby himself. All the traditional aspects of a gallery event will be observed, such as finger food, wine and beer, and music. But rather than mingling in the spacious rooms overlooking the river and Art District, attendees will be exploring the museum’s basement, repurposed for this event as an un-

TALK OF THE NOOG chattanoogapulse.com facebook/chattanoogapulsE • TWITTER @CHATTAPULSE EMAIL LOVE LETTERS, ADVICE & TRASH TALK TO INFO@CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

derground hub of art and culture.

Once guests make it to their final destination, they can participate in a silent auction geared toward the new collector.

A few of the more striking pieces available include two of Marica Goldstein’s haunting midnight walkers in oil paintings, an abstract colorful landscape (or portrait?) by Methec and a photograph from the “Urban Jungle Series” by Herb Williams. These pieces are stirring and modern—a perfect addition to any budding collection. You may have to sit quietly with your number to wait for each piece to come up, but politeness will pay off when there is a cool new piece of art in hand.

Not so for the next part of the night, as the “Smash and Grab” event is anything but calm and reserved. With a suggested donation of $25, Underground-lings can be entered into a drawing and names will be drawn throughout the night. Attendees whose tickets are drawn have 30 seconds

to enter the Smash and Grab Gallery to grab a work of art to add to their personal collections. Notable pieces from local and regional artists include a coral and turquoise coral necklace by Katie Jones, the candy shop close up “Untitled” by Marcelo Machado, and the eerie watercolor “Across the River” by Dorothy Gannon. Actually grabbing these pieces may sound tricky, but we’re sure our readers will have no trouble sprinting faster than everyone else, should their name be called. Just don’t actually smash anything on your way there.

This is the sixth year for the Underground, hosted by Avant-Art, the Hunter’s young-minded contemporary group, that offers food, beverages and a chance to party in the basement of the Hunter. Live music will be provided by Strung Like A Horse.

Advance tickets are $40 per person for members of Avant-Art, $50 for non-AvantArt members and $60 at the door. Tickets include event admission, food, beer, wine, signature cocktails and soft drinks and can be purchased online at huntermuseum.org, by calling (423) 267-0968 or at the door.

Images of all art in the silent auction and Smash and Grab gallery are also available online at the Hunter’s website.

—Julia Sharp

antiques

Houston Museum’s show, sale at Stratton The Houston Museum’s 39th Annual Antiques Show & Sale will be held this year from Feb. 21-24 at one of Chattanooga’s most outstanding new venues, Stratton Hall. The show is considered the most important of its kind annually in the city, and this year, has the most dealers in many years, promising a real treat for collectors.

Beautiful antique glass, jewelry, silver, furniture, paintings and more will be for sale with dealers from all over the Southeast. Bill Carney, founder and director of the Chattanooga Woodworking Academy, will be featured informally during the event, speaking about restoring antiques, as well as building reproductions.

A preview party will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21, at Stratton Hall, where for $75, party-goers will have

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the chance to purchase their chosen items in advance, while enjoying catering from Events With Taste and wine, water or soft drinks. Valet parking will be available.

The show continues on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is $15 for all three days. Stratton Hall is located at 3146 Broad St. For tickets and information, call (423) 267-7176 or visit thehoustonmuseum.org.

—Staff

WORLD SPAY DAY

Eat, then toss a bone to Wally’s Friends Stratton Hall won’t be empty long following the House Museum’s occupancy.

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, Wally’s Friends Spay Neuter Clinic moves in with its SpayGhetti Dinner and Silent Auction from 6 to 9 p.m. in a benefit for the clinic celebrating World Spay Day. For $35, attendees will be fed a complete dinner prepared on site by Carrabba’s Italian Grill, desserts by Acropolis Grill along with beer, wine and a coffee bar.

World Spay Day highlights spay/neuter as a proven means of saving the lives of companion animals, feral cats and street dogs that might otherwise be put down in a shelter or killed on the street. Events will be ongoing throughout the world during February to bring attention to the issue of overpopulation. Wally’s Friends, located at 155 Unaka St., is offering free spay/neuter this month.

Wally’s Friends opened in November 2006 and has to date spayed or neutered more than 64,000 animals. Thousands of unwanted puppies and kittens have been spared a life of uncertainty with this simple, safe procedure.

For tickets or more information, call (423) 877-996 or visit wallysfriends.com.

—Staff

SCENIC CITY ROOTS

Hippie Radio to carry local music show live When Scenic City Roots debuts on March 7 at Track 29, the sister program to Nashville’s Music City Roots will follow in its footsteps as a live concert and live radio broadcast on 106.9-FM Hippie Radio. The show will also be streamed live in highdefinition online at wtcitv.org and filmed for rebroadcast on Thursdays beginning in April on WTCI-TV Channel 5, Chattanooga’s PBS affiliate.

Announced earlier this month, Scenic

City Roots will take place once monthly at Track 29. Shows begin at 7 p.m. and can be heard live on Hippie Radio, a Chattanooga radio station owned by Brewer Media, which also owns The Pulse.

The debut show will include four acts during the two-hour live show with one Chattanooga artist featured on each show. Bands for the March 7 show include the WTM Blues Band, The SteelDrivers, JOHNNYSWIM and St. Paul & The Broken Bones.

Summer Foxx, host of Hippie Radio’s 3 to 7 p.m. show will offer listeners the chance to win free tickets to the live show beginning on Feb. 25. Tune in and visit hippieradio1069. com for updates.

Tickets to the live show are $10 or $5 for students with ID and can be purchased online at sceniccityroots.com, track29.co or at the Track 29 box office, 1400 Market St., on the campus of the Chattanooga Choo Choo.

For more information on the program, visit sceniccityroots.com.

—Bill Ramsey

HOT SHOTS

Coffee Club brews Coffee Throwdown Chattanooga’s coffee culture will be in full force on St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17, when professional and amatuer baristas gather for the first annual Chattanooga Coffee Throwdown hosted by Thrive Studio.

Sponsored by the Chattanooga Coffee Club, the competition is designed to recognize and celebrate the art of coffee and encourage the fine craft of espresso beverage preperation and manual coffee brewing. “The goal of the Chattanooga Coffee Throwdown is to connect baristas and coffee aficiandos in the area,” according to David Snyder, a barista at Thrive Cafe and an organizer of the event. “We hope to foster an environment where coffee professionals can learn from each other and grow the coffee culture of Chattanooga,” Judges will be scoring and evaluating three categories; espresso, specialty and brewed coffee drinks. The competition is similar to the United States Barista Championship, and while it is not a sanctioned event, the winners will receive a cash prize and bragging rights as the top barista in their category. A panel of three judges will be evaluating each drink using sensory and technical scoring giving the competitors a point system on which to be judged.

Registration is $10. Each competitor will be required to attend an orientation meeting on March 3 as well as the preliminary round on March 10 prior to the championships on March 17. All events will be held at Thrive Studio, 191 River St. To register contact David Snyder at david@thrivestudion.net or call (423) 605-3125. —Staff

Dizzy Town

politics, the media & other strange bedfellows

One Paper, One Voice W hen daily newspapers merge—as they have for decades and at a faster pace during the past 20 years—readers might expect the best elements of both to form the new paper. But those expectations are simply that—high hopes sometimes quickly vanquished by the bottom-line interests of the victor with little or no sentiment for legacy.

Take San Antonio, for example. The Hearst-owned Light battled the Murdochowned Express-News for years. The former was the better paper, but the latter’s “if it bleeds, it leads” mantra made it the favorite in a largely bluecollar town with no shortage of violence and the sort voodoo weirdness that hovers over South Texas. In the end, Hearst purchased the Express-News then killed its own paper. Today, it retains little of the flavor of either paper. Remove “San Antonio” from the flag and it could be a newspaper from Anywhere, USA. In the much smaller Chattanooga market, the merger of The Chattanooga Times and The Chattanooga Free Press met a similar fate. The Times, whose storied history was linked with Adolph Ochs, founder of the modern The New York Times, was clearly the better paper. The Free Press, like San Antonio’s old Express-News, appealed to a “broader” audience, shall we say, led circulation and, thus, advertising dollars.

Launched as a free tabloid in 1933, the Free Press sought to undermine the more serious Times with its lighter fare— and did. When publisher Roy McDonald purchased the Chattanooga News, an evening paper, he paid respect to the News by combining the names into the News-Free Press, giving birth to its comically misleading reputation “as though the paper were news-free, or devoid of news,” to quote Strunk & White.

By 1941, the News-Free Press eclipsed the Times in circulation and as the newspaper wars grew heated, the two found common ground in a joint-operating agreement that lasted 24 years. When McDonald soured on that deal in 1965, his paper became the first in the U.S. to dissolve a JOA. The battle began anew and raged until 1980, when the two papers again began operating jointly, though with separate news and advertising units.

McDonald died in 1990 and the paper reverted to its original Free Press name. In 1999, Walter Hussman, owner of WEHCO Media, Inc., in Little Rock, Ark., purchased both papers and merged them. Early on, the new Times Free Press performed admirably. The Tennessee Press Association named it the best newspaper in the state in 2002 and Editor & Publisher, a trade magazine, named the new, merged paper as one of 10 newspapers in the United States “doing it right.”

So much for history’s peaks and valleys. All that truly remains of both papers’ former incarnations are the staunchly liberal and conservative editorial pages. While some call this double take novel, they do not qualify that term as either useful or in the best interests of the readers the merged papers serve.

For better or worse, the editorial pages of daily newspapers are the Lone Rangers of unfettered opinion and unabashed partisan politics, free to criticize and laud, suggest

and demand, recommend and endorse, without any intrusion from the news or advertising functions of the rest of the paper. Sophisticated readers recognize this and, despite their personal politics, enjoy the fact that at their core the pages serve as a watchdog, an essential element of the Fourth Estate.

While the TFP’s dueling editorial pages are indeed unique—we know of no other—they cancel each other out with arguments designed to appease readers on both the left and right. Providing a viewpoint from Column A and Column B may have seemed like a brilliant way to retain some of the individual flavor of the former papers, but in the end it fails readers and dilutes any remaining influence the paper has.

Without a unified editorial voice, a newspaper is more vulnerable, less influential and increasingly more irrelevant.

At no time has this been more evident than with the hiring of the strident conservative Drew Johnson to lead the right-side Free Press editorial page. His Twitter-fueled, flame-throwing edicts and “editorials” read like op-ed columns from the fringe that inflame even local conservatives. But perhaps that was the idea. The left-leaning Times side is more sober and balanced, but the competing voices drown out any coherent opinion.

As the March 5 elections draw near, each side has, well, taken sides—again. Last Sunday, the Times endorsed Andy Berke; Johnson’s Free Press page backed Guy Satterfield.

The merits of either candidate aside, who then does the paper truly endorse?

The answer: no one, really.

These conflicting opinions exterminate the true voice of our daily newspaper. If the paper’s twin editorial pages support two candidates for a single office, no one “wins.” It’s like backing both teams at the Super Bowl, to put it in simple terms. And if subscribers face rising rates, they might also expect their paper to stand for something. The TFP is not two papers, but one—and it needs one strong voice.

chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 5

On the Beat

alex teach

Bad to the Bone T he nice thing about the moon is that it lets you know exactly where you stand—literally.

arriving

DoWn toWn

As of this writing I am staring up at it in all its half-moon glory while smoking a tipped cigar, a 38-degree breeze blowing gently against my face as I pull a woolen collar close to my neck for warmth. Just by looking at it, I know that I am on the side of the Earth on the opposite side from the sun and between those two bodies. I can count on that.

Oh, sure, it inspires poetry as well as the tides, but I’ll settle for knowing exactly where the sun is at this moment. Everything else is suspect. Cases

in point?

“No one can condone the actions of Chris Dorner, but ...”

“I do not justify Dorner’s methods, however ...”

“While protesters gathered outside of LAPD headquarters didn’t agree with the violence Dorner displayed, they did however believe ...”

These are lead-ins to multiple stories revealed by simple Google searches and clips from cable television in half-assed

sPring

2013 B s lack mith’s Bistro & Bar

“Aww, dude! Check it out! Kyle’s barbecue makes tribal grill marks!”

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support of the late homicidal maniac and former LAPD officer Chris Dorner.

While on the loose, large contingents of people vociferously declared the incompetence of police for not bringing this madman’s rampage to a halt. Such was the uproar that innocent people were wounded for merely driving vehicles similar to his and not responding well to orders once pulled over (which in no way is being justified by the tone of this column, mind you—hell’s bells, boys, train much?!).

People across the nation were captivated by the subject, a worst-case scenario of a former military and police officer with all the training attached gone mad and waging war against wrongs such as “being fired for filing a false complaint” and the all-powerful “racism” he felt he experienced, which naturally justified a hit list of more than 40 people.

Once cornered in an isolated cabin, after refusing to surrender and not responding to tear gas (as well as clarifying his ultimate message by executing yet a fourth victim during the standoff), the gas canisters ultimately caused a fire in the cabin that consumed him. He suffered a gunshot wound to the head by his own hand either before, during or after the flames had started. At the moment of death, Dorner was transformed (for a few folk, at least) from a rampaging murderer to a “victim,” eliciting crowds (and Facebook pages) in his support.

On one hand, people berate police for not doing enough to stop him. Then once stopped, people blame police for what he did, as opposed to blaming him, the evil shitbag himself, for his own actions. Dorner’s newfound fans seem to feel that he must have been “on to something” since he “wasn’t

happy.” Anything else, apparently, wouldn’t make sense.

Yes, cops sometimes use excessive force. Yes, things sometimes go horribly wrong in the course of the chaotic nature of the work itself. Yes, there is even racism. But killing young girls and their fiancés and murdering cops while escaping crimes and placing the nation in fear doesn’t make Dorner a “victim.” Sometimes, people are just crazy as shit and refuse to come out of a cabin after four murders and shoot themselves in the head while the place burns down around the because they are nuts. Period. Sometimes, things really are that simple. Sometimes, a person is simply a crazy piece of shit, not a victim.

Some said Dorner was never intended to be captured, that he deserved a fair trial and that something should have been done differently. No shit, Sparky. I’d say that when he punctuated his résumé with the death of one of the people trying to get him out to bring him to said “justice,” he established with great alacrity how dangerous he was.

Hate it or not in your idealistic world, there comes a time when you just have to stop getting cops killed and shoot a place full of tear gas and let the chips fall where they may. How many bodies does that take, folks? Sometimes, bad guys are just bad. And it really is possible for them to be responsible for their own actions. Not you.

And certainly not me.

Standing outside of a building holding up signs in his defense? That is clearly the worst sign of desperation for an excuse to hate the guys who are responsible for capturing, imprisoning and even putting down the bad guys you’re so very afraid of. To that I say this: The world also has an already over-abundant supply of assholes, so please, I implore you—resist joining their ranks.

Just think.

Alex Teach is a police officer of nearly 20 years experience.

The opinions expressed are his own. Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/alex.teach.

Milestones

Dennis Palmer Chattanooga loses arts, music visionary

By Bill Ramsey

I

met Dennis Palmer only once, during a photo shoot last year for a Pulse cover story on the Shaking Ray Levi Society. But both he and his longtime collaborator, Bob Stagner, were charming, in good humor (despite the early hour) and very interested in talking about their upcoming projects in Chattanooga and around the country. Even though I was not writing the story, I was very familiar with the duo and their gifts to Chattanooga as individuals and a team, but both were quick to remind me that while they were proud of their contributions, they lived very much in the present—and the future.

Sadly, that future has been derailed by the untimely death of Palmer, 55, last Friday.

Palmer was a visual artist, musician and storyteller whose work was directly influenced by his Southern roots. As an artist and designer, Palmer exhibited in London and Los Angeles and received critical acclaim from both the European and American press.

Palmer also designed CD and record covers for Britain’s Incus Records in addition to many other U.S. labels. As the artistic director and co-founder of the SRLS, he fostered a coalition of performing artists formed with the goal of promoting improvisation and creativity in both thought and performance.

Additionally, he participated in the Allied Arts Artist-in-Residence program, sharing the ideas of improvisation with students of all ages.

A master improviser and Moog “syn-the-sist” with the Shaking Ray Levis duo, Palmer was a singular musician and vocalist. In 1986, he co-founded the Shaking Ray Levis with drummer Bob Stagner, an ongoing collabo-

ration of musicians with a common interest in free improvisation.

Along the way, Palmer collaborated with a “Who’s Who” of improvisers, musicians and entertainers, including Derek Bailey, Col. Bruce Hampton, David Pajo (of Slint and Tortoise), NPR commentator David Greenberger and most notably the late folk artist Rev. Howard Finster.

Born and raised in Chattanooga Palmer’s many talents, passions and interests often called him away from his hometown, but he was always quick to return to share the fruits of his exploits.

“I have no interest in living anywhere else,” he told The Pulse in an April 2012 interview. “You can find any kind of music here, and that’s unusual for a lot of cities. But now, the whole musical gamut is covered in Chattanooga.”

Besides bringing an eclectic range of artists and performers to Chattanooga who might never have visited without their influence, the SLRS has had an indelible impact on the Chattanooga arts scene.

“He was my moral com-

pass in art and life,” said Bob Stagner, his friend and musical partner of 50 years. “Dennis reminded me of a new lesson every day. He gave me 50 years of lessons and my homework is now unfolding in front of me. He was the purest spirit I’ve ever known and at the core of that was love.”

“Dennis was ahead of all of us. The high praise that is often lauded on ‘The Arts in Chattanooga’ is due in large part to what he so generously gave, for years and years, on behalf of the greater whole heart and his personal and professional integrity informed everything he did.

Dennis’s passing leaves a void that will not be filled,” said Anne Willson, executive director of the Association of Visual Arts, of which Palmer was a member since its inception.

This small space is not enough to catalog Palmer’s many contributions, but we pause here to mark his passing and pay tribute to a remarkable life that benefitted Chattanooga in many ways. We are told the SLRS will go on, but it will be less fun—and far less interesting—without Palmer.

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In Chattanooga,

All the City’s a

Stage

As smaller companies expand and new companies form, the local theatre scene flourishes

By Janis Hashe

A

Photographs by Kim Hunter

disturbingly dark drama about a child’s imagination and its connection to a series of murders (“The Pillowman). A stripped-down, modern-dress version of “Romeo and Juliet.” Ingmar Bergman’s re-envisionment of Ibsen’s classic theatre piece “A Doll’s House” as “Nora.”

All of these are onstage now or in rehearsal here in Chattanooga, evidence of a developing theatre scene in a city long dominated by one major player, the Chattanooga Theatre Centre. The 80-yearold CTC, still and justly a community favorite, now has what is not so much competition as comrades in the art, as new companies form and flourish. Just like in other cities, you have to be willing to take a chance when you venture out to see new work in new places. Seriously, though— that’s half the fun.

The little ETC that could

Even Garry Lee Posey, founder and now artistic director and producing partner of the Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, admits he did not foresee the tremendous expansion of the company he created in 2008. “I had just been able to buy a home with an ArtsMove grant,” he says, “and I felt an obligation to contribute

to the arts landscape.”

Posey, who is also a theatre arts instructor at Chattanooga State, worked with Professional Actors Training Program principals Rex Knowles and Sherry Lansing on a 2008 summer theatre season.

“We paid actors that first summer and I decided to move forward,” he says.

As serendipity would have it, a space became available to the fledging ETC at the former Methodist church that had become the St. Andrews Center. “It was a place where a bunch of friends and students could have fun creating theatre,” Posey says. And for four years, they did, doing show after show, slowly building a community and their audience.

“I can remember sitting at a performance with two people in the house,” Posey says, contrasting that with the recent “Avenue Q” sold-out shows.

The “Ensemble” in the company’s name is an integral part

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of what Posey and producing partners John Thomas Cecil and Christy Gallo emphasize about it. “We all do everything,” Posey says, noting that Chatt State students get a chance to find out what their skills are beyond performing. When the company moved into its new space in the Eastgate Town Center, it also reorganized and created a “Senior Ensemble,” in which members have specific company responsibilities beyond being onstage, such as acting as technical director or writing grants. ETC then shares part of its monthly income with ensemble members, a model that Posey feels may be the first step in developing a true professional theatre.

Challenges to this include expanding the theatre-going audience and finding the “right” number of shows to present, keeping income up without burning out ETC’s company. “You don’t always hit a home run,” says Posey.

“But we’re committed to making sure our audiences have a positive experience from the minute they get out of their cars.”

At ETC now: “The Pillowman” 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22-23; 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 24. Eastgate Town Center, 5600 Brainerd Road, (423) 9875141, ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com

Worthy of consideration

“You don’t always hit a home run. But we’re committed to making sure our audiences have a positive experience from the minute they get out of their cars.”

Garry Lee Posey Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga

After graduating from Chatt State’s PATP, and then spending the summer of 2012 working at the professional Utah Shakespeare Festival, Daniel Pound returned to Chattanooga wanting to create a place “for people who love theatre, or any of the arts.

If you have a talent, we’ll find a place for it.” Out of this came the brand-new Nine Worthies’ Theatre, which Pound has envisioned from the first as a community theatre. He is the company’s artistic director, while his wife, Kristin, serves as production manager.

“Historically, the Nine Worthies were great adventurers,” Pound says. “And we plan to have adventures in theatre.”

Partly because of Pound’s classical theatre training, and partly because there are no royalties to pay, NWT’s entire first season will be Shakespeare. Its first show is a version of “Romeo and Juliet”

“I’d like to see the theatres in town become more of a community. What we bring to the table is another group of people who just love doing theatre for fun.”

Daniel Pound

Nine Worthies’ Theatre that cuts some characters, combines others, and in general, says Pound, who is directing, presents the play “not as the greatest love story ever told, but as a tragedy.

It’s about a couple of kids who really believe they are in love—but they make a lot of mistakes.”

In the NWT production, both Romeo and Juliet have been raised in single-parent homes.

“Romeo has been surrounded by women all his life, while Juliet is a ‘trophy daughter’,” Pound says.

A 10-member cast plays all the roles.

“We’ve had our challenges,” he says, with cast changes and losing the show’s original venue, the Ripple Theatre, because its renovation moved more slowly than had been expected. But the company found a new space through the good graces of the ReCreate Café, and “R&J” will open there Feb. 22.

As both the theatre scene and The Nine Worthies’ Theatre

move forward, “I’d like to see the theatres in town become more of a community,” Pound says, possibly sharing some resources and helping each other. “What we bring to the table is another group of people who just love doing theatre for fun,” he says.

Opening at The Nine Worthies’ Theatre: “Romeo and Juliet” 7:30 p.m. Feb.2223, March 1-3, ReCreate Café, 800 McCallie Ave., (423) 830-8059, facebook.com/ nineworthiestheatre.

Facebook, meet Bergman

of directors,” he says. “We’re trying to find out what the company structure should be.” However, he says, “We very much want to make money, and are looking to create a model with which we can pay people.”

Rudez would love to see Chattanooga become “a theatre hub for the Southeast,” and he firmly believes that’s possible. “But there is a perception here that community theatre is professional theatre,” he says, “and there’s also still a certain fear factor when it comes to alternative theatre. Alt-theatre is in its adolescence here. Let’s see where we are in 10 years.”

Opening at Theater for the New South: “Nora,” an adaptation of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” by Ingmar Bergman. March 15-24. For place, time and prices, visit facebook.com/theater for thenewsouth .

Theatre for the New South, (423) 503-0589, theaterforthnewsouth. com. A reading of Nicky Silver’s “Fat Men in Skirts,” a fundraiser for the company, will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds. Ave. “We’re trying to find

Michael Rudez returned to Chattanooga from college in New York with the theatre bee buzzing in his head.

But it wasn’t until a 2011 playwriting lab, held at the former CreateHere space on Main Street, that the concept of Theater for the New South really took off. “There’s always been a talent drain out of Chattanooga,” Rudez says. “Theatre people go off to the big cities—not just actors, but directors and design talent.”

Rudez wanted to seize some of that young talent and give them chances to Don’t forget ... stay put. When he met out what the company Shakespeare ChatBlake Harris, who was structure should be. tanooga will return this still in UTC’s theatre August in partnership program, things began We very much want with the Grace Playclicking. Harris was al- to make money, and ers at Grace Episcopal ready making a name for are looking to create Church to present the himself as an innovative little-seen “All’s Well director. The two com- a model with which That Is Well.” bined forces, resulting we can pay people.”

And don’t forget in 2012’s full season for CTC’s production of TNS—a season that saw Michael Rudez “A Doll’s House,” in its many sold-out houses Theater for the New South final week at 7 p.m. on and lots of buzz.

Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday The buzz is no acciand Saturday, and 2:30 dent. TNS is known for p.m. on Sunday in the Circle Theatre at doing shows in “found” spaces, such as CTC, 400 River Street in Coolidge Park, the Collective Clothing Warehouse in St. (423) 267-8534, theatrecentre.com.

Elmo, but even more for its reliance on, and masterful manipulation of, social media. Media maven Megan Hollenbeck has Janis Hashe is a freelance journalist helped TNS become the company that has and a Pulse theatre writer and critic. A managed to draw in that notoriously fickle complete list of new productions at all of demographic—people under 30. During Chattanooga’s theatres is available each the summer’s production of “Medea,” cast week in our Arts & Entertainment calenmembers Tweeted from backstage, luring dar, published each Thursday in The Pulse in followers who might well show up the and online at chattanoogapulse.com. The next night.

Pulse strives to feature new productions Organization is evolving, Rudez says. in our Arts section. Pick up The Pulse each “We don’t have an ensemble acting comweek to see what’s opening. pany, and right now we don’t have a board chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 9

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10 • The Pulse • february 21-27 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

LIST

THE

PICK of the litter » JOHNNY CASH BIRTHDAY BASH

A curated selection of highlights from the live music and arts and entertainment calendars chosen by Pulse editors.

pulse » PICKS

THU02.21 MUSIC Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds • Hot brass- and gospel-infused funk.

10 p.m. • Rhythm & Brews • 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com

PERFORMANCE Tim Hinck’s “Cyclopaedia” • Eclectic, iconoclastic, avant-garde musician kicks off a five-day day run with his latest and largest conceptual performance. See Arts, Page 15.

7:30 p.m. • Center for Creative Arts 1301 Dallas Road • (423) 255-9594 centerforcreativearts.net

FRI02.22 MUSIC Ryan Oyer, Purple 7, Dark Rides, Big Kitty • Four great bands rock JJ’s house.

9 p.m. • JJ’s Bohemia • 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400

• Not much can beat a night of Cash. In this case, the 10th Annual Johnny Cash Birthday Bash, featuring fomer Cash bandmates Dave Roe (bass) and W.S. Holland (drums) of The Tennessee Three.

Cash requested— indeed insisted—Roe play upright bass, an introduction that began his love affair with the instrument and had a lifelong impact. Holland

is a rockabilly legend, playing on Carl Perkins’ original “Blue Suede Shoes” and providing the beat behind the “Million Dollar Quartet.”

He went on to play on all of Cash’s hits, including “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Ring of Fire,” and remained with Cash until 1997.

The rockabilly band The Royal Hounds will open this tribute to The Man in Black,

and with the the appearance of his former bandmembers and some stellar local talent, all we have to say is: Walk the line.

10th Annual Johnny Cash Birthday Bash featuring Dave Roe and W.S. Holland with The Royal Hounds 8:30 p.m. • $10 Friday, Feb. 22 Rhythm & Brews 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com

SAT02.23

TUE02.26

MUSIC

MUSIC

Husky Burnette

Open Mic with Mike McDade • Tuesdays were made for open mic nights.

9 p.m. Tremont Tavern 1203 Hixson Pike • (423) 266-1996

THEATRE

• A Chattanooga original at Chattanooga’s hangout for cold beer and local music.

10 p.m. • Bud’s Sports Bar 5751 Brainerd Road • (423) 499-9878 budssportsbar.com

“The Pillowman”

AUTHOR, AUTHOR

Spay-Ghetti No Meatballs Dinner

• If you haven’t read our cover story, do that now.

Then see “The Pillowman.” Excellent theatre is happening Chattanooga—and its expanding.

7:30 p.m. • Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga 5600 Brainerd Road • (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatreofchattanooga.com

Celebration of Local Authors • Seven local authors gather to meet the public and sign their books.

2-4 p.m. • Barnes & Noble Hamilton Place (423) 893-0186 • barnesandnoble.com

BENEFIT • Help local homeless animals out at this Wally’s Friends benefit on World Spay Day, dog. Food, fun, animal love in a worthy benefit for critters— all for $35.

6-9 p.m. Stratton Hall • 3146 Broad St. (423) 716-0822 • wallysfriends.com chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 11

False Prophet or Dang Good Guesser Dennis Palmer’s music and art—full of the whimsical weirdness that was his hallmark—broke every rule, and we are better off for it

By Richard Winham

I

first met Dennis Palmer in the mid-1980s soon after he and Bob Stagner began playing together as the Shaking Ray Levis. “Who or what is Shaking Ray Levi?” many people have wondered over the past 30 years. Dennis delighted in the confusion and widely divergent interpretations.

“We created the band’s name after a folk hero we made up that was along the lines of Johnny Appleseed,” Stagner offered in an effort to explain the inexplicable in The Pulse last year. “Shaking Ray was a guy who spread music and told stories about heat lightning and hoop snakes ... The British thought we were a Hasidic Jewish society, and the Japanese thought we were rockabilly!” In a sense both were right.

Bob and Dennis shared the kind of bond born not only from long association, but as a bulwark

against an uncomprehending and sometimes hostile populace. In that they have something in common with the Hassidim.

And anybody who witnessed any of Dennis’s performances when, afire with the exhortational zeal of a Pentecostal preacher, shaking as only Elvis could, would concur that Dennis embodied the essence of rockabilly. When asked about his early influences, Palmer told an interviewer his unique approach to performance was the result of,

“Mama dragging us kickin’ and screaming to the Baptist Church when we were young-lings.”

The title of their first album, False Prophets or Dang Good Guessers, captures Dennis in a sentence. He was afraid that wry wit drawing on profound insights might reveal him for the prophet he was.

Oh, he’d have hated that remark.

He’d have chuckled and given me one of those over-his-glasses looks that suggested … well, to be honest there were many times when

I was at a loss as to what exactly he was thinking. I suspect he was flattered by my often effusive enthusiasm for his work with Bob Stagner, his life-long partner and sidekick, but at the same time he was always deeply suspicious of anyone who was overly enthusiastic about his work.

But urged on by the redoubtable Stagner, one of the steadiest and most imaginative drummers I’ve ever witnessed, Dennis pushed their performances to the limit. Two men born to complement each other in making music unlike any other—non-idiomatic is the fancy term for it—they created their own idiom that was frequently jagged and challenging— aharmonic and amelodic, and yet as powerfully moving as the best rock ‘n’ roll.

Dennis was also a very accomplished painter. When we first met, he was painting gourds with the vibrant poster colors that characterized much of his work. His later paintings have a dark, angry undertone often featuring snarling creatures with teeth bared.

Others I know have found them aggressive and disturbing, but those bared teeth might equally be seen as a smile. For me, his paintings are yet another expression of the whimsical weirdness that was always his hallmark.

But there was always an edge to his work. His humor had a barely concealed bite, but it was almost always delivered with a devilish wink. It was his way of testing newcomers much in the way the

equally beleaguered Dylan bedeviled the press with his impenetrable aphorisms in the 1960s.

I‘ve spent much of my life celebrating and promoting the work of outsiders pushing at the boundaries, probing the edges looking for the crack that will give them access to unexplored territory. For those of us in the audience, the result is often as heady and exciting as it is for the performers. But while we can leave the room with our heads buzzing with the exhilarating possibilities, they’re often left behind to sweep up the shards of the barriers they’ve shattered.

When the online magazine The Improvisor asked for definitions of the art of improvisation, Palmer told them, “We believe that improvisation asks us as both audience members and as creators to participate in and celebrate risk, diversity and often unorthodox practices of communication. So, we found that an open sensibility or modality such as improvisation provides really lends itself to working with diverse populations—by that I mean populations that aren’t schooled.”

Dennis Palmer was unschooled in every sense. As a painter and as a musician he often broke the rules—or simply ignored them. He was my brother; I’ll miss him.

Richard Winham is the producer and host of WUTC-FM’s afternoon music program and has observed the Chattanooga music scene for more than 25 years.

10TH ANNUAL

JOHNNY CASH BIRTHDAY BASH FEATURING DAVE ROE & WS HOLLAND (OF THE TENNESSEE THREE)

WITH THE ROYAL HOUNDS, DAVEY SMITH, ANTHONY SIMS, NATHAN FARROW, JOHNNY SMITH, TIM STARNES & MORE

FRIDAY • FEB 22 • 8:30PM • RHYTHM & BREWS

221 MARKET ST • HOT MUSIC • GREAT FOOD • FINE BEER • PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE @ RHYTHM-BREWS.COM 12 • The Pulse • february 21-27 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Chattanooga Live

budssportsbar.com Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band 10 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com 423 Bass Love 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919

CALENDAR@CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

fri 02.22

SISTER SPARROW brings her brass- and gospel-infused funk band from Brooklyn the Dirty Birds to Rhythm & Brews on Thursday. “Amy Winehouse and Tina Turner with Mick Jagger and a dose of the Squirrel Nut Zippers,” says Glamour magazine. Bigcity grit and down-home sweetness with a touch of Americana, says the band’s publicist. Plenty of assets, we say.

THU 02.21 Divine Jazz 6:30 p.m. Brix Noveau 301 Cherokee Blvd.

(423) 488- 2926 brixnouveau.com Open Mic 7 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Open Mic with Hap Henninger 8 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 twentynineunder

honest music

8 p.m. Ziggy’s Underground Music, 607 Cherokee Blvd.

(423) 265-8711 AFRO, Former Champions 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400 Demon Waffle, Dick, Uke-N-Aja 9 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy.

(423) 468-4192 thehonestpint.com Chad Yates 9:30 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Road (423) 499-9878

Two Bits A Gander 7:30 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Pat Green, Texas Country 8 p.m. Track 29, 1400 Market St. (423) 266-4323 track29.co Southlander 8 p.m. Acoustic Café, 61 RBC Drive, Ringgold, Ga. (706) 965-2065 ringgoldacoustic.com 10th Annual Johnny Cash Birthday Bash 9 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Jonathan Wimpee 9 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191 Fried Chicken Trio 9 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240 tboneschattanooga.com Ryan Oyer, Purple 7, Dark Rides, Big Kitty 9 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400 Scenic City Soul Revue 9:30 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St.

»P14

THURSDAY • MARCH 7 • 7 P.M. ST. PAUL & THE BROKEN BONES JOHNNYSWIM • THE STEELDRIVERS WTM BLUES BAND LIVE FROM TRACK 29

LIVE BROADCAST ON LISTEN TO SUMMER FOXX FROM 3-7 FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN FREE TICKETS TO THE LIVE SHOW!

local and regional shows

Ten Pound Hammer, Gold Plated Gold, Brandon Curtis ($5) Demon Waffle with Dick and Uke-N-AJa ($5) Another Close Call with Scenic and Good Field ($5)

Wed, Feb 20 9pm Thu, Feb 21 9pm Wed, Feb 27 9pm

Special Shows Thu, Feb. 28: Andy D with The Hearts in Light and Stereodig • 9pm • $7 Sundays: Live Trivia 4-6pm Free Live Irish Music at 7pm Feb. 24: Molly Maguires

Full food menu serving lunch and dinner.

11am-2am, 7 days a week.

35 Patten Parkway * 423.468.4192 thehonestpint.com * Facebook.com/thehonestpint

chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 13

(423) 508-8956 sugarsribs.com Jacob Blazer, DJ Reggie Reg 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919 Husky Burnette 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Road (423) 499-9878 budssportsbar.com

sat 02.23

LIVE MUSIC

901 Carter St (Inside Days Inn) 423-634-9191

CHATTANOOGA FEB/MAR

21 JOHNNY CASH B-DAY FRI. 8:30p22 THE BREAKFAST CLUB SAT. 9:30P23 ASHLEY & THE X’S WED. 9:30p 27 ROAD TO NIGHTFALL FRI. 8p 1 SISTER SPARROW

with YO MAMA’S BIG FAT BOOTY BAND

THU. 10p

with DAVE ROE & WS HOLLAND

3 SETS 80’S RETRO ALL NIGHT LONG

GREAT FEMALE-FRONTED ROCK & ROLL

Thursday, Feb. 21: 8 p.m.

Open Mic with Hap Henninger Friday, Feb. 22: 9pm Jonathan Wimpee Saturday, Feb. 23: 10pm Hap Henninger Tuesday, Feb. 26: 7pm

Server/Hotel Appreciation Night

LOCAL BANDS COMPETE FOR NIGHTFALL

$5 Pitchers $2 Wells $1.50 Domestics

3.02 ROAD TO NIGHTFALL 3.05 THAT 1 GUY 3.06 BANDITOS, CLEAR PLASTIC MASKS, 8 KNIVES

All shows are free with dinner or 2 drinks!

Stop by & check out our daily specials!

ALL SHOWS 21+ UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED • NON-SMOKING VENUE

221 MARKET STREET

●

●

Happy Hour: Mon-Fri: 4-7pm $1 10oz drafts, $3 32oz drafts, $2 Wells, $1.50 Domestics, Free Appetizers

RAW HOT MUSIC • FINE BEER • GREAT FOOD BUY TICKETS ONLINE • RHYTHM-BREWS.COM

Facebook.com/theofficechatt

party, redefined.

Trip Lee 7 p.m. Warehouse, 6626 Hunter Road warehousevenue.com Cereus Bright, Calvin Cummings, Kara Franklin 7 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Smoking Flowers 8 p.m. Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse, 105 McBrien Road (423) 892-4960 christunity.org/events Brody Johnson and the Dirt Road Band 8 p.m. Acoustic Café, 61 RBC Drive, Ringgold, Ga. (706) 965-2065 ringgoldacoustic.com Smooth Dialectics, Tame The Hurricane, Mr. Enok 8 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400 SteveNKim 8 p.m. Southside Saloon & Bistro, 1301 Chestnut St. (423) 757-4730 southsidesaloon andbistro.com After The Crash 8:30 p.m. SkyZoo, 5709 Lee Hwy. (423) 468-4533 skyzoochattanooga.com

Joshua Songs, The Twitches 9 p.m. Ziggy’s Underground Music, 607 Cherokee Blvd.

(423) 265-8711 Roger Alan Wade 9 p.m. T-Bones, 1419 Chestnut St. (423) 266-4240 tboneschattanooga.com The Breakfast Club 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Scenic City Soul Revue 9:30 p.m. Sugar’s Ribs, 507 Broad St. (423) 508-8956 sugarsribs.com Husky Burnette 10 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Road (423) 499-9878 budssportsbar.com Jacob Blazer, DJ Reggie Reg 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919 Hap Henninger 10 p.m. The Office, 901 Carter St. (423) 634-9191

sun 02.24 “Evensong” 5:30 p.m. The Camp House, 1427 Williams St. (423) 702-8081 thecamphouse.com Molly Maguires 7 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy.

(423) 468-4192 thehonestpint.com Open Mic 8 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400 Pee Wee Moore & Friends 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St.

(423) 756-1919

mon 02.25 DJ Spicoli 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919

tue 02.26 Dustin Curry 8 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400 Open Mic with Mike McDade 9 p.m. Tremont Tavern, 1203 Hixson Pike, (423) 266-1996 DJ Spicoli 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919

wed 02.27 Robby Hopkins 8 p.m. Acoustic Café, 61 RBC Drive, Ringgold, Ga. (706) 965-2065 ringgoldacoustic.com Another Close Call, Senic, Good Field 9 p.m. The Honest Pint, 35 Patten Pkwy.

(423) 468-4192 thehonestpint.com Josh Lewis 9:30 p.m. Bud’s Sports Bar, 5751 Brainerd Road (423) 499-9878 budssportsbar.com Ashley and The X’s 9:30 p.m. Rhythm & Brews, 221 Market St. rhythm-brews.com Bassgasm II 10 p.m. JJ’s Bohemia, 231 E. MLK Blvd.

(423) 266-1400 Johnathan Wimpee, Andy Elliot 10 p.m. Raw, 409 Market St. (423) 756-1919

THU • FEB 21 423 Bass Love FRI • FEB 22 JACOB BLAZER 1st Floor DJ REGGIE REG 2nd Floor SAT • FEB 23 JACOB BLAZER 1st Floor DJ REGGIE REG 2nd Floor SUN • FEB 24 PEE WEE MOORE & FRIENDS Live on the 1st Floor MON & TUE • FEB 25/26 DJ SPICOLI Dancing on the 2nd Floor WED • FEB 27 JOHNATHAN WIMPEE & ANDY ELLIOT Open Players Jams

tWO fLOOrS • One big party • Live MuSic • dancing • 409 Market St • 423.756.1919 open 7 days a week » full menu until 2am » 21+ » smoking allowed 14 • The Pulse • february 21-27 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

‘Cyclopaedia’ of Distortion Tim Hinck explores how mass media makes us think in the fullest realization yet of his artistic ideas

By Rich Bailey

D

econstruction is such an overused word these days.

Why back when I was a whippersnapper like this young Hinck fella, if you talked about deconstruction it meant you had damn well better have read Derry-whatsisname. Or at least the jacket copy on several of his books. Nowadays, the Internet shows me 15 ways I can use “deconstruct” in a sentence! It’s the decline of ...

OMG, I just realized ... meanings change over time!

Tim Hinck has more in common with a self-taught inventor than a decon-artist. Sure, he disassembles the pieces of performance. But he’s more interested in seeing what happens when he reassembles them than in talking about his analysis.

As a culture, we love the image of technical tinkering—Edison with vacuum tubes, Steve Jobs with circuit boards, or the mythical 14-year old who can show you how to configure your wireless network. Artistic tinkering is a tougher sell. Audiences hated Impressionism when it first showed up in the 1870s, and Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” ballet is said to have caused a near-riot at its Paris premier in 1913.

The fallout from messing around with stuff appears later, but tampering with meaning— especially with how meaning is created—is taken as an in-yourface assault on truth.

It’s hard to imagine Hinck’s challenging work on that seemingly inevitable slide from cultural threat to comforting staple.

But in a world where the average TV commercial would look like avant-garde filmmaking to your grandfather, anything can happen.

Hinck performed his version of a manifesto last year in Tan-

ner Hill Gallery. Surrounded by images on the walls, a piano half on the floor and a hunk of granite that he dragged across the concrete floor, he banged on a manual typewriter and drew lines on his naked body. Lines in the sand maybe, daring the space outside his body to cross them? Or maybe waiting for the next wave to wash them away?

See what I did there? It’s fun— maybe necessary—to find meaning in gestures that don’t hand their meanings to you on a plate.

Hinck tries to remove the meaning—even the plate—and work with the raw material.

Hinck’s latest work is also his most ambitious. “Cyclopaedia” explores how mass media makes us think, how the proliferation of messages and their accompanying distortion shape us.

Traditionally, he says, “Any distortion is unwanted, but to me that’s the essence of it. Any art is distorted. Any created object is distorted. We distort every piece of information we have.”

Thanks to a MakeWork grant, “Cyclopaedia” will be the fullest realization yet of Hinck’s artistic ideas. There will be more than 30 musicians, actors and dancers, including five students from the Center for Creative Arts. Multimedia will include animation, recorded sound, video from five projectors and text from four old-

Arts

“The core concept of ‘Cyclopaedia’ is us taking information and then as artists distorting that information, coloring it, using it and filtering it.”

Tim Hinck fashioned overhead projectors.

I watched a rehearsal with two dancers.

“Tim has pretty much asked us not to be dancers,” said Cayce Gearrin, a veteran of previous Hinck projects who graduated from UTC last December. “Our role is to not draw in the audience into a story about our characters.

We are two objects on stage that have a role that Tim sees as being a part of the larger piece of the show.”

“Part of what’s been harder for me is to let go of technique, being more punctual and final with

my movements,” added Darcii Wright, a junior at CCA. “We’re supposed to be people who don’t really have much of a narrative beyond what we’re doing. It’s just movement.”

Wright’s spidery movements floated over Gearrin’s earthy groundedness. There I go, making meaning again. But it’s also literal: one remains constantly on the floor, the other stays aloft.

Both are literally bound to pieces of PVC pipe that they use like prosthetics.

And each is bound invisibly to the other. Tim’s choreography calls for Wright to make a series of taps with her sticks and feet and for Gearrin to tap her response. In several run-throughs, he directs them to move a little closer, tap a little harder or lighter. They twine around each other in an improvisational dynamic that changes every time. The limiting props facilitate a surprisingly complex set of movements that suggests (to me, anyway) lightness and weight.

In the actual production, their interaction will be one iteration of a “triangle of objects” that re-

Tim Hinck, left, talks with Michael McCamish about his vision for “Cyclopaedia.”

curs with different performers—a small confined action stage left, a static object stage right and the color orange moving left to right across the stage.

The open-ended exchange between Gearrin and Wright, with each dancer choosing how to respond to the other rather than following choreography, is a deliberate artistic choice by Hinck.

“I think that speaks to the core concept of ‘Cyclopaedia,’ which is us taking information and then as artists distorting that information, coloring it, using it and filtering it,” he said. “Is this a selfindulgent activity, or is this what really is great about being human beings?”

Tim Hinck’s “Cyclopaedia” $15 7:30 p.m. $5 (students with ID) Feb. 21-25 Center for Creative Arts 1301 Dallas Road

chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 15

Arts Entertainment CALENDAR@CHATTANOOGAPULSE.COM

“The Pillowman” 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 5600 Brainerd Road (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatre ofchattanooga.com “A Doll’s House” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Spanky Brown 9:30 p.m. Vaudeville Cafe, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839 funnydinner.com

sat 02.23

“SWEENEY TODD” Sondheim’s low-brow, high-brow classic gets a revival from UTC’s theatre department in a production that continues through Sunday. Read the review online at chattanoogapulse.com.

THU 02.21 CSO Lunchtime Concert Series 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Warehouse Row, 1110 Market St. (423) 267-8583 chattanoogasymphony.org ArtsBuild Campaign Kickoff 4:30-6 p.m.

The Church on Main, 1601 Rossville Ave. (423) 822-8299 artsbuild.com Free Screening: “The Powerbroker” 6 p.m. green|spaces, 63 E Main St. (423) 648-0963 greenspaceschattanooga.com “The Vagina Monologues” 7 p.m. UTC University Center, 615 McCallie Ave. (423) 425-4111 utc.edu/universitycenter “A Doll’s House” 7 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Pint Night with Hans Florine 7 p.m. Rock/Creek, 301 Manufacturers Road (423) 266-8200 rockcreek.com Tim Hinck’s “Cyclopaedia” (Through Monday) 7:30 p.m.

16 • The Pulse • february 21-27 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

Center for Creative Arts, 1301 Dallas Road (423) 255-9594 centerforcreativearts.net Landry 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Road (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, 736 Vine St. (423) 425-4371 utc.edu/administration/ fineartscenter

fri 02.22 Houston Museum 39th Annual Antiques Show & Sale 10 a.m-5 p.m. (through Sunday) Stratton Hall, 3146 Broad St. (423) 267-7176 thehoustonmuseum.org Landry 7 & 9:30p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Road (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com The Vagina Monologues 7 p.m. UTC University Center, 615 McCallie Ave. (423) 425-4111 utc.edu/universitycenter “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” 7:30 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, 736 Vine St. (423) 425-4371 utc.edu/administration/ fineartscenter

“Scraps: The Ragtime Girl of Oz” 10a.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 5600 Brainerd Road (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatre ofchattanooga.com Wine & Chocolate Noon-4 p.m. Georgia Winery, 6469 Battlefield Pkwy.

(706) 937-9463 georgiawines.com Pistons & Fenders 2013 6 p.m. Coker Tire Museum, 1317 Chestnut St. hatcherfoundation.org/pistons “The Vagina Monologues” 7 p.m. UTC University Center, 615 McCallie Ave. (423) 425-4111 utc.edu/universitycenter “The Pillowman” 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 5600 Brainerd Road (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatre ofchattanooga.com Hunter Underground 8 p.m. Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, (423) 267-0968 huntermuseum.org “A Doll’s House” 8 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com Landry 7 & 9:30 p.m.

The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Road (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com Spanky Brown 10:30 p.m. Vaudeville Cafe, 138 Market St. (423) 517-1839 funnydinner.com

sun 02.24 “A Doll’s House” 2:30 p.m. Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St. (423) 267-8538 theatrecentre.com “The Pillowman” 2:30 p.m. Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga, 5600 Brainerd Road (423) 987-5141 ensembletheatre ofchattanooga.com “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” 3 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, 752 Vine St. (423) 425-4371 utc.edu/administration/ fineartscenter CSO Chamber Series: “Mozart & More” 3 p.m. The Read House, 827 Broad St. (423) 266-4121 chattanoogasymphony.org Landry 7:30 p.m. The Comedy Catch, 3224 Brainerd Road (423) 629-2233 thecomedycatch.com

mon 02.25 Tim Hinck’s “Cyclopaedia” 7:30 p.m.

Center for Creative Arts, 1301 Dallas Road (423) 255-9594 centerforcreativearts.net

tue 02.26 Wally’s Friends Spay-Ghetti No Meatballs Fundraising Dinner 6-9 p.m. Stratton Hall, 3146 Broad St. (423) 716-0822 wallysfriends.com Hunter Lecture Series: Will Allen 7 p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, 736 Vine St. (423) 425-4371 utc.edu/administration/ fineartscenter

wed 02.27 “A Movement For Rosa” 7:30p.m. UTC Fine Arts Center, 752 Vine St. (423) 425-4371 utc.edu/administration/ fineartscenter

For a more comprehensive calendar and the latest updates, visit chattanoogapulse.com.

Comic Relief

Brian Regan on the sound of crickets, paying his dues and learning from Seinfeld

Regan’s World

By Gaby Dixon

A

s a theatre minor in college, I dabbled in what I knew would be the only way to completely eradicate any ounce of stage fright that was left in me— stand-up comedy.

Why would you put yourself through such sado-masocistic torture? Simple. There’s little doubt that standing on a stage alone and looking into a dimly lit room filled with faces whose only gin-and-tonic-clouded thoughts at that moment are “make me laugh” makes you a better performer, even if you fumble your words and accidentally kick your water bottle into the lap of the gentleman sitting in the front row.

But when I spoke recently with Brian Regan, one of Jerry Seinfeld’s favorite comedians on the national circuit today, I was reminded of how rewarding the laughter of a live audience can be and was comforted to learn that Regan had his own uncomfortable moment on stage.

“I did a show in a hotel in the Pacific Northwest,” Regan said, recalling such a moment.

“There was a window open

near the stage and I wasn’t doing well; I was getting very few—or zero—laughs, and I finished a joke and from through the window I literally heard a cricket. The audience heard the cricket. And that’s the proverbial thing in standup. I thought, “Wow, I just did so bad I heard crickets. I can’t believe it, I’m on stage and I’m hearing crickets.”

All comedians bomb, many times in fact, but it’s part of stand-up. Ask any comedian about the early days of their careers and they’ll gladly testify that it is one of the most nerve-racking but rewarding times of their lives.

“I’ve done everything that they say not to do,” Regan said.

“I’ve done stand up in daylight and, while I haven’t done it with animals, I did a show at the Miami Seaquarium and the stage was in a big moat, filled with water and the audi-

ence was sitting on the other side. So, I had to do stand-up across water.”

That work ethic is what has enabled Regan to sell out auditoriums across the country.

His relatively clean act appeals to any audience and his dry, observational bits about everyday life—he notes that there are actual toasting and microwave instructions on Pop-Tart boxes—combined with his unique facial expressions and innocently voiced commentary brings to light the hilarity about everyday circumstances that rarely cross our mind.

Regan, a Miami native, started delivering that characteristic dry, observational humor in Fort Lauderdale in the ’80s at the Comic Strip, a haven for burgeoning comedians and one of growing number of comedy outposts outside New York and Los Angeles. Regan spoke of his “home” comedy club when I asked him if there was an “a-ha” moment when he felt he had “made it” in his career.

“The first moment like that was the night that I passed my audition at Comic Strip

in Fort Lauderdale,” he said.

“I had auditioned there four times before but I knew it was what I wanted to do with my life. I wasn’t sure if I was good enough, but during my fifth audition the guy who ran the place brought me back in the kitchen and said I had passed the test. Even though I’ve done some TV things since then, that to me was the best night of my career.”

Regan’s “TV things” include his 2008 Comedy Central Presents special, “The Epitome of Hyperbole,” and perhaps the show that propelled him to notoriety that you can catch on Comedy Central, the 2004 special, “Brian Regan: I Walked on the Moon.”

Spending his early years in stand-up opening for Seinfeld, Regan shared some insight on how the comedy icon helped his career.

“I remember him making fun of how I bowed,” Regan said. “Apparently I’ve never taken any bowing classes.

That’s something they don’t teach, so I would finish my set and then just kind of lean over a little bit.”

Needless to say, Regan now refrains from doing the awkward lean at the end of his acts, but the playful banter between Regan and Seinfeld continues when Regan gets the occasional phone call from Seinfeld. Watch Regan’s guest turn on Seinfeld’s web series, “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee,” and you’ll get a taste of the repartee.

“Years ago I was much more fascinated with the idea of doing a sitcom,” Regan said of the “Seinfeld” factor. “But now that the stand-up career has gotten to a pretty nice place, that desire isn’t as strong as it used to be. I like the autonomy of being a stand up comedian.

It would be hard for me to give that up to be on a TV show.”

Brian Regan $38.50 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 28 Tivoli Theatre 709 Broad St. (423) 757-5050 chattanoogaonstage.com chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 17

Screen

OSCAR WATCH

Intimate Misery

By John DeVore

“A

mour” is two hours of intimate misery, filmed up close without apology. It is a film meant to be experienced, not enjoyed. For most, movies are a source of escape, one where the audience experiences distance from their lives through adventure or romance. “Amour” shows a different side of cinema, one that seeks to draw us together, to form a common bond through realism and heartache.

This isn’t a film for repeat viewing—it is difficult to watch, filled with uncomfortable silence and failing hope. But more than that, it shows the ending of a journey between two people. It shows that love is much more than a feeling of attraction. It is a decision made out of mutual respect and admiration.

“Amour” is one of those films that reveal the destination at the outset. We know how the film is going to end. Anne and Georges appear to have been together for a long time. We watch them together—at a concert, riding the bus, preparing for bed—and we get the impression that the pair is more than content.

They were joined together as one flesh and have affectionately remained so.

We see no overt displays of emotion, no great speeches or pronouncements There is more affection in the way Georges removes his wife’s coat as they enter the house than in any rain-soaked embrace that might be found in a Nicholas Sparks film.

The next morning, the pair is having breakfast and Anne stares into space.

Georges speaks to her, but she doesn’t respond. After a few minutes, Anne returns and doesn’t remember the incident. We learn later that she has suffered

18 • The Pulse • february 21-27 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

“Amour” Carmike Majestic 12 311 Broad St. (423) 826-2370 a stroke. She has surgery to remove a blockage in an artery, but it goes poorly and she is left paralyzed on her right side. The rest of the film follows Anne’s deterioration over an unknown period of time.

There are nurses and doctors, wheelchairs and automatic beds. We know that things are going to go from bad to worse. These are the final lonely steps of a lifelong partnership.

There are other characters in the film—a daughter, a former student, the landlord. Each person has a different reaction to the Anne’s illness. The daughter expects better care, assuming that her father isn’t up to the task. The student is saddened by his former teacher’s condition, but doesn’t know how to express himself in her presence. In a telling scene, the landlord compliments Georges on how he’s handled the situation.

For Georges, there isn’t any other way to behave.

Illness of this nature isn’t unlike having a young child—care isn’t optional, it’s a requirement. To compliment Georges on how he cares for his wife is like giving him praise for each subsequent breath. The

choice doesn’t seem like a choice at all.

Therein lays the beauty of “Amour.” Every action

by Georges is one of respect and honor. These are scenes of adoration, of intimacy, more so than any romantic scene put on film.

Watching Georges lift his wife from the toilet is more powerful that watching two young lovers dance the tango. Seeing Anne reach for Georges hand while she tries her hardest to form simple words into sentences as they practice speech is more moving than an embrace at sunset.

Seldom do audiences have the opportunity to see the end of a life in such excruciating detail.

Most films spare the audience from lingering death. Massive heart attacks, car accidents and gunshot wounds are common. That’s the easiest way for death to be addressed in escape fantasy. We want the opportunity to briefly say goodbye, then a fade to black and quick cut to the funeral.

But chances are, we’ll all spend time waiting in a hospital, listening to beeping machines while our loved ones cling to life. Our own life-saving technology significantly lengthens the process of dying. “Amour” is a film that should be seen, pondered and then let go.

Food Drink

SUSHI & BISCUITS

Bye, Bye, Lame American Pie Community Pie tosses Chattanooga a wet Neapolitan kiss

By Mike McJunkin

M

uch has already been written about Community Pie and their Neapolitan pizza since they opened their doors recently on Market Street. It has becoming de rigueur when opening a Neapolitan pizzeria in the U.S. to import large wood-fired ovens from Naples, stock your pantry with imported specialty ingredients from all over Italy, and enumerate your bona fides to the press for that much-needed buzz that new restaurants crave like a Kardashian craves attention.

Community Pie’s owners, Mike and Taylor Monen, have done just that by importing Italian Marana Forni ovens, a pantry full of beautiful Italian ingredients, and have taken a serious attitude toward detail when it comes to getting their pizza in line with the requirements set down by the American branch of the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana (a sort of Neapolitan pizza police).

It should be obvious at this point that Community Pie is not pumping out $5 utility pizzas or delivering munchy anecdotes to UTC dorms. When these pizzas hit your table you immediately realize that this is a fork-andknife situation. Neapolitan-style pizza is a bit wet in the center by design, so don’t act like a philistine and send it back thinking it’s undercooked. This also isn’t Pizza Hut, so don’t walk in expecting cheezy-stuffed crusts or crazy bread either.

Instead, the pies on their menu range from a classic tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella Margherita to the more creative Duck Confit pizza that delivers a delicious combination of confit duck, smoky turnip greens and potlikker reduction, sweet oven-dried tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

The duck pizza is good, but the Pork Confit pizza is great. Slowcooked pork shoulder on a thin layer of house-made San Mar-

The duck pizza is good, but the Pork Confit pizza is great.

Slow-cooked pork shoulder on a thin layer of house-made San Marzano tomato sauce with fresh basil, smoked and fresh mozzarella, and a spicy kick from imported Italian Calabrian peppers will make you want to vandalize a Papa John’s for crimes against humanity. zano tomato sauce with fresh basil, smoked and fresh mozzarella, and a spicy kick from imported Italian Calabrian peppers will make you want to vandalize a Papa John’s for crimes against humanity.

But let’s be honest, no amount of culinary navel gazing or obscure imported ingredients are going to cover for the fact that sometimes you’re just not in the

Clockwise from top: Duck Confit Pizza, Toast with Mushrooms and cream and Truffled Eggs and Speck, and ricotta-stuffed Kobe Meatballs.

mood for pizza. In fact, I can easily see myself coming to Community Pie for the appetizers, toasts and drinks more often than for pizza, in spite of how much I loved that Pork Confit pie.

I intend to meticulously work my way through the apps, toast and drinks sections of their menu as part of my plan to replace my after-work gym time with afterwork drinks-and-food time. They

say that nothing tastes as good as being thin, but “they” obviously haven’t tasted homemade ricotta cheese.

Yes, you read that right, Community Pie makes their own ricotta, which they use to stuff Kobe meatballs or serve straight on a plate drizzled with local honey. The Kobe meatballs are not dense or greasy and that little ball of ricotta in the middle adds a creamy contrast to the beef, fennel and house-made tomato

sauce. I recommend going easy on the sauce so it doesn’t overpower the wonderful meatball and ricotta taste.

Community Pie’s toasts are a sort of crostini/bruschetta made of grilled Niedlov’s bread with a variety of toppings including Mushroom and Cream, Caprese, and my personal favorite, Truffled Eggs and Speck. Speck is a very thinly sliced ham, like prosciutto, but it’s smoked and has mild hints of juniper berries.

The egg salad has just a whisp of white truffle taste that creates a nice flavor bridge to the smokiness of the speck and the grilled toast.

When it comes to drinks, Community Pie has an impressive selection of beverages from highgravity beers to PBR, Chattanooga Whiskey to a delicious housemade Limoncello, but tucked away in a corner of the menu are a selection of “drinking vinegars.”

These lightly carbonated drinks come in several varieties, such as Strawberry Basil and Cucumber Lime, and carry none of the sour vinegar taste you would expect; rather, the astringency is mellowed by the soda water and flavor of the fruits used.

I was a bit skeptical when I heard that another pizzeria was opening downtown, but Community Pie has made me a believer and even a fan. Now I wonder what kind of pizza goes with Limoncello?

Community Pie 850 Market St. (423) 486-1PIE communitypie.com

Chef-musician Mike McJunkin eats pork confit for breakfast and once auditioned for Billy Idol. Think about THAT and “like” him at facebook.com/sushiandbiscuits.

chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 19

Free Will Astrology PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): You may

have heard the thundering exhortation, “Know thyself!” Its origin is ancient. More than 2,400 years ago, it was inscribed at the front of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece. As important as it is to obey this command, there is an equally crucial corollary: “Be thyself!” Don’t you agree? Is there any experience more painful than not being who you really are? Could there be any behavior more damaging to your long-term happiness than trying to be someone other than who you really are? If there is even the slightest gap, Pisces, now is an excellent time to start closing it. Cosmic forces will be aligned in your favor if you push hard to further identify the nature of your authentic self, and then take aggressive steps to foster its full bloom.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the course of her world travels, writer Jane Brunette has seen many wonderful things —as well as a lot of trash. The most beautiful litter, she says, is in Bali. She loves the “woven palm leaf offerings, colorful cloth left from a ceremony, and flowers that dry into exquisite wrinkles of color.” Even the shiny candy

rob brezsny wrappers strewn by the side of the road are fun to behold. Your assignment, Aries, is to adopt a perceptual filter akin to Brunette’s.

Is there any stuff other people regard as worthless or outworn that you might find useful, interesting, or even charming?

I’m speaking metaphorically as well as literally.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The Old Testament tells the story of a man named Methuselah, who supposedly didn’t die until he was 969 years old. Some Kabbalistic commentators suggest that he didn’t literally walk the earth for almost ten centuries. Rather, he was extra skilled at the arts of living.

His experiences were profoundly rich. He packed 969 years’ worth of meaningful adventures into a normal life span. I prefer that interpretation, and I’d like to invoke it as I assess your future.

According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Taurus, you will have Methuselah’s talent in the coming weeks.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the coming weeks, I’m expecting your life to verge on being epic and majestic. There’s a better than even chance that you will do some-

thing heroic. You might finally activate a sleeping potential or tune in to your future power spot or learn what you’ve never been able to grasp before. And if you capitalize gracefully on the kaleidoscopic kismet that’s flowing your way, I bet you will make a discovery that will fuel you for the rest of your long life. In mythical terms, you will create a new Grail or tame a troublesome dragon—or both.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Jackalopes resemble jackrabbits, except that they have antlers like deer and tails like pheasants.

They love whiskey, only have sex during storms, and can mimic most sounds, even the human voice. The milk of the female has curative properties. Strictly speaking, however, the jackalope doesn’t actually exist.

It’s a legendary beast, like the mermaid and unicorn. And yet Wyoming lawmakers have decided to honor it. Early this year they began the process of making it the state’s official mythical creature. I bring this to your attention, Cancerian, because now would be an excellent time to select your own official mythical creature. The evocative presence of this fantastic fantasy would inspire your imagination to work more freely and playfully, which is just what you need.

What’ll it be? Dragon? Sphinx? Phoenix?

Here’s a list: tinyurl.com/MythicCritters LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The temptation

to hide what you’re feeling could be strong right now. You may wonder if you should protect yourself and others from the unruly truth. But according to my analysis, you will be most brilliant and effective if you’re cheerfully honest. That’s the strategy most likely to provide genuine healing, too—even if its initial effects are unsettling. Please remember that it won’t be enough merely to communicate the easy secrets with polite courage. You will have to tap into the deepest sources you know and unveil the whole story with buoyantly bold elegance.

20 • The Pulse • february 21-27 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

VIRGO

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The word “chain” may refer to something that confines or restricts. But it can also mean a series of people who are linked together because of their common interests and their desire to create strength through unity. I believe that one of those two definitions will play an important role in your life during the coming weeks, Virgo. If you proceed with the intention to emphasize the second meaning, you will minimize and maybe even eliminate the first.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): People in Sweden used to drive their cars on the lefthand side of the road. But a growing body of research revealed it would be better if everyone drove on the right-hand side. So on September 3, 1967, the law changed. Everyone switched over. All non-essential traffic was halted for hours to accommodate the necessary adjustments. What were the results? Lots of motorists grumbled about having to alter their routine behavior, but the transition was smooth. In fact, the accident rate went down. I think you’d benefit from doing a comparable ritual sometime soon, Libra. Which of your traditions or habits could use a fundamental revision?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): When a woman is pregnant, her womb stretches dramatically, getting bigger to accommodate the growing fetus. I suspect you’ll undergo a metaphorically similar process in the coming weeks. A new creation will be gestating, and you’ll have to expand as it ripens. How? Here’s one way: You’ll have to get smarter and more sensitive in order to give it the care it needs. Here’s another way: You’ll have to increase your capacity for love. Don’t worry: You won’t have to do it all at once. “Little by little” is your watchword.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Do

you floss your teeth while you’re meditat-

ing? Do you text-message and shave or put on make-up as you drive? Do you simultaneously eat a meal, pay your bills, watch TV, and exercise? If so, you are probably trying to move too fast and do too much. Even in normal times, that’s no good. But in the coming week, it should be taboo. You need to slowwww wayyyy dowwwn, Sagittarius.

You’ve got ... to compel yourself ... to do . . . one thing ... at a time. I say this not just because your mental and physical and spiritual health depend on it. Certain crucial realizations about your future are on the verge of popping into your awareness —but they will only pop if you are immersed in a calm and unhurried state.

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): To make your part of the world a better place, stress-loving workaholics may need to collaborate with slow-moving underachievers.

Serious business might be best negotiated in places like bowling alleys or parking lots.

You should definitely consider seeking out curious synergies and unexpected alliances. It’s an odd grace period, Capricorn.

Don’t assume you already know how to captivate the imaginations of people whose influence you want in your life. Be willing to think thoughts and feel feelings you have rarely if ever entertained.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Gawker.

com came up with colorful ways to describe actress Zooey Deschanel. In a weird coincidence, their pithy phrases for her seem to fit the moods and experiences you will soon be having. I guess you could say you’re scheduled to have a Zooey Deschanelaccording-to-Gawker.com kind of week.

Here are some of the themes: 1. Novelty ukulele tune. 2. Overemphatic stage wink.

3. Sentient glitter cloud. 4. Over-iced Funfetti cupcake. 5. Melted-bead craft project. 6. Living Pinterest board. 7. Animated Hipstamatic photograph. 8. Bambi’s rabbit friend. 9. Satchel of fairy dust. 10. Hipster labradoodle.

Jonesin’ Crossword

matt jones

“Ob Course”—getting a new start.

Across

1. Liberty org.

5. Dave’s bandleader 9. Used as source material 14. Each episode of “24” 15. “Major” constellation 16. Blah 17. Thieves who take X-rated DVDs? 20. Gorp piece 21. He killed Mufasa 22. Nebula animal 23. Really untrustworthy looking 25. As well 26. Tachometer stat 29. Roll call response 30. Company with orange-and-white trucks 33. Like some minimums 34. Fascination with Dre, Eve and Wiz Khalifa?

37. Get wind of 40. Fleur-de-___ 41. Start of a Danny Elfman band 42. Jamaica or Puerto Rico, if you’re drawing a map?

45. Bert who played the Cowardly Lion 46. Change the clock 47. Icicle spot 51. “I’m ___ Boat” (“SNL” digital short) 52. ___ Lingus (Irish carrier) 53. What many gamblers claim to have 55. “Double Dare” host Summers 57. Cheese that melts well 59. Part of TNT 60. Debt to ducts?

64. Wilkes-___, Penn.

65. Kings of ___ 66. Duncan of the Obama Cabinet 67. One-for-one trades 68. ___ Tomb (solitaire game) 69. Ray of light

Down

1. Zooming noise 2. Like cookies made without ovens 3. Keaton of the Silent Era 4. Parabolic path 5. Add sparkle to 6. 51, for one 7. Superpower that split up 8. Calif. newspaper 9. Spanish actress often seen on “The Love Boat” 10. Kansas county seat (hidden in VIOLATION)

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11. Pinky’s partner 12. It’s north of Afr. 13. Dungeons & Dragons game runners, for short 18. Key at the top left 19. School, to Sarkozy 24. Feeling while watching slasher movies 25. Skirmish 27. ___-rock 28. “Tell ___ secrets...”

31. Less like thou?

32. Seemingly endless pit 33. They usually weren’t hits 35. ___ Taylor LOFT 36. Bobby, to Hank Hill 37. Track star Jones 38. Israeli statesman Abba 39. Moorish fortress in Spain 43. ___-Roman wrestling 44. Symbols called “snails” in some languages 48. Dress 49. Shakespearean title city 50. Feuder with Moby 52. City where Van Gogh painted 54. Positive vote 56. Gp. for Baby Boomers 57. Hot wings cheese 58. Out-of-control situation 60. Channel with the slogan “Very funny” 61. Labor org. based in Detroit 62. Sandwich that’s now a potato chip flavor 63. It’s settled when settling up © 2013 Jonesin’ Crosswords. For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be 18+ to call. Or to bill to your credit card, call: 1-800655-6548. Reference puzzle No. 0611.

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RICK DAVIS GOLD & DIAMONDS 5301 Brainerd Rd at McBrien Rd • 423.499.9162 chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 21

Life in the Noog

chuck crowder

Head Games T he other night while attempting to navigate my way through the crowd at a local music venue, my forward motion was impeded, not by a music fan standing idle in my path, but by the overstuffed book bag hanging off of his back.

Books. Lots of books. And more.

We buy, sell and trade.

Used Books, CDs, Movies, & More

7734 Lee Highway • McKayBooks.com Monday-Saturday 9am-10pm • Sunday 11am-7pm

22 • The Pulse • february 21-27 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com

My knee-jerk reaction to the look of disdain in his eyes as I pushed through, causing his backpack to bend sideways, was “Really dude? A backpack? We’re in a bar.” My next thought was what on earth could one possibly need to carry around late at night that requires this level of luggage?

The guy didn’t look (or smell) homeless, although many of the twenty-something’s sporting ridiculous thrift-store clothing combinations would like you to believe they are, at minimum, poor. He likely left his cozy bunk-bed basement room on Signal Mountain a year or so ago to “rough it” in the “real world” by couch-surfing and making lattes at Starbucks. The college fund, in the meantime, is earning more interest than he evokes on any given day.

And then there’s his backpack.

Just for fun, I spent the next few minutes trying to speculate on the contents of his runaway pack.

Surely there were a few flannel shirts, a pair or two of double-knit polyester pants, tube socks and a toothbrush. Because he wasn’t wearing one, there had to be a trucker’s cap in there emblazoned with the logo of some random, irrelevant product he’s never purchased, like Tide detergent or STP gas treatment. And right there next to his dog-eared copy

of “On The Road,” is likely a journal in which he scribbles drawings of tattoo ideas and records his innermost thoughts about how bad the establishment and people like me suck.

I’m hip. I get it. It’s a dogeat-dog world on the mean streets of Chattanooga.

You never know when the shit’s gonna go down and you’ll have to jump on your vintage Schwinn 10-speed and bail. In the meantime it’s extremely important to keep everything critical to your daily existence on your person at all times— including headphones.

Yeah, I’m talking headphones. Not earbuds, mind you—those the tiny, unobtrusive personal speakers which deliver neat perfect high-fidelity discreetly into your ear canal. No, I’m talking about the massive, coffee cupsize concert hall speakers strapped to each side of one’s head headphones.

Back in the day, the only way you could deliver the sounds coming out of your stereo into your ears and not everyone else’s was to utilize a gigantic headphone device the likes of which could also be found in the cockpit of a 747.

Over the years, advances in technology have shaved the size and weight of headphones down to size without being lost in your noggin.

Then came house music.

DJs mixing tunes between two turntables required the old-school. much more audio-accurate “professional” headphones because they’re only going to nestle on one side between their head and shoulders.

As a result of the influence these urban tastemakers have on pop culture, pedestrians looking to mask street and subway sounds in large cities found these headphones more noise reducing than buds.

As with all trends, several years later this one trickled down to the much quieter streets of Chattanooga. Suddenly we needed these bigger and better personal audio devices in order to effectively hear the subtle lo-fi nuances in the music of say, The Black Keys or The White Stripes.

Unfortunately, people who sport over-the-ear headphones in public look as stupid as I felt wearing them as a kid.

A colleague of mine at another local paper recently published a column about his affection and addiction to headphones. He wrote that his arsenal of various makes and models were very dear to him and that he can rarely be seen out in public without a set over his ears. I bet he’s got a backpack, too.

Chuck Crowder is a local writer and man about town. His opinions are his own, unless they also reflect those of The Pulse, which in this case, they do.

Pilgrim Congregational Church

Through Feb. 28

Many to choose from. Drive away in yours today.

Our mission s to provide i

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Sunday Worship 11am

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400 Glenwood Drive at 3rd Street pilgrim-church.com • (423) 698-5682

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900 Riverfront Parkway • (423) 490-0181 • kellysubaru.com

chattanoogapulse.com • february 21-27, 2013 • The Pulse • 23