2016 Issue 23 Creative Loafing by Creative Loafing Charlotte

Clclt.com | July 28 - Aug. 3, 2016 Vol. 30, No. 23

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MAKE IT A

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EVERY MORNING ON

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This painting of Bob Marley by local artist Andy Rocco is featured in the Charlotte Artist Showcase at Sugar Creek Brewing on July 29.

cover story Reconsidering consent: UNC Charlotte

addresses rape reports and provides new resources for students.

By Courtney mihocik This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cover was designed by dana vindigni.

News&VIEWS 13 class in session 14 Letter from an editor 14 The Blotter 15 News of the Weird

Food southern discomfort: A conversation

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Arts&Ent Blaze of glory: Citizens of the Universe firebrand founder James Cartee pulls the plug with his own special flair. By perry tannenbaum 24 Film Reviews

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By anita overcash 30 cd review 32 Soundboard

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coverstory

Intercoms that call directly to campus police dot the walking paths on UNC Charlotte’s campus. In 2014, the amount of rapes reported on campus was 10th highest in the country.

Ryan Pitkin

Reconsidering Consent UNC Charlotte addresses rape reports and provides new resources for students by courtney mihocik

oing off to college was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I was finally living on my own — with a roommate and 150 other people in my building — and I felt so adult. Despite feeling comfortable with the layout of the campus, once my collegiate career got into full swing, I found myself unconsciously clutching my keys between my fingers like a small shank when I would walk home 10 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

from the gym at night. I would turn off my music and listen intently if I sensed someone walking behind me when I came home late from the campus newsroom. Although nothing has ever happened to me, I’m right to take these precautions. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center fact sheet, one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. Ninety percent of those assaults go unreported.

Charlotte’s largest college campus is among the top in the country in terms of reported sexual assaults. According to UNC Charotte’s annual Clery Report, there were 32 reported rapes on campus in 2014, the 10th most on any campus in the country. Take into consideration that it’s widely believed that, at most, only about 20 percent of rapes are actually reported, and you begin to get a picture of the problem UNC Charlotte was facing.

Theresa Rhodes, associate director for training at the UNC Charlotte Counseling Center, believes the high number of reported rapes on campus means the resources put in place by the university has made victims feel safer about coming forward. “It’s good if there are more reported because that means maybe students are safer and they feel like they can access our resources,” Rhodes said. “It could also be seen as there’s more [rapes].”

and widespread experiences reported by students,” an AAUW report of the group’s analysis states. “Following several years of increased attention to campus sexual violence ... schools have been put on notice and given the tools to improve their support systems, policies, and procedures to respond to sexual violence on campus. The 2014 Clery Act data reveals that far too many schools have not risen to the challenge — and perhaps not the letter of the law.” The Violence Against Women Act, reauthorized by Congress in 2013, included amendments to the Clery Act adding reports of domestic violence, dating violence and stalking to the existing rape reports that colleges must disclose annually. “For the first time, we also have access to data regarding dating violence, domestic violence and stalking incidents on campuses nationwide. But in these categories as well, only about 10 percent of college campuses disclosed a reported incident in 2014,” the AAUW report stated. “The 2014 numbers show that campuses that reported one type of sexual violence often disclosed reports of other types. This suggests that some schools have built the necessary systems to welcome reports, support survivors, and disclose accurate statistics — and others have not.” The 2015 reported rape statistics are not available yet, as those numbers are not published until October of the following year, per the Clery Act.

One conversation that

While it may seem that Rhodes is just looking for the silver lining on a very dark cloud, she may be right. The American Association of University Women (AAUW) analyzed Cleary Act data from 2014 and were disappointed; not in schools like UNC Charlotte that reported relatively high numbers of rapes, but in those that didn’t. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (the Clery Act) requires colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to disclose campus crime statistics and security information.

Every school must annually collect and report this information to the U.S. Department of Education. AAUW looked at results of data from about 11,000 campuses who filed Clery Reports in 2014. They found that 91 percent of colleges disclosed zero reports of rape during that year. “Schools that report zero rapes have work to do and require additional scrutiny. When campuses report zero incidents of rape, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, it simply does not square with research, campus climate surveys,

takes place in the wake of high-profile university rape cases — like those that have recently occurred at Stanford University, Vanderbilt University and other campuses — is centered on how to prevent campus assaults. Along with crime statistics, schools filing Clery Reports must also disclose what training and prevention efforts they offer or take part in. As noted in the AAUW report, how campuses react to reports of sexual assault when it does happen is equally important in trying to create a safer atmosphere. Since the aforementioned numbers were released, placing UNC Charlotte among the top ten campuses where sexual assaults occur, the university has changed its approach to sexual assault prevention and education. Christine Davis, associate vice chancellor

for student affairs, said the university is moving past the traditional “no means no” concept of consent, and onto a “yes means yes,” affirmative consent rhetoric. Davis said the switch in strategy is meant to hold a potential aggressor more accountable for their actions. “That they are in the affirmative consent, that there should be consent every step of the way and pushing past this behavior that ‘I’m going to push, push, push until you say “no,” and then I’ll back off,’” Davis said. UNC Charlotte provides a variety of campus programs, campaigns and resources to its students in order to prevent or address rape and protect the safety of the students. The university starts this education at the beginning of a student’s collegiate career during Student Orientation Advising and Registration (SOAR). Mitchell Weir, a senior at UNC Charlotte and former orientation counselor and SOAR intern, spent two summers working with incoming freshmen classes and their education on consent and rape. “There is a four-hour lecture on the first day of each SOAR session that covers everything having to do with alcohol, [sexual] consent, theft and safety,” Weir said. “That presentation is presented by our oncampus police department which works with the CMPD on safety-related issues.” UNC Charlotte also participated in the NCAAbacked and Obama administration-sponsored v i d e o campaign “It’s On Us” to spotlight the problem of sexual assault on campuses. UNC Charlotte’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee won the NCAA video contest in 2015. Other tools like an online alcohol and consent program called “Think About It,” educate students about a new idea about consent between adults in all situations, and will be introduced to incoming freshmen and transfer students this summer. The program’s key points address healthy and unhealthy relationships, sex in college and sexual violence. According to its website, CampusClarity directs its education toward “potential aggressors,” not potential victims. Education-related prevention doesn’t clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 11

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coverstory

always work, especially in an environment of young adults who are away from home for the first time and feel free to experiment with drugs, alcohol and intimate relationships. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that, among college women, 78 percent of sexual offenses are by non-strangers and 51 percent of student rape and sexual assault happen while the student is either “pursuing leisure activities away from home.” But in a 2010 summary report, the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey suggests that sexual assault prevention begins early in a potential aggressor’s life. “Prevention efforts should start early by promoting healthy, respectful relationships in families by fostering healthy parentchild relationships and developing positive family dynamics and emotionally supportive environments,” the report said. The report also iterated the message that it’s also important to address and change the norms in our society that allow sexual violence, intimate partner violence and stalking. But in the six years since the release of this summary, these perpetrating norms haven’t been properly addressed, and students have turned to tools like personal stun guns, pepper spray and defense classes to prevent the possibility of their own assault. Nicole Kyrsiak, a sexual assault detective who leads rape aggression defense classes offered to female students by the UNC Charlotte Public Policy, said students need to keep a certain level of awareness at all times. She leads the free classes about two to three times every semester. “We go over a lot; ground techniques, chokeholds, basic moves,” Kyrsiak said. “We go over, at the beginning, common sense techniques … A lot of people feel like they can just walk outside and go from point A to point B looking down at their phones, but it’s not the smartest thing to do. So we just reassure them, ‘Hey, you can’t really do this.’ Not just on a college campus but anywhere you go.” On a recent day summer day, Shaleel Johnson, a junior, was walking alone on the nearly empty campus. She said that during her three years at the university, she hasn’t known anyone victimized by sexual assault and doesn’t feel unsafe on campus. “I’ll have a friend walk with me maybe at night,” she said, adding that she feels fine walking alone during the day. The university has also recently launched the LiveSafe app on campus, the first college in North Carolina to do so, according to UNC Charlotte administration staff. Two survivors of traumatic events — one of the Virginia Tech shooting and one of sexual assault — designed the app, which gives users a direct line to campus police, to whom they can send anonymous tips, texts and pictures. 12 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

in May of this year for sexually assaulting a female student in a UNC Charlotte residence hall. The perpetrator was not affiliated with the university, just visiting from New Jersey, so the university could not move forward with a hearing. That does not mean that the student couldn’t — or didn’t — press charges through Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Also, if the victim reports a sexual assault to a confidential resource, that person cannot report the incident without the student’s consent.

Emotional

Ryan Pitkin

Courtney Mihocik

According to LiveSafe’s public relations manager, Lucas Wiseman, the app has 4,524 downloads on UNC Charlotte’s campus as of July 13. When something does happen on campus, the university has developed a network of resources in order to support survivors coming forward with reports. One of the most important offices on campus that deals with these reports and cases is the Title IX Office, operated in conjunction with the Office of Civil Rights at UNC Charlotte. “The role of the Title IX Office is to receive reports of sexual misconduct to coordinate the provision of services to both students,” said Susan Burgess, the interim Title IX coordinator at UNC Charlotte. Instead of going straight to the Title IX Office, students have the option to approach deputy Title IX coordinators on campus, such as the senior associate athletics director or the graduate school’s associate dean, who then direct students to Title IX services. The office then begins to work with the Dean of Students Office to make accommodations and referrals for the complainant, either to the campus police

department and/or counseling center. If a student wishes to move forward with a university investigation, then Title IX investigators will launch a formal investigation into the allegations made in the report. After evidence and statements are collected, a recommendation is made to the Office of Student Conduct whether or not to move forward with a hearing for the student, according to Burgess. Although reporting a sexual assault can be a traumatizing experience for survivors, organizations like Safe Alliance provide hope and healing through a variety of services and programs for people in Charlotte and throughout Mecklenburg County. The multiple avenues of reporting sexual assault and/or pressing charges can weigh on survivors’ shoulders. Cori Goldstein, director of the Sexual Trauma Resource Center for Safe Alliance, works with survivors who access this offcampus resource and the plethora of emotional support the organization provides. Goldstein said Safe Alliance not only gives unwavering support to those who come to them with their traumatic experiences, but also works to prevent sexual assault. “I think especially on college campuses, one of the challenges is that what can be seen as being given extra options can also be seen as overwhelming ...” Goldstein said. “I think that any time that you’re having to report something, there are a lot of emotions attached to that and every time you have to tell someone it can be re-traumatizing.” According to Burgess, of the 32 reported rapes at UNC Charlotte in 2014, only four resulted in a hearing. The other 28 cases did not go to a hearing, often because the victim either did not wish to move forward with one or the accused was not affiliated with the university. For example a 21-year-old man was arrested

support

for

students is also necessary in the wake of sexual assault. University students can access off-campus resources like Safe Alliance 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Additionally, UNC Charlotte provides on-campus emotional resources and groups for students. “We have a sexual trauma therapy group that meets year-round,” Rhodes said. “Students can be in that group for multiple years, as long as they’re students. And we’ve had students in the group for multiple years, so they do form a community.” Small support groups like these might also participate in larger empowering events like Take Back the Night, where survivors can share their stories in an open yet safe public place. Take Back the Night marches began in the 1970s and have since spread to cities and college campuses in order to empower sexual assault survivors and protest violence. The most recent Take Back the Night event on campus was in April, with another one slated for April 4, 2017, during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Other events like Walk a Mile in Her Shoes gather more than 200 male participants to walk a mile-long course in bright red, high heeled shoes. Safe Alliance will host this event to in NoDa on Aug. 27 to help raise awareness about rape and gender violence. Events like these can also create a sense of community-wide support for survivors, making them more comfortable to speak out against sexual violence or report incidents. Despite the high number of reported rapes on UNC Charlotte’s campus compared to other colleges in the country, Burgess believes it doesn’t mean that the campus is less safe than other universities. “I don’t think that we have more of a problem with sexual assault on this campus than any other campus in the United States,” Burgess said. “I do think we have worked incredibly hard to create an environment and a climate here where students are given information and that they’re heavily encouraged to report to a number of different individuals and offices around here.” backtalk@clclt.com

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class in session

Sick and Tired The pressure of being a black man in today’s America ones. Women wrestled like bears from I was driving on Central Avenue the other day and an older black gentleman their cars. Authority figures snatching teen pulled up beside me and told me that my girls from bikes or slamming petite girls in passenger side light was out. bathing suits to the ground while a grownI thanked him and immediately a feeling ass man places a knee to her back. of panic engulfed me. I did not want any I am sick and tired of what sometimes reason to be pulled over by the authorities. seems the futility of marching and protesting Some may think that I’m being irrational when it is beyond clear that as much as we with my worries, but sadly I am not. And I scream #blacklivesmatter we live in a society will be the first to say that I am really just that proves repeatedly that aggression, sick and tired of living this way. violence and victimization of brown bodies I am sick and tired of having to live on does not matter to most folks. Maybe we high alert, all the time. need to be more proactive with our economic I am sick and tired of having to pretend and political power and stop supporting a that I am all right while constantly monitoring system that does not support marginalized my fear, anxiety, rage and helplessness, communities. Other communities support especially in environments in which implying their own, so the black community should that I’m displeased with the ulcer-inducing, soul-crushing pressure of living under take note. a historically systematic regime I am beyond sick and tired of of oppression might upset the the deafening silence coming clueless bubble of privilege from many white “friends” that many blissfully choose and folks who have known to operate in. me for years as an artist, I am sick and tired educator, mentor and of hearing about — and colleague; a silence that is seeing videos of — black really an implicit message men like Alton Sterling of consent to the real being killed for minor atrocities so many people infractions like selling CDs. Charles of color face on a daily basis. I am sick and tired of I am sick and tired of seeing Easley barely being able to process the same people change their and catch my breath before I am profile pics in support of a gorilla or hit with another tragic story, like other tragedies foreign and domestic while that of Philando Castile, allegedly pulled over because of a “busted tail light” similar showing little to no empathy when brown to mine then gunned down in front of his folks are being brutalized on a daily basis. No loved ones, including a now-traumatized memes, no direct messages, no phone calls four-year-old girl in the back seat. Or even or even a text to ask, “Are you OK?” Worse, more recently, Charles Kinsey, a therapist they share dismissive “#alllivesmatter” posts who was shot while lying on his back with his and don’t see how harmful that attitude hands up, complying with police while trying truly is. to assist an autistic patient. At some point you get sick and tired of I am sick and tired of ordinary citizens being sick and tired, and folks are starting like Diamond Reynolds having to keep to wake up. level heads when put into impossible Langston Hughes wrote this scenarios. Reynolds, Castile’s girlfriend, had about black folks, but it is the presence of mind to live-stream the applicable to anyone encounter on Facebook Live to ensure that supporting the struggle: her side of the story would be documented “Negroes sweet and and that she and her daughter would be docile, meek, humble, safe. Why do citizens have to be more levelheaded than those that protect and serve? and kind: Beware the I am sick and tired of folks being killed day they change their or victimized in other ways only to have minds! Wind in the their character assassinated by the media to cotton fields, gentle somehow justify the victimization. breeze: Beware the I am sick and tired of violence against hour it uproots trees!” women of color; women who could be my backtalk@clclt.com mother, aunts, sisters, nieces or other loved

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letter from an editor

News

Blotter

Not a purr nor Growl

By Madeline Lemieux & Ryan Pitkin

Big Cat stays mum as peers take steps against discrimination

already in a world of shit just added more charges to his rap sheet and probably won’t have custody of his baby girl for quite a while. Police were called after a bail bondsman who was looking for the suspect found him and chased him down. The man was holding his infant daughter, who is under a year old, when he saw the bounty hunter coming. The suspect ran and carried the baby during the entire chase. The girl was not injured and the dad was charged with child endangerment, along with whatever bail-jumping charges he was already facing.

“Republicans buy sneakers, too.” HB2. They weren’t looking for compromise. This quote, attributed to Michael Jordan When proposed revisions to the law leaked in Sam Smith’s 1995 book, The Second Coming, in late June, the Hornets and NBA were has stuck with Jordan throughout his life as the quick to release a joint statement that, in perfect explanation for why big name athletes effect, said, “Nah, you’re going to have to do like himself don’t get involved in political or better than that.” social issues. Despite the fact that Smith later Others who have spoken out against rescinded the quote, sort of, by saying it was a HB2 recently include two of the state’s most “joke,” or that Jordan did actually contribute to influential sports figures: Mike Krzyzewski Harvey Gantt’s Senate campaign against Jesse and Roy Williams, head basketball coaches Helms that supposedly inspired the quote, it’s at Duke University and University of remained a part of his legacy. North Carolina, respectively. On July 20, Lately, however, Jordan has been Krzyzewski called the law “embarassing.” speaking up on social and political issues With Charlotte’s sports leaders refusing that affect both his business as a majority to mince words on HB2 — even NASCAR’s owner of the Charlotte Hornets and his life chairman has spoken out — there continues as a minority male in America. a deafening silence resonating from Mint This week, he broke his silence Street; Carolina Panthers owner on recent unrest stemming from Jerry Richardson has not said violent episodes involving a word. police and people of color. In a At this year’s NFL statement published on The meetings, held in Charlotte Undefeated July 25, Jordan in May, commissioner announced two donations Roger Goodell said $1 million each to the the NFL opposes HB2, Institute for Communityalthough he seemed to Police Relations and the oppose actions similar NAACP Legal Defense Fund to the NBA’s. “We will and spoke of the disgust he’s continue to fight that. We ryan pitkin felt seeing instances of police have a franchise here,” he brutality against people of color said. “The Carolina Panthers as well as violence against police. play here, they operate here, and Jordan’s donations were a personal we want to work with the community. decision, it seems, but as owner of the We’re not going to threaten a community.” Hornets he’s also been front and center in the It’s still unclear what Goodell meant by resulting fracas caused by the North Carolina “fight that,” as the league hasn’t really done legislature’s passage of the discriminatory anything yet, but at least he’s speaking. House Bill 2 in March. Richardson wouldn’t comment during the Jordan and the Hornets publicly opposed week of the meetings, even as San Francisco HB2 from the day after it was passed. 49ers owner Jed York donated $75,000 to Weeks ago, NBA commissioner Adam Silver Equality NC and called for the repeal of HB2. announced that the 2017 NBA All Star Game Richardson has remained mum since. would no longer be held in Charlotte, erasing To be clear, Richardson has done much the potential for up to $100 million in for the community, on top of founding revenue for the city and team. As McCrory an NFL team that has since become the dug his feet in even further to defend the most widely beloved team in the Carolinas. heionous law, calling the NBA’s decision “P.C. However, his willingness to speak from the BS” on WFAE’s Charlotte Talks and joking heart on some issues, as he did regarding about bathrooms at a Donald Trump rally, domestic violence in 2014, makes his silence Jordan supported the decision. now all the more telling. “We understand the NBA’s decision and Richardson’s legacy in Charlotte and the challenges around holding the NBA the Carolinas is pretty well fixed, as shown All-Star Game in Charlotte this season,” by the 13-foot statue in front of Bank of Jordan said in a statement. “There was an America Stadium, unveiled earlier this exhaustive effort from all parties to keep the month on his 80th birthday. Richardson event in Charlotte, and we are disappointed would presumably prefer to ride off into the we were unable to do so.” sunset without commenting on HB2, but to The “exhaustive effort” Jordan referred do so would send what message? to was the efforts of he and other NBA That Republicans buy sneakers ... and leaders to convince state lawmakers to repeal bigots buy tickets. 14 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

Drop the Kid A man who is apparently

Family Matters A 41-year-old woman

regrets involving her family in her business plans, after her son threw an expensive hissy fit in east Charlotte last week. The woman told officers that she was renting a home out to her son, but had to evict him in the end. When she told him he had to go, the man began destroying property in the furnished home. In the end, he smashed up a stove, a refrigerator, a glass table, two flat-screen TVs and the bathroom mirror, causing a total of $2,648 in damages.

Please Stop A vandalism suspect in northeast Charlotte apparently felt the need for speed last week and couldn’t be bothered with pesky traffic signs. One neighbor in the Withrow Downs neighborhood called police after an unknown suspect took a bucket of house paint and painted over a stop sign. The suspect also painted over the street in front of the reporting neighbor’s house. The suspect was caught soon after the crime and, according to the report, “does not have any excuses or justification for damaging the property.” HeLp Yourself Employees at a Rite-Aid

in east Charlotte confronted a conspicuous shoplifting suspect last week, causing him to go try his luck elsewhere. The employees later told police that the man entered the store and went right for the trash bags. He took a trash bag out of its package and then began walking around the store filling it with cleaning supplies. When he tried to walk out the door, employees confronted him. The man dropped the bag and ran toward Home Depot.

Buck Shot After a spike in suspicious

activity reported in the wooded area behind a Providence Road shopping center, CMPD officers installed a deer camera to surveil the area. The deer cam proved unreliable when officers returned after the weekend and discovered that the camouflaged recording device had been stolen. The investigation remains open, and police are looking for the teenaged prankster (or dexterous deer) responsible for stealing the camera.

Sneak Arrest There was nothing

sneaky about a pair of sneaker thieves who attempted to steal a pair of Air Jordans from a Steele Creek shoe store. The shoe bandits made it out of the store with the stolen sneaks, but continued to loiter at the Charlotte outlet mall. That’s when police were able to catch up with them. In addition to the stolen shoes, the conspicuous thieves had about $60 worth of cocaine and marijuana in their possession.

Sweet Tooth, Sticky Fingers A woman charged with shoplifting probably thought she had considered all the consequences when she planned the loot she wanted to lift from her neighborhood Walmart — a few bags of candy and a tube of toothpaste. Unfortunately there was one consequence she failed to plan for: loss prevention employees waiting for her at the exit. At least she’ll be minty fresh for the cavity search. Feeling Salty We’re getting mixed

signals on the proper etiquette for handling salt and pepper shakers. When Salt-n-Pepa told us to “push it real good,” they got nominated for a Grammy. When a man followed those instructions and pushed a pair of salt and pepper shakers off of a table and onto the floor at a Plaza Midwood restaurant, he got charged with vandalism. The man, who was also a former employee at the restaurant, wasn’t just pushing the pepper, he also broke two bottles of hot sauce on the ground and damaged three paper towel holders.

Bringing The Heat As easy as it is to

get guns these days, you’d think someone looking to stick up a store would be all set, but some people want to do things differently. A man robbed a Quik Trip in southwest Charlotte last week using something most people walk around with every morning. An employee told police that a man came into the store at about 4:30 a.m. and immediately threw a cup of coffee on him and demanded money from the register. The employee obliged, but it’s unclear how much money the suspect made off with.

Threat of the Week The dinner

crowd at a west Charlotte Bojangles’ got to see the first-hand dangers of skipping leg day when a disgruntled diner, evidently dissatisfied with the dark meat he was served, went on a rampage. Police say the enraged meat-eater, desperate to replace his plate of legs and thighs, approached another diner and threatened to “bust his head open until the white meat came out.” Blotter items are chosen from the files of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty.

News of the weird

AUG 12

❈ ❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈ ❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈❈

By Chuck Shepherd

The Power of Prayer A 28-year-old

woman, unnamed in news reports, veered off the road and into a house in the Florida panhandle town of Mary Esther on July 7. She apparently was free of drug or alcohol influence, but readily explained to police that she must have gone through a stop sign and left the road when she closed her eyes to pray as she drove. (The house was damaged, but no one was injured.)

Weird Numbers The Transportation

Security Administration announced in May that it had collected $765,000 in loose change left behind in airport scanner trays during 2015 — an average “haul” for the agency of $2,100 a day, assuming, of course, that TSA personnel turn in all of the money they find. Los Angeles and Miami airports contributed $106,000 of the total.

Take Your Word for It Scientists at

the University of Cambridge, writing in May in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, claimed to have figured out how to construct a “motor” a “million times” smaller than an ant. It apparently involves lasers, gold particles and “van der Waals forces,” and the object is to bind the gold particles and then cause them to automatically “snap” apart with, according to author Jeremy Baumberg, “10 to a hundred times more force per unit than any known other machine.”

Tough Pill to Swallow CEO

Michael Pearson told a Senate committee in April that he “regret(s)” the business model he instituted in 2015 for Valeant Pharmaceuticals — the one that, for example, allowed a drug called Cuprimine that treats liver failure and formerly cost a typical user out-of-pocket about $3 a pill (120 per month, $366) to, overnight, cost the user $15 a pill. The insurance company’s and Medicare’s cost went overnight from about $5,000 per 100 tablets to $26,000. A Deutsche Bank analysis of the industry tallied Valeant’s all-drug average price spike at more than five times the average of any competitor’s. Pearson told the senators he had no idea that such a pricing strategy would turn out to be so controversial.

Neck and Back Support The

Japanese branch of the intimate apparel maker Genie is currently advertising, in Japanese and English, a handy guide for bras that emphasizes the hardship women bear by having to lug around breasts of certain sizes in ill-fitting garments. The Genie chart reveals weight in ounces of typical A-cup chests (11.5 ounces) through F-cup (41.7 ounces, or 2.6 pounds). To assist any innumerate Japanese shoppers, the chart also shows practical comparisons, such

as A-cup pairs weighing as much as “two chipmunks,” C-cups as “one newborn polar bear cub,” and F-cups as “one 3-month-old Persian kitten.”

The Passing Parade Mark Herron,

49, of Sunderland, England, was arrested again in May — his 448th arrest on alcoholrelated charges. The year started “well” for Herron, with only 14 collars through March, and he cleaned up briefly before a “family bereavement” sent him spiraling downward again. His current lawyer admitted that his client has been in court more often than he himself has.

Top That Austrian Hans Heiland vowed in

June to assist a needy family in Oberholz by donating to a charity fundraiser sponsored by the local fire department. He has been collecting bottle tops through the years and figures he could sell his “treasure” now, as scrap metal, to help the family. He has at least 10 million caps, weighing “several tons.”

Wait, How Many Fell for This?

In May, the federal government finally shut down a long-running international scam that had sold psychic assurances (prosperity! winning lottery numbers!) to more than a million Americans. In personalized form letters, two French psychics had guaranteed success and riches to clients if they would only buy their $50 books, usually followed by massive upselling. The Justice Department estimated that during the spree, the sellers earned upward of $180 million on at least 56 million pieces of postal mail.

Call Waiting In a June verdict still

reverberating through the telemarketing industry, a jury in Utah found that three companies run by Forrest Baker III had illegally made 99 million phone calls to consumers on the Do Not Call Registry and an additional 18 million calls telling people they were merely doing surveys when the purpose was hawking their family-friendly movies. Both charges are violations of the Federal Trade Commission’s Telemarketing Sales Rule. Although the total fine and damages have not been decided, the law provides that the most serious offenders could be assessed $16,000 per phone call, for a maximum of almost $1.9 trillion.

But What About Cat Videos? A

recent study by a Harvard University data scientist estimated that the government of China funds the creation of at least 488 million bogus social-media posts a year. The report refers to a rumored governmentsponsored arrangement that pays people the equivalent of 8 U.S. cents per post of “news” for the purpose of distracting social-media users and channeling them to subjects preferred by the government, such

as successes of the Communist Party.

Burn That Bridge The family of a

Virginia Tech student missing since 1998 was notified in March that the man’s remains and ID had been found in a wooded ravine 700 feet below the New River Gorge bridge near Beckley, West Virginia — in an area the man’s vehicle tracker had long identified for potential searching. A West Virginia State Police sergeant told reporters that in the years since the student disappeared, the remains of 48 other bodies had been found underneath the bridge.

Recurring Themes (1) Fernando

Estrella, 41, was arrested in Franklin County, Vermont, in March and charged with making the foolish error of running a stop sign while carrying a heroin haul. Estrella was rectally packing three condoms stuffed with enough heroin, to fill 1,428 streetretail-size baggies, said police. (2) Esteysi Sanchez Izazaga, 29, was arrested for DUI, hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter in Oceanside, California, in June after driving three-fourths of a mile (3,960 feet) with a pedestrian’s corpse firmly lodged in her windshield after she struck the man. The drive ended up at her home, where her horrified husband noticed the body and called police.

Some Assembly Required As

typical of many pervert suspects in News of the Weird, Roger Marsh, 65, of Cowling, England, was a prodigious collector/hoarder of his indecent images. He was caught with a camera attached to his shoe following skirted women around an IKEA store, and in May was ordered to jail for 18 months by Leeds Crown Court, covering six offenses. However, police had also discovered a trove of 709,376 images and videos at his home, and preliminary perusal of the collection showed 1,600 live files of voyeurism and about 9,000 indecent images of children.

NOTW Classic (August 2012) New Mexico is an “open carry” state, with lawabiding adults authorized to display loaded handguns in public. However, in the town of Vaughn (pop. 500, about 90 miles east of Albuquerque), perhaps the only people not legally able to carry are the town’s two police officers. A June (2012) KOB-TV report revealed that Chief Ernest Armijo had been convicted in 2011 of criminal non-support of a wife and two sons, and was barred from possessing a gun. Deputy Brian Bernal has his own domestic issue: a conviction for family violence that bans him, under federal law, from carrying. Update: a month after the original News of the Weird story, both men resigned, leaving the town’s police dog the only active “officer.”

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News

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clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 15

Food

Feature

Southern Discomfort A conversation on the culture of cooking with culinary historian Michael W. Twitty By Madeline Lemieux

t has been said that the best way to reach someone’s heart is through their stomach. Author and TED Talk fellow Michael W. Twitty tests this theory at Founders Hall this week, when he combines a hearty menu of Southern fare including okra soup, Mary Randolph’s yeast rolls, fried chicken, Madeira ham, cornbread kush, sauteed greens and peach cobbler with a heavy dose of food for thought. Up for discussion: the true heritage of Southern cooking. For Twitty, it’s a discussion that’s years in the making. It all began with The Cooking Gene, a blog project aiming to retrace his family’s “food-steps” throughout the South and make connections new and old around the dinner table. “Many of my ancestors were enslaved in North Carolina,” he says. “I come from enslaved Africans and white slave holders with roots in this state going back to the 17th and 18th centuries.” He documents his findings in his memoir The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through AfricanAmerican Culinary History In The Old South, due to hit shelves in December. In the meantime, he invites Charlotteans to join him around the dinner table for an honest discussion on southern culture and cuisine of the past, present and future. “The best way to open a dialogue is to cook it…together. We have to talk about techniques, cultures, their values and spiritual heritage, because that all goes in the pot. For me this dinner is an edible love letter to our ancestors.” Creative Loafing: The Cooking Gene project was born a few years ago as a journey tracing your roots through the south using food as a medium. What was the personal significance of using food as the medium for conversation? Michael W. Twitty: Food is a major vehicle for redemption and reconciliation. The story of the South and of the journey of African-American families is complex — sometimes painful — but food gives us the power to embrace that complexity and use it to move towards a better understanding of one another. 16 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

Feast On Culture w/ Michael W. Twitty $20-$28. July 28, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Founders Hall, 100 N. Tryon St. 704-547-3700. ganttcenter.org/ calendar/feast-on-culture/.

What were some of the conversations that you had on your journey, and how were they similar or different than what you expected? I think white southerners across the map and of all backgrounds really wanted to have this conversation about food, power and identity. They testified heavily to the story of black people influenced their family recipes and how much they shared with AfricanAmericans as devotees of Southern food. We also recognized each other as kinfolk. That’s serious, it’s not just about being American, which is important, but it’s about recognizing your place in global history and the power of acknowledging the real and fictive ways we are each other’s kin. You have cited Nearis Green [an enslaved man who taught Jack Daniel how to distill whiskey] as an example of how we’re finally beginning to uncover and acknowledge true culinary history and the role of African-Americans on what we have branded ‘traditional Southern comfort food.’ What role does rewriting history to acknowledge people like Green play in culinary justice? And what’s the next step? The next step is recognizing just how much it’s important to have diversity in the food scene now. We have the opportunity to support individuals and businesses that can address systemic poverty; neighborhood safety and integrity; health and dietary issues; sustainable agriculture; and teach history with every plate. We need to make sure that loaning and lending practices, preservation

Michael W. Twitty brings his Feast On Culture to Founders Hall on July 28.

Fried chicken prepared by Twitty. of historical black neighborhoods and educational opportunities all agree with the idea that this is a proud and useful heritage that should flourish in the future. With regards to culinary justice and culinary appropriation, where do we go from here? What should the future of southern culture — both in and out of the kitchen — look like? People need to get this straight ... cultural and culinary appropriation are not what happens when you borrow from another culture. It’s what happens when you disrespect, exploit and abuse any powers or privileges you have in relation to another culture or remix it or claim it as your own without citation or reference. Respecting the source, acknowledging the connections and sharing the power are the antidotes. You have said that food is “ a way to bring people together across long-held boundaries that have divided them.” Part of that is accepting or embracing what you’ve called the “discomfort of the Southern past.” How can we use the stories of division from our past to become more unified? We often hear the phrase, “move on,” that’s deceptive. You don’t really move on, rather you move up. Dialogue, discussion, action get elevated rather than left behind in the rubble of the past. Cooking and eating are ways to break down walls that we create

Madeira ham having to to the daily work of moving up. In our current climate of tension and division, what conversations do we need to be having about our history and our cultural identity? We need dinners like this to remind us of how much we have in common and how we have always led interdependent lives. Also, people have been taught precious little about enslaved people of color and free people of color in colonial and antebellum America, educating the masses is important. What did you learn about yourself, your family, and the roots of your culinary identity? I’m everything — Viking, Italian, Native American, Southeast Asian! However, I was especially proud to learn my African ethnic affinities via DNA. In fact, five of my countries of ancestral origin on the African side — Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali and The Gambia — have some of the overall healthiest diets in the world. That’s an opportunity to learn and grow from that wisdom. How would you encourage readers to have a similar journey, or learn about their roots? What elements of Southern culture or cuisine can people of all races, origins, or nationalities celebrate and use as building blocks for a better future?

The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African-American Culinary History in the Old South By Michael W. Twitty. Release date: Dec. 6, 2016. Amistad Publishing, 336 pages. amazon.com.

I often get accused of only focusing on the African and African-American sides of Southern food. I don’t only focus on them, I mainly focus on them because for so long African cultures have been denied as a source of the distinctiveness of Southern culture and southern food. To be American, to be southern, should be an opportunity to see oneself in the family tree of African peoples, because without the ingredients, the dishes, the values and culture our ancestors brought with them, we wouldn’t be the South we know today. I want people coming to this dinner to know they are my cousins, no matter where they come from.

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For more information on Michael W. Twitty’s blog, visit afroculinaria.com. mlemieux@clclt.com

clclt.com | jul. 28 - jul. 3, 2016 | 17

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Thursday

A Silent Film What: English alt-rockers A Silent Film are often compared to acts like The Killers and Coldplay due to their piano and drum combination. The last time they were in town, it was for a “secret show” at a unique location in support of their latest EP. While they’ve undergone some lineup changes — more like member drops — the band’s sound has remained consistent. The band’s eponymous third album was released last October. When: 8 p.m. Where: Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave. More: $12-$15. 704-358-9200. visulite.com. — Jeff Hahne

20 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

friday

29 Charlotte Artist Showcase

THINGS TO DO

TOP ten

Slipknot TUESDay

saturday

E=MC SQUARED JAM

What: This showcase, featuring works from local artists Jen Hill, Andy Rocco and more, is raising proceeds for Carolinas HealthCare Foundation. That means, drink more beer while you’re there. Entry is free, but the first 100 people to donate at the door will score a free print by one of the artists. Also, the fine folks at Sugar Creek Brewing have donated a keg for folks who arrive early enough to tap it.

What: For folks who’ve been anxiously awaiting this year’s Breakin’ Convention, here’s something to tide you over until those shenanigans. This is a b-boy/b-girl jam that’s set to go down in the heart of Spirit Square. Drop a move or stand back and be an envious spectator. DJ Justin Aswell spins during the youth and adult competitions and there’s also a Charlotte versus Fayetteville city battle.

When: 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Where: Sugar Creek Brewing, 215 Southside Drive. More: Free admission. 704-5213333. sugarcreekbrewing.com.

When: 1 p.m.-6 p.m. Where: Spirit Square, 345 N. College St. More: $5 to enter; $8 to battle. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org.

— Anita Overcash

M. Shawn Crahan

— Overcash

The Underground Grand Opening

Harry Potter Release Party

What: With the demise of Tremont Music Hall and the Chop Shop, Charlotte’s music scene could use some new life. Well, here it is — there’s a new venue in town, opening in the former Bootlegger’s location at the AvidExchange Music Factory. The Underground, owned by Live Nation, will have a 750-person capacity. The first concert is locals only with Fifty Watt Freight Train, Something Clever and The Reason You Stayed.

What: The Muggles that make up the 2nd & Charles staff are getting crafty. In honor of the July 31 release of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, they’re throwing a midnight release party. There will be a costume contest, trivia and Xbox quidditch tournament, in addition to activities like wand making. Forget Pokemon and opt to search for horcruxes lurking in the store, instead.

When: 8 p.m. Where: The Underground, 820 Hamilton St. More: $10. fillmorecharlottenc.com. — Hahne

When: 2 p.m.-12 a.m. Where: 2nd & Charles, 5331 South Blvd. More: Free. 704-523-2217. 2ndandcharles.com. — Overcash

Muriel Anderson Sunday

Charlotte Artist Showcase w/ art by Jen Hill Friday

A Silent Film Thursday

News Arts Food Music Odds

saturday

NC Polynesian Festival What: It’s time to break out the hulas for this luau that celebrates the South Pacific islands. In addition to traditional Polynesian food and vendors selling goods in an open air market setting, there’s so much entertainment. You can expect fire/knife spinning, live music from reggae bands, hula fitness demos, and a special appearance from Tongan professional wrestlers Lei’D Tapa and Sione Havea Vailahi, aka The Barbarian. When: July 30-31, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Where: Charlotte Open Air Market, 5471 Central Ave. More: Free admission. — Overcash

International Champions Cup

sunday

tuesday

Wednesday

Muriel Anderson

Slipknot

Ink Floyd Presents

What: Charlotte’s been hosting some bigger international club soccer names in recent years, and that trend continues this Saturday when Bank of America Stadium plays host to Inter Milan vs. FC Bayern Munich. Despite both teams being without some key players for this international friendly, there promises to be a great atmosphere and plenty of high-level soccer — sorry, futbol.

What: Leave it to Nashville-based Muriel Anderson to play strange shaped instruments. Noted as a fingerstyle guitarist and harpist, Anderson drifts across musical genres breathing a kind of renewed life into the instruments she plays. She was the first woman to pick up the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship back in 1989 and she’s always up for a challenge — recently she played with German guitar duo, Tierra Negra.

What: Between Player Made events, the soon-to-be-resumed Squirt Day Parties (8/13) and other regular shows, it’s safe to say Snug Harbor is home court for Rapper Shane and Elevator Jay. So it’s not surprising that Ink Floyd will begin it’s August residency there with a show featuring Shane, Jay, Left & Right and the Greensboro-based Daddy Issues. Check our website for the review of Shane’s new EP, Too Busy To Be This Broke, released earlier this month.

When: 5 p.m. Where: Bank of America Stadium, 800 S. Mint St. More: $34-$200. ticketmaster.com.

When: 8 p.m. Where: The Evening Muse, 3227 N. Davidson St. More: $12-$15. 704-376-3737. eveningmuse.com.

What: Fans wondered what would happen after the death of bassist Paul Gray, but numerous lineup changes haven’t hindered Slipknot in the least. The band has leaned more toward melodic metal in recent years — compared to the aggressive, growled metal of its early days — but that’s only served in growing the fanbase. Two years ago at Carolina Rebellion the band proved that they’re in their best form in years. Marilyn Manson and Of Mice & Men open. When: 6:30 p.m. Where: PNC Music Pavilion, 707 Pavilion Blvd. More: $30-$70. livenation.com.

When: 10 p.m. Where: Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St. More: $2-$10. snugrock.com.

— Ryan Pitkin

— Overcash

— Hahne

— pitkin

clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 21

Arts

theater

Megan York and Colby Davis in COTU’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Photo courtesy of COTU.

The cast of COTU’s Fight Club.

Photo courtesy of COTU.

Blaze of Glory COTU firebrand founder James Cartee pulls the plug with his own special flair By Perry Tannenbaum

e’ve

had

ONE

professional theatre company in Charlotte that drew the likes of Hilary Swank, Tony Kushner, Beth Henley, Andre De Shields, Emily Skinner and Bonnie Franklin to town. Another company was so prolific that they often had two productions running at the same time in their final days. Scores of fringe companies, held up by dogged determination and duct tape, have sprouted up, wrought miracles on shoestring budgets, and disappeared overnight. So did the pro company, Charlotte Repertory, and the prolific company, Carolina Actors Studio Theatre — both trashed by rogue boards of directors. But we’ve never had anything like James Cartee and his Citizens of the Universe. Never bedeviled by meddlesome bean counters, Cartee is closing down his company and leaving Charlotte — with his own special flair. One of his final shows, O’Brother, is 22 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

up and running at NoDa Brewery as we go to press. Another, Gonzo: A Brutal Chrysalis, opens next week. Four more Citizens productions are in the works before COTU brings down the curtain on its final show on December 10. The company’s name came from “Sure Thing,” the first short play in David Ives’ All in the Timing, which was the first show COTU co-produced in 2001, over in Greenville, SC. A comic sketch with a multitude of false starts, “Sure Thing” was an apt reference, since COTU popped up afterwards in multiple places, including Orlando and Yellowstone, before taking root here. Their first Charlotte effort, Trainspotting at the Milestone Club (a frosty success in late January of 2008), was emblematic of what made COTU unique. From the beginning, Cartee’s shows voyaged to places nobody else had considered before: Fight Club in a Central Avenue parking lot, Reservoir Dogs at Studio

1212, Princess Bride at the Breakfast Club, Gonzo: A Brutal Chrysalis at The Graduate, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Chop Shop, Titus Andronicus in the back patio of Snug Harbor, A Disturbance in Whitechapel along multiple streets and venues in NoDa, The Lion in Winter at SEEDS, Nosferatu in the backlot of Salvaged Beauty, and Sid and Nancy at The Mill (before it became UpStage). Cartee considers his company fringe theatre, but his roaming, pioneering spirit as he invaded new territories established COTU as Charlotte’s quintessential guerrilla group. The trailblazing has left lasting marks. Some of these previously unexplored places, most notably UpStage, caught on as performance venues with other companies. Just as important are Cartee’s colonizing instincts. The third — and likely last — Carolina Arts & Theatre Awards will be staged at Snug Harbor in September, gathering the community’s theatre artists together

and celebrating their achievements. More fundamental was the Queen City Fringe Festival of 2013. Cartee’s attempt to set NoDa, Plaza-Midwood and Elizabeth ablaze with live performances didn’t exactly ignite those neighborhoods, but it demonstrated that it could be done — paving a way for other groups and artsy shenanigans, like this year’s successful BOOM Festival. Yet the idea of taking favorites and cult movies and turning them into live theatre — never adorning them with song and dance — remains Cartee’s exclusive turf. That mission actually evolved from an epic 10-year quest to find the playscript for Trainspotting that Cartee heard about back in his college days. He tracked down a rare book of four plays by Harry Gibson in New Zealand, paid a pretty penny for it, and found it more fabulous than he’d expected. But it was audience reaction that convinced Cartee that he was on to

Berry Newkirk in COTU’s Trainspotting.

something. People weren’t coming to see Trainspotting out of curiosity for a new group in town, so much as they were connecting with the movie title. “There is a hungry audience who love live performance,” says Cartee, “but they want stories they are familiar with. My thought was, if I can get people who have never been to see a theatrical show — or haven’t in years — I could trick them into seeing something they know. Hook ‘em! Then pull an Uncle Vanya on them.” After Reservoir Dogs, COTU actually did produce Uncle Vanya at Story Slam in 2010. That was four months before reviving Trainspotting at the same Central Avenue venue. “Trainspotting at Story Slam is perhaps the closest that I came to the vision I had in my head to make it to the stage,” Cartee reminisces. “Lion in Winter was a fantastic show and for me personally, I believe that

Photo courtesy of COTU.

is my best work. As far as overall idea? Big Lebowski, Princess Bride, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I play up the comedy ‘cause I’m a hack, but even then, what I was hearing from a lot of our audiences was that what was on the page leaped out into life and grabbed you by the balls. Much more so than any song and dance or even on the screen.” A sharp edge is often evident in Cartee’s hacking, for there’s another rich vein that runs COTU’s history, whether it’s favorite movies plopped onstage or classic literature. With titles that include Titus, Reservoir Dogs, Beowulf, and The Disturbance in Whitechapel — chronicling the rampage of Jack the Ripper — COTU’s catalogue is easily the bloodiest in the annals of Charlotte theatre. The one time that he detoured into a musical, Cartee’s COTU presented The Rocky Horror Show. But musicals are not his thing. “All I know is that I don’t want Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs to do a whole musical number

A photo from COTU’s Rosencrantz & Guildenstern.

O’Brother $10-$15. July 28-30, 7:30 p.m. Noda Brewing Co., 2921 North Tryon St. http://cotu.ticketleap.com/obro.

GONZO: A Brutal Chrysalis Aug. 3-6. Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org. For more on Citizens of the Universe, visit citizensoftheuniverse.org.

about cutting off a fucking ear. Fuck that. Cut the ear off and let the blood drip.” There’s plenty more gore to come. The

Photo courtesy of COTU.

newest installment of Disturbance, Fear the Ripper, will transplant Jack’s final rampage to Plaza-Midwood — with five new endings — and at the Halloween end of October, Silence will reign. That one comes with the chained convict Hannibal Lecter. Is there anything left undone? Probably not, since the man who labels himself the Intergalactic Peacekeeper of COTU is letting his imagination fly into outer space in two of his valedictories. After GONZO: A Brutal Chrysalis, Cartee and COTU will present The Rapture Sampler Platter, a variety of new, short plays based on the word and theme rapture, Sept. 8-10. The theatre troupe will revisit its final frontier in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, December 1-10. And it should be a blast. For a full transcript of the exit interview with Cartee, go to artonmysleeve.net. backtalk@clclt.com clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 23

Arts

film

Fox Searchlight

Joanna Lumley and Jennifer Saunders in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

Ab Fab or Prefab? TV spinoff runs hot and cold By Matt Brunson

“

wouldn’ T recommend getting in the

Jacuzzi. It’s a smoothie of oldman semen.” While it’s tempting to believe this eyebrow-raising snatch of dialogue came from Finding Dory or The BFG, it’s actually one of the many naughty bits found in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie (**1/2 out of four), the big-screen adaptation of the popular British comedy that ran off and on for 41 episodes between 1992 and 2012. Having never seen the show, I can’t state how well it carries on TV’s Ab Fab tradition — a colleague who cites the series 24 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

as among his all-time faves opined at the advance screening that it fails to recapture its former glory, while others have written that it’s a marvelous tribute to the Brit sitcom. My advice: Definitely take a chance if you’re a fan of the show, but newbies should proceed with caution. The movie does get off to a, yes, fabulous start, as best friends Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone (series stars Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley) are still trying to remain trendy and amass gargantuan wealth — Edina by nabbing Kate Moss as a client for her PR firm, Patsy by doing as little as

humanly possible. Matters turn disastrous for the pair, though, when they attend a swank fashion soirée and Edina accidentally knocks Moss into the Thames. Because the supermodel is presumed dead (her body can’t be found), Edina suddenly becomes the most hated person in the world, and she and Patsy flee to the French Riviera in the hopes of finding a rich husband for Patsy so the pair can fade away in rich anonymity. For a while, the fact that this looks and sounds like no other movie in theaters works to its advantage, with colorful characters and off-kilter dialogue dominating the

proceedings. But after the Moss drowning, when the film should kick into a higher gear, it instead idles to a stultifying degree, and the draggy midsection (comprised primarily of Edina and Patsy wallowing in self-pity) suggests that director Mandie Fletcher (who also helmed episodes of the series) and Saunders (as screenwriter) didn’t have enough material to justify a feature-length outing. Luckily, the movie rallies during the third act (complete with a closing scenario echoing Some Like It Hot’s classic finale), although even here, Fletcher’s clumsy smallscreen staging is at odds with Saunders’

efforts to open up the film. As expected, there are cameos galore (Jon Hamm, Lulu and Emma “Baby Spice” Bunton are among those playing themselves), as well as small roles for currently hot actors (Rebel Wilson as a flight attendant, Mark Gatiss, Sherlock’s creator/Mycroft Holmes, amusing as a book publisher) — you can also count on seeing celebrities who haven’t been in the public consciousness since Reagan was president (Joan Collins, Jerry Hall). All these fleeting appearances are like the movie itself: Amazon hot and Arctic cold, with some inspiring affection and amusement and others leading to nothing more than an exaggerated shoulder shrug.

A grouchy old man and a roly-poly boy; the devastating loss of a significant other; a faithful canine companion (two, actually); the sighting of a rare kind of bird. Sure, it might sound like Hunt for the Wilderpeople (*** out of four) is a live-action remake of the Pixar gem Up, but it’s actually its own beast, a memorable tale alternating between heaviness

and heart. Sam Neill plays the grizzled elder, stuck in the New Zealand wilds with a young boy (Julian Dennison) and being pursued by authority figures who mistakenly believe that he not only kidnapped the child but is also sexually abusing him. That couldn’t be further from the truth: On the contrary, the kid doesn’t especially want to return to civilization and fancies himself a hardcore gangster successfully eluding the police (in truth, he’s no more gangster than any of the Little Rascals). Adapted (from Barry Crump’s book Wild Pork and Watercress) and directed by What We Do in the Shadows creator Taika Waititi (who interjects himself into the proceedings by playing a minister in one strained scene), Hunt for the Wilderpeople is excellent when it focuses solely on the relationship between — and the misadventures of — its two central figures. It’s less captivating when the attention turns to several doltish characters, most critically an abrasive social worker (Rachel House) but also a selfie-loving slacker (Troy Kingi) and a conspiracy theorist named Psycho Sam (Rhys

Julian Dennison and Sam Neill in Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Darby). Still, these supporting players are only the side dishes, and the main course is more than savory enough to cover up their

The Orchard

overcooked flavorlessness. backtalk@clclt.com

clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 25

Arts

Happenings

Comedy Bonkerz Comedy Club Blayr Nias. July 29-30, 8 p.m. $10. 5624 Westpark Drive. 980-288-5653. bonkerzcomedyproductions.com. The Comedy Zone Charlotte Drew Lynch. July 28, 8 p.m.; July 29, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.; July 30, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Cindy Kaza Psychic Medium. Aug. 1. $20. 180 Seconds Comedy Show. Aug. 2, 8 p.m. 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd., Suite B3. 980-321-4702. cltcomedyzone. com. Wet Willie’s Charlotte Comedy Theater. For more information, visit charlottecomedytheater. com. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m. $10. 900 N.C. Music Factory Blvd., Suite C-1. 704-716-5650. wetwillies.com.

Film 17th Annual Real to Reel International Film Festival Featuring independent film, video and multi-media artists from around the world to showcase their talents and expose the works of artists in the region. $8-$10. July 28-29, 7 p.m.; July 30, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Joy Performance Center, 202 S. Railroad Ave., Kings Mountain. Hollywood Shoots Itself Film Series Screening Sullivan’s Travels (1942). July 30. ImaginOn, 300 E 7th St. Saturday Night Cine Club Screening Sunset Song. Doors open at 7 p.m. Guest speaker will lead a discussion after the screening. $5-$10. July 30. Theatre Charlotte, 501 Queens Road.

Theater/Dance/ Performance Art August: Osage County This award-winning production invites you to pull up a chair to the dysfunctional Weston family, who will have you laughing until you cry, and crying until you laugh. Through July 31. Lee Street Theatre, 329 N. Lee St., Salisbury. 704-310-5507. leestreet. org. RSVP - Real Struggles and Venomous People Tochi Bueno Productions in association with JazzNSoul Music presents this show about friendship, family, faith, food, and foolishness. $25-$30. July 30, 8 p.m.; July 31, 7 p.m. Duke Energy Theater, 345 N. College St. 704-3721000. blumenthalarts.org. 26 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

National Dance Day National Dance Day is a grassroots initiative to encourage the nation, young and old, to move. Nigel Lythgoe, executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance, created this annual event to promote health and self-esteem through the art form of dance. Featuring an array of participatory dance activities. This free event is open to people of all ages and no prior dance experience is necessary for participation. July 30, 1 p.m. Wells Fargo Plaza, 301 S. Tryon St. 704-372-1000. blumenthalarts.org. O’Brother O’Brother is set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression and is loosely based on Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey. Suggested donation of $15 or $10 online. July 28-30, 7:30 p.m. Noda Brewery, 2921 North Tryon St. http://cotu.ticketleap.com/ obro.

Visual Arts Bechtler Museum of Modern Art All That Sparkles... 20th Century Artists’ Jewelry. Presenting an array of selected jewelry alongside examples of more conventional artwork, this exhibition celebrates the craftsmanship and creativity of artists who used the medium to explore texture and color. Through Jan. 8, 2017. The House That Modernism Built. The exhibit presents Bechtler Museum of Modern Arts’ rich mid-20th century art collection alongside furniture, textile and ceramic holdings on loan from other institutions and private collectors. Through Sept. 11. 420 S. Tryon St. 704-353-9200. bechtler.org. Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture Shaping the Vessel: Cummings + Mascoll + Samuel. The exhibit features 26 wood works by three artists, including Frank E. Cummings III, John Mascoll and Avelino Samuel. Through Jan. 16, 2017. 551 South Tryon St. 704547-3700. ganttcenter.org. Haylo Healing Arts Lounge Horizons. This exhibit by Hayley Moran features artistic reflections on connection and the coupling of opposites across a multitude of horizons. July 30, 7-11 p.m. 1111 Central Ave., Suite 100. 704332-3377. haylostudiolounge.com. Jerald Melberg Gallery Two to Watch. Featuring paintings by Nicholas Napoletano and sculptures by Matthew Steele. Through Sept. 10. 625 S. Sharon Amity Road. 704-3653000. jeraldmelberg.com.

McColl Center for Art + Innovation Prompt. Featuring art Installations by Quisqueya Henríquez, Susan Lee-Chun, and Willie Little. Through Aug. 27. 721 North Tryon St. mccollcenter.org. Mint Museum Uptown The Art & Craft of Shoemaking. The exhibit features an array of diverse and unique shoes, from past to present eras of the Mint’s permanent collection. The show explores both the cultural history and the meticulous craft of shoemaking. Through July 31. Here & Now: 80 Years of Photography at the Mint. The first survey exhibition of photography drawn solely from the Mint’s permanent collection. It’s comprised of approximately 100 of the Mint’s most stunning and provocative photographs. Through Sept. 18. 500 S. Tryon St. 704-337-2000. mintmuseum.org.

More Events 24 Hours of Booty Charlotte Join in for a ride on the Booty Loop to raise funds for cancer-fighting programs at the Levine Cancer Institute. Ride as much or as little as you’d like during the 24-hour event. July 29-30, 7 p.m.-7 p.m. Myers Park Traditional Elementary School, 2132 Radcliffe Ave. 24hoursofbooty.org/events/ charlotte/. 2nd Annual QC Summerfest A three-day weekend of music in Uptown Charlotte. Day one features Boney James. $39.50. July 29, 7 p.m. Festival continues through July 31. Belk Theater, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-327-1000. blumenthalarts.org. Charlotte Knights vs. Columbus Clippers July 29, 7:05 p.m.; July 30, 12:05 p.m.; July 31, 5:05 p.m. BB&T Ballpark, 324 South Mint St. milb. com/index.jsp?sid=t494. CLT Burger Week Elevate Lifestyle and Beasley Media Group present CLT Burger Week, featuring $5 burgers at more than 25 participating restaurants which are competing for “best burger in Charlotte.” July 28-30, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. CLTBurgerWeek.com. Dammit Fannie Heat Wave Hosted by DJ Fannie Mae and Dammit Wesley. This show will feature national recording artist and Charlotte native Deniro Farrar. There’s also a Teen Vouge model, Brandi Kinard, who will be doing a live photo shoot during the event. $5. July 31, 6 p.m. Studio 1212, 1212 E 10th St. thinkcolor. bigcartel.com.

Don Tilley Memorial Half Mile AMA Pro Flat Track is highly regarded as the most prestigious and competitive form of dirt track racing in the world. July 30, 5-10 p.m. Charlotte Motor Speedway, 5555 Concord Parkway South, Concord. 704-455-3200. charlottemotorspeedway.com. Evening of Rich Stories and Chocolate Enjoy an enriching evening of stories and chocolate with The Secret Chocolatier and storyteller Faye Fulton at the “Indulge in the Richness of Life: Rich Stories and Rich Chocolate” event. Attendees will be entertained with stories by Faye Fulton while indulging in one Chef Bill Dietz’s specialty plated dessert creations and a cup of coffee or tea. $17.50 per person. July 30, 7-8 p.m. The Secret Chocolatier, 11318 North Community House Road. 704-323-8178. thesecretchocolatier.com. The Great American Bar Crawl The Great American Bar Crawl is bringing a large, patriotic party to Uptown Charlotte this July 30. Join in for a day of celebrating and drinking. $20-$40. July 30, 2-9 p.m. EpiCentre, 210 E. Trade St. greatamericanbarcrawl.com Help Custom Level Up Custom’s equipment is no longer keeping up with the business workload and they need some help. Come party with them and enjoy snacks and drinks from PBR & Sierra Nevada. You’ll have access to pre-orders, discounts and a live auction. Free event with live auction. July 30, 6-10 p.m. Custom, 3206 N. Davidson St. Hot Stuff Summer Pop-Up Market Petra’s first ever pop-up market featuring:. Local crafts, artisans, food and beer. July 31, 1 p.m. Petra’s, 1919 Commonwealth Ave. 704-332-6608. petrasbar.com. Will Wildfire- Romance Dawn II: One Piece Listening/Release Party With his second EP Romance Dawn II: One Piece set to drop Aug. 3, Will Wildfire is giving fans the opportunity to listen to the project exclusively. Come out to support and listen to the story behind each track. Free. Aug. 3, 7-10 p.m. The Gallery at South End, 1320 S. Church St. Queen City SummerFest Jazz Brunch Performance by saxophonist/flutist Nelson Rangell. $45. July 31, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Blue Restaurant & Bar, 214 N. Tryon St. 704-9272583. bluecharlotte.com.

clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 27

Music

Feature

Orbs will play at Lunchbox Records on July 30.

Illuminating soundscapes Orbs hit the road By Anita Overcash

reensboro-based musician Dan Briggs should

be tired. He’s just returning home from an extensive European tour with Between 28 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

the Buried and Me, the progressive rock band he’s played in since his early 20s. But Briggs, now 31, is currently preparing to hit the road with one of his side projects, Orbs. The band, which formed in 2007, consists of singer Adam Fisher of Fear Before the

March of Flames and keyboardist Ashley Ellyllon (formerly of Cradle of Filth and Abigail Williams), as well as bassist Chuck Johnson and drummer Matt Lynch. The group will be in Charlotte for a performance at Lunchbox Records on July

30, while touring in support of its sophomore record, Past Life Regression, released on July 15. The album is a follow-up to the band’s 2010 debut, Asleep Next To Science. For the making of both albums, the band heavily conversed back and forth by email and

Music

Review

Orbs w/ Ivadell, Fk Mt. and My Brother My Sister $5. July 30, 7 p.m. LunchBox Records, 825 Central Ave. 704-3310788. lunchboxrecords.com.

traveled for songwriting sessions. Briggs notes that a lot has changed in the five years since the band last toured together. This time around, Ellyllon, who wrote the music for both albums along with Briggs, won’t be on the touring lineup. She currently resides in Los Angeles, California, and motherhood calls. She is staying home to take care of her one-year-old child. On top of Briggs and Johnson living in Greensboro and Ellyllon being based in L.A., Fisher resides in Long Beach, Calif., and Lynch lives in Georgia. Coming together involves a journey — or multiple journeys — oftentimes by plane. A musician from England is flying over to replace Ellyllon on the upcoming tour. For Briggs, who is used to playing bass/ keyboards in Between the Buried and Me, this tour gives him the chance to switch out the gear he’ll be playing. Instead of bass and keys, he’ll be on guitar. “It’s a little nerve-wracking. It’s nervewracking anytime you do something different,” says Briggs. “The Between the Buried and Me stuff I’ve played hundreds and hundreds of times. You just step out on stage and there’s no nerves, you just do your thing. But the nerves are good. It’s going to be fun to have that adrenaline boost.” Briggs, who has played at the former location of Lunchbox Records, is excited to play with Orbs at the new location. Still small and intimate, it offers a change from playing large-scale venues like The Fillmore, which he frequents with Between the Buried and Me. “I’m really excited for Scott [Wishart, owner of Lunchbox] and them because in 2016 it’s really inspiring and cool to see a record store moving to a bigger location and not downsizing. He’s killing it and they’re doing it right,” he says. The band’s music, a mix of progressive rock, emo and experimental soundscapes, makes a live show at a spot like Lunchbox quite interesting. Briggs, who is a selfproclaimed music geek, loves experimenting with song formats and arrangements. That’s what forged his musical relationship

with Ellyllon, who shares a similar musical passion. “Orbs, to us, is just this rock band. But I think because Ashley has a classical background and I’m really rooted in like progressive rock from the ‘70s and fusion and stuff, our backgrounds just kind of lend to longer songs at times. We put different spins on things and we love doing variations on parts, so you hear the second verse of a song but it’s totally turned inside out — same chord structure and everything, but the bottom maybe falls out or it has kind of a bigger feel to it,” says Briggs. “It’s really a mix of that classical and progressive rock longform writing but kind of in a rock setting.” Themes on Past Life Regression revolve around reincarnation, death, guilt and grief. “Giving Tree Hanging Me” is a song about a criminal who is hung from a tree. While dangling, he feels the burden and shame that he’s brought onto the tree and later he becomes one with the tree, his limbs fusing with the branches. Another song, “Death is Imminent,” is about Fisher’s dog that passed away after 12 years. “It’s about having to bury your furry friends but then having them grow into this tree, that at the end of the song, kids are playing around and there’s a swing attached to the tree. The life continues and continues to bring joy and happiness,” says Briggs. “It’s a sad song with an uplifting twist.” The band name, which seems to play on band members’ various backgrounds and the different influences and skill sets that they bring to the table — coming from other bands that fall into genres like progressive rock and black metal, and classical training — is also influenced by Briggs’ and Ellyllon’s strange system of songwriting. “Ashley and I talked a lot in visuals when we first wrote the first album. She would chart out the songs in a really funny way and it was a great way, but she would chart it out in terms of colors and stuff. That helped her see sections that she could bring to life in a different sense with different keyboard patches or whatever,” says Briggs. “It was different word association that we used and that was really fun, especially for both of us because we come from a very schooled background.” aovercash@clclt.com

Andy the Doorbum & Justin Aswell Intent Fake Four; Release Date: May 27, 2016

Good luck describing this one, not that it’s completely off-the-wall. But it sounds just like you might think when you combine the folk-based singing/growling of Andy the Doorbum with the production and beats of Justin Aswell. It’s unlike anything either has created, and yet there’s a familiarity. The rhythms can get frantic on the album opener, “It’s Relative,” with Andy’s straightforward, raspy vocals keeping it grounded. “Liars” offers a sparse piano opener before Andy sings on top of the rolling Portishead-esque beat. “Unsetting Sun” had an Orthodox element in its simplistic sing-talking, while an orchestral backdrop created a stunning backdrop to set against. Sporadic animal noises from time to time were also a nice touch. “Short Term” is borderline chanting while “Heat Lightning” offers spoken word. Before heading out West, Andy the Doorbum was constantly striving to push Charlotte’s notion of art to its limits and focus on the art as a whole through his performances. Intent is a reminder of his talents as a musician and lyricist while also serving as an education of sorts of the wide range of sonic backdrops Aswell can create. The fact these two talented artists would get together and create something so outside of the box from their typical work, while pushing the comfort zone and seeing where new art can lead is inspiring, to say the least. Keep an eye out for any shows when Andy returns to town — they’re always worth catching, especially if Aswell’s on board. clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 29

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clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 31

Music

Soundboard

JULY 28 Classical/Jazz/Smooth Airstream (Double Door Inn)

Country/Folk River Jame Series w/ Head for the Hills (U.S. National Whitewater Center)

Hip-Hop/Soul/R&B R&B Live (Studio Movie Grille)

Pop/Rock Alive After Five w/ Rubberband (Rooftop 210) Family w/ Tecate Sunrise, Automatic Fantastic (Milestone) Shiprocked (Snug Harbor) *A Silent Film w/ Margolnick of Flagship (Visulite Theatre) Slomo Drags (The Evening Muse)

JULY 29 Classical/Jazz/Smooth The Clef Club After Hours Ft. Tom Browne (Stage Door Theater) Jazzy Fridays (Freshwaters Restaurant)

Country/Folk Acoustic Syndicate (Visulite Theatre) The Lenny Federal Band (Comet Grill) *Phillip Phillips w/ Matt Nathanson, A Great *Big World (Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre) Stonecrest Summer Concert Series w/ Woodie and the String Pullers (Stonecrest Shopping Center)

DJ/Electronic Blakeney Summer Music Series w/ DJ Chuck (Blakeney Shopping Center)

Hip-Hop/Soul/R&B *Brio w/ Nige Hood, King Callis, Brass Monk and Blue House Band (The Station) Gina Robinson (Duke Energy Theater)

Pop/Rock Acoustic Syndicate (Visulite Theatre) *Cordovas (Snug Harbor) Cuzco w/ Triathalon, Quiet Oaks (Snug Harbor) DeLozier w/ Lance SOAL, Q, DBD Chaoz Muzic, Revfia Disapu (Amos’ Southend) *Jon Lindsay (The Evening Muse) 32 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

Motorbilly (Puckett’s Farm Equipment) *My Three Sons (Double Door Inn) October w/ Noctomb, Death Still, Violent Gods (Milestone) Pineville Rockin’ and Reelin’ Concert Series w/ Coconut Groove Band (Belle Johnston Park)

JULY 30 Blues/Roots/International Part-time Blues Band (Double Door Inn)

Classical/Jazz/Smooth The Clef Club After Hours Ft. Lonnie Liston Smith (Stage Door Theater)

Country/Folk Blakeney Summer Concert Series w/ Wicked Powers Duo (Blakeney Shopping Center) Stonecrest Summer Concert Series w/ Woodie and the String Pullers (Stonecrest Shopping Center)

DJ/Electronic Digital Noir w/ Michael Price, DJ Spider (Milestone) Eclectric Vibe Tribe - Summer Dance Party Featuring Dew Boy Fresh (Visulite Theatre) Ferry Corsten (Label) Summer Splash w/ Sun Dried Vibes, Tatanka, Bumpin Uglies, Five40, See Water, Queen City Dub, Lovely Budz, The Dubber (Neighborhood Theatre)

Hip-Hop/Soul/R&B *Maysa (McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square)

Pop/Rock Departure: a Journey Tribute w/ 42: a Coldplay Tribute (Amos’ Southend) Eclectric Vibe Tribe Summer Dance Party feat. Dew Boy Fresh w/ LPG, Marley Pitch (Visulite Theatre) Fiftywatt Freight train w/ Something Clever, The Reason You Stayed (The Fillmore Charlotte) Kannapolis Summer Entertainment Series w/ Too Much Sylvia (Village Park) The Riflery w/ Gabrielle Sophia, Vance Fite (The Evening Muse) River Jam Series w/ Koa (U.S. National Whitewater Center) *Serfs w/ Naked Naps, Not Blood Paint, Wahya’s (Snug Harbor)

THU 7/28

+ MARGOLNICK of Flagship FRI 7/29

South 85 w/ Dirty Grass (Puckett’s Farm Equipment)

JULY 31 Blues/Roots/International *Muriel Anderson (The Evening Muse)

Country/Folk Carowinds Harmony Hall Summer Concert Series w/ Tony Barnes (Harmony Hall at Carowinds)

Pop/Rock Omari and the Hellrasiers (Comet Grill) Sense of Purpose f. Paul Agee, Chris Allen, Joe Lindsay, Jody Gholson (Tyber Creek Pub)

AUG. 1 Hip-Hop/Soul/R&B #MFGD Open Mic (Apostrophe Lounge)

Pop/Rock *The Monday Night Allstars (Double Door Inn) Wicked Powers (Comet Grill)

AUG. 2 Classical/Jazz/Smooth Bill Hanna Jazz Jam (Double Door Inn)

Country/Folk Red Rockin’ Chair (Comet Grill) Tuesday Night Jam w/ The Smokin’ Js (Smokey Joe’s Cafe)

Pop/Rock Digitour Summer 2016 w/ Jake T. Austin, Baby Ariel, Dylan Dauzat, Weston Koury, Dyllan Murray (Neighborhood Theatre) Fairplay & Special Guests (Lucky Lou’s Tavern) Nothing Feels Good - Emo Night (Noda 101) Rosewave w/ Invaluable, Castoff (Puckett’s Farm Equipment) *Slipknot w/ Marilyn Manson, Of Mice & Men (PNC Music Pavilion)

Open Mic Night (Comet Grill) Party in the Park w/ Fantastic Shakers (Romare Bearden Park)

COMING Soon  Bush, Chevelle (Aug. 9; CMCU Amphitheatre) Motion City Soundtrack (Aug 10; The Fillmore) *Squirt Day Party feat. Project Pat (Aug. 13; Snug Harbor) Dixie Chicks (Aug. 13; PNC Music Pavilion) NeedtoBreathe (Aug. 18; CMCU Amphotheater) Keith Urban (Aug. 18; PNC Music Pavilion) Jeezy (Aug. 25; The Fillmore) Chatham County Line (Aug. 26; McGlohon Theater) Rich Springfield (Aug. 26; CMCU Amphitheatre) God Save the Queen City (Aug. 27; The Fillmore) Ghostface Killah & Raekwon (Aug. 27; Amos’ Southend) The English Beat (Aug. 27; The Underground) Goo Goo Dolls (Aug. 28; CMCU Amphitheatre) Luke Bryan (Sept. 1; PNC Music Pavilion) BJ Barham (Sept. 1; Visulite Theatre) The Melvins (Sept. 6; Amos’ Southend) Florida Georgia Line (Sept. 10; PNC Music Pavilion) Dinosaur Jr. (Sept. 10; Neighborhood Theatre) Heart, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick (Sept. 16; PNC Music Pavilion) Brian Wilson (Sept. 19; Belk Theater) Bad Boy Family Reunion (Sept. 20; Time Warner Cable Arena) Built To Spill (Sept. 21; Neighborhood Theatre) I Love the 90s Tour (Sept. 23; Time Warner Cable Arena) James Bay (Sept. 25; The Fillmore) Kishi Vashi (Sept. 28; Visulite Theatre) Gov’t Mule (Oct. 1; CMCU Amphitheater) Korn w/ Breaking Benjamin (Oct. 5; PNC Music Pavilion) Charlie Puth (Oct. 6; The Fillmore) Wednesday 13 (Oct. 10; Amos Southend) Die Antwoord (Oct. 25; The Fillmore) Bonnie Raitt (Oct. 26; Ovens Auditorium) Phantogram (Oct. 29; The Fillmore)

AUG. 3

* - CL Recommends

Pop/Rock

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com. CL online provides addresses, maps and directions from your location. Send us your concert listings: E-mail us at aovercash@clclt. com or fax it to 704-522-8088. We need the date, venue, band name and contact name and number. The deadline is each Wednesday, one week before publication.

SAT 7/30

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PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG THU 9/15 FRI 9/30

For reviews on the latest in home entertainment, visit clclt.com/charlotte/view-from-the-couch/

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34 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

Recycle me, please (Only after you’re done reading me)

be budgeting because I’m broke — this is I took a break from my usual routine as close to heaven on Earth as you can get. of boat action and drinks at my favorite bars Picture carrot-ginger soup, sizzling juicy filet in the Q.C. this past weekend. For those of you who are wondering, no, that doesn’t and garlic mashed potatoes, followed by mean I didn’t drink. I went to the Bull City chocolate cheesecake. If that doesn’t make — i.e. Durham, NC — to participate as a your mouth water, I don’t know what will. bridesmaid in a wedding that I’ll remember And that’s just one combination you can get for a lifetime. It was the first marriage at the famous Ruth’s Chris Steak House. among my closest college friends, so you Needless to say, that email was just what I can imagine the entire experience was an needed to bring me back up after the weekend emotional rollercoaster. festivities and the resulting comedown. 204 After three nights staying up until 4 a.m. North Kitchen and Cocktails is one of the and driving back to Charlotte on Sunday, newest additions to the Uptown restaurant I started to come down from my wedding/ scene. I’ve been meaning to coordinate a reunion high and I genuinely felt depressed. happy hour trip after work to check it The entire weekend was riddled out, so this sounded like a dream with thoughts of loss. The loss come true. of loved ones. The loss of We snagged a reservation college youth. The loss of for six and I decided to take wasted time in terrible a look at what was going to relationships. The loss of be on the menu. I can tell alcohol as we relived our younger years over the you right now what I’m toilet. You get the point... going to order: fried green weddings bring out the tomatoes with pimento happiest and saddest cheese and country ham, memories at the same the 204 cheeseburger and a Aerin Spruill damn time. sorghum sticky bun. Also, in Nevertheless, I started to that order. feel even more depressed when I Here are a few tips for you to thought about the loss of my favorite keep in mind before Charlotte Restaurant restaurants in my old hometown. And then, Week concludes on July 31: the greatest reminder showed up in my work Pro tip #1: It’s highly recommended inbox. The email was from a co-worker and that you make reservations during Queen’s the subject line read: 204 North. I opened Feast. When the prices go down, demand the email and it said: Would you guys want to goes up. As such, restaurants get super busy do restaurant week tomorrow at 204 North during this time of year making it impossible at 6:30? As the old Southern Baptists would to get seated in a timely manner, if at all. So say, “Won’t God do it?!” make reservations and make them early. In the midst of wedding plans and Pro tip #2: Check out the menu whining over everything, I had completely forgotten that Charlotte Restaurant Week beforehand. The entire menu isn’t available aka Queen’s Feast had officially kicked off at Queen’s Feast prices. Make sure you’re on Friday, July 22. Restaurant week is one of actually interested in what the restaurant the most amazing ideas ever. Participating is going to be serving on the Charlotte restaurants offer foodies and restaurant Restaurant Week menu. goers the opportunity to experience threePro tip #3: Some restaurants offer course meals for a fraction of the price. “upgrades.” For example, at Ruth’s Chris I was reminded of the reservations I you can order a King’s Fest Entrée with your made during Triangle Restaurant Week meal when you pay $45 instead of $35. This (Durham’s version) in college and laughed menu features larger steaks, shrimp, crab thinking about how that was the only way cakes, even add-ons like lobster. Take your we were able to afford a meal outside of meal to the next level and get the most bang our campus meal plan. I guess the fond for your buck. memories of the weekend were going to follow me to the Charlotte after all. Where do you plan on going for Queen’s This year at Queen’s Feast, there are Feast? I’d love to hear about your restaurant 134 restaurants in the Charlotte and week experiences! Share it with me at backtalk@ surrounding area participating. For those of us on a loose budget — as in I should clclt.com.

Ends

Crossword

PROPELLING ANSWER ACROSS

1 Syria’s president since 2000 6 Devalue 13 Most optimistic 20 Fry lightly 21 Pilot in “Star Wars” 22 Everywhere 23 Start of a riddle 26 Bull-themed tequila brand 27 Bewildered 28 Fore and -29 Baseballer Stengel 30 “-- pro nobis” (“pray for us”) 32 Top-secret govt. group 34 Be a stinker 36 Riddle, part 2 47 Thwart 48 Big name in elevator safety 49 -- Lankan 50 Farmer, e.g. 51 Grain tower 52 P.O. part 53 Like forests 55 Singer Falana 56 Riddle, part 3 59 Morale restorer 60 General Electric cofounder 61 Ending for switch 62 Venom 64 Curtain fixture 65 Cheer at a 59-Across 67 “Miami Ink” channel 69 Not talking 70 Chinese philosophy 73 Neighbor of Mozambique 76 Fit of petty annoyance 79 Defiant sorts 81 “Fer -- out loud!” 84 Riddle, part 4 87 Biker’s bike, informally 88 Voting sheet 89 Seeing things 90 Best Picture of 2012 91 Illusion artist M.C. -93 Fritz’s “the” 94 Pop singer Lisa 95 Swimming star Janet

96 End of the riddle 100 Put frosting on 101 President pro -102 Greek letter after pi 103 Turn to hit 107 “Give -- kiss!” 109 Having skill 112 Vigorless state 117 Riddle’s answer 121 Dermal art 122 3-D model of a scene 123 Sasha’s sis 124 Patroness of Quebec: Abbr. 125 Pen user’s stain 126 Lute of India

DOWN

1 Life -- know it 2 Comic Mort 3 Raw beef fat 4 -- charge (costing zip) 5 Tigers’ home 6 “Evita” narrator 7 “If I -- nickel for ...” 8 Slaughter in baseball 9 Climbs 10 Fertilizer compound 11 “Xanadu” band, briefly 12 Director Ephron 13 One giving a tirade 14 On in years 15 Smooth raincoat 16 Fort Dodge’s state 17 Days before holidays 18 Dried and withered 19 Deuce topper 24 Rhino part 25 “Yes, alas” 31 In on -- thing 33 Big name in old fables 35 Jumpy 36 Dryer go-with 37 Spanish city or province 38 Installed anew, as floor tiles 39 Kris -- (‘90s rap duo) 40 Common answer at the door 41 Saltpeter 42 Organization 43 Film director Christopher

44 Many a missing GI 45 “Little” Dickens girl 46 Strong cart without sides 52 Prescribing punishment 53 Tam-o’-shanter, e.g. 54 Wedge filling a gap 57 Mosque holy book 58 Kiddie 59 Foe of Paris 63 Is an Internet explorer 66 “Funny joke!” 68 Mongrel mutt 70 Largest city in Iran 71 Makes flush 72 Absorb gradually 73 Power 74 Crazy notion 75 Archipelago makeup 77 Fluid in refrigeration 78 Lobby 80 “Huzzah!” 81 Gnaw on 82 Itchy eruption 83 Service org. for females 85 Kazakh journalist of film 86 Giant in grills 88 -- -a-brac 92 Book version 94 Loosens (up) 95 People who lend their names to things 97 Downfall 98 “Sure, whatever” 99 Persian ruler 103 Rented residences: Abbr. 104 “-- does it!” 105 Eight-bit unit 106 Dog in “The Thin Man” 108 “... -- can’t get up!” 110 Clear hurdles 111 Red monster of kids’ TV 113 Morales of “Freejack” 114 Thaw 115 Large pelvic bones 116 Way yonder 118 Hoodwink 119 Victory 120 Tit for --

Solution found on p. 38.

clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 35

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I’m 28 years old and live in the Midwest. I’m intersex, but I identify as female. I am not out about being born intersex. Due to surgeries and hormones, I look like a fairly attractive female. I have been hanging out with a chill hetero guy, and things are getting very flirty. Is it unethical of me to not disclose my intersex-ness to him? In New Terrific Erotic Romance

be best to give him some guidance about how her body is a little different and what works best for her.” Each of us has to balance our partner’s legitimate right to certain information, INTER, with our right to medical privacy as well as our physical and emotional safety. “There’s no reason for her to feel like she has to announce, ‘I’m an intersex woman.’ She could opt to say: ‘I was born with congenital adrenal hyperplasia,’ or ‘I was born with androgen insensitivity syndrome,’ “We all have to make decisions about or whatever her specific condition might what we disclose to partners or potential be, and then answer his questions,” said partners and when we disclose it,” said Alice Dreger. “If the label ‘intersex’ were part of Dreger, historian of medicine and science, her core identity — a critical part of sex researcher, and author. who she feels she is — then she Dreger, for readers who may might want to tell him early not be familiar with her, is on. But otherwise, she can the founding board chair disclosure just like nonof the Intersex Society of intersex people do with North America and the regard to fertility, sexual author of Galileo’s Middle health, sexual sensation, Finger: Heretics, Activists, sexual preferences, and and One Scholar’s Search sexual function. And no for Justice. Intersex, for one can tell her she has to readers who may not be use term ‘intersex.’ That’s familiar, is an umbrella term Dan Savage entirely up to her.” covering dozens of different inborn conditions. My husband looks at porn… “They all involve someone porn of women with a body type having something other than the almost the polar opposite of mine… standard male or standard female body as Example: big boobs and tattoos… Does those are defined by doctors,” explained that mean he’s no longer attracted to Dreger. “There are lots of different ways to my body? I’m so confused… He says I’m be intersex, including some so subtle that hot and sexy, but what he looks at does you might never even know you had that NOT make me feel that way. particular variation of development.” Personally Offended Regarding So that chill hetero boy you’re thinking Nudes about disclosing your intersex-ness to, INTER? He could be intersex himself and Is it possible your partner is attracted not know it. But you do know it, and does to… more than one body type? Example: “knowing it” obligate you to disclose? Your body type and its polar opposite? “Lying is a bad idea, but she’s not lying And if your partner were looking at porn by presenting herself as a woman and that featured women with your exact body identifying as a woman,” said Dreger. “She type… would you feel affirmed? Or would is a woman, just one whose body came with you be writing to ask me why your husband some parts that aren’t common to most looks at porn of women with your exact women, or maybe lacking some parts that body type when he can look at you? And is are common to most women (depending on your husband sharing his porn with you… her particular intersex condition).” or are you combing through his browser Dreger suggests making a mental list of history? Either way, PORN, if looking at the things a long-term partner might want, what he’s looking at makes you sad… maybe need, or a have a right to know about your you should stop looking at what he’s looking history and your body. Then using your best at? And if he’s not neglecting you sexually… judgment, INTER, decide what to share. if he isn’t just saying he finds you hot and “For example,” said Dreger, “if this sexy but showing you he does… why waste chill hetero guy talks about wanting kids time policing his fantasies? someday, and the letter writer is infertile, People enjoy what they have and she might want to mention sooner rather fantasize about what they don’t. So long as than later that she was born with a condition we don’t take what we have for granted… it’s that left her infertile. Do her genitals look or not a problem… unless we decide to make work differently than he might be expecting? it one. If so, she might think about when it would

clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 37

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For All Signs: A difficulty inherent

in writing the astrological column is the issue of focus. Astrologers are observing numerous planetary cycles, ranging in time from those requiring many years to complete, to mere hours. The longer cycles are really more meaningful, but if one is writing a daily column, the focus tends to fall on aspects of the day. A reader can gather more understanding by looking at a column from a larger framework of time than what is given. Today’s weekly column might be more accurate for last week or next week. Cycles can be timed with mathematical precision, but human beings cannot. We may think about an activity before we can activate it.

Aries: This is a good time to work on a solitary project that requires concentration and the use of the large muscles in your body. You may feel somewhat edgy and irritable this week. Exercise and focused attention are the antidotes. You are approaching a shift of attention on August 2, so it is important to finish current projects now. Taurus: You are feeling restless and

need to try something new. Commute by a different route or go somewhere you have never visited before. Take your partner on a picnic or try an entirely different restaurant. Maybe you will need to find something outrageous to perk up a room or your clothing.

Gemini: Your focus shifts to matters of

home, hearth, and family. Things of the past may float up in your mind for reflection. If this occurs, ask yourself what you learned from the former experience. It probably would help you now. Family concerns may occupy your attention. It is a good time to open important discussions with those most important to you.

Cancer: The asteroid Vesta has recently

moved into your sign. It will be with you until mid-October. The name Vesta is borrowed from the Vestal Virgins of Rome. Certain female children were committed to tend the flame from age six to around 30. They were allowed to do little else. You may become devoted to someone or something of value during this period.

Leo: You and the authority figures in your

world are cooperating and helping each other accomplish a project. Your mind is both steady and imaginative now, able to see how one thing flows into the next. At times like these, “work” becomes a positive experience. It integrates with your personal rhythm and feels smooth.

Virgo: Mercury travels through your sign

between July 30 and August 29. During this period there likely will be greater emphasis on communications, errands and other short

38 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com

distance travels. Your mind will be quick and your attitude persuasive. Avoid obsessing over details or trivia for best results.

Libra: Follow your partner/friend’s lead into a new adventure. Take a leap beyond your routine and try something fresh. It’s ok to do something outrageous once in a while. It is good for your mental health. It’s possible that you have a new electronic gadget or software to learn and/or play. Scorpio: This looks like a week in which

you really want to say your piece, but you have a sense that would be a bad idea. If you feel so upset that you can’t present your case with compassion, I agree. Say it only if you can do so without shaming or attacking. It’s all too easy to believe that you are the only one with a right answer.

Sagittarius: Activities involving the law, travel, publishing, the Internet, education and/or church are highlighted for smooth sailing. Necessary information may come your way to shed light on the next step you need to take forward. Your mind is clear and practical at present. It is a good time to make decisions, so get ready to sign those contracts. Capricorn: The “rules” and the world’s

expectations have you tied up like a pretzel right now. The harder you struggle, the tighter those binds seem to become. It’s like a Chinese puzzle. Sometimes if you relax on the control issues, the solution comes through. Give it some space and time and it will work out for the best.

Aquarius: This is a favorable time to

enjoy your partner and/or family members. Social life is positive and you feel generally more upbeat. At this time you feel less solitary and alone, which may surprise you. Open up and share yourself and your heart with those whom you love. You won’t regret it.

Pisces: For the next three weeks you will want to experiment with and try on multiple points of view. You probably will be taking “polls” among friends and associates. Your capacity for objective thinking grows during this period and it is generally a good time to discuss relationship issues with partners and close associates.

Are you interested in a personal horoscope? Vivian Carol may be reached at 704-366-3777 for private psychotherapy or astrology appointments. There is a fee for services. Website: www.horoscopesbyvivian. com.

clclt.com | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | 39

40 | jul. 28 - aug. 3, 2016 | clclt.com