INsite Atlanta August 2008 Issue by INsite Magazine

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CONTENTS • AUGUST 2008 • VOLUME 16.12

INTERVIEWS 12 RAINN WILSON 14 MATTHEW GOODE 12 14 BRANDON JACKSON 15 KEVIN COSTNAR 16 BILLY BOB THORNTON 17 GUILLERMO DEL TORO 22 MIKE EDISON 23 CONOR OBERST 25 LESS THAN JAKE 26 THREE 6 MAFIA 27 THE STREET DOGS 28 PATTERSON HOOD 30 BILL CURRY 14

FEATURES

05 ATLANTA ON THE CHEAP 07 DRAGON*CON 11 PIZZA GUIDE 31 EDUCATION GUIDE 34 COLUMBIA TRAVEL 36 OLYMPICS

COLUMNS

06 ON TAP 07 AROUND TOWN 09 UNDER THE LIGHTS 18 MOVIE REVIEWS 20 CONCERT CALENDAR 22 ROAD WARRIORS 24 ALBUM REVIEWS 29 BOOKS 29 WE GOT NEXT 29 THE WHEEL DEAL 38 FANATIC

www.insiteatlanta.com STAFF LISTING Publisher Stephen Miller steve@insiteatlanta.com National Managing Editor Bret Love bret@insiteatlanta.com Art Director Michael T. graphics@insiteatlanta.com Film Editor Matt Goldberg matt@insiteatlanta.com Local News Editor Glenn LaFollette glenn@insiteatlanta.com Local Events Editor Rav Mansﬁeld rav@insiteatlanta.com Sports Editor DeMarco Williams demarco@insiteatlanta.com Web Design Kalico Productions info@kalicopro.com PG 4 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

Contributing Writers / Interns: John Davidson, John Moore, Mathew Goldberg, Russell Fisher, Zena Scott, Margo Aaron, Andrea Hatter, Kim Guelcher, Richard Marsh, Tracy Gould, Mark Fitten, Dave Cohen & Russ Marshalek CONTACT US 2250 North Druid Hills Rd. #100 Atlanta, GA 30329-3118 phone 404-315-8485 website insiteatlanta.com ADVERTISING INFORMATION �� Editorial content of INsite is the opinion of each writer and is not necessarily the opinion of INsite, its staff, or its advertisers. INsite does not knowingly accept false or mi leading advertising or editorial content, nor do the publisher or editors of INsite assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial appear. No content, i.e., articles, graphics, designs and information (any and all) in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from publisher.

Check out our Pizza Restaurant Guide on page 11!

ATLANTA ON THE CHEAP!

GREAT DEALS BEING OFFERED AT RESTAURANTS AROUND ATLANTA. As the rise in gas prices look to be here to stay and the cost of everything seems to be going up, INsite brings some good news. Our new column Atlanta on the Cheap, lists great deals being oﬀered from our advertisers each month. With each issue, there will be a new theme. Upcoming listings will include: Clothing, Nightlife, Retail, Entertainment, and Travel. Check the Atlanta on the Cheap at www.insiteatlanta.com for updated listings and links to sites. Enjoy!!

$4.99 LUNCH SPECIAL!

$6 JERK CHICKEN SPECIAL

Chopped Pork Sandwich + 1 Side | Valid M-F 11-3pm

Includes ½ chicken, black beans, rice and corn bread

234 Hilderbrand Dr. | Sandy Springs 404-459-6497 | www.kcpitbbq.com

600 Ponce de Leon | Atlanta 404-888-9149 | www.eatsonponce.net

$4 BURRITO COLLEGE NIGHT

$3.49 SUBS | 7 DAILY SPECIALS IN AUG.

15 Area Locations | www.willys.com

80 Powers Ferry Rd. | 770-321-1177 5697 Buford Hwy. | 770-455-8570

Show college ID the first Tues. of the month Restrictions Apply | One Per Customer

Different Specials Each Day | See ad on page 10

agave LUNCH $7.99 & DINNER $11.99

FAMILY STYLE DINNER $16.99 PER PERSON

Unlimited trips everyday

Choose 8 items from mezzas, soups, salads & baklawa (2 per. min.)

1016 Howell Mill Rd. | Atlanta 404-815-4900 | www.therealchowbaby.com

2751 Lavista Rd. | Decatur 404-633-8833 | www.mezzabistro.com

$6.25 LUNCH SPECIALS w/ Egg Roll & Soup Choices include Kung Pao Chicken, Asparagus Chicken, Fresh Broccoli Chicken & more 3887 Peachtree Rd. | Broohaven 404-816-2229 | www.chinchinonline.com

$8.99 EGG-STRAVAGANZA

two large eggs with chicken breakfast sausage, crisp turkey bacon, plus French toast with raspberry sauce

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE APPETIZERS Offered daily when you sit at the bar 5pm-7pm nightly

5 area locations | www.flyingbiscuit.com

242 Boulevard SE | Cabbagetown 404-588-0006 | www.agaverestaurant.com

$6.49 BUSINESS LUNCH COMBO SPECIAL

WEDNESDAY IS PINT NIGHT!

$8.99 SLICED N.Y. STRIP OVER CAESAR SALAD

Shish kabob, kufta kabab, & gyro slices w/rice pilaf, salad & pita | w/drink.

Buy a pint, keep the glass

Hot this summer!

2126 N. Decatur Rd. | 404-320-0101 & 985 Monroe Dr. 404-917-1100 | www.mediterraneangrill.com

3167 Peachtree Rd. | Buckhead 404-233-1989 | www.locosgrillandpub.com

3652 Roswell Rd. | Buckhead 404-816-9090 | www.landmarkdiner.com

Dining at Chin Chin is pure pleasure 2 NEW LOCATIONS!

MuLan Chin Chin Chinese and Sushi (Suwanee) ��

Chin Chin

�� (Alpharetta)

�� Buckhead/Brookhaven �� Cobb �� 2008 Best Chinese – Sunday Paper 2001-2002 Best Chinese by Atlanta Jewish Times Readers

1998-2007 Best Chinese by Creative Loafing "Mouthwatering Chin Chin spices things up." – AJC "Chin Chin...a window into Hong Kong." – Buckhead Weekly 2 1/2 Stars – Knife & Fork

�� & OTHER LOCATIONS DELIVERY (LIMITED AREA; MIN $10)

�� FULL BAR SERVICE

WWW.CHINCHINONLINE.COM Watch our Open kitchen & experience the Art of Chinese Cooking! PG 5 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

ATLANTA ON THE

CHEAP!

TOP EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS BEING OFFERED FOR SMALL CHANGE IN AUGUST

LOCAL EVENTS

OnTap for August EMAIL EVENTS TO ONTAP@INSITEATLANTA.COM

August 28: Fox Theatre

MAMMA MIA

As the rise in gas prices look to be here to stay and the cost of everything seems to be going up, INsite brings some good news. Our new column Atlanta on the Cheap, oﬀers up some great ideas each month that won’t put a hole in your wallet. So don’t feel like you have to stay home to save some dough, there are numerous events taking place in the metro area that are either free or cost very little to attend. Check www. insiteatlanta.com for updates as INsite keeps the fun going all year round with Atlanta on the Cheap!!

WEDNESDAY WINDDOWN

AUGUST 13 INDIGO SUNSET, AUGUST 20 VE RONICA “RONNIE” CLAY, AUGUST 27 MILK SHAKE & WILLIAM GREEN 5:30PM  8:00PM COST: FREE Centennial Olympic Park, Southern Company Amphitheatre 265 Park Avenue West, Atlanta, GA 30313 www.centennialpark.com | (404) 222-PARK Atlanta’s longest running FREE concert series has been entertaining music lovers for over a decade. Relax with an evening of live entertainment every Wednesday, April through September in the park’s Southern Company Amphitheater. Enjoy everything from jazz to contemporary music performed by favorite local and national touring acts.

STARBUCKS FREE PARKS CONCERT

THURSDAY, AUGUST 14 | 8:00PM COST: FREE (Free tickets need to be ordered in advance on-line, includes a free parking pass.) Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta, 30009 www.vzwamp.com or www.atlantasymphony.org (404) 733-5010 The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Starbucks Free Parks Concerts returns with a concert at the orchestra’s new summer home at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta. The ASO’s popular Assistant Conductor Mei-Ann Chen leads the outdoor concert featuring light classics, pops standards and Broadway hits.

MUSIC IN MIDTOWN AT THE MARGARET MITCHELL HOUSE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 | 5:30PM  8:30PM COST: $5 990 Peachtree Street, Atlanta www.gwtw.org | (404) 814-2063 Music in Midtown returns in August and features the hip tunes of local band, The Sundogs, playing on the home’s historic front porch. In addition, this monthly event features signature cocktails from the cash bar and complimentary mini-massages by Natural Body Spa & Shop.

CASTLEBERRY HILL ARTS DISTRICT ART STROLL FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 | 7:00PM  10:00PM COST: FREE Castleberry Hill, downtown Castleberry Hill www.castleberryhill.org/artstroll.html

PG 6 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

(404) 399-7320 Come stroll through Castleberry Hill during the next installment of the 4th Friday ArtStroll. Visit fascinating and diverse galleries and get a taste of what Atlanta has to oﬀer. Neighborhood businesses and restaurants will be open and welcoming you this little corner of Atlanta. Come have some dinner, buy some art and ﬁnd a new loft or condo.

7TH ANNUAL DRAGON*CON PARADE

SATURDAY, AUGUST 30 | 10:00AM COST: FREE Starts at Woodruff Park, Peachtree Street at Auburn Ave. www.dragoncon.org | (770) 909-0115 Every year hundreds of Dragon*Con members gather in the early Saturday morning hours, dressed as their favorite sci-fi and fantasy characters for the largest event at Dragon*Con, the annual parade. Thousands more line the parade route to be a part of all the fun and to cheer on their favorites. Banners, flags, streamers, floats, decorated vehicles, music and other noisemakers are allowed and encouraged. Cost: Free

FREE MUSEUM DAYS AT THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 | 10:00AM  NOON COST: FREE FOR FULTON COUNTY RESIDENTS 1280 Peachtree Street, Atlanta www.high.org | (404) 733-HIGH On the ﬁrst Saturday of every month, the High Museum of Art welcomes Fulton County residents to the museum for free. Fulton County residents who show proof of residency may view the museum’s current exhibitions as well as their permanent collection.

ATLANTA BRAVES

CHECK WEBSITE FOR GAME DATES AND TIMES COST $1$8 Turner Field | 755 Hank Aaron Drive SE, Atlanta, GA http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com | (404) 522-7630 Atlanta Braves sell 186 upper deck skyline seats for $1.00 three hours before game time at every home Braves game. Other deals at Turner Field include a buy one, get one free upper reserved tickets at every Tuesday home game (2 seats for $8). Other 2 for 1 deals are available for college students (valid ID required) and members of the military (valid ID required). Check the website for additional oﬀers. If you know about any other free or low cost events happening around Atlanta, please email us at atlcheap@insiteatlanta.com.

Celebrate the festival's 30th anniversary at the Fabulous Fox Theatre with the summer movie smash MAMMA MIA, starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. Based on the long running Broadway sensation, this film adaptation is filled with all the great Abba songs that audiences love to sing along with. Other movies shown this month include Hancock (8/10) and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (8/30). Individual tickets are $7 and all seating is general admission. For more info, please visit http://www.foxtheatre.org/coke_series.htm

August 29-31: Road Atlanta

SUZUKI SUPERBIKE SHOWDOWN Head to Braselton, Ga. and see the best of Superbikes. The script will be rewritten as the drama unfolds during the 2008 Suzuki Superbike Showdown at Road Atlanta. The ongoing, emotionally charged battle between Rockstar Makita Yoshimura Suzuki teammates Ben Spies and Mat Mladin for the AMA Superbike championship could be decided. Mat Mladin continued his mastery of Road Atlanta last year by winning both ends of the 2007 Suzuki Superbike Showdown. For more information go to www.roadatlanta.com

August 29: Chastain Amphitheatre

REGENERATION TOUR

The 80's are hotter than ever and our favorite decade returns with a bang this summer with The Regeneration Tour 2008 at Chastain Park Amphitheatre. The Human League ("Don't You Want Me Baby"), Belinda Carlisle ("Heaven is a Place on Earth"), ABC ("Be Near Me"), A Flock of Seagulls ("I Ran So Far Away") and Naked Eyes ("Always Something There To Remind Me") all come together on one stage and bring back the music, the memories and the hits. Part of the Classic Chastain series. For ticket info, please visit www.classicchastain.com.

August 29-31: Downtown Atlanta

DRAGON * CON

Dragon*Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US. The convention features a parade, autograph sessions, live performances, writer's workshop, short film festival, art show and much, much more! The list of celebrity guests is long and includes Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), Linda Blair (The Exorcist), Survivor's Richard Hatch, Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Adam West (Batman), just to name a few. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org.

August 30-31: Historic Grant Park

SUMMER SHADE FESTIVAL

This weekend festival in Historic Grant Park will be filled with a variety of events including an artist market, food vendors, 5K Run For the Park on Saturday morning, live performance stages and a children's fun center. Also, make sure to visit Corks & Forks - A Fine Food & Wine Event, which features up to 10 neighborhood chefs/restaurants each day along with dozens of the coolest wines to hit the market. Proceeds from the event benefit the Grant Park Conservancy and its efforts to restore this historic green space. For more information, please visit www.summershade.org.

August 30: Georgia Dome

CHICK-FIL-A COLLEGE KICK-OFF The Georgia Dome plays host for the Chick-Fil-A College Kick-Off as the highly ranked Clemson Tigers take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. This match-up will be the season opener for both of these major NCAA football teams. ESPN’s Collge GameDay will broadcast from Centennial Olympic Park at 10 a.m. There will be events in the park from noon-6 p.m. including punt, pass and kick competitions. Park events are free for fans. For more information, please visit www.gadome.com.

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LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN: DRAGON*CON 2008

BY MIKE FABER

T’S THAT TIME AGAIN; TIME TO LET your inner geek out to play. Dragon*Con 2008 is happening Labor Day weekend (August 29th – September 1st), at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, the Atlanta Hilton and the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, all in Downtown Atlanta. The 22nd Annual Dragon*Con is the largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the US. This four-day event features panels, seminars, demonstrations and over thirty fan tracks comprising over 3,500 hours of programming including American Sci-fi Classics, American Sci-fi Media, Anime/Manga , Animation, Anne McCaffrey’s Pern, Apocalyse Rising, Art Show Forums & Workshops, British Sci-fi Media, Comics, Costuming, Dark Fantasy, Electronic Frontiers Forum , Filk, Gaming Panels, Independent Film Track, Main Programming, MMORPGs, Podcasting, Readings, Robotics, Science, Sci-fi and Fantasy Literature, Silk Road: Asian Cinema & Culture, Skeptic Track, Space, Star Gate: Offworld Fandom , Star Trek: TrekTrak, Star Wars: MOTF, Tolkien’s Middle Earth, Whedonverse, Wheel of Time, Writer’s Track, X Track, & Young Adult Literature.

Every year several hundred Dragon*Con members gather in the early Saturday morning hours decked out as their favorite alter egos and ready to take center stage on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta for the largest event at Dragon*Con - the annual costume parade! Thousands more line the parade route to participate in the fun and to cheer on their favorites. Plan to be there Saturday, August 30 as a participant or onlooker. The parade starts promptly at 10:00 AM and the route follows Peachtree Street from Woodruﬀ Park (at Auburn Avenue) to the Hyatt, then continues down Baker Street and concludes at the Marriott.

Celebrity guests are also a big part of Dragon*Con. This year’s convention is no exception with hundreds of speakers scheduled to appear at this years show. Some of the big names on hand include: ANN MCCAFFREY – Ms. McCaffrey’s first story was published by Sam Moskowitz in Science Fiction Magazine and her first novel was published by Ballantine Books in l967. She has now written dozens of books, of which there are more than twelve million copies in print. Anne’s talents as a storyteller are best displayed however, in the handling of broader themes and the worlds of her imagination, particularly in her Pern series (17 novels and counting) and in The Ship Who Sang series.

ADAM WEST – Adam breathed life into Batman in the wildly popular ABC TV series. The “Batman” (1966) TV series, which lasted three seasons made him not just nationally but internationally famous. The movie version earned Adam the “Most Promising New Star” award in 1967. ROBERT ENGLUND – American leading actor of a number of horror films, but probably best known as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) and all of its sequels. MICHAEL DORN – Dorn was seen as Officer Turner during the final two seasons (1980-1982) of the weekly cop series CHiPs and guest-starred on many more primetime series. He went on to perform a flurry of supporting-cast activity in such theatrical features as The Jagged Edge (1985). Then in 1987, Michael Dorn donned mounds of facial makeup for what was to be his signature role: the U.S.S. Enterprise’s Klingon officer Lt. Worf on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994). KEVIN SARBO – Kevin Sorbo quickly rose to international stardom in the title role of the hit series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Beginning as five two-hour telefilms in 1993, the popularity of the made-for-television movies resulted in the January 1995 launch of the weekly, one-hour

series which became a breakout hit. PETER DAVID – Peter David is a prolific, author whose career and continued popularity spans nearly two decades. He has worked in every conceivable media: television, film, books (fiction, nonfiction, and audio), short stories, and comic books, and acquired followings in all of them. And much, much more… For more information and to purchase tickets head to: www.dragoncon.org. PG 7 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

Buckhead 39 West Paces Ferry Rd. Atlanta, Ga. 30305 (404) 237-4664 Virginia Highlands 778 N. Highland Ave. Atlanta, Ga. 30306 (404) 874-6604 Sandy Springs 220 Sandy Springs Circle Atlanta, Ga. 30328 (404) 255-0026 Norcross 5161 Peachtree Parway, Suite 606 Norcross, Ga. 30092 (678) 987-3600 www.vanmichael.com

PG 8 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

THEATER

Under The Lights

Theatrical Performances this Month

100 Tequilas Lime Optional.

August Wilson Full Circle Gem of the Ocean & Radio Golf

Aug. 29 - Sept. 28 AllianceTheatre

404-733-5000 www.alliancetheatre.org

JUNGUA Descendents of the Dragon Sept. 4 The Fox Theatre Box Office 404-817-8700 www.foxtheatre.org

A high impact, theatrical entertainment experience for all audiences, “JUNGUA –Descendents of the Dragon” celebrates the Chinese culture in an explosion of kungfu, acrobatics, music and dance. The amazing skills of China's finest acrobats and martial arts masters combines with modern staging, exciting choreography, and dramatic music and lighting to immerse the senses. JUNGUA is a theatrical hybrid, presenting these cultural treasures of China from a uniquely modern perspective. Featuring the “Shaolin Disciples and the Imperial Acrobats of China,” JUNGUA combines the best talents and revered cultural traditions of the far-east with modern production values, contemporary artistic direction and an evocative musical score. With lightening fast fight sequences and traditional weapons demonstrations, the Shaolin Disciples perform super-human feats of “Qigong”. Their unsurpassed abilities as contortionists, hand balancers, foot jugglers and aerialists are legendary.

Opening the Alliance’s 40th season will be two masterpieces of contemporary theatre from August Wilson’s ten-play Century Cycle—Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf. The power of legacy is captured in these plays with two award-winning directors—Kenny Leon and Kent Gash—who will join forces to honor one of America’s greatest playwrights. With these final two, the Alliance becomes one of the few theatres in the country to have produced all ten plays in the cycle. An evocative story of redemption and renewal, Gem of the Ocean is set against the legacy of emancipation in 1904 Pittsburgh. It tells the story of Aunt Ester and her legendary home at 1839 Wylie Street in the Hill District, a focal point for the legacy of emancipation. Radio Golf then brings audiences back to Pittsburgh 90 years later. Harmond Wilks is mounting a campaign to become the city’s first black mayor and achieve his admirable dreams of urban renewal in the Hill District. However, his past real estate successes don’t prepare him for the head-on clash between his dreams and the link to his past. Each play stands along as a masterpiece of American theatre – or see them both for an even richer perspective on this great writer.

Available in Stores August 19th

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HOME CONCEPTS

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ONLINE AT ATLANTAFUTONS.COM�� 100s OF FUTON COVERS FROM $39�� PG 9 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

AUGUST SPECIALS

$2.00

COOLER

$3.49

With special purchase. While suplies last.

ALL DAY

MONDAY: Baldinos Extra Special (#7) TUESDAY: Like it Hot? Grilled & Toasted The Hot Italian WEDNESDAY: Ham It Up (#5) Boiled Ham & Cheese w/ Soup or Side THURSDAY: “Check Out Our New Chicken Breast” Try our #21 FRIDAY: Meatless Combo - Tuna (#10) or Veg Stir Fry (#27) w/ side SATURDAY: Steak Out - A - Steak Sub Your Choice (#11,13, or 19) SUNDAY: American Special (#14) w/ Choice or Soup or Side MARIETTA: 80 Powers Ferry Rd. DORAVILLE: 5697 Buford Hwy. (at Hwy 120, 1/4 mile East of Big Chicken) (1/4 mile outside I-285) 770-321-1177 770-455-8570

PG 10 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

Taste of the Month-Pizza!

DINING

Great places serving it up in Atlanta.

Athen’s Pizza

Mo’s Pizza

1341 Clairmont Rd. Decatur 404.636.1100 www.athenspizzaatlanta.com

3109 Briarcliff Rd. 404-320-1258 www.mospizza.com

You may know about the burrito chain with the same name, but the original Mo’s resides on the corner of Briarcliff and Clairmont Roads. They have been serving up great pizza for over 25 years. Mo’s menu isn’t limited to pizza either: sandwiches, subs, wings, nachos and salads ensure that anybody who comes here can find something they like. They don’t buy their ingredients in bulk. Mo’s Pizza uses only the freshest ingredients, they make their own dough and grind their cheese daily. Come to Mo’s this fall to watch all your college and pro football games. They have a great deck to hang out on, and plenty of new plasma TVs offering great views from any table. They offer a special on Monday nights where you get a Large Cheese Pizza for just $7! Mo’s is one of the longest running pizza joints in Atlanta, come in and see why they are one of the best!

For over 25 years, the Papadopoulos family has been serving up great Greek and Italian cuisine to the Emory / Decatur area. When you walk through the door, the spirit of the Papadopoulos family eminates. You can taste the love in their food and are warmed by their friendly service. Athens Pizza is Zagat rated and has been voted Best Greek Cuisine by several publications. They offer a variety pizzas for as low as $3.50 (toppings extra). Specialty pizzas range from $5.75 for a 6” to $19.95 for a 16”. Don’t let the name fool you, there is much more than great pizza, as some of the favorite recipes on their Greek dishes go back 25 years and more! Also available are an assortment of wraps, platters and subs. Athens Pizza offers daily specials for lunch and dinner. They have an extensive catering menu that can be found on their website. The restaurant can also accomodate large parties and a private room is available for smaller ones.

Chicago’s Nancy’s 265 Ponce De Leon 404.885.9199 www.nancyspizza.com

Johnny’s NY Style Pizza Multiple Metro Area Locations www.JohnnysPizza.com

Johnny’s Pizza has come to be synonymous with great pizza and subs in Atlanta. The first metro area location opened in East Point in 1977. That location was an instant success and their second Atlanta location opened on Cheshire Bridge Rd. one year later. There are Cheshire Bridge Location now 65 Johnny’s Pizza restaurants. The secret to their success is in the preparation. They always use the finest ingredients. Johnny’s specializes in NY style pizza, which is thin in the middle and thick around the edges. They have several house specialties including the Johnny’s Deluxe, Italian Special, Veggie Deluxe, Steak & Cheese, Pesto and Buffalo Chicken. Johnny’s also offers plenty of individual toppings to create your own masterpiece. In addition to their fantastic pizza, Johnny’s offers subs, salads, sandwiches, and other popular Italian dishes including calzones, strombolis, and lasagna. Johnny’s restaurants offer dine-in, take-out and delivery.

Carrying College and Pro Football On Our Multiple Screens!

The name Chicago conjures up images of some of the best pizza in the USA, and that great pizza can be found in Midtown Atlanta at Chicago’s Nancy’s. Mike Glover opened Chicago’s Nancy's on Ponce de Leon with great word of mouth. The location became an immediate success. As Mike explains, “We commit ourselves to the customers being happy and make sure to thank them for coming to Chicago Nancy’s.” Part of what keeps them coming is the freshness of their pizza. Dough is made from scratch every day, vegetables and toppings are delivered daily and their fresh spices are imported from all over the world. Since 1974, when Rocco Palese of Nancy's invented stuffed pizza, (Rocco is recognized as the official inventor of stuffed pizza) the Chicagoland pizzerias have been serving deep dish pizza along with its very popular thin pizzas. Nancy's offers thin and deep dish and take and bake pizza, appetizers, sandwiches, and their signature salads. Chicago’s Nancy’s offers take-out and delivery and is the perfect place to call when planning a get-together this fall. Continued on Page 13

Your Neighborhood Pizzeria!

Check Out the Newly Renovated Patios at Both Locations

BROOKHAVEN

��

BUCKHEAD

��

SOAK UP THE SUN GREAT SUBS, SANDWICHES, SALADS & WINGS Happy Hour Beer Specials & 1/2 Priced Munchies Plenty of Outdoor Seating & Multiple Plasma TVs Since 1980

$7 Large Cheese Pizza

Mondays Only

Just off I-85 @ Clairmont (Corner of Briarcliff & Clairmont)

3109 Briarcliff Rd. | 404-320-1258

BEST PIZZA!

& Multiple Atlanta Locations: www.JohnnysPizza.com PG 11 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

FILM INTERVIEW

From Television to the Big Screen, Rainn Wilson is Emerging as One Fine and Hilarious Actor BY B. LOVE

to television. The Office was one of the first shows iTunes offered, I was the first person blogging in character and MySpace was just really getting going. Jenna has like 300,000 MySpace friends, and I think back then it really helped. Nowadays it’s de rigeur for all shows to be doing this stuff, but we were pioneers in that way.

ROM SOCIALLY INEPT mortician intern Arthur on Six Feet Under to socially inept “Assistant to the Regional Manager” Dwight on The Office, Rainn Wilson has emerged as one of TV’s finest character actors, with two Best Supporting Actor Emmy nominations to show for his efforts. Now, after strong supporting turns in films such as Sahara and Juno, he’s making his leading actor debut in The Rocker, in which he plays a failed 40-year-old drummer given a second chance at fame with his nephew’s band. We recently sat down with Wilson at Atlanta’s W Hotel for this exclusive one-onone interview.

Why do you think Dwight has connected so strongly with the audience? I have no idea! (Laughs) That is one of life’s great mysteries: How does an Amish beet farmer/hierarchical control freak/fascist dork resonate so much with audiences? Not only with nerds, but frat guys, teenagers, preteens… people just love them some Dwight Schrute! To toot my own horn for a little bit, I have to think that, as absurd as he is and all the ridiculous things that he says, it’s somehow made believable enough that people really identify with him as a real character and not as a caricature or a cartoon.

At what point in your life did you realize you were interested in performing as more than a hobby? I always had a dream in the back of my head that I would like to be an actor, and I don’t even know where it came from. I was always the nerdy goof-off in school, and I loved watching other nerdy goof-offs. Growing up, I loved the Marx Brothers, silent comedies, Bob Hope, sitcoms, and character actors like the guy who played Howard on the Bob Newhart Show and Jamie Farr on M*A*S*H. Jerry Lewis was my absolute favorite. Then I went to a high school that had a really good drama program, I got the lead in my first school play, and all of a sudden chicks were interested in me! How do you think your training in theatre helps you now that you’re acting in film and TV? That’s a great question. I’m really proud of my theatre background. I went to a 3-year acting academy, the graduate program at NYU, and then I did regional theatre, offBroadway and Broadway, including a lot of the classics. I think what theatre teaches you is how to make strong choices with the material and really use the text, the language and your body to express yourself. I think it’s helped me immensely, and the problem for people who start out in film or TV without that kind of training is that, because they think of film and TV as being very small, they tend to get very disconnected from their bodies. They use emotions and facial expressions, but they kind of negate the physical side of their work. You need those different tools. Do you miss the immediacy of performing live in the theatre? I do, very much. I really love that immediate payoff you get, because it is kind of like a rock concert. When things are going good, you can have the audience in the palm of your hand for literally three hours. There’s no more amazing feeling than having people exactly where you want them, laughing when you want them to laugh and crying when you want them to cry. Obviously the first place a lot of people saw you was on Six Feet Under. I’m so grateful for that show, and it’s very interesting how I got hooked up with that part. I knew the casting directors, who had cast me for this movie called America’s Sweethearts; they kept bringing me in to read for all these parts [on SFU] and I kept not getting booked. I read for a priest, a guy who died, and for two different members of David’s gay choir, but I kept kicking myself and PG 12 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

You obviously limited time during your hiatus from The Office to do films. What drew you to The Rocker? I laughed out loud over and over again when I read the script, but at the same time I was struck by how heartwarming and moving the story was. There are real characters there. Plus I just love rock ‘n’ roll. The first movie I ever did was Almost Famous– I played a Rolling Stone reporter. To get to bring all those things together was a dream come true. Plus, this character was about as different from Dwight as you could get. Dwight is so tight and controlled, where Fish is anything but.

THERE’S NO MORE AMAZING FEELING THAN HAVING PEOPLE EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT THEM, LAUGHING WHEN YOU WANT THEM TO LAUGH AND CRYING WHEN YOU WANT THEM TO CRY. wondering why I couldn’t get on this frickin’ show. I went in to read for another gay choir member and read on the call sheet that they were looking for Arthur Martin, who was described as a childlike, Peter Sellers-type mortician intern. I was like, oh man, I HAVE to do this, so I begged them to let me read for the role. They said OK, so I went out in the alley, read over the sides for about half an hour, came in and got the part that launched my career.

to misﬁts, freaks and losers. I just love those parts, and don’t think I’m capable of playing someone popular or well-adjusted.

Do you have any favorite memories from your time on the show? There’s too many great memories. There’s the head-rubbing scene with Ruth… they told me they actually cast me because they really loved the way I said frittata in the ﬁrst episode, where I said, “Would you like a frittata?”

Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer have both admitted having trepidations about tackling an American version of The Oﬃce. How did you initially feel about the concept? I did not have any trepidation whatsoever. I really believed that we could make a great American version of that show. It was an amazing template and a brilliant show, but they only made 13 episodes total [of the British original] and we’re almost up to 80 episodes now. I thought there were great characters and great relationships between them, and the way the mockumentary format works for comedy is brilliant, so I thought there was nothing but potential there. Luckily we’ve been able to ﬁnd our audience.

Neither Arthur or Dwight seem to possess much in the way of social skills. What draws you to these socially incompetent characters? Well, growing up I was a little bit lacking in the social skills department. I’ve gotten a little bit better at it now, but I’ve always felt like an outsider, a little bit alienated. I’m just drawn

I wanted to ask you about that. In the ﬁrst season you guys were constantly verging on cancellation, but you’ve gradually built this great grassroots following via webisodes and blogging. Do you think this sort of valueadded content is the future of network TV? When our show ﬁrst started is also when the Internet was establishing its connection

Have you been a big music lover all your life? I grew up spending countless hours listening to FM radio and my cassette collection. Remember BMG Music Group, where you could join and get 12 cassettes for a penny? I joined that a couple of times and got all these different tapes. I loved it! Is there anything in life that you’d love to get a second chance at, like Fish does in the film? Well, maybe this pretend rock ‘n’ roll fantasy will lead to a real rock ‘n’ roll fantasy and I can hook up with some rock band and hit the road for a while. That would be fantastic! I’d give it all up for that. What’s the deal with you being cast in Transformers 2? What were they thinking, right? No, I just came in and did a little cameo as a college professor, so it was no big deal. I just heard that you earned your second Emmy nomination this morning. How do you feel? It’s pretty exciting. I was a starving actor for the first 10 years of my career, and this is a great rollercoaster to be on right now. Steve and Jenna have both said that they’re going to stick with The Office for as long as it’s on the air. What makes it such a special show that you guys remain dedicated to it despite these other opportunities to become big movie stars? The most important thing is that it’s actually funny. It’s not a bunch of people sitting around on a couch telling lame jokes. It’s human characters in interesting situations, and it’s funny. Simple as that.

Continued from Page 11

Fritti 309 N. Highland Ave. 404.880.9559 www.frittirestaurant.com

Located in the heart of Inman Park, Fritti is Atlanta's most elegant pizza restaurant. They are nationally recognized for their pizza with continuous outstanding reviews and awards. Among them are Best Pizza by Citysearch and Creative Loafing as well as John Kessler’s Top 50 restaurants. Fritti serves authentic Neopolitan Pizza and is prepared according to traditional artisanal methods. The dough is made with Caputo flour, natural yeast and salt. They use San Marzano tomatoes, bufala mozzerella and bake their pizzas in a 700 degree wood burning oven. Among their great variety of pizzas include: The Salsiccia e Peperoni (Italian sausage and roasted peppers) $12.50; the Estiva (Fresh tomato, red onion, arugula) $12; and the Speck e Rucola (Smoked prosciutto, smoked mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and arugula) $13.50. Fritti is known for their great value. For lunch, Fritti offers a variety of Anti-pasta dishes for $8 or less including offerings of portebello mushrooms, fresh calamari, and sicialian risotto and sausage croquettes. They have an assortment of salads from $7 including their Ceasar, Insalata Mista (assorted greens) and Insalata di Rucola (Arugula and red onion). For Dinner, you are able to choose from their wide selection of Antipastas for just $4, three for $11, or five for $18. Most items on the menu are offered for

Lunch and Dinner. Fritti is also open for Brunch on Sundays.

Fellini’s Pizza

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As The Varsity is with hamburgers, Fellini’s is to Atlanta for pizza. Their seven locations are landmarks. The fact that all seven locations are always bustling comes from the great pizzas they make here. Check out their newly renovated McLendon location. They have kept their menu simple, and focus on what they do best. Fellini’s pizzas can be ordered by the slice or as medium, large and sicilian sizes. Try the classic Fellini’s special; which consists of pepperoni, mushrooms, itlaian sausage, onions, meatballs, green peppers, green and black olives, and extra cheese. Another popular menu item is the White Pizza with mozzarella cheese, fresh garlic, oregano, and ricotta cheese. They also have a great Spinich and Mushroom pizza, and a Vegetarian pizza filled with meatless toppings. Fellini’s also serves 5 different types of Calzones and great Salads. Fellini’s uses only the freshest ingredients. All there locations have large patios to enjoy the outdoors and the view. So come to one of the Fellini’s locations today, and you will see why they are the landmark of Atlanta pizza.

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PG 13 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

FILM INTERVIEW

“THE BOOK IS BETTER”- MATTHEW GOODE RISKS FANS’ IRE WITH TWO LITERARY FILM ADAPTATIONS BY BENJAMIN CARR

Y ACCEPTING THE STARRING ROLE IN THE NEW adaptation of Brideshead Revisited and his upcoming part in next year’s eagerly anticipated comic book movie Watchmen, Matthew Goode understands that he was in danger of pissing some people off. Both projects are based upon beloved books, come with a built-in fan base and high expectations. And, in Brideshead, Goode plays the impressionable, idealistic Charles Ryder– the same role that made Jeremy Irons famous when he appeared alongside Sir Laurence Olivier in the awardwinning 1981 miniseries. “Obviously, while doing Brideshead, we were all very aware that the television series is so beloved, and we were a little worried about upsetting people,” Goode said in a phone interview. “But we took it as a challenge to boldly go somewhere else with the material, and we’ve really uncovered some different stuff while keeping all of the essences of the story intact.” “As we were making the movie, there was always the fear that we were going to screw it up,” he said. “But while I was working with Emma Thompson, I realized that, if we’re going to go down on this project, at least I’m in the best company ever. Her attitude on the set was always that we should have a lot of fun taking such a work very seriously.” Though he’s worked before in films like The Lookout, Casanova with Heath Ledger and Match Point with director Woody Allen, Brideshead Revisited features his biggest, most challenging part to date. “The novel has this epic quality to it – one that was plays out over a large amount of time on television – but we were able to cover all the key parts of the story,” he says. “In the novel, Charles was very vocal with the narration, but, in the script, all of that was taken away, but I was still able to play his emotions.” During the course of the film, his character, Charles, ages 20 years, finds that his two great loves are a brother and sister and struggles with his belief in God, all while trying to stake his claim on the lavish mansion in the title. Though he sees himself as a passionate artist attracted to both Sebastian and Julia Flyte, part of the aristocratic family that lives at Brideshead, some characters in Brideshead Revisited call Charles a petty social climber. Goode sees aspects of both in the character. “I saw him as much more of a romantic than an opportunist,” he says. “Even though there are aspects of the book and the film where he seems like he’s cold and just social climbing, he’s actually quite taken by this house, these people and the life that they’ve lived.”

Goode found the key to the character by mapping out a background that was only hinted at in the source material. “My interest in Charles lay in the formative years that you don’t see onscreen, the ones mentioned where his mother has died and he’s raised alone with an inattentive father,” Goode says. “By the time he comes to school, Charles is the loneliest person in the world. But, suddenly he’s the focus of attention of Sebastian, who had a very similar, loveless childhood, and Charles becomes a sponge ready for love. Charles is introduced to this life, this beautiful place, and he becomes enraptured by it.” But to Goode, the key relationship between Charles and Sebastian (played by Ben Whishaw) is not just a gay love story. “There’s a question of just how autobiographical that Evelyn Waugh intended the book to be,” he says. “There’s ambiguity in how the relationship is portrayed. It’s an exploration of the idea of male love. Charles loves Sebastian, and the love he has for all of Brideshead gets mixed in with it. Some characters suggest that Charles and Sebastian’s relationship is just a phase. For me playing Charles, Brideshead represents to him all that love is.” The main female character, Julia Flyte (played by Hayley Atwell) is introduced far earlier in the movie than she is in the book, and Goode says her inclusion brings a new level of tension to the story. “We introduce Julia far earlier in the story, “ Goode explains. “Charles sees a lot of himself in Sebastian. But then he sees Julia and finds himself attracted to her, so the platonic love he has for Sebastian translates into the more physical love he feels for Julia. Of course, Sebastian’s love for Charles is deeper than that, and the addition of Julia complicates that.” Goode says it was great working with Atwell and Whishaw. “It’s always such a pleasure to work with other young actors,” he says. “They’re both incredibly gifted people, and Ben always disappears into his parts. It was great standing opposite him, even when I wasn’t on camera, just so that I could watch him work.” As for Emma Thompson, Goode says that working with her exceeded his expectations. “Oh my God, she came with a lot of baggage for me, considering her amazing body of work, but she’s a real person,” he says. “She’s so kind-hearted and giving. At one point during filming, we were trying really hard to get a key scene right, but there were people talking around us. So, at a break, she explained to them very nicely that we were trying to work and then asked if they would be OK with quieting down. After that, you could’ve heard a pin drop on that set. It was amazing to me. She gave more off-camera than she did on it.”

Goode says he feels very lucky to be in the film, which was in various stages of development for years. “Um, I was surprised as anyone to get it because everyone was kind of gunning for the role,” Goode says. “For a while, there was discussion of a version with Jude Law and Paul Bettany, but that kind of silently fell through. I never thought I would get it, but, next thing I know, I’m in a callback with Ben Whishaw, and then I had the part … Maybe the fact that I’m perfectly in between the ages that Charles is in the book got me the part.” Goode says that he had only two days’ break between finishing work on Brideshead and beginning his role as the genius superhero Ozymandias in Watchmen, which is based upon the graphic novel by Alan Moore and directed by Zack Snyder (300). “Going into Watchmen, I was completely unaware of all the twists the story and my character take,” he says. “While reading the book, my first reaction to Ozymandias was, ‘Oh God, what have I gotten myself into? I’m playing a complete dick.’ But then, as I kept reading it, I got so excited because there’s so much to play. My character has a personal agenda and both a public and private persona. That moral ambiguity fascinates me.” Goode says he had a terrific time “saving the world” alongside other superheroes in the movie, which is due in March. “At first it seems like the character’s all about his brand name and his image, but then you realize that he’s come up with this plan for saving the world and doesn’t actually want to take any credit for it. And he’s a total sociopath with little regard for who he hurts in the process,” he says. “It’s super fun.” Goode says the Watchmen trailer, which ran in theaters before The Dark Knight, excited him as much as it excited comic book fans. “I just saw it, and I’m so excited,” he says. “It looks fucking great!”

FILM INTERVIEW

NEW TOUR OF DUTY Brandon T. Jackson of Tropic Thunder BY RYAN LOFTIS

T 24, BRANDON T. JACKSON is a comedy veteran. His standup comedy act has taken him to Showtime at the Apollo in New York City and BET’s Comic View, and he’s worked alongside such comedians as Wayne Brady and Chris Tucker. Jackson’s efforts extend beyond performing; he is also the creator and host of the Teens of Comedy tour. Having previously appeared in several movies, Jackson tackles what is arguably his biggest role yet in Ben Stiller’s action comedy Tropic Thunder as Alpa Chino, a gangsta rapper looking to become a serious actor. The story involves actors filming a Vietnam War movie who end up battling criminals in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Besides Stiller, Jackson’s costars include Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Matthew McConaughey, Nick Nolte and Tom Cruise. We recently talked with Jackson about making the movie, learning his character and why he’d drink something called Booty Sweat. Why did you want to be in Tropic Thunder? Because the script was amazing. You look at the script, and it’s something that’s never been done like this before. The script was just PG 14 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

so unique I had to be in it. And it was fun making fun of my colleagues, my rapper friends.

Describe Ben Stiller’s directing style. Very intense. How so? You’ve got to stay in the zone with him. And if you’re not funny, he’ll just get quiet on you and move on to the next joke, and it will get cut out of the movie. What is the zone?

Really? Yeah. It’s crazy. You like can just see every approach. These guys really, really, really brought it man. He’s great, very intense. What do you think of Paramount Pictures producing and marketing Booty Sweat, the energy drink Alpa Chino endorses in the movie? It’s hilarious. I think it’s funny. I get to make fun of my rapper friends. This comedy I think is funny because of the social commentary. People might get offended, but this is the perfect time for it. Everything is so ridiculous right now that we might as well have fun and make fun of ourselves. So – Booty Sweat, baby.

THE ZONE IS… I CAN’T EVEN EXPLAIN IT. WHEN YOU’RE IN IT, YOU KNOW. YOU JUST FEEL LIKE THE COMEDY’S COMING OUT OF YOU ‘CAUSE YOU JUST BE AROUND ALL THESE GUYS AND YOU’RE SEEING EVERY DIFFERENT APPROACH. The zone is… I can’t even explain it. When you’re in it, you know. You just feel like the comedy’s coming out of you ‘cause you just be around all these guys and you’re seeing every different approach. It’s almost like the Matrix of jokes and comedy.

Do you plan to actually drink some when it comes out? I did. It’s pretty good. It tastes really frickin’ like Red Bull or whatever. Having a background in stand-up comedy, was it hard to mesh your comedy style with Stiller, Black, Downey, who come from a different tradition? At first it really was, ‘cause I was playing the punchlines instead of the character at first. And as I played the character it got funnier. When I was playing the punchlines it was funny, but it was like it don’t match the scene. So we would have to play the, you know, think about what’s in your character, what would your character do in a situation? Develop your character, and that’s what Ben kept telling me: develop my character, develop my character, develop my character.

FILM INTERVIEW

THIS BUD’S FOR YOU: Kevin Costner On Swing Vote

BY RODNEY HILL

SCARWINNING DIRECTOR, producer, actor, and movie-star extraordinaire, Kevin Costner is also the epitome of aﬀability. We sat down at Atlanta’s Four Seasons Hotel to discuss his latest ﬁlm as producer and star, Swing Vote. It’s a comedy-drama that satirizes the electoral process and a national media gone haywire, by way of the troubled relationship between an apathetic, redneck, single father named Bud Johnson (Costner) and his precocious, politically conscious “tween” daughter, Molly (the talented, feisty and adorable Madeline Carroll). Through a weird quirk in the balloting machinery, the outcome of a presidential election boils down to just one vote: that of Costner’s character (a narrative conceit made all too believable in the wake of Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004).

Well, Bud says it all. He says, “This is unfortunate; I’m an average man who’s going to choose between two exceptional men.” That was the only speech in the movie that was ever changed. It used to be a little bit “rah-rah,” with a lot of, “We could do this, we could do that.” But Bud really has to look at himself. He has disappointed his daughter and his community, but Bud heroically takes it all on, and he ﬁnds a way in his own language to uniquely speak for us all. When Bud says that maybe he’s the enemy, that’s a very big thought. When Bud describes that we need a giant in our lives

It’s a piece of entertainment that is a comedy at its core, dealing with the relationship between a father and a ﬁfth-grader, set against the backdrop of one of the great privileges in the history of the world that this country provides: the ability to vote. Our country is founded on it, but we’ve gotten lazy with it. And we’ve found a way in a piece of comedic entertainment, “Capra-esque” if you will, to underscore it. We didn’t want to demonize either party, but we wanted to clearly point out that two powerful people running for the biggest job on the planet might

When were you in Atlanta last? I think I was here for Open Range, actually. It’s beautiful, the skyline, the neighborhoods, the universities. We’d heard a lot about your aquarium, too, so we zipped over there and saw that. It was beautiful; it’s like the power of one man’s imagination and ambition, and suddenly a lot of people get together and see something they might not ever, ever see. I’ve always enjoyed being in the South, and you can see that my character fits in here, perfectly. How do you approach a character like Bud Johnson, who strikes me as being both a very well-drawn, individualized character and a kind of symbolic, Everyman type? Well, clearly we know what Bud isn’t: he’s not a PTA dad, and he’s not a soccer father. He doesn’t have all the ambition in the world. There are things that we like about him, and there are things that make us not like Bud so much. We don’t like for anyone to break a little girl’s heart, and he’s probably done that a little too much with Molly. She’s had to depend on him too much. My approach was not to change that, not to make myself more likeable. Ultimately at the end of the movie, when we meet Mare Winningham [who plays Molly’s mother], we realize that at least Bud gave Molly an option to be under his roof, and he never talked bad about her. So, would he take his daughter out of school to go fishing? He just would. Does he ask his daughter to start the truck when he wants maybe one last cast? That’s Bud. Not everybody in the world has the ambition to do well; there are a lot of people who are fringe, and that’s where Bud is. About the mother, that’s one of the more surprising aspects of the story. We come to realize that Molly really is better off with Bud. Yeah, under that roof. I think all of us get surprised when we learn the truth about some things. We can look down on the poorer houses in our neighborhood and assume that those kids are not being attended to. We make up our mind about how the yard is kept up; but sometimes if you dug a little deeper you’d be almost chagrined to admit, “I was wrong about this;” and if you knew about the situation, you’d feel a lot differently. Maybe this person was heroic in the war and is just troubled right now and doing the best he can. You almost want to slap yourself for making those judgments, but we do that in America. We live in a sound-byte era where we make distinctions really quickly and stories are skin-deep. What does it say when the movie’s main character, a guy who is representing the “average American,” has lost his ambition and is drifting a little bit?

(ATLANTA IS) BEAUTIFUL, THE SKYLINE, THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE UNIVERSITIES. WE’D HEARD A LOT ABOUT YOUR AQUARIUM, TOO, SO WE ZIPPED OVER THERE AND SAW THAT. I I’VE ALWAYS ENJOYED BEING IN THE SOUTH, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT MY CHARACTER FITS IN HERE, PERFECTLY. politically, I think he speaks for the elitist, for the intellectual, and for everyman. Surprisingly, you get a lump in your throat, and you didn’t realize that Bud could put it there. Did you do any singing on the set? Oh yeah; the band was always there. We were always under the awning writing songs. We wrote “Back Yard” and three other songs that are in the movie. I do have a life outside of “action” and “cut.” I was almost going to play here in Atlanta, but for some reason we didn’t play. During the screening, when certain political issues came up, it was interesting to hear the audience applauding. Do you expect the ﬁlm to have any speciﬁc political impact? I hope people go see it. It’s not a public service announcement, and it was never meant like that.

be willing to change their views and talk themselves into the reasons why. One of the strengths of the movie is how evenhanded it is. How difficult was it to maintain that balance? You mentioned Bud’s speech, for example. Yeah, I told the guys that we might be writing that speech right up to the end, because I felt it was so important that it never come off as preachy. There’s a humility there. He’s more concerned about his daughter being mad at him. And we realize that what was once funny isn’t so funny anymore. It’s really appropriate that we don’t find out who gets Bud’s vote in the end. Was that always the plan? Yes. I think to have selected one of them would have been off center. It would have changed everything. And the fact that he closed the curtain

is important; you can close the curtain when you vote. You don’t have to be so public always with everything. You can, but we know that politics are a hotbed. It can affect the way people treat you at the office, or whatever. I think that the simple closing of the curtain was right. The film also offers a clever satire on the media and the creation of celebrity. How do you feel about that tendency? Well, the media has lost its center. That doesn’t mean that journalists have. Many journalists are very serious people, but you have publishers behind you, saying, “You ask him that question about his first marriage; you fucking ask him.” Do we need to know about Christie Brinkley? Do we really? But somebody is insisting on it. That’s why I think Kelsey Grammar’s line, as the president, is very grounded: “What do you want me to do, give him a bag of money?” And it’s not a joke; it’s not a comedic moment. He just asks the question pointblank; and the fact that a moment like that can exist in a comedy is just great. Or when the TV reporter asks her producer, “What do you want me to do? Do I need to run over this little girl?” “Yeah, if you don’t, somebody else will.” That’s a truth. We know that’s what we’re living in. These TV shows are just setting people like myself up. If I decide who I’m gonna vote for and publicly declare it, one side will like it, and the other side will wonder if I have a brain in my head. And if you’re not on their side, then suddenly you’re not a patriot. We really have a fundamental problem in our discourse in America. This isn’t the first politically themed movie that you’ve been in, and yet you’ve managed to avoid alienating half of the people in America. How do you walk that line? In your relationship with the media, how do you avoid stepping into those traps? I answer questions that I think are not soundbytes. If you really want to talk to me, then we’ll talk. But if you catch me walking by and ask what I think about what Jesse Jackson said, then I’m not going to give you a soundbyte. If you want to talk about it, let’s talk about it. I can usually tell when you’re looking for a soundbyte. You know, I did JFK, and as a participant in that movie I made it as truthful as I could. If I thought things weren’t truthful, I would point them out and discuss them with the filmmaker and come to an agreement. When we made Thirteen Days, was it a big number one hit? No, but I’m really proud to have made that movie and theatrically portray that very pivotal moment in our country’s history [the Cuban Missile Crisis]. Should I maybe have done Bull Durham 3 instead? I have to make choices in my life, and that’s a choice. I don’t cater. What I’ve tried to do with Swing Vote is make a movie that I think is real: it’s comedic, it has heart. I don’t try to capture the largest audience demographic. If it works, it works. I want people to like me on my own terms. What other projects are you developing right now? I’m probably going to direct three or four movies after this. I’ve got a cowboy movie, a World War Two movie, a really sexy, urban, violent movie, and maybe a love story. I cherry pick what I’m going to direct. I like cowboy movies, but I also love comedy. I love making movies; that’s why you see me doing different genres. I just made a little horror movie, which I’m hoping will be good. We tried really hard, and there’s creatures in the end. I don’t like to make a movie that I know obviously works. I like to surprise myself and an audience. I’m not even a fan of horror movies; I don’t like being uncomfortable in a movie, but I decided to make one. Go figure. – Rodney Hill teaches film at Georgia Gwinnett College

PG 15 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

MUSIC INTERVIEW

HILLBILLY HEAVEN

Billy Bob Thornton on his Burgeoning Music Career BY B. LOVE

AY WHATEVER YOU WANT ABOUT Billy Bob Thornton, but the man has clearly led a more interesting life than most of us will ever dream of. By his own admission a bit unstable in his early adulthood, he didn’t achieve much in the way of fame until he was 40. In the years since, he’s won an Oscar as the writer-director of Sling Blade, been married to a certain goddess by the name of Angelina Jolie, worked with legendary directors such as Oliver Stone (U-Turn) and the Coen brothers (The Man Who Wasn’t There), and established himself as a formidable country-rock singer-songwriter. Now he’s got a new band, The Boxmasters, and is touring the United States with the energy and enthusiasm of a man half his age. He recently took time to speak with us for this exclusive interview. When you were growing up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, did you actively dream of a career like the one you have now, or was it just something you gradually fell into? I kind of knew from the beginning that this was all I wanted to do. It was between that and baseball, and I did play baseball for a long time, but I got injured. I’d always been in bands since I was a teenager, and I started taking drama classes in high school to meet chicks and get something above a C. (Laughs) I eventually came out to Los Angeles with the intention of doing both music and acting. If your early bands had really taken off, do you think you would’ve ever become an actor? If we were having the kind of success when I was 19 that I’m having with The Boxmasters now, I probably would’ve just stuck with music. What did you learn about the music biz from your time on the road with groups like Nitty Gritty Dirt Band? Well, I was basically a grunt for this sound company, so as a result I got to work with a lot of different bands. I learned that you’re up all night, you eat when you can, and if you don’t love it it’s a real hard life. I’ve never met a roadie who didn’t complain every minute about everything, but there’s some reason why they keep doing it for so long. What’s astounding to me is that a lot of young bands who are really popular, making it on the Billboard charts and performing on Letterman, are still traveling around the country in a van. It’s not like the old days, when you used to get all this tour support. The purse strings are real tight in the record business now, and some of these kids are out there eating at McDonald’s and sharing hotel rooms like we did when we were 18 and unknown! PG 16 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

You were 40 by the time Sling Blade made you a star. What were the positives and negatives about not becoming famous earlier in life? Well, the negatives would be the constant longing and dreaming and being in a state of poverty all those years! (Laughs) But the positives were that, if I’d become famous when I was 20 I might not be alive now, because I wasn’t real stable at that point. I could very easily gone the way of a lot of these guys who don’t make it, not as an actor but as a human. I think you just handle yourself better [when you’re older], though I’ve been an idiot sometimes and shot my mouth off. But by the time I became famous I was– I wouldn’t say grounded, because I’m still not that today– but I was ready for it. You’re never fully prepared for it, because it’s a big, big monster to handle. Anonymity is what I long for these days. What do you get out of music that you don’t get out of acting, and vice versa? That’s a good question. They are very different in so many ways, but similar in others. My songwriting and screenwriting are coming from the same mind: It’s not like I write a screenplay, then go get a lobotomy and then write a song. But I think the main difference is that music is more immediate. When we’re making a record we can work every night and don’t need anybody else to do it, and when we play live our fans are right there in front of us. There’s a big thrill in that sort of personal connection. But when me and the crew make a movie, there are no fans around, and when they see your film it’s not like you’re sitting in the audience watching it with them. There’s more of a distance between actors and their public, at least in a creative way. But what I

get from acting that I don’t get from music is a very cerebral, solitary experience: It’s kinda nice when you’re becoming somebody else for three or four months. Do you feel more accepted by the music community than the Hollywood community? It was hard in the beginning, but these days I do. I hang out with more musicians than I do with anybody from Hollywood. That’s not my bag. But I’m old friends with the guys from ZZ Top, John Prine when he’s around, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakum… of course, Dwight’s probably done more movies than I have lately! Tell me a little bit about the origins of your new group, The Boxmasters. It came together when I was working on my last solo record. J.D. Andrew was working on the mix and I found out he played guitar, so we started messing around and, the next thing you know, we’d cut “Yesterday’s Gone” by Chad & Jeremy, hillbilly-style. It was what I’d always dreamed of, which was to marry the pop-rock of the ‘60s with the hillbilly music we grew up on. J.D. knew Mike Butler, who’s amazing, and when we all got together for the first time it was amazing. We developed into a “modbilly” lifestyle, and started writing songs about the lower middle class life we’d all grown up with. You’re working with guys who’ve worked with everyone from Kanye West and the Rolling Stones to Death Cab for Cutie and Fleetwood Mac. Is that indicative of your own diverse musical tastes? Yeah, I am all over the map as far as musical taste, but I don’t know much about the music of today. All we do is record and rehearse, so we don’t have much time to listen to anybody

else’s music. We’re touring to promote this record, but in the meantime I just finished making a movie with the Polish brothers in June and we’ve already recorded a Christmas record for Vanguard. Somebody was asking me recently who were some of my favorite new bands, and I was like, “I really like Cake.” They looked at me like a pig staring at a wristwatch, as my old friend Jim Varney used to say, because Cake’s been around since the late ‘80s. But to me, that’s new! (Laughs) Aside from the obvious collaboration aspects, what do you think separates the Boxmasters from your solo work? On my solo albums I had so many different influences and wanted to try so many different things that I didn’t pay much attention to making a cohesive record. As a result, prior to my last album I would have a rock song, then a country song, one right after the other. In the ‘60s and ‘70s you could do that– you could have an eclectic record– but these days they want something that sounds like the same 12 songs. I never knew where that place was for me until we started doing to this, then it occurred to me: Wow, this is what I really like, hillbilly music and British Invasion music combined. I’m thinking there probably aren’t a whole lot of hillbilly bands that cover Mott the Hoople. (Laughs) You’ve got two movies coming out between now and the end of the year. What can you tell us about Eagle Eye and The Informers? Eagle Eye is a big, smartly-written actionthriller produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Shia LaBoeuf, who’s really a cool person and who seems to have his head together. He’s probably the best actor I’ve ever seen for his age. I play the head of the FBI’s anti-terrorist task force. You know, every few years I’ve gotta pay for the house, but it’s really good. The Informers is based on a Bret Easton Ellis book and set in the ‘80s, and I play the head of a movie studio… so basically I dress and act like my agent. It’s also got Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder and Mickey Rourke. I don’t know if you ever saw Love, Actually, but it’s kind of like that in the sense that it’s got a bunch of different stories about people who are ultimately linked together. I think it’ll turn out to be pretty interesting.

IF WE WERE HAVING THE KIND OF SUCCESS WHEN I WAS 19 THAT I’M HAVING WITH THE BOXMASTERS NOW, I PROBABLY WOULD’VE JUST STUCK WITH MUSIC.

Between those two films, touring with the Boxmasters, recording the Christmas album, and starring in two movies slated for release in 2009, do you ever find time to take a vacation? You know, I’m not good at vacations. If I went to Hawaii, I’d be there about 20 minutes before I’d be itching to go back in the studio…

GUILLERMO DEL TORO ��

DIRECTOR INTERVIEW

�� BY B. LOVE

EXICAN DIRECTOR GUILLERMO del Toro is having a VERY good year. Hot on the heels of the critical and commercial success of his visionary adult fairy tale, Pan’s Labyrinth, his sequel to 2004’s under-appreciated Hellboy has raked in over $70 million at the box office. If that wasn’t enough, he’s also been hand picked by Peter Jackson to take the creative reigns on The Hobbit, the two-part film prequel to Jackson’s three-part Lord of the Rings masterpiece. We recently talked to the always-effusive del Toro about his latest cinematic success and the burden of expectations surrounding his forthcoming project.

12-year-old movies. The idea of Hellboy II was, can I shoot a movie like a 12-year-old? I’m 43, I’ve done X number of movies, but can I learn to just devolve emotionally into a guy who is so in love with these things that I shoot it with that much emotion? I wanted very much for this movie to have that wide-eyed view of the creatures, where you have that love for monsters that’s unbridled and untempered by any adult concern in the emotional aspect. Is that childlike innocence what attracted you to The Hobbit? I believe so. The Hobbit, like this movie, has to be a balance between the two. Pan’s Labyrinth is the same thing. It had a lot of that awe, but at the same time it is a more adult theme and tone. The Hobbit aesthetically can’t be as poppy as this movie, so the approach will be different. The Hobbit is an 11-yearold book: I read it when I was 11 and it hit me hard, so I tried to honor that feeling. It would be my most sincere hope that somewhere at some point on the Hellboy II exhibition there’s a 10 or 11-year old with his or her parents that falls in love with one of the creatures, like Wink or the Angel of Death. Everyone that was involved in creating those creatures, I asked them to come at it from a place of love. Instead of an assembly line, we gave each person one monster and they created him all the way to final realization, wardrobe, sculpting and painting, just like you give a lead animator a character in an animated film. I felt you needed that level of commitment in the creation of the creatures. It is a very uncommon approach. I’m not sure that it is economically great, but it was creatively.

THE ONLY FAITHFUL ADAPTATION IS TO ACTUALLY PUT THE BOOK IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA AND TURN THE PAGES ONE BY ONE. HITCHCOCK USED TO MAKE A JOKE: IF A GOAT IN A GARBAGE DUMP EATS THE BOOK AND THE FILM, THE GOAT WILL TURN AND SAY, “I PREFER THE BOOK.” IT’S JUST A COMMONALITY.

I read somewhere that this is the Hellboy you really wanted to make from the outset. No, I wish I was that wise. I wish I was that fucking sleek. I think it is, but it was not planned that way. The first movie I fully thought we were doing the exact version that would honor and be faithful to the comic, but as time passed I realized mistakes were made. I was a bit prudish on the first one and I was completely unbridled on this one. I think it made a difference, because on the first one I was there to try and satisfy a specific aesthetic and a specific character I admire, which was Mike’s [Mignola]. I made it my own only to a certain point. I was desperate to make the second one to improve, expand and go a little wider.

To find a balance between Mike’s vision and your own? Yes, I believe so. It will always be Mike’s creation, but I really allowed myself to disagree with more people on this one sometimes, including Mike. It was a riskier proposition, but I feel if you were going to do the second one and be equally timid, you were going to come out with the exact same approach. There were a lot of references to other films, including Star Wars, Bride of Frankenstein, Creature from the Black Lagoon ... Every movie that I referenced in the film– Harryhausen, Creature, Wizard of Oz, American Werewolf–those are movies I call my

If you decide to do a third Hellboy, how are you going to work it logistically if you’re committed to the next several years on the Hobbit? There was four years between the first Hellboy and the second one. There can legitimately be four years between the second one and the third one. It took two and a half years to solve this script for me because I wanted to make the action set pieces relevant to the story. With the third one the ante is upped considerably be

too early. Three weeks from now I will be more and more able to answer. cause I want to signal the end of this incarnation of Hellboy. Not forever, but I would not be involved past that and it will be probably the last Hellboy Ron has in him physically. It is a very grueling process, and he is entering the silver years, shall we say. He’s a guy that I cannot demand physical action from again and again, and I think that we would love to make [the third film] sort of a capper. How is the Hobbit screenplay coming along? We started taking notes on the novel and on the first movie, and making adaptations for the ideas for the second one. It is in its infancy right now. Are you staying faithful to the novel? The only faithful adaptation is to actually put the book in front of the camera and turn the pages one by one. Hitchcock used to make a joke: If a goat in a garbage dump eats the book and the film, the goat will turn and say, “I prefer the book.” It’s just a commonality. We will be as faithful as possible to what we believe has to be done. If this is any indication, I find the changes Peter Jackson, Fran and Phillipe made to the trilogy in adapting it to be absolutely necessary. Many fans were irate, while many others agreed, and the same thing is going to happen with this. Where do you see a middle point to break the Hobbit in two? I don’t see a middle point. I think the book should be contained in the first movie if possible, but this is an exploration. The second one would [weave] through the gap of about half a century between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring and connect them. Ideally, we would have an overture and a first movement to a symphony of five films. But it is

Will you be relocating to New Zealand for a number of years? My life completely was going in another direction, and when I got the call I said, “Yeah, let’s spend half a decade over there.” I was just finishing my house… and when I say “my house,” I mean MY house. I’m doing a man-cave of epic proportions. My collection of crap was getting so big that my wife said, “Dude, it’s either you or us.” So I said, “let’s move the things out.” I bought a house five blocks away from my house, I put in a secret bookshelf door, I put in a haunted mansion room, and I’m moving all my stuff there. I was planning on having that as my office for the next five years, and then I got the call. Will you move the house? I’m going to lend it to a like-minded friend to live there for three years while I’m gone. He’s going to have 7,000 DVDs, 15,000 comic books… the only thing he can’t touch is my toys. I have many iterations of Disney’s The Nautilus. I collect haunted mansion memorabilia. I collect any iteration of Chernabog, the demon from Fantasia. I own two of the original sketches that Kay Nielsen and the other artist pitched to Disney. I am an obsessive collector, but mercifully I do dress like shit and I drive a really old car, so the only vice I have is collecting this stuff. When I used to come through customs in Mexico, I was really afraid that the customs agents would look and find my rubber spiders and my EC Comics. When you press the button in Mexico, the red light comes on and it means you’re going to be inspected. So one day I put my bag down and I go, “My God, I’m going to pay a $1,000 fine for all my imports!” They open it and pull out the rubber spiders and the comic books and the guy goes, “This guy has all this shit!” and lets me go through. PG 17 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

FILM

�� AMERICAN TEEN:�� –Matt Goldberg BOTTLE SHOCK:�� –Ryan Loftis PG 18 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED:� �� –Benjamin Carr THE DARK KNIGHT:��

Ben Stiller was genius in making “Tropic Thunder.” Robert Downey Jr. as a black guy, Tom Cruise as an asshole producer, and Nick Nolte as a guy that looks like Nick Nolte.

�� –Matt Goldberg HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY:�� –Matt Goldberg MAMMA MIA!:� � ��

�� –Rebecca Crosby MEET DAVE:��

�� –Mitchell Hughes THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR:� �� –John C. Snider PINEAPPLE EXPRESS:� �� –Matt Goldberg STEP BROTHERS:��

�� –Matt Goldberg SWING VOTE:� �� –Rodney Hill TROPIC THUNDER:�� –Ryan Loftis

THE WACKNESS:� �� –Matt Goldberg

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE:�� –B. Love

“This is like if ‘Superbad’ met ‘Midnight Run’ and they had a baby, and then ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘True Romance’ met ‘Freaks and Geeks’ and ‘Undeclared’ and they had a baby, and by some miracle those babies met - this would be the funny movie they birthed.” –PETER TRAVERS

NOW PLAYING

CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES SORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT

PG 19 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

CONCERT

CALENDER

Tues & Thurs: Trivia 8pm Wednesdays: Texas Hold ‘em

LIVE MUSIC EVERY NIGHT Every Wednesday THE MIKE VEAL BAND Every Sunday THE FRANSISCO VIDAL BAND Every Monday SUMMER HOSTAGE Friday, August 8 SWAMI GONE BANANAS Saturday, August 9 BRIAN WILTSEY & GARETH ASHER Fri., Aug 15 & Sat. Aug 23 GARETH ASHER & FRIENDS Saturday, August 16 BRIAN WILTSEY & CRITTY UPCHHURCH Friday, August 22 STEREOTYPE Tuesday, August 26 NIC COWAN BAND Friday, August 29 EDUCATORS Saturday, August 30 VILLIANS

��

�� Reverse Bomonkey �� Michael Feinberg �� Houserocker Johnson �� Passion & Poetry �� Hippiefest �� Aclarion �� Is She Weird, Is She White �� Chip Hawkes �� Blues Afﬂiction �� Random Rabbit �� The Royal Family �� Holiday Parade �� Soul Shakers �� Matt Moore Band �� Boombox �� Ranting of Eva �� Swami Gone Bananas �� Atlanta Symphony: Music of Romance �� Uncrowned �� Moby Dick

Jonas Brothers @��(8-20) �� Girlz, Girlz, Girlz �� Sazon! �� The Breeze Kings �� Passion & Poetry �� Gipsy Kings �� Pistoltown �� Doug Stanhope �� Joey Degraw �� The Rusty Rebels �� Three5Human �� Flashback Festival �� Esthero �� Ivan Nevelles �� Weedeater �� Gov’t Mule �� Eddie Tigner’s BDay Bash �� Radio Cult �� Trances Arc �� The Penetrators �� Lisa Lampanelli �� Brian Wiltsey & Gareth Asher �� The Mother Truckers �� Ben Trickey, Mishka Shubaly �� Garrett Moore �� Little Brother �� Bike Beneﬁt �� Red Tide Saga �� Gareth Asher �� Battle of the Bands �� Donna Hopkins �� Sourvein �� Songwriter’s Open Mic� �� Patrick Vining �� Alternation �� Karaoke Night �� Big Fun �� Summer Hostage �� Gnarls Barkley �� Tru Skool Tuesdays �� Jon Harris �� Hipnotic Unplugged �� Titus Andronicus �� JT Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� Slipknot & Disturbed �� Blind Melon �� The Honorary Title �� Totally Rockin’ �� Dylan Kight & the Nightbirds �� The Rice Pilots �� Brooke Fraser

PG 20 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

�� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� Nine Inch Nails �� Burnt Bacon �� Extreme �� Beach Boys w/ ASO �� Dixie Jam Night �� Stoll Vaughan �� Chicago Joe Jones �� Coy Bowles �� Jack Johnson �� Breathe Carolina �� Foundation �� DJ Kicker �� B-Love’s BDay Bash �� Quench �� Gareth Asher �� The Silver Beats �� Time 2 Shine �� Tommy Brown �� Brian Wilson & Friends �� Cryptacize �� GOLDEN �� One Happy Island �� Desolate Chronicel �� Aclarion �� Dave FM Battle of the Bands �� Freakout!!! �� The Rice Pilots �� The Faint �� Starbucks Free Parks Concert �� Bitter:Sweet �� The Breakfast Club �� Midwest Revue �� Delta Moon �� Mad Margritt �� Bound Stems �� The Wrights �� Felix & the Cats �� Ralph Roddenbery Band �� Green Eyed Stare �� Kingdom of Sorrow �� Lola �� Az-Izz �� Codetalkers �� Cassavetes �� Rodrigo y Gabriela �� Homer �� Charlie Daniels Band �� Urban Sophisticates, Dishwater Blonde �� Babe’s Bayou �� Unzipt �� Kelsy Davis & the Radical Soul �� Houserocker Johnson �� Show Me Your Jalwa �� Jane on the Range �� The Hiss �� Packway Handle Band �� The Stooge Brothers �� Deep Blue Sun �� Gorgeous Frankenstein �� Millionaires �� Felix & The Cats �� White Leppard �� Matthew Perryman Jones �� Blackberry Smoke �� Jackyl w/ Sixth Hour �� Brian Wiltsey & Critty Upchuch �� Kingsized �� Atlanta Symphony: Turner Movies �� Fishhawk

G. Love & the Special Sauce @��(8-22) �� Robin Dean Salmon �� The Coal Man �� Little Brother �� 3rd Sundays Dub & Reggae �� The Chilton Music Project �� Gareth Asher �� Boston & Styx �� American Idol Live �� DJ TBA �� Witch Hats �� Songwriter’s Open Mic �� Patrick Vining

kenstein

�� Kate Kwik �� The Hush Sound �� Shai Hulud �� Karaoke Night �� Nebula �� Summer Hostage �� True Skool Tuesdays �� Scott Glazer’s Mojo Dojo �� Todd Wells �� Faun Fables �� JT Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� Bun B �� Trash & Burn Tour �� The Sleeping �� Totally Rockin’ �� Patrick Phelan �� Wabi Sabi

Sister Hazel @��(8-23) �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� Fatback Deluxe �� Dixie Jam Night �� Altamont Now �� Peter Bradley Adams �� Chicago Joe Jones �� Nasaya �� Jonas Brothers �� Creature Feature �� DJ Kicker �� Stonerider �� Hotpants Romance �� Mike Veal Band �� 3 on 3rd �� Chicago Bob Nelson, Bob Page �� Ian Shumacher �� Blood on the Highway �� David Lindley �� Broke & Bouje �� Terror �� Poptart Monkeys �� Bonerama �� Ty Reynolds Band �� The Devil Makes Three �� WILX & Turtle Folk �� Doria Roberts BDay Concert �� Sandra Hall w/ Deacon Bluz �� G. Love & Special Sauce �� Bradon Perry �� Brother Henry �� Mike Lowry �� Free Love Friday �� Trick Red �� Honor Roll �� Mudcat �� Dean Dollar Band �� Col. Bruce Hampton & Quark Alliance �� Tiger! Tiger! �� Brian Wiltsey �� Wrong Way �� Country Showdown �� Slippery When Wet �� Itegrety & Guests �� The Breeze Kings �� James Brown Soul Generals �� Sister Hazel w/ ASO �� Asphalt Grunge �� DJs Vicky V & Suzy Q �� Donna Hopkins �� The Jumpin’ Jukes �� The Greasy Spoons �� The Cute Lepers �� Fatback Deluxe �� Zoso �� Lord T & Eloise �� Gareth Asher & Friends �� Stone Temple Pilots �� Corey Crowder �� The Bandettes �� Jessica Atkins �� Little Brother �� Movie Night �� The Apostles �� Gareth Asher �� Nathan Morgan Band �� Songwriter’s Open Mic

�� Patrick Vining �� Joe McGuinness �� Karaoke Night �� Blessid Union of Souls �� Summer Hostage �� Treasure Hugo �� The Skylarks �� Hipnotic Unplugged �� James Jackson Toth �� Clay Cook �� JT Speed �� Open Mic Jam �� Totally Rockin’ �� Lazer/Wulf �� Nic Cowen Band �� Al Smith’s Midtown Jam �� The Electromatics �� Erykah Badu �� Dixie Jam Band �� Paul Collins Beat �� Keaton Simons �� Gaylord �� Revel of the Masses �� Ocean Street �� Spoonfed Tribe �� Spindrift �� Gareth Asher �� Rod Stewart �� Producers Swap Meet �� Sweet Betty & The Shadows �� Todd Wells Band �� Elf Power �� Drew Holcomb �� Chicago Joe Jones �� Wade in the Rhythm �� David Ryan Harris �� Casque of Amontillado �� Counter Point �� Scrapomatic �� All Night Drug Prowling Wovles �� Becoming Wheels �� Like Clockwork �� Big Wooly Mammoth �� Mausiki Scales & CGC �� Sandra Hall �� King of the Ring �� Regeneration Tour �� Hipnotic �� Howlies �� Sun Set East �� Chery Vendetta �� Vortex Park �� Genesis Party �� Haloscript �� Mudcat �� Delicious �� The Storm Orphans �� Redneck Greece Deluxe �� Slighty Stoopid �� The Educators �� John Mayer �� Matt Pryor �� Brantley Gilbert �� Dave Matthews Tribute Band �� Carlos Santan �� Houserocker Johnson �� Southern Justice �� The Features �� Buddy Edwards �� The Casanovas �� Streamline Revelation �� Recession Fest 08 �� Blue Brick �� Randy Chapman �� Trotline �� Entropy, Az-Iz �� Pardner �� Charlie Sheets �� Warchild

ALL SIDES

THE NEW ALBUM AND FALL TOUR WITH SPECIAL GUEST

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23 stonetemplepilots.com

OFAREVOLUTION.COM MYSPACE.COM/OFAREVOLUTION FACEBOOK.COM/OFAREVOLUTION ILIKE.COM/ARTIST/O.A.R.

INCLUDES “SHATTERED” IN STORES NOW

��

Sunday, August 17 VOLUNTEER JAM TOUR 2008

THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND �� Friday, August 15

ROD STEWART

Wednesday, August 27 STAR 94FM - “STARFEST”

J��

Friday, August 29

ALAN JACKSON

�� Saturday, October 4

ON SA SATURDLE AUGUSTAY, AT 10AM 9 !

�� vzwamp.com Tickets available at the box ofﬁce Monday - Friday, noon - 6pm and Saturdays, 10am - 2pm. The venue is conveniently located off GA-400 in Alpharetta.

with

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 THIS SHOW IS RESERVED SEATING. NO TABLES / NO COOLERS OR CARRY-INS.

ASO

SATURDAY

AUGUST 23

WWW.SISTERHAZEL.COM & MYSPACE.COM/SISTERHAZEL

An Evening with

GIPSY KINGS Saturday, August 9

THE BEACH BOYS with ASO

Wednesday, August 13

ERYKAH BADU

CALL 404.733.4800 Groups of 15 or more

404.733.4848

Tables available for select concerts

404.733.4805

Wednesday, August 27

Rod Stewart @��(8-27) �� Decatur Book Festival �� Little Brother �� Ballyhoo! �� The Afromotive �� Francisco Vidal Band

INDIGO GIRLS MISSY HIGGINS

Saturday, September 13

For complete 2008 concert calendar, please visit

classicchastain.com

Tickets available at the Woodruff Arts Center box ofﬁce, 404.733.5000. Delta Classic Chastain Concerts at Chastain Park Amphitheater brought to you by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Promoter.

Tickets also available at all outlets Charge by phone: 404.249.6400 ��Online: ticketmaster.com Concerts take place rain or shine. All artists and schedules subject to change without notice. All sales ﬁnal. No exchanges or refunds.

PG 21 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

Road Warriors

This Month’s Hottest Shows BY JOHN DAVIDSON 08/08 HIPPIEFEST

Chastain Park Amphitheatre Hard to see why they are calling this rolling oldies gig “Hippiefest”, given that the hippie movement has been absent for nearly four decades. If that’s not enough, the acts involved—Badﬁnger, The Animals, Cream’s Jack Bruce, The Turtles, and a few other inconsequentials—hardly typify the ‘60s hippie crowd. But if every compilation show like this needs a marketing angle, then perhaps working the nostalgia angle is the only way to sell tickets.

08/09 GIPSY KINGS

Chastain Park Amphitheatre For three decades, the Gipsy Kings have plied ﬂamenco guitars and world rhythms into a fusion of jazzy pop/rock and become a worldwide draw along the way. There are few acts so perfectly built for a show under the stars at Chastain, what with the soothing pulse of new age and just enough volume to make everyone feel sophisticated and slightly hip at the same time.

08/12 ROCKSTAR ENERGY MAYHEM FESTIVAL Lakewood Amphitheatre

Headliners like Mastodon and Slipknot will be the big draw, but the rest of the supporters (36 Crazy Fists, Airbourne, Black Tide, Disturbed, Dragonforce, Five Finger Death Punch) correctly peg this festival to its namesake. Expect a lot of energy, underage drinking, and a requisite amount of parent-free anarchy on a long, hot August day. Rockstar Energy drink promises to only add to the excitement.

08/13 THE BEACH BOYS

Chastain Park Amphitheatre Hardly any of them are boys, let alone original members, let alone the key members. But Mike Love and his gang of hired guns perpetuate the endless summer anyway, robbing much of the Beach Boys’ innocence and craft along the way. Sure, it’s the way of the business and this carnival has been kind of pitiful for almost two decades now—that’s right, twenty years of fake Beach Boys—but maybe you don’t care because the songs are still pretty great.

08/13 JACK JOHNSON

Lakewood Amphitheatre This is the most surprising lineup in recent memory, a middle of the road pop act like Jack Johnson letting two relatively obscure indie acts open him up. Rogue Wave’s fragmented rock sound seems ill ﬁt for a shed show, and Neil Halstead’s best

days (as ace in ‘90s shoegazer act Slowdive, then in the countriﬁed Mojave 3) are kind of behind him. Still, if the jam-band kids can be converted, Jack Johnson can rightfully take credit.

08/17 BLUES TRAVELER

Chastain Park Amphitheatre Blues Traveler were a huge act in the mid1990s, a touring band that hit it long and hard until they found radio success and nearly lost lead singer John Popper to heart disease. Local heroes Collective Soul quietly made a few solid albums and sold millions worldwide, then kind of disappeared with Napster. As for Live, the political preening onstage got the best of them right around the time they ran out of good songs. This is a nice nostalgia show, but little more.

08/17 MELVINS

Drunken Unicorn The Melvins came up in the late ‘80s Seattle scene and never caught the grunge gravy train despite being mentioned endlessly by Nirvana and everyone else with a record deal. That’s because the Melvins are a heavy act that hasn’t compromised their art over the space of two decades, and while the songs are always a bit over the top, the band has been able to survive. A legend, if only a small one.

08/20 JONAS BROTHERS Lakewood Amphitheatre

As the Disneyﬁcation of the music business continues to slip to new lows, it may be time to reassess the value of a guilty pleasure. No one should feel guilty listening to something that they like, but at some point don’t original ideas carry some weight? When does talent—yes, they can play their instruments and sing with the tutelage of a good producer—reign supreme once again?

08/27 MY MORNING JACKET

Fox Theatre My Morning Jacket has quite easily survived both the departure of their founding guitarist/ keyboard player and moving to a big record label. But as the band and recent audiences will attest, MMJ’s relentless musical curiosity has been getting the best of them on the past couple of albums, threatening a lot of goodwill without taking fans to a new level of appreciation. Here’s to hoping that the new songs sound way better from the stage.

08/29 THE REGENERATION TOUR

Chastain Park Amphitheatre As early Generation X continues to grow nostalgic for its youth, its musical references continue to resurface and go for a victory lap. This tour is a collection of acts that were barely famous back in the ‘80s, including the Human League, ABC and A Flock of Seagulls. Their fame was largely linked to a couple of key singles and little else, so having ﬁve bands jump onstage and work six songs deep into their catalogs might be the best strategy if you’re willing to wait around and watch the roadies change equipment an equal number of times.

WRITER INTERVIEW

Pot, Porn & Punk- Mike Edison’s Savage Tales BY JOHN B. MOORE

PORNOGRAPHY… PUNK ROCK… DRUGS… TO QUOTE Mike Edison, that’s not a resume, that’s a crime scene. Edison, sometime punk rocker and former editor/writer of everything from High Times to Hustler, details his exploits working on some of this country’s most notorious periodicals in his aptly titled memoir “I Have Fun Everywhere I Go: Savage Tales of Pot, Porn, Punk Rock, Pro Wrestling, Talking Apes, Evil Bosses, Dirty Blues, American Heroes, and the Most Notorious Magazines in the World.” He spent years playing drums in Sharky’s Machine, The Pleasure Fuckers, The Raunch Hands and behind GG Allin, and has since moved to the front of the stage heading up Edison Rocket Train. But it’s life in ink that takes up the bulk of this fantastically detailed memoir. Edison, now working as a book editor and freelancing on the side, took some time recently to talk about his years spent hanging with the stoners and deviants. Are you still writing for Screw magazine? No, unfortunately Screw is now defunct. We shut down last year sometime for various reasons. When you read the last chapter of my book, that’s where it was heading. Unfortunately the people who bought the magazine out of bankruptcy, after Al (Goldstein) drove it into the ground, didn’t really have the vision to make a great magazine. In fact, I don’t think their goals were ever to make a great magazine. They weren’t prepared to invest in the Internet. As a penny saver for hookers it wasn’t much of a business model, as long as you can get a girl from the Yellow Pages. And they weren’t willing to invest much in editorial. When this Elliot Spitzer thing came up I realized how much I miss my job. Boy, when that astronaut got caught in the diaper I was like, “why can’t we still be doing this?” Were you ever embarrassed to tell your parents “I’m writing for High Times” or “I’m writing for Cherry?” Oh no, of course not. I think my parents were just happy that I had a job. My father was far more upset that I was writing for wrestling magazines. Somehow PG 22 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

that had far less cache than Hustler. One of the things that surprised me about your book is that the publisher, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, is kind of known for more high brow fare… those books you feel like you should read, but you don’t. They’re the best publisher in the world. How did you hook up with them? Because my editor is a visionary who saw that the book would do well there. I got offers from other, bigger corporate publishers and they offered me more money, but all they saw were pot leafs and tits. It was almost like they weren’t even reading the book and I’m a writer and I don’t want this to be the last thing I ever write. I want to be taken seriously for a change. High Times is a pretty big stigma to be walking around with. High Times and pornography. I want to be known as a writer, not a guy who used to work at High Times. I don’t want to be the stoned guy; I want to be the smart guy for a change. That’s why I chose to go with this publisher, because that’s their reputation. They’re a literary publisher. I talked to one publisher and I got the idea that they were going to like print it on a Frisbee and chuck it out like at an Allman Brothers concert. I’m a writer God damnit; I don’t want it on a bong-shaped book. Is there any magazine job– from the porn mags to High Times – that you ever regretted taking? I don’t regret anything. I have zero regrets. I move forward, I’m like a shark. That’s how I stay alive. I’m sorry High Times didn’t work out. I thought I was going to stay there for a long time and I really did believe in the magazine. I’m not a stoner, per se. I like pot, I just don’t like slackers. Any magazines you really wanted to work at? I never really tried to work at any of the other magazines. I don’t really like Conde Nast. I don’t like their corporate culture and I wouldn’t fit in. If they made me the boss that would be ok, but that’s not bloody likely. I have no desire to

work for Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner is the biggest sell out in the business. I don’t want to be part of that. I read the New Yorker every week, but I don’t really want to work for them – I would like to write for them, just not work there. I do like National Geographic and would like to write for them. You’ve played in a number of bands. Do you ever missing playing shows with GG Allin? No. I played a couple of shows and nearly got the shit kicked out of me a few times. I told him, “I really don’t need to see you beat up another audience member or dodging beer bottles.” How many shows did you play with them? Four or five. It was over the course of a couple of years. This was before he went to prison for the big stretch. And I saw him when he got out. He had some other band. I didn’t really want to play with him again. The last time I saw him we were cooking out, having a barbeque, and it was on the roof of someone’s apartment in Manhattan just flipping burgers. We were wearing aprons and the silly chef hats just goofing around and drinking beer. We looked like a couple of suburban dads and we were talking about Chuck Barry, who he loved, and Hank Williams, John Waters and all these things he was into and he said, “You coming to my show tomorrow?” And I’m like, “No. Why would I want to do that? We’re having such a nice time.” He’s like, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Those shows were bad vibes. Obviously you use humor throughout the book. But the thing that hit me was how touching it was in parts, especially when you’re talking about your friends who have since died. Thank you for recognizing that. No one seems to mention that. You’ve obviously covered a lot in this book, but I’m under the impression that there’s a whole lot you haven’t written about yet. Have you thought about continuing this and writing another book? “I Have Fun Everywhere I Go, Part 2”? Yeah, we’ll see if the American reading public is receptive to this one before we go there. But yeah, there’s a lot that’s happened after this book. There’s a lot of things at Screw that I don’t talk about. I certainly don’t want to revisit High Times again. That part is done. Here’s the thing. You get a job reviewing records and people say, “That’s cool, you get free records,” or you review books and you get free books, and then you get to High Times and you get free pot and start reviewing pot, that’s amazing, right? Or you go to a porn mag and you get free movies because you’re reviewing pornos. I reviewed massage parlors for Screw. That beats all of ‘em. “I review records;” that’s nothing, I review blow jobs. That’ll be the next book.

MUSIC INTERVIEW

NATURAL MYSTIC BRIGHT EYES’ CONOR OBERST ON HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM BY B. LOVE

FAVORITE AMONG MUSIC CRITICS and Americana devotees for over a decade now, 28-year-old Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst has almost singlehandedly put the Omaha music scene on the map. Hailed as a stellar singer-songwriter on par with a young Bob Dylan, Oberst emerged at the age of 14 with his first band, Commander Venus; the Saddle Creek label he started with his former bandmates has since put out successful records for Omaha bands such as Cursive and Lullaby For The Working Class. As he prepared to embark on a world tour to promote his new solo album, Oberst took time out to speak with us about his Midwestern upbringing, the success of Bright Eyes and his new album with the Mystic Valley Band. What was your childhood like, growing up in Omaha? Omaha is boring in a lot of ways, but for me and my group of friends, I think that worked to our advantage because it forced us to be creative at an early age and find ways to entertain ourselves. That led to us starting bands and record labels, and doing things we might not have done if we’d had more distractions, outlets or opportunities. How do you think Midwestern life left its imprint on you as a songwriter? Well, I suppose every experience I have informs my songs in some way. All my memories have obviously impacted my songwriting, but the process itself is still a little mysterious to me. I don’t exactly know what leads to what. But I can say that the way we did things with starting our label and touring with the band came from a Midwestern work ethic that was embedded in all of us. It was really easy for us to work hard, and because our idea of success was manageable we always felt like we were achieving success, even when it was just these little victories. I think that’s a very Midwestern concept. What were your definitions of success in the beginning? Well, like the first time we saved up enough money to print our music on CD as opposed to cassette, there was a celebration. The first time we got a van and toured the United States, the first time we toured Europe and Japan, the time when I was able to finally stop working a job and still pay my rent… there were all these milestones along the way, so it’s been a very gradual thing. It’s all generalizations, but I think in other places around the world there’s a certain mindset that says you have to get that big lottery prize right away in order to keep your interest. You became pretty well known on the indie scene when you were just 14: What were the positives and negatives about getting so much attention at such an early age? Well, obviously with attention comes opportunities, and I’ve been really blessed to be able to play music for a living and do all these things that a lot of my friends who are very talented musicians didn’t get a chance to do. Of course, having all of the music that I’ve ever made available for public consumption is a little bit uncomfortable at times. I’ve been making music without having any idea what I was doing for like 15 years, so there’s all kinds of things out there that I’m not super proud of. But at the same time, I have nothing to hide. Do you think having some of those “mistakes” out there gives you a more intimate connection with your audience? Yeah, you know, that could be true. There are some people who’ve gotten themselves in the unenviable position of having to recreate themselves to hide some [musical] past they’re ashamed of. That would be impossible for me, so there’s a bit of freedom in the what-you-see-iswhat-you-get approach.

You didn’t hear much in the press about the Nebraska music scene before you formed Saddle Creek. What was it like to be a musician in Omaha 10 years ago? It was a lot different. Looking at the town now versus when we were starting out in the early and mid ‘90s… there were only a couple of music venues, including a small punk venue and some DIY venues. But for the most part we were playing at people’s houses. The city was a very conservative place, so we always felt at odds with the mainstream society of Omaha, and maybe that juxtaposition fuelled us by giving us something to rebel against. Now, while it’s still a red state, there’s been a lot more attention and respect paid towards the arts, and there’s a lot more venues to support it. It’s a great thing. I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning seemed like a breakthrough record for you. Did it feel like a special time in your career, or was it just another gradual step forward as an artist? Well, when I was making it, it just felt like another record. But when it came out and we went on the tours that came after its release, it definitely felt like things had changed. It was simultaneously very exciting and overwhelming; one of the bigger milestones of my career. What was behind the decision to release the new album under your own name on Merge, rather than Bright Eyes on Saddle Creek? We’ve done a bad job of expressing ourselves to the press sometimes, but Bright Eyes is actually a band with myself, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott. Nate played on the record a little bit, but Mike didn’t play on it at all, so I didn’t feel like I could call it Bright Eyes. As far as Merge goes, everything at Saddle Creek is going well, but after releasing records with Saddle Creek my whole career, having fresh people working my music was exciting. It was mainly about a curiosity to see what it would be like, but since I’m a big fan of Merge and have friends who’ve been on the label over the years, it felt very comfortable. How did you connect with Nik Freitas and Taylor Hollingsworth, and how do you think working with them affected your sound? I met Nik through my friend Jim Fairchild, who played guitar in Grandaddy. I heard a record Nik made and thought it was great, so I approached him about letting me release on my label, Team Love. He’s a great guitarist and harmony singer, and when I wrote this batch of songs I’d written and was trying to think of which friends would complement them the best, he came to mind. Taylor is from Birmingham, Alabama, and so is Macy Taylor, who plays bass on the record and is the brother of my old friend and associate Maria Taylor. So I know Taylor through my friends in Birmingham, and he’s just a sick rock ‘n’ roll guitarist. As Taylor describes it, I think they brought the boogie-woogie to the record. What was the experience like recording the album down in Mexico? Going into the record, I knew I didn’t want to make it in a traditional studio, so I started looking for houses we could live and work in. I had a friend down in Mexico who found this place in Tepoztlán and sent pictures of it, and it was perfect. There was a bit of logistical difficulties with shipping all the equipment down there, but once we set up, it was perfect. It was a really casual experience: My whole idea was, if at any point we felt restless or like things weren’t going the way we wanted, we just stopped and hung out, or drove two hours into Mexico City to party. We were there for six weeks, but we could’ve made the record in two. Now that you’re a world-traveling rock star, what do you miss most about life back home in Omaha? Just the people, more than anything, because my family and my friends are here. I’ve learned that it’s not where you are, but who you’re with, and at this point most of

the people I play with and the crew on my shows are all friends of mine. But you can’t ever erase the memories of your hometown. Where would you recommend first-time visitors go to get a true taste of the city? Well, we have a world-class zoo (Henry Doorly Zoo) that’s been ranked like second in the country. Downtown is where a lot of the music venues are, including a really cool one called The Waiting Room and another one called Slowdown that the guys who run Saddle Creek opened. There’s a neighborhood called Benson that’s got a little bit of a bohemian revival going on. We have a minor league baseball team called the Omaha Royals, and it’s always fun to catch a game. And there’s a great art house movie theater called Film Streams that does short runs of foreign films and cool indie flicks. So there are a lot of things going on here now. Will there be another Mystic Valley Band record, or is this a one-time deal? I don’t know. We’re just kinda taking it as it comes, you know? It’d be great, but we don’t have any immediate plans.

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MUSIC

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By B. Love, DeMarco Williams, John Davidson, John B. Moore, Matt Goldberg & Jon Latham

SIGUR ROS – MEÐ SUÐ Í EYRUM VIÐ SPILUM ENDALAUST (XL Recordings) Icelandic quartet’s new sonic epic �� NAS – SELF-TITLED (Columbia) Black in America: The Street Version �� PG 24 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

��

�� COLLECTIVE EFFORTS – TIME FOR HOPE (1320) Excellent indie hip-hop �� JUDI CHICAGO – JUDI CHICAGO X 1,000,000 (Self Released) Making dance music fun again ��

16 HORSEPOWER – LIVE MARCH 2001 (Alternative Tentacles) Another live record?!?! �� SUGARLAND – LOVE ON THE INSIDE (Mercury Nashville) Mainstream country that doesn’t suck? Who’d-a thunk it… ��

�� KEANTHONY – A HUSTLAZ STORY (Warner Bros./ Reprise) A guided tour down soul street ��

�� CRY ME A RIVER – SELF-TITLED EP (Self Released) Former Treephort members reunite with new sound �� SLOAN – PARALLEL PLAY (Yep Roc) & THE SILENT YEARS – THE GLOBE (First Date) Passing on the indie-rock torch ��

�� AMY RAY – DIDN’T IT FEEL KINDER (Daemon) Veteran stretching her sound �� VARIOUS ARTISTS – UNWRAPPED VOL. 5.0: THE COLLIPARK CAFÉ SESSIONS (Hidden Beach) The Dirty South Sound, with a dash of jazz ��

THE UNEMPLOYED MISFORTUNE – FUCK WORK (High Electric) The band that will help save power-pop from extinction ��

MUSIC INTERVIEW

LESS THAN JAKE The New Music Business Model

GRUPO FANTASMA – SONIDOS GOLD (High Wire Music) Latin rock fusion= muy caliente! �� SEUN KUTI – MANY THINGS (Disorient) Like father, like son ��

BY JOHN B. MOORE

HOUGH THEY’VE BEEN TOGETHER now for more than 15 years, Less Than Jake is starting all over again. Having recently broken away from Warner Bros. and retained ownership (finally) of most of their earlier recordings, Gainesville, FL’s ska/ punk legends have decided to start their own label, Sleep It Off Records, and go it alone. Longtime saxophonist Peter “JR” Wasilewski took some time recently to speak with us about the new label, the new record and the current state of the music biz. Less Than Jake has been together about 15 years now. How have you been able to keep it together for so long when most bands implode in a few years? I don’t know. We all love each other and we all hate each other, but we’re honest about it. When we love each other we tell each other, and when we hate each other we do as well. Does it help that you don’t all live in the same town anymore? Well, we still live pretty close. When we’re in Gainesville working and writing I live with Buddy (Schaub, trombonist and guitarist). We’re all close and we talk, but when we have our down time, our separation time, I don’t really talk to anybody. Alone time kind of helps. Also, I manage a couple of bands and it’s funny because the kids that I manage are between 19 and 23 and I think (younger bands) tend to take themselves so seriously. Also, when you’re in a band with people, they tend to be creative and creative people tend to be a little off. I’m way off and so is everybody else in the band. But its how you deal with people’s quirks… the other thing is there are so many bands out there that think the world owes them a platinum record. It’s just arrogant. That’s basically why I find that bands can’t stay together any more. All they do is bitch; nobody wants to work it out. I agree. And they all seem to be indistinguishable. How many fucking flat irons is Clairol selling nowadays? I’m buying stock in Clairol flat irons. It’s insane. That and white belts. I’m not hating, I’m just busting balls. Let’s talk about the reissues. How long have you wanted to re-release the first three records? Since we stated being a band. The ultimate goal I think when you start being a band is to have ultimate control over everything you make. We don’t totally have it 100 percent, but we’re close. You can print this: this is the last time “Pezcore” will be reissued. It’s been reissued and remastered like four times. But it’s on our label this time. We got these records back and thought we would

reissue them, but you can’t just do the same thing, so we thought we would do new artwork and a DVD for each one. Make it something that kids want to buy. We took a week of shows last year in Florida and recorded on audio and video each record in its entirety and thought it would be a nice thing to include. Do you anticipate putting out more? Our goal is to put out every one of them with the accompanying live DVD. It’s going to take a little time, so everyone will have to be a little patient. Are you putting your next full length out on Sleep it Off? Yeah. We’re only using this as our label, to put out our stuff, so we’re not going to be putting gout other bands. Tell me about the new album, GNV FLA. We caught a lot of flak for our last record. I feel a lot of it was unjustified. But a lot of kids said “What happened to the horns? What happened to the ska?” It was just time for us to step back for a second because we were stuck in major label land for five years and we were playing the game. We didn’t want to be a part of this game anymore. Warner was very cool and let us out of our deal, and they were very gracious, saying “Good luck.” Did you think about just going back to another indie, rather than starting your own label? No. I think there was some talk for a second, but it just made sense to do it on our own. Really if everything gets fucked up, you can only blame yourself. It’s on us, so there is a lot of added pressure and there’s more work involved, but we’ve never been afraid of a hard day’s work. It’s all about the common goal that is Less Than Jake. It’s a little scary but we don’t have to answer to anyone else. I’m assuming that financially it’s a better deal for you as well. CDs don’t sell anymore. It’s all about MP3s, so we cut out the middleman. Look at a band like Radiohead – and we’re not Radiohead – but what they did was so groundbreaking. The people who are going to buy it are going to buy it. Why do we need a label anymore? All the labels are freakin’ out because they don’t know what to do. If we were to sign with another major label today, they would treat us like a new band and sign us to one of those 360 deals, where they would get a percentage of our touring money and a percentage of our merch money and all of this other bullshit. We have worked so hard and made some many other people money for so many years. Personally, I’m stoked that we get equal pay for equal work finally. It’s scary, but it’s exciting. PG 25 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

MUSIC INTERVIEW

One act, Three 6 Maﬁa, was given the key to the city. The other, C-Murder, was jailed and nearly forgetten about. INsite meets’em both at the crossroads. BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

T’S GETTING EASIER OUT HERE FOR A PIMP. There was a time when the mainstream media wouldn’t give Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J and DJ Paul a blink’s notice. They had love in their native Memphis, sure, off bass-thumping albums like Chapter 2: World Domination (which featured the hit “Tear Da Club Up”) and When the Smoke Clears (“Sippin’ On Some Syrup”), but nobody on a national scale was taking them seriously. Then an indie flick called Hustle & Flow happened. Three 6’s song “Hard Out Here For a Pimp” was a surprise smash from the soundtrack, even winning the Best Song award at the ’06 Oscars. The rest isn’t just history, it’s damn near unimaginable. The duo would go on to have their own MTV show and even guest star on CBS’ Numbers. Times were great. And with the release of the anticipated ninth CD, Last 2 Walk, they look to only continue. For C-Murder, things haven’t gone quite as smoothly. Back in the late 90s, stuff was cool. C-Murder and his big bro, Master P, were Ughhhhing all the way to the bank. And let’s not forget all the work C-Murder (born Corey Miller) put in on the solo tip with No Limit Records. The N’awlins-born rapper found success on the platinum-earning Life or Death and Bossalinie. Unfortunately, he also found plenty of trouble. Back in ’02, C-Murder was charged with second degree murder of a 16-year-old boy. He faced a life sentence with no chance of parole. Miller is currently awaiting a re-trial, and is under a strict house arrest. With time to himself, he’s had plenty of chances to think about choices and orchestrate his most personal CD yet, Screamin’ 4 Vengeance. Here, C-Murder and Three 6’s Juicy J speak on life’s ploys and joys.

JUICY J What was it like getting the key to the city from the mayor of Memphis? Oﬀ the chain, man. They not only gave us the key, but they gave us a note on Beale Street. That’s real hard to get. They showed us a lot of love. We appreciate it, man. We put in a lot of work and people are starting to recognize it. You’ve been doing this since the early 90s. What kept you motivated during those times when folks outside the South were ignoring you? You can’t give up, man. If you got something good and you believe in what you got, you got to keep on pushing. Never give up. We don’t believe in giving up.

be more interested in than the song you picked. It’s almost like a guessing game. Should we use this song? You let people hear the album and they go, “That should be the single.” Go to the label and they go, “That should be the single.” Somebody on the street might be like, “No, man, use that as a single.” That’s the hardest part: really deciding which single you’re going to use. Did you guess right this time with “Lolli Lolli”? Hell yeah. Have you all lightened up over the years? Nah, we’re still on that. This new album is ‘bout the darkest album we dun had to date. It’s super dark. When you hear it, you’ll be like, “Oooh, shit.” It takes you back to the mid 90s. But the first single is kinda light? That’s actually our second single. Our first single was “I’d Rather.” I love having sex but I’d rather get some head… Have you heard that one? That was our first single, but a lot of radio stations didn’t wanna play it ‘cuz it was so dirty. But the clubs loved it. A lot of times, we put one or two different kinds of songs on the album. The “Lolli” record was different. The label thought it was a hit. We thought it was a hit. When we put that one out, it just shot up in

Beyond the Oscars, what are some of your proudest accomplishments? Man, these shows. These record sales. We YOU CAN’T GIVE UP, MAN. did our ﬁrst overseas tour in Europe. The AND YOU BELIEVE IN WHAT new women we got.

because you have a lot more to rap about? I just stepped my game up, first and foremost. A nigga has been through beacoup [drama]. I’ve definitely been through a lot, so I got a lot more to speak on and speak about too, ya know what I’m sayin’? Do you miss anything about those glory, No Limit days? The only thing I really miss is hitting the road, bruh. I kinda miss being on stage and performing on the stage and getting them hyped and stuff. I reminisce about that a lot, ya heard me? This Screamin’ 4 Vengeance record has to be extremely personal. Tell me a few things that long-time fans and new ones can expect. They can expect a complete record, with the old-school CMurder. Lyrically, I’m rapping about what’s going on in society and stuff like that. My fans are loyal to me. One thing they know when they pick up a C-Murder record is that they’re getting a straight C record. I’m putting all of my efforts into it. The beats are crucial. My crew Deadly Soundz production did most of the tracks on there. Plus, I’m introducing all my new cats under the Tru Records label [a brand he started with brother Master P]. Fans got a lot to [look forward to].

IF YOU GOT SOMETHING GOOD YOU GOT, YOU GOT TO KEEP ON PUSHING. NEVER GIVE UP. WE DON’T BELIEVE IN GIVING UP.

What are you most proud of outside of music? I can make sure my mom is straight, make sure my family is straight. I gotta take care of my family. Family come ﬁrst. You gotta take care of your mom and pop and brothers and sisters. You gotta give everybody a helpin’ hand.

Can you get used to that acting thing? Yeah, man. It’s not easy to do. Actin’ is serious. It ain’t like you just walk up there and start actin’. We’re willing to try some different stuff. There’s a lot of money in the movie business. We actually produced three movies ourselves three years ago: Choices, Choices 2 and another movie we called The Clean-Up Man. It was independent. It went straight to DVD. But there’s a lot of money in the movie world, man. We’re willing to try it. It’s hard work to do it. Are you saying there’s a lot of money in the mainstream route or doing it independently with the DVDs? Independent DVDs. That’s where the money at. The mainstream stuff is good when you’re a good actor, but you gotta work your way up. It takes years to work your way up to those big Will Smith/ Denzel Washington numbers. That’s hard to do. Independent DVDs [are money-makers]. What’s the hardest aspect of putting together a hot CD? A single. We put together good albums, but the single is the hardest part ‘cuz you might make 40, 50 songs and pick the wrong single. It might be something else on there that somebody would

PG 26 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

the charts. It’s still moving fast. Every week it’s moving up. I ain’t mad at it at all. We put out “Dope Boy Fresh,” “Like Money” and “I’d Rather.” We put out a lot of street records. We put out four or five street records for the clubs. Then we put out this “Lolli” record, and that’s the one that actually took off at the radio. But the album don’t sound like that though. With every Three 6 album, we might have one or two songs that sound different. But the album is completely dark. Straight gangsta. Straight hood. Yep, the old Three 6 is still there. When you hear it, you’re gonna be like, “Damn!” You’re gonna be shocked. Good Charlotte is on the album? You’re gonna be shocked when you hear that record. It’s not a rock record; it’s a gangsta record. We like for people to be surprised and go, “Oh shit!”

C-MURDER With all the heavy stuﬀ going on around you right now, what is the creative process like? There’s a lot going on, but at the same time, I ain’t let a lot of that get to me. I just feel like that right now I’m at the top of my game, bruh. When I get into that booth, I feel like I’m in the zone lyrically, ya heard me? I’m real excited about this record. We just dropped it. I just hope that the fans like it. Let’s talk a little bit about that zone you’re speaking of. Is it

What has been the reaction so far from folks who’ve heard the album? Crucial, man. They been lovin’ the records, lovin’ the tracks, lovin’ the lyrics. They’re saying that this is one of my best projects, so that’s good.

Which acts are you most excited about from Tru? The first group to come out will be the Cutt Boyz. That group consists of me, G. Dinero, Verse and Max Minelli. Next in the gate to drop will be my homie Verse. He’ll be a solo project. Julie B, Tameka, and J. Lyric [are next] just to name a couple. Barack Obama is in the news on the daily now. Do you find yourself interested in the political process right now? Definitely. I’ve been following it real hard. I’m 100% Barack. I mean, I think he’s for the people. I think he’s bringing a lot as far as overseas-wise, as far as meeting up with countries and stuff like that. He’s more approachable, especially more approachable than Bush or McCain, ya heard me? And a lot of issues he talks about are mostly issues of bringing the inner-city up, I’m feelin’ him. Say a couple of words of advice to people thinking about giving up. You know, when you’re going through something that’s a real situation in their life, first and foremost, don’t give up. Always look for a way out and always look for an answer and try to work your way through any situation. Keep your head together. One of the main factors, too, is for your family to be behind you. Reach out to your fam. Has it been your family that has been your main support? You know, I got a big family. I got my Tru Records family then I got my blood family, ya heard me?

MUSIC INTERVIEW

The Street Dogs BY JOHN B. MOORE

Ready For the Big Time

HE STREET DOGS have always been destined for something bigger. Their fist-in-theair, blue-collar street punk anthems could fill arenas, but the band’s been hampered by smaller labels with little distribution. As a result, the Boston quintet has spent the past five years flying under the radar. Now signed to punk-rock powerhouse Hellcat Records, with a brilliant new record called Saving Grace coming out this summer, the band is ready to prove to the world exactly what they may have been missing out on. We spoke with bassist Johnny Rioux and guitarist Tobe Bean recently, talking about everything from the new record to politics. What can you tell me about the new record? Johnny: The new record is a compilation of the best 11 songs we’ve recorded to date. We and our producer and spiritual guru, Ted Hutt, found a way to encompass all of our musical influences and explore new musical boundaries all on one CD. I think musically and sonically we’ve outdone our previous efforts, and I’m so proud of the result. Fans and friends that I’ve played the record for have said that it delivers the same fire power as our previous albums, but is also new and exciting. Paul (Rucker, drums) and I tried to find other influences for rhythms from crazy British music forced on us by our producer. Although I wasn’t super happy listening, the result was effective and we came up with some great ideas! I can’t wait for July 8th. Tobe: I can tell you we should have called it album of the year! Ha, ha! But really, it’s an album that we are extremely proud of. We definitely stretched ourselves this time around and showed some new sides to us that we haven’t displayed before. Songs of promise, anger, sorrow, remembrance, protest, and hope. I just listened to it again today and I’m really into how Mike’s lyrics are really colorful and tell some great stories. I guess it’s what the critics would call a very raw and organic record. Fuck that sounded really snarky huh? Anyway...fans will be stoked! Do you have any guests on State of Grace? Johnny: Yes, my friend Heather Waters. Heather and I used to do open mic together in Portsmouth, NH and play old style country and rockabilly. She has an amazing voice and now lives in LA, writing and recording alt-country/folk type stuff. She sang a duet with Mike on “Elizabeth,” a song Mike wrote about his grandmother. The crazy thing about the song is that when we first tracked it, we weren’t sure it would make the record. Now it’s a lot of people’s favorite song on the record. Tim (Armstrong) actually wanted it to be our first track that we send to radio and put online. That is the craziest part of making a record, what you think is the best song ends up being the worst and the worst song turns out to be the best. In addition to Heather, Joe Gittleman (bassist of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones) has done backing vocals on every release we’ve ever done! “State Of Grace” was no exception. Joe has an amazing voice, ear, and is a great friend of ours. Ever want to know how your record sounds? Invite Joe, let him listen and watch his face. He doesn’t need to say a word. We also have some bagpipes as an outro on “Kevin J O’Toole,” and pipes and drums in the title track, “A State of Grace.” Ted invited his friend Lorne Cousin to play pipes, and Steve Sidelynk to play marching drums. Steve and Lorne actually play with Madonna of all people and Steve has played with Style Council, Seal. The two of those guys and Ted have a great dance type bagpipe drum band called Dram that Mike did some guest vocals on. Tobe: Um maybe... We had tons of guests that visited through the making of the record like a lot of the Hellcat staff, Chris LaSalle, and Tim Armstrong. That was a trip the night Tim showed up. Mike was tracking vocals and Tim walked in and really lit up the room. Such a great guy and influence and gave a lot of great input to some of tracks.

I know you’ve been out on the road for a while now. Have you been playing any of the new songs? Johnny: Saying we’ve been on the road for a while is an understatement. We are road warriors! We’ve played “Mean Fist” and “Kevin J O’Toole” live for the last tour and they went over great! Particularly “Kevin J O’Toole.” People can really identify with stories of lost family members. That’s my favorite new live song, at least until we start playing “2 Angry Kids”... Tobe: Yeah! We were just out with Anti Flag and we rotated three different tracks through the set. “Kevin J. O’Toole,” “Mean Fist” and “General’s Boombox.” I was so blown away to see kids setting it off and even attempting to sing the choruses. It’s always a weird moment when you debut new songs because you expect minimal response as kids wrap their heads around your new songs, but this time it felt like we had been playing those songs for years. Johnny, I remember hearing about the seizure you had on stage last year. Are you doing ok now? Johnny: I did, and thank you for asking about my well being. That was a really scary night. It happened on the fourth song of our set in Omaha, NE on the Flogging Molly tour. I don’t remember anything except coming to with a medic standing over me with a needle in the dressing room. Tobe was yelling for me to go to the emergency room but I told him I’d go after we played. When he told me we’d already played, that I had a seizure, and I saw our gear being loaded off stage, I knew I had to go to the hospital. Apparently, there were some firefighters that jumped the barricade to help resuscitate me and I’m eternally grateful to them. We had been (and still are) touring relentlessly and exhaustion was a factor. I see a vacation in my near future! Tobe: That was a horrific moment for me. I was standing next to him and realized his playing was really off. I looked over at him and expected to see him laugh as we do when we fuck up but instead he looked really odd. I grabbed a hold of him and he collapsed and we both went down. My first instinct was that we were

getting electrocuted and our tech thought the same thing and was trying to rip the guitars off of us. We are still not sure what caused it but just to be safe we have a strict no strobe policy now. I’m probably more sensitive to it and freak out on lighting guys because Rioux doesn’t remember it. It was awful. But after all that, he was onstage the next night and finished a grueling five week winter tour without letting up.

How did the signing with Hellcat come about? Johnny: Hellcat has been our goal and dream since 2003. We are still pinching ourselves! Chris LaSalle of Hellcat has been a friend of mine for a while and a strong advocate and fan of ours. Tim and the Rancid guys have always been in our corner as well. It couldn’t happen in the past for various reasons but the stars aligned and contracts ran out so here we are! It is the best and most natural home for us. The staﬀ of that label is second to none. We are ﬁnally no longer doing this ourselves and are part of a really great musical community. Tobe: When our contract with our former label was up we just received a phone call from a friend who was associated with the label and asked what was next for Street Dogs. We informed him that more records and more tours and he simply said well you should be with Hellcat. Next time in LA, we had lunch with Chris LaSalle and Brett Gurewitz and a few months later we were starting to work on “State of Grace.” It’s been really laid back and natural working with them and so far they have hit nothing but home runs for us. I couldn’t think of any better label to be with. You guys have not shied away from writing political songs in the past. With this being an election year, do you plan on using your shows to encourage kids to get more involved politically? Johnny: We’ve always been political from an autobiographical and lyrical sense, but we have never shoved our views down a person’s throat and want it to stay that way. I think people know we are anti-war and pro-labor, so that automatically makes us lefties. We

are certainly going to continue to encourage voting and being active for change. Probably more so this year. It is an exciting and optimistic time to be an American. That being said, we will keep to the idea that we are musicians and are no more qualified to preach than the guy making cappuccinos at Starbucks. Tobe: You know this record is not quite as political as “Fading American Dream.” I think we have always conveyed our political views but also never forced an opinion. I can sit at the merch booth all night and tell kids the current administration is doing nothing but wrecking our country and smearing our reputation abroad, but I’m not a lobbyist or a figure on a news channel. I prefer to talk about the issues and let kids find their way to what’s going on. Being an election year we definitely have some plans to get our fans politically involved, most importantly getting registered and voting! There is a real excitement amongst young kids this time and they know they have the power to do something special and get their voices heard. Being a political band you have to let your fans have some victories and hope or they just get tired of hearing a bunch of preaching and contradictions.

What’s next for the band after the record comes out? Johnny: Touring some more. We are going to try to become more “international” on this record. We’ve been to Europe several times and Japan once but I wanna hit Hawaii, Australia, Alaska, China, South America and so on. We have a label that can sell records ﬁnally. We are going to take full advantage of it. I also need more stories to tell my grandkids while in my rocking chair. Tobe: Well the record drops July 8 while we are on the Warped tour. Right after Warped Tour we will be heading out on a full headlining tour! That’s right kiddos...you get to see us for more than 45 minutes. We will be taking out Time Again, Flatfoot 56, and some great regional/local acts...supporting the local scene! We also are making our back to Europe in Nov/ Dec and then our annual “Wreck the Halls!” show in Boston at Xmas time.

WE DEFINITELY STRETCHED OURSELVES THIS TIME AROUND AND SHOWED SOME NEW SIDES TO US THAT WE HAVEN’T DISPLAYED BEFORE. SONGS OF PROMISE, ANGER, SORROW, REMEMBRANCE, PROTEST, AND HOPE. I JUST LISTENED TO IT AGAIN TODAY AND I’M REALLY INTO HOW MIKE’S LYRICS ARE REALLY COLORFUL AND TELL SOME GREAT STORIES.

PG 27 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

MUSIC INTERVIEW

Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood: Holding Down the Home Front BY JON LATHAM

N STAGE, PATTERSON HOOD delivers his hard-hitting narratives with the Drive-By Truckers with a fearless, spitﬁre swagger that rivals his hero Neil Young in front of Crazy Horse in their heyday. Fleshed out, American gothic tales like those on Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, the Truckers’ 19-song opus released earlier in the year, are brought to life by Hood and his bandmates in marathon live sets awash with beer, sweat, and soul. Walking towards me, Patterson’s intimidating, commanding stage persona, if you want to call it that, gives way to a genuinely nice, loving southern man. Though his songs like “Sink Hole” and “The Righteous Path” paint pictures of hard living and low times, the man himself is all smiles, with a passion for the music he makes, and the legacy of music that has inspired it. Drive-By Truckers have been on the road touring behind Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, which you have said was really birthed out of the acoustic-driven “Dirt Underneath” tour that you did. Do you feel like that experience, even with the line-up change and hard times leading up to it, served as an outlet leading to a rejuvenation of the band? I totally feel that. Making the last record was just an amazing experience for us. We had [keyboardist Spooner Oldham] in there with us, and it was the most organic and easy record we have ever made. We didn’t plan on recording that many songs; it just happened so naturally and fast that we ended up with such a long record. Everything is moving in the right direction for us.

PG 28 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

You have been a huge advocate of getting this album released on vinyl, which ﬁnally happened a month or so ago. What did you think upon hearing the vinyl press? It sounds better than the CD, the way that it was supposed to. I would have liked for it to come out six months ago, but better late than never. [Laughs] I’m really happy with it. Aside from the Truckers, you’ve been sitting on your second solo album, Murdering Oscar (and Other Love Songs) for a while now. When will we be hearing that ﬁnished album? It’s got to come out next year. Every day that it’s not out, it eats at me a little bit. It was originally [slated for release] four years ago. Half of the

record was written in ’94, and the other half was written ten years later. The songs are all about the same thing; the funny thing is your perspective [on things] changes in ten years. So the characters [on this record] are kind of me at a younger age, which is a big part of it. At Truckers shows, there can easily be an unpredictable feeling in the crowd. In certain cases, good ol’ boys can infiltrate the crowd, and I witnessed first-hand a drunk idiot interrupt you on stage. Do you feel that there is a misconception by some fans as to what you do? There’s gonna be some crazy people at times, people who get a little too drunk. Overall the people who come to see our shows are genuinely a pretty good bunch of folks. They’re obviously pretty open-minded, because they accept all the different directions that we veer into on any given night. They’re genuinely pretty well-read and smart; I would hate to play for a bunch of dumbasses every night.

You draw many comparisons to many different acts; the most covered usually being the comparison to Lynyrd Skynyrd via the album Southern Rock Opera. I personally have seen more that would put you in a category with the likes of The Band. On stage, I see a lot of Springsteen in a Truckers show, between the narrative slant that every show ends up taking, the marathon length, and the lack of a concrete set list. Back in my old band with [Truckers counterpart] Mike Cooley, I’d spend thirty minutes before showtime making up a set list, and then I’d walk out [on stage] to find [the vibe] was different than what I thought it would be. I’d change the set up and Cooley would get so mad, saying, “Goddammit. Go with the set list; you’re fuckin’ it up!” Then one day, he just said, “If you’re gonna do what you want to anyway, why waste time on a fuckin’ set list?” So we just threw it out [from thereon]. I love The Band; they are probably our favorite band, if we had to pick one. They are probably the greatest rock and roll band that ever existed. Your father, David Hood, is part of the legacy in the Muscle Shoals sound, and you now have a connection to that legacy through the Truckers’ collaboration with Spooner. You also share in part of the legacy of the Athens, Georgia music scene, as well as the Redneck Underground movement birthed out of Atlanta. Do you feel that all of these homefronts intertwine to nest where the Truckers are now? Oh yeah, for sure. We wouldn’t be doing what we do if some of us didn’t come from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It figures very big into what we’ve become. We also wouldn’t be doing it if I hadn’t moved to Athens. I’d tried for years to do something [in music], and the missing link was being in a community that had a scene. All of a sudden, I could be a part of something. Living in Athens was life-changing for me, and for the band.

Book Review SO WRONG FOR SO LONG: HOW THE PRESS, THE PUNDITS AND THE PRESIDENT FAILED ON IRAQ

Author: Greg Mitchell BY JOHN B. MOORE

The fact that the press had a huge hand in helping the Bush administration sell the war on Iraq to the U.S. public is hardly a new revelation. There are already shelves of books detailing how mainstream media failed their audiences, serving as little more than publicists for the hawks that had been dying to go back to war with Saddam since Bush I. But Greg Mitchell, editor of the media trade pub Editor & Publisher, does such a beautiful job of laying out the argument that the mainstream media, both print and TV, were asleep at the wheel in the months leading up to the bombing and subsequent war with Iraq, that his book is worth reading over all others on the topic. Mitchell’s main assessment is that the media, unsure of how to react after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, simply stopped asking the right questions. Even teenage reporters at high school papers know that you don’t simply take statements from authority ﬁgures as gospel without asking more questions or looking for details to back up the statements. Mitchell recalls speeches given by administration reps - including the infamous UN address that ultimately destroyed Colin Powell’s credibility - to point out the poorly researched statements and arguments for war, and in some cases outright lies. The strongest indictment on the media, however, comes straight from the reporters who helped create the pre-war hype, when Mitchell reprints the articles that in retrospect would get a failing grade in just about any journalism school. He also quotes extensively from reporters who confess to the amount of pressure they were under from bosses, (both publishers and network heads) to turn up the pro-America, jingoism on everything from the stories they were reporting on to the waving American ﬂags in the corner of the TV screens, making every station look like a Fox News clone. Grade: B+

CELEBRITY CORNER

Wanton Distraction Comic-Con 2008: A First-Timer’s Perspective BY MATT GOLDBERG I had no idea what to expect from Comic-Con. I’m not a big Con-goer in general. I went to Anime Weekend Atlanta in 2000 and DragonCon in 1998. That’s the sum total of my con experience and, in some ways, Comic-Con was the same…just bigger. At some point, a crowd is just a crowd, and whether you’re crushed among thousands of people or tens of thousands, you’re still just as unable to breathe. There’s certainly ten times more to do at ComicCon than at either of those two cons combined, but the programming isn’t the experience. Panels are knowledge, and aside from some trailers and clips, you can read anyone’s reporting of the event and get a pretty good idea of what happened, all from the comfort of your own home. I overheard regular attendees talking about how this was the craziest year yet, with every single day selling out before the Con began. Then there was the “Preview Night,” which folks said was as packed as a Friday night, which was highly unusual. It didn’t seem that odd to me. If you have a bunch of action figure exclusives on the floor and a bunch of folks lined up to collect their weekend pass, why wouldn’t they all stick around and swarm the exhibitors floor? Comic-Con 2008 held numerous questions and revelations for me, which I will now list below: 1. Frosty wasn’t kidding when he talked about lines. There’s a line for everything except the bathroom (thank goodness). Seeing people waiting in a line for a day pass seemed cruelest of all. Imagine you’re going on Saturday. You wait in line for your day pass and by the time you get it, the Con has already started and now you’re off to stand in another line, let’s say

AUTOMOBILES FAST LANE

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE STEER HOLDER

2008 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA 2WD XSPORT Tested Price – $22,359 Engine – 2.7L V-6 Gas – 17 city/ 22 highway Warranty – seven-year/100,000 miles

2008 KIA OPTIMA EX Tested Price – $23,435 Engine – 2.4L 4-cyl Gas – 21 city/ 31 highway Warranty – 10-year/100,000 miles

The objective is to get from here to there. That simple truth comes with a lot of variables, of course, like smoothness, safety and sleekness. Suzuki and Kia both have a thorough understanding of this basic principle and, for the most part, have done solid jobs handling the ﬁrst two aspects. Sadly, it’s been

the overall look of the two company’s fleets that has turned so many away. Have they finally figured out how to match their quality performance with good looks? In a few words: not really. The Suzuki Grand Vitara doesn’t do anything to stimulate the eyes. A minimalist of curvature, the SUV looks like a Honda CR-V from three autumns ago. Had a few more risks been taken in the design lab, the company would have a winner because the vehicle’s actual ride is sound. Bumps along the way won’t frighten your suspension. Nor will you experience much initial sticker shock, as fog lamps, a six-disc stereo system and a warranty repair courtesy car are all standard. Know the prettiest thing about Kia’s sedan, the Optima EX? Its highway miles. At a gorgeous 31 mpg, Kia drivers can afford to ride average while snazzier Sebring and Altima owners are behind refueling. Beyond a slight vibration while the car idles, the experience behind the wheel is pleasant. Outside you won’t turn a single head, but that’s just fine. Who really needs admirers when you’re riding from points A to B in something dependably modest that comes with a 100,000-mile warranty? Suzuki: Grade B- | Kia: Grade B

for Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. You don’t get in, so you remain in line for Battlestar Galactica. You still don’t get in. At this point, you have paid for the privilege of standing in a line for half a day. And here’s the kicker: even assuming you did get in, you’d have to stay. And if there was something you really wanted to see, you’d probably have to get there so early that you’d be enduring the panels all the way up until that glorious hour when Joss Whedon and his cast will show you a couple clips from their new show, make you laugh with their witty repartee, and then you’ll see a few fans get up to the mike and gush before asking a question that’s either too simplistic or too obtuse to be of any value. So why would anyone go? Friends. Without friends to share the experience with, it’s gonna be a bad time. I had fun, but I was there to do a job. I didn’t pay for my badge. But for anyone who did, I hope you didn’t want to experience this alone. I don’t care how absorbing your book or videogame or music playlist. That’s nice for a break, but Comic-Con is obviously an EXPERIENCE. If you go, you should be going to create

memories, not to be one of the first people who sees the trailer for Wolverine. 2. Comic-Con requires a bodyguard. Never has the need for someone bigger, tougher, and more intimidating than you been such a strong investment. Whether it’s trying to grab one more poster at Paramount’s booth or simply trying to walk from one point to another, it wouldn’t hurt to have a large gentleman named “Tiny” in your employ. Well, it would hurt. Just not you. Others may get roughed up a little bit. 3. Comfortable footwear is essential. When I first bought my Doc Martens back in January, I was told they would last and stay comfortable forever. By the end of this weekend, I needed a new pair of feet. I began to envy those in wheelchairs. I hated those fat people in motorized scooters more than I ever thought possible. I contemplated hijacking a wheelchair or a scooter. Just as Hot Pretzel and Starbucks vendors make a killing by selling over-priced food, there is definitely a market at Comic-Con for foot rubs. It wouldn’t be a pleasant job, but you might just get a nifty red polo shirt that says “Elite”! 4. Heath Ledger’s Joker has changed things. Now you can be a memorable, instantly recognizable villain by just slapping on some white pancake foundation, smearing on a little red lipstick, drawing in some dark circles around your eyes and throwing some green dye into your hair. For many Jokers I saw around the con, they didn’t want to go the extra mile of the purple suit, but I understand. Purple suits are hard to find. They’re custom-made. More disappointing is that I didn’t see a lot of Jokers in character. If you want to do Ledger’s Joker, the key is to act like you’re constantly thirsty. 5. Find a way to embrace it. While it’s fun to laugh and point at the fat guy who can’t pull off that Solid Snake costume, there are a painful amount of goodlooking women dressed as your beloved heroes of pop culture. I wish I had loosened up a bit and just taken some photos of some of the great costumes I saw.

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ENTERTAINMENT TRAVEL

To Promote Your Business in ATLANTA ON THE CHEAP CALL STEVE AT 404-315-8485 PG 29 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

Rocker Girl Evolves with My Jolly Family Psycho Sisters founder develops a new product promoting the family

ops

Winner Best Consignment Store

Check out Angie’s new project MyJollyFamily.com

Seventeen years ago, Angie McLean a young independent woman ready to take on the world opened the first Psycho Sisters store in Little Five Points. Angie’s free spirit was evident throughout the store from the hip clothing she chose to the stores colorful and vibrant design. Over the years the Psycho Sisters clothing consignment shop concept has flourished. Psycho Sisters now has stores in Sandy Springs, Catersville and Lilburn in addition to the original location. During this time many other clothing consignment shops have opened in Atlanta, but none matches the Psycho Sisters attitude. For Angie, her rough demeaner has softened over time. She no longer is the rocker girl she once was. Angie now has a family of her own including a 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son. We asked Angie how this new idea came about. She replied, “The concept of MYJOLLYFAMILY.COM was created while I was driving home from Clearwater, Florida after Thanksgiving '07 with my family. While driving and looking at the backs of all the cars the idea just came to me. Why not create a large assortment of full color characters of family members to be placed on the rear windshield of automobiles, letting people say who they are on the back of their car? People could choose from hundreds of family members doing what they do! Soccer mom, business man, bowling guy, punk rock teen, ballerina daughter, crying baby, family pets as well as custom images could represent the hobbies each individual family loves to do with each character being available in four different ethnicities.”

DJ DANCES &

Meet the STARS of: Dana Dana Snyder Snyder

Heroes, Lord of the Rings,

The intention being to unite family members in a unique and expressive way. It also lets other drivers know that there are kids in the car. It helps discourage other cars from driving aggresively close much like the “Baby on Board” signs did in the 80’s. We asked Angie how she got started. “First I needed to find the perfect artist. I had the intuition that one was in my own back yard so I placed an ad in a local paper and then proceeded to google hundreds of artists portfolios across the country. But after 3 months still could not find the style for the concept that was in my mind. So I bought art books as well as supplies and came up with rough guidelines for what was to come. Soon after a local dread-locked, freespirited artist strolled into my life and within 10 minutes MYJOLLYFAMILY.COM's first character and the style for the characters were created. The whole process was a year in development going through three different artists.” MYJOLLYFAMILY.COM offers hundreds of characters in four ethnicities. They are fun decals that adhere to the back of car windows and are easily removable. Characters are sold for $6.50 each or $5.50 each for orders of five or more. Order at MYJOLLYFAMILY.COM.

Sean Sean Astin Astin

LIVE BANDS NIGHTLY

Stargate, Star Wars,

Until Dawn, Featuring:

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Robert Robert Englund Englund

August 29-September 1, 2008 � Atlanta, Georgia PG 30 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

www.DRAGONCON.org

FEATURE

FALL EDUCATION GUIDE

Our Fall Education Guide profiles a diverse group of schools offering a variety of courses in different fields. Continuing your education can advance your career and enlighten your life!

Alliance Francaise d’Atlanta 404.875.1211 www.afatl.com Alliance Française d'Atlanta is an independent and non-profit organization, founded in 1912, serving the Atlanta community as the premier provider of French language and culture. With more than 1000 members served annually, it offers a variety of courses, social activities and cultural events. Alliance Française d’Atlanta is the only French language school in Atlanta that offers the complete French experience! From ordering your food in French and picking French wine to discussing books and current events, we will give you tips to parler your way into Paris and the French speaking world and top it off with Joie de vivre! The Alliance Française offers classes for all levels, from complete beginners to advanced, along with conversation and literature. AF teachers are all highly experienced and professionally trained, fostering a fun and effective learning experience. In addition to language courses, Alliance Française d’Atlanta offers its members a variety of quality cultural programs and social activities such as: Bastille Day celebration, film screenings, guest speakers, Francophonie Festival, trips to French speaking countries, monthly diners , concerts, art exhibits and receptions.

Argosy University 800.377.0617 www.argosy.edu

Students looking for a more personal approach to education may find the answer at Argosy University, Atlanta. This leading institution offers a variety of degree programs that focus on the human side of success alongside professional competence. All graduate and undergraduate programs (and there are 48 nationwide, across 19 Argosy University campuses and 12 states) emphasize interpersonal skills as well as academic learning. And all are taught by practicing

professionals who bring top-level, real-world experience-and clear-eyed realism-into the classroom. So students graduate with both a solid foundation of knowledge, and the power to put it to work. Argosy University, Atlanta is located in the city of Sandy Springs, at 980 Hammond Drive, Suite 100. Argosy University offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Business, and graduate degrees in Education and Counseling. Programs feature dynamic curricula delivered in flexible class formats that make it easy to pursue a degree while meeting family and professional demands. Students choose from day and evening courses, on campus or online. Argosy University accepts students yearround on a rolling admissions basis, depending on availability of required courses. There's also a wide range of financial aid options for students who qualify. Applications and additional information are available online at argosy.edu/Atlanta or by contacting the campus at 1-800-377-0617.

Janke Studios Hand Blown Glass Founded in 1996

STUDIOPLEX Conveniently located between Inman Park & the King Birth Home

659 Auburn Ave. Studio G-9 Atlanta, GA 30312 404-584-0305

FALL GLASS BLOWING CLASSES

check

jankestudios

www. .com for schedule of classes

HOURS:

Tues, Thurs, Fri 1p-5p, Sat 12-6p Other times By Appointment

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International School Of Skin & Nails ��

THE LARGEST, MOST EXPERIENCED SCHOOL IN GA FOR ESTHETICIAN & NAIL CARE TRAINING

Georgia Perimeter College (678) 891-4125 www.gpc.edu Georgia Perimeter College is among the nation's fastest growing metropolitan twoyear colleges. With more than 21,500 students, GPC is the third largest institution in the University System of Georgia. Georgia Perimeter College is affordable and accessible, with full service campuses in Dunwoody, Clarkston, Decatur and the eight county service area surrounding Newton, with sites in Alpharetta, Lawrenceville and Rockdale. GPC serves traditional students as well as non-

5 Essential Questions to Ace Your Next Interview BY ROGER PRESSWOOD ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ALUMNI CAREER SERVICES GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY

There are 5 universal questions all hiring organizations must understand about you before extending the offer. 1. WHY DO YOU WANT TO WORK HERE? It's not enough to say Xyz Corporation has an outstanding reputation and that you're really excited about the position. Remember, that's what every candidate before you has stated. To effectively answer this question you must go beyond generic statements and discover your true motivations for the organization and the position by providing specific reasons that prove to the interviewer your motivations are unique. This requires you to thoroughly reflect on how your background and your future intersect with the position and

NOW OFFERING THE ULTIMATE IN MASSAGE THERAPY TRAINING ��

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ISSN Massage Training

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Clarkston Campus

the organization. 2. WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR US? Remember, it's not always the most experienced or qualified candidate who secures the job offer, but rather the candidate who can best articulate the "value" she brings to the organization. To answer this question be able to provide specific examples of how you have successfully brought value to organizations throughout your career that are related to the position you are interviewing for.

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employee who gets along well with colleagues and matches the overall style of the organization. Be sure to explain how your personality and work style are a great match with the organization. 5. IF YOU ARE THE BEST CANDIDATE CAN I AFFORD YOU? Every employer has concerns and limitations surrounding the salary issues. Perform your salary research (salary.com) to learn the appropriate ranges and wait to negotiate salary until an offer has been extended.

3. WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER 10 CANDIDATES WE'VE INTERVIEWED. This question requires that you go beyond the standard rehearsed interview answers and think about the traits and skills that you bring to the organization that make you unique in how you work, in how you think, and in how you effectively create results. I recommend you put these in writing to gain the clarity needed to verbalize these areas to the interviewer. 4. WILL YOU FIT IN? Every employer wants to know that you are a good overall fit for the organization. This means not only effectively performing your job, but also being an PG 31 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

FALL EDUCATION GUIDE traditional and foreign students. Georgia Perimeter College enrolls more freshman, has more students transferring to other colleges and universities, has more high school Joint Enrollment students and offers more online courses than any other institution in Georgia. Academic excellence, championship athletic programs and student success are hallmarks of GPC. We also provide a nurturing environment with small classes. Their Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program ensures GPC students, who qualify, entrance into some of the best four year institutions in Georgia after completing 60 hours. Click onto www.gpc.edu/TAG for more information. Their students are success driven and are taught by dedicated, award-winning faculty. GPC is dedicated to success for our students, graduates who head straight into the workforce and those who choose to continue their education at a senior institution. Current cost of tuition and fees for full time, in state students is less than $2,200. For more information call 678-891-4125 or www.gpc.edu

International School of Skin & Nailcare (404) 843-1005 www.skin-nails.com The International School of Skin & Nail Care (ISSN) is celebrating 23 years as a school and day spa in Sandy Springs. ISSN is where all the people get trained that work in Spas, Salons, Network TV, Doctors, Cruise Ships and manufacturing companies. Anywhere skin care treatments are given or nail care beauty is performed. Courses from

Continued From Page 31 Classic Facials to Microdermbrasion Facials, to waxing, make-up, to manicures and nail art are taught at the renowned International School of Skin and Nail Care (ISSN). Our job placement is excellent and has remained near 100-percent for over a decade no other school is close. Our long experience and being known in the Industry insures the graduate of a good job upon graduation. Over 320 active employers depend on ISSN for Esthetician and Nail Technician staffing. Our programs start monthly for the convenience of today's student. We have morning, afternoon, or evening class in the Esthetician program and day or evening classes in the Nail Technician program. We now offer a fully accredited Massage Therapy Division. We are conveniently located in the Prado, 5600 Roswell Road at I-295. We are an accredited school and approved by the Georgia State Board of Cosmetology. A quick call to our Admission's office can answer all of your questions. When you call ask for a tour of the school. Call us today: Local 404-843-1005 or email us issn@skinnails.com

Janke Studios 404-584-0305 www.jankestudios.com If you have marveled at the beautiful freeform and controlled works of Dale Chihuly or watched a glassblowing documentary, you

should know that there is a thriving glass blowing community heating up in Atlanta! Janke Studios is Atlanta's premier Glassblowing Studio and Functional Art Glass Gallery. Celebrating 11 years in the metro area the Janke team continues to offer a variety of classes that will fit perfectly into your schedule. Courses are project based and designed for all from the novice to experienced glass craftsman and artist. Try a three hour paperweight workshop to get a feel for the process or if you are more adventurous, but short on time take a two day weekend workshop. During this workshop you will experience all the basic skills and glassblowing floor environment. Create your own paperweight, check out the process and meet new people. For the enthusiast, nurture your skills in an extensive five week class or host a Remote: hot glass on your site for demos, classes or educational purposes. Janke Studios is located at StudioPlex at 659 Auburn Avenue. For information on upcoming classes call 404584-0305 or go to www.jankestudios.com

two associate degrees, nine undergraduate degrees, a masters degree and a doctorate of chiropractic. With a diverse student population, Life University attracts students from all 50 states and 27 different countries. The College of Undergraduate Studies has nearly 500 students and offers two associate degrees in computer management and life coaching; nine bachelor degrees in business administration, computer information management, biology, exercise science, nutrition, dietetics, psychology, and biopsychology; and a master's degree in sport health science. The College of Chiropractic offers a Doctorate of Chiropractic degree and currently boasts an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students, doubling the enrollment numbers in just the past three years. This program features practice management courses that train students on how to manage a successful practice and provides valuable "hands-on" experience in the university's clinic system which includes clinics overseas. In every program, students enjoy the benefit of a highly supportive atmosphere where work is often in team and group settings with highly qualified, caring faculty and supportive peers. From the president to all campus employees, Life University is committed to creating a student-centered learning environment, featuring a student-faculty ratio of 15:1. For more information, please go to www.Life.edu or call 1-800-543-3202.

Life University 770-426-2884 www.LIFE.com Life University was founded in 1974 as a school of chiropractic with only 22 students in its first class. Today, with more than 14,000 alumni, Life University, under the leadership of President Guy F. Riekeman and its fully committed Board of Trustees, has expanded to a complete university that offers

if you want to SUCCEED, WE HAVE WHAT YOU NEED.

Our practitioner-based faculty, personalized approach, flexible on-campus and on-line learning options provide graduates with real-life tools to succeed. You can earn your Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree in:*

Psychology | Business | Counseling | Education In all, we offer more than 40 undergraduate and graduate degrees across 19 campus locations nationwide. At Argosy University, we don’t just teach. Our personal approach will help lead you to the human side of success.

Learn more today at argosy.edu or call 800.377.0617 Argosy University, Atlanta | 980 Hammond Drive | Suite 100 | Atlanta, GA 30328 *Program names vary by location. Not all degree levels and programs are available at every location. ©2008 Argosy University® 08-AU-2978 – 8/08

PG 32 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

"Life offers a philosophic underpinning to all of its students, chiropractic, graduate and undergraduate, in a way that's not found anywhere else. For me, as a chiropractic student, I came to Life for the quality of the technique instruction. It's also a beautiful, walk-able campus that offers a quiet and kind of quaint environment within a large and vibrant metropolitan area." -Adam Schwartz, chiropractic student from Port Huron, MI.

SAE Atlanta

404-526-9366 www.sae-atl.com Continuing the tradition established in 1976, SAE Atlanta educates students for careers in the entertainment industry with the focus of hands-on training. Students gain invaluable experience working on real-world projects every day. SAE Atlanta currently offers two programs: SAE's Audio Technology Program, where students can earn an Associate of Science Degree (unique to SAE Atlanta) or an SAE Diploma.

SAE's belief is that in order for students to be autonomous and independent engineers, editors and artists they must have the combination of theoretical and practical knowledge - a combination that gives them the foundation necessary to solve problems, and work with various clients in a professional manner. Students have access to over 30 studios and workstations while studying at SAE Atlanta. Included are analog and digital mix-down stations by Mackie and Yamaha, FX stations, and Apple computers throughout to complete digital editing, Pro Tools, sampling, and remix exercises. To round off the educational experience the facility boast both the SSL 4000G+ and NEVE VR60 analog consoles. All graduates are provided job placement assistance and are eligible to become members of SAE's international Alumni Association. Financial assistance is available for those who quality and both full and part time classes are available. For more information please contact our Admissions Department at 404-526-9366 or visit our web site at www.sae-atl.com. SAE Atlanta is located at 215 Peachtree Street Suite 300, Atlanta GA 30303

districts. The campus prides itself on its professional atmosphere and on enabling students to develop career-focused abilities. Westwood College - Atlanta Midtown is easily accessible; it is located on Train and Bus lines and is directly accessible from the main interstate highway. This location enables students to get the maximum benefit from professional opportunities and organizations as well as cultural and sports destinations in the area. Our Atlanta Midtown campus is conveniently located on the Marta bus line, close to the Midtown & Art Center train stops, off Spring Street. For students who drive, we are conveniently situated on the cross-streets of Spring and 12th, with easy access from the I75/I-85 Interstate. There are also two large housing units exclusive to Westwood College students within walking distance from campus, along with several rental opportunities. The Atlanta Midtown campus offers Bachelor's and Associates degrees in Business, Design, Healthcare, Justice and Technology. The Midtown campus is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). 1100 Spring Street Suite 102 Atlanta, GA 30309 (404)745-9096 The Northlake campus is located just inside I-285 between LaVista Road and Northlake Parkway, northeast of downtown Atlanta. The LaVista area is practically a city in itself, with plenty of great housing opportunities and everything you need to live, shop, and learn - all within walking distance. The Atlanta Northlake campus prides itself on small student groups which aid in professional student development and help students build the desire to launch successful careers. The campus is easily accessible; it is located within walking distance of MARTA and Bus lines, and for students who drive there is direct access to campus from the main interstate highway. Transportation options are plentiful, as campus is conveniently located on the Marta bus line, directly on the 125 route from the Avondale Train Station. Another option is the 30 bus route from the Lindbergh Station. Both of these buses bring students directly across the street from the campus. The Atlanta Northlake campus offers Bachelor's and Associates degrees in Business, Design, Healthcare, Justice and Technology. The Northlake campus is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS). 2309 Parklake Drive Atlanta, GA 30345 (404) 962-2999

MAKE YOUR LIFE

EXTRAORDINARY 8 Ways to Great

For an experience beyond books and lectures… Life University prides itself on instilling eight core life proficiencies in every course. From psychology to biology, students receive a solid foundation in integrity, citizenship, and leadership. Just to name a few. These skills and values will allow our graduates to not just succeed within their respective fields, but to succeed with an ability to change the world.

Programs of Study: Doctor of Chiropractic Master’s of Sport Health Science Associate Degree Programs Computer Information Management Life Coaching

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Bachelor Degree Programs Business Administration Computer Information Management Biology Exercise Science Nutrition Dietetics Psychology Biopsychology General Studies

LIFE.edu • 800-543-3202

Parlez-vous français? Learn French this Fall in Atlanta!

OPEN HOUSE

Thursday, September 18th 2008 at 6:00pm Fall Classes Begin October 6th 2008

Westwood College 888-887-6511 www.westwood.edu

The Westwood College Midtown campus is at the center of the business and commercial

Alliance Française www.afatl.com | 404.875.1211

Midtown Campus

Professional Audio Education Since 1976

www.sae.edu

International Recognition Individual Studio Time Day and Evening Classes Financial Assistance To Those Who Qualify

Call Now and Start Your New Career! 404-526-9388 or www.sae.edu

SAE Institute Of Technology Atlanta

215 Peachtree St. Suite 300, Atlanta GA 30303 PG 33 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

THE REAL EMERALD CITY

TRAVEL

Cartagena, Colombia Emerges as one of South America’s Greatest Undiscovered Gems

TEXT & PHOTOS BY BRET LOVE

HERE ARE THREE THINGS WE are known for,” explains our gregarious Colombian guide/translator, Jose Villa Rodriguez, during lunch as he holds up three fingers in front of his knowing smile. “Emeralds, coffee and beautiful women!” I don’t know much about the dazzling green gems patiently polished into stunning earrings, rings and necklaces in the quietly buzzing workroom at Joyeria Caribe—the city of Cartagena’s most esteemed jewelry manufacturers¬– but I can certainly attest to the world-class quality of the latter two features. My buddy DeMarco and I flew into Cartagena on Spirit’s inaugural flight in early May, knowing precious little about the city aside from what we could find on Wikipedia. The reasons for this seem to be twofold: For one, the Internet has not yet developed into quite the phenomenon in South America that it is in the United States and, perhaps consequently, American travelers have not yet discovered what an amazing city this historic portal to the South American continent truly is. Properly known as Cartagena des Indias (to distinguish it from the Spanish city after which it was named), this bustling seaport on Colombia’s northern coast was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia and quickly emerged as a major hub of commerce and transportation in the early Spanish settlement of the Americas. After legendary pirates such as Martín Cote and Francis Drake began to plunder the prosperous city, in the early 17th century the Spanish crown approved the construction of numerous fortresses and approximately 11km of walls surrounding Cartagena. Beginning in 1606, the construction took over 200 years, and the impressive results were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and remain among Cartagena’s most impressive sights. But the truth is, the entire city is practically bursting with history, as we realized almost immediately after our arrival at La Passion, a stunning new boutique bed and breakfast set in a 19th century Spanish mansion. Located in the heart of the Walled City just a few blocks from the Caribbean Sea, La Passion’s password-protected doors, intimacy (there are less than 10 guest rooms) and amenities such as breakfast served beside the gorgeous PG 34 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

rooftop pool made it the perfect headquarters for our explorations, with almost every historically significant landmark within walking distance. Which proved to be a good thing, as the narrow streets are often too congested for even the tiny local taxis to proceed at more than a snail’s pace. As we strolled along, vendors hawking everything from jewelry and artwork to T-shirts and sunglasses, street mimes looking to make a quick buck, fruit and vegetable carts, students hanging out between classes at the local university and the aforementioned beautiful women all vied for our attention, as strains of cumbia, champeta and salsa music streamed from the surrounding shops. But it’s the gorgeous republican, Italian and colonial-style architecture of the Old City’s buildings that truly make it a wonder to behold. From simple homes to grand cathedrals, virtually every building in the area is worthy of a picture postcard. There’s Teatro Heredia (Heredia Theater), a majestic edifice whose posh interior hosts a variety of concerts and cultural events; Puerta del Reloj (Clock Gate), the official entrance to the downtown Cartagena area, which opens out onto the bustling marketplace of Plaza de los Coches (Square of the Carriages); San Pedro Claver Church, where a priest conducts evening mass while young children feed vast flocks of pigeons in the sculpture-filled square outside; Plaza

de Bolivar, where horse-drawn carriages line up in front of a 16th century cathedral; the restored Santa Domingo Church, whose plaza features the sculpture Mujer Reclinada (“Reclining Woman”), a gift from renowned Colombian artist Fernando Botero; and too many others to mention. Needless to say, by the time we made our way to El Santísimo, a nuevo-Caribbean restaurant featuring innovative cuisine served up in a tropical courtyard lined with folk art, Colombia’s intense heat and humidity had combined with a long day of travel and walking to render us completely exhausted. After hungrily scarﬁng down a scrumptious dinner of salad, fresh seafood and coconut rice (both of which are local specialties), we were too exhausted to even consider exploring Cartagena’s notoriously bustling nightlife scene, so we headed back to La Passion to sleep like the dead. The next morning we were up at dawn for

THERE ARE THREE THINGS WE ARE KNOWN FOR, EMERALDS, COFFEE AND BEAUTIFUL WOMEN!

another long day of activities, starting off with a tour of San Felipe de Barajas castle, which was named for King Philip IV. A major trading port for precious metals and slaves, Cartagena was seen as a prize jewel in the Spanish crown, and as we explored the fort Jose recounted grand tales of the illustrious Battle of Cartagena, in which the Spaniards used the sentry boxes, underground tunnels and massive cannons to repel attacks by more than 23,000 British troops. From there it was off to the Inquisition Palace, which has been turned into a museum featuring all of the original features it had when it was built in 1770. From a stretching rack and stockade to a guillotine and hanging platform, the museum is a haunting reminder of the Spanish Inquisition’s fearsome presence in the region from 1610 up until Cartagena’s independence in 1811. Just down the street lies El Museo del Oro Zenú (Zenú Gold Museum), which charts the pre-Colombian history of the region’s original inhabitants, who first settled in Colombia over 11,000 years ago. Filled with pottery, musical instruments, textiles and the intricately filigreed gold jewelry for which the Zenú were known, the museum also pays tribute to their remarkably innovative agricultural developments, which included ingenious waterway systems designed to control drainage and irrigation. And don’t miss the excellent museum shop next door, Galeria Cano, where collectors can find upscale Colombian art created by local craftsmen. After another delicious lunch during which we guzzled down glasses of chorozo (which tastes like a sweet cranberry) and pineapple juice, we headed up to visit Convento de la Popa, a 400-year-old monastery sitting on a hill 500 feet over Cartagena. Locals walk up the steep hill every morning, past 14 crosses representing the stations of the passion, for mass in the monastery’s 21k gold-laden chapel. Making our way through the tranquil inner courtyard, we found ourselves in front of a statue of the Virgin of Cadelaria, who is credited with delivering the city from the ravages of disease and pirates. The spectacular 360º views of the city and Cartagena Bay alone make La Popa an absolute must-see. As the sun began to set, we made our way to the Plaza de la Aduana (Customs Square) for a sizzling performance by Mapale troupe Afro Columbia, whose pounding tribal rhythms, infectious melodies, colorful costumes and dazzling African-influenced dance moves attracted a massive crowd unaccustomed to seeing these local cultural treasures playing outside of upscale venues like Teatro

we arrived for dinner at 9PM, but by the time we’d graduated to drinks it was becoming increasingly packed, and by midnight there were literally people dancing on the tables. There are a lot of misconceptions about Colombia lingering from its days as one of the world’s coca capitals, but Cartagena is a wondrous historical city that deserves all the tourist accolades showered upon European counterparts such as Venice or Prague. The emeralds and the coﬀee were certainly everything Jose promised, but it’s the people and the culture that make it a true undiscovered gem.

CARTAGENA CONTACTS CONTACTOS – Services a wide variety of tourism needs. (575) 665-1300, www.contactos.com.co. JOSE VILLA RODRIGUEZ – Private tourist guide/translator. (311)438-3458, josevillarodriguez@yahoo.com. EXPRESO BRASILIA – Oﬀers bus tours between Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Mara. www.expresobrasilia.com. LA PASSION – Intimate bed & breakfast in the heart of downtown Cartagena. (575) 6648605, www.lapassionhotel.com. Heredia. From there it was on to dinner at Club de Pesca, a seaside restaurant where a sultry latin jazz ensemble, strong drinks, fresh ﬁsh and great company (courtesy of Jose and our Contactos guide, Esmerelda Martínez) made for an enjoyable end to our extraordinarily full day. Our last day in Colombia was our favorite, as we left bright and early for a visit to the Rosario Islands. Making a brief stop at Bocachica’s San Fernando Fort, strategically placed at the entrance to the bay, we made

our way our to Majagua Island, a beautifully unspoiled tropical paradise located 30 minutes oﬀ the coast of Cartagena. The small San Pedro de Majagua hotel (where we swore to stay next time) was practically deserted, with two white sand beaches and plenty of hammocks to provide the feeling you were far from civilization. Our tour included the option of visiting an aquarium, going scuba diving or snorkeling, so we chose the latter option, venturing to an even smaller island, Isla Pavito, with an even

smaller resort. Donning masks and flippers, we set out from the rocky beach to find a manmade reef of sunken barrels swarming with tropical fish a mere 20 yards away. Further out, natural coral attracted brilliantly colored parrotfish, puffers and angelfish by the dozens, with water so warm and crystal clear you could see every detail. Later that night we returned to town to view a different sort of wildlife at Mr. Babilla’s Restaurant & Discoteque. Legendary on the local scene, this nightclub was deserted when

SOFITEL SANTA CLARA – Gorgeous modern hotel in the former Santa Clara de Asis Convent. (575) 650-4700, www.soﬁtel. com. HOTEL SAN PEDRO DE MAJAGUA – Like your own private island paradise. (575) 664-6070, www.hotelmajagua.com. ISLA PAVITO/DOLPHIN DIVE SCHOOL – The ultimate remote Colombian getaway. (575) 664-0814, www.dolphindiveschool.com.

PG 35 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

SPORTS NEWS

Ready For The World The 2008 Summer Games: From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe

BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS

HESE OLYMPIC GAMES (August 8-24) might go down as the most controversial ever. The environmentalists, “Save Darfur” protesters, “Free Tibet” advocates and human rights lobbyists have all screamed to the tops of their lungs for boycotts in Beijing. Chinese organizers exhausted themselves fanning the bruising flames, yet still somehow assured the world’s best athletes of a marvelous experience in Asia. And they may very well succeed—even amidst the latest rumors circulating that the Chinese government is strong-arming bars near Olympic facilities to refuse service to darker-skinned patrons for fear they may stir up drug and prostitution issues. Of course, no one really knows how it’ll all shake out. But hey, at least we can promise you some informed viewing to the XXIX Olympiad if you keep our nifty A-Z guide handy. A- Ai Weiwei is the mind behind the Games’ centerpiece, the National Stadium. Take a casual glance at the $500 million structure aptly nicknamed “Bird’s Nest” and you’ll think you’re looking at something constructed by wrens. In actuality, it’s where the opening and closing ceremonies, track and men’s soccer final will take place. B- Bicycle motocross (men’s, women’s), the 3000-meter steeplechase (women’s), 10K marathon swimming (men’s, women’s), team table tennis (men’s, women’s), women’s team foil (fencing) and women’s team saber (fencing) are the nine new events in the ’08 Games. C- California colleges dominate the U.S. team landscape. Four of the top five colleges –Stanford, UCLA, USC and Cal- to produce members on the national team are found in The Golden State. The University of Texas is the only foreigner on the list. D- Dara Torres is a 41-year-old mom, but she can swim faster than you and your younger brother. She’s won nine medals since the ’84 L.A. Games. But if the way she swam at the U.S. trials a few months ago is of any clue, she’ll easily add to that total. E- Equestrian events have never been deemed

PG 36 • insiteatlanta.com • August 2008

all that cool by casual Olympic followers. That may change this year once they hear the story of Hiroshi Hoketsu, a Japanese rider who is the Games’ oldest participant at 67! F- Fleet-footed Americans Allyson Felix, Muna Lee and Tyson Gay will have to outpace their neighbors from Jamaica, namely Kerron Stewart and Usain Bolt, if they’re to capture gold in the coveted 100- and 200-meter sprints. G- Going for his first medal in the Olympics is tennis’ top-rated player Roger Federer, though the Swiss has participated in two previous Games. Spanish rival Rafael Nadal, presumably, is the only thing standing in his way. H- Historic advertising dollars are being spent by the Barack Obama team. The democratic hopeful has paid $5 million for ads during the Games. Advertising Age calls it the first “significant” commercial buy for a presidential candidate in over 16 years. I- Iraqi teams have been officially banned from the Beijing Games. The International Olympic Committee said the country’s government missed the deadline to address accusations of political interference. J- Jones, Cullen Jones. The name may not ring any bells now but it will soon. The swimmer set a U.S. 50-meter free record at the U.S. trials this year. Not impressed? Well, he’s also just the second African-American to qualify for an individual swim event. K- Coach K leads an unbelievable squad in China. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony remember the bitter taste of bronze from Athens. It would be the shock of the Games if they didn’t win Gold this time. Same goes for the ladies. L- Live from Beijing… Live from Beijing... NBC Universal is counting on its worldwide audience never tiring of hear-

ing that statement. 75% of the planned coverage across its platforms (NBC, USA, MSNBC, Telemundo, Universal HD, CNBC, Oxygen, NBCOlympics.com) will be broadcasted live, even though there’s a 12-hour time diﬀerence.

Beijing, was devastated with a 7.9-magnitude earthquake on May 12. 70,000 people died. Another 354,000 were injured. Over ﬁve million were left homeless. A tribute will be paid to the victims at the opening ceremony.

M- Miracles do happen. And two of them will be participating in the Summer Olympics. South Africa’s Natalie du Toit, is the ﬁrst Paralympian to compete in the Olympics. Amazingly, Poland’s Natalia Partyka has no right forearm yet she’s one of the world’s ﬁnest table tennis players.

T- Tiananmen Square is situated right in the center of Beijing. Famous for a host of political demonstrations over the years, the 100-acre site is also well-known for being the largest openurban square in the world.

N- Norway is a quiet Olympic power. If you were to tally the combined gold medals countries have won in all the Summer and Winter Games, guess who would be No. 1? The U.S., silly, with 973. But guess who’d be No. 10? That’s right, Norway, with 149.

U- U.S.A. facts and ﬁgures: The United States Olympic Committee will pay athletes bonuses of $25,000 for every gold medal they win… With 175, California produced the most athletes… 310 men and 286 women make up the U.S. Olympic team… The only sports the U.S. will not participate in are men’s ﬁeld hockey and team handball.

O- “One World, One Dream” is the slogan for the ’08 Games. It was chosen from a list of 210,000 entries. The official mascot of the Olympics is Fuwa, a collection of five good-luck dolls that represent the sturgeon, giant panda, Olympic flame, Tibetan antelope and the swallow.

V- Vancouver will host the 2010 Winter Games. London will welcome the 2012 Summer Games. Folks will congregate in Sochi (which is in southern Russia) for the ’14 Winter Olympics. Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janiero are vying for the ’16 Summer Games.

P- The Philippines government and private investors are oﬀering $220,000 to the athlete that can win the Asian country its ﬁrst-ever gold medal at the Games.

W- The Water Cube, formally named the Beijing National Aquatics Center, looks like something from a Spongebob cartoon. Says a Venetian architect: “The project demonstrates in a stunning way, how the deliberate morphing of molecular science, architecture and phenomenology can create an airy and misty atmosphere for a personal experience of water leisure.”

Q- The quest for eight golds begins August 8-10 weekend for America’s most-popular Olympian, Michael Phelps. The four-time World Swimmer of the Year took home six golds in ’04, but has his gills set on passing the seven Mark Spitz won in ’72 this time. R- Russia earned 92 medals in Athens, second to the U.S.’s 103. Russia has earned the second-most total Summer Games medals of all-time. Russia has also earned the second-most total medals if you combine the Summer and Winter Games. S- The Sichuan province, about 960 miles from

X- Xiang Liu is China’s first-ever Olympic gold medalist in any track and field event. The exciting hurdler is also the country’s biggest sports star not named… Y-… Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming or Zhang Yining. The first two, of course, are seven-foot basketball players that give the Chinese team a great wall in front of the hoop. Yining is beloved for being the world’s finest female table tennis player. Z- Zycki, as in standout Polish sailor Dominik Zycki, is the last name on the alphabetical list of 10,000+ athletes participating in the Beijing Games.

SPORTS NEWS

FANATIC BY DEMARCO WILLIAMS “Don’t just read fantasy sites. Read the football sections of major newspapers. Watch “SportsCenter.” And once the season starts, watch games. Not just highlights. Games. See how a guy gets his 100 yards. Was he grinding it out or did he just get a lucky 75-yard gain and sucked the other 20 carries? The more info you can have, the better. There are millions of sites devoted to fantasy football. See who you like, who you trust, who you agree with, who you think are morons. It’s all speculation -- some more informed than others -- but at the end of the day, we’re all just making educated guesses.” ESPN’S FAN TASY FOOTBALL GURU MATTHEW BERRY, oﬀering priceless advice for the coming season Johnny’s Pizza has some pretty good pie, so hearing that owner John Keiley plans to give away a pizza to every person on the planet if the Tampa Bay Rays win the World Series, is a bit of a shock. And if you’re reading this, thinking the guy is just trying to hype up his franchise, you’re wrong. He made two prior bets –one was about his hometown Colorado Rockies sweeping a New York Yankees series and another was for a team going 16-0 during the last NFL season- and he proved a man of his word both times. Here’s hoping the Rays can stay at it for a lil’ while longer. Fanatic’s hungry! But sadly, the feel-good Rays don’t have a chance in besting the Los Angeles Angels for the American League crown. That club is the toast of the majors, and with Mark Teixeira now in the same Angels lineup as Vlad Guerrero and Torii Hunter, that probably won’t change. Wrote the L.A. Times’ Bill Shaikin after the trade: “The World Series starts Oct. 22 at Angel Stadium. Or else. THE ANGELS usually speak softly, without carrying a big stick. They got the big stick Tuesday, and they’re not shy about telling you why.”

A Monthly Sports Must-See TV Wrap-up Top 5 Games This Month

CHICAGO CUBS fans will be quick to point out to Mr. Shaikin, the Angels and anyone else that it’s only August and World Series titles aren’t typically won in August. The Cubbies not only have a point, they have a really strong chance of being the ones who keep L.A. from winning it all. Chicago has steady pitching (Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Kerry Wood), consistent hitting (Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez) and a manager (Lou Piniella) who takes risks and relies on his gut more than anything else. If you missed our preview of the BEIJING GAMES, do yourself a favor and ﬂip over a page. With all the events spread over two weeks, the whole thing can get overwhelming. One more piece of advice for smart TV-watching: If you’re ﬂipping through the NBC networks and hear any of the following international names, you’ll want to stop and watch: Asafa Powell (track, Jamaica); Lauren Jackson (basketball, Australia); Marta Vieira da Silva (soccer, Brazil); Dayron Robles (track, Cuba); Marianne Vos (cycling, Netherlands); Roman Sebrle (track, Czech Republic); Im Dong Hyun (archery, South Korea); Haile Gebrselassie (track, Ethiopia).

And finally… Fanatic was at E3, the video game world’s top annual convention, and I’ll be the first to tell you that Tiger Woods ’09, NBA 2K9 and NBA Live ’09 are going to make your living room look incredible… Greg Norman, a surprise third-place finisher at the British Open, spent over $2 million to rent a Bahamian club for his recent nuptials to tennis legend Chris Evert… Only three NFL running backs averaged over 20 carries per game last year- Willie Parker, Clinton Portis and Edgerrin James… Swimmer Michael Phelps has held 20 world records over his career… Had Angel hurler John Lackey gotten two more outs in his July 29 game vs. Boston, he would have become just the second pitcher since ’75 to no-hit the defending champs… Ask a real Packers fan and he’ll tell you that the whole Brett Favre mess ensures the Madden cover curse is real.

1 2 3 4 5

Appalachian State at LSU (August 30, 5PM, ESPN)

Think App. State has another miracle ﬁnish in them? It’ll be a miracle if the way-too-skilled Tigers don’t score 50.

Olympics- Basketball Finals (August 24, TBD, NBC)

If the U.S. isn’t playing some Euro power for the gold, this country should only send high schoolers to London in ’12.

L.A. Angels vs. New York Yankees (August 2 and 9, 3:55PM, FOX)

Two chances on two straight Saturdays in two diﬀerent parks to watch two of the AL’s best go at it.

Olympics- Opening Ceremonies (August 8, 8PM, NBC)

It’s just like ﬁeld day from elementary school— only with way cooler props and a bigger budget to play with.

NFL Hall of Fame Game (August 3, 8PM, NBC)

Peyton Manning proves, if for only a quarter, why he’ll join ’08 inductees like Art Monk and Gary Zimmerman before long.

September Football Issue LUBES CONDOMS LOTIONS MAGAZINES NOVELTIES

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