September 22, 2016 – OC Weekly by Duncan McIntosh Company

SAVE THE COSTA MESA PLAYHOUSE | HOME-STYLE VIETNAMESE IN LITTLE SAIGON | SAVAGE LOVE: SAVAGE SEPTEMBER 23-29, 2016 | VOLUME 22 | NUMBER 04

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The County

06 | MOXLEY CONFIDENTIAL |

Experience the excitement of the 1920s at a festival featuring vintage jazz, dancing, fashion shows, film, magic, & much more. Enjoy the sounds of Dean Mora and His Modern Rhythmists & the Night Blooming Jazzmen on Saturday, and Janet Klein and Her Parlor Boys and Ian Whitcomb and His Bungalow Boys on Sunday.

Admission is FREE!

Sheriff Sandra Hutchens doesn’t want her deputies to grade her and other top brass. By R. Scott Moxley 07 | ¡ASK A MEXICAN! | Why do Mexicans like Tupac so much? By Gustavo Arellano 07 | HEY, YOU! | Don’t think twice; it’s all right. By Anonymous

Feature

09 | NEWS | OC’s pub-quiz scene is better than ever before. By Gustavo Arellano, Taylor Hamby, Nate Jackson and Cynthia Rebolledo

in back

Calendar

14 | EVENTS | Things to do while

tracking trolls.

Food

OCWEEKLY.COM | | ocweekly.com

18 | REVIEW | Mai’s Kitchen in

15415 East Don Julian Road, City of Industry, CA 91745 626.968.8492 • homesteadmuseum.org

Tastes Good Festival combines grub, music. By Sarah Bennett

Film

22 | REVIEW | Author: The JT LeRoy

Story: More The Hoax or I’m Still Here? By Matt Coker 23 | SPECIAL SCREENINGS | Get off the couch and go see stuff locally! By Matt Coker

Culture

24 | THEATER | Costa Mesa Playhouse is worth saving, even if its current play doesn’t meet its promise. By Joel Beers 24 | TRENDZILLA | Patricia V showcases Peru through jewelry and accessories. By Aimee Murillo

Music

also

32 | CONCERT GUIDE 34 | SAVAGE LOVE | By Dan Savage

on the cover Design by Dustin Ames

| contents | the

online»ocweekly.com ORANGE FEATHERS »

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EDITORIAL

ART DIRECTOR Dustin Ames CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS AlGae, Bob Aul, Jared Boggess, Mark Dancey, Rob Dobi, Jeff Drew, Scott Feinblatt, Greg Houston, Cameron K. Lewis, Bill Mayer, Luke McGarry, Kevin McVeigh, Thomas Pitilli, Joe Rocco, Julio Salgado PHOTOGRAPHERS Bridget Arias, Ed Carrasco, Brian Erzen, Scott Feinblatt, Brian Feinzimer, John Gilhooley, Eric Hood, Nick Iverson, Allix Johnson, Matt Kollar, Isaac Larios, Danny Liao, Shane Lopes, Fabian Ortiz, Jeanne Rice, Rickett & Sones, Josué Rivas, Eran Ryan, Sugarwolf, Matt Ulfelder, Miguel Vasconcellos, Christopher Victorio, William Vo, Kevin Warn, Micah Wright EDITORIAL ART INTERN Mercedes Del Real

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OC Weekly is located at 18475 Bandilier Cir., Fountain Valley, CA 92708. (714) 550-5900. Display Advertising, (714) 550-5900; Classified Adver tising, (714) 550-5900; National Advertis ing, (888) 278-9866, voicemediagroup.com; Fax, (714) 550-5908; Advertising Fax, (714) 550-5905; Classified Fax, (714) 550-5905; Circu la tion, (888) 732-7323; Website: www.ocweekly.com. The publication is free, one per reader. Removal of more than one paper from any distribution point constitutes theft, and violators are subject to prosecution. Please address all correspondence to OC Weekly, 18475 Bandilier Cir., Fountain Valley, CA 92708; email: letters@ocweekly.com. Published weekly (Thursday) by OC Weekly News, Inc. Subscription price: $30 for six months; $52 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OC Weekly at OC Weekly, 18475 Bandilier Cir., Fountain Valley, CA 92708. Submissions of all kinds are welcome. Address them to the editor and include a selfaddressed, stamped envelope. Copyright ©2016, OC Weekly News, Inc. All rights reserved. OC Weekly® is a trademark licensed to OC Weekly News, Inc.

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EDITOR Gustavo Arellano MANAGING EDITOR Nick Schou ASSOCIATE EDITOR Patrice Marsters SENIOR EDITOR, NEWS & INVESTIGATIONS R. Scott Moxley STAFF WRITERS Mary Carreon, Matt Coker, Gabriel San Román MUSIC EDITOR Nate Jackson WEB EDITOR Taylor Hamby CALENDAR EDITOR Aimee Murillo CLUBS EDITOR Denise De La Cruz EDITORIAL ASSISTANT/ PROOFREADER Lisa Black CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Reyan Ali, Dave Barton, Joel Beers, Sarah Bennett, Lilledeshan Bose, Kyle Cavaness, Josh Chesler, Heidi Darby, Alex Distefano, Edwin Goei, Michael Goldstein, LP Hastings, Daniel Kohn, Dave Lieberman, Adam Lovinus, Todd Mathews, Patrick Montes, Katrina Nattress, Nick Nuk’em, Anne Marie Panoringan, Amanda Parsons, Ryan Ritchie, Andrew Tonkovich, Chris Ziegler EDITORIAL INTERNS Angelena Grady, Cynthia Rebolledo

EDITORIAL ART

BOB AUL

the county»news|issues|commentary

Grading the Sheriff

nly 18 months ago, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens hailed a formal survey of rank-and-file deputies who graded the department’s top managers on seven characteristics, including integrity, caring, innovation, communication, proaction, trustworthiness and collaboration. Hutchens mentioned minor quibbles but praised the Association of Orange CONFIDENTIAL County Deputy Sheriffs (AOCDS) for conducting a “professional and fair” rating process that made “positive” contributions that generate R SCOTT important “selfMOXLEY reflection” among her command staff. “We want leaders in the department that people respect,” the sheriff told the Voice of OC at the time. This year’s AOCDS survey mirrored the 2015 process. Employees graded assistant sheriffs, commanders, captains and lieutenants on a scale of 1 to 5 by category and offered positive or negative comments about temperament. As with the previous year, union officials published the scores and a sampling of remarks for each manager. The AOCDS board of directors says “such data can help identify problems as well as highlight managers with superior leadership skills.” The Weekly has learned the only difference between the two surveys is Hutchens’ divergent reactions. Dropping prior disingenuous accolades, the sheriff couldn’t suppress anger in recent months, privately seething that the process undermines efforts to sell her agency as a well-functioning machine. In a May 11 memo, she blasted AOCDS president Tom Dominguez for ignoring her desires to tamper with the survey’s outcome, which she now claims lacks validity because it includes criticisms. “I [cautioned] Tom against handpicking anonymous, derogatory comments, as they were not constructive, but rather personal and hurtful in nature,” wrote Hutchens, who wants the union survey to echo the saccharine pulp produced by her publicrelations staff. “The comments they chose to highlight are more like what one would hear on a sixth-grade playground—not from a professional organization.” But AOCDS didn’t sugarcoat its findings. For example, Assistant Sheriff Don Barnes, who received a “very good” rank of 4.21, prompted an employee to opine, “Excels in leadership, talented, warmhearted,” with three other similarly

moxley

» .

Sandra Hutchens dismisses deputy critiques of top brass as grade-school quibbles

praiseful comments. One deputy, however, stated, “Educated? Yes. Opinionated? Yes. Vindictive, petty and malicious? Absolutely.” The union issued a straightforward conclusion: “Survey responses indicate that he is the most respected assistant sheriff and his presence inspires deputies to perform their best. There were few criticisms, but perhaps Barnes could improve on being less opinionated.” Assistant Sheriff Lee Trujillo received a mostly positive mix, too, with staffers praising his intelligence and humbleness while disapproving of his alleged willingness to waste time on non-issues and for adopting a “guilty-until-proven-innocent approach to his employees.” None of the published comments qualify as elementary-school quips. In fact, the most critical observations were run-of-themill opinions you’d hear about private- and public-sector bosses everywhere, as evidenced by what was said about Assistant Sheriff Steve Kea (“Loves to hear himself talk about how great he is”), Commander Tim Moy (“Nothing special, just an average boss collecting a salary”), Captain Stuart Greenberg (“Nice guy, poor judgment”), Lieutenant Mitch Wang (“Afraid to do what is right”), Lieutenant Michael Miller (“He will lead morale to the furthest, darkest corner of this county”) and Lieutenant Jeff McCain (“Shows favoritism”). The one eyebrow-raising entry ridiculed Assistant Sheriff Linda Solorza, who rated a dismal 1.98 on the 5-point scale. “Only surrounds herself with those who are in her inner circle or personal friends and lifestyle,” one deputy remarked. The survey noted that Solorza “shows preferences for female deputies, which makes her appear sexist to an overwhelming majority of male deputies. . . . Until male deputies feel they are treated equally, she will not have the respect of the majority.” Because suggestions for improvement accompanied reviews, AOCDS considers the entirety of the survey as a way to make the department “more efficient,” according to a statement the union issued in the spring with the results. They wrote, “We hope to receive even greater response to next year’s leadership assessment survey as we continue to hold our managers accountable and provide the best service we can to the residents of Orange County.”

BOB AUL

Meanwhile, Hutchens believes the survey violates a tenet of her law-enforcement management style: Keep the public clueless about department warts. In her memo, she claimed that in her 37 years as a cop, she “never” used “derogatory language” about her colleagues. “As a politician, I have come to expect these types of remarks from detractors on blogs and in the media, but they don’t bother me because I know who I am,” an obviously bothered sheriff complained while employing circular logic. She claims she wouldn’t hire lousy managers; therefore, they can’t exist in her command. “The managers and executives, all of whom I have promoted, possess leadership skills and integrity and have compassion for their employees.” Voicing criticism of lower-rank employees for criticizing her most-favored employees produced hand-wringing. “I have thought long and hard about just ignoring this, but these comments go beyond the workplace; they end up in the hands of spouses, parents, siblings, children and the media,” Hutchens fretted. “I felt it important to tell you how little value I place on this survey.” Following the convictions of the prior sheriff (Mike Carona) and his two top assistant sheriffs (George Jaramillo and Don Haidl) on federal corruption charges, Hutchens took over eight years ago, promising honest public service. In fact, according to her campaign website, “integrity” is her guiding principle. Using a low standard established by Carona, she has succeeded. I doubt she wakes up each day looking to execute harebrained schemes involving wild, on-duty sex parties and under-the-table cash. Hutchens’ flaws are nonetheless monumental. As with her determination to whitewash the AOCDS surveys, the sheriff has repeatedly proven during Orange County’s ongoing jailhouse-informant scandal that she’ll deny corruption that

has earned national alarm. There have even been calls for a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into irrefutable evidence her deputies systemically conducted unconstitutional scams to trick pretrial inmates into making self-incriminating statements. The sheriff’s strategy to survive the scandal is simple: Play dumb. Entire records systems were hidden for decades from judges issuing discovery orders not because they contained proof of the illegal scams, but because deputies innocently assumed department secrecy desires outweighed judicial authority, she claims. Veteran deputies who’d testified dozens and dozens of times and had been labeled “experts” in court proceedings didn’t commit perjury while denying dirty informant tactics, as Judge Thomas M. Goethals determined, but rather were ignorant about how to testify under oath, she claims. But the most outrageous fib is Hutchens’ insistence there can be no jail-snitch scandal because deputies didn’t employ informants. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas, the beneficiary of the deputies’ cheating, joined in that pretense for more than two years. Facing the pending disclosure of 1,157 more improperly hidden and damning records on June 9, Rackauckas finally conceded what Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders has been saying since 2014: Jail deputies “cultivated and utilized” snitches to conduct illegal “capers” against government targets. Abandoned by her accomplice, Hutchens remains in her fantasyland. Reality is what she says it is, darn it. A department flack recently renewed the sheriff’s stance to the Huffington Post, saying, “There is no jail-informant program in the jail.” RSCOTTMOXLEY@OCWEEKLY.COM

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» GUSTAVO ARELLANO DEAR MEXICAN: Is pinche considered a “bad” word among Mexican-Americans? Or is it like güey, where it’s generally all right? Mandilón in Manhattan DEAR PUSSY-WHIPPED POCHO: Don’t forget that among Mexican-Americans, #fucktrump is considered appropriate for children 5 and older. But among Mexican Mexicans, pinche (which technically means a short-order cook) is still mostly a synonym for “fucking” in its adverbial sense; I, for instance, would never use it in front of my mami lest I get the chancla. But, as with el Norte, Mexican culture keeps coarsening, making pinche more acceptable than ever before. One of the first news stories the Mexican ever wrote was a 2001 piece about how a Mexican yaktivist took out a radio ad calling former California governor Gray Davis a pinche güerito (a “fucking little white man”). Tellingly, the AM station bleeped out pinche so it sounded like pin-bleep. Fast-forward to today, and that radio station—now on the FM dial—regularly plays the track “Pinche Borracho” (“Fucking Drunk”) by female duo Dueto Las Azucenas (a swap-meet version of Las Jilguerillas) without bleeping out pinche. What a pinche vergüenza.

sets again/Pete Wilson tryin’ to see us all broke.” Wait, that wasn’t Pac; that was Makaveli, since Tupac is ALIVE. Besides, game recognize juego, and Mexicans see Tupac as the moreno version of Chalino Sanchez, the legendary narcocorrido singer who was also assassinated before his time and whose ballads made gangsta rap seem as imposing as the Mills Brothers.

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DEAR MEXICAN: History has shown that given time, all immigrants to a new country eventually assume the new language. That being said, it is also important for Americans to help the immigrants cross the language barrier. Because of this, I do not understand why there are not more Spanish-language programs on television—not just for the Spanish speaker, but for everyone. Spanish Sesame Street would be great. I have studied Spanish and Japanese in school, and it has helped me to understand my surroundings better. What are Americans afraid of? We flock to Mexican restaurants. It would also be nice to see other foreign-language programs on the television from time to time. Bring Back Esteban Colberto

DEAR MEXICAN: Why is it that every time I pull up next to Mexicans in traffic, they’re bumping one of two things: either some polka-sounding stuff or Tupac? I like Tupac, but it seems like Mexicans are singlehandedly keeping his music alive. Why do Mexicans love Pac so much? Confused By Colored Folk

DEAR GABACHO: That’s a problem exacerbated by Hollywood, which would rather greenlight shows about gangs and narcos than anything remotely dealing with the modern-day Mexican-American experience. And by the way, there is a Mexican version of Sesame Street (well, besides the actual Spanish-language version of the show, called Plaza Sésamo); it’s called Dora the Explorer. Donald Trump has already announced she’s the first Mexican to get deported, since Dora taught millennials that Mexicans are actual humans and not baby-making cockroaches—a first on network television.

DEAR GABACHO: Tupac Shakur forever endeared himself to Mexicans thanks to his 1996 jam “To Live and Die in LA.” In this ode to the City of Angels, he sang, “Cause would it be LA without Mexicans?/Black love, brown pride and the

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

OCTOBER 6–9

Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right

BOB AUL

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HEY, YOU! Send anonymous thanks, confessions or accusations—changing or deleting the names of the guilty and innocent—to “Hey, You!” c/o OC Weekly, 18475 Bandilier Cir., Fountain Valley, CA 92708, or email us at letters@ocweekly.com.

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TRIVIA PURSUIT Orange County’s pub-quiz scene is more popular than ever before by Gustavo Arellano, Taylor Hamby, Nate Jackson and Cynthia Rebolledo

ROCKOGRAPHY

ven 10 years ago, Orange County’s pub-quiz scene was mostly sad electronic games or drunks yelling out answers as a blurry television broadcast Jeopardy! But in this decade, trivia contests have become a mainstay at nearly every craft-beer bar and neighborhood dive in OC, as bars realize the money nerds spend and nerds have finally found a place to show off to hot waitresses. Some draw a couple of contestants; others regularly draw hundreds, with teams openly recruiting ringers and trying to one-up one another with the most ridiculous names around (what exactly does “Who, Mortimer?” mean?). For this issue, we profile four of the county’s most-known promotions: Geeks Who Drink, Kiss Kiss Bangs Bangs, Brain Party Trivia and Pop Quiz Trivia. Each has a different format and crowd, but all are awesome experiences worth a visit. And it’s also a convenient excuse to announce our sponsorship of our own trivia contest! OC Weekly and Pop Quiz Trivia are joining forces for a one-of-a-kind pubtrivia tournament this month. Teams of two to six players have the chance to win our grand prize of $1,000 American. ’Murica! Teams are invited to compete in one of the four preliminary rounds, and if you have what it takes, you’ll

advance to our final round. The first round of prelims will be held at Kelly’s Korner in Placentia and the Anthill Pub & Grille at UC Irvine on Sept. 25. The second round will be held at the Olde Ship in SanTana and Slater’s 50/50 in Huntington Beach on Oct. 2. You only need to participate in one preliminary round to be eligible to advance to the finals. The top teams from each location (probably top three, but let’s see how this goes) will be invited to participate in the final round on Oct. 9 at Golden Road Brewing in Anaheim. (All quizzes start at 6 p.m.) The first-prize winners of the championship round will receive $1,000 cash, the second-place team takes home $500, and third place wins the prestigious award of a set of steak knives, probably bought from the Cypress Swap Meet. Depending on how many freaks participate, we might make this an annual event and bump up the moolah next time around—BOOM. Participation is free, but your team must register at www.playpopquiz.com before Sept. 28. We at the Weekly consider ourselves a bunch of smart-asses, too, so Weeklings may participate in the competition but are ineligible to win prizes. They are, however, permitted to slaughter the Special Olympics as » CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 they see fit. See you there!

CRAIG (LEFT) AND KOLLAR GETTING THEIR BDSM ON

ROCKOGRAPHY

TRIVIA PURSUIT » FROM PAGE 9 POP QUIZ TRIVIA Philly Gloom Meets HB Nice

The guys behind OC’s largest homegrown trivia empire are a modern-day Mutt and Jeff. Dougie Craig is a Philly-area native, average of height and acerbic and funny AF. “I came to Orange County in 2006 only knowing how to wash dishes and make cheesesteaks,” he says, deadpan. “When people find out I’m from Philly, they’ll say, ‘Congrats on the Eagles winning!’ and then ask why I’m not happy. And I tell them, ‘Because it’s the Eagles.’” Huntington Beach-born-and-raised Niki Kollar is a tall ginger who teaches sixth grade at the city’s Isaac L. Sowers Middle School and seems to always have a smile on his face. “Niki is all about patience and being kind,” Craig says. “I’m a hater—I hate everything. I do everything I can to challenge the best people in the room.” Together, they run Pop Quiz Trivia, with 14 weekly trivia nights from Rancho Santa Margarita to Anaheim Hills, Brix at the Shore in Long Beach to C4 Deli in SanTana. The two also do private tournaments. “We’ve done 350 realtors at a hotel,” Kollar says. Adds Craig, “Ten lesbians in a living room for a birthday party.” And they are hiring and looking to expand.

The two only started in 2011, after attending a quiz in Hermosa Beach and wondering why there weren’t more in Orange County. “Quiz culture is the first thing I’ve seen from the East Coast to go to the West Coast and win, and not vice versa,” Craig says. “Back East, it’s a religion; here, it’s still not where it should be.” Part of that, he says, can be attributed to the county’s douchebaggery. “Best example: We had a location that was an uppercrust, white-collar place,” Craig says. “Telling those people they were wrong about something is something they don’t want to hear. They’ll just get up and drive off in their Audi and never come back.” While Kollar and Craig want their company to get bigger, they also understand the need to foster a scene that makes it worthwhile for their hosts. “It’s an actual business,” Kollar says. “Our selling point is we’re not coming to do trivia here to get paid. We’re coming to do trivia so it’s mutually beneficial. We want restaurants to make good money [from] the crowds we attract.” Pop Quiz Trivia (originally known as OC Pop Quiz) has gained its following for simultaneously being welcoming to all and hosting some of the hardest questions around. Its notorious for its picture rounds, in which players have to identify 10 things (a recently brutal one involved lizards), and the Guess Who category, in which hosts will give 10 points to any

team that can answer off a ridiculously arcane clue, but they knock off two points for every subsequent clue. That said, Kollar and Craig strive to make the trivia as egalitarian as possible. “We want at least one person on every

team to say they contributed,” Craig says. “Balance is the biggest thing. So you got a guy who’s getting all the sports questions at Longboards. What about his wife? She doesn’t care—and she needs to care.” Find their schedule at www.ocpopquiz.com.

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ROCKOGRAPHY

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PRATT (LEFT) AND DELOACH HOSTING AT HI-TIME WINE CELLARS

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Cosplay-wearing trivia junkies Nicole DeLoach and Morgan Pratt met while playing trivia in 2011. “My ex-boyfriend was hosting it at the time—he’s long gone, but we’re still together,” DeLoach says. The quick-witted duo, who have a habit of finishing each other’s sentences, bust up laughing. “I remember being like, ‘OMG, I’m having so much fun; this is like school but with alcohol,’” Pratt says. “Why aren’t we doing this?” Their friendship and mutual addiction inspired the girls to start their own trivia outfit, Kiss Kiss Bangs Bangs, last year, and now they dominate Costa Mesa, with events at Hi-Time Wine Cellars, Pie Society, Barley Forge Brewing, Costa Mesa 55 Tavern & Bowl, and more. They’re also eliminating the nerd-bro stigma associated with quiz games. “We employ almost all women,” DeLoach says. “There didn’t use to be a lot of female hosts; it’s a lot more women-friendly now.” Kiss Kiss Bangs Bangs events follow a format based on how DeLoach and Pratt like to play. Most games feature a host reading a lot of questions, with the audience writing down answers and handing them in after a round. “We wanted ours to be fun, cool and relaxed, so you get the paper and

Sept. 3rd

do it on your own time,” says Pratt. “We tell you how much time you have; you finish it up and turn it in. It’s a social event. You’re not here to take the SATs, so we wanted it to be that you can play trivia, eat, drink and still talk to your friends.” The questions lean toward pop culture, and range from movie quotes to Name That Tune. “We’re all over the place,” DeLoach says. “We do themed trivia night at a couple of our venues. We dress up for that, and we give people extra points if they dress up in theme.” So if they’re doing Harry Potter, go as Dobby, people. OC trivia has grown a lot since they started playing, the two admit. “It’s a huge thing now; it’s everywhere, and people are into it,” says Pratt, “We met at trivia, and we’ve met so many of our friends while playing—I think it’s become a real cool thing to do other than just go to a bar and drink.” If you’re new to trivia, they suggest forming a squad of people who have different knowledge—a ringer for each subject, so to speak. And a team name is just as important. “I don’t know why I find it so funny because it’s inappropriate, but Five Inches Collectively—that one has always stuck with me it’s so funny,” Pratt says, laughing. Go to kisskissbangsbangs.com for more info.

KISS KISS BANGS BANGS Crashing the Sausage Party

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“There are no groupies in trivia,” says Phil Acosta, the mind behind Brain Party Trivia. “Nobody walks up to me after the rounds are over. They think of you as an authority figure, I guess? Or maybe I’m just an asshole.” It’s a thankless job, but Acosta does it every Monday night at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach. The rules are simple: sign-ups start at 8, rounds begin at 8:30, there’s a $5 buyin per person, and don’t cheat. Winner gets the cash pot at the end. But it’s not easy; Acosta is proud of Brain Party’s reputation as one of the toughest pub-trivia nights in Southern California. “Is my trivia really that hard?” he asks skeptically. “You have to be a glutton for punishment to keep coming back,” says Alex Hernandez, who owns the bar. Acosta himself has been gluttonously returning to Alex’s, wearing a variety of hats for six or seven years now—he’s not entirely sure. In addition to hosting trivia, he MCs the bar’s famed Wednesday-night karaoke and spins as DJ Bespin. His journey to Quiz Master began with the rest of us plebeians: as a participant. The original host was the bearded brain with the memorable, gruff voice, David Thornton. Then, approximately four years ago, Thornton and Acosta had a bit of a Padawan/Jedi moment: Thornton had Acosta co-host trivia nights, not unlike C3P0 and R2-D2 (“I was the comic relief,” Acosta says), for about a year. “[Acosta was] like the sidekick. [Thornton] was kind of like Win Ben Stein’s Money—very dry. [They] had good back

and forth,” Hernandez recalls. After about a year or so, Acosta became the Skywalker to Thornton’s Yoda, inheriting the night after Thornton left. From there out, Acosta began flying solo (okay, we’ll stop). He came up with the branding and name for the trivia night. “I eventually wanted to brand it and do it at multiple bars, kind of like Geeks Who Drink,” Acosta says. But this has yet to pan out. “I get kind of lazy,” Acosta said candidly. “I tend to do the bare minimum; like, I haven’t really gotten around to building a website yet.” He did create a Facebook fan page, which he updates with a clue a few hours before that evening’s trivia. Themed nights are often the most popular nights and are held on the final Monday of the month, and games about Star Wars, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter can leave the relatively large bar without an open seat. As nearly any trivia host can attest, cheating is one of the biggest problems he faces. “So many people cheat,” Acosta says. “People think they’re slick.” Slick as they may think they’re being—Googling answers in the bathroom or out front while having a smoke—Acosta does his best to ensure the cheaters don’t win. He won’t call you out (rivaling teams usually will, though); he simply won’t grade your rounds. Then there are the hecklers. “I like heckling—I encourage it,” Acosta says. But, Acosta says, the hardest part of hosting a trivia night isn’t the cheaters or the hecklers or even the know-it-alls who love to argue. It’s that “you don’t get to play,” he laments. “I have fun in a different way, though. I envy the people down in the crowd. They have the real fun.” When asked what his trivia-knowledge specialty was, he quickly replies, “Comic books. Don’t put just that, though—I’ll look lame. Umm, working out and getting laid and stuff. My specialty is fucking—put that in the paper.” For more info, go to www.facebook.com/brainpartytrivia.

GEEKS WHO DRINK Do Drink and Diva

Part of being a geek is the ability to rebel against a big corporation’s one-size-fits-all experience. We never go for that shit! So the fact that national quiz organization Geeks Who Drink (GWD) can make their trivia empire feel personal, despite running 700 events in 43 states, explains why their weekly games kick so much ass. Founded in Denver in 2006 by John Dicker and Joel Peach, GWD is the biggest player in the pub-trivia branding. What other quiz organization do you know that has its own TV show on SyFy based on its

uiz Time!

1. Pen 2. Cate Blanchett (played Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator) and Julia Roberts (played herself in Ocean’s 12) 3. Piggly Wiggly 4. Stanford (Jim Plunkett and Herbert Hoover), U.S. Naval Academy (Roger Staubach and Jimmy Carter), Miami University (Ben Roethlisberger, Benjamin Harrison) and Michigan (Tom Brady, Gerald Ford) 5. Vinculum 6. Zoroastrianism (the god is Ahura Mazda) 7. Hanoi, Harare, Havana, Helsinki, Honiara

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QUESTIONS 1. What’s the term for a female swan? 2. Name the two Oscar-winning actresses who played an actress who also won an Academy Award at one point in their career. 3. Self-shopping at grocery stores was pioneered 100 years ago by what rhyming Bible Belt chain? 4. Name the four universities that can claim a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and a president as alumni. 5. What’s the line called in mathematics used to indicate a repeating decimal? 6. Name and spell the Middle Eastern religion whose main god is also the name behind a Japanese car brand. 7. Name the five world capitals that begin with H.

county

We asked each trivia crew proﬁled to give us some questions that usually stump the audience. If you can get all of them right, then you might have a chance at winning our tournament. Good luck, and remember: Wikipedia doesn’t answer everything!

| the

popular brand of rapidfire, themed trivia rounds? The annual Geek Bowl, now in its 11th year, features more than 230 teams across the country who compete in a different city every year for upwards of $20,000 in prize money. That’s quite a payday, considering most of us just do trivia for the pleasure of yelling at a rival team, “Boom! In yo face, fuckers!” There are plenty of head scratchers and hangovers to be had at local GWD events, including at Costa Mesa bars Durty Nelly’s and the Harp Inn, along with Brix Brews in Sunset Beach and Wursthaus in Santa Ana. Long Beach has a rowdy bunch of players at the Blind Donkey and Hamburger Mary’s in Downtown. (True story: Our Mexican In Chief gave them a list of bars to try when they first moved into our fair county.) Josh Wittge, a PR coordinator for Blizzard in Irvine by day, is also a GWD host,

GEEKS WHO DRINK

or “Quiz Master,” who came to oversee the LBC game two years ago after running another successful quiz night in Austin. Wittge brings his own flair to renowned drag bar Hamburger Mary’s, which keeps his players coming back each week. “I have in the past done the quizzes in full drag, and then performed in the drag show afterward,” Wittge says. As with hosts in the other local markets, Wittge regularly blogs about his venue’s trivia night on the GWD website, as well as the individual Facebook page on which teams can go to interact, check out photos, and read funny recaps and commentary from the hosts after each game. “Just doing that and doing a little bit of self-promotion on that blog can pull in new teams,” he says. “It’s also a good way to sell to a new bar that not only do we have the event and bring people in, [but] within the next 24 hours we’re also promoting the night and getting people excited for the next week.” Part of being a good host, aside from being tapped to help write questions for the organization, is being able to mix it up with the crowd and slay drunk hecklers with ease. “I tend to have a crowd that loves to see people get eviscerated, so every now and then, a loud drunk gives me a chance to give them just that.” After all, nothing makes a geek feel at home during a quiz night like a pint, a few laughs and a good, old-fashioned, dragqueen bitch slap. For more information, visit www.geekswhodrink.com.

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STEAMPUNK’S NOT DEAD

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sat/09/24

[DANCE]

[THEATER]

Bodies In Flight

True Detective

This year’s Laguna Dance Festival brings a compelling series of works from acclaimed choreographers hailing from all over the country to Laguna Playhouse. A different dance company will perform every evening and afternoon this weekend, from Los Angeles’ BODYTRAFFIC to Philadelphia’s BalletX. Tonight, see New York choreographer Kyle Abraham and his company Abraham.In.Motion as they dance his socially conscious Pavement piece, inspired by the 1991 film Boyz N the Hood and W.E.B. Du Bois’ book The Souls of Black Folk. Taking place in a faux basketball court in Pittsburgh, the dancers’ movements represent historical conflict and struggle; the piece is set to rap, Sam Cooke vocals and classical music. Stay tuned for a post-show Q&A with Abraham to get to know the inner workings of this great dance masterpiece. Laguna Dance Festival at Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach, (949) 497-2787; lagunadancefestival. org. 7:30 p.m.; also Sat.-Sun. $40-$65.

Buena Park’s Autumn Nights at the Plaza series brings you this vintage mystery the whole family-and-friend set can enjoy together. Set in the springtime of 1922, actor William Gillette of Sherlock Holmes fame is enjoying a fun evening with the cast of his latest Broadway play in his medieval castle (eerie enough, no?). The lighthearted mood turns dark quickly when, during a séance, he uncovers a murder plot against him MORE among his guests; ONLINE thus, Gillette must OCWEEKLY.COM use his own wily detective skills and be his own Sherlock to find the would-be murderer. Postmortem: A Murder Mystery Under an Autumn Moon is for mystery-lovers and sleuths of all ages—see if you can figure out the dastardly deceiver in this spooky play. Postmortem: A Murder Mystery Under an Autumn Moon at the Plaza at Ehlers Event Center, 8150 Knott Ave., Buena Park, (714) 562-3860; www.buenapark.com. 8 p.m.; also Sat. $21. —AIMEE MURILLO

Laguna Dance Festival

—AIMEE MURILLO

THE QUEEN MARY

Postmortem

[CONCERT]

MOUTHFUL OF MUSIC

Music Tastes Good Festival

Announced just this past May, the lineup for the MusicTastes Good Festival dropped many a jaw in Orange County and Long Beach, for not only do you have Dr. Dog and Warpaint, but also ska legends the Specials (!!!), Melvins, Iron and Wine, Nick Waterhouse, Girlpool, rapper Le1f, and more, with today’s schedule easily (and obviously) packing in the most acts out of the three-day fest. While you’re prepared to stay longer for the night’s heavy hitters, be sure to check out Long Beach’s Rudy De Anda, Dustin Lovelis, Sister Crowley and the Dead Ships. The music continues Sunday at this funtastic block party, with performances by Las Cafeteras, De La Soul, Pregnant, Val Fleury and more. MusicTastes Good at Elm Avenue and EastThird Street, Long Beach; mtglb.co. Noon; also Sun. $35. —AIMEE MURILLO

[THEATER]

Spies Like Us

1960s Spy Themed Mystery Show Do you pine for the good old days when spy films didn’t discuss the internet because it didn’t exist yet, when the only hacking that truly mattered was the kind that cleared your lungs from all that secondhand cigarette smoke? Then the 1960s Spy Themed Mystery Show is just your sort of bag, baby! Laugh your Afro off as the actors from Artistry Matters Entertainment perform a murdermystery dinner show complete with a threecourse meal from White House Catering, prizes, a costume contest and a full bar for any diners daring enough to try to decipher the dark world of spy culture surrounded by beautiful classic cars and dangerous dames. Your mood ring (or is it a decoder ring?!) will surely turn blue with delight. 1960s Spy Themed Mystery Show at Hwy. 39 Event Center & Auto Museum, 1563 S. State College Blvd., Anaheim, (714) 6992539; www.artistrymattersentertainment. com. 6:30 p.m.; also Nov. 5. $79 (includes three-course meal). —AMANDA PARSONS

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9/23

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sun/09/25 [PETS]

Point Bark

Surf City Surf Dog Some dogs are trained to tend to medical emergencies, and others are trained to surf; both skills seem on par with helping others in need, as today’s Unleashed By Petco Surf City Surf Dog competition will exhibit. Dog owners from as far as Australia and Brazil will be bringing their fearless fourlegged friends to ride the waves on their

longboards, raising money for the charity of their choice, while exhibitors and vendors distribute handy treats and gifts for attendees. Come witness these pups jump, doggie paddle, heel and shoot the curl over the cascading waters of Huntington Dog Beach, and don’t forget to hang around to see which dog wins the title of Big Kahuna— or, in layman’s terms, first place. Surf City Surf Dog at Huntington Dog Beach, 100 Goldenwest St., Huntington Beach, (714) 841-8644; surfdogevents.com. 8 a.m. Free. —AIMEE MURILLO

Before his Broadway hit The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, playwright, actor and female impersonator Charles Busch wrote and starred in Red Scare On Sunset, another of his one-man/woman naughty satirical romps, this one through politics and alternative history. His hilarious provocations typically take on identity and idiom, as in the

Wild At Heart

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Nic Cage Trivia

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Depending on who you talk to, Nic Cage is a god among men—or a vampire among men, or a maniac among men, or even just a great actor among men. At this special edition of Brain Party Trivia, he’ll get the hometown-hero recognition he deserves. Cage, you see, was born in Long Beach and grew up on Hackett Avenue, where he’d reportedly go running around the neighborhood in a Dracula costume—no details on if this had anything to do with Halloween—before blossoming into the beautiful, comic-book-obsessed, cockroach-eating, Ramones-loving, shamanic thespian who may one day be buried in a pyramidal tomb in New Orleans. Nic Cage Trivia Night at Alex’s Bar, 2913 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach, (562) 4348292; www.alexsbar.com. 8 p.m. $5. 21+. —CHRIS ZIEGLER

OCT 14

23 - 29 , 2 0 16

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Red Scare On Sunset

[TRIVIA]

THIS FRI SEPT 23

Se pte m ber

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Too Real!

too-familiar, anti-commie, American, 1950s, easy-mark Hollywood hierarchy, dramatized right over the top in Red Scare.Cleverly staged during our own political silly season, the play’s twisted premise is a scarily fun treatment of left politics that ostensibly threaten the self-reflecting worldview of an ambitious star who prefers the industry’s monarchical studio system to democracy. Red Scare On Sunset at Costa Mesa Playhouse, 661 Hamilton St., Costa Mesa, (949) 650-5269; costamesaplayhouse.com. 8 p.m. Through Oct. 2. $20. —ANDREW TONKOVICH

mon/09/26

CHRIS YOUNG

OCT 1

[THEATER]

9/19/16 3:07 PM

Internationally acclaimed, sought-after and respected, pianist Yefim Bronfman is an otherworldly talent whose piano skills have to be seen to be believed. The Israeliborn Bronfman has been much-praised for his impeccable technique and pace, no matter the genre, and stuns audiences worldwide, even when he’s appearing alongside an orchestra. Expect to hear some Stravinsky, Schumann, Bartok and Debussy—and, most of all, to be amazed by Bronfman’s flying hands. Yefim Bronfman at Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Dr., Aliso Viejo, (949) 480-4278; www.soka.edu. 8 p.m. $40-$50. —AIMEE MURILLO

For the Senses

thu/09/29

[HORROR]

“I don’t think The Godfather has ever been seen, or heard, like this before. All in all it was dramatic, surreal, breath taking, romantic and a classic experience.” – HUFFINGTON POST

NIGHT TERRORS

Back with their first new album in two years, sisterly duoTegan and Sara proved their migration to Los Angeles from their native Canada has been a fruitful one. For starters, their new album, LoveYou to Death, is widely considered one of their best with pop-laden songs that are bold and adventurous.The slicked-up production is a far

Friday, October 7 at 8 p.m. A celebration of jazz legends starring some of today’s leading artists

TRIBUTE TO MILES DAVIS

Dark Harbor

One of our favorite Halloween attractions resurrects this month—and we can’t wait for all the gruesome new surprises Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary has in store. Debuting this year is the Iron Master, the original iron forger of the Queen Mary, now doomed to haunt her hull, replacing his rotting flesh with metal appendages. Delightful!This new monstrous character hosts Dark Harbor’s latest maze, “Intrepid,” those who dare enter into which will travel through what’s touted as “Iron Hell.” Other mazes return, such as “Deadrise” and “Lullaby,” plus all the voodoo, sideshow freaks, fried brains (funnel cakes) and tongue tacos (er, exactly that) we’ve come to love so much. Dark Harbor at Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Hwy., Long Beach, (877) 3420738; www.queenmary.com. 8 p.m. Through Oct. 31. $24-$99. —ERIN DEWITT

cry from their acoustic earlier days and definitely not comparable to their recent indie-rock records. No matter what version of the duo you prefer, their new direction is another indicator of how savvy and creative the sisters Quin are. Tegan and Sara with Shura at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; www.observatoryoc.com. 8 p.m. $40. —DANIEL KOHN

Tegan and Sara

with

CELEBRATING THE 100TH BIRTHDAYS OF DIZZY, MONGO, ELLA AND THELONIOUS

Saturday, October 8 at 8 p.m.

KAMASI WASHINGTON

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Sunday, October 9 at 3 p.m.

FILM WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA Experience one of the greatest films in the history of cinema like never before as Nino Rota’s iconic score is performed by a full symphony orchestra.

& JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA with JAMISON ROSS

OCTOBER 1

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Segerstrom Hall

Dates, programs and artists are subject to change.

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MEDIA PARTNER

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Get ready for all of the power chords and dick jokes your immature heart can handle: The kings of pop punk are back. Blink-182 return to OC alongside All Time Low and A Day to Remember, but it won’t be the same show your older brother saw a decade ago. As Musink and Weenie Roast got to see over the past two years, Alkaline Trio songwriter Matt Skiba stepped in for the absent Tom DeLonge, but Blink continued on all the same. The group’s latest album, one of the dozens of records titled California in recent memory, released in July with 100 percent more Skiba than any previous Blink project. Now, you’ll finally get to hear it all live. Blink-182 with All Time Low and A Day to Remember at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, 8808 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine, (949) 855-8095; www.irvineamp.com. 7 p.m.; also Oct. 7. $52-$1,650. —JOSH CHESLER

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WYNTON MARSALIS

Blink-182

S e pte mbe r

[CONCERT]

This Is Growing Up

Drawing its title from the Hopi word meaning “life out of balance,” filmmaker Godfrey Reggio’s renowned 1982 documentary juxtaposes breathtaking footage of natural landscapes and elemental forces with scenes of modern civilization and technology to depict humanity’s divergence from nature. Foregoing narration, the original film utilized

BACK IN YOUR HEAD

county

Koyaanisqatsi

music schemes from iconic composer Philip Glass, but in this remastered production, the Frida Cinema, through a collaboration with local label Pacific Nature, has secured the talents of four performing groups and sonic experimentalists. Boanerges, P Whitehill, EH46, and Electric Sound Bath improvise a completely new score, performed live in four continuous parts. It’s sure to be a poignant and stunning experience. Koyaanisqatsi at the Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana, (714) 285-9422; thefridacinema.org. 8 p.m. $8-$10. —SR DAVIES

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[FILM]

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wed/09/28

» GUSTAVO ARELLANO

Syrian Special DAMASQ CAFE 3601 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar, (949) 873-5425; www.damasqcafe.com.

A Vietnamese Home Away From Home

BRIAN FEINZIMER

Seek out the home-style meals at Mai’s Kitchen in Westminster, and you’ll be rewarded

only) eateries in Orange County that specializes in Vietnamese family-style home cooking. These are meals that consist of a soup, a protein and a vegetable dish, all of which is served with a communal pot of rice, just as a typical Vietnamese mother would cook for her household any night of the week. The problem for the nonVietnamese speaker, however, is that none of the family-style dishes is listed in the English-translated part of the menu. During my first visit, oblivious to this fact, I ate a satisfying but standard bowl of bún flecked with lemongrass-marinated beef and some bánh bèo chen, eight tiny saucers of steamed rice-flour batter served on a wicker basket. In the meantime, I saw other customers tuck into Sterno-heated pots of soup full of shrimp and taro stems with their distinctive honeycomb matrix of holes. On my second trip, I looked all over the menu for that soup. When I couldn’t find it, I settled on the cha cá Thang Long, turmeric-tinted fish topped with dill. To go with it, I ordered a bowl of bún rieu, rice noodles in an orange broth stocked with cubes of a homemade crab cake embedded in egg. I also ate a near-perfect goi mit—a refreshing mix of jackfruit, herbs and shrimp—with crunchy tapioca crackers. All the while, I eyed other tables as they feasted on sticky spare ribs, verdant plates of stir-fried water spinach and caramel-lacquered fish bubbling in shiny metal pots. My third visit, I finally got wise to what I was missing. It turns out that all of the good stuff was hidden in plain sight on the last page of the menu, titled “Family Dinner,”

which, as of this writing, is priced at $21.99 for a two-person meal, $41.99 for a four. For the two-person deal, you choose a soup, a protein and a vegetable dish from a list, of which not a single word is in English. Since I don’t know the language beyond pho toppings, I resorted to pointing at what other people around me were having, and when that failed, I relied on the Yelp app’s most useful feature: pictures, which I held up to show the server. I discovered that night that the caramel-lacquered fish was cá kho to, catfish steaks simmered in a glaze of soy, fish sauce and dried chiles. And the taro-stem-and-shrimp soup I saw on my first visit was the canh chua ca hoac tam, a tamarind-soured broth with chunks of pineapple and tomatoes. One of the best dishes I’ve encountered so far was a simmered pork belly with hard-boiled eggs. Akin to Filipino adobo, Japanese kakuni and a dozen other Asian variants, it’s probably the homiest dish of all and came with a soy-and-fish-sauce flavored broth that turned my rice into manna from heaven. I’ve yet to explore the dozens of other dishes on this “secret” menu, but it has made me realize that until I’m lucky enough to be invited by a Vietnamese family to their home for dinner, Mai’s Kitchen and its friendly staff are here. Either way, I know not to expect pho.

GARELLANO@OCWEEKLY.COM MAI’S KITCHEN 9039 Bolsa Ave., Ste. 101, Westminster, (714) 898-9889. Open Wed.-Mon., 9 a.m.9 p.m. Dinner for two, $20-$30, food only. Cash only. No alcohol.

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et me say this right off the bat: For a restaurant deep in the heart of Little Saigon, the service at Mai’s Kitchen is exemplary. In fact, I can’t recall the last time I felt so thoroughly doted upon in a Vietnamese restaurant where the average cost for a meal is less than $10 per person. When I told my family I was taking them there a month after my first visit, I didn’t mention the food; I mentioned the service. And I was proven right. The meal came out in about half the time we expected. And though the front-of-the-house staff consisted of only two servers and a host— all of whom spoke perfect English—they managed to check on us at least three times during our meal and refilled our water glasses without having to ask. When we signaled we wanted to take our leftovers home, the host not only boxed and bagged them for us, but he also asked about what we liked and what to try next time. It may be because the restaurant is small and thus manageable. Mai’s is located on the bottom corner of a busy, multitiered building on Bolsa, the kind that seems to exist on every block in Westminster. It’s so cramped that when the doors to the kitchen swing open and the cooking aromas inevitably waft out, it makes you salivate uncontrollably. The room seats only around 40, and waits are normal on weekends. But the service, as it turns out, isn’t the only thing that sets Mai’s Kitchen apart from other Little Saigon restaurants. Its most important attribute is this: Mai’s, to my knowledge, is one of the few (if not the

BY EDWIN GOEI

orona del Mar ain’t exactly known for its diversity—this is the city, after all, that spawned infamous Newport Beach City Councilman Dick Nichols, he of the complaint last decade that too many Mexicans sat on the grassy areas of Corona del Mar State Beach. Yet this toniest of Old OC neighborhoods can now boast of the second Syrian restaurant in Orange County, the aptly named Damasq Cafe. It’s run by Jamal Diab, who first gained local fame as an honest-to-goodness butler at the Resort at Pelican Hill. He opened this tiny restaurant last year—just three tables, a kitchen and some lean-to counters ringing the outside windows. Damasq Cafe is understanding of its surroundings, so you’re not going to get the encyclopedic experience of OC’s other Syrian spot, Anaheim’s Aleppo’s Kitchen. There are breakfast sandwiches of turkey sausage and omelet, though Diab wraps them in pita bread. He sells the expected kebabs, shawerma and falafel—all delicious, all accompanied by a thundering toum (garlic sauce) that’ll flare your nostrils like a good wasabi. But Diab is at his best when he’s cooking the specialties of his homeland. A plate of sautéed eggplants is almost as hearty as meat, spiced beautifully and served alongside perfectly tart tabbouli. He also prepares muhamara, Aleppo’s famous walnutchile-pomegranate spread: slightly spicy, quietly sweet, better than hummus by miles. And the fried kibbeh, a carnivorous version of falafel made with bulgur wheat and beef, is a crunchy paradise. Order these specialties because it seems not enough people are. Every time I’ve stopped by Damasq Cafe, the kitchen doesn’t have any of the eggplant or zucchini yillanjis, vegetables stuffed like Diab’s delicious grape leaves. I’ve yet to try the baked kibbeh, even though it’s advertised on the takeout menu (tellingly, none of the Syrian meals are on the marquees that people order from). I’ve also never seen other eaters scarf down the rarities I just described—but at least the place is crowded, ensuring Damasq’s future. Get Diab cooking more of his cuisine, let the man expand, and we just might get a Little Arabia-By-the-Sea— how about that, Mr. Nichols?

MO N TH X X–X X , 2 014

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Crab jalapeños from Carmelita’s Kitchen

inding a great Mexican restaurant in South County is hard, mostly because people’s idea of Mexican remains stuck in an El Torito circa 1983. But Carmelita’s Kitchen in Rancho Santa Margarita shows promise of becoming one of South County’s precious few good Mexi spots. I’ve dined here twice, both times lingering over the menu, with the tough decision of what to choose. But the one dish I couldn’t pass up on either visit was an appetizer of four large jalapeños stuffed with Dungeness crab, cream cheese and epazote, resting on a bed of lettuce and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese.

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ome stores have you bag your own groceries, there are self-checkout lanes at Target and Home Depot, and I’ve been to cook-your-own-steak restaurants. But what about a pour-your-own-beer pub? Yaaaasss! The Wall in Old Towne Orange has opened with 55 taps of beer and some great-tasting grub to go with it. Owners Dan Martinez, Ryan Sauter and Zac Henson have brought in a couple of alums from C4 Deli and Chapter One (chef Dave Larsen and general manager Mike Long, respectively) to facilitate your eating and drinking experience. So far, so great! But how does the pour-your-own-beer system work? Take it away, Mike! THE DRINK

“Our devices pull height and weight in order to calculate a Body Mass Index for our said customer,” Long says. “We load a chipped bracelet with that information, and you are

EATTHISNOW » ANGEL GRADY

Is it “authentic”? Probably not. Delicious? Beyond. I usually can’t convince my boyfriend to try anything new, but when he saw these stuffed jalapeños were perfectly wrapped in crispy bacon, he was sold. But beware: These babies are spicy! CARMELITA’S KITCHEN 31441 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 709-7600; carmelitaskitchen.com.

then free to unlock our tap system to sample and pour beers of your choice! The pouring will cease once you’ve reached just under the legal alcohol intake for your Body Mass Index, charging at fair prices per ounce poured.” So, with 55 taps, where to start? The winner right now is Guladon Bock from Manos de Calacas (6.5 percent ABV). With the craft-beer scene exploding in Baja and Mexico, I’ve had some pretty good IPAs, reds and stouts, but this Guladon Bock was almost perfect in flavor, malts and enjoyment. The flavor profile was dead-on, which translates to using the best hops and malts you can find. There’s even more to come at the Wall, so y’all get up and trade in your ankle bracelet for one that lets you pour some craft beer, you hear? THE WALL 80 Plaza Square, Orange, (714) 988-7700; thewallrestaurant.com.

ROBERT FLORES

Se pte mbe r 23 -29, 2 016

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custom cocktails for each dish. Among the chefs in attendance will be Eddie Ruiz of gone-but-not-forgotten Corazon y Miel in Bell, now owner of Public Beer and Wine; Michael Puglisi of SanTana’s Electric City Butcher, making a lambchetta taco (yes, with lamb loin prepared porchetta-style); and Roe and Panxa chef/owner Arthur Gonzalez, who’ll team up with Long Beach resident and Food Network star Rahm Fama for a Peruvian ceviche-like dish of spot prawns with urchin aji cream. James Republic’s David MacLennan is flying Makoto Okuwa out from his celebrity-lauded restaurant in Miami to cook a vegetarian tomato tartare with quail-egg yolk. Primal Alchemy Catering’s Paul Buchanan and former Michael’s Restaurant Group executive chef David Coleman are making, among other things, a Farm Lot 59 salad. And Lola’s Luis Navarro is flying his friend Diego Isunza Kahlo (Frida Kahlo’s grandson!) out from Mexico City, and together, they’re preparing a seared veal tongue. For dessert, Restauration’s Philip Pretty is offering a fig upside-down cake. The entire meal will be divided into stations across the parking lot and rooftop patio of Padre (with beats provided by DJ Maseo of De La Soul), letting you set up a reserved time slot to rove through this unprecedented six-course dinner and chat with the local and visiting chefs. Come taste your way through the creative side of Long Beach food; you’ll never crave pizza and corn dogs with your music festival again.

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he days of shoveling down a carnival-style pizza or deepfried corn dog between sets at your favorite music festival are over. At this point, it’s almost a requirement that organizers of mid- and largescale music festivals consider the merits of the sustenance they’ll have on hand for ticketholders, even though much of it will be used merely to offset the Molly and soak up the Jack Daniels they’ve been sipping from a flask buried in their socks. Just look at what you can get to eat during Coachella, Outside Lands, Lollapalooza and FYF. It’s no longer white pop-up tents with no-name vendors slinging the usual overpriced and desperate fast food. Now, it’s famous food trucks, local restaurants and high-profile chefs schlepping pared-down menus to designated food courts on the festival grounds, areas now so expansive you could probably wander through them all day, as if they were miniature food festivals. While food at the aforementioned fests is most definitely secondary to the music—and arrived well after they built sell-out success on the virtue of their lineups—especially in the case of Coachella’s sit-down, fine-dining experiences. Long Beach’s upcoming Music Tastes Good might be the only fest with food built into its original concept. So, what exactly does an eclectic lineup of the Specials, Squeeze, De La Soul, Gallant, Living Colour, Las Cafeteras, the Melvins, Cambodian Space Project and more taste like? A lot like the city of Long Beach, apparently. Saturday will be the most music-packed of the three-day festival, with a large swath of downtown closed off to accommodate three stages across six city blocks; the main stage will be flanked by a local food court, with booths from barbecue gods Robert Earl’s BBQ, Cambodian-food queen Sophy’s, nose-totail specialists Working Class Kitchen and more. (Of course, you can also hit up any of the East Village restaurants trapped inside the festival footprint.) VIP ticketholders, though, will get the weekend’s real foodie treat: a farm-totaste dinner that shows off some of the talented chefs that make up Long Beach’s much-ignored culinary prowess cooking with food grown at the city’s many urban farms. And as if that weren’t enough, Music Tastes Good organizers asked all six chefs to invite a homie to cook alongside them and brought in LA’s Greenbar Distillery to collaborate with the participating restaurants’ bar programs to create

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Prose and Con

Here lies Author: The JT LeRoy Story BY MATT COKER

Who Wasn’t There and, perhaps the most obvious choice, The Art of Deception. That last one is about how documentaries can be constructed to seem as if they are educating the audience with facts when they are actually brainwashing them to accept a particular point of view. Author: The JT LeRoy Story swims in these deceptive waters as it unfolds nearly entirely from Albert’s point of view. Writer/director Jeff Feuerzeig (The Devil and Daniel Johnston) has said that was by design. It seemed as if everyone had—sorry— written off Albert as the literary hoaxer of a generation. The filmmaker aimed with his project to find out what drove her, and what he came up with is a far more complex story. That is, it’s much more complex if you swallow what Albert is serving, which is that she’s a child of divorce who was molested by an uncle and gained weight to make herself more repulsive to him. Bullied as a fatty on the schoolyard, she would go on to be institutionalized multiple times during her teenage years. As an adult, she often called suicide hotlines to spill her guts, but she felt so unworthy of caring that she would do so with different names and voices. It was while working as a phone-sex operator in San Francisco that she is said to have posed as a younger boy to talk with a suicide-prevention therapist, who

encouraged “him” to write to unleash the inner demons. It’s a bit murky because, at this point in the film, Albert says that writing never occurred to her, but she later notes she read everything she could find and wrote prolifically since childhood and even won awards and was published—under her real name. But the contention that Albert had to use her “avatar” to express herself folds in nicely with her use of pen names for magazine articles, short stories and novels. Besides Terminator and JT LeRoy, Albert has written as Emily Frasier, Laura Victoria and Gluttenberg. Albert argues that “literary hoax” does not fit her because many authors use pen names and she always labeled her work as fiction. Feuerzeig has said that the spotlight came to her, not the other way around. That is when things got wacky. Albert spoke on the phone as LeRoy and fed the narrative that her fiction was grounded in life experience. When it became necessary to meet LeRoy’s adoring writers, rock gods and movie stars, “he” finally emerged—under a hat and blond wig and behind sunglasses. By that time, Albert weighed too much and was too old to pass as a skinny young man. Knoop, who already sported a cropped hairstyle, was recruited to pose as the painfully shy LeRoy. Soon LeRoy/Knoop was backstage with

Bono, smooching with actor Michael Pitt and passing second base with actress Asia Argento. Albert, as LeRoy, collaborated with Gus Van Sant over the phone. When the filmmaker met LeRoy in person, Albert put on a British accent and posed as the author’s manager “Speedie.” Some famous former pals now disavow Albert and object to being in Feuerzeig’s film. But as Author shows, they had appeared in an awful lot of footage praising and commiserating with JT. Meanwhile, Albert kept a tape of every phone call with the famous and the therapist— and she and her mother kept tons of photos, videos and Super 8 mm home movies. All of it was at Feuerzeig’s disposal. A half dozen or so years after the first of four fictional books by LeRoy was published in 1999, the truth about “him” was revealed by investigative journalists. Feuerzeig has maintained it should have been old news by then, pointing to the title of JT LeRoy’s book The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things. MCOKER@OCWEEKLY.COM AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY was written and directed by Jeff Feuerzeig. Now playing at Edwards University in Irvine; opens Friday at Rancho Niguel Cinemas in Laguna Niguel.

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eremiah “Terminator” LeRoy was born to a truck-stop prostitute in West Virginia on Halloween 1980. He was later molested and eventually became, like his mother, a heroin addict and “lot lizard” (although, unlike her, a transgender one). HIVpositive and insane in the membrane, Terminator was encouraged by a suicidehotline therapist to write, and what he came up with set the literary world on fire at the turn of the millennium. For those who know nothing of JT LeRoy—spoiler alert—he was not a young man but an older woman. Actually, two women: Savannah Knoop was the in-person JT LeRoy, and her sister-in-law Laura Albert was the widely acclaimed writer JT LeRoy. Albert was not born in West Virginia on Halloween but in Brooklyn on Nov. 2, 1965. Her mother was neither a prostitute nor an addict. But as shown with great style and flair in Author: The JT Leroy Story, Albert is, as is her “it boy” author, deeply disturbed. Deception has long been a rich plot device in narrative features, from The Usual Suspects to The Spanish Prisoner to Hitchcock’s Strangers On a Train. It has been equally compelling in documentaries such as Enron: The Smartest Guys In the Room, the phony 9/11-survivor story The Woman

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M ONT H X X–XX , 20 14

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THE GREAT IMPOSTERS: KNOOP (LEFT) AND ALBERT

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changes when his conflicted best friend Mark (Greg Sestero) joins in to form a love triangle. Mladen Milicevic, Jarah Gibson, Clint Gamboa, and Kitra Williams & Reflection contribute music to The Room, which has been dubbed “the Citizen Kane of bad movies” and, according to the Frida Cinema, “a modern classic.” The Santa Ana theater invites audience members to come dressed as their favorite The Room character (or Wiseau in real life!) for consideration in a costume contest. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sat., 11:30 p.m. $8-$10. Pretty In Pink. Poor girl Andie (Molly Ringwald) must choose between the affections of her doting childhood sweetheart “Duckie” (Jon Cryer) and rich but sensitive playboy Blaine (Andrew McCarthy). Here’s a spoileresque fun fact about this 1986 film directed by Howard Deutch and written (with Ringwald in mind) by John Hughes: The original ending had Andie and Duckie together, but test audiences hated it, so the current ending was plugged in. Directors Cut Cinema at Regency Rancho Niguel, 25471 Rancho Niguel Rd., Laguna Niguel, (949) 831-0446. Tues. Call for show time. $8. Vanished: The Left Behind Generation. Fathom Events, EchoLight Studios and Liberty University (of Un-open & Non-affirming fame) present the bigscreen debut of this apocalyptic movie that is based on recently deceased Christian novelist Tim LaHaye and his writing partner Jerry B. Jenkins’ best-selling Left Behind: The Kids

series. Headstrong 15-year-old Gabby is thrust into adulthood way too soon when a billion people around the globe suddenly vanish. Gabby, her younger sister and two teen boys try to figure out what happened and how they fit into a dangerous new world. The one-night-only screening also features interviews with the cast and filmmakers and is hosted by nationally known speaker and youth leader Doug Fields. AMC Orange 30, (714) 769-4288; also at Century Stadium 25, Orange, (714) 5329558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, Long Beach, (800) 967-1932; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, Aliso Viejo, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 462-7342; and Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, (844) 462-7342. Wed., 7 p.m. Call for ticket price. Koyaanisqatsi. Director Godfrey Reggio’s 1982 masterpiece, which draws its title from the Hopi word meaning “life out of balance,” is presented remastered for the big screen and with a live improvisational score. The documentary shows how humanity has grown apart from nature through extensive footage of natural landscapes and elemental forces . . . and no narration and dialogue. Produced by collective Pacific Nature, this special presentation features four performing groups and sonic experimentalists—Boanerges, P Whitehill, EH46 and Electric Sound Bath—who will improvise a completely new score, performed live in four continuous parts that aim to seamlessly flow together.

The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Wed., 8 p.m $8-$10. The Hurt Business: A Deeper Look Into MMA. Vlad Yudin’s documentary is narrated by Kevin Costner and comes from the producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine and Bigger, Stronger, Faster. The film delves into the lives of various martial-arts superstars, including Ronda Rousey and Jon Jones, and documents the ups and downs of competing in the fastest-growing sport in the world. Besides featuring legends, such as Georges St-Pierre, and up-and-comers in the sport, the documentary covers the history of mixed-martial-arts fighting, from the coliseums of ancient Greece to modern-day venues such as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Presented by Fathom Events, the Vladar Co. and Generation Iron Fitness Network, the event includes a special introduction from Rashad Evans; a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the documentary; and appearances by Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, Georges St-Pierre, Tito Ortiz, Michael Chandler, Chuck Liddell, Ken Shamrock and Holly Holm. AMC Orange 30, (714) 769-4288; also at Century Stadium 25, Orange, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, Long Beach, (800) 967-1932; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, Aliso Viejo, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 462-7342; and Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, (844) 462-7342. Thurs., Sept. 29, 7 p.m. $15. MCOKER@OCWEEKLY.COM

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regional premiere, screening as part of the two-day, second annual Faith & Works Conference at a local Christian progressive church celebrating its 25th year as an “Open & Affirming congregation” that welcomes the participation and membership of LGBTQ people and their families. Irvine United Congregational Church, 4915 Alton Pkwy., Irvine, (949) 733-0220. Sat., 1:15 p.m. Free, but attendees are encouraged to register at www.iucc.org/register. The Manhattan Short Film Festival 2016. Making its triumphant return to the Frida Cinema is the world’s first global film festival, the only one in which audience members join voters from around the world in crowning the winning shorts. The lineup was still being put together at press time, but last year’s fest drew more than 700 entries from 52 countries, and votes from Santa Ana complemented tallies from Europe, Argentina, South Africa and Sri Lanka, to name a few. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sat., 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 7:30 p.m. $7-$10. Phantasm: Remastered. Attending a midnight screening of director Don Coscarelli’s horror opus when it first came out in 1979, I laughed my ass off and literally rolled in the aisles (much to the chagrin of onlookers) the first time one of those silver spheres went flying through the air, had its blades pop out in midflight and ripped into the flesh of an unsuspecting target. Wish I could retrace my steps back to whatever the hell I was on. To continue its Art House Theater Day celebration, the Frida Cinema presents a “loving” 4K restoration from the original camera negative and a brand-new 5.1 audio soundtrack, overseen by longtime fan J.J. Abrams and his production company Bad Robot. The story has a young man (Michael Baldwin) investigating why residents of a small town have begun dying under strange circumstances, leading him straight to the local mortician, the Tall Man (Angus Scrimm). Following the film, a Q&A is beamed in from Alamo Drafthouse, where Coscarelli and cast members are attending their own screening at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sat., 8 p.m. $8-$10. The Room. The Art House Theater Day concludes with this 2003 sensual indie thriller written, directed and produced by and starring Tommy Wiseau. Amiable banker Johnny (Wiseau) and his fiancée, Lisa (Juliette Danielle), are having a grand old time in a gorgeously shot San Francisco, but everything

S eptem b er 23 -29, 20 1 6

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and Blazing Saddles Double Feature. The Frida Cinema honors the recent passing of Gene Wilder with this special double feature. First, it’s the adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel about a reclusive candy maker (Wilder) who lets five Golden Ticket winners inside his factory to learn its secrets, eat its edible contents and learn life lessons from its adorable Oompa Loompas. That’s followed by Mel Brooks’ comedy, among the funniest movies of all time, in which Wilder plays a gunslinger gone to drink and recruited to help the new black sheriff of Rock Ridge (Cleavon Little) save the frontier town from baddies bent on clearing out residents for a new railroad. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Fri. Willy Wonka, 7 p.m.; Blazing Saddles, 8:50 p.m. $7-$10. Videodrome. This week’s Friday Night Freakout is David Cronenberg’s mystery fantasy about a trashy TV-channel president (James Woods) acquiring the show Videodrome, which televises torture and punishment, and then trying to figure out who or what is behind it when his girlfriend (Deborah Harry) disappears after auditioning for the program. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Fri., 11 p.m. $8-$10. Time Bandits. To celebrate the first national Art House Theater Day, the Frida presents Janus Films’ new 2K digital restoration of this 1981 classic, supervised by director Terry Gilliam himself, with a new uncompressed stereo soundtrack. The trippy fantasy follows young history buff Kevin, who can scarcely believe it when six little people emerge from his closet one night. Former employees of the Supreme Being, this troupe of intergalactic adventurers stole a map charting all of the holes in the fabric of time and are using it to steal treasures from different historical eras. Kevin and these time bandits variously drop in on Napoleon (Ian Holm), Robin Hood (John Cleese) and King Agamemnon (Sean Connery) before the Supreme Being catches up with them for an explosive showdown. The first 75 people who arrive for the film get a limited-edition, 14-inch-by-18-inch reproduction of the Time Portal Map used in the film, designed by Terry Gilliam and courtesy of Janus Films. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sat., 11 a.m. $7. Wish Me Away. This documentary about the coming-out journey of country singer Chely Wright makes its

BY MATT COKER

film»special screenings

» AIMEE MURILLO

From Russia In Drag

Pret a Peru

Costa Mesa Playhouse’s latest doesn’t meet its promise, but you should still help the group find a new home BY JOEL BEERS

THE NEXT JEFFREY TAMBOR?

JOEL D. CASTRO

to paper), effectively neutering the work. That’s not the fault of the game cast, assembled by director Michael Dale Brown. Though weak spots sully the ensemble, there are also some definite highlights, including Michelle M. Pedersen’s sparkplug, commie-hating comedienne Pat Pilford; Jon Sparks’ hilarious turn as the heart-of-gold, dumb-as-an-ox movie star Mary Dale (he plays it in drag); Angel Correa’s equally funny overacting actor Frank Taggert; and Julia Boese’s Soviet-adoring Marta Towers, who actually manages to give the thinly written character some real human dimension. The best part about Busch’s play, which absolutely has its funny moments and bits and is peppered with zingy dialogue, is a kind of ideological battle that probably appeals more to actors than the political one. It’s the battle between method acting, a Russian-inspired school in which an actor mines the battlefields of his or her psyche in order to find genuine truth, and that style of acting that Mary describes as “learn your lines and don’t bump into the furniture.” The play is riddled with allusions to both, and those theater and acting people in the audience will find great amusement in Busch’s handling of it; even normal people will laugh when one character advises another who is worried about losing her husband to a Method-spouting acolyte, “Your problem isn’t pussy; it’s Stanislavsky.”

Though flawed, Red Scare, with its four-letter words and at least a halfhearted attempt at political satire, is an adventurous choice for the Costa Mesa Playhouse, a community theater with one of the finest pedigrees in the county. Formed 51 years ago, the company posted up at the Orange County Fairgrounds from 1965 to 1984 before moving to a building on what was then a middle school in Costa Mesa. But it learned earlier this year it’s getting the boot (boo!) as the Newport-Mesa Unified School District wants to convert the theater space at Rea Elementary into a technology center for its students (yay?). It has until next June to find a new location, and while Brown, who is the playhouse’s president, said he and his cohorts are actively looking for a new space, it’s leaving behind a sweet deal (about $300 per month for a 73-seat theater), and what the theater needs most is something anyone involved in the arts can appreciate: “We need some benefactors,” he said before last Sunday’s show. You can follow the company’s journey on Facebook by visiting SaveCostaMesaPlayhouse. RED SCARE ON SUNSET at Costa Mesa Playhouse, 661 Hamilton St., Costa Mesa, (949) 650-5269; costamesaplayhouse.com. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m. Through Oct. 2. $18-$20.

eruvian textiles have seeped into bohemian, hippie-chick wardrobes lately, popping up in boutiques from San Diego to San Francisco. But in Orange County, one of the leading brands slinging gorgeous, authentic Peruvian accessories is Pamela V. Made in and inspired by Peru, Pamela V specializes in jewelry, but it also offers leather bags, dresses, belts and travel gear for the boho girl on the go. And if you lurk the store’s Instagram (@ pamelav_kukulys), owner and designer Pamela Vilchez showcases more of her wares, from strappy, pompom-decorated sandals to pillows and blankets, all made in the bright, multicolored fabric native to the Andean nation (because fuck culturally appropriated clothing ripping off indigenous patterns, right?). Vilchez, who immigrated to the States at age 15, mixes her free-spirited sensibilities, fashion adoration and love of her native culture. Traveling back and forth to her home country and around the world, some of Vilchez’s most inspired items are her leather purses, which range from luggage to pocket belts (a hipper alternative to the fanny pack) and are either accented with a Peruvian fabric, fringe, silver jewelry or all of the above. The textured Arequipa tote and the braided-leather Olga bag are gorgeous and made in small batches, so stake your claim as soon as you can. Pamela V’s jewelry designs are equally bold and have been spotted on Hollywood elite including Vanessa Hudgens, Steven Tyler, Ashley Tisdale and Kendall Jenner. Giant, rustic silver pieces deck out rings, layered necklaces, chokers, earrings, even belts for incredible, old-world sophistication. Beads and crystals adorn smaller accessories such as bracelets, chokers, rings and bolo ties. To keep your folk-inspired look fresh and colorful for fall, search for Pamela V’s products at local boutiques such as Shop Laguna (1020 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, 949-715-8308), Prism Boutique (406 Termino Ave., Long Beach) and Elison Rd. (211 1/2 Main St., Seal Beach, 562-296-8022), or shop online at www.pamelavjewelry. How chévere! AMURILLO@OCWEEKLY.COM

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hough Ronald Reagan singlehandedly crushed the Soviet Union and Communism in the 1980s, Russia still pings loudly on the national radar, whether it’s Trump’s man-crush on Putin or histrionic reports from major news organizations alleging Russian complicity in hacking emails (which may or may not be true, but can someone actually go on the record?). That ongoing interest in Mother Russia, coupled with no small degree of race-baiting in the current U.S. presidential election, makes Charles Busch’s campy satire Red Scare On Sunset a good fit for any theater. A goof on the Hollywood Blacklist and red-baiting paranoia of the McCarthy Era, the play is set in 1951 and centers on a Communist plot to infiltrate and destroy the Hollywood film industry by dismantling the star system; banning the use of makeup, fancy costumes and soft lighting; and producing films concerned with nothing but advancing Marxist-by-wayof-Soviet-perversion ideology. While the commies conspire to lure actors into their sinister web through blackmail, there are decent red-blooded Americans who resist, particularly our protagonist, Mary Dale, a good-hearted movie star currently filming a biopic of Lady Godiva. While more than a little amusing, the ridiculous plot hamstrings the play. Though clever and campy, the story has as much meat as Ann Coulter’s face and makes about as much sense as her typing. And the politics are weird. Though the play begins with a red-baiting antagonist, a Hedda Hopper-like actress and radioshow host, making outlandish statements about the importance of censoring ideas that don’t fit snugly into the American way of life, the commies are just as bad, with about as much complexity as Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. And the one decent character, a vain but innocent movie star, has a rather distressing turn into bad politics at the play’s end. The result is less a satire that eviscerates extremists from both ends of the ideological spectrum than a poorly constituted mock-up of the ridiculous simplicity found in the Hollywood cottage industry of anti-Communist B-movies of the early 1950s, including such classics as I Married a Communist and I Was a Communist for the FBI. Satirizing those films might have been more important to Busch than saying something interesting about collective hysteria and paranoia, but Red Scare On Sunset’s comedy breaks instead of bends too often (and includes one of the most dismal dream sequences ever committed

MO N TH X X–X X , 2 014

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music»artists|sounds|shows

Digging Deep

Nick Waterhouse revives the sounds of his inspiration onNeverTwice BY KIM CONLAN

t was around the start of the new year when Nick Waterhouse wandered into the Costa Mesa record shop I worked at late one evening. Despite just arriving back to Orange County from a quick turnaround drive from San Francisco, he was in high spirits. He casually entered, and after a friendly greeting, he got to hunting through the collectible gems on the wall racks. He quickly discovered a handful of obscure soul and blues LPs on the wall, then shifted his focus to the R&B bin below. “How do you feel about being in the soul section?” I inquired, baiting him a bit about the placement of his first two albums, Time’s All Gone (2012) and Holly (2014), in that genre of the shop. An ambivalent expression cracked across his face. “I don’t know,” he said, “I think I would rather just be in rock.” He disappeared into the vinyl abyss for a bit, then returned to the front desk with a few musical options in hand. With a polite demeanor, he asked to listen to them on the big system through PA speakers. Since these items would most likely end up being spun late at night during one of his many vocational DJ sets across the country, I happily obliged. Once the needle dropped, the atmosphere inside the store immediately changed from a Costa Mesa shopping center to a San Francisco dance hall. Other customers felt the energy change in response to the undeniably danceable rhythm and blues; they bobbed their heads and tapped their toes around the layout of the store as they perused the bins. As we listened, Waterhouse transitioned to digging for midcentury 45s, pulling open a drawer in the jazz section. After some flipping, he lit up with excitement, as though he were a kid discovering a piece of 24-karat gold poking through the grains of sand at the beach. Grinning, he moved toward the desk to share his find: an old 7-inch single adorned with a private-press record label hailing from his hometown of Huntington Beach. “I love this. We gotta listen to it,” he said, motioning to the shop turntable. While I repeatedly placed his musical choices on the spinning platter, our topics of conversation ranged from his collegiate academics in San Francisco and his university stint in England to nostalgia for the affordable Bay Area, where he used to live, to small talk about travel and his desire to one day move to Chicago. He had just completed a three-day, back-to-backto-back set of sold-out performances at Schubas in Chicago over the New Year’s weekend and was clearly still riding the success from the experience.

THIS RECORD COLLECTION MAKES HIS HEAD HURT

ERIN RAMBO

Waterhouse seemed convinced that if he moved to Chicago, he could travel when the weather was bad, that rent would be affordable in the city, and that one day he could own a modest shop with a small rack of records and a few pieces of tailored vintage clothing for sale. I imagined it would have a backroom for jamming with fellow musicians. He said he just wanted to live in a neighborhood where he had everything he needed within walking distance. As I rang up his purchases, I asked how his new record was coming along. Waterhouse indicated it was recorded, with a few final touches still waiting to be finished. Later that week, he would be packing up his engineer, Mike McHugh, along with his vintage analog equipment, and driving them to LA’s all-analog Valentine Recording Studios to start mixing. “It’s a tedious process,” he said. Despite this, it was obvious he was eager to finish the marathon that is writing, recording, producing and pressing his third record using old-school tape. Waterhouse shows vigor for life, esteem for the carefully and meaningfully crafted, and a passion for undiscovered, forgotten and underappreciated music. He’s obsessed with tape, vinyl, analog recording equipment, tubes, and vintage gear, including microphones and amps. In accompaniment, he wants the best in every instrument, from his backup doo-

wop vocalists to his saxophonists, bass player, pianist, organist, drummer, percussionist and wind instrumentalists. He has continued this practice diligently since he began this crazy musical ride in 2010. Since then, he has released two full-length albums and seven 7-inch singles, and he has toured the world a few times. On top of that, he started his own label, Pres Records, and has pressed six singles showcasing acts such as Allah-Las and Ural Thomas—all while moonlighting as a DJ, working as a record-shop employee, and producing and engineering fellow artists. Now comes his junior fulllength effort, Never Twice. This time around, he has perfected his recording method, and the tone of this batch of songs is quite unlike any of his contemporaries’. He was fortunate to discover that the recently reopened Valentine Recording Studios had just the vintage equipment, gear and space he needed to give his new album the particular studio treatment he’d been longing for since the start of his recording career at the Distillery in Costa Mesa. At Valentine, the combination of the 1963 Universal Audio board, ’50s broadcast microphones and the analog EQs captured on tape facilitates a texture that is gritty, with a rich tone equivalent to listening to a turntable needle dragging over a slightly worn 45 rpm vinyl single from the times of Ike Turner, the Orlons or Booker T. Jones.

With a massive roster of esteemed accompanying musicians and an appearance by modern soul man Leon Bridges in the raunchy hit “Katchi,” Never Twice is truly at an echelon that depicts Waterhouse’s colorful musical maturity. From the opening track, “It’s Time,” each song is treated with patience and care, especially the drawn-out chronicle “Stanyan Street.” From there, Waterhouse keeps the pace on “The Old Place,” the jangling “Tracy” and the end track, “L.A. Turnaround.” Waterhouse hasn’t forgotten to pay tribute to his favorite forefathers on this latest effort, to be released Sept. 30 via Innovative Leisure. The influences of Van Morrison’s songwriting, the cool piano of Bill Evans, the dynamic composing of Mose Allison, and the raw rhythm of Ray Charles are littered throughout the 10 tracks. Themes of perseverance, recession, gentrification, the life of a vagabond, and love mixed with lust reverberate in every note and lyric. The people, places and situations are all real, even if they maybe aren’t, because through his arrangements, Waterhouse has created a portal to a fascinating underground culture that is vibrant and absolutely alive. NICK WATERHOUSE performs at Music Tastes Good Festival, off Elm Avenue and East Third Street, Long Beach; mtglb.co. Nick Waterhouse, Sat., 3:20 p.m.; festival, Fri.-Sun. $25-$240. All ages.

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music» PARTY AT PAPPY & HARRIET’S

DESERT STARS FESTIVAL

Boutique-Sized Blowout

Desert Stars puts on a psych fest with a purpose

en years ago, as Coachella was on the verge of becoming internationally known, Tommy Dietrick had plans to create an event of his own, but on a much smaller scale. He quickly learned how difficult planning—in particular, booking—an event could be, especially since he had a narrow but distinct vision for Desert Stars. “Back then, it was just friends putting on this event,” he says of attracting acts to perform. “What’s been cool has been getting over this initial challenge of being taken seriously by the bigger booking agents and managers, too. Now we get those people, even though we’re still small.” Some say Desert Stars was one of the first festivals to focus on just one genre instead of stretching itself in order to attract a more mainstream audience. And as he builds the event’s legacy, Dietrick is proud of keeping the same DIY ethos, though corporate sponsors have come calling. He says he has rejected overtures from large-scale companies “lining our purse strings” that would try to exert influence over the festival. “It’s literally the will of our fans that have allowed us to succeed for this long,” he says. “I’ve turned down multiple offers in the tens of thousands of dollars.” Dietrick’s upstart festival had to earn the trust and respect of bands and agents in order for it to attract the likes of this year’s headliners, Dinosaur Jr., . . . Trail of the Dead and Sebadoh. Even with those bigger names, Dietrick remains steadfast about keeping the ticket prices low. “When I was a kid, I couldn’t afford Coachella-type prices,” he explains. “But what we’re doing is not only putting on a first-rate event, but also trying to not

BY DANIEL KOHN make it so exclusive that people can’t afford to come. It’s challenging to remain small, in a sense.” Though he doesn’t have to rely on favors as much on a smaller scale—such as when booking bands—it’s still a challenge for Dietrick to pull off an event as seamlessly as he has in the eight previous incarnations. (The festival took a year off in 2012 because of Dietrick’s touring schedule; he plays in Sky Parade and participates in other projects.) This is the first year he didn’t have to rely on Kickstarter to raise funds for Desert Stars, as a high ticket demand allowed the event to move forward quickly and add bands such as 1960s psych rockers Strawberry Alarm Clock to the bill. Building up the trust and credibility with fans is what has allowed Desert Stars to succeed where other micro festivals don’t. “It’s sheer will that makes this happen,” Dietrick says. “It’s also about being smart and savvy and having the right attitude. . . . This festival isn’t intended to ever be a big festival. . . . We have Bonnaroo and Coachella already. Personally, I really enjoy being able to put on an event and pretty much know everyone. This has been my passion project for more than a decade, and since I make my money as a musician and a producer, this event is really meant to be something special.” DESERT STARS featuring Dinosaur Jr., . . . Trail of Dead, Sebadoh and more, at Pappy & Harriet’s, 53688 Pioneer Town Rd., Pioneertown, (760) 365-5956; www.desertstarsfestival. com. Sat.-Sun. Gates open, noon. One-day pass, $65; weekend pass, $125; camping, $20. All ages.

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» CANDACE HANSEN LP3 AND THE TRAGEDY perform at Music Tastes Good, Elm Avenue and East Third Street, Long Beach; mtglb.co. LP3 and the Tragedy, Sat., 2:05 p.m.; festival, Fri.-Sun. Visit website for set times. $25$240. All ages.

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attoo artist and musician Louie Perez III is a major fan of all things vintage, especially as relates to California: buildings, Catholic ruins, urban fixtures, and art and culture that, whether they wanted to or not, were forced to stand the test of time. Stained glass and giant paintings on sunbleached walls. Rusty steel bridges, and mossy and crumbling freeways forged onto hills that never wanted them. “So much of Southern California is just like an old mission,” Perez says. “The more it falls apart, the more of a poem it becomes.” A proud Angeleno turned proud Old Towne Orange resident, Perez is the front man of LP3 and the Tragedy, who play punk Americana that’s rooted in the past yet distinctly modern. The band originally formed in 2014 with the intention of playing just one time, an engagement for the California Heritage Museum’s retrospective on the tattoo shop where Perez works, Shamrock Social Club, and its owner, Mark Mahoney. “My youngest cousin, Ruby, had been asking me if we could play together for a while, so [finally], I was like, ‘All right, c’mon, little homie, I’ll give you a shot—let’s do the gig!’” Perez says. The show turned out to be more than he bargained for. The crowd was filled with the salon’s clientele, including Danny Trejo, Lee Ving, Mickey Rourke, Steve Jones, Adam Goldberg, members of Guns N’ Roses, as well as all of Perez’s co-workers. “You can call it lucky, but you try playing your first gig to those people!” he says. “I was shitting, dude; I didn’t know what to do.” LP3 and the Tragedy were a hit that fall night, and after hearing Perez and his bassshredding cousin harmonize, friends insisted the band keep going. They set up a show at the Continental Room in Fullerton, which hit capacity. That success-

ful night prompted the group to book a show at Alex’s Bar in Long Beach, and shortly after, LP3 and the Tragedy got a call they couldn’t turn down: a request to play South By Southwest— technically their third show. “We’ve had a horseshoe up our ass since this band started, which is great because I spent a long time doing music and not really doing a whole lot of anything,” says Perez. “My other bands were cool, but it was a hard road of riding in vans and playing to six people after driving for 20 hours. I don’t think anything was as accepted as fast as this was.” On the heels of their successful trip to Austin, LP3 and the Tragedy decided to track their set to tape. Southland Hum was recorded at Golden Beat in Glassell Park; the postproduction was done partially by friends and partially by Perez in his living room. Southland Hum is chock-full of the classic, timeless songs Perez loves. Their songs—which mostly focus on the front man’s experiences and interests—are driven by thoughtfully harmonized co-ed vocals laid over and between perfectly crafted, punk-inspired folk and rock arrangements in the vein of X, the Gun Club and, undoubtedly, Perez’s father’s band, Chicano rock legends Los Lobos. “It makes sense that people compare us to that [’70s Los Angeles] stuff because it’s the muscle memory of what comes natural to us,” Perez says. “I spent so much time as a kid growing up in skateboard culture and wanting to impress people, as you do when you’re young, you know, just puffing your chest. . . . I gave it up! I just want to play songs that I like and stop worrying about [what] people think. ” Hey, Orange County/Long Beach musicians & bands! Mail your music, contact info, high-res photos & impending show dates for possible review to: Locals Only, OC Weekly, 18475 Bandilier Cir., Fountain Valley, CA, 92708. Or email your link to: localsonly@ocweekly.com.

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THIS WEEK

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 23

A TRIBE CALLED RED: 9 p.m., $13-$15. The Wayfarer,

843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 764-0039; wayfarercm.com. CUBENSIS: 9 p.m., free. Golden Sails Hotel PCH Club, 6285 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, (562) 5962332; goldensailshotel.com/pchclub. DELTA RAE: 8 p.m., $20. The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, Ste. C, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 496-8930; thecoachhouse.com. DIE ANTWOORD: 8 p.m., $45. The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; observatoryoc.com. THE EXPENDABLES: 8 p.m., $18-$65. The Glass House, 200 W. Second St., Pomona, (909) 865-3802; theglasshouse.us. H.B.H: 7 p.m., $5. Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim, (714) 533-1286. JACK’S 11TH SHOW: 4 p.m., $25-$120. Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, 8800 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine, (949) 855-8095; irvineamp.com. NOTHING BUT THIEVES: 9 p.m., $14. Constellation Room at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; constellationroom.com. THE REELERS: 7 p.m., free. Macallans Public House, 330 W. Birch St., Brea, (714) 529-1224; macallanspubbrea.com. RELEASE THE BATS: 9 p.m., $5. Que Sera, 1923 E. Seventh St., Long Beach, (562) 599-6170; queseralb.wix.com. SEGA GENECIDE: 10 p.m. La Cave, 1695 Irvine Ave., Costa Mesa, (949) 646-7944; lacaverestaurant.com. SHARK TOYS: 10 p.m., free. Acerogami at the Glass House, 228 W. Second St., Pomona, (909) 865-0979. SPADES AND BLADES: 9 p.m., free. Diego’s Rock-NRoll Bar & Eats, 220 E. Third St., Santa Ana, (888) 862-9573; rockandrollbardtsa.com. TOWER OF POWER: 7:30 p.m., $49-$95. Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, (909) 622-2133; museum.nhra.com.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 24

AIR SUPPLY: 8 p.m., $65. City National Grove of

Anaheim, 2200 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim, (714) 7122750; citynationalgroveofanaheim.com. ANDREA MILLER: 7 p.m., free. Bayside Restaurant, 900 Bayside Dr., Newport Beach, (949) 721-1222; baysiderestaurant.com. BETA STATE: 8 p.m., free. The Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen, 122 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, (714) 871-7469; slidebarfullerton.com. BILLY CURRINGTON: 7:30 p.m., $54-$125. Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, (909) 622-2133; museum.nhra.com. THE BLASTERS: 8 p.m., $15. The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, Ste. C, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 496-8930; thecoachhouse.com. THE CHARISMA: 7 p.m., $12. The Glass House, 200 W. Second St., Pomona, (909) 865-3802; theglasshouse.us. DROPKICK MICKEYS: 7 p.m., free. Macallans Public House, 330 W. Birch St., Brea, (714) 529-1224; macallanspubbrea.com. LA TOCADA FESTIVAL: 2 p.m., $85. The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; observatoryoc.com. LAST CALL CRUSH: 8:30 p.m., free. The Rush Bar & Grill, 23532 El Toro Rd., Ste. 24, Lake Forest, (949) 9160200; rushgrill.com. LINDAPALOOZA: 7 p.m., $10. Gaslamp Restaurant & Bar, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, (562) 5964718; thegaslamprestaurant.com. LUKE BRYAN: 7 p.m., $27.50-$76.25. Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, 8800 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine, (949) 8558095; irvineamp.com. PRECIOUS; COMMON WAR; DRAGO: 5 p.m., $5. Diego’s Rock-N-Roll Bar & Eats, 220 E. Third St., Santa Ana, (888) 862-9573; rockandrollbardtsa.com. RIDGEWAY: 7:30 p.m., $7. OC DIY, 22651 Lambert St., Ste. 109, Lake Forest; orangecountydiy.org. THE SUGAR DADDYS: 9 p.m., $5. The Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 764-0039; wayfarercm.com.

SWEATY BALL BAG: 5 p.m., free. Doll Hut, 107 S.

Adams St., Anaheim, (714) 533-1286.

TOUCHÉ AMORÉ & HUM: 8 p.m., $25. Fox Theater

Pomona, 301 S. Garey Ave., Pomona, (877) 283-6976; foxpomona.com.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 25

CHICAGO WITH SPECIAL GUEST GRAND FUNK RAILROAD: 7:30 p.m., $64-$145. Wally Parks

NHRA Motorsports Museum, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona, (909) 622-2133; museum.nhra.com. DUFF KELLY: 7 p.m., free. Macallans Public House, 330 W. Birch St., Brea, (714) 529-1224; macallanspubbrea.com.

LORD OF THE STRINGS CONCERT—HOT CLUB OF NASHVILLE: 3 p.m., $30. LCA Wine, 3303 Hyland

Ave., Costa Mesa, (657) 232-0920.

SLINGSHOT: 4 p.m., free. Marine Room Tavern,

214 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach, (949) 494-3027.

SLOAN: 9 p.m., $20. Constellation Room at the

Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; constellationroom.com.

MONDAY, SEPT. 26

ANESHA ROSE & FRIENDS: 8 p.m., free. Marine

Room Tavern, 214 Ocean Ave., Laguna Beach, (949) 494-3027. LICK: 9 p.m., free. Que Sera, 1923 E. Seventh St., Long Beach, (562) 599-6170; queseralb.wix.com. NF: 9 p.m., $20. Constellation Room at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; constellationroom.com. SUPER WHATEVR: 8:30 p.m., free. The Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 764-0039; wayfarercm.com.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 27

CAVEMAN: 9:30 p.m., $12. Acerogami at the Glass

House, 228 W. Second St., Pomona, (909) 865-0979.

MADBALL: 8 p.m., $15-$18. Alex’s Bar, 2913 E. Anaheim

St., Long Beach, (562) 434-8292; alexsbar.com.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28

BACK CATALOG: 9 p.m., free. Kitsch Bar, 891 Baker

St., Ste. A10, Costa Mesa, (714) 546-8580; kitschbar.com.

ENCORE PRESENTED BY MANIFEST RECORDINGS: 8 p.m. Que Sera, 1923 E. Seventh St.,

Long Beach, (562) 599-6170; queseralb.wix.com.

GRINGO STAR: 9 p.m., $5. The Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th

St., Costa Mesa, (949) 764-0039; wayfarercm.com.

TEGAN AND SARA: 8 p.m., $40. The Observatory,

3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; observatoryoc.com.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 29

ANDREW BLOOM: 7:30 p.m., $5. Mozambique,

1740 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach, (949) 715-7777; mozambiqueoc.com. BLINK-182: 7 p.m., $28-$97. Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, 8800 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine, (949) 8558095; irvineamp.com. DWEEZIL ZAPPA: 8 p.m., $48. The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, Ste. C, San Juan Capistrano, (949) 496-8930; thecoachhouse.com. FELLOW BOHEMIAN: 9 p.m., $5. The Wayfarer, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 764-0039; wayfarercm.com. HW&W FAM BAM PARTY WITH TEK.LUN; DREWSTHATDUDE: 9 p.m., $12. Constellation

Room at the Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; constellationroom.com. METALACHI: 8 p.m., $10. Underground DTSA, 220 E. Third St., Santa Ana, (888) 862-9573; underground-dtsa.com. SOUND THE GROOVE: 7 p.m., $12-$15. The Federal Bar, 102 Pine Ave., Long Beach, (562) 435-2000; lb.thefederalbar.com. STWO WITH JACQUES GREENE: 8 p.m., $15. The Observatory, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana, (714) 957-0600; observatoryoc.com. THE SHAKES: 8 p.m., free. The Slidebar Rock-N-Roll Kitchen, 122 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, (714) 871-7469; slidebarfullerton.com. WELL HUNG HEART: 7 p.m., $5. Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim, (714) 533-1286.

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I’m a 27-year-old straight male and a high-school teacher held to a strict code. I left my fiancée in June and haven’t had sex since. Needless to say, I’m really horny. I’m also in that weird in-between age, in which I’m not comfortable hanging out at college bars, but I’m also a bit younger than most of the women in other bars. But when I scour dating apps, I see profiles of women ages 18 to 22—women who, for all I know, could have been students at my school. I would never fuck a former student, of course, but I’m worried that I could get my license revoked if my supervisors discovered I was online trolling for sex. So what am I supposed to do? My cock is making sad faces at me right now. Teacher Evidently Needs Sexual Encounter If you live in a college town, TENSE, there’s at least one bar where grad students hang out—look for the bar where women are grading papers, not pounding shots, and hang out there. And with more than one in three new marriages beginning with an online meeting these days, and with Pew Research telling us that 60 percent of Americans approve of online dating, I don’t see how your supervisors could possibly object to staffers scouring dating apps and the interwebs for age-appropriate partners. Unless we’re talking about a Catholic school staffed entirely by nuns, which isn’t what we’re talking about. I’m female, 26 and in an open marriage with a wonderful man. I am having a recurring fear that he’ll get some other woman pregnant and she will refuse to abort. I trust him, but condoms break (or get holes poked in them). He inherited serious money from his father, and his father got “oops”ed into having three kids. I would immediately divorce my husband if this happened. (Yes, I’m an asshole, but my life plans have NEVER included children, step or otherwise.) My solution is for him to get a vasectomy. He says he’s for it, but it’s been a YEAR, and he hasn’t made an appointment. I’m seriously considering yanking “open” until he’s sterile. Maybe he really wants children and he’s not telling me, but I keep asking, and he keeps saying no. Am I being unreasonable asking for the snip? Seriously Not Into Pregnancy Maybe your husband wants children, SNIP; maybe he doesn’t. Or maybe he’s one of those guys invested in/ aroused by the power of spunk to make babies they don’t want; these guys would rather see their shots intercepted than go unattempted. So while a vasectomy is an eminently reasonable way for a married man who wishes to remain childless to prevent himself from impregnating someone who isn’t his wife, SNIP, arousal often defies reason. And ultimately, this is his decision to make—his body, his choice. I’m a single gay male in my 40s. I have a good life and do good work. I’m not worried about finding the right guy to settle down with. I’m worried about what happens next. I’ve had three serious longterm relationships and several friends-with-benefits relationships. In every one, a time has come, generally sooner rather than later, when I completely lose interest in my partner sexually. It’s not a matter of him being less attractive to me. It’s not a matter of us not being on good terms—often we become very close friends. It’s not a matter of my sex drive shutting down—I’m all kinds of turned on by other guys, just not the one I’m with. It’s reached a point where I’m deliberately holding myself back from getting into relationships because I’m tired of ruining good things. Confirmed Bachelor You could get your ass into therapy, CB, and churn through several relationships while you work on this—relationships that could fail for this or some other

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reason—and not have anything to show for your effort 10 years from now. Or you could find a guy who has the same problem you do—your predicament is not uncommon—and instead of breaking up when you lose interest in each other sexually, you stay together, you love each other, you take care of each other, and you both fuck other guys. Mid-20s female here, ready to date after a period of difficulty in my personal life. I have started taking an antidepressant, which has allowed me to regain control over my life, but one side effect is difficulty having orgasms. People can be judgey when it comes to antidepressants, and it’s not something that’s easy to share. It’s frustrating because this medication allows me to be in a place mentally where I can pursue healthy adult relationships, but it affects sex, which for me is something that is key for a healthy relationship. How do I have a conversation about this with a potential partner? Hopeful About Potential Partners, Yay You can put off the convo about your meds with a white lie, HAPPY, by telling your potential partner you never come the first few times you’re with someone new—no pressure on you to come (or come clean just yet), no pressure on them to make you come. Then level with them about the real reason you’re having difficulty coming—new to antidepressants, still adjusting, but grateful for the other benefits—after you’ve gotten to know them better. It’s a harmless, understandable white lie, not a major betrayal. If they react like it is one, HAPPY, then you’ll have to DTMFA. I’m male, 30 and newly single. I’ve been using my newfound freedom to sleep around, and last week, I had sex with a married woman. Yes, she was cheating. Yes, I was aware. There won’t be any future sexual encounters with this woman, but here’s the thing I was wondering about: I don’t feel guilty, not one bit. This fuck was a strong contender for best fuck of my life. Does that make me a bad person? And if so, do I just accept the fact that I’m a bad person? Basically A Dastardly Dick, Yes? Fucking someone you know to be cheating implicates you in an infidelity, of course, and that’s usually bad—but not always. In some cases, cheating is the least worst option for all involved (the cheater, the cheated, their dependents); in others, cheating saves marriages that needed saving; in still others, cheating ends marriages that needed ending. Absent more info about this woman’s particular circumstances, BADDY, I can’t make a definite ruling about her badness for cheating or your badness for aiding and abetting. Straight 64-year-old man wanting to try the gay side of life!!! Don’t have the bodybuilder’s body anymore!!! Average size!!! Would anyone get turned on by an old-timer’s body!!! Need some advice where and how to meet other gay men!!! Also, HIV is a concern!!! Any other advice would be appreciated!!! When I’m Sixty-Four Check out daddyhunt.com, WISF, the “largest gay personals site for daddies, bears and guys that love them”!!! Don’t be paralyzed by fear!!! Of HIV or anything else!!! But consider getting on PrEP!!! And use condoms!!! And remember: Sex with a guy who thinks he’s negative but isn’t is way riskier than sex with a guy who knows he’s positive and takes his meds!!! And stop calling yourself straight!!! On the Lovecast (savagelovecast.com), Dan chats with Mistress Matisse about the Sex Workers Outreach Project. Contact Dan via email at mail@savagelove.net, and follow him on Twitter: @fakedansavage.

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