The Public - 4/20/16 by The Public

FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY | APRIL 20, 2016 | DAILYPUBLIC.COM | @PUBLICBFLO | WE’RE GOING TO WIN AT EVERY ELEMENT OF WINNING

COMMENTARY: THE DEATH OF A DEATH ROW INMATE

MARIJUANA: THE GOOD MEDICAL WEED HAS DONE

EVENTS: THE 20TH ANNUAL BUFFALO BRUNCH

ART: BLAIRS, KOENIGS AT BENJAMAN GALLERY

THE PUBLIC CONTENTS

ON DAILYPUBLIC.COM: VINCENT O’NEILL OF THE IRISH CLASSICAL THEATRE TALKS ABOUT YEATS AND THE YEATS PROJECT.

THIS WEEK ISSUE NO. 74 | APRIL 20, 2016

Imani Roache ’15, MS ’16 Math Support Teacher Tapestry Charter School

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER IN EDUCATION

LOOKING BACKWARD: Main and Edward streets, 1981.

FILM: A Hologram for the King, Elvis and Nixon, Miles Ahead, Born to Be Blue…

INVESTIGATIVE POST: County addresses lead poisoning, city is quiet.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS: Grumpy Ghey on North Carolina, Trump protest pics.

SPOTLIGHT: Basketball star Cliff Robinson talks about his new weed project.

ON THE COVER CANNABIS SATIVA

is a lovely annual whose seeds are moderately nutritious for birds. Botanical print from Prof. Dr. Otto Wilhelm Thomé Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz 1885, Gera, Germany

CENTERFOLD: From the Castellani: a Puck-ish look back at Niagara Falls.

THE PUBLIC STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF GEOFF KELLY MUSIC EDITOR CORY PERLA

13 MASTER’S AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS FOR TEACHERS Whether you’re looking to satisfy New York State requirements, add a new certification, or take on a bigger leadership role in your building or district— choosing Canisius College is a smart move. We offer 13 professional and advanced certificate programs, including 10 options that can be completed 100% online. Programs include: > TESOL > Education Technologies > Physical Education > Differentiated Instruction

> Bilingual Education > Literacy (B-6 & 5-12) > Educational Leadership (SBL/SDL) > Special Education

You can do it. Let Canisius show you how.

To learn more visit canisius.edu/GradEd. GRADUATE PROGRAMS

MANAGING EDITOR AARON LOWINGER FILM EDITOR M. FAUST ASSISTING ART EDITOR BECKY MODA EDITOR-AT-LARGE BRUCE JACKSON CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ENVIRONMENT JAY BURNEY THEATER ANTHONY CHASE

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER SPECIAL ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE CY ALESSI

COVER IMAGE PROF. DR. OTTO WILHELM THOMÉ

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES KEVIN THURSTON, MARIA C. PROVENZANO, BARBARA FISHER

COLUMNISTS

PRODUCTION MANAGER GRAPHIC DESIGNER AMANDA FERREIRA SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER BILLY SANDORA-NASTYN DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SEAN HEIDINGER

ALAN BEDENKO, KEITH BUCKLEY, CAT MCCARTHY, BRUCE FISHER, THOMAS DOONEY, JACK FORAN, MICHAEL I. NIMAN, GEORGE SAX, CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY

CONTRIBUTORS

KIP DOYLE, EVAN JAMES, NINA LAPRES, KELLIE POWELL, DAN TELVOCK

GET A GRAPPA: PAR PUBLICATIONS LLC

WE ARE THE PUBLIC

SUBMISSIONS

We’re a weekly print paper, free every Wednesday throughout Western New York, and a daily website (dailypublic.com) that hosts a continuous conversation on regional culture. We’ve got stories to tell. So do you.

The Public happily accepts for consideration articles, artwork, photography, video, letters, free lunches, and unsolicited advice. We reserve the right to edit submissions for suitability and length. Email us at info@dailypublic.com.

ADVERTISING Are you interested in advertising your business in The Public? Email us at advertising@dailypublic.com to find out more.

THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC

NEWS LOCAL

LOOKING BACKWARD: MAIN & EDWARD, 1981 The west side of Main Street, between Tupper and Edward, was until 1982 an intact part of the Theater Historic District. In 1981, when this photograph was taken, this block was at risk but savable. Nearly every commercial space was vacant, and only Schmidt’s Auto Service, the Little Club restaurant, and the Teck Theatre were still in operation. The Ansonia Center, 716 Main Street, was refurbished in 1985 for commercial space and 59 apartments. The Schmidt Building, 736 Main Street, was razed in 2004 after City Court Judge Henry Nowak granted owner Alex Schmidt’s demolition request. The Vernor Building, 752 Main Street—originally home to a George N. Pierce automobile showroom and later the James Vernor Co., makers of Vernor’s Ginger Ale—was razed in 2007. Jack Shifrin and his son, current property owner David Shifrin, are to blame for decades of neglect of the Vernor Building and Teck Theatre. The Teck, 760 Main Street, was perhaps the greatest of the losses. In 1981, the Teck was running B movies—slasher film My Bloody Valentine (1981) and vampire film The Return of Count Yorga (1971) are advertised on the marquee, which also welcomes home American hostages held captive in Iran. Built in 1887 and reconstructed in the “Pompeian Moderne” style in 1946, the 1,400-seat Teck was best known after 1955 for having Buffalo’s only three-projector Cinerama. The movie house closed in 1981 and the auditorium razed for construction of the Pearl Street Connector shortly thereafter, leaving behind only the lobby. The lobby was demolished in 1992. Today, the nearly two acres of “shovel ready” land at Main and Edward streets P remain vacant, with no active plans for redevelopment. -THE PUBLIC STAFF

INJURED?...KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. BEFORE YOU TALK TO AN INSURANCE COMPANY, TALK TO ME.

MARK S. PERLA OF PERLA & PERLA, LLP

•CAR ACCIDENTS MARK PERLA •SLIPS & FALLS •CONSTRUCTION SITE ACCIDENTS FORMER ERIE COUNTY COURT JUDGE. FORMER CIVIL CHIEF, U.S. ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

ALL CONSULTATIONS FREE - NEVER A FEE UNTIL YOU ARE PAID

CALL OR TEXT (716)361-7777 367 LINWOOD AVENUE, BUFFALO, NY 14209 “ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. PAST RESULTS DO NOT ASSURE FUTURE SUCCESS.”

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY

Presented by

With support from Time Warner Cable

IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP.

MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER

� CHECK COPY CONTENT Thank you for advertising � CHECK IMPORTANT DATES with THE PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check � CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, for any errors. The original PHONE #, & WEBSITE layout instructions have been followed as closely as � PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two � PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) proofs at no charge. THE Nickel City Reptiles PUBLIC is not responsible Advertisers Signature With Jeff Musial for any error if not notified within 24 hours of receipt. ____________________________ The production department 4 THE / APRIL 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM must havePUBLIC a signed proof 20 in - 26, Date _______________________ order to print. Please sign and fax this back or approve Issue: ______________________

& Exotics

Join us from 10am-4pm to get up close and personal with exotic creatures and learn intriguing facts about them! Learn more at sciencebuff.org

LOCAL NEWS

[ FAMILY RESTAURANT \

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY

WHO’LL GET THE LEAD OUT?

TO ADVERTISER wMESSAGE BANQUETS Thank you for advertising with THE

2PUBLIC. BanquetPlease Roomsreview \ Parties: 25-100 your ad and Family & Business Parties check for any errors. The original layout

instructions have been followed as closely w ALL OCCASIONS! as possible. THE PUBLIC offers design

BY DAN TELVOCK

COUNTY PURSUES LEAD POISONING PROGRAM, CITY SITS ON ITS HANDS ONE WORD SUMS UP the ex-

change between Erie County Legislator Kevin Hardwick and Health Commissioner Gale Burstein (pictured) about lead poisoning prevention funding: awkward.

lead in their blood reside in Buffalo. Neighborhoods on the city’s west and east sides accounted for three of the four ZIP codes in all of upstate reporting the most new cases, according to the state’s most recent comparable data for a three-year period ending in 2012. Hardwick pressed Burstein a few times to offer any insight on how Buffalo might help or what her staff is doing to open the lines of communication.

Hardwick cited Investigative Post’s lead poisoning reporting during an April 7 Finance and Management Committee meeting when he asked if Burstein or anyone else with the county had inquired with city officials about what additional role, if any, the city might be willing to commit to.

“Well, I think they are as aware of the situation as we are, so we don’t really have any political capital to make any changes in the City of Buffalo,” she said. “We don’t have any jurisdiction over their policies and procedures.”

The Erie County Health Department has primary responsibility for inspecting homes for lead hazards and employs 12 health sanitarians who inspect about 2,500 housing units a year. Burstein has said they could use more help.

“You’ll have to talk to them, I don’t know,” Burstein responded.

That has prompted County Executive Mark Poloncarz to propose spending $3.75 million over five years to hire six more health sanitarians and a nurse to manage the cases of children who test at levels that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers to be concerning. Hardwick mentioned Rochester’s more robust inspection program. In that city, housing inspectors check some 12,000 rental units a year for lead hazards. Hardwick asked whether Buffalo is considering a similar program. There was a long, awkward pause before Burstein responded. “Well, we don’t really have any authority to make changes within the City of Buffalo,” Burstein said. Mayor Byron Brown told reporters over a month ago that he is brainstorming options with his staff, but he has yet to commit to providing any additional services or money to tackle the problem that is most prevalent in his city. After all, more than 90 percent of the children in Erie County testing for dangerous levels of

“So, they are choosing to ignore it?” Hardwick asked.

Legislator Patrick Burke said he focused on lead prevention efforts during his AmeriCorps service a decade ago. “There was this frustration that there weren’t enough resources for this massive, massive problem, people didn’t take it seriously,” he said.

Drop Off with Catering Italianat Specialties services two \proofs no charge. Custom Designed Menus THE PUBLIC is not responsible for any Traditional More Every Day of error if notFavorites notified& within 24 hours receipt. The production department must GIFT CERTIFICATES have a signed proof in order to print. .BFLO . 876-5449 Please sign and this back or approve 2491 DELA WARE AVEfax BANQUETS 5 CATERING 5 by responding toOFF thisSTREET email. PARKING

Not the usual!

�

CHECK COPY CONTENT

�

CHECK IMPORTANT Buffalo’s FirstDATES

Buffalo’s First �N’ CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, Studio PHONE #, Rock Waxing Rock N’ Roll Roll Waxing Studio & WEBSITE

�

PROOF OK (NO CHANGES)

�

PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES)

Advertisers Signature

since 1982

____________________________

Extended Holiday Hours Award Winning Every diamond we sell comes with our most prized possession - Our Reputation! 798 Elmwood at Auburn Buffalo . 873-0734

Date Issue:

_______________________ ______________________ CY / Y16W16

Every diamond we sell comes wit IF YOU APPROVE AREe ON Sk inc ar p / WHICH g / Ma keuERRORS Wa xin THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE I.C OM THE AD HELD EXAMINE NT BE SH od Av e / DOPLEASE woRESPONSIBLE. 138 Elm THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP. Call PROOF for an appointment THIS MAY ONLY BEtoday USED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC.

716.884.5716

Clearly, there is anxiety emanating from Poloncarz’s administration over the County Legislature’s delay in passing his lead prevention plan. The Legislature met again April 14, but did not discuss the lead prevention funding; it did pass his opiate addiction hotline program, however. The candid acknowledgment Poloncarz offered during a recent interview with Investigative Post underscores Burke’s point about the lack of resources to effectively tackle this problem. “As much as I’d like to say this will eliminate the problem, I’d be lying if that is the case because I know it’s not going to eliminate the problem,” Poloncarz said. Dan Telvock is a reporter for Investigative Post, a nonprofit investigative reporting center focused on issues of importance to Buffalo and Western New York. Its partners include The Public, WGRZ TV 2 On Yor Side, WBFO 88.7 FM, and The Capital Pressroom. P

MARQUIL, 2016 / EMPIREWIRE.COM

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC

NEWS COMMENTARY

LOVEJOY PIZZA

WNY’s Only Licensed

GRATEFUL DEAD Lifestyle Shop!

Two Great Locations!

CLOTHING GLASS VAPORIZERS DETOX CBD GRATEFUL DEAD JEWELRY STICKERS PATCHES MAGNETS CANDLES OILS INCENSE

900 MAIN ST

883-2323 (btwn Virginia & Allen)

1244 E. LOVEJOY ST

891-9233

MON-SAT 10am-10pm • Sun 12-6pm

716.874.6677

1172 Hertel Ave

(at N. Ogden)

WE DELIVER! LOVEJOYPIZZA.COM

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY

MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER

Thank you for advertising with THE PUBLIC. Please review your ad and check for any errors. The original layout instructions have been followed as closely as possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two proofs at no charge. THE PUBLIC is not responsible for any error if not notified within 24 hours of receipt. The production department must have a signed proof in order to print. Please sign and fax this back or approve by responding to this email.

CHECK COPY CONTENT

�

CHECK COPY CONTENT

CHECK IMPORTANT DATES

�

CHECK IMPORTANT DATES

�

CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, & WEBSITE

�

CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, & WEBSITE

�

PROOF OK (NO CHANGES)

�

PROOF OK (NO CHANGES)

�

PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES)

�

PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES)

�

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY

�

a hidden gem of the west side: , buffalo s best patio

24 New taps serving craft beers from Buffalo and beyond.

happy hour m-f

Eat. Drink. Be Social.

brunch sat & sun

490 Rhode Island St. | Buffalo, NY

716.464.3786 TheProvidenceSocial.com

Adam Kisailus ’97, MBA ’16, PhD Assistant Dean for Internships and Outreach Roswell Park Cancer Institute

MAKE AN MBA WORK FOR YOU

THREE MBA OPTIONS TO M ATCH YOUR CAREER GOALS The Wehle School of Business at Canisius College will prepare you to be a difference maker in business. We offer three, AACSB-accredited MBA programs that fit your personal and professional goals—with no business background required. Plus, at Canisius you’ll get a top-tier education with unparalleled support, providing the personal attention and flexibility you need to succeed.

> One-Year MBA – This full-time, cohort-style program allows you to graduate with an MBA in just 12 months

> Evening MBA – Buffalo’s largest part-time MBA program lets you choose from seven concentrations and finish at your own pace

> MBA in Professional Accounting – Earn your MBA and meet requirements for CPA licensure in New York State in a single program of study You can do it. Let Canisius show you how.

Visit canisius.edu/Business

THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

WEHLE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

PHOTOS BY BRUCE JACKSON

KILLING TIME Advertisers Signature

____________________________ MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER

Thank you for advertising with THE

Date _______________________ JACK HARRY PUBLIC. PleaseSMITH, review your ad and check for any errors. 38 TheYEARS original layout 1937-2016, SPENT Issue: ______________________ CY / Y16W16 instructions have been followed as closely ON DEATH THE ROWPUBLIC IN TEXAS as possible. offers design IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON

services with two proofs at no charge. THIS THE PUBLIC CANNOT THE PROOF, PUBLIC is not responsible for BE any JACK HARRY SMITH DIED OF CANCER in HELD errorRESPONSIBLE. if not notifiedPLEASE withinEXAMINE 24 hoursTHE of AD the medical facility of Estelle Unit of the Texreceipt. The EVEN production must IF THE department AD Justice IS A PICK-UP. asTHOROUGHLY Department of Criminal on April havePROOF a signed proof in order to print. THIS MAY ONLY BE USED FOR 8, Please 2016. He had been brought to Estelle from sign and fax this back or approve PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC. Death Row, which located by responding to is this email.on the Polunsky

Unit, 50.9 miles southeast of Estelle. He was CHECK COPY 78� years old and in CONTENT his 38th year on Death Row. He�had been sick with cancer CHECK IMPORTANT DATESfor several years by the time of his final move to Estelle. �

Advertisers Signature

BY BRUCE JACKSON

CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #,

Smith had been convicted of murder in Har& WEBSITE ris County, Texas, on October 9, 1978. The crime—killing Deputter, who tried to � PROOF OKRoy (NO A. CHANGES) interfere with Smith’s holdup of Corky’s CorPROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) ner�convenience store in Pasadena, Texas—occurred January 7 of the same year. Smith had previously received a seven-year sentence for Advertisers Signature robbery and assault (1955) and a life sentence for____________________________ robbery by assault (1960, paroled 1977). He attempted to escape in 1963. Date _______________________ Jerome Lee Hamilton, Smith’s partner in the holdup, testified against Smith and, in return, MARIA/Y16Y14 Issue: ______________________ received a life sentence. Hamilton was paroled in February 2004. That is not uncommon in IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON capital cases in Texas when there are two inTHIS PROOF, THEofPUBLIC CANNOT BE for a dividuals accused equal responsibility HELD RESPONSIBLE. THEother AD felonious killing: One PLEASE testifiesEXAMINE against the THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE IS Aother PICK-UP. and after a while is set free;ADthe is given a death sentence is BE subsequently THIS PROOF MAYand ONLY USED FOR executed, commuted to IN life-without-parole, PUBLICATION THE PUBLIC. dies or is murdered in prison, or, in rare instances, exonerated.

One Death Row inmate Diane Christian and I met in Texas in 1979—Kerry Max Cook— did more than 20 years on the Row before he negotiated his release and was then exonerated totally by DNA evidence. Because the negotiated release occurred before the DNA evidence came in, the State of Texas never paid Kerry a penny for the decades ripped out of his life. Three prisoners on Texas Death Row (Clarence Jordan, Harvey Earvin, Raymond Riles) were, by a few months, there longer than Jack Harry Smith, but he was the oldest resident of the Row. When Smith was sent to Death Row, it was located on the Ellis Unit of what was then called the Texas Department of Corrections. Ellis is 13.2 miles northeast of Huntsville, Texas, home of the administrative offices of the prison system and the Huntsville Unit, which everyone calls “The Walls.” It has that name because it is the only prison in the system bounded by a wall rather than chain-link fences and concertina razor-wire. The Walls was and remains

____________________________

theDate location of the death house—a row of six _______________________ cells where inmates were moved before their execution—and room, with the gurIssue: ______________________ BARBthe/killing Y16W8 ney and elaborate system of tubes that delivers to IFthe veins of condemned prisoners the three YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON drugs Texas uses for executions. THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE Having the killing apparatus in one place and HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD Death Row in another means that the prison THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP. officials putting someone to death meet that THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE USED FOR prisoner for the first time the night before the PUBLICATION execution (and,IN inTHE recentPUBLIC. years, the same day as the execution). It is more work to haul the condemned from Polunsky that it would be to do the killing at Polunsky itself, but the process is far easier on the staff, since the people knowing the person being put down aren’t party to the event, and the people doing it aren’t familiar with the person they are killing. In 1999, Death Row moved to the Allan B. Polunsky Unit, 44.8 miles east of Huntsville. The ostensible reason was that three men had, the year before, escaped Death Row on Ellis, but not one of the three made it off the prison grounds. The real reason was, Polunsky was the Texas prison system’s super-max and the officials in charge wanted its crown jewel to be the max within the max: Death Row. The Polunsky Unit was originally to have been named the Terrell Unit, after Dallas insurance executive Charles Terrell, but when he learned that the prison would be the location of the new Death Row, he requested his name not be used in connection with it. So the prison system renamed Ramsey III Unit in honor of Terrell, and the new unit after Allan B. Polunsky, a former chairman of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. From the condemned men’s point of view, there are two changes resulting from the move of Death Row from Ellis to Polunsky. The first is the length of the drive to the death house at The Walls: Polunsky is 44.8 miles east of Huntsville, so the condemned man’s last ride is a good deal longer. (Women under death sentences are kept at another prison entirely.) The other is the condition of confinement: Polunsky is unimaginably more brutal and vicious. When Diane Christian and I did our work on Texas Death Row in 1979, the condemned were kept in regular cells on the two sides of cellblock J at Ellis. One side of the block—Row J-23—had been populated when Texas killed with the electric chair, so there were no electric outlets or lights within the cells. The theory was, since Texas killed with electricity the condemned had to be prevented from committing suicide by electricity. All the transparent windows on J-23 (the last row in the prison so it had a view all the way to the cyclone fence and guard picket and beyond) had been replaced with frosted glass. No one remembered why.

COMMENTARY NEWS

THE UNITED STATES WAS WRONG TO TORTURE IN ABU GHRAIB; IT IS WRONG TO TORTURE IN THE POLUNSKY UNIT OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE. By the time there were enough prisoners to start populating J-21, Texas was killing by lethal injection, so those cells had electric lights and electric outlets for fans and such. And the windows were clear glass. Prisoners on J-23 and J-21 were allowed out of their cells for three 90-minute periods a week. They would go in groups of 19. If the weather was good and the ground dry, they could go outside to a small exercise yard. If the weather was bad and the ground wet, they were in a dayroom with four steel tables, each of which had four welded steel seats. The dayrooms also had water fountains. In the day room they could talk and play dominoes; in the yard they could play volleyball or sit on benches and play chess. Opposite the cells were eight television sets bolted to the walls between the windows. During the day they would play soaps; in the evening they would mostly play sports. In their cells, they couldn’t see people in adjoining cells directly, but they all had mirrors, so they could have conversations with people on either side and with people passing by. They would play chess on handmade chessboards suspended by string between the cells and dominoes on blankets on the walkways. Jack Harry Smith, who was in cell 18 of row 1 of J-23, would work on his case with Mark Fields, who was in cell 19. Fields was very important to him because Jack Harry Smith could not read. He had documents about his case, but he needed Mark Fields to tell him what they said. Everything changed with the move to Polunsky. There is no more group recreation: Individuals are allowed out one at a time in a small walled yard. There is no more communication with people going by on the walkway or in the next cell: Everyone is in a single cell with a solid door, broken only for a small slot through which food trays come and go and hands are thrust to be handcuffed in case of the very rare visit. There is no way to talk to anyone. There is no looking at the outside because the only window is another narrow slit high on the wall: It lets some light in, but there is no way to see anything through it. There is no television. For most prisoners there is no radio, and the few who are allowed radios only get occasional reception because of all the layers of steel and concrete surrounding them. Most prisoners are allowed no more than one book. No family pictures can go up on the walls. Smith told the Associated Press in 2001, “I feel that the system is waiting for me to pass away of old age. I’m angry at the justice system, at the courts for wasting taxpayers’ money for giving me this hospitality.” The last legal action of

importance in Smith’s case was in 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal of his 1978 conviction. Since then, he waited to be killed or to die. His body got him before the State of Texas did. Jack was right. There was no reason to keep a dying old man in silent solitary confinement as his body wound down. There is no reason to keep the other 216 men on Death Row of Polunsky prison there in such hideously cruel conditions. The prison officials cite security; they always cite security. But Death Row murderers differ from non-Death Row prisoners serving time for murder in only one regard: They got the death penalty and the others didn’t. Severity of the crime has nothing to do with it; extent of criminal career has nothing to do with it. It is entirely a function of the county where the trial was held and whether or not the defendant had enough money for retained council. When Diane Christian and I did our work on Death Row, only one man there had retained counsel. He got out a year later. Totally out: free and clear. The conditions under which people are kept on Death Row in Texas have been described by the United Nations as torture. The UN is right. Texas does it to prove it is tough; it gets away with it because the Supreme Court has turned a blind eye to what goes on there. There are many reasons the current Republican refusal to consider a replacement for capital punishment proponent Antonin Scalia is a travesty of the American justice system. This is one of them. The United States was wrong to torture in Abu Ghraib; it is wrong to torture in the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Jack Smith was a criminal. He insisted to the end that he didn’t do the murder for which he had been sentenced to death. I have no information on that one way or the other. But I do know that his sentence was death, not year after year of brutal psychological torture. That is nowhere in the statutes. That is something Texas does just because it can. In that regard, it is every bit as criminal as Jack Harry Smith. Bruce Jackson is the co-author, with Diane Christian, of “In this timeless time”: Living and Dying on Death Row in America (University of North Carolina Press and Duke Center for Documentary Studies, 2012), and Death Row (Beacon, 1980). The two also made the documentary film Death Row (1979). Jackson is P The Public’s editor-at-large.

MJPeterson

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PRO CAREFUL

.com

OPEN HOUSE

SAT 1-3pm

ELMWOOD VLG: NEW! 3BR 2.5BA Victorian w/ period details.

Grand foyer, dbl parlor, kit w/ pantry, hrdwd flrs, mud rm leads to deck. 322 W. Utica, $000,000. Susan D. Lenahan, 864-6757(c) SNYDER: NEW! Well-maint. 3BR 1.5BA. Corner lot in Smallwood Schools. Hdwd flrs, kit w/ granite, upd bth, fenced yard, patio, HE furnc, A/C. 375 Mt. Vernon, $219,500. Brigitte “Gitti” Barrell, 803-2551(c)

OPEN HOUSE

SUN 1-3pm

PENDLETON: Beautiful 3BR 2BA Model home in Starpoint w/ hrdwd flrs. Kit w/ granite & bfast bar, walk-in shower, etc. 5731 Fisk, $299,900. Joe Sorrentino Jr, 207-2994(c)

OPEN HOUSE

SAT/SUN 1-3pm

WEST SIDE: NEW! Updated 2/1 Double. Lower owner’s unit redone w/ refin. hrdwd flrs, new appliances. MBR w/ access to desk & yrd. Off-st park. 89 West, $199,900. Brandon Hernandez, 843-6980(c)

SINGLE FAMILY

CHEEKTOWAGA: 4BR 1.5BA split on quiet street. Fam rm, 1st flr lndry, gar, patio. 127 Nantucket, $147,000. James Collis, 479-0969(c) DELAWARE DIST: Lovely 3BR 1.5BA unit in premiere Park Lane building. Spacious LR, formal DR, kit w/ granite. Walk to Elmwood Vlg shops & restaurants. 33 Gates Circle #10G, $399,900. Susan D. Lenahan, 864-6757(c) DEPEW/CHEEK: Reduced! 3BR 1BA cute starter home w/ open floor plan, eat-in kit, 1car garage and convenient to shopping. 52 Benz, $119,900. Thomas Walton, 949-4639(c) EVANS: 5BR 3.5BA on 2 acres. LR w/ hrdwd flrs & trey ceilg, lrg DR, 1st flr mstr, fam rm leads to yard, pool & hot tub. 8car gar for car buffs! 976 Sturgeon Point, $465,000. Richard Fontana, 605- 2829(c) NO. BUFFALO: Beaut-maint. 3BR 1.5BA w/ park-like yard, LR, DR, fam rm & part. fin bsmt. 63 Edge Park, $219,900. Robert Karp, 553-9963(c) ORCHARD PK: 3BR 1.5BA in great school dist. Hrdwd flrs, lrg eat-in kit, LR w/ wbfp, part fin bsmt, 2.5 car gar. 5255 Powers Rd, $109,900. Christopher Lavey, 480-9507(c)

wine + craft spirits + cider MESSAGE TO ADVER sustainable + organic + biodynamic

Thank you for advertisi PUBLIC. Please review check for any errors. Th instructions have been as possible. THE PUBLI services with two proof PUBLIC is not respons not notified within 24 h production WED-FRI SAT SUN department 11-7 10-6 proof 12-5 in order to print. this back or approve by 435 rhode island st 716.322.5396 email. paradisewinebuffalo.com

�

OTHER

ALLENTOWN: Rental. Multi-level 1BR unit with updated kit & bth, secure parking. 125 Edward #1I, $1,300+. Robin Barrell, 986-4061(c) ALLENTOWN: Rental. Gorgeous 2+BR unit w/ hrdwd flrs, upd. kit & bth, front porch & nice yrd. 127 Mariner, $1,100+. Robin Barrell, 9864061(c) DELAWARE DIST: Exec. Rental! 3BR 2.5BA fully furnished, turn key house exquisitely redone. Rent incl. lawn svc & maint. 59 Lexington, $3,300/mo. Gitti Barrell, 803-2551(c) EAST SIDE: 30 x 95 building lot in great area near Cayuga. 6 Milton, $5,000. Thomas Needham, 574-8825(c) SO. BUFFALO: Pizzeria in business dist. leased thru 2/2018. Incl. equip (ovens, grill, prep rm, walk-in cooler, etc.) 1775 S. Park, $69,900. Dragica “Dee” Stare, 316-9995(c)

716-819-4200 431 Delaware Avenue Buffalo, NY 14202

CHECK COPY CONTEN

�

CHECK IMPORTANT D

�

CHECK NAME, ADDRESS

�

PROOF OK (NO CHAN

�

PROOF OK (WITH CHA

THE SURE CURE FOR THE MUNCHIES!

Advertisers Signature

_______________________ Date

Issue:

__________________

CY / Y16W1 _________________

IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS THIS PROOF, THE PUBL HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEA THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE PUBLICATION IN THE PU

MULTIPLE FAMILY

BLACK ROCK: 2/2 Double with storefront for add’l possibilities! Upd. windows, kits & bths. 157 Farmer, $59,900. Joe Sorrentino, Jr. 207-2994(c) KENMORE: Immaculate 2/2 Double w/ nat. wdwrk, hrdwd flrs, leaded glass. Newer roof & windows. 2car garage. 122 Stillwell, $149,900. Joe Sorrentino Jr, 207-2994(c) NIAG. FALLS: 2/2 Double loaded w/updates (incl. roof, furnc, plumb, elec, etc.)! 535 23rd St, $59,900. Mark W. DiGiampaolo, 887-3891(c) SO. BUFFALO: Well-established tavern w/ two upstairs apts for add’l income. Includes bldg, equip, adj. lot, pool table, juke box, etc. 2126 Seneca, $69,900. Robert Karp, 5539963(c)

NY STYLE BAGELS

Baked Fresh Daily

OVER 25 VARIETIES!

BREAKFAST EGGEL BAGELS DELI FAVORITES 13 SPECIALTY SANDWICHES DAILY SPECIALS DROP OFF CATERING PARTY PLATTERS TO PLEASE ANY APPETITE

2130 Delaware Avenue, Marshall’s Plaza TEL 874-1800

FAX 874-1899

Hopkins @ Klein Road, Williamsville TEL 639-1000

FAX 639-1100

B A G E LJ AY S . C O M

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC

WNY’s Largest Selection of Hand Blown Glass

MEDICINE

n 4/2e0 bratio !

Cel

SALE

Week

F F O % 0 15-4 T-SHIRT FREE

ASE

CH W. $25 PUR 1251 HERTEL AVE. BFLO 873-2573

Want to advertise in

A DOSE OF THEIR OWN MEDICINE

THE PUBLIC? ADVERTISING@ DAILYPUBLIC.COM

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY BY AARON LOWINGER

DAILYPUBLIC.COM

IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP.

LEARN TO FENCE AGILITY • BALANCE • CONFIDENCE

EARLY RESULTS FROM NEW YORK’S MEDICALMESSAGE TO ADVERTISER Thank you for advertising MARIJUANA PROGRAM with THE PUBLIC. Please

�

CHECK COPY CONTENT

�

CHECK IMPORTANT DATES

review your ad and check � CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, for any errors. The original PHONE #, & WEBSITE layout instructions have Four months into the state’s fledgling medical as closely as � PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) been followed marijuana program, and some seizure patients possible. THE PUBLIC offers receiving the new medicine are seeing designdramatservices with two � PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) ic improvements in their quality proofs of life, and at in no charge. THE some cases have begun weaning themselves PUBLIC is not responsible from often addictive pharmaceuticals for anythey’ve error if not notified Advertisers Signature been taking for years. Although the program within 24 has hours of receipt. ____________________________ struggled out of the gate and is riddled gaps The with production department in service provision and bureaucratic holes, caremust have a signed proof in Date _______________________ givers and patients are expressingorder great enthusito print. Please sign Y15W20 asm over what they’re seeing firsthand. and fax this back or approve Issue: ______________________ by responding to this email. Caden Ryszka and Taylor Ryszka. Chaffee resident Christina Kelly had long

BREAKTHROUGHS

1/8V

ENROLL NOW! BEGINNER CLASSES STARTING WED 5/18 • SAT 6/4 * GROUP RATES AVAILABLE * USFA CERTIFIED COACH • ALL EQUIPMENT PROVIDED

716.553.3448

WWW.FENCINGBUFFALO.COM 8

watched anecdotal evidence pourTHIS in from PROOFother MAY ONLY BE USED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC. states where medical marijuana was made available. She made sure her daughter’s neurologist was on board from day one, and was among the hundreds and thousand of seizures. It affects her first caregivers in the state to gain access to the physically. So she does rely on her wheelchair. medicine. Her daughter Mariah, a 19-year-old It’s her comfort zone; she’ll always want to go mostly wheelchair-bound woman with a develto it. On a couple of occasions recently, we’ve opmental disability and a severe seizure disorditched the wheelchair and walked into the neuder, seized in Wegman’s just hours after Kelly rologists office. It’s not a miraculous—‘Oh my had received their first product. Kelly took her goodness, she can walk!’ But it’s a ‘Look at this, into a private area and administered the first she’s not as fatigued as she was.’” dose. What followed was a reaction and recovery Kelly had never seen after a seizure. Daniel Ryszka, a pharmacist in a local hospital, was an outspoken advocate for the program be“She slept for an hour, woke up and was ready fore its arrival, and he hasn’t been disappointed to take on her day, and not antsy and fidgety by its effects. Both his nine-year-old son Caden and ready to crawl out of her skin, which is how and his 15-year-old daughter Taylor suffer from she would have been, typically,” Kelly joyfully severe seizure disorders. Taylor would suffer reflects. And she didn’t have to spend days rethree to five tonic-clonic (formerly dubbed gran covering from both the seizure and the harsh anmal) seizures nightly, which were marked by an ti-convulsants. “Cause and effect, I don’t know, onset of screaming followed by minutes of conbut we’ve been dosing ever since that day.” vulsions. Some three months into the treatment, What that means is that Mariah now takes three Ryszka could barely believe it himself when he doses of a higher CBD to THC ratio (the two spoke with The Public, that Taylor had gone main compounds found naturally in marijuana) three weeks without a seizure. “She’s happier, and higher THC to CBD ratio at bedtime. she’s more focused,” he says. “We didn’t really tell the school she was on it, and we’re getting “There have been phenomenal changes,” Kelly reports back from the school. She’s definitesays. “[Mariah] depends largely on a wheelchair ly more alert, she’s making better, appropriate because she’s tired, you know. Her muscles are so she seems to be very stiff and so tight. She’s just so altered from being IF YOU APPROVE choices, ERRORSand WHICH ARE ON THISresponding PROOF, THE to this.” on pharmaceuticals her whole life and having PUBLIC CANNOTwell BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD

THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY

THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP.

MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER

�

CHECK COPY CONTENT

PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL RYSZKA

Before beginning Caden on a dosage regimen, a baseline EEG revealed that he was in a near constant state of seizure. “The doctor came back and said, ‘his brain is highly active, it’s like he’s in a constant state of seizure. They just don’t stop. So I can’t even count how many seizures he has. He’s always in one,’” Ryszka recounted. “This was on Tuesday. I started him on Saturday. He was seizing in the morning, his eyes were shimmering. Within 30 minutes, they stopped. He’s been spectacular since he’s on it. But again, it’s only been two weeks. We’re at the starting dose. I’m planning on taking him off the other pharmaceutical product at some point, but I want to make sure I can maintain him for a longer period of time. The product seems to be really working.” (Ryszka had a hard time putting into words what it felt like to look into his son’s eyes, almost as if for the first time.) Kelly shares Ryszka’s goal, of weaning Mariah off pharmaceuticals for good. She wonders what the true toll is that the drugs have taken on her daughter. “What have nearly 20 years of drugs— pharmaceuticals, heavy-hitting drugs—done do to her body, to her brain, to her immune system, to her bones, to her eyes?” Similar stories were shared by the proprietor of a longtime North Buffalo head shop. Bob

MEDICINE Colasanti at Terrapin Station has developed a small but loyal customer base for CBD oil in the past year since he’s been selling it. CBD oil users experience none of the euphoria that THC users experience, but Colasanti has heard from customers using it to treat seizures, migraines, and aches and pains, and the side effects of chemotherapy. “People who are not comfortable with pharmaceuticals and the pharmaceutical industry,” he says.

THE PROGRAM The state currently has approved 526 physicians (though the Department of Health don’t provide a directory of who they are) and 2,675 patients to administer and receive medical marijuana products from five approved companies, each of which has four “patient resource centers” spread scattershot across the state. Kelly makes use of both of the local dispensaries operated by Bloomfield and Pharmacannis. The staff at both are compassionate, she says, and mindful of the program’s cost to patients, which ranges anywhere from $100 monthly to well over a $1,000, depending on an array of factors (dosage, amount, and delivery method). Health insurance, of course, doesn’t cover the costs. “It’s not cheap. We make sacrifices every single day to make sure she gets what she needs.”

But she doesn’t go to both dispensaries to catch up with her pharmacists, but because each offers different a product. The higher CBD medicine is available at one, the higher THC formula at the other, and both limit their menu options to liquid form. The largest dilemma the coordinator of the Dent Cannabis Clinic is encountering with patients is having to refer them to the New York State Thruway. “Our local dispensaries haven’t received any new product types/ratios since opening, and we have to do what is best for our patients. We can’t just send them locally because it’s convenient if they don’t have the proper dosages available,” Amanda McFayden wrote in an email. Responding to a survey of area lawmakers conducted by The Public, Buffalo Councilman David Rivera said he had heard of a parent who “was driving to Binghamton because the dispensary there provides greater number of products with better results for her epileptic child.” And that “parents” who need the medicine “are coming together to create carpools to drive four hours away.” Seven of the eight state lawmakers responding to the survey agreed that the medical marijuana program should be expanded, with an eighth—Chautauqua County Assemblyman Andrew Goodell—expressing a guarded optimism. State senators Timothy Kennedy, Patrick

Gallivan, and Assembly members Sean Ryan, Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Angela Wozniak, Ray Walter, and Robin Schimminger were all in favor of the program’s expansion. Program expansion is something close to Daniel Ryszka’s heart. He’s spent time locally and in Albany advocating for children and patients statewide, championing bills like the current one in committee in the state senate that would allow additional dispensaries to be opened. Beyond expansion, some changes at the federal level will need to take place to move the drug away from its classification as a Schedule I narcotic. For starters, Mariah Kelly can’t bring the drug her neurologist recommends as a seizure “rescue med” to school with her and doctors at the Veterans Administration can’t touch it. With only 2,675 patients registered, expanding might be a zero-sum game for the five companies. The list of 10 illness that qualify for the program would have to be increased, and patients would need to have better access to doctors willing to participate with the program. At the center of the local movement to treat patients with medical marijuana is Amherst’s Dent Neurologic Institute, a large practice near the I-90/I-290 interchange that makes it 30 minutes away from both Lewiston and East Aurora. Its

SURVEY SAYS

medical director, Laszlo Mechtler, was among the first cohort of doctors statewide to participate in the program. Speaking with The Public in January, Mechtler expressed he saw a moral imperative in getting involved with medical marijuana. “I firmly believe that if a physician acts in a compassionate way and doesn’t make a business out of this, then the physicians have every right to prescribe medications to relieve the suffering of their patients,” he said. “After doing this 25 years, it does get tiring to see people suffer and you can’t cure.” McFayden said Dent has seen multiple stories like the ones told by Ryszka and Kelly. “We have a little over 100 patients certified with a variety of New York State-indicated conditions that are seeing relief from their pain, nausea, and are having days free or lessened from seizures,” she wrote in an email. “It’s truly been remarkable to see these patients back during their follow-ups to listen to and see their results. “We do have patients receiving [medical marijuana] that have been able to begin weaning off of some of their preexisting medications, but that is done along side their physicians to make sure P that is the best decision for their care.”

READ MORE ELECTED OFFICIALS’ RESPONSES AT DAILYPUBLIC.COM.

WHAT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS SAY ABOUT MEDICAL MARIJUANA: CONGRESSMAN BRIAN HIGGINS: GREATER ACCESS, MORE FREEDOM FOR DOCTORS

ASSEMBLYMAN RAY WALTER: NEW YORK’S PROGRAM TOO RESTRICTIVE

ASSEMBLYWOMAN CRYSTAL PEOPLES-STOKES: NOT ENOUGH DISPENSARIES

THE PATH TO THE RED CARPET IS CLEAR.

ASSEMBLYMAN SEAN RYAN: RECLASSIFY THE DRUG, REVISIT THE STATE PROGRAM

NEW LISTINGS 31 HEMLOCK LANEN LANCASTER: $299,900 Spacious 4 bdrm Marrona built colonial in demand neighborhood. Feat. 2.5 baths, 1st fl laundry, lrg FR w/ full masonry WBFP, 1st fl office, full appliances in kitchen w/ granite counters. Master has lrg walk-in closet. Updated roof, furnace, AC, windows & doors. Wooded backyard. MUST SEE! Call 204-2294 or 479.4221

APPOINTMENT ONLY 5535 OLD GOODRICH ROAD CLARENCE: $699,900 5+ acres set among trees & pastures this beautifully restored & updated 4 lg bdrm home has lg fam rm, MBR w/ glamour bath, in-ground pool, tennis court & garage apt. 204-2294 or 912-8925 857 COLVIN BOULEVARD KENMORE $212,900 Rare find in the Village! 3 bdrm, 2.5 bath contemporary home built in 1995. 1st flr mstr suite & laundry. Beautiful lg yard, 2 car attached garage & more! 204-2294 or 866-2666 24 CRESTWOOD PLACE CHEEKTOWAGA $74,900 4 bdrm cape on a double lot in Cleve Hill Schools. Quiet dead end neighborhood, well priced - this is a good deal! 204-2294 or 912-8925

RENTALS 736 LAFAYETTE AVE BUFFALO: $2,850 Townhome A rare opportunity to rent a beautiful, 5 bdrm 2 full bath, on prestigious street. Formal dining room, living room, kitchen with appliances & breakfast area. Plus a 2 car garage. 2042294 or 912-8925

WIN A V.I.P. TRIP WITH THE BUFFALO BILLS ON THE TEAM PLANE TO L.A.

33 SCHWARTZ ROAD ELMA: $2,000 . Lovely English Tudor home w/ 1.25 acres in a very desirable area. Ft large open kit w/ granite countertops, pantry & stainless appliances. Family rm w/ beamed ceilings & wood burning fireplace. 3 bdrms upstairs w/ full bath. Finished basement w/ bar. A “MUST SEE” property! Call 204.2294 or 444-2402

Independent Health and the Buffalo Bills are giving you some extra motivation to get healthier. Earn points for living a healthier lifestyle, with the chance to win weekly

TOWNHOUSES

prizes and a trip with the Bills to see them take on the West Coast’s newest team.

100 HICKORY HILL ROAD AMHERST: $169,900 2 Bdrm, 2.5 bath townhouse in Hickory Hill Estates with 2.5 car garage. Move in condition! Call 204-2294 or 713.9970

The Challenge runs from April 18 through May 29, and you can join anytime.

716.204.2294

1127 WEHRLE DR WLMSVL, NY 14221

See website for official rules.

STOVROFFTAYLORREALTORS.COM

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC

SPOTLIGHT

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY

Love Coffee? Love People?

MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER

Care About the Planet?

JOIN OUR TEAM!

�

CHECK COPY CONTENT

�

CHECK IMPORTANT DATES

�

CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, & WEBSITE

�

PROOF OK (NO CHANGES)

�

PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES)

Advertisers Signature

____________________________ Date Issue:

dailyplanetcoffee@gmail.com

1862 HERTEL AVENUE dailyplanetcoffee.com

_______________________

MARIA / Y16W16 ______________________

IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP. THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE USED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC.

CLIFF ROBINSON BY KIP DOYLE

HOW THE NBA GREAT HAS PIVOTED TOWARD A BUSINESS IN SPORTS CANNABIS CLIFF ROBINSON HAS ALWAYS been an outlier. When he entered the NBA in 1989, players a shade under seven foot weren’t spreading defenses with jump shots, and they certainly weren’t doing it while wearing a cool headband.

Add in a dynamic presence in the early 1990s arcade game NBA Jam (Portland’s Clyde Drexler and Robinson were a lethal combo) and a funny victory dance (the “Uncle Cliffy”) and you had more than an NBA star, you had a loveable character and a fitting representation of his hometown of Buffalo. Robinson grew up across the street from Seneca High School but attended and played at Riverside.

CBW THE ONLY BEER THAT mATTERS!

Robinson would go on to play at the University of Connecticut before the start of a remarkably consistent NBA career that lasted 18 seasons. When he hung up the headband in 2007, he was the tallest player to ever hit 1,000 three-pointers in his career and ranked seventh all time with 1,380 games played. Robinson has continued to follow his own path since retirement, a path that lead him to the cast of Survivor and onto Dennis Rodman’s “basketball diplomacy” team that played in North Korea in 2014. Suffice to say, Robinson does things his own way, and there’s no better evidence of that than his latest venture. Robinson is opening Uncle Spliffy, the “first-to-market Sports Cannabis brand in the world…marijuana designed for athletes” in Portland, Oregon. Recreational marijuana was legalized in Oregon in 2015. Robinson spoke to The Public about his vision for the multifaceted brand and breaking down the stigmatization of marijuana. “Right now, our business model is kind of fluid due to the fact that [the news of the business]

10 THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

UNCLE SPLIFFY UNCLESPLIFFY.COM UNCLESPLIFFY UNCLESPLIFFYINC

kind of got out a little sooner than we wanted,” Robinson said. “So, we are kind of put in a position where we’re vetting out a lot of different opportunities, whether it be partnering with somebody on a grow, or to partner with someone to bring different products to our business and the consumer.” Those “different products” could be anything from apparel to marijuana topical creams and more. Robinson believe that marijuana can aid athletes during downtime and recovery. “When you think about the physical wear and tear, mentally and physically that someone puts on their body, [even for] someone who is just a regular, everyday person who goes to the gym and tries to put themselves in the best shape that they can be. [Marijuana] can add to their quality of life.” Uncle Cliffy envisions an array of Uncle Spliffy products much in the same way that Gatorade carries different products aimed at consumers with varying goals. Although attitudes are evolving, a social stigma around marijuana still exists, particularly when related to athletes. Robinson’s NBA career was interrupted by a marijuana arrest and suspension in 2001, with two more suspensions following in 2005 and 2006. Nonetheless, Robinson isn’t fearful of the negativity that could come his way as the first pro athlete to not just endorse, but professionally (and legally) sell marijuana.

ROBINSON IS BREAKING GROUND BY PUBLICLY PROMOTING MARIJUANA, INDELIBLY ATTACHING IT TO HIS PERSONA AS AN ATHLETE. “It’s definitely jumping out there, it’s definitely going to be a little controversial, because when you think of athletes and marijuana, it’s been frowned upon,” Robinson said. “So, I think it’s an uphill climb, but it’s a conversation that needs to be had, because there’s so many benefits to cannabis and hemp as a whole that we definitely wouldn’t be doing ourselves justice by overlooking them.” The Uncle Spliffy brand is a natural fit for Robinson, who says he first became familiar with marijuana while growing up in Buffalo. Despite the suspensions and arrest, Robinson says he has never looked at marijuana as a negative in his life because he was able to reach many of the milestones he had envisioned for his career. “I was able to get to the NBA and play at a high level, and anybody who has achieved goals in their life and [used] cannabis products, I think it would be crazy for anyone to look at them in a negative light, because they are going out and achieving their goals. They are still performing at a high level,” he said. Robinson frequently visits Buffalo, and although the prospect of marijuana legalization seems to be growing in New York State, he would prefer to see other developments prioritized in the Nickel City. “I’d like to see some other things take place on the East Side of Buffalo. You go to the East Side of Buffalo and you see so many homes that are just being torn down, and there doesn’t seem like there are any plans to replace these things,” he said. “It’s just a little depressing, so when I think about Buffalo and the cannabis industry, I’m sure it would definitely help the local economy, but I would hate to see these dispensaries just dispense on the East Side of Buffalo.” Robinson is breaking ground by publicly promoting marijuana, indelibly attaching it to his persona as an athlete. And yes, he is trying to get his peers to ’fess up to their usage and soften the stigma. “Oh, trust me, I’ve already joked with a couple of guys that if they don’t out themselves soon, that I was going to out them,” Robinson said. One can only speculate if any of those marijuana friendly peers joined Robinson on Rodman’s aforementioned “basketball diplomacy” squad that entertained Kim Jong Un in North Korea, although it’s unlikely they indulged while visiting the totalitarian dictatorship. The unique excursion and Rodman’s bizarre behavior were widely reported on in the United States. “Anytime you get to go into a country that people rarely have access to, from a historical standpoint, you have to take advantage of that opportunity. As an athlete, I play basketball. I’ve played basketball for a lot of different people, and I never thought of it as anything other than going to play basketball in North Korea,” he said. As workmanlike as Robinson’s approach was, the weirdness of the trip was not lost on him. “It’s like clockwork over there. I compare it to being in The Matrix.” Now Robinson faces his own kind of matrix, working to expose the realities of marijuana to an often uninformed and/or ignorant populace. “It’s more than just THC and flower. There’s so many different things that are being done with cannabis and hemp that people really need to open their eyes to the information out there and be a more educated consumer of cannabis products as a whole.” For more information on Uncle Spliffy, sign up to receive brand launch information at P unclespliffy.com.

FILM

P E T C

MEDICAL MARIJUANA LAW MARC S. GROMIS, Esq.

PROVIDING LEGAL SERVICES AND GUIDANCE FOR:

Th PU ch in as se TH er re ha Pl by

◆ Patients and healthcare providers ◆ Licensed medical marijuana businesses ◆ Businesses/individuals looking to enter the industry ◆ Advocacy groups seeking to improve cannabis laws MARCGROMIS@GROMISLAW.COM

�

Up in Smoke

�

THEY PUT THEIR WEED IN IT

�

Iss

BY M. FAUST

A SPORADIC HISTORY OF MARIJUANA IN THE MOVIES MURDER AT THE VANITIES (1934)—Made before the institution of Hollywood’s the puritanical Production Code, this musical includes a production number entitled ”Sweet Marihuana,” which for years afterward was cut from release prints. The film’s other big ode to a mind-altering substance, ”Cocktails for Two,” fared better. REEFER MADNESS (1936)—The absurd of a handful of anti-marijuana movies made to capitalize on Harry Anslinger’s national campaign to outlaw cannabis. Its ludicrous depictions of high-schoolers (none of whom appear any younger than 30) who descend into violent crime and madness after becoming addicted to pot is so laughable that NORML ran the film as a fundraiser in the 1970s, to great effect. See also Marihuana: Weed with Roots in Hell and Assassin of Youth.

most

SHE SHOULDA SAID NO

IF TH HE TH TH PU

was no less of a counter-culture idol than Sonny Bono! The government paid for lots of these movies in the 1960s, and if you were a kid at the time your school probably showed you some of them. You can see this one on YouTube. (1970)—To the best of my knowledge, the first Hollywood film to show marijuana use without condemning it. Director Robert Altman was an avid smoker, which will surprise no one familiar with his films. M*A*S*H

LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972)—

Horrible things happen to a pair of sweet teenaged girls when they try to buy pot from some bad, bad dudes. BLOOD FREAK (1972)—

A Vietnam vet is lured by sexy hippies into becoming a marijuana addict as the first step in a process that ends up with him as a bloodthirsty wereturkey. That’s right, a were-turkey. A favorite of bad movie buffs. UP IN SMOKE (1976)—

Cheech and Chong’s first movie, released by a major Hollywood story, and the beginning of the realization for most parents of American that the worst pot was likely to do to your kids was make them laugh at dumb shit.

(1949)—Lila Leeds was an aspiring young actress who was arrested with Robert Mitchum for possession of marijuana. His career recovered; GRASS (1998)—Ron Mann’s documentary hers never did. She played a examines why the US government outlawed character loosely based on cannabis in the first place and, even herself in this cautionary NT TO EAT WA more damningly, why they steadfastly story that played the IN W & S insisted on continuing to do so, despite CO TA exploitation circuit. the huge social and economic price tag. F? UF COOL ST MARYJANE (1968)— 14 E PAG TO TURN Former teen idol Fabian FOR MORE INFO! as a pro-grass high school teacher who learns this error of his ways in a movie written by original host of The Hollywood Squares and the guy who played Hymie the Robot on Get Smart. (1968)—A short documentary made to convince kids that smoking weed was not cool. And how could they not be persuaded, given that the film’s host

“MARIJUANA”

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC

12 THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

SAVE NIAGARA FALLS FROM THIS by J. S. Puaite, from Puck magazine, 1906. Part of Wilde at the Falls: Touring the Falls with Oscar Wilde at the Castellani Art Museum through July 10. DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 13

EVENTS CALENDAR PUBLIC APPROVED

4/20 TACO TOUR WEDNESDAY APR 20 DAMIAN On the Verge album Recommended if you like: Sparklehorse, Spacemen 3, The Mountain Goats

Folk artist Damian Weber has had his hand in many projects in the area, including as bassist of Difficult Night, as a producer of records, and even as a writer of stories. His band, Difficult Night, recently released their album In a Blackhole at the Listening of Distant Harpers in the Dim Gloam of Evening. Just as recently, a local band—the Velvet Bethany—released their album, I Am Not Peace + Love But You Are Welcome, which was produced by Weber. Last year, the Buffalo-based artist released a novella titled Mr. Bush in Baseball, a fictional story about the 1994 baseball strike and George W. Bush. As a songwriter, however, he’s never ignored his own solo work, frequently releasing EPs and singles. His latest work is a full album titled On the Verge under the name Damian. The 13-track record contains mostly minimal folk songs written on electronic guitar, occasionally broken up by the soft buzz of a synthesizer on songs like “Kimberly (Patti Smith),” and even the patter of a drum machine (“Those Dudes”). Most of the tracks capture the sound of a singer/songwriter alone in his room with a guitar and maybe a loop pedal; others, like “All We Need Is a Trigger,” sound like they could easily be fleshed out into full band compositions, which indicate a flexibility to the project. In a description of the record, Weber thanks Brandon Schlia of Steak & Cake records, as well as Aaron Lowinger (editor at The Public) from whom, he says, he stole many of the impressionistic lyrics to the record. Other highlights include the intimate and charming first track, “Years Later” and the acoustic number “Evaporated (Fuck Up Morning)". On the Verge is available to stream or download for free on Bandcamp.

DO YOU MAKE MUSIC? HAVE A RECOMMENDATION? CONTACT CORY@DAILYPUBLIC.COM TO BE CONSIDERED IN OUR WEEKLY PUBLIC PICKS.

5PM / VARIOUS LOCATIONS [TACO] For centuries, the taco has been the go-to food for snackers and munchers. So simple, yet so complex, the taco can be the perfect cure for the munchies for several reasons. On Wednesday, April 20, you’re invited to ponder those reasons at The Public's first ever (but surely not our last) 4/20 Taco Tour! Three local taco joints will participate: Deep South Taco, Cantina Loco, and Lloyd Taco Factory. The idea is quite simple: Eat tacos, win prizes. We’ve gathered $1,000 in prizes from three local head shops—Head Space, Terrapin Station, and Headin’ to Hertel—to giveaway to our taco loving readers. Participants don’t need to sign up, but folks are encouraged to visit each establishment and send us photos of your tacos. Those who send us a photo using the hashtag #ThePublicTacoTour of at least one taco from each spot are automatically entered to win some smokin’ swag. (Pro tip: Make sure your Instagram and/or Twitter are not set on private, at least for this very special taco event-extravaganza). See you all on 4/20. -THE PUBLIC STAFF

WEDNESDAY APR 20 420 Freedom Fest 4pm Delaware Park, 84 Parkside Ave free [FESTIVAL] It’s been a big year for marijuana advocacy in Western New York: The much maligned medical marijuana program has taken hold statewide, the Buffalo Cannabis Movement pushed the Common Council to modify police strategy around marijuana much like New York City and Philadelphia, and Buffalo Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes has introduced a bill to the legislature for Colorado-style legalization. Proponents, advocates, and revelers will gather next Wednesday around Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park for a rally-flavored festival dubbed the 420 Freedom Festival. The event will feature speeches, food trucks, a drum circle with dancing, and some other live music. Who knows, it might not snow. -AARON LOWINGER

Dopapod 9pm Buffalo Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. $12-$15 [ROCK] Dopapod’s greatest strength is the individual talent of each musician, and the explosive energy that rages when they play together—the fact that they can rock with funk and soul, and ride jazzy and psychedelic progressions like a boss is just an added bonus. The Berkeley-bred quintet constructs their albums through frequent on-stage improvisation. This becomes more impressive upon listening to songs that are intricate and complex with rich textures. Catch Dopapod with Turbo Suit at Buffalo Iron Works on Wednesday, April 20. -KELLIE POWELL

THURSDAY APR 21 The Spill Canvas 6pm Studio at the Waiting Room, 334 Delaware Ave. $15-$17 [EMO] Many may remember the Spill Canvas as the early 2000s emo band, lead by boyish frontman Nick Thomas that released records with titles like Sunsets and Car Crashes and No Really I’m Fine. When he was 19, Thomas signed with One Eleven Records as a solo artist, and skyrocketed from there. After a few good years, however, the band, went the way of emo music in general and fell off the radar. Though they haven’t released a record since 2012’s Gestalt, they’re currently on tour performing a unqiue set of music. On Thursday and Friday, April 21 and 22, the Spill Canvas will bring their Requestour to the Studio at the Waiting Room.

14 THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

On this tour the band will allow the audience to vote for their favorite songs to be played at the show. Speak Low If You Speak Love will open the shows. -TPS

New Madrid 7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. $10-$12 [POP] One of the more impressive Athens, Georgia bands to achieve a larger-than-justlocal profile in recent memory, New Madrid's singular brand of psychedelic art-pop is polished, but not to the point of completely losing its edge. On the new Magnetkingmagnetqueen, out April 29 on New West's Normaltown imprint, the quartet explores the boundaries of progressive pop, achieving something refined that's got plenty of indie flair—it's addictive. Check out the video for "Knots" to get a better idea of what the new material sounds like. They'll surely play more of it at the Town Ballroom's Leopard Lounge on Thursday night. Bold Folly opens. -CJT

The Rite of Spring 7:30pm UB Center For The Arts, 103 Center For The Arts $27-$67 [CLASSICAL] Rescheduled from November 2014 due to awful weather, Igor Stravinsky’s lThe Rite of Spring will be performed at UB Center for the Arts this Thursday, April 21. Featuring choreography by Salvatore Aiello, the performance will be accompanied by the Richmond Ballet and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. -EJ

Karl Ove Knausgård 8pm Kleinhans Music Hall, 3 Symphony Circle $35 [LIT] The Just Buffalo BABEL program, which brings globally famous authors to Buffalo, is coming to an end of its season by featuring international literary sensation Karl Ove Knausgård. Knausgård is known for a six-volume epic titled My Struggle, which deals with family drama in an incredibly honest and stunningly detailed way. Releasing one book a year starting in 2012, Volume 1 of this series was translated into 15 languages, with the English version becoming a New York Times bestseller and The New Yorker’s Book of the Year. In addition to all of the well deserved accolades, Volume 1 is also the starting point for BABEL readers’ work with Knausgård. After the event, this Thursday, April 21 at Kleinhans Music Hall, an interview style Q&A will be held, and audience members will have the chance to get their book signed by Knausgård. Tickets are available at justbuffalo. org for $35, with student and library card discounts available. -EVAN JAMES

Red Francis 8pm Mohawk Place, 47 E Mohawk St. $5 [INDIE] Chicago three-piece Red Francis is on the road this spring supporting their debut fulllength, a tour that includes a show at Mohawk Place this Thursday, April 21 with locals Difficult Night and Coral Collapse. Not a lot has been written about these guys yet, but their psych-informed pop is seasoned with generous bits of dark humor, which gets accentuated in their videos. Check out the hilarious clip for "Media Feeding Frenzy" and the ad for the album, which promises to be the remedy for any projectile vomiting you may be experiencing. Ask your doctor if Red Francis is right for you. -CJT

FRIDAY APR 22 Lowest of the Low and Ron Hawkins 7pm Town Ballroom, 681 Main St. $21-$32 [ALTERNATIVE] Lowest of the Low and frontman Ron Hawkins will be performing at events on consecutive nights this Friday, and Saturday, April 22 and 23. First, Hawkins' long time band Lowest of the Low will perform a special benefit concert for the Food Bank of Western New York at the Town Ballroom. The Canadian alternative rock band will be joined by singer/ songwriter Willie Nile and alt-country band The Gallow Walkers. Then, the next night, Ron Hawkins will celebrate the release of his new solo album, Spit, Sputter, and Sparkle in the Town Ballroom's new Leopard Lounge. Tickets for both shows are available on the Town Ballroom website or at their box office. Both shows begin at 7pm. -CP

Jeremih 8pm Rapids Theatre, 1711 Main St. $10-$20 [R&B] “I can make a great sex song anytime I want, without even saying a body part, without saying anything that would be omitted on the radio. Somehow I’ve just been given that ability.” If this quote doesn’t give you an exact idea about what to expect from a Jeremih concert, then you owe it to yourself to check out what’s going on at the Rapids Theatre this Friday. At age 28, Jerimih had his first hit in 2009 with the song “Birthday Sex,” and has earned comparisons to R. Kelly and Dream for his smooth, heavenly falsetto, and for his knack for writing what many would call baby-making music. Touring in support of his late 2015 release, Late Nights, this show will be one you’ll remember forever—especially in nine months. -EJ

s ’ e e i g k n l u i Lo

CALENDAR EVENTS

Mlmwood

PUBLIC APPROVED

food,

t nmen

tai

nter e & , s

spirit

ALSET ALOKIN

Diaz’s history with Buffalo dates back a few decades. He first visited in 1983, returning in 1987 for a Polish wedding. Having hated weddings until that point, he was taken with the delicious food and marathon debauchery. Later, as a regular at one of North Tonawanda’s comic venues, someone gave him a Buffalo Bills ticket. The camaraderie and good times he experienced tailgating sealed his affection for the city, and now he tries to perform here every year. Perhaps a beef on weck binge just means a few extra jujitsu classes. “I joined jujitsu and realized I was so fucking bad at it,” Diaz confided. “I never dreamed of smelling men’s feet and asses in my face, but there I was. I’m still horrible at it, but I treat it with the same discipline as comedy: Assume you’re going to suck for a long time. You put the time in, though, and it eventually comes together. You just never know when it’s going to happen, and that’s the fun part.”

ATTIC ABASEMENT

Rock’n’Roll from Chicago

Red Francis

+ Difficult Night, Coral Collapse 8PM ◆ $5

◆ FRIDAY, APRIL 22 ◆

WBNY Battle of the Bands: Randle & the Late Night Scandals, Ponder the Giraffe, Mom Said No, Rustic Radio, Radarada, PA Line ◆ SATURDAY, APRIL 23 ◆

Cold Wave at the Cat Cave:

Night Slaves

�

MR BONELESS

@ 9 PM

@ 9 PM Free

e.coma g n u odlo e @ Utic o w m iesel wood Av .58 8 1 k l i m 2 Elm 82 8 . 6 52 1 7 Free

◆ SUNDAY, APRIL 24 ◆

Lady Bones + Hot Tip, Red Heat, Slow Cooker 8PM ◆ $5

◆ TUESDAY, APRIL 26 ◆

Every Wednesday

Open Comedy Mic Night

From Toronto

Crosss

+ Stop Scorpio, Much Band 8PM ◆ $6

◆ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27 ◆

After Dark presents Hip-Hop from LA:

Freddie Gibbs + Short Moscato, Lucky Seven

8PM ◆ $17 ADVANCE/$20 DAY OF SHOW

47 East Mohawk St. 716.312.9279

BUFFALOSMOHAWKPLACE.COM FACEBOOK.COM/MOHAWKPLACE

TOWNBALLROOM 681 MAIN ST . BUFFALO, NY . 716-852-3900 . WWW.TOWNBALLROOM.COM

THIS FRIDAY!

ON SALE THIS FRIDAY!

Chatting with Diaz, you get the distinct impression he’ll succeed with jujitsu and whatever else he puts his mind to. A viable career in comedy is his midlife redemption after a series of hard knocks left him addicted to cocaine and lacking direction. At 16, he was forced to grow up fast when he found his mother deceased on the floor of her home. Eventually, he landed a stint in prison. He says the experience helped him focus and provided newfound determination to make something of himself, but bad habits lingered a while longer. “Doing standup saved me,” he said, noting that he’s been at it for 25 years as of this coming July. “I believe the stuff I went through when I got out of prison is part of the reason I’m successful. There was a time I was living under one of those plastic rocket ships in a kid’s playground at a public park. I used to dream of having a life. Back then, standup was the only thing that was working in my life and I forced myself to keep going with it no matter how difficult or painful it was sometimes.” Diaz doesn’t consider himself a star or a celebrity. Connecting with fans after performances is a huge part of the gig for him—allowing for that sense of accessibility fostered by social media. He also embraces the opportunity to connect with new comics as they come down the pike. “All these young motherfuckers are going to get TV shows in five years, they’re my future. Who’s gonna give me work when I’m 60? They’re going to keep me in dentures and pork chops.” Unsurprisingly, Diaz’s anecdotal comedy is largely based on his own experiences. His gangster-esque demeanor makes him a natural for The Sopranos, for which he auditioned twice. Forces conspired to keep him from getting a role, but a MAD TV parody he did was included in one of the show’s DVD packages. In addition to his ongoing standup career, he’s become a recognizable face in movies (Spiderman 2, Analyze That), on TV (My Name is Earl) and is a regular on Joe Rogan’s podcast. He also has his own podcast, The Church of What’s Happening Now. Between all of these outlets, he traverses quite a bit of topical territory, but he insists that it’s the moral of a given story that makes it worthwhile comedy. “For me, it’s about the ending,” he explained. “It’s something you learn from it. For example, I hate hookers. I don’t like that whole underworld. When I was much younger, someone said ‘let’s get into this guy’s car,’ and he ended up taking us to a house full of hookers. I got into bed with a woman, it felt nasty to me. The moral of the story? Don’t get into some other guy’s car at night.” -CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY

FRIDAY APRIL 22

Snarky Puppy SATURDAY MAY 7

UPCOMING AT TOWN BALLROOM APRIL 27 MAY 3 MAY 5

MAY 11

PARKWAY DRIVE MAY 24

DARK STAR ORCHESTRA MAY 27

PERFORMING PAID IN FULL JUNE 2

JUNE 3

9pm Buffalo Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. $10-$12 [REGGAE] It’s been more than 10 years, and Spiritual Rez is showing no signs of slowing down. They’ve garnered a cult following by way of relentless touring and captivating live shows featuring rich, yet light compositions that swallow the audience whole. Their 2014 release was

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

JUNE10

THIS SATURDAY! APRIL 23

APRIL 29

THE SLUMS LATE SHOW - MAY 7

DR. FAMEUS (ALLEN AUCOIN OF DISCO BISCUITS) MAY 8

MAY 12

BOY & BEAR

MISHKA SHUBALY & STAR ANNA

SOLD OUT! JUNE13

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD JUNE 25

BOLD FOLLY

TOMMY STINSON

HOUNDMOUTH met with rave reviews, and thanks to hundreds of dedicated fans, the unsigned reggae-funk outfit is heading back into the studio to record a new album, set to drop this summer. Catch Spiritual Rez at Buffalo Iron Works on Friday, April 22. -KP

WITH

RON HAWKINS

ZOMBOY

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

Spiritual Rez

LEOPARD LOUNGE AT THE TOWN

NEW MADRID

X AMBASSADORS

RAKIM

SATURDAY JUNE 4

THIS THURSDAY! APRIL 21

SOMO

BRIAN FALLON & THE CROWES

� �

Ugly pop from Boston

Every Tuesday

Tha PU che ins as ser PU not pro pro this em

8PM ◆ $5

Passed Out @ 9 PM / $5 at the door

+ DJs Collin Gabriel & Nicholas Reid visual artists, live painting and more

“I started this journey at 418 pounds, and I’m down to 303,” Diaz said from over the phone in Los Angeles. “It’s been a battle, but I’m doing it for my daughter and for myself, to help keep me sharper. I was down to 270, but my head got too big and I lost it. People weren’t booking me because my neck looked skinny—they wondered if I was sick. I went back up to 330-something, now I’m at 303. I want to get down to 265, but I gotta find a way to deal with that beef on weck. Great Googly Moogly!”

8PM ◆ $5

◆ THURSDAY, APRIL 21 ◆

6PM ◆ $5

Apr. 23

[COMEDY] Joey Diaz is ready for a beef on weck. But not without some trepidation. Diaz, who loves Buffalo and returns to our mini-metropolis for a series of gigs at Helium Comedy Club this Thursday through Saturday, has recently been striving for a healthier lifestyle. The 53-year-old comic storyteller has turned over a new leaf in recent years. But like so many of our best efforts in life, it’s not a linear process.

Dan Tedesco

+ Sara Elizabeth, KERRY FEY

@ 9 PM / $3 at the door

8PM / HELIUM COMEDY CLUB, 30 MISSISSIPPI ST. / $17-$33

◆ WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 ◆

Alternative folk from Des Moines, Iowa

WEEKLY LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

Apr. 22

INTERVIEW: JOEY DIAZ THURSDAY APR 21

Buffalo’s Premier Live Music Club

P E T C

JUNE 7

HIPPO CAMPUS

GO TO TOWNBALLROOM.COM EVENTS FOR TICKETING. TICKETS ALSO AVAILABLE AT TOWN BALLROOM BOX OFFICE OPEN MONDAY-FRIDAY 12-5PM. PRODUCED BY FUNTIME PRESENTS

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 15

� �

Adv

___

Date

Issu

IF Y THI HEL THO THI PUB

EVENTS CALENDAR

STAY IN THE

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

PUBLIC APPROVED

SATURDAY APR 23 The Church 7pm Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St. $23 [ROCK] Hungry for some brooding 1980s alternative nostalgia? Then check out cult 1980s band the Church at Tralf Music Hall on Saturday, April 23, as presented by Alternative Buffalo 107.7 FM. Best known for their hit single “Under The Milky Way,” the Australian Quartet has gained a beloved reputation from fans of older and younger generations for their indie new-wave sound mixed with their more alternative 1980s appeal. -NINA LAPRES

THIS WEEK'S LGBT AGENDA WEDNESDAY APRIL 20

Cabinet

FRIDAY APR 22

OUT FOR BUSINESS

5-7:30PM at Lenox Grill, 140 North St.

Buffalo’s premier LGBT professionals networking event, organized by the Pride Center of Western New York. Open to folks from all job sectors, career paths and levels of experience. Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere with great food, drinks and raffles. The first 50 people receive a drink on the house.

THURSDAY APRIL 21

MOCHA’S SPEED DATING 6-9PM at The MOCHA Center, 1092 Main St.

Kicking off MOCHA’s resurgence with a night filled with laughter, fun and snacks. This event is free for queer, gay and bisexual men ages 18-32. Dress to impress: no drama, no shade. Space is limited. To register, visit SurveyMonkey.com or find the event on Facebook for a link.

THURSDAY APRIL 21

PHOTO BY DAVID JACOBS

THE BAD PLUS JOSHUA REDMAN FRIDAY APR 22 8PM / ROCKWELL HALL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, 1300 ELMWOOD AVE. / $15-$40 [JAZZ] On Friday, April 22, as part of their Great Performers Series, Buffalo State College will welcome the Bad Plus Joshua Redman to the Performing Arts Center at Rockwell Hall. Those who are tuned into the jazz music scene probably know Joshua Redman as a prolific saxaphonist who has been nominated for a couple of Grammy awards for his solo work and his work with the trio the Bad Plus. After performing as a special guest with the Bad Plus for a few years, Redman has become a de facto fourth member of the band, which includes pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer David King. What makes the Bad Plus Joshua special is that they’re not afraid to tackle contemporary pop musical compositions. Their set often includes renditions of songs by Radiohead, Aphex Twin, and Nirvana alongside pieces by Igor Stravinsky, and have in the past included the music of The Bee Gees, Black Sabbath, and Blondie. The New York Times says that Redman brings a “vital presence” to a band that has never sounded incomplete. For fans of the Bad Plus, this will be an exciting opportunity to hear the band perform in a unique configuration—fans of music in general should enjoy this multi-faceted performance. -CORY PERLA

PUBLIC APPROVED

GAY MEN’S BOOK CLUB 7PM at Panera Bread, 1747 Sheridan Dr.

This month’s book: “My Undoing: Love in the Thick of Sex, Drugs, Pornography and Prostitution,” by Aiden Shaw. For the first time, porn legend Shaw takes fans behind-thescenes to the gay adult film world that make him a star. The book is equally moving for his revelations about his Irish Catholic family, his HIV-positive status in the sex industry, and his recovery from a near fatal car accident that left him temporarily paralyzed.

LOOPMAGAZINEBUFFALO.COM

8pm First Niagara Center, 1 Seymour H Knox III Plz $46.50-$122.50 [COMEDY] With all the politics that have congested New York State in the weeks leading up to the primaries, there’s no greater time to welcome a star-studded band of comedic veterans with a proven talent for picking apart today’s political landscape. Hosted by George Lopez, a master entertainer in his own right, the Comedy Get Down features two of “The Original Kings of Comedy,” Cedric “The Entertainer” and D. L. Hughley, along with Charlie Murphy and Eddie Griffin for a night that will leave you in stitches. Known for his roles in the Barbershop films, Cedric’s charismatic, giggly stand-up has made him one of the most sought after comics in the industry. Hughley’s smart and brash brand of humor is as strong in the stand-up arena as it is on screen, and he has a Peabody Award to prove it. Voted one of Comedy Central’s Top 100 Greatest Comedians of all time, Griffin is a writer, producer, actor, and certified badass on the comedy circuit. Charlie Murphy rose to fame on The Chappelle Show, where his “True Hollywood Stories” were one of the show’s greatest bits. Since the show’s end, Murphy has continued his rise as a screenwriter, actor and stand-up comic. Fusing all of these comedic greats together is the quick-witted George Lopez, who has enjoyed a career that has encompassed television, film and stand-up. Catch The Comedy Get Down at the First Niagara Center on Saturday, April 23. -KP

9pm Milkie's, 522 Elmwood Ave $5 [INDIE] Essentially a musical vehicle for the songs of Michael Rheinheimer, Attic Abasement has grown into a Rochester-based trio with Keith Parkins and Joe Parker. Rheinheimer's misfit singer-songwriter fare gets dressed in moody pop melodies with flourishes of fuzz—and there's plenty of both on the forthcoming new full-length, Dream News, out May 27 on Father/Daughter Records. They're at Milkie's on Saturday night with Passed Out and Mr. Boneless. -CJT

TUESDAY APR 26

20TH ANNIVERSARY BUFFALO BRUNCH EmbraceWNY’s premier fundraising event of the year turns 20, and the annual event honors individuals, groups, organizations and business that help celebrate and embrace the LGBT community in Western New York. Arrive at noon for a champagne reception and auction, featuring dozens of local vendors, businesses and artists. The five-star brunch buffet starts at 1 p.m. along with the awards ceremony. Purchase tickets at buffalobrunch.org.

The Comedy Get Down

Attic Abasement

SUNDAY APRIL 24

12-3PM at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens, 6461 Transit Rd., Depew

8pm Buffalo Iron Works, 49 Illinois St. $12-$15 [FOLK] Cabinet, a sextet from Pennsylvania, is a mighty hardworking unit—blending skillful, bluegrass chops with occasional rocking edges. The unusual sound, delivered with old-timey authenticity, has earned them a devout following and some high-profile festival spots, including upcoming appearances at Susquehanna Breakdown, Rooster Walk, Northwest String Summit, DelFest, and the Charm City Folk and Bluegrass Festival. They'll perform at Buffalo Iron Works on Saturday, April 23. -CJT

Emulsified #4: Surface Tensions

THE BUFFALO BRUNCH SUNDAY APR 24 12PM / SALVATORE'S ITALIAN GARDENS, 6461 TRANSIT RD. / $50 & UP [CELEBRATION] The Buffalo Brunch has been flying low under the radar for 20 years now. It shouldn’t: In the last eight years alone—since the LGBTQ fundraising and community awareness events has been run by embrace Western New York—the brunch has raised and dispensed $125,000 in grants and scholarships. “All of our scholarships and grants contain elements of educating Western New York,” says Jeffrey Platt, embrace Western New York’s president. “When a society chooses to educate themselves of all manner of social injustices, better decisions are made. A more inclusive society develops and those who are marginalized are empowered to thrive.” This year’s Buffalo Brunch takes place on Sunday, April 24, at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens. Every dime of your $50 ticket makes a better neighborhood, a better city, a better world. Honorees this year include include Cleveland Heights Christian Church in Cheektowaga, the Queen City Softball League, Loop Magazine founder Michael Rizzo, and Buffalo Councilman David Rivera. Get tickets at buffalobrunch.org or by calling 716-525-3962. -THE PUBLIC STAFF

16 THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

7:30pm Hallwalls, 341 Delaware Ave. $8, $5 for Hallwalls members and UB students [EXPERIMENTAL FILM] There's a room in UB's Media Study Dept called the boneyard, filled with the equipment and evidence of a prior era of filmmaking, films that have been saved from certain doom for the purpose of showing them again, maintaining their relevancy. The series that showcases these relics—Emulsified—brings its fourth installment to the Hallwalls cinema on Tuesday night with a night of films curated by Carl Lee. The lineup is comprised of Rhythmus 21 (1920, Hans Richter), Symphonie Diagonale (1924, Viking Eggling), 66 (1966, Robert Breer), 69 (1969, Robert Breer), 70 (1970, Robert Breer), What Who How, (1957, Stan Vanderbeek), Rubber Stamp Film (1983, Joanna Priestley), Un Chien Andalou (1929, Luis Buñuel/ Salvador Dalí), and Razor Blades (1966, Paul Sharits). -AL

CALENDAR EVENTS PUBLIC APPROVED

PRESENTS

BUFFALO BEER BUZZ

LIVEMUSICEVERYNIGHTFOROVER30YEARS! WEDNESAY

NuShark, BrownSugar, Erica Wolfling, Funk Theory, Einat Agmon, Melissa Sauers

APR 20

4:20PM $5

Caleb & Carolyn, The Brothers Blue

THURSDAY

APR 21

9PM $5

Happy Hour: Jony James n BUFFALO BREWER'S FESTIVAL June 18, Buffalo Outer Harbor Wilkeson Pointe, 200 Fuhrmann Blvd.

Tickets are on sale now for the third annual Buffalo Brewer’s Festival, summer’s marquee beer fest, which takes place Saturday, June 18, 3-7pm, at the Outer Harbor. The festival will feature more than 40 breweries, including all 20 local breweries, as well as local farmers, chefs and food trucks. The Brewer’s Festival will also feature a single Meet the Brewers session, pairing five local brewers with cheeses from Vermont Farmstead. In additional to the Meet the Brewer Tent, new this year will be special feature tents including a New York State Cider Tent, a Farm to Pint tent, and an Ontario Beer Tent. Tickets can be purchased right now as BuffaloBrewersFestival.com and BuffaloNiagaraBrewersAssociation.org.

n WEST SHORE BREWING CO. West Shore Brewing Company 9992 Main St, Clarence

Newcomer West Shore Brewing Company has an agreement in place to operate at 9992 Main Street in Clarence. According to founder Josh Dziomba, they are shooting for a late July/early August soft opening, with the tentative plan to launch with four or five offerings, including their Historic Rail Pale Ale, Interlocking IPA (an Imperial), Vanilla Cream Ale, a Pre-Prohibition Ale, and a pilsner, with more beer in the experimental phase currently. “I am very excited and am looking forward to the day when production can start,” Dziomba says. “The West Shore Railroad had a lot to do with the history of Clarence, so now it’s time for West Shore Brewing to arrive.”

FRIDAY

FREDDIE GIBBS WEDNESDAY APR 27

APR 22

Funktional Flow

7PM / MOHAWK PLACE, 47 E MOHAWK ST. / $17-$20

10PM $7

[HIP HOP] In a recent interview with NPR, rapper Freddie Gibbs named Buffalo native and funk superstar Rick James as one of his inspirations. Not because Gibbs makes music that sounds anything like what James made in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but because of where he says, James’ mind was while making his music. In the interview, Gibbs ruminates on James’ influence on him and rap music in general. “I was like, ‘Damn.’ Rick James was a R&B guy. Like, he was really one of the first guys in the—he was selling drugs to really fund his music career…And it’s kind of like the basis of where a lot of these rappers are right now. They’re like, ‘Ah, man. I gotta hustle and do what I gotta do to fund my career.’ It’s crazy to see that Rick James was actually doing that in the ’60s and ’70s. It was just wild.” For Gibbs, growing up in Gary, Indiana in the mid 1980s was probably a similar experience to James’ growing up in Buffalo. Where Gibbs’s hometown was the birthplace of Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5, he looked to the grittier Rick James and George Clinton as early influences as he could better relate to their life experiences. Now, the 33-year-old Gibbs is several LPs into an impressive musical career that’s been defined by his relentless, tell-itlike-it-is lyrical style on albums like ESGN, and 2015’s Shadow of a Doubt—and underscored by a lauded collaborative album with Madlib, 2014’s Piñata. On Wednesday, April 27, Freddie Gibbs will come to Buffalo’s Mohawk Place for what should be an intense and intimate show. Buffalo hip hop favorites Short Moscato and Lucky Seven open the show. -CORY PERLA

Preach Freedom & Connect, Frontstreet Men 10PM $5

WEDNESDAY

APR 27

Presents:

lesionread (the band), bleu & green, Jon Bap 8:30PM $5

Whetherman, Max Garcia Conover 9PM $5

PUBLIC APPROVED

Happy Hour: the fibs 6PM FREE

FRIDAY

APR 29

SUnbeam Entertainment: Midnight Snack,

Our Friends Band, Dashuri & Geneviev 10PM $5

FRIDAY

APR 30

On Sunday, May 15, Southern Tier Brewing Company will hold the Fifth Annual Public Day, a beer and music festival on the brewery’s picturesque property in Lakewood, New York. The event is free to the public and includes live music as well as house-smoked BBQ. All in all, 42 beers will be available to sample, including Pumking, Choklat, Mokah, Hop Sun, Harvest, Grand Arbor, many limited edition beers, a special cask offering and many other seasonal and special releases. Souvenir glasses and sampling tickets will be available for $1 each. Public Day runs 12-4pm.

Grayak, The Observers 10PM $5

WEEKLY EVENTS EVERY SUNDAY FREE

FIRST SUNDAYS: THE JAZZ CACHE 6PM. ANN PHILIPPONE 8PM . DR JAZZ & THE JAZZ BUGS (EXCEPT FIRST SUNDAYS)

EVERY MONDAY FREE

8PM. SONGWRITER SHOWCASE 9PM. OPEN MIC W. JOSH GAGE

n FLYING BISON ANNIVERSARY

BUFFALONIAGARABREWERSASSOCIATION.ORG

APR 23

APR 28

May 15, Fifth Annual Public Day 2072 Stoneman Cir, Lakewood

Flying Bison, Buffalo’s craft beer originals, will celebrate their 16th anniversary with, what else, a massive German-style party on Saturday, April 23 at their Larkinville brewery. Flying Bison’s full slate of authentic german-style beers, such as Buffalo Lager, Buffalo Kolsch 716, Rusty Chain, Barrel Roll Maibock, and Polonia Pils, will be prominently featured as will a firkin of dry-hopped unfiltered Buffalo Lager. The event is free (though $20 buys you music, food and two drink tickets, $15 buys you music and food), Auslanders are set to perform from 1-3pm and German cuisine (bratwursts, german potato salad, sauerkraut) will be available. Prost!

SATURDAY

THURSDAY

n FIFTH ANNUAL PUBLIC DAY

April 23, 16th Anniversary Party 840 Seneca St, Buffalo

6PM FREE

EVERY TUESDAY

THE PUBLIC PRESENTS: WEDNESDAY APR 27 LESIONREAD, BLEU & GREEN, & JON BAP 8:30PM / NIETZSCHE'S, 248 ALLEN ST. / $5 [POP] Like any good musician, Lesionread knows how to morph, transform, and evolve. Musician Shawn Lewis conceived of Lesionread as a self-contained electronic music party. At his shows he’d bring out a gang of faceless body-suit people, robots, and dinosaurs to interact with the crowd, sometimes handing them props or cameras to pass around for the purposes of social experiment and musical enjoyment. After touring the country Lesionread has returned to Buffalo as a three piece band—but don’t think for a second that their off-the-wall show has been toned down at all. On Wednesday, April 27, Lesionread will join us for the next edition of The Public Presents at Nietzsche’s. They’ll be joined by Bleu & Green and Jon Bap. Bleu & Green is an indie-pop band hailing from Buffalo. With a penchant for performing pop covers of everyone from Steely Dan to Passion Pit, the four-piece band is also not afraid to drop in their own originals. Jon Bap is half of the Get Money Squad and for this show he’ll be performing solo. Come ready to party. P -CORY PERLA

6PM. KATHRYN KOCH 8PM. RUSTBELT COMEDY 10PM. JOE DONOHUE 11PM. THE STRIPTEASERS $3

EVERY WEDNESDAY FREE 6PM. TYLER WESTCOTTS PIZZA TRIO

EVERY THURSDAY FREE

5PM. THE AFTERNOON TRIO W. JOHN, PAUL, & BILL

EVERY SATURDAY FREE

4:30-7:30PM. CELTIC SEISIUNS (TRADITIONAL IRISH MUSIC FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY)

248 ALLEN STREET 716.886.8539

NIETZSCHES.COM

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 17

APRIL 22 MAY 8 ONLY!

ARTS REVIEW

DRAW NEAR: LOVE LESSONS AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF BUFFALO

Between the Islands Maine by Robert Noel Blair.

BENJAMAN GALLERY 419 ELMWOOD AVE, BUFFALO THEBENJAMANGALLERY.COM

CUTTING EDGE

Presented in collaboration with

Funded in part by

www.arts.gov

BLAIRS & KOENIGS

A WORLD OF THEATRE WITHIN REACH.

BY JACK FORAN

ANDREWS THEATRE

625 MAIN STREET • BUFFALO 14203

For information and tickets, call

716.853.ICTC (4282) Buy online @ irishclassicaltheatre.com SE ASON SPONSOR Funded in part by the County of Erie and the City of Buffalo, the Cullen Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the New York State Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo.

SHARE YO U R EVENT

AT BENJAMAN GALLERY, WORKS BY TWO FORMER ART WORLD POWER COUPLES SOME LOCAL ART WORLD former power cou-

ples are subjects of the current show at the Benjaman Gallery. Robert Noel Blair and Jeanette Blair, and James and Catherine Koenig. Couples and friends and colleagues in general and particularly through the Art Institute of Buffalo, where both couples met, the Blairs when he was a teacher there and she—at the time Jeanette Kenney— was a student, and the Koenigs when she—at the time Catherine Catanzaro—was a teacher and he was a student. (Another teacher at the institute at the time—and friend and colleague of both couples—was Charles Burchfield.) This was in the 1940s. The Blairs married in 1943, and the Koenigs in 1947. Both Robert and James had recently returned from World War II overseas military service. Some of Blair’s service period sketches and photos and other memorabilia were recently shown at the Burchfield Penney. Koenig—who was injured at Normandy—on re-

IN GALLERIES NOW

EVENTS@DAILYPUBLIC.COM

= ART OPENING 640 Gallery (640 Ridge Road, Lackawanna, NY 14218, 716-823-5124): Mandalas by Barbara Comerford. Opening recepton Fri Apr 22, 6-8pm. On view through May 16. Mon-Fri 10am-4pm. Albright-Knox Art Gallery (1285 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 8828700, albrightknox.org): Erin Shirreff monographs, on view through May 8. Joan Jonas: Good Night, Good Morning, on view through May 1. Torey Thornton: Sir Veil, through May 29. Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, open late First Fridays until 10pm. Betty’s Restaurant (370 Virginia Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 362-0633, bettysbuffalo.com): Annual staff show on view through May 22. Tue-Thu, 8am-9pm, Fri 8am-10pm, Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 9am2pm. Benjaman Gallery (419 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo, NY 14222, thebenjamangallery.com): Draw Near: Love Lessons at the Art Institute of Buffalo; paintings by Robert Noel Blair, Jeanette Blair, James Koenig, and Catherine Koenig. On view through May 14. Thu-Sat 11am-5pm. Big Orbit (30d Essex Street, Buffalo, NY 14222, cepagallery.org/about-big-orbit): Katherine Gaudy, A Billion, on view through Apr 17. Fri-Sun 12-6pm. Box Gallery (Buffalo Niagara Hostel, 667 Main St, Buffalo, NY 14203): Mockingbird, multimedia installation by Skylar Borgstrom. On view through Apr 30. On view through Apr 30. Mon-Fri 5-8pm. BT&C Gallery (1250 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213, 604-6183, btandcgallery. com): Thank You For Having Me, paintings by Pam Glick on view through Apr 16. Fri 12-5pm or by appointment.

18 THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

turn home enrolled at the University of Buffalo in addition to taking courses at the institute. A generous selection of paintings by all four artists is on show. You get a sense of how all four artists were learning and growing artistically together. Sometimes in the same direction, but ultimately in quite different directions. For Robert Blair, some rugged nature scene hasty virtuosic impressionism watercolors from across the decades. An inky splotchy Stormy Sky over the Lake from the 1930s, a darkish Woodland Fantasy—Burchfield reminiscent conceptually more than stylistically—from the 1940s, and excellent Vermont Covered Bridge from the1960s. Also, some wild horses paintings amid rugged western mountain geography, and less characteristic Nude in the Forest oil on canvas, and impressionist abstraction Red Moon Rising. For Jeanette Blair, some rather softer, gentler, more peaceful watercolors, such as a marvelous Sunset over the Water in vivid orange-reds against dawn grays and blues, a limited pallet of blues, grays, and white landscape and cloudscape Hills of Holland in Winter, and subdued fall colors patternwork Milkweeds. Whereas James Koenig was more the restless ex-

¡Buen Vivir! (148 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14201, photolangelle.org): Climate Change: Realities and Resistance, photography and Black on the Ground, White in the Air; new work by Ashley Powell. On view through April 29. TueFri 1:30-4:30pm, Fri 6-8pm, Sat 1-3pm. Buffalo & Erie County Central Library (1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY 14203, 8588900, buffalolib.org): Milestones on Science: Books That Shook the World! 35 rare books from the history of science, on second floor. Mon-Sat 8:30am6:00pm, Sun 12-5pm. Buffalo Arts Studio (Tri-Main Building 5th Floor, 2495 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214, 833-4450, buffaloartsstudio.org): Dorothy Fitzgerald, Committed to Memory and Tricia Butski, Semblance on display through May 6, 2016. Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-2pm, fourth Fridays until 8pm. Buffalo ARTSPACE (1219 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14209): Passing Through, new works by Frani Evedon on view through Apr 30. Sat & Sun 12-4pm. Burchfield Penney Art Center (1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 8786011, burchfieldpenney.org): Furniture From the Darwin D, Martin House, Fluidity in Form: Selections from the Dean Spong Collection, on view through Aug 21. Artists Seen: photographs of contemporary artists by David Moog. Roycroft from the Collection, on view through Jun 24. The Effects of Time, paintings by John E. (Jack) Drummer, on view through Jun 12. Finding Aid: Making Sense of the Charles E. Burchfield Archives on view through Jun 19. 10am5pm & Sun 1-5pm. Admission $5-$10, children 10 and under free. Canisius College Mary and Lou Vogt Art Gallery (Canisius College 2001 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14208, 4th floor, Lyons Hall,

perimentalist, playing with art world at large ideas of radical abstractionism, cubism, and hard-edge geometrics, and at the same time exploring ideas and strategies of artists nearer at hand. From the 1940s, his oil on board Trio features three abstract forms, partly geometric, partly biomorphic, morphing into human figures, while his Grain Elevators watercolor could almost be a Burchfield. From the 1950s, a cubist nuance abstract still life, and blocky darkness abstraction with barely emergent human face amid tenuous swirl forms. From the 1960s, a color patch collage total abstraction, a little in the manner of Clyfford Still. And from the 1970s, some big and brightly colorful hard-edge works, all squares and diamonds and triangles. Stylistically and thematically Catherine Koenig ranged widely and invariably well, from early years straightforward realism to René Magritte allusion and illusion works and delicate white on white eggshell paintings—these became signature subject matter and treatment works for this artist—and partial anatomy figure studies. Magritte allusion in an oil on panel work showing a derby hat and half eggshell balanced on it. Magritte illusion in some cloudscapes behind apparently floating in midair frame devices, masking tape in one case, picture frame mat in another. A charming early work is a likely self-portrait of the artist, likely in an Art Institute setting, a sort of studio classroom, the artist standing at her easel, painting a picture of a young model—about the artist’s age—in post-war modish city-wear outfit. The Art Institute of Buffalo was established in 1931 in the Cyclorama Building, Edward and Franklin streets, then the locale of the Grosvenor Library. The institute was intended as “a school, a gallery, and a meeting place for artists, art students and the public with no discrimination and no competition, encouraging maximum freedom of self-expression,” and students could earn credits through the institute toward a University of Buffalo degree. A large influx of students after World War Two led to the need for larger quarters, and the institute moved several times to accommodate its growth, until by the mid-1950s enrollment waned, forcing closure. The last survivor of the four exhibit subject artists, Jeanette Blair, died in March of this year. The P exhibit continues through May 14.

888-8412): Conversations: Joyce Hill. On view through April 22. Castellani Art Museum (5795 Lewiston Road, Niagara University, NY 14109, 2868200, castellaniartmuseum.org): Paintings in Progress, paintings by Robert Harris. On view through April 24. Made of Thunder, Made of Glass: continuing traditions in Northeastern Indian beadwork. Buffalo Society of Artists120th Catalogue Exhibition on view through Jul 31. Tue-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm. CEPA (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 856-2717, cepagallery.org): 13th Biennial Art Auction Exhibition, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 12-4pm. The CG Jung Center (408 Franklin Street, Side Entrance, Buffalo, NY 14202, apswny.com): Ella Joseph: Parsifal Unspoken Revisited & the Eternal Return. On view through April 30th. Collect Art Now (Virtual gallery, collectartnow.com): Featured artist: OGRE. Dana Tillou Fine Arts (417 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 716-854-5285, danatilloufinearts.com): The Old and the New: 180 Years of Painting and the Arts. WedFri 10:30am-5pm, Sat 10:30am-4pm. Eleven Twenty Projects (1120 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14209, 882-8100, eleventwentyprojects.com): Taper, sculptural installation by Scotty Bye. On view in “Front” window through May 15. Enjoy the Journey Art Gallery (1168 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca, NY 14224, 6750204, etjgallery.com): Two Peas in a Pod. Tue & Wed 11-6pm, Thu & Fri 2-6pm, Sat 11-4pm. Fargo House Gallery (287 Fargo Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14213, thefargohouse.com): David Schalliol: Telescope Houses of Buffalo. Open by appointment. Hallwalls (341 Delaware Avenue, Buf-

falo, NY 14202, 854-1694, hallwalls. org): Amid/In Western New York #7, group show with work from Barbara Buckman, Lily Booth, Colleen Toledano, Gary Sczerbaniewicz, Kurt Treeby, Annie Dunsky, Mary Begley, Laura Brothers, Fotini Galanes, Phil Hastings, and Colleen Buzzard, through Apr 22. Tue-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 11am-2pm. Indigo Art Gallery (47 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 984-9572, indigoartbuffalo.com): I Walk the Line, mixed media by Jozef Bajus onview through May 15. Wed & Fri 12-6pm, Thu 12-7pm, Sat 12-3pm, and by appointment Sundays and Mondays. Karpeles Manuscript Library (North Hall) (220 North St., Buffalo, NY 14201): Great Moments in Medical History, on view through Apr 28. Tue-Sun 11am-4pm. Karpeles Manuscript Museum (Porter Hall) (453 Porter Ave, Buffalo, NY 14201): Maps of the United States. TueSun 11am-4pm. Lockside Art Center (21 Main Street, Lockport, NY 14094, 478-0239,. locksideartcenter.com): Photography exhibit through May 7. Fri-Sun 12-4pm. Manuel Barreto Furniture (430 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202, 8678937, manuelbarreto.com): Material Nature Exhibition mixed media works by Jozef Bajus, mixed media interactive installation by Jaime Schmidt, drawings and sculpture by Michael Degnan, and sound by Frank Napolski. Tue-Sat 1-6pm. Meibohm Fine Arts (478 Main Street, East Aurora, NY 14052, 652-0940, meibohmfinearts.com): Fran Noonan: Most Tender Earth, on view through Apr 23. TueSat 9:30am-5:30pm. Native American Museum of Art at Smokin’ Joe’s (2293 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn, NY 14123, 261-9251) Open year round and free. Exhibits Iroquois artists work. 7am-9pm.

IN GALLERIES NOW ARTS

All level vinyasa / hatha / kripalu / prenatal / yin / kundalini / gentle / dance & more!

PLEASE PROO

SPRINGTIME AT

IF YOU APPROVE ERR PUBLIC CANNOT BE THOROUGHLY EVEN IF T

Y O G A P A R K S I D E . C O M •

MESSAGE TO ADVE

MEDITATION • KIDS & FAMILY YOGA • REIKI CLASSES

Thank you for adv with THE PUBLIC. review your ad an for any errors. The layout instruction been followed as cl possible. THE PUBL design services w proofs at no char PUBLIC is not res for any error if not within 24 hours of The production dep must have a signed order to print. Ple and fax this back or by responding to this

NEW STUDENT SPECIALS! PA R K S I D E L U T H E R A N C H U R C H 2 Wallace Ave Buffalo, NY 14214

THIS PROOF MAY ONLY B

Wednesday Special

Wed. Night

Vegan Special

LARGE CHEESE + 1 ITEM PIZZA ANY LARGE VEGAN PIZZA only $11.95 only $16.25

Everyday Lunch Special TWO SLICES + A 20OZ. DRINK only $5.65

94 ELMWOOD AVE / Delivery 716.885.0529 / ALLENTOWNPIZZABUFFALO.COM Hours SUNDAY-THURSDAY: 11AM-12AM / FRIDAY-SATURDAY: 11AM-4:30AM

ARTISTS SEEN: A PROJECT BY DAVID MOOG

RAYMOND BONILLA Raymond Bonilla is a visual artist and illustrator based in Buffalo. He graduated from SUNY Fredonia in 2005 with a BA in New Media and Illustration and then continued his studies at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he completed his MFA in 2009. He has received numerous awards for both his commercial and fine art work, and describes himself as a “visual journalist.” Bonilla is an adjunct in the painting program at SUNY Fredonia. For more information on his work, visit raymondbonilla.com. Artists Seen: Photographs of Artists in the 21st Century is an ongoing project by photographer David Moog in partnership with the Burchfield Penney Art Center at SUNY Buffalo State. Moog has set out to make portraits of every self-identified working artist and arts professional in Western New York. To be included in the project, call David Moog directly at 716-472-6721 or contact the center at 716-878-4131. Artists working in all media P are welcome; visit burchfieldpenney.org for more information.

Nina Freudenheim Gallery Nina Freudenheim Gallery (140 North Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 882-5777, ninafreudenheimgallery.com): Photographs by George Woodman. Through May 11. Tue-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat & Mon open by appointment only, and closed on Sundays. Paper Moon Gallery (497 Franklin Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 9496604): Inaugural Group Show with work from Peter Fowler, Jody Selin, Barbara Buckman, Michael Pijanowski, and Richard Rockford. Wed-Fri 12-5pm, Sat 12-3pm. Pausa Art House (19 Wadsworth Street, Buffalo, NY 14201, 6979069 pausaarthouse.com): Cassandra Ott solo show, on view through Apr 30. Live music ThuSat. See website for more info. Prism (MyBuffaloPride, 224 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14201): Soft Focus: fem portraits by Obsidian B. and Pierce McCleary. Thu & Fri 4-8pm, Sat & Sun 3-7pm. Queen City Gallery (617 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 8688183, queencitygallery.tripod. com): Neil Mahar, David Pierro, Candace Keegan, John Farallo, Chris McGee, Tim Raymond, Eileen Pleasure, Eric Evinczik, Barbara Crocker, Thomas Bittner, Joshua Nickerson, Susan Redenbach, Barbara Lynch Johnt, Kristopher

Whatever, Michael Mulley. Tue-Fri 11am-4pm and by appointment. RO (732 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222, 240-9387, rohomeshop. com): Woven Through the Sun: A reflection by Hayley Carrow and Issa Mars, on view through May 30. Tue-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm, closed Mondays. Sports Focus Physical Therapy (531 Virginia Street, Buffalo, NY, 14202, 332-4838, sportsfocuspt.com): Images of WNY on loan from the Buffalo Museum of Science. On view through May 31. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, 6-9pm on first Fridays. Studio Hart (65 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14202, 536-8337, studiohart. com): Soft Bodies: new work by Esther Neisen on view through Apr 30. Tue-Fri 11:30am-3:30pm, Sat 124pm, and every First Friday 6-9pm. Sugar City (1239 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213, buffalosugarcity. org): Fun-a-Day, over 50 participants reveal month-long project. Open by event. UB Art Gallery (Center for the Arts— North Campus, Buffalo, NY, 14260, 645-6913, ubartgalleries.org): The Visitors, 9-channel video work by Ragnar Kjartansson, on view through May 14. Re-Riding History: From the Southern Plains to the Matanzas Bay, Dr. Jolene Rickard

and Ruchatneet Printup. On view through May 6. Sojourn: Rumsey Competition Exhibition, on view through May 7. Tue-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat 1-5pm. UB Anderson Gallery (1 Martha Jackson Place, Buffalo, NY 14214, 8293754, ubartgalleries.org): Cravens World: The Human Aesthetic, on view through Dec 31, 2016. On the Front Lines: Military Veterans at the Art Students League of New York and Cracked Open, paintings by David Schirm, on view through Aug 7. Wed-Sat 11am-5pm, Sun 1-5pm. Western New York Book Arts Center (468 Washington Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, 438-1430,wnybookarts.org): Mogu Mogu ~ Munch Munch, Harumo Sato. Wed-Sat 126pm. WNED Horizon Gallery (140 Lower Terrace Buffalo, New York 14202 (716) 845-7000, wned.org/radio/ item/320-horizon-gallery): American Music: Paintings Inspired by Jazz and Blues, collection of work from Autism Services, Inc. of Western New York, on view through April 28.

To add your gallery’s information to the list, please contact us at P info@dailypublic.com.

the public presents

LESIONREAD

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFU the band

IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE E THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP.

Bleu & Green Jon Bap

MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER

�

CHECK COPY CONTENT

�

CHECK IMPORTANT DATES

�

CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, & WEBSITE

Advertisers Signature

______________________

Date

Issue:

�

PROOF OK (NO CHANGES)

�

PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES)

_________________

Y15W22 ________________

THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE PUBLICATION IN THE P

APRIL 27 / 8:30PM / $ 5 / NIETZSCHE’S 248 ALLEN ST DAILYPUBLIC.COM

@PUBLICBFLO #THEPUBLICPRESENTS

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 19

FILM REVIEWS

Tom Hanks in A Hologram for the King.

JET LAG & CULTURE SHOCK A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING / MILES HEAD / BORN TO BE BLUE / ELVIS MEETS NIXON / EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! BY M. FAUST Within the first minute of A Hologram for the King, I was both delighted and appalled. The delightful part is the opening, featuring a classic Talking Heads song performed with new lyrics by Tom Hanks. That gives way to a shot of Hanks sitting on an airplane surrounded by traditionally-garbed Arabs being led in prayer. Fortunately, that image does not precede, as one might fear, a xenophobic film. In adapting the acclaimed but somewhat sour novel by Dave Eggers, German director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) has added a substantial measure of sweetness to it. The result may mostly be a shaggy-dog story, but it’s a pleasing one that leaves the viewer with the feeling that humanity may yet be able to rise above its sectarian divisions. Hanks plays Alan Clay, a businessman trying to regain his footing after divorce and financial trouble. He is now a salesman working for an IT company that is developing holographic business meeting software. They have a potential client in King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who is trying to build an enormous city out of nothing in the desert. Alan is given to understand that he has no future if he doesn’t clinch this sale. Easier said than done. He discovers that Saudi Arabia is a country where things get started but lose steam soon after. Workers sit around on idle machines. Appointments are as dependable as a sandstorm. And the fact that a lot of laws regarding alcohol and the treatment of women are often ignored doesn’t mean that it’s wise for a newcomer to do so. Like its elusive title, A Hologram for the King never wants to be pinned down. It often plays like an update of Bill Forsyth’s classic Local Hero moved to the Middle East, but here the locals are less wily than their visitor. Alan’s experiences have the texture of one of those dreams where the same things keep repeating and

AT THE MOVIES A selective guide to what’s opening and what’s playing in local moviehouses and other venues

BY M. FAUST & GEORGE SAX

OPENING THIS WEEK THE AMERICAN SIDE—A private eye’s investigation of a suicide leads him into a mystery involving Nikola Tesla in this locally produced film. Starring

everything is resistant to your will, no matter how hard you push it. Yet by the time it’s over, he’s in a good place—not one that he or we would have expected, but there are worse ways for journeys to end. *** It’s lucky for me that Miles Ahead and Born to Be Blue, films based on the lives of Miles Davis and Chet Baker respectively, are opening here in the same week, as it saves me having to write essentially the same review twice: “A biopic of the jazz trumpeter who rose to fame in the 1960s, structured around a difficult (if invented) period in his later life in which he is forced to question his future while looking back on his past.” Miles Ahead is a labor of love from Don Cheadle, who not only stars as Davis but wrote and directed the film. Blue stars Ethan Hawke as the coolerthan-cool musician, known as much for his singing as his playing and even more for his heroin addiction. Both performances are excellent, though Cheadle does more to capture his subject than Hawke. Both films eschew back story, and its hard to say that either does much to introduce its subject to newcomers, offering instead interpretations that may only be valuable if you’re already invested in them. In other words, for fans only, though those will be the people most likely to pounce on both film’s willful departures from the facts. Blue parts way with Baker in the late 1960s. Were it to move on to the musician’s late years, when Bruce Weber’s documentary Let’s Get Lost famously mapped the collapse of his youthful beauty, the perfect actor to play the part would have been Michael Shannon. He’s seen this week portraying rather a different musical star whom he resembles not at all, the king of rock and roll, in Elvis and Nixon. His co-star is Kevin Spacey, who offers a less distracting impersonation of Tricky Dick, though he has the advantage of less screen time.

Greg Stuhr, Alicja Bachleda, and Camilla Belle. Directed by Jena Ricker, who will appear with cast members for a Q&A at the Friday 7pm screening. North Park BORN TO BE BLUE—Reviewed this issue. Eastern Hills (Dipson) ELVIS AND NIXON—Reviewed this issue. Amherst (Dipson) EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! —Reviewed this issue. Area theaters A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING—Reviewed this issue. Amherst (Dipson), Eastern Hills (Dipson) MILES AHEAD—Reviewed this issue. Amherst (Dipson)

20 THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

You’ve probably seen the famous photo of Presley and Nixon shaking hands as they face the camera in the Oval Office. This oddball comedy (like 1997’s Elvis Meets Nixon) is based on the true story behind that photo. In December of 1970, Elvis was flush with cash from his recent comeback. He was unhappy with the state of the country as depicted on his wall of TVs at Graceland. And he was also bored. So he set off on a mission: to get the government to appoint him a “federal agent-at-large” so that he could go undercover to investigate drug use. And what better way to do this than to show up at the White House and drop in to see the man in charge? That this actually happened doesn’t make it any less ridiculous. And while the movie gets a fair share of humor by making Elvis so self-serious (which is where Shannon’s casting works), it doesn’t go for belly laughs at the expense of a man who has become a caricature in the public memory since his death. Nor are most of Nixon’s failings dwelt on; in this pre-Watergate time, he’s mostly a self-pitying square whose aides have to talk him into what could have been a real publicity coup. The movie is slight but silly, goofy without being goony. *** Everybody Wants Some!! is, like Dazed and Confused, based on Richard Linklater’s memories of his youth. The focus is again on a limited period, the three days in 1980 before the beginning of classes at the Texas university where Linklater had a baseball scholarship. We follow a house full of baseball players, freshmen and upper classmen, as they party, get drunk and get laid. I disliked these guys immediately, saw no indication that the film was going to extract anything of value out of their characters, and P walked out of the movie about an hour into it.

ALTERNATIVE CINEMA ALIEN (1979) and ALIENS (1986)—Along with Blade Runner, Ridley Scott’s reputation rests largely on this paranoid classic of claustrophobic sci-fi, featuring a first-rate cast and an H. R. Giger-designed monster. James Cameron’s lumbering sequel turns the story into a military fantasy, and the best you can say for it is that it’s not just a rehash of the original. –MF Tue 7pm. North Park AMOUR (Austria, 2012)—Nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture, Actress, Screenplay and Director, Michael Haneke’s drama about an elderly couple dealing with the decline of the wife after she suffers a stroke is true to its title: It is an ultimate love story. With his typically cool style,

Haneke offers neither false hope nor false sentiment: He touches us without torturing us. Starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert. –MF Presented as part of the Buffalo Film Seminars. Tue 7pm. Amherst (Dipson) DAVID HOLZMAN’S DIARY (1967)—The word “mockumentary” didn’t exist when Jim McBride concocted this parody of cinema verite, in which a young would-be filmmaker decides to put his life on film in order to try to figure it out. The humor is dry and it’s not hard to believe that contemporary audiences fell for it: As Holzman, L. M. Kit Carson (later the writer of such films as Paris, Texas) resists going for easy laughs with his character’s befuddled pretensions. –MF Part of the Kaleidotropes film series. P Wed April 28 7pm. Squeaky Wheel.

AT THE MOVIES FILM

LOCAL THEATERS AMHERST THEATRE (DIPSON) 3500 Main St., Buffalo / 834-7655 amherst.dipsontheatres.com AURORA THEATRE 673 Main St., East Aurora / 652-1660 theauroratheatre.com EASTERN HILLS CINEMA (DIPSON) 4545 Transit Rd., / Eastern Hills Mall Williamsville / 632-1080 easternhills.dipsontheatres.com Elvis & Nixon

FLIX STADIUM 10 (DIPSON) 4901 Transit Rd., Lancaster / 668-FLIX flix10.dipsontheatres.com

two of them co-wrote) was the abysmal Tammy. This one is a hair better if only because it’s not simply a series of fat jokes about its star. But that aside it’s as tired as an SNL skit dragged out to feature length. Bouncing lazily and arbitrarily between bad taste and sentiment, the movie has one funny moment, with McCarthy and Kristen Bell HALLWALLS discussing bras. With Peter Dinklage and Kathy 341 Delaware Ave., Buffalo / 854-1694 Bates. –MF Flix (Dipson), Regal Elmwood, Regal hallwalls.org Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden HAMBURG PALACE CRIMINAL—Science fiction thriller with Kevin Cost31 Buffalo St., Hamburg / 649-2295 ner as a death row prisoner who is implanted with hamburgpalace.com the retrieved memory of a dead CIA agent in the hopes that he can stop a terrorist plot. With Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, Alice Eve, Gary Oldman, LOCKPORT PALACE and Tommy Lee Jones. Directed by Ariel Vromen 2 East Ave., Lockport / 438-1130 (The Iceman). Flix (Dipson), Regal Elmwood, Regal lockportpalacetheatre.org Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden MAPLE RIDGE 8 (AMC) DEMOLITION—A mess thanks to Bryan Sipe’s artily 4276 Maple Rd., Amherst / 833-9545 schizoid, flagrantly foolish script. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as an investment banker who begins to act amctheatres.com oddly after surviving the car crash that killed his wife. The tone is so raggedly uneven that it’s difMCKINLEY 6 THEATRES (DIPSON) ficult to discern the film’s intention: Wry social 3701 McKinley Pkwy. / McKinley Mall observation? Black comedy? Jean-Marc Vallee diHamburg / 824-3479 rection is smoothly effective, but he doesn’t seem to have perceived how meretricious the material mckinley.dipsontheatres.com is. Gyllenhaal is very capable, sensitive performer, but his adept, often subtle efforts can’t make NORTH PARK THEATRE sense of this confusion. With Naomi Watts and 1428 Hertel Ave., Buffalo / 836-7411 Chris Cooper. –GS Amherst (Dipson), Eastern Hills northparktheatre.org (Dipson) ENDS THURS APR 21 EYE IN THE SKY—Modern communications technolREGAL ELMWOOD CENTER 16 ogy bring military and government leaders into the decision process of a proposed drone strike 2001 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo / 871–0722 against a terrorist leader. In what feels like real regmovies.com time, we watch the operation from the perspectives of its various participants, mostly British and REGAL NIAGARA FALLS STADIUM 12 American, linked from around the world. It comes 720 Builders Way, Niagara Falls down to a single chilling question: is the life of a single innocent young girl a price worth paying 236–0146 to prevent an attack likely to kill scores of other regmovies.com equally innocent people? Different viewers may react differently to what they see here. But the REGAL QUAKER CROSSING 18 script by Guy Hibbert gives you all sides of the 3450 Amelia Dr., Orchard Park / 827–1109 argument, clearly, compellingly, and without prejudice. If you don’t like to have your opinions chalregmovies.com lenged and tested, this is not the movie for you. With universally strong performances (including REGAL TRANSIT CENTER 18 Alan Rickman in his last film) and tense direction Transit and Wehrle, Lancaster / 633–0859 from Gavin Hood (Tsotsi). With Helen Mirren, Aarregmovies.com on Paul, and Jeremy Northam. –MF Amherst (Dipson) REGAL WALDEN GALLERIA STADIUM 16 HARDCORE HENRY—This Midnight Madness hit from last year’s Toronto Film Festival is shot entireOne Walden Galleria Dr., Cheektowaga ly from the perspective of a dead man who has 681-9414 / regmovies.com been brought back to life with robotic limbs but CONTINUING no memory or ability to speak. It is audacious and RIVIERA THEATRE ferocious, but after about 20 minutes also quite BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE— Asking 67 Webster St., North Tonawanda wearying, unless you’re used to spending hours in one film to serve as a sequel to Zach Snyder’s front of computer games. Sharlto Copley gives the 692-2413 / rivieratheatre.org dreary Superman kickoff Man of Steel, a reboot film a human presence as a seemingly unkillable of the Batman franchise, a cinematic introduction helpmate who has the key to Henry’s situation. to Wonder Woman (among others), and a setup THE SCREENING ROOM With Haley Bennett and, briefly, Tim Roth. –MF Flix for the upcoming two-part Justice League film 3131 Sheridan Dr., Amherst / 837-0376 (Dipson), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Reput a lot of weight on this tentpole project that screeningroom.net gal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden is rumored to have cost $400 million. The good news is that as overlong and grim as it is, it’s at HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS—It’s been a long time since least more intriguing and suspenseful than its SQUEAKY WHEEL Sally Field has had any kind of a leading role, much direct predecessor. Viewers unfamiliar with the less one that used her particular comic skills. She 712 Main St., / 884-7172 DC Comics universe may & often have little >> idea does panicked befuddlement better than most VISIT DAILYPUBLIC.COM FOR MORE FILM LISTINGS REVIEWS squeaky.org what they’re watching in Snyder’s heavy-handed any actress since the screwball era. So it’s a detreatment. Fans, on the other hand, will recognize light to see her back in this offbeat comedy as a SUNSET DRIVE-IN images and entire sequences reproducing the Manhattan office drone emerging from the Staten work of writer/artist Frank Miller. Henry Cavill and 9950 Telegraph Rd., Middleport 735Island house where she spent her life caring for 7372 / sunset-drivein.com Ben Affleck are fine as the titular heroes, though her now-deceased mother into a seemingly imAmy Adams’s Lois Lane and Gal Godot as Wonder possible crush on a young new co-worker. Directed Woman are the best thing about the movie. With by Michael Showalter, members of whose college TJ’S THEATRE Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, troupe The State have produced some of the most 72 North Main St., Angola / 549-4866 Jeremy Irons, Michael Shannon, and Holly Hunter. distinctive indie comedies of the last few decades, newangolatheater.com VISIT DAILYPUBLIC.COM FORFlix MORE LISTINGS & My REVIEWS –Greg Lamberson (Dipson),FILM Regal Elmwood, Hello, Name Is Doris>> isn’t a standard feel-good Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, movie; it’s off-base enough that you’ve never sure Regal Walden TRANSIT DRIVE-IN just where it’s going, though it never strays too far down any of its potentially painful tangents. With 6655 South Transit Rd., Lockport THE BOSS—Melissa McCarthy is as bankable a star Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs, Stephen Root, and as there is in film comedy at the moment, but she 625-8535 / transitdrivein.com Tyne Daly. -MF Eastern Hills (Dipson), North Park really needs to stop working with her husband Ben Falcone. Their last collaboration (he directed, the LONDON HAS FALLEN—Did the world need a sequel FLICK FEST—Showcase of films made by area students, grades 5-12. Wed 7pm. North Park THE INFORMER (1935) and MAN OF ARAN (1934)—A double feature of classic films about Ireland, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising of 1916. One of John Ford’s darkest films, The Informer stars Victor McLaglan as a rebel who betrays his comrades and lives to regret it. In the documentary Man of Aran, presented here in a rare restored 2K print, director Robert J. Flaherty (Nanook of the North) looks at the harshness of life on Ireland’s beautiful but bleak Aran Islands. Presented in association with the Buffalo Irish Center. Tue 10am. North Park THE PRIVATE EYES (1980)—Tim Conway and Don Knotts in a loose parody of a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Directed by Lang Elliott. Sat, Tue 7:30pm. Screening Room SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003)—Like John Belushi, Jack Black is a smart guy in the body of a Tasmanian devil, though Belushi never got a vehicle to cement a mass-market audience like this. As a heavy metal guitarist with more passion than talent who finds himself turning a class of 10-year-old preppies into a rock band, Black takes every possible chance to go over the top, with just enough socially redeeming plot to keep it palatable for Aunt Sara. The too-little-seen Joan Cusack offers priceless support as a repressed principal. Scripter Mike White (Chuck and Buck) also appears as Black’s roommate. Directed by Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused). –MF Sat 10 am. Eastern Hills TOSCA—Puccini’s opera as performed at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège, Belgium, Starring Barbara Haveman, Marc Laho, Ruggero Raimondi, and Roger Joakim. Directed by Claire Servais. Sun 11am. Amherst WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (2009)—Director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich) and novelist Dave Eggers’ adaptation of the classic children’s book by Maurice Sendak, about a boy who becomes ruler of an imaginary world filled with giant beasts. Starring Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo and the voices of James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O’Hara, and Forest Whitaker. SatSun 11:30am. North Park WINGS OF DESIRE (Germany, 1987)—In Wim Wenders’s much-imitated fantasy, angels walk among the people of Berlin, listening to their thoughts but unable to interfere in their lives, until Damiel (Bruno Ganz) falls in love with a circus performer and seeks to become human. With Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Nick Cave, and a puckish Peter Falk as himself. Introduced by Jordan Smith of Cultivate Cinema Circle. Thu 7pm. Amherst (Dipson)

FOUR SEASONS CINEMA 6 2429 Military Rd. (behind Big Lots), Niagara Falls / 297-1951 fourseasonscinema.com

CULTURE > FILM

to the grimly violent Olympus Has Fallen, in which Secret Service agent Gerard Butler saves the president (Aaron Eckhart) from an attack on the White House? Well, here it is. The first half resembles a Roland Emmerich disaster movie as terrorists demolish half of London along with most of Europe’s leaders as they attend a funeral for the prime minister. (I admit to having a 10-year-old’s pleasure in that kind of thing.) But as our hero and his charge take to the streets to escape terrorists who want to execute the president live on the internet, the budget evaporates and you’re left with nothing to distract you from the ugliness of a movie that wants to indulge viewer’s fantasies of wiping out Muslims while tenderfooting around giving the bad guys any religious identification. Aside from Morgan Freeman, most of the returning cast—Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley—have little to but stand around the War Room looking shocked. Directed by Babak Najafi. –MF Four Seasons, Regal Transit, Regal Walden MARGUERITE—French drama inspired by the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the rich woman who fancied herself an opera diva despite being utterly unable to carry a tune. Starring Catherine Frot, André Marcon, Michel Fau, and Christa Théret. Directed by Xavier Giannoli (The Singer). Eastern Hills (Dipson) ENDS THURS APR 21 MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2—Long in coming sequel. Starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan, and Andrea Martin. Directed by Kirk Jones (Nanny McPhee). Amherst (Dipson), Flix (Dipson), Regal Elmwood, Regal Niagara Falls, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit, Regal Walden REMEMBER—Atom Egoyan’s best film in years stars Christopher Plummer as Zev, a man in the early stages of dementia who is given a mission by a friend (Martin Landau) at his retirement home: find and execute the Auschwitz prison guard who escaped punishment and is now living in the US. With touches of Memento—Zev’s memory is fragile enough that he has to rely on written instructions and phone calls from his wheelchair-bound friend—Remember initially seems to be a simple revenge potboiler that you keep watching because Plummer is the kind of actor who commands your attention. But some things that seem to be poor scripting turn out to be points in the full story that eventually develops. By the time it gets where it’s going, we’re left with a film of surprising power. With Dean Norris, Martin Landau, Jürgen Prochnow, and Bruno Ganz. –MF Amherst (Dipson) ENDS THURS APR 21 THE REVENANT—It’s never a good sign when a nearly three-hour movie starts with the words “I know you want this to be over,” and the new film from Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman) is something to be endured more than enjoyed. Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly went through no end of physical discomfort filming his scenes as an 1820s frontiersman struggling to survive after being mauled by a bear in the forest and abandoned as dead by his colleagues, but there’s a limit to how much pain you can look at before you either stop watching or simply stop caring. It doesn’t help that the various other stories interwoven with Leo’s are poorly fleshed out, or that co-star Tom Hardy’s dialogue is largely incomprehensible. Like Birdman, it’s an impressive technical accomplishment, if that’s all you require from a movie. With Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, and Forrest Goodluck. -MF McKinley (Dipson) SPOTLIGHT—One of the very best movies ever made about the working press, a group that can certainly use a little support in the fact of the prening entertainment personalities, opinion pushers and bombastic bloggers who have given modern journalism a bad name. Recounting the efforts of an investigative unit at the Boston Globe to uncover decades of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests and the diocese’s cover-up, the film isn’t overburdened by seriousness. Focusing on the team that worked the story, this is a film about people; with an ensemble of performances that work individually and together. It keeps a humane focus even as it generates drama. Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, and Stanley Tucci. Directed by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent). –GS McKinley (Dipson) 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE is not a sequel to Cloverfield, and producer J. J. Abrams calling it a “spiritual successor” seems like an unnecessary attempt to trick horror fans into the theaters. That said, much of director Dan Trachtenberg’s debut feature is tense and involving. Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars as a woman who wakes up after a car accident in a bunker built and tended by John Goodman, a survivalist who tells her that the US has been attacked by an unknown force that has rendered the air poisonous. Is he telling the truth, or does he have ulterior plans for her? While the film initially seems rather overwrought, with an insistent score that makes you feel like you’re in the climax of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, it succeeds in keeping you guessing. The final half hour, though strong in its own way, is like an entirely different film. With John Gallagher Jr. and a voice-only appearance by Bradley Cooper. -MF Four Seasons, Regal Elmwood, Regal Quaker, Regal Transit P

CULTURE > FILM

VISIT DAILYPUBLIC.COM FOR MORE FILM LISTINGS & REVIEWS >> DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 21

CLASSIFIEDS TO PLACE AN AD CALL (716)856.0737 OR EMAIL CLASSIFIEDS@DAILYPUBLIC.COM / DAILYPUBLIC.COM/CLASSIFIEDS THE PUBLIC’S NOTICE The Public encourages you to use caution while participating in any transactions or acquiring services through our classified section of the newspaper. While we do approve the ads in this section, we do not guarantee the reliability of classified advertisers. If you have questions, email classifieds@dailypublic.com.

CHILDREN’S/SUMMER: Historic

ivy-covered Victorian apt bldg, 2 bdrm apt, oak flrs newly varnished, working fireplace; Tiffany Chandelier, 2 overhead fans w/ lights, a/c, kitchen appliances, designer vinyl kitchen flr, new carpet bdrm, hall, walk-in closets, all rooms freshly painted, laundry, storage, parking $699 + Gas & Electric. (886-7563)

FOR RENT 2 BEDROOM APTS. AVAILABLE at The Westbrook. corner of Delaware & North in Allentown District. All utilities included, from 1100-1350 sq.ft., priced $1200-$1375. Off street parking available. Beautiful city views! Application on website www. thewestbrook.com - Call for an appointment to view (716) 884-9100. ----------------------------------------------ANDERSON PLACE 1st Fl 2BR, LR/DR, HW, off-street pkg, Cats ok. $850 + util, 1 mo sec. dep. 882-2260.

EMPLOYMENT BOUQUETS & BLOOMS - F/T P/T FLORAL DESIGNER. IN-SHOP EXPERIENCE REQUIRED. 839-4446

VOLUNTEERS !BUEN VIVIR! GALLERY The ¡Buen Vivir! Gallery for Contemporary Art at 148 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY, is currently seeking volunteers to help with staffing the gallery during open hours on Fridays 6 - 8 p.m. & Saturdays 1 - 3 p.m., as well as helping with special projects. Our educational gallery with free admission hosts 3-4 shows per year and was founded to present an historical look at movements for change, struggle and everyday life. If interested please email Carolyn Lansom, Gallery Manager, at carolyn@ globaljusticeecology.org or call 716.931.5833. For more information about the gallery: buenvivirgallery.org Our current show runs through, April 29th Climate Change, System Change, Personal Change features two exhibits: 1. Climate Change—Realities and Resistance, photographs by Critical Information Collective (CIC) 2. Black on the Ground, White in the Air, artwork by Ashley Powell This multi-faceted art and photographic show is designed to challenge viewers to think about what type of changes are necessary to effectively confront the root causes driving the extreme weather that is occurring globally

THE ARTS RIVER ART GALLERY & GIFTS River Art Gallery and Gifts seeks entries for juried Art Exhibit entitled People and Places, focus on Western NY 6/8 - 7/2, 2016. E-mail gallerymanager.river@gmail.com by May 9, 2016 ----------------------------------------------BUFFALO INFRINGEMENT FESTIVAL 11 Days of Art Beyond The Radar is seeking proposals for performances and exhibitions in music, dance art, film, theater and literature. The festival runs from July 28th- August 7th, Submit proposals at infringe buffalo.org/submit by May 1st. Please e-mail info@infringebuffalo.org for more information. ----------------------------------------------BLACK ROCK & RIVERSIDE TOUR OF GARDENS 2016 Artist Competition. The Black Rock & Riverside Tour of Gardens Committee is planning their 12th annual event on Sat., August 6th and is again hosting a garden-themed contest. The artwork can be dropped off at the Riverside Review, 215 Military Rd, Buffalo, NY, 14207 during business hours. The deadline for submission is Fri., April 29, 2016. ----------------------------------------------PARKSIDE COMMUNITY ASSOC. 19th Annual Garden & Architecture Tour Sunday, June 26th, 10am - 4pm. In the Parkside neighborhood, A local treasure designed by Frederick

Law Olmsted in 1870,

the tour

begins outside the Church of Good Shepherd, 96 Jewett Pkwy., across from the Darwin Martin House complex. Full color maps and garden directory available for $5 on the day of the tour. Includes an opportunity to explore the Darwin Martin House and a visit with Nellie Gardner, horticulturalist for the complex. Also offering limited enrollment in a guided walking tour for $10 on 1st come/1st serve basis on the day of the tour. Funds raised help support Parkside Community Association and its many non-profit community programs. More info. at parksidebuffalo.org. ----------------------------------------------ARTPARK & COMPANY, INC. is pleased to announce auditions for their upcoming original Artpark Mainstage production of HANSEL AND

ERR GUITAR —DEFINITELY NOT A SOLID INSTRUMENT

GRETEL which will start rehearsals July 2016 and will run from August 4 -August 8, 2016. Auditions will be held on Saturday May from 11-6 PM at the Lewiston Opera Hall. Casting both children and adult roles: Hansel, Gretel, Woodcutter, Wife, Witch, and Narrator. We are especially interested in actors with experience in immersive and site-specific theatre. For character descriptions, sides, and to schedule an audition slot, please email susan@artpark.net.

PLEASE EXAMINE COMMUNITY THIS PROOF CAREFULLY

FREE YOUTH WRITING WORKSHOPS Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30 - 6 PM. Open to writers between ages 12 and 18 at the Just Buffalo Writing Center. MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER 468 Washington Street - 2nd with THE Thank you for advertising floor., PUBLIC. Buffalo 14203. Light snackyour ad and Please review check for any errors. The original layout ! provided instructions have been followed as closely as possible. THE PUBLIC offers design services with two proofs at no charge. THE PUBLIC is not responsible for any error if JAMESnot LENKER notified within 24 hours of receipt. The production department must have a signed CORY MUSCATO proof in order to print. Please sign and fax ALAN FELLER this back or approve by responding to this BRETT email. PERLA

THANKS PATRONS

NANCY� HEIDINGER CHECK COPY CONTENT DOUG CROWELL � CHECK IMPORTANT DATES

ALEJANDRO GUTIERREZ � CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE #, & WEBSITE KRISTEN BOJKO � PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) KRISTEN BECKER PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES)ACROSS CHRIS � GALLANT Advertisers Signature HAPPY BIRTHDAY

1 Hoover, e.g.

4 He came back for a “Big Holiday” in 2016 ____________________________ JENNIFER RICH Participates in an TRACI VOLKER BARB / Y16W12 10 Date _______________________ auction

53 Autocorrect target

31 Events at meets

56 Poopo or Titicaca, e.g.

34 Sweetener under recent scrutiny

59 Empty (of)

61 “I can’t hear you!”

35 Install in a gallery, maybe

62 Four-color card game

36 Neruda works

15 ARE ___-Lorraine (area in VINCE WESTMARK IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ON

63 King with three daughters

38 Seasonal addition?

THIS PROOF, THE SUZANNE HUGHES

64 John Doe, e.g.

MARIA PROVENZANO Issue: ______________________ 14 Roswell craft JOE FELL

northeast France)

PUBLIC CANNOT BE 16 “A Streetcar RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE EXAMINE THE AD Named TRACY HELD SCARBOROUGH CONAGHAN Desire” director Kazan THOROUGHLY KIM KARNES KNOCH EVEN IF THE AD IS A PICK-UP. THIS PROOF MAY ONLY BE USED17FOR ___ de mer CELIA WHITE PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC. CHRIS HAWLEY

18 Veteran Marine, in slang

60 About, formally

65 Part of rpm

DOWN

39 It usually gets rolled 41 Schroeder’s prop 42 ___-country (2010s music genre) 43 Comparatively agile

TAWRIN BAKER CASEY YOUNG

20 Cold one

1 Like some mistakes

MITCH SIMON

22 Corleone patriarch

2 In the distance

23 A year in Paris

3 Like some small biological projects?

45 Emmy-winning title role for Sally Field

4 Chum

46 All’s opposite

5 Late hour, for some

6 “Caprica” star Morales

47 Tony-winning actress McDonald

32 Bowler’s place

7 Light bulb unit

50 Graceful swimmer

you title for word advertising 37Thank Hitchcock with THE PUBLIC. Please 38 ___ auyour poivread and check review for any errors. The original 39 “The Grapes of Wrath” layout instructions have family name been followed as closely as possible. THE PUBLIC offers 40 Neither’s partner design services with two 41proofs Graphics at program no charge. THE included 1.0 PUBLICwith is Windows not responsible for any error if not notified 42 Carried, as by the wind within 24 hours of receipt. The production department 43 Sprays some sticky must a signed proof in stuff ashave a prank order to print. Please sign 45 Answer sharply and fax this back or approve by responding to this email. 48 Plasma particles

� CHECK IMPORTANT DATES 10 He was associated with 55 Paper factory side the � Jets CHECK NAME, ADDRESS, effect 11 PHONE “Mr. Belvedere” actress #, & WEBSITE 57 Ft. Lauderdale locale Graff � PROOF OK (NO CHANGES) 58 Aries’ animal 12 Vegetable cutter � PROOF OK (WITH CHANGES) 13 Fermented rice drinks

Meet! Sam

24 Lawsuit

PLEASE EXAMINE THIS PROOF CAREFULLY

26 Pair with a lot of pull? 27 Spherical treat that comes from a toroid

44 Opportune

IF YOU APPROVE ERRORS WHICH ARE ON THIS PROOF, THE 8 ReverbPLEASE (and aEXAMINE cliche THE AD 51 Xbox series since 2001 33 Hockey Hall of Famer PUBLIC CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. when a character thinks it’s Cam THOROUGHLY EVEN IF THE AD IS Asomeone PICK-UP. else) 52 “Was ___ inside job?” 34 Kal Penn’s costar John CHECK COPY MESSAGE TO ADVERTISER 9 � 54 Maine’s state tree Ultra-wide shoeCONTENT size

Hello! I’m Sam, a sweet and sensitiv e older fellow with a very gentle disposi tion. I walk very politely and have wonder ful manne rs. Just wait until you see how smart and talente d I am! Please come meet me and my friends at the SPCA! . YOURSPCA.ORG . 205 ENSMINGER RD. TONAWANDA 875.7360

NOW ONLINE! DAILYPUBLIC.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

21 Final Jeopardy! amount ____________________________ 25 Not forthcoming Date _______________________ 26 Eleventh U.S. president Y16W16 Issue: ______________________ 27 “Shoot!”

28 It’s sold in bars and tubs 49 Not mine, in ONLY bucolic THIS PROOF MAY BE USED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PUBLIC. comic strips 29 No later than 50 Carpenter’s leveler

22 THE PUBLIC / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / DAILYPUBLIC.COM

19Advertisers RecoverSignature from a setback

30 Pint-sized

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

FAMOUS LAST WORDS BACK PAGE

SEEN AND HEARD:

TRUMP PROTEST

THE GRUMPY GHEY:

NORTH CAROLINA, MAD AT THE DIRT BY CHRISTOPHER JOHN TREACY

JESUS DIDN’T ASK FOR THE SITUATION in North

Carolina. He didn’t push for the ignorance in Mississippi. And he’s got nothing to do with those ridiculous Benham twins, who seem to keep renewing their 15 minutes with crackpot sound bites.

Hundreds of protestors met presidential candidate Donald Trump on Monday evening, some inside and many outside the First Niagara Center, which was two thirds full for the event. Two were arrested.

Last weekend, I was reminded of how hilarious The Boondocks can be when I had occasion to show someone a few episodes they’d never seen. A personal favorite is “Invasion of the Katrinians” season two, in which Granddad’s cousin Jericho shows up from New Orleans with a boatload of family, seeking shelter in the wake of the flood. Mayhem ensues as Granddad attempts to maintain some semblance of personal space while his home gets overtaken by an aimless flock looking for a free ride, waiting on a FEMA check that may never arrive. The highlight of the episode is Jericho’s religiously devout mother calling out for Jesus at every turn—praising him when things look up, asking why she’s been forsaken when disaster looms. The curious fact is that her faith revolves around material security. She places a healing hand on Granddad’s head and asks Jesus to provide for him, “So that he may provide for us, Lord, as we walk in your glory,” etc. Later, when a lamp breaks, she can be overheard assuring anyone who’ll listen that, “The lord will provide another lamp,” followed by a particularly gooey “Praise Jesus!” Jericho’s mom is playing fast and loose with the ideals of someone who’s not around any longer to defend themselves or clarify their message. I’m not here to knock anyone’s faith. But when folks start using their interpretations of a dead man’s intentions to marginalize others, we run into problems. It’s kept part of the world at war semi-permanently. It seems like we might be entering into a new phase of oppression in the South. My gut tells me things will get much worse before they get better, especially given some of the possible outcomes in November. But above and beyond policies and related politics, it would seem that none of these cowardly folks—individuals, institutions, oligarchies—will own their hate. “No, no, no,” they say. “We’re not denouncing that. We don’t denounce. We’re merely upholding this other thing.” Do they really think anyone is that stupid? Maybe they do. It’s all relative, right? And with Christian-right advocates like the Benhams running around—easy on the eyes, but dumb as the door-knockers on the houses they flip—maybe there’s a sense that some of us will actually eat that plate of horseshit they’re serving up. If that’s what passes for smarts in those circles. I don’t know about you, but I’d have a lot more respect for someone who can stand up and say, “Yup, you know what? You butt-raping faeries make me sick to my stomach. I just can’t.” At least then all the cards are on the table. The message is actually much more powerful when it’s delivered with any dilution. Instead, we usually get this sort of noncommittal doublespeak. You may recall, the Benhams were slotted for an HGTV series entitled Flip It Forward, in which they’d engage in the very Christian act of helping families purchase and remodel homes that would otherwise be financially out of range. But when the network discovered that the pair had some far-right leanings via a post on the Right Wing Watch website, they pulled the plug. The site posted a recording of Benham talking to a talk show host about “homosexuality and its agenda that is attacking the nation” and “demonic ideologies” taking hold in colleges and public schools.” But when interviewed by CNN in the wake of the network’s decision, the Benham bimbos were all sunshine and lollipops. Apparently, it’s not little Christina they’re angry at. It’s the dirt. “We love all people. I love homosexuals. I love

Islam, Muslims, and my brother and I would never discriminate. Never have we, never would we,” David Benham told CNN in a live video segment during Erin Burnett’s OutFront. ”Never have I ever spoken against homosexuals, as individuals, and gone against them. I speak about an agenda. And that’s really what the point of this is—it’s that there is an agenda that is seeking to silence the voices of men and women of faith.” So, they love us. The just don’t love what we are, what we do, and what we believe. Is it just me, or does that stink of “They’re sick, they can’t help themselves”? Plus, the phrase “gone against them” sounds like there’s a grade-school fight happening over recess playground territory. We’re all adults here. You don’t “go against,” you oppose. Grow up, moron. Let’s be clear. There are plenty of LGBTQ individuals who are people of faith. It’s a long journey for many of them, coming back from upbringings that forced so much negative self-talk down their throats in the name of restrictive ideologies. But lots of gay men, women, trans-folk, and gender-fluid people have made their way back to a faith that works for them. If there’s an agenda, it’s not to silence true voices of faith. It’s to silence stupidity masquerading as wisdom. It’s to silence oppression disguised as public safety. It’s to silence hate cloaked as faith. The blonde Benhams make a particularly good case study since they’re batshit crazy. Not long after the HGTV hubbub, Jason Benham spoke to a crowd at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s “Road to Majority 2014” conference in Washington, DC, during which he compared the trials he and his brother faced with the television network to those of soldiers on the beaches at D-Day. He went a step further with his analogy, bringing Braveheart and fellow hater Mel Gibson into the mix. Later, he told the Christian Post that people of faith must be willing to let go of what they have in order to more powerfully speak the truth, once again trying to put a different spin on losing the HGTV show. Is it surprising that the Benham twins hail from North Carolina? Not at all. And it sounds like losing the show has, indeed, freed them to speak something closer to the truth. “We sure hope the governor and General Assembly will do what is right,” David Benham told a crowd at an antigay rally on the Friday afternoon prior to North Carolina’s special assembly wherein House Bill 2 was passed. He supposedly added that he doesn’t want to live in a ‘bizarro world’ where Christians can’t legally discriminate against LGBTQ people. It is a free country, after all, David. But nothing can beat the op-ed the dynamic duo published via free press agent WMD.com in the wake of North Carolina’s “decision.” In it, an analogy is drawn between the demands of LGBTQ factions for protective laws and a biblical story about the poisonous vine of Sodom, which will stop at nothing to have its way. They go on to say that pervasive homosexuality is merely a symptom—not the root of sin, per se, but rather an effect of it. They’re reassuring us: It’s not our fault, we’ve been tempted by a relentless force that’s got its claws dug deeply into the fabric of our culture. More of the ‘we’re sick and can’t help ourselves’ rhetoric. But how much compassion are you really going to show for a poisonous vine that you believe is threatening to destroy your world? Come on now, boys. You don’t love us. Stop pretending—we did a long time ago. This is the sort of thinking we’re up against in the South. It makes you wonder if the Osmond-toothed Benhams are setting the stage to come out of the closet, since apparently no one is safe from the poisonous vine. Soon the bimbo twins will be bumpin’ booty like the rest of us. After the initial shock wears off, maybe some deep P penetration will finally quiet them down.

DAILYPUBLIC.COM / APRIL 20 - 26, 2016 / THE PUBLIC 23